Humans:
Needing no in-depth explanation, they come in various skin tones, accents, and so forth. In Aetheric magic, they can are jacks of all trades, yet masters of none. That meaning, they can use a number of different elements, adapt to new ones, and have a generally middle-level aetheric reserve. They tend to use tech and gear in conjunction with magical talents.
Non-pureblood humans tend to have greater magical skill, however, but they are detailed apart from regular humans, having a variety of physical differences that easily detail them apart.
There exists a race of humans, referred to as Kaymbdenites, who possess grayish skin, aversion to light, and powerful bodies and large hands, and possess a resilience to magic in exchange for stronger more durable skin and bodies. They tend to be xenophobic, living behind great steel walls in their home country, but refugees that flee to Mordania tend to open up. They are a strange people.
Lylanges:
The Lylanges are a race with four different offshoots, each having considerable physical differences between them. What are shared traits, however, is that they have tall bodies, long necks, long tails, and large claws. Their eyebrows are two oval spots that sit atop their brows. Somewhat feline in their design, somewhat humanoid. Their voices are generally soft, almost song-like, attractive and soothing they are considered in their tones. Their powers seem to revolve deep within the Aether, ranging from healers, spiritualists, and symbiotic empaths, to physical enhancement, fortification, life drain, and skills that aim towards physical harm.
Northern Lylanges: With large bodies, standing at around 10ft, these Lylanges live in the snowy north, with thick coats to match. Their faces are round and humanoid, possessing small spots resembling freckles, and upright pointing tufted ears. A thick mane is present around their necks of white fur, the rest of their bodies, from neck downwards is covered in a warm coat, their feet and lower arms covered in thick shaggy sleeves that keep their hands and feet from suffering frostbite. Their hair is usually a light blonde, their eyes a solid light blue, with contracted pupils, their noses are darkened. Their tails are long, and thick, usually longer than their bodies, used to wrap themselves to reinforce them in maintaining core warmth. There are those that take this further, turning it into a healing force.
Northern Lylanges are gentle people, preferring a monk-like lifestyle of nonviolence, and share a kinship with all life. Their Aetheric talents tend to revolve around physical fortification and strength, and are openly willing to stick their necks out, no pun intended, upon a cry of distress. They will fight if they have to, using an art of nonlethal self-defense, despite being very capable in killing the average man. Lethal force to them is the absolute last resort.
They tend to dress in a fashion similar to Inuit people, but also wear large wooden prayer beads similar to Himalayan monks.
Southern Lylanges:
More slender than their Northern counterpart, they live a more nomadic lifestyle, having a tribal history. Their average heights range around 8ft, their colors generally being tan-to-yellowish, with pronounced spots akin to leopards, round pointed ears with sprigs of black fur, and black hair that runs down the back of their necks. Their claws are less pronounced than most Lylanges, being closer to a human's hands in size and shape. Their faces are thinner, more typical of a human's face, eyes being typically a brown or deep green, and also possessing the darkened nose.
They are not as reserved on violence as Northern are, though they share a similar ideology of kinship, pushed too far they are not completely unknown to lash with their claws, and will use their aetheric focus to exasperate any damages done to drive away their attackers. They are very flexible and versatile fighters, bending in ways not conceivable to a human, their bodies being slinky in construction. They are avid climbers too, climbing walls, cliffs, and trees alike, and can easily rebound themselves off fully vertical surfaces. They excel at Lylang athleticism.
They dress in a fashion similar to modern African, with females wearing neck rings, and colorful clothing.
Eastern Lylanges:
Matron Visara, a high-class Eastern Lylanges who, committing taboos of cannibalism and ritualistic sacrifice to maintain her youth was reportedly executed three times, first by impalement, second by poison, and finally by decapitation. Rumors continue that she still isn't quite finished with this life.
Aristocratic with Indian and Asian flairs, these people resemble most closely to humans, with generally little fur and more a tanned skin. Their ears are curved and pointed, resembling more elven of typical fantasy. Their hair ranges from red to blond, and eyes from green, violet, and blue. They are around 7-8ft, having some similarity to Southern Lylang. They do not possess spots like the others, having smooth skin instead, and only a thin amount of fur. Their claws, however, are more pronounced than Southern Lylang, and are very capable to use them like a blade if necessary. Their tails are long and either somewhat thin, or plush, akin to a house cat's tail, and generally are a solid color.
They are known to be aristocratic, not having the same kinship as other Lylanges. They tend to believe themselves physically and spiritually superior to other races. They are notably closely tied to the Aethera, able to even draw it from the bodies of others, and worst, a taboo practice of imprinting themselves in the Aethera, living on as a vengeful ghost even after death! Their magic is considered one of the most frightening as a result, their influence the strongest, having their own royalty and country where their race are primary citizens at the highest echelon.
They tend to dress in fancy aristocratic fashion, long dresses, frills and furs, colorful and expensive, their tastes tend to be loud and their jewelry shiny gold and silver, and precious gems. There is hardly any room for fashionable humility in their culture!
