Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The Savage Races


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Picture with size comparison


Sklavi

Physical Description
Sklavi are humanoid creatures that stand slightly taller than humans, with a male average being about 6 feet and females standing at about 5’6” with both genders being a little more muscular and widely built than an equivalent human. Sklavi have skin of a deep orange color which varies based on the individual, with some having more reddish tinged skin and others are more yellow-orange. Their ears are pointed with the top points extending slightly outwards. Like humans, their have molars, cuspids, and incisors, though they have 12 cuspid-like teeth instead of 4 and their teeth are larger and sharper than those of humans. The Sklavi face extends outwards slightly, giving them a somewhat feral appearance. Their eyes are typically yellow to yellow-orange in coloration and are very sensitive to light, allowing them to see in low light conditions in much the same way as a cat can. Sklavi age and mature at about the same rate as humans do. Sklavi are completely hairless.  

Culture
The Sklavi are among the most organized and civilized of the races. They have intellect on par with that of humans and keen inquisitive minds. There are three major nations of Sklavi in the known world, all formerly part of a massive Sklavi empire which split into three independent states. They all share fairly advanced technology, the ability to make steel arms and armor, castles, temples, fortresses, road ways, and even libraries and places of learning. 

Two of the Sklavi nations are empires, ruled by an absolute monarch, the other is a Republic with a senate with a consul being the highest member of government. In all three, there is a ruling elite class of warriors, and a lower class of hereditary slaves, slaves which are largely made up of other races conquered or captured by the Sklavi. The Sklavi have agriculture and beasts of burden, with crops largely grown by slaves or the lower classes. While scholarship is important to the Sklavi, military prowess is also highly regarded especially for men in society and they field full time professional armies with peasant soldiers making up the bulk of the army with the noble class as officers. 

The Sklavi have a polytheistic religion with 9 deities representing 9 facets of life, which a re generally worshiped collectively by the Sklavi. There are also a number of minor cults whose beliefs and practices are largely secret. There are also a variety of philosophical schools with different beliefs regarding the nature of the gods or the meaning of life.


Valgnar

Physical Description
Valgnar are large and powerfully built humanoids, with males standing at an average of 6'4" and females at around 5'8" and in both cases, they are well muscled and thick boned compared to humans. Their skin is a shade of light green. Their teeth are similar to those of humans, though their cuspids are very large and sharp in comparison, especially their lower cuspids which often extend out of the mouth. Their eyes are a shade of pale green or yellow-green and allow them to see in very little light, though they are also sensitive to the full light of day, making the Valgnar more nocturnal than diurnal. Valgnar are hairless. They age and mature at about the same rate as humans do. 

Culture
The Valgnar are a race that highly esteems warfare, strength, courage in battle, and martial prowess. Every male Valgnar is a warrior first and his other professions secondarily and even the women, who often stay home farming and raising children when males fight, are expected to be competent warriors. Valgnar have a Darwinian outlook on life, where the strong should rule over the weak and that battle is how superiority and inferiority are determined. Valgnar often take slaves from their conquered enemies, which are forced to do manual labor and are looked down upon as cowards, since they surrendered rather than die in battle. 

Along with their belief in martial prowess, the Valgnar believe in honor as well - in the importance of keeping your oath, in protecting your family, in loyalty to your friends and your lord. Valgnar society is feudal in many regards, with the warriors of a village swearing fealty to the village chief and the chiefs swearing loyalty to lords, and with a number of warring kings who demand the loyalty of a number of lords beneath them. As many male Valgnar die in battle, it is customary for chiefs or highly successful warriors to have many wives.  

The Valgnar worship a mother and father god and goddess, the king and queen of the gods, and then also venerate a number of their children, gods of various things like weather, fire, plants, and so on. The king of the gods is, of course, a warrior and the queen a goddess of motherhood, hearth, and home.

The Valgnar have the ability to work iron and even steel, though their skills at architecture, science, and other measures of civilization lag a little bit behind their military technology. They do have castles and keeps for lords and kings, along with ships for raiders and walls to protect their towns, though the typical Valgnar peasant lives a relatively spartan existence. 


Ulagu

Physical Description
The Ulagu are a strange race that combines features of mammal, reptile, and insect. They are a eusocial species with castes of worker, warrior, and queen, each born different with their own unique traits. Ulagu have tough gray hairless skin with a scaly mottled texture. Their faces are extended like a snout and their teeth are all sharp and predatory. They fingers and toes have sharp claws that allow them to climb or attack. Their body temperature seems to fluctuate and yet they can easily endure wide ranges of temperatures that would kill humans. The sclera of their eyes is black and the pupil a luminescent yellow color, slit like that of a cat or reptile. They can see in absolute darkness, without even a trace of light, though they are blinded by daylight and feel uncomfortable in the presence of other bright lights. They ears as large, fanning out like the wings of a bat and are very sensitive to sound. They have tails as well, resembling those of a reptile. 

Ulagu workers are small but sturdily built, standing about 3'6" in height. They are quite strong and tough for their small size and work tirelessly at the behest of queens and warriors. Warriors are larger, standing around 4'6" and having thick muscles and dense bones, combining with their great dexterity to make them deadly combatants. Queens stand at about the same height as warriors but are fat rather than muscular, with large stomachs and breasts, they are constantly gravid and frequently lay eggs. Workers mature very quickly, becoming adults in less than 10 years, though queens a warriors don't reach adulthood until 15-20, though in all cases Ulagu rather slowly, living upwards of a century for workers or several centuries for warriors and queens.

Culture
Ulagu culture exists entirely underground, in vast subterranean labyrinths that have been carved out by the worker caste over millennia. Though alien in many regards, the Ulagu and quite intelligent and are masters of stone working and architecture, creating amazing structures beneath the earth that are beautiful, functional, and make an assault against them virtually impossible. They are also skilled steel workers and make weapons and armor of good quality. 

It isn't entirely known what the Ulagu eat or how their society is organized. They make occasional raids on the surface world, during the darkness of night, but these are rare and for the most part they avoid surface dwellers. It has been observed that the Ulagu are all devoutly religious, worshiping a single god who they believe dwells under the earth, with the priests of this deity ruling over their strange society.  


