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Post by Austin on Feb 4, 2014 18:01:09 GMT -7
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Post by Austin on Feb 5, 2014 21:59:58 GMT -7
Humans
Humans are a common race on Shaarzahn, and a very old race at that. They are skilled toolmakers, traders, builders, and record keepers. They are also very curious and adaptable. Though their single race has split into various factions, they still tend to trust one another more than the other races of Shaarzahn. Humans are a race that is relatively quick to anger, and thus has a history of much war, but they tend to make the best of their situations even in the worst of times, learning from their mistakes and starting over again when they need to.
Appearance: Humanoid, with hair on the tops of their heads and some body hair (though it largely does nothing to keep them warm). Males can grow beards. Short fingernails, blunt teeth for an omnivorous diet, and dextrous hands and fingers.
Senses: Medium all around (the standard by which other races are compared)
Average life expectancy: 60–70 years
Special abilities:
1. Naturally adept at learning languages. All humans are taught at least two or three tongues as children, and they can easily pick up new ones.
2. Patient and durable. Humans may not be the fastest running race, but they can outrun other races in distance and endurance races relatively easily.
3. Skilled with tools and weapons. Humans can learn to use almost any tool or weapon efficiently, making them very versatile.
Human Subraces
Jhute
The Jhutes are a very agricultural society, and value trade with other nations, as well as preserving records through written scrolls and monuments. Most are religious, and focus mostly on having a comfortable life and preserving the nuances of their society and culture. They are a relatively prideful race, and tend to think of themselves as richer and more deserving of comfort than other races and humans.
Faction: Jhu-zarim Alliance
Members: 13 million
Hair color: Brown
Skin color: Tan, pink, olive
Eye color: Brown, hazel
Height: 5'11"–7'0"
Clothing: Most males wear wool togas over linen tunics and sandals. Females wear loose robes with sashes and wimples.
Diet: Bread, beans, vegetables, olives, figs, fish, boar meat
Dwellings: The lower class live in wooden and mud huts, upper and middle class live in mud-brick, stone, and marble structures
Homeland: The Jhu river valley, on the southern coast of the Kharazim Desert.
Language: Karquam (lingua franca of the Jhu-zarim Alliance)
Religion: Polytheistic - The Araatum Pantheon
Writing: Syllabic symbols
Government: Empirical democracy - The Emperor settles disputes and proposes laws; the people vote for changes in the law, but can opt to have noblemen take their position for them.
Leader: Emperor Dithranon
Industry: Salt, clay, marble, silver, corn, pottery, cotton, papyrus.
Currency: Minted gold coins called temblems
Military tactics: Shields and spears, shortswords and broadswords, some shortbows (though they usually do not think such warfare is sportsmanlike), some fireweavers. Soldiers are organized into groups of tens, hundreds, and thousands, with leaders and subleaders over each number.
Names: Any letters except K, F, Y, and W. Many times end with -am, -us, -on, and -o (males); or -a, -ae, -an (females).
Subrace special ability: Can stay awake for 24 hours without getting tired, even on a journey.
Ruutryn
The sworn enemy of the Jhutes, the Ruutryn live in the tropical jungles in the southeast sector of Shaarzahn. They are an efficient society, and very hard workers. Their social society consists of dividing up responsibilities and trusting leaders with both responsibility and protection of those who are of lower status. Their years spent living in the jungles has given them strong immune systems.
Faction: Wariqik Dominion
Members: 9 million
Hair color: Golden blonde, yellow, dirty blonde
Skin color: White, tan, pink
Eye color: Blue, hazel, green
Height: 5'6"–6'0"
Clothing: Both genders wear leather kilts and simple cotton shirts. Females often wear feathers in their hair, and males have headdresses that denote their social class status.
Diet: Poultry, beans, tropical fruits, squash, rice, tubers, roots, berries.
Dwellings: Lower class live in canvas and hide tents, and lean-tos made from sticks. Some live in caves if they're available. Higher class live in stone pyramid-like structures.
Homeland: Jungles and plains of Poer, in the southeastern corner of Shaarzahn
Language: Ruutro
Religion: Idolatry
Writing: Alphabetical
Government: Feudalist aristocracy - The upper class ultimately rules, but divides its power through vassals, who own land worked on by serfs, whom the vassals protect and tax
Leader: Council of the Five
Industry: Cocoa, fruits, gold, gems, sulfur, textiles, ore, weapons
Currency: Barter system among the lower class, a currency of precious stones based on color for the upper class (opals are cheapest, then lapiz lazuli, emeralds, and amethysts are the most valuable)
Military tactics: They generally favor long-range sneak attacks with bows, blow-guns, javelins, and slings. Generally fight all together, with skirmish groups to attack from the sides and behind while the large army is attacking.
Names: Any letter on the top row of the keyboard (Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O, and P)
Subrace special ability: Extremely resistant to disease.