Western Lylanges:
The historically youngest variant of Lylanges, who break many of the trends of a typical Lylang race. At first they were not even considered a Lylanges breed, but rather a strange new race of "beastkin." They do not possess a humanoid face, but rather a broad muzzle with a series of sharp teeth, their eyes being bright yellow or amber. They generally have a coarse voice, more low or growly, rather than soft, and thin black pointed ears. They are also the biggest of the Lylanges, standing at around 13-14ft. They still possess long necks, and tall bodies, but have the most pronounced hands of all Lylanges, being the only Lylang race with retractable claws rather than typical nails. Their tails are long, thin, but strong, able to support their heavy bodies, and are striped between a light gray and black. Their hair is long, black, and stringy, continuing all the way down their backs. their colors being a light gray underbelly, faces, and the rest a dark gray. They look and sound more eerie than any other Lylang, not helped by them living in mostly the Mordanian marshes.
Physically strong, with the most beast-like prowess of any other Lylang, they are fast for their size, moving quickly through swamp and dry land alike. Their magic is strange, akin to a blend between the Northern and Eastern Lylanges, capable healers, but also capable of cursing, with voodoo-like afflictions and similar transference of pain and ailments, and draining aether from their enemies. They are considered by many as witches and the term "swamp hag," has been thrown towards females of this Lylang variant.
They are, however, not bad people, sharing the kinship bond belief, but they are also the most crude in voice and language, being the most likely to throw slang, and speak their minds. They do not share the overall refined nature of any other Lylang, and don't usually often bother to try, they believe in just saying how they feel about something rather than softening the punch. They are confrontational, openly expressive, and do not understand this thing called "personal space." They speak with something akin to a Cajun Creole accent.
Ga'ragh:
The true beastkin, great warriors, and dominant race from the southern continent, with firey red hair and bestial features and claws, and a powerful physique, they embody the power primal. Having eye color ranges from brown, gold, red, and green, including bright green. There are two different kinds of Ga'ragh, the Striped kind, with tiger-like strikes and males having lion-like manes. They generally stand at around 6-7ft, strong physical features, pointed catlike ears, a large catlike face that is somewhat human-like, with pronounced catlike teeth and strong jaws, a broad black nose. Features akin to both a tiger and a lion. They are known to roar to announce themselves, or at least yell deep and proudly. They admire strength, both inner and outer, and will respect someone who stands up to them. They have short tails, akin to hyenas.
Crying Ga'ragh, are a bit different, with thinner bodies, a lack of manes on males, and have longer muzzles. and spotty markings akin to a cheetah, along with the black "tears" that run from the corners of their eyes to the sides of their mouth, the origin of the "Crying" in their name. They are fast, specializing in speed enhancement Aethera, as well as more agile than a Striped Gar'agh. They are believed to be a hybrid race between Striped Ga'ragh and their neighboring Southern Lylanges. They are generally more calm than their striped brethren, living more as farmers than hunters and warriors.
Both tend to excel at fire-based Aethera, but can also utilize wind and water, and physical enhancement. Some even are known to use transformation Aethera, becoming more the beast than they are already!
It isn't too uncommon to see cross-breeds exist between races, though once in their early primal society it was considered taboo to "breed with weaker stock."
Mu'ud:
Short beings, standing at around 3-4ft, having variable hair color, generally dark, brown skin, or fur, and having long pointed ears. They have long, thin, ratlike tails ending in a tuft, and have a large arms that run a length past their bodies, and have large hands. They can walk on their hands rather easily! They are humanoid, but tend to have larger noses, making them somewhat goblin-like, which is also a common derogatory term to use, but they are nowhere near as stupid and tribal as implied. They are known to be lower-class citizens, living usually in slums, where they go through garbage. They are also highly intelligent tinkerers and inventors, taking garbage and broken equipment, and turning them into weapons and tools! They have the highest population of all species, and like always, but not as common, half-breeds exist.
They do not typically possess the capability to cast Aethera, though their bodies show a strong resilience to the effects of magic, as well as great physical strength in their arms and hands, making them not something to count out when it comes to a brawl. This makes up for their otherwise unimpressive physical characteristics.
They do have one major flaw, though, other than their generally poor living conditions: they live only around 30 years before dying. This is due to their narrowed connection to the Aethera Stream, which while making them resilient, cuts their life span more than half that of a human. A tragic truth, one they have had to live with, and one they have made efforts in the past to try to open their connection to it, failing each time.
Titan Kin
These are the great ancient races, wise and variable in shape, but generally large and majestic, and terrifying as they tower over all other races. They generally master one element in their entire lives, but perfect it to a level no other race can dream of. For their dominion of land, air, and water, they are broken into three key categories: Behemoth, Ziz, and Leviathan. They generally have twin jags on their upper lip like fangs, even on beaks, sometimes literally are fang-like growths.
Behemoths:
These are the great earthen beasts, giants of old. They do not fly, but they possess the highest degree of physical power. Among these are those that can upturn the earth, causing earthquakes, and conjure magma. There are also those that can manipulate plant-life, called Gaian Behemoths, that possess a somewhat more.
Ziz:
These are your wyverns, dragons, great birds of the sky. They all share the trait of great majestic flight on powerful wings, creating great gusts of wind with each flap. They are generally dominant in wind, but can also possess elements of storms, ice, and fire. The rule is that they fly, they can dominate in any ONE element.
Leviathans:
These are your great majestic serpents of the sea and water, having lesser mobility on land, but able to breath both water and air, being amphibious. Some tend to have bioluminescent markings across their bodies, some possessing ear-like external gills (similar to Axolotls, but considerably bigger and more colorful). Generally they dominate a water element, but this is general, and not the rule. Some electrical Leviathans exist.