Sunaj

Physical Description
The Sunaj are short humanoids, standing at an average of 4’6” for males and 4’4 for females, with a slight build and yellow colored skin. With thin features and limbs and light bones, the Sunaj are neither strong nor rugged, but have amazing dexterity and hand-eye coordination. They have long and pointed ears which are quite sensitive to sound, along with pointed nose and generally sharp features. Their eyes tend to be orange or red in coloration and able to see quite well in the night and the day, though their hearing and sense of smell are also rather impressive. Like their relatives, the Sunaj have 12 cuspid like teeth instead of 4, though their teeth are proportionately similar to in size to those of humans. Sunaj generally grow and mature a little faster than humans do, reaching maturity and old age in about 75% of the time a human does. So a Sunaj who is 15 years of age may be the physical equivalent of a human who is 20.  

Culture
The Sunaj are largely a nomadic people, living by herding animals with only temporary stops during the hardest parts of winter or in regions rich in game or edible plants. They live simple lives, living mostly in tents or yurts, with only the items which their pack animals can pull. They live in a wide range of climates, from arid plains to arctic tundra, any places with land for their animals to graze upon. Though they live simple lives, they also have some ability with technology and can work steel, fashion composite bows of great quality, and are expect leather workers. They prefer to trade for steal and iron though, as the life of mining and refining metals is ill suited to the Sunaj. 

One of the most important elements of Sunaj life and warfare are the Worgs, gigantic wolves that can weigh several hundred pounds. Every Sunaj warrior is expected to own at least one Worg, for be fed through hunting or from his herd animals, and to be able to ride and train it. Worgs are massively powerful and dangerous fighters, more than making up for the small size of the Sunaj in a battle. Their fast speed and endurance is also a great asset to them, especially for the Sunaj archers. The Sunaj often feed their Worgs the bodies of their fallen foes and allies, allowing each military engagement to sustain their mounts.  

The Sunaj revere nature and the elements and their holy men are typically shamans who venerate spirits of the earth, forests, animals, weather, and so on.   


Bendith

Physical Description
Bendith are small humanoids, averaging about 4 feet in height for both males and females with slender delicate builds, medium green skin, and blue, green, or blue-green eyes. Unlike many of their cousins, Bendith have hair in a similar pattern to humans, which is typically a shade of dark green and grows upon their heads and on the faces of males, with body hair slightly sparser than what is found in humans. Their ears are large and rounded, very sensitive to sound, and while their eyes are quite good, they cannot see as well in the night as in the daylight. Bendith are very agile and dextrous, but are also weak and relatively fragile, and tend to avoid direct physical conflict when they can. Bendith grow and mature at about the same rate as humans, though they tend to also be longer lived than humans, with a lifespan about 50% longer. 

Culture
The Bendith once had a thriving empire, though after a number of wars and conquests, it has been reduced to a single large island city which is a hub for trade and commerce. The other Bendith have spread across the world, becoming wanderers, travelers, or in many cases slaves to the Valgnar or Sklavi. The Bendith empire was quite advanced technologically and socially and Bendith scholars still maintain much of that knowledge. They become useful advisers in the courts of kings and lords because of this, or sometimes teachers, scholars, or even wizards. Those Bendith with less knowledge sometimes travel the world as merchants and traders, sometimes diplomats or even con artists or swindlers. In some regions they are welcomed for their worldly knowledge and friendly natures, in other places are are seen as weaklings to be enslaved or exploited, and in others as pests to be killed or driven away. 

In the Bendith city, there is no formal leader, but rather a number of wealthy trading families which rule by virtue of their wealth, as representatives are voted into office by a system of open bribery before serving a temporary term. The lack of formal nobility and focus on bribes means that it is possible for Bendith of low birth to rise to positions of affluence, should they attain enough wealth. The Bendith follow the faith of their ancestors, a pantheistic religion which holds that all of reality is united as a semi-sapient deity which is usually represented by the sun. While the Skalvi are the race that the Bendith most frequently trade with, they are also despised by many Bendith for being responsible for conquering so much of their empire. 


Akkis

Physical Description
The Akkis are lareg and powerful humanoids which are covered with short fur and have features that could be said to resemble those of a hyena and human. They stand at around 7 feet tall for both males and females, with relatively few obvious differences between the sexes that are recognizable to other races. Their faces are distended into muzzles with powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Their fur tends to vary from light reddish brown to dark brown, sometimes mottled or spotted as well. Their eyes are dark brown or black in color and sensitive enough in low light to allow the Akkis to operate by day or night. Their snouts allow them to have a very keen sense of smell, to track by scent alone, smell faint traces of substances, or gain information about other’s by their smell. Their sense of hearing is quite good as well. Akkis grow to adulthood quite quickly by human standards, becoming fully adult by about the age of ten, but they likewise age rather quickly as well, seldom living past the age of 50.

Culture
The Akkis live in lightly forested regions or hot grasslands to the south and east of many of the other prominent races. They live primarily by hunting, with tribes following herds of large herbivorous animals across the plains, though some tribes herd animals as well. Their technology is relatively basic, with most of their more treasured or advanced items being things stolen or traded for with other civilizations. Most Akkis tribes have knowledge of smelting bronze and so many of their weapons are made from this, though some are stone age in technology and a few can work iron, though all will trade for or seek to acquire iron or steel at any opportunity. Tribes are usually ruled by an elder female, though Akkis society is informal enough that they are no universal rules, any strong warrior can rise to lead a tribe. 

Almost all of Akkis society is nomadic and tribal, with individual tribes stating out vast swathes of territory as hunting grounds, though tribes frequently conflict with each other over land, make raids, or engage in light skirmishes such as counting coup or other light activities. They seldom involve themselves in protected wars or occupations, preferring instead to make a surprise attack and then withdraw, hoping gaining some wealth or pushing out the borders of their territory slightly by doing so. As many other races of the known world, they take slaves from raids, though with members of other races these slaves are often sold as the Akkis have no use for slave labor themselves, and with other Akkis slaves, the slave is generally encouraged to become full members of the tribe after some period of acclimation. 

The Akkis religion entails the worship of spirits, often spirits related to natural or primordial forces. They have relatively few dedicated holy men or women, but instead all members of a tribe will usually make offering to or try as they may to appease the spirits. 