Sarzim
The Sarzim, also called the Sarzimites, are a prosperous and powerful desert-dwelling people, hardy and very religious, who worship the sun, whom they call Zalir, and fire. They are the inventors of the power of Fireweaving, said to have been given the gift from their god's phoenix thousands of years ago. They fear the night and despise the stars, who they think are vastly inferior demi-gods who are jealous of Zalir's brilliance. The Sarzim are adept at warfare, and enslave some of the Tibaa race as miners to keep their fine iron trade up, as well as their precious pyrestone for fireweaving. They also make good use of Hewn golems as servants and night guards, since they hate to be outdoors at night.
Faction: Jhu-zarim Alliance
Members: 10 million
Hair color: Black
Skin color: Black, brown
Eye color: Orange, gold, yellow
Height: 5'9"–6'11"
Clothing: Males rarely wear shirts, believing the sun to strengthen them the more that is exposed. They wear loose cloth breeches and shoes, and turbans are often worn on special occasions. Females wear breeches as well (never dresses like other cultures) or colorful skirts made of silk, and tunics. Wimples are worn in ceremonies and on special occasions.
Diet: Fruit, milk,
honey, seeds, dried meat and fish, berries.
Dwellings: Adobe and sandstone houses in the actual city of Hazrahalil, but there are many outposts at oases along routes in the desert where Sarzimites live in tents.
Homeland: The Kharazim Desert, mainly in the walled city of Hazrahalil.
Language: Karquam
Religion: Monotheistic - Sun-god Zalir
Writing: Syllabic symbols (for trade with Jhutes), hieroglyphs (for official, religious, and legal occasions)
Government: Monarchy - A king rules over all Sarzimites. They pay him tribute on everything they earn; he in turn spends the money on public facilities, military efforts, city expansion, etc.
Leader: King Bimlaz
Industry: Pyrestone, iron, dyes, spices, tea, silk, honey.
Currency: Temblems for most occasions, but pyrestone is also a hot commodity and is often used as currency.
Military tactics: Curved steel swords, Tibaa slave warriors, fireweavers, slingers. They prefer to fight on horseback with hit-and-run tactics meant to demoralize their enemies.
Names: Mostly utilize the letters Z, L, Zh, S, T, B, D, H, and P. A and I are very common vowels.
Subrace special ability: Can control how fast their body processes water, lasting for up to five days in the desert without it, and drinking large amounts at a time to store when they have to.
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Post by Bobo on Feb 6, 2014 8:28:43 GMT -7
Schleem
(Uses the letter S, CH, EE, OO, Ih, I, G, L, W, B, N, M, P )
Appearance: Schleem and Humans, are exactly alike in many ways besides the following both in face and size. Indeed, they seem to be similar in many ways of their temperment and attitudes. Thus, the appearence is described in comparison with Humans.
The most obvious difference between a Human and a Schleem are the long fins on their forearms and lower legs, both sticking out of the sides away from their bodies, each about a foot wide and long. For Males, colors such as green and brown, (for river Schleems), to black, grey, and blue (ocean Shleems) are common on fins. Fins are much more beautiful in females, who, while having the same form and function of fin, have more variety of almost any color or pattern imaginable in either culture. Green, red, yellow, magenta, striped, polka-dotted: almost anything has been seen by those who know these creatures. Some say women dye their fins by an unknown, artificial process, but whether that is true, is unknown to humans as yet.
Schleem have sharp claws on each hand, instead of nails, to grasp slippery things tightly in the water. These are generally half an inch long on a normal, human-looking hand. Humans have known to have been seriously wounded by angering a riff-raff Schleem.
Schleem skin is, from a distance, similar to humans, but has a more, thick, spongy, wet, quality with different “Hues” under certain lights. Their skin will dry up easily (indeed, a Schleem will dehydrate faster than a human) in less humid climates, and so there is an absence of Schleem where ever the humidity is not sufficient enough. Many Schleem avoid appearing on land for long periods of time during the winter months in temperate climates. Schleem with lighter skin tend to have a blue sheen, but those with darker skin have a greener sheen.
Schleem have purple, magenta, and yellow eyes. Their eyes are twice as weak as a human being. The limit to their visual clarity is about 20 feet in front of them. They also have protective lenses on their eyes that filter out germs from the water. Schleem can see special light human beings cannot see: a deeper sort of red, needed in the dark bottom of the ocean. .
Hair colors are Brown, Brown-Blue, or Brownish Green. Males generally shorn their hair, but woman tie their sinewy hair back so it doesn’t drift in the water. Some hair is more like humans, but sometimes it has a thicker consistency.
Schleem ears and nose have no entrance for water and are superior to men in some ways. These ears are more sensitive to higher and lower pitches. The nose (with special, nearly invisible mechanism to seal water) is the same way. A Schleem can sense a smell in the ocean for about a mile. In air, their noses are weaker than humans.
Schleems tend to be clumsy and vulnerable on land but coordinated and fluid in the water. Flat-footed (with webbed feet, in comparison with human looking hands), they cannot walk great distances without feeling great discomfort. Nor, can they run at all at a fast pace. In the water, they can outswim a human being twice as fast.
Finally, the most important, but subtle difference is gills on either side of the neck that allow the Schleem to breathe underwater for an indefinite amount of time. Schleem (who live in the water) raise young babies on land, as children do not grow strong enough gills until they are a few months old.
