Races Of Ymeris

The Iru'Talik
The eldest race on Ymeris, present even before the humans came. They look vaguely human-like, with stony flesh of all hues and material, with crystalline growths and gems embedded in their sternums. This is the easiest way to differentiate males and females, as they can sometimes look quite similar- males have only one, while females are born with three. If a female has a child, she will absorb the two smaller gems, one at a time, leaving sockets where they would be. Particularly vain females will replace these gems; however, they will have no inner light in the replacements.

Every man, woman and child of the race of Iru'Talik has the ability to move through stone as if it were water. As they travel through it, minerals grow behind them. They have the ability to speak to the stone, and males have gravelly voices whereas females often have voices like crystals gently clinking together in a breeze, and often speak a little slowly when talking to other races. When they die, their souls retreat into the gems in their chests- for females, it is the larger, central gem. The average Iru'Talik will live for about three-thousand years, but each female will only ever bear two children.

Their societies are organized into a monarchy, with the King and Queen leading them. They live in the crust between the jungle and the sea, and their largest cities may be found within the mountains beneath the towns of Kiphiros and Elutia. They can, however, be found throughout Ymeris, and usually trade crystals and minerals and things to the other races and towns.

The court of King and Queen is within the largest, and it contains the mausoleum. Within its halls, the soul gems of every Iru'talik in every family has a place, laid out in family trees following the mother's bloodline. To steal or damage a soul crystal is a grievous mistake, as retribution is swift and vicious, usually handed out by the Queen herself. The King, a literal god among his people, is rarely seen; there are rumors that he is, perhaps missing.

Ahvekl
A race of four-armed, four-eyed people with split hooves and thin tails that usually end in frills. Their skin tones are usually either reddish or purple in nature, varying from very light to nearly charcoal or burgundy. They range anywhere from five to seven feet tall, and are usually a bit more sturdy than they look. These creatures are renowned for their physical beauty and natural talent, often gifted in artistic ways; many have beautiful, lilting voices and graceful demeanor, even in violence. Their dress and overall demeanor usually depends on where they live, and with whom.

Ahvekl society is heavily oriented towards deity worship. They often travel both inner and outer layers, usually following a god in a group or else traveling with the caravans; they will rarely stay in a village or town, and are most often found in those run by the gods. In the absence of a true god, most will adopt an avatar of a god. In the home, the mother has complete control over her children, choosing to whom they will be wed, while the father works to support them. Both men and women are seen as equals in a skirmish- death comes for all, after all- and every child is taught to wield at least two weapons at once by the time they hit puberty.

From time to time, if an ahvekl child is particularly beautiful, they may be offered up to a god or avatar as a consort. These children are taken by priests and priestesses, taught how to play instruments and to sing, to use advanced magicks, and, when they grow older, to be proper consorts. For their coming-of-age days, these offerings are bound in ribbon and placed either in a god's temple, or else some place the preferred god or avatar will be able to find them- sometimes, they are even tossed into the boiling ocean or left in the mountains.

As to matters of the body, Ahvekl are somewhat similar to humans. They have the usual organs, although their tails have exceptional sensitivity along the spine and over the flesh of the frills. These sensory organs can be used to detect the flow of mana around them. Their eyes are also unique; they lack a true pupil, instead having small flecks of black throughout to pick up light. They usually keep the smaller, upper set of eyes closed, as these eyes see auras.

The Shonyu
A race that lives nearly all its life upside down, these Salamander-like people tend to be viewed by the other sentient species as a bit... odd. Lithe, curious creatures with dry, slightly porous flesh, and thicker, plate-like scales on their heads, down their spines, and on their rumps. Their hands, feet, and tail tips have somewhat deeper, wider grooves, and they secrete an odd, web-like substance that allows them to live as they do- defying gravity. Due to the low light, they have developed large eyes, usually in a gold, red, or blue tone, with plus-sign-shaped pupils that are incredibly sensitive, and excel at depth perception.

They live in hive-like structures, usually centered around the rare openings to the 'topside' of the inner crust. Their families are matriarchal, their people friendly and insatiably curious about their world, but not often religious- they show respect, but don't generally hold true to any one god. Each city has a queen, attended by daughters, cousins, and friends, who would be allowed to mate. It is rare that a queen restricts breeding privileges, though, and eggs are laid in nurseries organized by the mother. Everyone takes care of new hatchlings, and it is during spawning season alone that these people can be seen en-mass standing like the rest of the world.