Morgish

Physical Description
The Morgish are large humanoids, with males averaging at 7’8” and females at 7’3” in height, both being heavily muscled with dense bones and thick green skin. Morgish have small rounded ears and hearing below that of humans, though their black eyes are large and let them see well in the dark. Morgish have incredibly strong constitutions which allow them to eat almost any organic material, including rotten plant or animal material, poisons, and even organic wastes. Unlike many of their distant relatives, they have thick hair upon their heads, usually allowed to grow long and becomes matted with filth. Morgish mature extremely quickly, being able to fend for themselves by 5 or less and becoming sexually mature by 10, though they continue to grow through their teens. They begin to weaken and show signs of old age in their 30’s and seldom live beyond their 40’s, usually because of violence rather than health.

Culture
Morgish have very little culture to speak of. Their intelligence is too low and violent natures too extreme to develop technology or civilization. They virtually always go nude and wield weapons that can be picked up off the ground with minimal modification - clubs, bones, stones, sharp sticks, and the like. They live in small packs of 20 to 100 individuals in warm climates, usually jungles or tropical forests where vegetation and game are common and the winters are mild. They are lead by a small group of dominant males who usually kill or castrate rival males in fights for dominance. 

The Morgish are extremely violent, killing any non-Morgish creature that looks vulnerable and devouring it. They also eat each other when the opportunity arises. The Morgish breed extremely quickly and can survive and all manner of plants and animals, which helps to balance out their violent natures and short lives. They are nearly universally despised by other intelligent races and considered a great danger in the regions where they are known to be common. 


Grarag 

Physical Description
Grarag are large furry humanoids with reddish brown skin and dark brown fur. Males average 7’4” in height with females at around 6’8” tall. They have pointed ears and distended faces with flat noses and large mouths with sharp teeth. Their eyes are red and let them see in day or night almost equally well. They have about the same lifespan and maturation rate of humans. 

Culture
The Grarag are hunter gatherers who primarily live in cold regions of the world, in forests and tundra with game to hunt, as they survive primarily through eating meat. They live in tribes of several hundred members, which are typically semi-nomadic. They have relatively little technology, effectively stone age technology with stone or bone weapons, primitive bows or slings, and what ever they can steal or trade for.  

Their tribes are ruled by their tribal mystics, usually an elder male. The Grarag spirituality is based on a sort of earth worship and veneration of nature, with a focus on the seasons and cycles of life. Little else is known of their culture.

Trelling 

Physical Description
Trelling are tiny creatures, standing no more than 3 feet in height for both male and females, the only obvious distinguishing feature being that males are a yellowish shade of green while females are more olive colored. They have enormous ears which give them a sharp sense of hearing, though their eyes are relatively small and their vision is poor, especially in the dark. Their fingers are long and tipped with sharp claws, their toenails are also very long and sharp - together with their low weight makes them excellent climbers. They are very slightly built, looking like skin and bone compared to other races, though they are also remarkably agile and even tough for their size. Trellings age and mature at around 3 times the human rate, becoming effective adults by the age of 6 and usually dying of old age before they reach 25.

Culture
Trelling are not very bright, and never advance beyond having a childlike intelligence. As a result, they form no culture of their own. Their natural language is quite simple and primitive, having only words for the most basic and important concepts and when Trellings learn another language, they so so with difficulty. Many other races, most notably the Sklavi and the Bendith, have made it a practice to enslave Trelling and use them for manual labor. When left to their own devices, Trellings tend to live on the peripheries of other societies, relying on their ability to climb and hide, along with their quick maturation rate, to survive. Those races who do not enslave the Trelling generally see them as a nuisance to be eliminated when possible or at least driven away. Trelling tend to be more cowardly than violent, though if they have large numbers and feel very confident and aggressive, they will sometimes attack other races. There have been a handful of unusually intelligent Trellings that have appeared over the years, some believe that these Trelling are somehow mystically significant. 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Changelings


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In the distant past, changelings were mortals who were stolen away from their families by the Fae. The Fae did strange things to these infants, altered their bodies in bizarre and magical ways, gave to these humans a certain measure of faerie, all to make them better servants. The Fae are mysterious creatures, with powers that far exceed anything that humans can imagine and minds that are completely alien. None, not even the changelings themselves, know why the Fae wanted servants among humanity. Many changelings do believe, though, the the Fae are like gods and are wise beyond human comprehension, and that they selected the changelings as the best among humanity so as to have perfect mortal servants and agents. With the coming of the Veil and even centuries before, the Fae were increasingly inactive in the mortal world, giving only a few cryptic commands to elder changelings once in a while and seldom creating new changelings.

Most changelings of today are descended from the true changelings, sometimes called the ancients, by modern changelings. They have arranged themselves into families, inbreeding within an extended family group so as to preserve the mystic blood of the ancients. These families have remained relatively insular over the centuries, raising and teaching their own children, living in huge mansions or estates in isolated areas away from prying eyes of mortals, using their supernatural powers to retain their wealth and privilege as the mortal world changes around them. As one might expect, changeling culture is extremely conservative and traditional, with a high focus being placed on family and seniority, with social orders much like that of ancient days.

The true changelings, the ancients, are said to be truly immortal and unaging, though the have withdrawn so far from mortal and even changeling society that they are seldom seen, even by relatively elder changelings. Other changelings have mystic power based on the purity of their blood, how many generations they are removed from the ancients, and their actual age. More powerful changelings age more slowly, with some weak blooded changelings living only twice as long as humans, while some are thousands of years old and show little sign of age. Unfortunately, the more powerful a changeling is, the farther detached they are from the world of mortals, living more within the faerie realm that that of humanity. Some old changelings can barely even hear or see mundane mortals, and likewise cannot be heard or seen by them.

The powers that changelings wield vary tremendously from individual to individual, though certain types of powers tend to run in families. Fae magic tends to have strange reality warping effects, usually based around certain themes are concepts. Ultimately, the Fae are cruel and terrifying creatures and their powers tend to act like nightmare that have come to life, reality becomes surreal and dreamlike as changelings use their magic, a victim's worse fears may come to life or time and space may not behave in normal ways. Though just as with dreams, these powers don't always function logically or consistently, even for the changelings using them - though with age the changelings can better master their powers. All changelings have enhanced physical prowess, strength and toughness far exceeding that of humans, amazing agility and vitality, as well as regenerative abilities. Once again, the purer the blood, the more powerful the changeling.