Their voices are harsh and high when not under the water. When under the water, they sound sweet and mellow, and indeed, use an entirely different language than even their language on land: a sort of song but with the same grammar and syntax as the “Vocal” language. Unfortunately, no human can pronounce it or speak it, so their land-language (of Coastal Schleem) is all that is known.
Clothing: Schleem dress uniformly (and modestly) in grey, no matter what culture, and without ornamentation. Usually, they use a waterproof material made of a sort of fibrous, earthy material still unknown to humans, often a single, bulky suit of some kind, from the feet the hands, allowing holes for the arm and leg fins.
Life expectancy: Schleem live until about the age of 100, though some have lived as long as 140 years old.
Schleem Subraces
River Schleem
River Schleem live, as their name suggests, by deep rivers in scattered villages, unlike their Coastal Schleem, relatives, these beings live on land, and not underwater. The most acclimatized to men of their race, they adopt most of the ways of their neighbors, but most still spend much time underwater in the rivers fishing.
Writing: The Schleem adopt the language and writing of the other inhabitants of the land. As for their underwater language, it is unknown whether it resembles the Coastal Schleem dialect.
Religion: Schleem generally worship only the great God of the Waters and Oceans, Meesh.
Government: A village elder leads the village. A village is usually at the mercy of the jurisdictions of men the River Schleem reside in, if any.
Values: Schleem of the rivers are gentle, peaceful individuals, more concerned with harvesting fish and keeping the old ways than war and power. Many a human king has gotten advice from an old, Schleemish sage.
Diet: These Schleem exclusively eat what comes out of the river, whether it be moss, fish, or insects.
Currency system: None. All is the one with the River Schleem.
Industry: Fish, baskets, pottery
Dwelling Places: In finely made huts made of twigs.
Coastal Schleem
Coastal Schleem live, as their name suggests, on the coasts near land, under the water. No Schleem live where the ground is more than 400 feet deep underneath the water, but one can typically find a Schleem in waters all over the continent. The southern islands, all the way to Koppa Island, possess a great civilization under the water or so it is said, called “Eethoom”. Schleem by the thousands used to annually flock to the western coast of Shaarzahn in temporary, makeshift twig and leaf houses near the beach to bear children and raise them till their gills are strong enough in the “Growing Months.” However, because Schleems are clumsy and vulnerable on land, and in the past many of their children were kidnapped and women and children were enslaved by humans. This caused them to move to their children raising grounds to the large island of Koppa, a mysterious place never reached by Humans. The coastal Schleem are still holding a grudge, and they forbid any galley to pass their waters of the kingdom of Eethoom, except with tribute. Nevertheless, there has always been a danger of galleys being capsized by Coastal Schleem marauders wherever the vessel might be in the ocean. In any case, the majority of coastal Sheem outside Eethoom are nomadic, peaceful (to strangers), and primitive.
Writing: Coastal Schleem have no writing. Their life underwater makes writing impossible. It is said some use complicated knots of seaweed to share simple messages, however.
Religion: Schleem generally worship only the great God of the Waters and Oceans, Meesh.
Government: Monarchy
Leader: King Pashim, is a powerful ruler of the Coastal Schleem, and rules the underwater kingdom of Eethoom. Otherwise, scattered villages are all across the shallow ocean.
Values: Coastal Schleem of Eethoom are proud members of their race with short tempers. They know that they hold some power to the kings of men. No ship passes their waters. Coastal Schleem wander all the known shallow waters. Schleem have, from raiding shipwrecks, developed a taste for Gold and Jewels.
Diet: These Schleem exclusively eat what comes out of the ocean, raw, especially sea-weed. Unlike some of the river Schleem, cooking is a completely foreign art.
Currency system: These schleem barter in gold. It is said they have giant vats that filter specks of gold in the ocean caves.
Industry: Gold, pearls, seagrass
Dwelling Places: No human has ever reached a Coastal Schleem dwelling place so it is unknown.
Half-Schleem
It is said that many a tale has been spun by older children of the Coastal Schleem to the younger, of evil, fast-moving men, stealing Schleem babies and children, out-running the entire village, and escaping on horrible, ugly, loud creatures called horses, to never be seen again, and to never live in the ocean. These tales have a truth to them when Schleem annually settled for a few months on the west coast of southern Shaarzahn many years ago. For many generations, it is said, humans who lived near the western coast of the southern Schaazahn kidnapped Schleem, raised them as human children. These children intermarried with the humans on the coast, until there were no longer men or Schleem but very Schleemish men, or very mannish Schleem, depending on perspective and the individual. At first, Human characteristics won out in these Half-Schleems, mostly, but through a few generations of intermixing, more obvious elements of Schleemishness began to appear in the men of the western coast.
