the Melnibonéans, are not human, resembling instead the elves of legend — skilled with magic and beautiful, though psychologically based upon cats, leading to a callous nature. They are bound by many ancient customs.
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The Melnibonéans are a humanoid race, but their psychological distance from humans is stressed throughout the series. With the exception of Elric, they lack a moral sense. Their actions are determined by tradition and by the search for pleasure and new sensations. Meerclar, Lord of the Cats, compares the Imrryrian nature to the nature of his own kind in their sophistication and their love of cruelty and pleasure. Torture of slaves and prisoners is a common amusement. The otherness of the Melnibonéans is manifest in their aesthetics. They naturally prefer a mix of colors and elaborate, baroque decoration and architecture. The tall spires of Imrryr are every color of the rainbow.
Their self-centered ways are held in check by rigid adherence to tradition. The society is devoted to elaborate rituals that few Imrryrians have the courage to ignore.