Changelings also have strange weaknesses as well, inexplicable limitations to their powers or vulnerabilities. The most common is that changelings are stronger in the night and weaker in the day. For most, this is merely and reduction of powers during the day, though some cannot stand the light of day at all and must hide away from it. Another common weakness is to cold iron, the presence of it can help a person to resist changeling magic or can cause more severe damage to changeling flesh. Others weaknesses could include, but aren't limited to, a vulnerability to salt, having to ask permission to enter a home, never being able to lie, powers not working against children, and so on. As with power, the weaknesses are more potent for those who are older and purer of blood. Another weakness that changelings have is that they are bound to obey any oath that they may make, whether it is with a mortal, changeling, or other creature. This strange weakness, combined with their conservative and honor bound culture, makes them a group which places huge importance on honor, oaths, and loyalty. For many changelings, making an oath with them not only forces them to follow through, but forces the other party to do so as well.

Weil they are bound by familial loyalty and ancient codes of honor, changelings are not kind or moral by any stretch of the imagination. The Fae are cruel sadistic creatures and their twisted mortal servants carry on those traits in their blood and in their traditions. Changelings also see themselves as a higher life form than mortals, a master race of sorts chosen by the gods to be a cut above humanity. This belief combined with their ancient traditions of rule by nobility and the callousness of the Fae makes the behavior of the changelings horrifying. Some changelings image in torture for their own sick pleasure, experiment on human subjects using magic or science, hunt people as though their were game, delight in causing fear and terror, or keep mind altered slaves. Many changelings are also hedonistic and decadent, having lavish parties or engaging in orgies or frivolously spending money.

Each changeling family is ruled by the elder or elders, in some cases even ancients rule. Then beneath them, regional elders rule over a domain. It is all quite feudal. The locations which changelings have dwelled for centuries are stronger in faerie magic than other places and allow the changelings to use their powers even on the most resistant mortal. Sometimes these locations are forests, other times they are ancient manses or castles, sometimes caves or an ancient ruin. In any case, changelings are powerful here and any mortal, even one completely oblivious to magic, will have an eerie sense of forbidding and dread when entering such a place. In the domain of changelings, the laws of reality break down, some dwellings contain altered gravity where there are rooms filled with stairs leading in different directions, like an MC Escher painting, others are far larger inside than out. Should an unwise mortal enter a changeling's domain, they will likely find that they can never leave.

The changelings have been declining in temporal power in the modern age, with the advancement of technology, their conservatism and isolation does not serve them well. A few families, those with weaker blood but more progressive and flexible attitudes, have become more wealthy than strong blooded families who demanded on magical might instead of social connections. With the decline of the Veil, most changelings are overjoyed, believing that it could mean that their masters might once again return, perhaps to take the earth as their own. Some of the most young and liberal changelings fear this, as the Fae are just old legends to them, beings of great evil and power who would enslave changelings and humanity alike - not something a fate to be desired.    

There are a number of great changeling families, here are but a few.

Sklavi
This family is a very earthy and naturalistic group of changelings. They live in remote compounds in ancient forests, only periodically interacting with the outside world, and usually only young members of the family then. They tend to have powers related to animals and the earth, controlling animals, shape changing into them, enhanced senses, controlling the elements or plants. The trees in their forest seem twisted and menacing, unnatural and yet very natural at once. The Sklavi are said to have strange monsters guarding their homes, animals that have been altered or enhanced by them. As they grow older, Sklavi become more bestial in appearance, taking on traits of a certain animal or animals they have an affinity with. The ancients are truly horrific, with horns, tooth filled maws, talons upon their hands, and furry or feather covered skin.

Ascania
The Ascania are an old and conservative family, even for the changelings. They are ruled by their ancients, called the Patriarchs. These elder males make the young women of the family their harems, killing males who are born and draining their magical essence for themselves. This makes the Ascania family very magically powerful, but also inbred, small, and removed from humanity. All of the young members are female, all members of the family have pale white skin, hair, and even even luminescent white eyes. They are often called the family of the moon, in fact their power waxes and wanes with the moon. They have power over dreams, illusions, time, emotions, cold, weather, storms, even some ancient sorcery practiced by their elders. They also tend towards insanity by mortal standards, their blood being too potent to interact with the mortal world, they only maintain a tenuous connection, existing more within their own domains and magical space than in the real world. They tend to only interact with other changelings or mystical creatures, as they can seldom even see or be seen by mortals even when they do leave their domains. Most can only leave their domains at night. The other families, and even more so other magical beings, fear the power that the Ascania might command should the Veil ever fall completely.

Mordua
The Mordua are a family known for their sadistic cruelty and love of causing terror, even legendary among the changelings. They have powers over shadow and darkness, fear, spiders and insects, and space. They can also change their shape to a limited degree, temporarily becoming more terrifying and monstrous. In their natural shape, Mordua are completely hairless with pale skin, pure black eyes, and claw-like fingernails. Their forms seem somewhat twisted, as though their bones bend or shift, though the exact nature of the deformities change over time and become more pronounced with age. Mordua are sensitive to sunlight, it is painful to their pale skin and sensitive eyes, so most rarely go out in the daylight unless they are clad in protective clothing or even sunglasses. Many Mordua can use illusions to conceal their unusual appearances, but just as often they rely upon the same clothing that protects them from the sun to conceal their strange features.

Muiredaigh
This is a relatively large and weak blooded family, one that has accepted human blood into the family more often than most and as a result has diminished magical powers. On the plus side, they retain a largely human appearance and are able to interact well with the mortal world. Many members of this family are sent to expensive private schools where they can interact with humans and make contacts among the upper crust of society. As a result, they have a large amount of wealth and power which is increasingly instead of declining as with other changeling families. They powers are few compared to their cousins, though they have the ability to read minds, create small or minor illusions, influence emotions, or exert a small amount of telekinesis. They tend to have less physical prowess than other changelings, though they may develop the ability to channel mystic power into their bodies to temporarily become stronger or faster.

Bendith
The Bendith are one of the more humane families of changelings. They have an attitude that they should either leave humanity alone or help then along with their powers. Aside from their relative kindness, the Bendith are also known for their power over luck and chance. All family members are unusually lucky and with concerted effort, practice, and the power that comes with age, they can manipulate random events in their favor or against their enemies. Additionally, the Bendith tend to have the ability to glimpse the future, sense danger, speak with and befriend animals, or to magically conceal themselves. The Bendith tend to be smaller than normal humans, about a head shorter and slightly built. They also tend to be weaker and more fragile than other changelings.  