Variations in appearance/characteristics:
It is generally understood that when a pure Schleem first marries a pure Human, their offspring will have the same predictable traits. In any case, in the first generation, many Human characteristics win out (which partially explains why Humans superstitiously felt the need to kidnap infant Schleems in the first place). The fins, claws, and webbed, flat feet are entirely absent. Gills are present, but are weaker, and only will hold up strength for a few hours, not continuously. On the other hand, the skin sheen is present, as are the Magenta, Yellow, and Purple eyes, and the hair colors of Schleem. One added bonus is the sense of smell, which is superior to both races, both in the air and under the water. Half-Schleem vision is similar to that of a human, though they can still see color Humans cannot see. Their hearing is the same as men. If a Half-Schleem marries someone with any sort of Schleem blood, Schleem characteristics can become much more apparent. It is not uncommon then to have individuals with fins or fully functional gills. On the other hand some very Schleemish individuals can have human hair or eyes. In any case, there are very few exactly “half” Schleems left, as almost everyone who lives on the coast has elements of Man and Schleem blood going back generations. Some are men, but for Magenta Eyes, and some are Schleem, except for human feet, or a lack of claws. In rare instances, an individual with purely Human characteristics, or an individual with pure Schleem characteristics, will appear among them by chance through two Half-Schleem, in which case both of these individuals will nonetheless, be called Half-Schleem. Most Half-Schleem, in whatever case, dehydrate much slower on land. The life span of a Half-Schleem is also about 10 years less than a regular Schleem.
An old aphorism states that Half-Schleem are more clumsy than Schleem in the water, but less so on land, but more clumsy than a man on land, but less so on the water.
Writing: In whatever culture of men they reside. Both Ruutryn and Jhute.
Religion: Half-Schleem follow the precepts of their human culture.
Government: Though under human rule, Half-Schleem in the southern coast of Ruutryn have sought their own nation many times due to oppression.
Culture values: Half-Schleem (or Half-Men, as the Eethoom Schleem call them), because of their illegitimate background, are sworn enemies of the people of Eethoom. Half-Schleem seek, unlike other Schleem, to be accepted by other humans and gain power on land.
Diet: Half-Schleem eat the human foods of their neighbors, and all raw meat it is cooked for fear of getting sick, except raw fish.
Currency system: The currencies of both Ruutryn and Jhute peoples, depending on location.
Industry: Ships, fish, fruit, pearls
Dwelling Places: In multi-storied adobe houses made of mud looking out to the sea, but some wooden houses usually made with driftwood.
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Post by Austin on Feb 6, 2014 13:40:25 GMT -7
Skendarn
Skendarn are a barbaric and tribal race of beast-men found in the most wild parts of Shaarzahn. Though many who fear them speak of their savagery, they do have a culture based on tribal closeness and strength. They prefer to live in the wilds, but many have become relatively civilized and have joined society as citizens of their allied cities. Skendarn naturally hate fire and water, and thus shun any skills or experience in Fireweaving or swimming.
Appearance: Both males and females are covered with a warm covering of hair over their entire bodies. They have tails akin to those of lions, and their fingers rather than having nails, are clawed. Their hands and feet have rough pads for running and gripping uneven terrain effectively. Their faces are bare of hair, besides bushy eyebrows, and older skendarn have whiskers like those of a cat. Their noses are flat and wet for their increased sense of smell. Males have manes made up of large beards connected to their long hair. Females have long hair on their head, but no beards.
Senses: Incredible sense of smell, great hearing, good night vision.
Average life expectancy: 45–60 years
Special abilities:
1. Can eat raw food of any kind and not get sick from food-borne illnesses.
2. Virtually immune to the cold, as long as there is little humidity (snow, rain, sleet, etc.)
3. Unskilled with weapons except for skendarn-claws; however, very thick skin that essentially acts as heavy leather armor.
4. Can drop to all fours and run as fast as a horse (but this is a sprint and is only for hunting. They tire quickly)
Skendarn Tribes
Summermanes
The Summermane Tribe are the more violent of the skendarn tribes who reside on the savannah between the Kharazim Desert and the Hietell Wastes. They hunt alongside the other wild beasts there, and serve as the Wariquik Dominion's border guards. The Summermane are notorious for their emphasis on strength. Their leadership and mating rights are largely based on tests of might against one another, and from birth their cubs are trained to be vicious and protective.
Faction: Wariqik Dominion
Members: 6 million
Hair/fur color: Red, auburn, golden brown
Skin color: Brown
Eye color: Green
Height: 4'11"–5'11"
Clothing: Both males and females only wear a loincloth around their waist, bound with a hide belt used to store pouches of materials.
Diet: Raw meat (including other races), raw fish, beast milk
Dwellings: Most Summermanes sleep outside, but there are simple buildings and tents made from wooden stakes and wrapped with hide blankets.
Homeland: Summermane Savannah, located between the desert and the frozen wastes
Language: Skia'ik
Religion: Atheism
Writing: No records whatsoever; however, the clan names are written in blood on the hides of the dwellings.
Government: Alpha tribal system - The strongest skendarn is called the Khan, who protects his individual clan and has mating rights. Anyone who wishes to challenge him for the position may, including females, and if he is killed or wounded into submission, the new Khan is the new leader.
Leader: Varies by clan
Industry: hides, leather, bonecrafts, iron
Currency: None. Simple barter system between other clans, tribes, and races.