The Shonyu are primarily farmers, unique in that they grow primarily mushrooms and mosses, as well as phosphorescent plants. They are one of the only peoples to consistently fish the boiling oceans. These, they trade with the nomadic tribes, usually- they associate closely with them, after all. They also herd moss-sheep across the expanses between villages using pony-sized spider-beasts. Which... brings us to our next species of humanoid.

The Keepers of the Sacred Word, the People of the Pillars
A species of avian-like humanoids. They were created by the Goddess of Prophecy as well as the Thinifean Twins in their own image, and blessed with the task of traveling between the pillars of the worlds, they live much like the nomadic tribes of the surface, but travel much more freely in loose flocks. They usually roost in the Great Pillar when they wish to settle down and raise chicks, but rarely stay in one place for more than a couple of days other than that.

They have no true hierarchy, but there are those chosen by the Prophetic Goddess to carry her words specifically. These are born with eye-marks on the undersides of their wings, closed at first, but slowly opening with each molt. As they grow older, they See more and more. Charlatans are unheard-of; if any would besmirch the name of the Keepers, the goddess would immediately mark them, making the feathers beneath their eyes look like they were crying blood.

The opinions of the other races on these raven-like peoples is mixed- they are plenty friendly, and almost always willing to help others, but they often take shiny things as payment, and for prophecy, usually without permission. The Iru'talik don't mind much- they make precious gems, after all. Ahvekl respect them and theirs, and will only ask if they must. However, they have a love/hate relationship with the Shonyu. The Shonyu love them, but the Keepers hate their spiders- they're never seriously hurt, but they are often plucked out of the sky by particularly ambitious spiders and wrapped up in silk until the Shonyu can free them.

Mrova
Averaging about two-and-a-half feet tall, this is one of the shortest, if not the shortest, humanoid race. They are feline in appearance, usually looking a bit delicate, though males are usually a bit thicker than females. They live in the wilds of the jungles, usually, though they sometimes settle into towns. They live in prides, and are greatly respected for they bravery and skill in a fight, despite their small stature.

The Mrova have no hierarchy beyond loosely affiliated prides- usually made up of families- but, when asked of a leader, will always answer that they have no king, but the one. They worship Kiburi, the King of Cats, who often appears as one of them, albeit a particularly handsome one. He usually makes his rounds with his people, and they worship him with simple things, such as complimenting his fur before bed. Gods help you if you ever kick one of their cubs on purpose, especially when he's around.

Ickvanr
One of the few races that live in the boiling oceans, Ickvanr are amphibious guardians of the path to the upper levels. With powerful hooves, they stride upon the land, and, in the water, their thin tails create a membrane to streamline them. Slender in build, their hides are surprisingly thick and strengthened by mana crystals upon their shoulders and spines. From these, they are able to manifest primal magicks, often in the form of serpentine heads and necks, which they can use as formidable weapons, capable of lifting up objects far heavier than the wielders. Nearly all Ickvanr are telepathic and telekenetic, and those that are not are considered something of pariahs. Little is known by outsiders about their society; it is primarily that of fishing/gathering, and is heavily family-oriented, centered around the children. Gender is of little consequence, as they may shift freely between the two or both with little more than thought.

Physically, Ickvanr are a slender people, with powerful, lean muscles and little fat. They are capable of surviving in even the intense heat of the boiling oceans, but are sensitive to the cold. Their flesh comes in all manner of colors, but is often striped or spotted, and rarely has more than two main colors. In darker-skinned specimens, bioluminescence has been observed. Some have even displayed the ability to change their skin tone and texture, much like a necrosi drake. They all have scales on their cheeks, down to the backs of their necks but not over their gills, down their spines and around their hips, as well as partway down their tails, and have wide frills that act as ears. These go from the place a human's ears normally are down to about the tips of the shoulder blades, and are usually flattened when swimming. As for their eyes, they've two, dark eyes designed for seeing underwater or in low-light situations. Bright lights actually hurt them a little bit.