Ivorix
The Ivorix family are masters of magic and sorcery. This is the magic of the Fae and not magic commonly wielded by mortals, it is drawn from ancient rituals and symbols learned from the Fae long ago and, for the most part, only useful for those with changeling blood. The spells and rituals that the Ivorix master are quite diverse in their range of effects, though often not as powerful or easily used as the powers of other changelings. Common spells include those which allow scrying upon far off places, inscribing magical runes which have certain effects, casting curses on those to whom they have a personal item of, and creating charms which provide luck, good health, or protection. Members of the Ivorix family tend to be tall and thin, a feature which grows more pronounced with age as the Ivorix becomes inhumanly gaunt.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Primarchs


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The Primarchs as they were created by the Emperor were not giants, rather they were powerful Warp souls, much like human souls but imbued with great psychic power and potential before the Chaos gods scattered them across the universe. The souls of the Primarchs resisted being torn apart in the fury of the Warp and eventually broke free into the materium. Being made by the emperor to have souls much like those of humans, the Primarch souls we born from human bodies through out the Imperium, with the genetics of their material parents but Warp souls stronger than any mortal save for the Emperor himself. 

The Primarchs settled on diverse worlds and had featured which reflected their heredity, some were male and some female. They tended to be somewhat taller than their kin, but not exceptionally so except in certain cases where the influence of the Warp caused the Primach’s bodies to take an unusual shape. It was the power of their Warp souls that imbued them with might, not their physical forms. Their psychic might caused each to grow up healthy and strong, their psychic potential manifesting as superhuman physical prowess and intellect, though most developed powerful psychic abilities as well.

Aurelia


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On the world of Colchis, a great war raged. The planetary governor sought to crush a large and powerful religious institution known as the Covenant. For many the years the Covenant had been gaining power on Colchis, converting new following, and influencing the political landscape. The secular Authority, the planetary parliament and high councilor, saw the Covenant as a growing potential threat and sought to irradiate them once and for all. While there were many members of the Covenant, the authorities had the force of arms and organized armies on their side and were gaining ground against the church. Many brave men and women of great faith were to become martyrs in the struggle to protect their church from destruction. 

The Covenant believed that there is a single deity who created and guided the universe, one god with four faces, the Warrior, the Sage, the Maiden, and the Crone. Each of these faces of God represented a divine aspect of the almighty deity, the wisdom of the Sage, of compassion of the Crone, the bravery of the Warrior, and the maiden's Vivacity. The religion itself was ancient, extending back beyond Colchis' recorded history and always being a part of the planet's culture and tradition, though only in the past few generations was the organized central church, called the Covenant, with its own hierarchy and doctrines, becoming a major political power on Colchis, which ultimately lead to the Authority's aggression against them.

It was during this terrible war that a priest of the Covenant witnessed a miracle that would change not only the future of Colchis, but would shift the fates for all of mankind. The priest was named Kor Phaeron and the miracle was performed by a little orphan girl known only as Aurelia. Kor Phaeron had heard of the little girl, no older than six, from some of his parishioners. They had told stories of a girl at once of the church's orphanages who claimed to have visions of the future, who claimed to hear the voice of God. The priest was always skeptical of such claims, though he had seen a few things in his life which might be classified as miracles or perhaps witchcraft, and so he decided to investigate. 

When Kor Phaeron first met the little girl, he could feel that there was something special about her, something more than merely a mortal. Phaeron himself was a psychic, having a few minor abilities that he used intuitively without really understanding them, and this psychic potential allowed him to feel something similar in others. What he felt from Aurelia was nothing like anything he had experienced before, an aura of pure power and holiness that surrounded her, a palpable force that exhilarated and frightened him. As they two met, she immediately spoke his name, though they had never met before, and her face filled with a look of terror. "You must flee from the cathedral!" She exclaimed in a voice that many others around could hear. "The soldiers are coming for you." Kor Phaeron had faith in the words of this mysterious child and fled with some of the Covenant's holy books along with the other priests and monks of the cathedral. This exodus was just in time, for the following day authority soldiers raided the cathedral and found it empty. News of this miracle spread among the faithful followers of the Covenant and their enemies alike and within weeks, many were speaking of the little girl who was a messenger of God. 

This filled the members of the Covenent with greater zeal and dedication to their cause. Kor Phaeron took the young girl under his wing, teaching her in the theology of the Covenant and even learning from her insightful observations, as she was wise beyond her young years. More than this, she made further predictions and Covenant soldiers would come to her for advice. She said that she could hear the voice of God telling her of things to come, that she even saw visions of this sometimes. Those leaders who heeded her council were invariably successful and more and more came to see her, to touch her, to receive the young saint's blessing. Many people from around the planet sought out Aurelia, even those who had no faith before. The tide of the war had begun to turn, many soldiers of the authority began to disobey their superiors or even joined with the Covenant. Even high ranking members of the authority started to wonder if this girl was truly blessed and that they were perhaps on the wrong side of a holy war. 

There were numerous assassination attempts against Aurelia, though they all failed, sometimes publicly and or even miraculously. A would-be killer might fire point blank at Aurelia and miss, some explosions would leave her clothing scorched but body unharmed. With each attempt on her life, Aurelia's legend grew and the Authority became more and more despised. By the time of Aurelia's 10th birthday, the planet's parliament officially surrendered to Covenant forces, turning the planet into a theocracy under the rule of the high priest of the Covenant - who by this point was Kor Phaeron, who had gained fame and respect for his close relationship with Aurelia. 

In the following years, religious fervor swept the planet as Aurelia made a number of public prophesies which came to past, predicting natural disasters and other events. The planet became more and more devout and Aurelia's power grew stronger. She began to have have more powerful visions, to see further into the future, to hear the different aspects of God speaking to her. When Aurelia foresaw a physical manifestation of God coming from the sky to rule over the planet, she couldn't help but tell the people, who went into throws of religious ecstasy at the thought. The world began to build up for the arrival of God on earth, great cathedrals were built, people dedicated themselves to religious lives of being monks or nuns.