Military tactics: Like all skendarn, they depend on their own strength; however, when going to battle against other sentient races, they craft beaten metal claws that can be strapped to their front paws that extend a couple of feet outward. They also frequently use warpaint and hit-and-run tactics to demoralize their enemies.
Names: No nasals (M, N) or letters C or L. Frequent use of hard consonants (K, G, P, B).
Subrace special ability: Resistant to heat stroke via sun exposure
Wintermanes
The more secluded tribe of skendarn are the Wintermanes, who reside in the frozen mountains of the Hietell Wastes. They are extremely territorial, and associate more suspiciously with other races, even those in the dominion with them. They are much more numerous than the Summermanes, and though they are barbaric, are more organized than their savannah-dwelling kin.
Faction: Wariqik Dominion
Members: 4 million
Hair/fur color: White, gray
Skin color: Pink, gray, black
Eye color: Yellow, bright blue, gray
Height: 5'1"–6'2"
Clothing: Both genders wear wraps of hide around their torsos. Some clans wear wraps around their hands and feet.
Diet: Raw meat (including other races), milk, blood
Dwellings: Caves, if available. Otherwise, tents and simple structures with hide ceilings and walls
Homeland: Hietell Wastes
Language: Skia'ik (more guttural than Summermane dialect)
Religion: Atheism
Writing: None.
Government: Tribal system for clans - see Summermane entry above. However, there is also a Great Khan who is over the whole of the Wintermane tribe who, through his charisma and fruitful leadership, has yet to be even challenged for his position.
Leader: Great Khan Skal'hragar
Industry: Limestone, granite, diamonds, gemstones, coal
Currency: Barter system with other races. The Great Khan is given monthly tribute from all clans.
Names: No nasals (M, N) or letter C. Frequent use of hard consonants (K, G, P, B).
Subrace special ability: Resistant to humidity effects.
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Post by Bobo on Feb 17, 2014 17:23:28 GMT -7
Gro:ghim
Unlike other races, Gro:ghim have no known form of organization, even in small groups. They live scattered in the mountains far to the north of other races. Because of their flying abilities, and long travels, one, unified culture exists for these creatures. Generally keeping to themselves, and few in number, Gro:ghim have rarely been contacted or captured. A small group of Gro:ghim that sticks together is called a “Flock.” Gro:ghim are highly prized as novelties in many southern countries, but are very hard to catch and keep. Gro;ghim fear humans and always scatter at the first sign of them. Females bear only identical twins or triplets, usually once every other year. Only rarely is a single Gro:ghim born. Their voices are low and guttural, so that they can hear each other from great distances.
Appearance: Gro:ghim are known mainly by their wings and bird-like brown eyes. Otherwise, they appear almost the same as humans, but generally smaller. Their bones are also much lighter, as are their muscles in their arms or legs. Groghims also posess weaker muscles than humans in muscle strength.
Senses: Gro:ghim can see as much as three times as well as a normal human being. Hearing is slightly lower than a human, to pick up noises from long distances.
Average life expectancy: 50-60 years
Special abilities:
1. The ability to fly
2. Fast reflexes, much faster than a human being
3. Groghims must eat constantly to serve a demanding metabolism. Usually, Groghims spend much of their time finding food for that reason, having as much as 5 meals a day.
Members: ~50,000
Hair color: White, Brown, Yellow, Maroon
Wing Colors: White, Brown, Yellow, Maroon
Skin color: White, Brown, Yellow, Maroon
Eye color: White, Brown, Yellow, Maroon
Height: 5'1"–5'6" Males, 4’9-5’2 Females
Clothing: Both genders wear fine-twined purple, blue, and red dyed linen or fur, lined with goose-feathers.
Diet: Herbs, Fowl, Herding Animals, all cooked.
Dwellings: Shared, makeshift homes of twigs found all across the mountains.
Homeland: All across the northing half of Shaarzahn in the mountains.
Language: Gro:ghim
Religion: Polytheism
Writing: None
Government: Anarchy (no government exists)
Leader: None
Industry: Feathers, Skins, Linen
Currency: None
Military tactics: Gro:ghim are a disorganized people, never engaging in war, even if they have flint bows and arrows to hunt, and hand-to-hand spears and large jade knives. However, if protecting themselves, some will band together and drop large stones. Their voices are incredibly harsh to other beings, and speaking loudly (as they always do when attacking) can often be enough to frighten or intimidate someone they find offensive.
Names: (use letters ar: o:, u;, e:, i:, (as in ee), G, N, M, L, D, H, R (with a little growl)) The : indicates the using of the second vocal cord unused by most other creatures, which has developed into their main vocal chords. The other vocal cord (if a Gro;ghim learns to use it) is weak and unfocused.
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Post by Austin on Feb 26, 2014 19:57:26 GMT -7
Hathinors
Hathinors, according to their theology, are not indigenous to Shaarzahn. Their tradition holds that their ancestors were an extremely intelligent race that lived on another world behind the stars, and who, during exploration of the Great Night, crashed their star-galleon into Shaarzahn, where they were stranded forever. Hathinors are a benevolent, peaceful, and intelligent race, preferring to avoid conflict of any kind and focus on studying and learning.