* * * 

Aurelia herself was filled with the same sense of faith and anticipation as the people of Colchis. From her earliest memories, she could feel the presence of God in her life. She grew up basking in the unconditional love that only a divine being could provide. She prayed every day for wisdom, for strength, for piety and faith and her prayers were answered, as she grew up to personify the virtues she held most dear and still retained the humility to continue praying to be better. When the planetary Authority was defeated, she stepped forth and asked for clemency for those who had tried to kill her. She prayed together with them and their hearts turned from fear and hatred to faith and love. At least some of them, as Aurelia could look into the hearts of men and see their sins and their virtues, though even those who harbored hatred in their hearts were forgiven despite it. 

When the Covenant forces finally took control of Colchis, it was a bittersweet moment for Aurelia, for so countless innocent people had died, many with her help, and she prayed that the death and suffering on both sides might have been justified. As Aurelia began to been seen as a living saint, she knew that such adulation was misplaced and she prayed for humility while she urged the people to look not at her but to God as the source of miracles. 

When Aurelia prayed she felt open to the infinite, the the many voices of God. She heard the four aspects of God speaking to her: the Warrior, the Sage, the Crone, and the Maiden. She also heard countless other voices, a great multitude. She knew that this mystery was the result of a mere mortal trying to understand the will of the infinite and she clung to her faith. As time passed, the many voices seemed to blend into one, the infinite faces of the omnipotent deity becoming one in her mind's eye. She saws formless possibilities taking shape, a man clad in shining gold, God made flesh, she saw him coming from the sky to Colchis to uplift the people of Colchis. When Aurelia realized that this event would come to pass, she profusely thanked God for his goodness and set about to prepare the world for his coming.

On the very day which Aurelia had predicted, the God Emperor of Mankind's ship arrived above Colchis and the Emperor stepped foot on the planet's surface. The Emperor was greeted as a god, with millions of the faithful lavishing praises upon him, falling to their knees weeping in worship of God made flesh. The Emperor paid little heed to what he saw as the primitive superstitions of locals, he ignored them all and immediately sought out Aurelia in the cathedral where she awaited him, a giant cathedral that had been constructed in honor of his coming.

The God Emperor told Aurelia of what she was, a superior being created to be one of his generals, created to conquer the galaxy in the name of humanity. He also said that he was no god, merely a great man, a ruler of humanity. This statement and the Emperor's intentions perplexed Aurelia, though she knew in her heart and with her psychic senses that this was indeed God made manifest, so she did not doubt, she obeyed the will of the Almighty and left her home planet of Colchis, swearing loyalty to the Emperor and resolving to become the great general that the Emperor desired. To aid her in this, she took some of the most dedicated warriors of Colchis with her, those who she believed had earned the right to join in this holy crusade. First among them was a warrior named Erebus, who had shown his bravery and skill in battle time and time again. 

Aurelia was slow to take to command over armies, though she prayed for strength and wisdom, that she may fulfill the role for which she was created. Her brothers and sisters among the Primarchs regarded Aurelia as strange and eccentric. The major exception was Magnus. Feared, looked down upon, or misunderstood by the other Primarchs, Magnus only felt comfortable around the Emperor himself and Aurelia, who better understood the burden of Magnus' psychic abilities and looked beyond Magnus's stunted body to the strength of his soul and character. With the aid of Magnus, Aurelia was better able to understand and master her abilities, growing to understand that others had these powers as well and that they were a gift from God rather than true miracles, that they could be improved and expanded with practice. 

In the following years, Aurelia lead the forces of the Imperium against many alien or defiant human worlds. With the relative autonomy that she had been given by the Emperor and his Warmaster Horus, she was able to conquer these human planets in her own way. She used this discretion to not only conquer these worlds in the name of the Imperium, but for the God Emperor of Mankind. It was, in fact, during this time that the term "God Emperor of Mankind" was first used by Aurelia herself and was spread through the many worlds she took for the Imperium. While other Primarchs conquered worlds, Aurelia would convert them to the worship of the Emperor, would help them to rebuild their infrastructure, heal the sick and dying, and would also study their culture and history.

Aurelia found many different religions across the many worlds, human and alien, though she noticed that many shared similar characteristics. The same veneration of one God or perhaps worshiping many which were likely faces of the one true God such as were worshiped on Colchis. With her growing psychic ability, she was able to feel the spiritual power in these religions and recorded the practices of these various people, helping to fit their religious beliefs into the worship of the true God, the God Emperor of Mankind. The forces that Aurelia commanded became known as the Word Bearers, for they came to bring the message of the God Emperor to all of mankind. While Aurelia converted many worlds to the Imperium, the Warmaster Horus noticed that her progress was relatively slow compared to the more aggressive Primarchs. In their next meeting, Horus harshly chastised Aurelia. Horus said that her strange worship of the Emperor was stupidity, that she was incompetent in her leadership and her progress was shamefully slow. Aurelia's arguments in support of her actions fell upon deaf ears, and Horus stripped her of much of her forces and placed them under his own command.

While Aurelia was saddened by this, she also saw this as an opportunity. She took her remaining forces along with many of the holy books and religious relics that she had taken from the many planets she had visited or conquered and returned to Colchis. Here, Aurelia studied the religions from hundreds of worlds, comparing them to the ancient and sacred texts of the Covenant libraries of Colchis. She used her psychic talents that had naturally revealed themselves to her or that had been strengthened by Magnus’ instruction. The goal of her study was to not only better understand the divine nature of Emperor himself and thus the universe, but to make a well reasoned argument for why others should accept his divinity. While there were some inconsistencies which troubled Aurelia, she felt that she could make a good case for the existence of one true God and that the Emperor was likely him. She articulated the most compelling arguments for the Emperor's divinity into a single tome which would come to be called the Lectio Divinitatus - the holy book which formed the foundation for the Imperial Cult in the millennia to come. When this book was completed, she sent out numerous Covenant priests across the galaxy with copies of the Lectio Divinitatus in order to convert the masses and reveal the truth to them of the one true God.

When the Emperor, long distracted by war and by ruling the growing Imperium, learned that Horus had stripped Aurelia of most of her soldiers and why he had done it, he decided to go to Colchis to speak with her, taking along two of his most trusted Primarchs, Horus and Magnus. As the Emperor neared Colchis, he learned the the book which Aurelia had written and was spreading across the Imperium. This infuriated the Emperor, whose policy was called the Imperial Truth - the rejection of the existence of gods or demons, of the supernatural nature of the Warp, and all magical forces. Aurelia's strange superstitions had always irritated the Emperor but her tolerated it because she seemed so loyal and dedicated, but it the foolishness would end now.

When the Emperor returned to Colchis, for the first time in a decade, he was once again met with the adoration of devoted worshipers who thought him to be God. This time, the Emperor's wrath was palpable for all who stood in his presence, and the masses of Colchis fled from him as he approached. The Emperor walked to the steps of the great cathedral, built to honor his coming to Colchis, where Aurelia stood with a copy of the Lectio Divinitatus, her gift to him, the result of many hard years of study, exploration, and contemplation. As Aurelia saw the anger from the Emperor, the smile faded from her face and was replaced with confusion.

Then the Emperor struck Aurelia, a blow that might have killed a normal human, and knocked her to the ground. He called her a fool, a traitor, that she was a disgrace to him and that his foolishness must be punished. The Emperor seized the book and had cast in into one of the braziers that burned beside the great cathedral. He then ordered his soldiers to destroy the cathedral and burn all of the books there, to destroy the holy relics, and to kill any who resisted. Aurelia lay there on the ground, weeping in grief that her God, if he was indeed God, had rejected her, that she was a disgrace to him. She felt as though her entire life had been wasted, that she was nothing. She sobbed and moaned, Horus then cruelly mocked her, repeating the Emperor's words and adding his own jibes meant to humiliate her. It was then that Magnus, crippled and stunted dwarf that he was, hobbled to Aurelia and placed his hand upon her shoulder. She looked up into his kind eyes and saw that he was crying too. He gently helped Aurelia to her knees and wiped the tears from her eyes, them embraced her, holding her close to him as she cried upon his shoulder. 

After the carnage, the Emperor commanded that Aurelia return with him to Terra. During the journey, Aurelia spent many long hours speaking to Magnus, telling him of her great sadness, how her world seemed to be falling apart. Telling him how she had always felt the presence of some transcendent intelligent force beyond the realm of humanity that had been watching over her and that she was sure it had been the Emperor. Magnus said very little, though his reaction indicated to Aurelia that Magnus had felt something like this as well. Aurelia spent many hours in prayer as well and those prayers left her even more troubled. She still heard the many voice of God speaking to her, seeming to guide her. She felt comfort in that divine presence and she slowly began to accept something that she had long known the deepest recesses of her heart but had never been willing to accept, that the Emperor was not God, that he was a being of incredible spiritual power, but that the voices she heard were beyond even him. In accepting this revelation, her faith was renewed, and her drive to determine the truth stronger than ever before. 

Silently and humbly, Aurelia bided her time. She was obedient to the Emperor as he continued to chastise her. She told him that she accepted that he was not truly God, which was true, he was not. All the while, Aurelia continued to pray and in her prayers, her mind grew stronger. She no longer clung to her vision of the Emperor coming as God made flesh, the vision that had dominated her life since she first saw it as a child. Instead, she truly opened herself to God's will, listening to the many voices of God speak to her. In these moments, she heard the four voices of the gods of the Covenant, the Warrior, the Sage, the Crone, and the Maiden. She heard them each telling her secrets of the nature of the universe, each voice guiding her. She heard countless other voices as well, spirits of the dead, voices from the past and future. With each passing day, she understood a little more, could see a bit farther.

Eventually the Emperor trusted Aurelia enough to give her back her legions, commanding her to return to the worlds that she had lead astray and to instruct them in the "Imperial Truth" that there were no gods or supernatural forces. Why the Emperor would enforce such a lie, she did not know, as Aurelia knew that the Emperor did not believe this, that he was in some way connected to God. The Emperor's deceit and his mistreatment of Aurelia angered her, but she resolved to act according to God's will, not to let her anger cloud her vision.

Aurelia returned to Colchis and spoke to her childhood mentor Kor Phaeron of the revelation she had. The old priest was at first shocked, but quickly accepted this. He had lost much in the Emperor's attack against Colchis and had doubted the Emperor’s divinity. Aurelia went into one of the ancient cathedrals that had survived the Emperor's purge, a place of old relics and where the four faces of God had been worshipped for millennia. Her she prayed and fasted for many days seeking God's guidance. She received it.

Aurelia's mind penetrated the veil between the world of men, the Materium, and that of God, the Immaterium, what most now call the Warp. Now she looked upon the face of God unveiled, the infinite possibilities of Chaos itself. Aurelia saw that God and man were one, an infinite being beyond space and time, each human soul created and being created by God. She perceived the divine nature of humanity and the ultimate fate of mankind, the achieve oneness with the infinite source of all thought, life, and creativity. Apotheosis. She heard the true names of the gods of Colchis - Khorne the Warrior, Tzeentch the Sage, Slaanesh the Maiden, and Nurgle the Crone. She saw the countless faces of each of the aspects of the infinite divine and saw that all were ultimately one with each other and countless other mortal and immortal souls. She looked beyond the infinite voices, the infinite faces, the sea of roiling possibilities to see the one true God she had always searched for and that God was Chaos. 

As a part of her vision, Aurelia's power was increased dramatically. Chaos had taught her much, whispered into to ear ancient rituals to draw greater power and to better utilize her own potential, revealing to her ancient lost tomes in the ruins of Colchis where she would learn even more. Aurelia used these new rituals channel forth the power of the Immaterium, becoming powerful beyond measure, leading the Covenant priests in a great ritual where they too would be blessed by Chaos. Those faithful priests who participated in the ritual with Aurelia saw visions and well and were blessed with miraculous supernatural powers or magical knowledge. Armed with renewed faith and the power to reveal the truth to others, the Covenant was soon able to introduce this new revelation to the rest of Colchis, showing them the true nature of God and the universe. 

In the following years, Aurelia would travel to those planets she had converted before, not to teach them the Imperial Truth, but to show them the power and glory of Chaos. The worship of Chaos spread across these worlds and the powers of the blessed became obvious to all. The Word Bearers now spread the message of Chaos through the universe, teaching multitudes the secrets of sorcery, showing them visions of what lay beyond the Materium, and opening their minds to the infinite. Sometimes these revelations seemed to drive men mad, though Aurelia would say that they merely experienced to ecstasy of true faith and communion with God.