Appearance: Hathinors are mostly humanoid, but have digitigrade legs and uncloven hooves for feet. They also have forked tails, and horns or antlers that sprout from their heads (which many grind down). They are generally heavily-built, especially males, and have little hair other than the tops of their heads and around their hooves.
Hair color: Dark blue, purple, teal, light blue, white.
Skin color: Blue, pale blue.
Eye color: Purple, dark blue, or yellow.
Height: 4'5"–5'11"
Clothing: Hathinors of both genders wear practical, comfortable clothing that depends on the season. Their clothing often has things like drawstrings, buttons, and pockets, which other races have yet to invent and utilize.
Diet: Mutton (though most are vegetarian), bread, vegetables, mushrooms, rice, honey.
Dwellings: Tenements with multiple dwellings per floor. They find it practical to add another story onto a building to conserve space for farms. The roofs are often sloped with gutters to gather the rain into barrels.
Senses: Worse sight (though they have invented spectacles to cope with this), though they can see more things than other races (for example, through sight they can detect others’ mood), and almost no sense of taste.
Average life expectancy: 80 years
Special abilities:
1. Very smart and logical; good at coming up with solutions to problems and inventing things
2. Gain power from starlight. The longer they are exposed to the stars at night, the more their skin begins to glow. At this point they can heal their own wounds or exude a healing touch on others to heal them. The powers fade when exposed to sunlight.
3. Unskilled in learning languages and other cultures.
4. Very dextrous with their hands.
Faction: Neutral
Members: 8 million
Homeland: Dzathanyia, the forested island to the south
Language: Tsuthin
Religion: Ancestral worship, many also look to the stars believing that their true people watch over and protect them from somewhere beyond.
Writing: Paper made from wood pulp (rather advanced from other races) stitched together into codexes for books. They use a blue ink made from fungus and iron and usually write with brushes rather than quills. Their writing system is very accented and connected, like a complex form of cursive.
Government: Patriarchal system. The father of each family governs his own household, and any that his sons marry into, until he dies and his sons can govern their own families.
Leader: There is no one leader of the Hathinors.
Industry: Rice, mushrooms, paper, books, sheep, ink.
Currency: Barter system, though they understand the benefit of trade with other races and often keep currency like gold aside.
Military tactics: Hathinors detest war and prefer pacifism. However, they do use formidable poisonous spears and darts to hunt beasts, and can utilize these if their families are threatened. They also use gunpowder as a last resort to scare away enemies, but this is a closely-held secret.
Names: Utilize much the sounds TH, H, DZ, TS, and any other sounds but G (replace with D), K (replace with T), and L (replace with R).
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Post by Bobo on Mar 7, 2014 16:46:50 GMT -7
The Silent Ones
The Silent ones have no name for their culture. Living on the far northwestern coast of Shaarzahn, away from other men, in the forests of Parn, the Silent Ones live in a few large, nameless cities mostly keeping to themselves.
Silent ones have no language, but use telepathy to communicate ideas with those of their same race. It is said the Silent ones can always understand what another being is thinking, although they cannot communicate themselves with any other being, except through their own, highly pictographic writing, or some other visual means. However, some Silent ones have been known to occasionally “impress” something on the thoughts of other beings.
Appearance: Appear exactly like men. Men are the same, but women, known throughout Shaarzahn, are always extremely beautiful. Silent ones never age but remain youthful until they die.
Senses: The same as a human
Average life expectancy: 250-300 years.
Special abilities:
1. Telepathy (a Silent One can communicate with one another, or sense on another’s thoughts, for about 4-5 miles distance)
2. Long Life
3. Weaker than Humans in strength, very slow reflexes
4. Can confuse another being through telepathy.
5. Slow metabolism, needs only one meal a day
Faction:
Members: ~600,000
Hair color: Brown, Blonde, Black, Red
Skin color: White/Olive/Brown/Black
Eye color: Green, Blue, Magenta, Yellow, brown
Height: 6'4"–7'3" Males, 5’2-6’0” Females
Clothing: All wear purple, blue, and silver togas.
Diet: Grain, Potatoes, Corn, Vegetables
Dwellings: All Silent ones live in uniform square streets with tilling fields on each block. Each has a tower of the same height, where a group known as a “family” resides.
Homeland: Far northwestern coast of Shaarzahn, away from other men, in the coastal plains/scattered woods of Parn
Language: Telepathy
Religion: Polytheism
Writing: A pictographic writing, only rarely deciphered by Humans or other races
Government: Monarchy-Democracy. Each silent one lets his will be known to the emperor every month at a great meeting, who tries to carry out the will of the people.
Leader: Known as Greyhead for his grey hair by outsiders, Greyhead rules the Silent ones of the Forest and plains of Pern
Industry: Silk, Fine-ware, Furniture
Currency: All is put into great vats for all to take if there is any substance they need.
Military tactics: Silent ones who are male can permanently paralyze any aggressor completely, using their minds, but this usually takes several minutes. Skendarn are especially prone to this, and are paralyzed instantly. There is no other known way they defend themselves.
Names: Silent ones have no known names. Generally other races will give them a name in their own tongue.
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Post by Austin on Nov 5, 2015 20:07:06 GMT -7
Tibaa
The Tibaa are a dirty race of albino humanoids who generally live under the surface of the earth. They generally hate the sun, as they sunburn easily, and thus are for the most part nocturnal. Tibaa are extremely cunning and intelligent, though generally physically weak and incapable of fighting much. They prefer to do damage to others through poison, darts, and traps. They are a curious race as well, who love to invent things; however, unlike the Hathinors, who invent things to make life easier, the Tibaa use their skills to invent weapons and devices of destruction and death, mainly due to other races easily overpowering them. Many Tibaa are slaves of the Sarzim, enslaved as miners of iron and pyrestone.
Appearance: Gangly (there are practically no overweight Tibaa at all) and bony, generally preferring to grow their hair long. Males and females are for the most part indistinguishable (males do not grow beards) except that females are slightly taller. Otherwise, they are humanlike in appearance, except for a snoutlike nose, beady eyes, and black fingernails and toenails that are as hard as obsidian.
Hair color: White, gray, sickly yellow
Skin color: White, gray
Eye color: Pink, red
Height: Males are 4'–5'2" and females range from 4'6"–5'8"
Clothing: Rags made from moss and discarded cloth. Males wear loincloths, and females wear loincloths and wraps around their chests. Some Tibaa let cave fungus grow on their bodies as a form of clothing.
Diet: Raw meat, insects, tubers, mushrooms, moss, and sometimes each other if food is scarce.
Dwellings: Caves, underground tunnels, caverns, burrows. It mainly depends on the softness of the ground. If it is harder than dirt, Tibaa will find natural dark dwellings to live in. Otherwise, they are skilled diggers and miners.
Senses: Tibaa can see as well in the dark as other races can see in daylight, though they are colorblind. They do not need any light at all underground. However, they cannot see well in the daylight, and even starlight dulls their vision. Their sense of smell and taste are very refined, and they can sense vibrations well; however, their hearing is somewhat diminished compared to humans.
Average life expectancy: 20-30 years. Their gestation and growth is much faster, however, and one Tibaa mother generally gives birth to 2–4 young after only 4 or 5 months. Tibaa are fully grown and matured around 7 or 8 years of age.
Special abilities:
- Very comfortable in the dark, and can see even in pitch darkness (though without any color). They are also comfortable sleeping almost anywhere and in any position, as they are accustomed to sleeping on cold rocks.
- Adept at mining, digging, and hiding, and inventing devices, traps, weapons, and poisons.
They also are very inquisitive about how things work, and good at lockpicking and disabling traps.
- Can smell poison in food and drinks, alerting them of danger
- Sensitive to sunlight and dryness, but their skin is immune to the dankness of caves, and they are resistant to damp, cold temperatures and fungal infections.
Faction: There are Tibaa in both factions, and other colonies that are completely neutral.
Members: About 500,000 are enslaved by the Sarzim and work in their mines, but there are most likely as many as 19 million Tibaa across the entire world.
Homeland: None. Tibaa are widespread and indigenous everywhere except for Dzathanyia.
Language: Tib, though many also know the languages of humans (but speak in a heavy accent).
Religion: Atheistic
Writing: Alphabetic. Tibaa engrave writings on cave walls using their fingernails, sometimes designating entire tunnel networks to writings. Sometimes they carry portable slabs of rock to write on, but when in civilized company, they are content to adopt the local custom of writing with ink on parchment if necessary.
Government: There is no centralized government for the Tibaa, but they will obey local laws if they see no way to weasel out of them. Individual caves and colonies have czarinas.
Leader: Each colony has a czarina, a designated leader that commands the others and is generally looked up to as supreme. To her is brought the best portions of food found, and most males try to win mating rights with her through proving their strength or cunning.
Industry: Iron, minerals, fungus, stone, mechanical devices, poisons (including things like herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc.)
Currency: Temblems among their masters, the Sarzimites, but among themselves, they divide everything equally and distribute it fairly among those who need it most (with, of course, the czarina getting first pick).
Military tactics: Being rather weak and frail, Tibaa prefer sneak attacks and ambushes. They will fight with weapons that gain the upper advantage quickly, such as darts, throwing knives, and poisoned weapons that weaken the enemy in order to be easier to finish off. If they have no weapons, they will fight with their deadly nails, which are as strong and sharp as obsidian, and their pointy teeth.
Names: Tibaa names make much use of sound combinations like TH, TS, KS, SH, H, and CH. Common vowels are AA, I, and EE. The letters M, L, and U are completely absent from Tibaa use.
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Post by Austin on Jan 4, 2016 12:17:32 GMT -7
GolemsGolems refer to automatons made through sculpture and animated through the magic of Fireweaving. In a process that takes at least a year, a sculptor makes a hollow golem, then has a Fireweaver breathe a firesoul into the golem's form, giving it life. Golems burn inwardly with fire that shines out their orifices. They can consume food by swallowing it into their inner furnace, but do not expel waste. Golems obviously do not bleed, and therefore do not die simply from losing a limb, though that limb does die if it is severed. The only living material in a golem is what was attached to the sculpture the moment they were animated. Anything that is disconnected reverts to its lifeless state. Golems die if their inner fire is quenched, though this takes a considerable amount of water (and they can always close their eyes and mouth and walk underwater just fine). They can also die if their torso is cracked open and enough heat escapes.