As Aurelia dedicated herself to Chaos, she began to learn more and more about the Emperor, named the fifth God of Chaos, called Malal in the ancient voices long since dead, the God of Chaos who opposes Chaos. Like an cancer upon the fabric of space and of time, the Emperor's enmity with Chaos would always keep humanity and Chaos separate unless something was done to destroy the Emperor or bring him back into oneness with Chaos. With this thought in mind, Aurelia was able to glean the future, to look upon the strands of fate and see human ascension, becoming one with God, one with Chaos, achieving our true potential - Apotheosis. This ascension would only be possible with the assistance of the most despised of Aurelia's brothers, Horus Lupercal. Horus had a part to play and in doing so, be destroyed, both serving a role in bringing about the Apotheosis and Aurelia's revenge.

As Aurelia had foreseen, Horus was severely injured in a blundered attack on Davin, and Aurelia was already on her way to greet the wounded Warmaster when he recovered. Horus had never respected Aurelia, but she knew that Horus' pride would allow her to manipulate him. Aurelia spoke to Horus with great reverence, as though he were the Emperor himself. She lavished praises upon him for his bravery in battle, for sacrificing himself to save so many others, and then criticized the other Primarchs and even the Emperor himself for not giving Horus the support that would have allowed him to be victorious. Horus, quick to place the blame upon others for his own failing, eagerly listened to Aurelia's words and became receptive to her. She then spoke to him of Horus's competence and the Emperor's jealousy. How much greater Horus would be if the Emperor, fearing Horus, did not constantly undermine him. 

Just as planned, Horus now hung upon Aurelia's every word. She then revealed to him the existence of Chaos, of the gods and daemons of the Warp, the great secret that the Emperor hid that gave the Emperor and many other Primarchs psychic abilities. Abilities that Horus lacked. She told him that this was a secret shared with the other Primarchs but not with Horus, that commanding powerful psychic abilities would make Horus superior to the Emperor in every regard. There were gods of the Warp and that Horus was the man who could become their master and rule the galaxy as the true God Emperor of Mankind.

Horus was incredulous, as he considered Aurelia to be simple minded and foolish. She changed his mind as she took his hand in hers and he felt the power of the Warp flow through him. Horus looked at Aurelia, fighting to maintain a calm facade over his shock. She said that these were the gods that gave the Emperor his power, that gave all psykers their power. That they were powerful beyond imagining and they had chosen Horus, greatest of all mortals, to be their chosen one, to be master of the Warp and God Emperor of Mankind. All that Horus need do is accept their power and he could overthrow the Emperor and take the galaxy that was his birthright. Horus did not even hesitate, he gave himself over to the gods of Chaos and became invested with their power.

After winning Horus to her cause, Aurelia visited many other Primarchs, those who had been chosen by Chaos to become its servants. As she had foreseen in her prophesies, each was won to her cause, save with the exception of Magnus. Magnus, ever true and loyal, refused to become a traitor to the Emperor whom he regarded as a father. It wasn't until the Emperor himself betrayed Magnus that Magnus would be willing to embrace his true father, the face of God called on Colchis the Sage, Tzeentch. Aurelia was filled with joy that Magnus, her most beloved brother, joined her and the other servants of Chaos.

Horus and the Emperor eventually destroyed each other, the will of God once revealed to Aurelia finally being fulfilled. The forces of Chaos would not conquer the earth, but now a chain of events had began that Aurelia believed would one day bring about Apotheosis - humanity becoming one with Chaos. 

As time passed, Aurelia learned more and more, increasing her knowledge of sorcery, entering the Warp with her mind and conversing with the Warp gods there, pushing her spirit beyond the limits of human imagining. Aurelia sought to better understand Chaos, to truly become one with the Warp. For six years Aurelia dedicated herself to experiencing every carnal pleasure, every physical sensation and delight, to tasting every sweet food and listening to the most beautiful music. For those six years, Aurelia came to know Slaanesh. For seven years Aurelia walked among the sick and dying, the elderly and diseased. She saw the dying cling to the lives they knew with their last ounces of strength before entering the life beyond, saw the love of friends and family for the ones they lost. In these seven years, Aurelia came to know Nurgle. For eight years years Aurelia dedicated herself to war and conquest, taking numerous planets in the name of Chaos, entering the fray herself and in a haze of fury and bloodlust, slaying countless foes. In these eight years, Aurelia came to know Khorne. For nine years Aurelia sought out knowledge and honed her psychic abilities, increasing her mastery of sorcery, becoming a scholar of language and history, she explored the deepest recesses of the Immaterium and of her own mind, the future and the past, the real and surreal, seeing beyond the illusions that separate reality from imagination. In these nine years, Aurelia came to know Tzeentch. Finally, in quiet solitude and asceticism, Aurelia contemplated the nature of the God Emperor of Mankind, Malal, the aspect of God that fights against itself. For ten years she dwelt upon the Emperor and his sacrifice and travails, and she grew to know even her enemy.


Khorne, aspect of war and anger, spoke to Aurelia saying that if she gave herself to him that she would be made a god of war and destruction. That all who ever crossed her would be destroyed by her power and that all would bow down to her. Nurgle then spoke, telling her that if she bowed before him, that she could hold tightly to all that she had ever loved, that she would exist forever and nothing she cared for would ever be lost. Slaanesh then told her that should she give herself to Slaanesh, that no pleasure would be denied her, that she would experience bliss beyond what any mortal could imagine and sensations that would make mortal pleasures seem as pale shades. Finally Tzeentch spoke, saying that should she give herself to Tzeentch that she would have all knowledge that she ever sought, would know the greatest mysteries of the universe and have power beyond compare. To all of these offers she declined. Then the Chaos gods as one spoke, offering her all of these gifts for her service to them and yet again she refused. They asked her, what they might give her for her service to Chaos. She said that she desired no gifts, no reward, that she willingly and without reservation gave herself to Chaos Undivided, that they may use her as they will, that her only desire is that she become their willing slave. For this, the gods as one, not merely the four, but the countless lords of Chaos that once existed in antiquity or that would exist in the distant future bestowed their blessing onto Aurelia, high priestess of Chaos, and she became as a god herself, a being of pure Immaturium. With that, Aurelia drew the entire planet of Colchis, shrine world to Chaos, into the Warp where it has remained to this day. 



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