Golems were created first by the Sarzimites, but the secret of their creation soon spread even to the Ruutryn in the Wariqik Dominion. They are often created to pump, turn mills, and do other similar tasks. Their personalities are generally meek and submissive, and most of the time they enjoy helping people. Some, however, work to purchase themselves and live a free life. Golems are able to make their own "offspring" through sculpting, though none of them can Fireweave.Appearance: Humanoid and made of earth materials. The materials can bend and wrinkle just like human flesh, though they are as just as hard as in nature. Their appearance varies, of course, depending on their creator. Their eyes glow from an inward heat.Senses: No taste or smell, and sensory touch is very poor. Eyesight is fine, but they are colorblind. Their hearing is very acute, and they have a sense akin to hearing that senses vibrations. The smaller the golem, the more adept they are at sensing things based on their vibration.Average life expectancy: 90–100 years. Special abilities: - Very resistant to pain. They can still sense where they are being harmed, but they are not distracted or weakened by it. Thus, they are virtually impervious to torture.
- Hunger, thirst, and sleep are unnecessary. Though golems can eat (they never need to drink) and sleep in order to give them energy, they do not need to and can go an entire lifetime without doing so (though they will be more sluggish than a golem that does).
- Very heavy (take a normal weight for a human of a golem's size and multiply it by 3). They are rarely allowed on boats, cannot swim, and can ruin flooring easily.
Golem SubracesHewn
Hewns are the clay form of golems and the oldest race. Hewns generally have relatively smooth features and are less detailed in their form. Hewns enjoy working hard and are formidable, if slow, fighters. Free Hewns enjoy carving tattoos on their bodies or painting themselves to set them apart from others.Skin color: Dark red, earthy brown, white-gray (clay colors)Eye color: Fiery redHeight: Any, though anything above 7 feet becomes impractically heavy and slow.Clothing: Hewns are fine not wearing anything at all, as they have no reproductive organs, but some creators put decorative tapestries around them like togas, or decorate them with plants or other natural materials. Some creators simply put clothing on them to help them fit in, and others simply paint them to set them apart from other golems.Diet: Anything organic, including wood.Dwellings: Most golems live with their masters, and they don't need to sleep anyway, but free golems sometimes build themselves mounds of earth to hide under during rain (they don't like rain)Faction: Mostly the Jhu-zarim Alliance, due to the Sarzim's fondness for Fireweaving, but Hewns can be found wherever they are created.Members: It is likely that there are less than 5,000 Hewns in the world.Homeland: Mostly Hazrahalil (see "Faction" above)Language: The language of their creator, though Hewns can communicate with each other through an inherent tapping/thumping, rhythmic language, and often do so at night when they are standing guard and no other races are around.Religion: Golems worship the earth itself, seeing themselves as literally crafted from its materials. Writing: The language of their creator, though most Hewns are too slow and clumsy to write well.Government: Hewns are very lawful creatures and love to follow rules. Rarely has a golem gone rogue, as they consider themselves in debt to their masters and happy to pay themselves off with labor if they want to.Military tactics: Being extremely slow, Hewns tend to rely on their endurance to win. Hence, they are defensive and patient when fighting one-on-one (and honestly do not fear much except heavy blunt weapons), and when in a war, they generally fight in the front like a moving wall to intimidate enemies and absorb arrows from initial volleys. Truth be told, however, there are so few Hewns in the world that this has only happened in one or two battles in history.Names: It is up to the creators to name their Hewns, but many name them after the task they were originally designed to do; for example, "Wellpump," "Clayguard," or "Butler."StatuesqueStatuesques are beautifully crafted golems made of stone or marble. They are many times more expensive and time-consuming to make than Hewns, and are thus more rare, but they are also more graceful and intelligent. They are, however, more fragile, and thus do not engage in battle. Their features are always very intricate, and Statuesques hate to ever disfigure their perfect forms with carvings. Their personalities are generally rather haughty and they prefer a life of elegance and refinement.
Skin color: Ivory white, mottled purple, pink, slate, or purple (colors of marble or stone)Eye color: Fiery red, mostly, but some especially crafty sculptors mix reactive minerals with their materials, making the fire glow purple, blue, or green.Height: Generally around 6 or 7 feet.Clothing: Statuesques generally wear flowing robes, togas, and elegant silk clothing.Diet: Anything inorganic: stone, rocks, dirt, minerals, etc.Dwellings: Creators wealthy enough to craft and animate a Statuesque often build beautiful temple-like homes for them where they can live like an animated statue.Faction: Jhu-zarim Alliance (no Ruutryns have crafted Statuesques yet)Members: 581Homeland: Hazrahalil and JhuLanguage: Religion: Writing: Government: Military tactics: Names:
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