Aolctic

The Aolctic reside mainly in and around Ezenzulwa, the Slumbering Jungle, and surrounding isles, isolating themselves from the rest of the world. They are typically distrustful of outsiders, and likewise other occupants of Crecia are distrustful of them. The Aolctic have deep interest in magic, and beings from other worlds, worshiping them as their deities. This interest has evolved from the plethora of ancient, advanced Kokkori structures that litter the mountainsides. Aolctic beliefs and history are bathed in blood, a sacred fluid passed down from their ancestors, allowing them to look to the future while keeping the past close to them. They are innovative craftsmen, resourceful tacticians, stealthy adversaries, and unrelenting predators.

Aolctic are spiritual and aggressive.

Spiritual

The Aolctic are born into a dangerous and unrelenting world, deep in the jungles of Ezenzulwa, the Slumbering Jungle. Unable to depend on the comforts of the Crecian mainland, the Aolctic look to the divine to guide their way, searching for their celestial ancestors, and worshipping demons who grace their path, in hopes that their next life will be more merciful than this one.

Aggressive

The ruthless homelands of the Aolctic has bred a hardened species, always ready to strike. They are slow to trust, especially outsiders, and extremely cautious save for their close kin. Many live a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle as well, forcing them to constantly be on the hunt for any that would do them harm, or stand in their way.

Physiology

Aolctic are covered in a thick skin protected by scales which form armor around them. Aolctic can shed their skin and grow new skin and scales in response to traumatic injuries, disease or other deficiencies, however it is not a regular process and generally only occurs in the affected area.

Aolctic are cold-blooded, so they have limited physiological means of maintaining their body temperature. As a result they have made the tropical island of Tlacaxa and the surrounding regions their home as well as desert populations who rely on the climate and sunlight to stay energized. The optimum body temperature varies within the species and ethnic groups, with Nera typically having the lowest optimum temperature allowing them to remain underwater where it is cooler. The Nera also have the use of their gills which allows for a secondary way to get oxygen in their blood. The Hetra, who often lie in the sunny desert awaiting prey bury themselves in the sand for camouflage and protection, and their villages are often underground to get away from the sun.

The benefit of a low resting metabolism is that it requires far less fuel to sustain bodily functions, allowing Aolctic to save considerable amounts of energy than other species of the same size by using temperature variations in their surroundings or remaining cold when they do not need to move. This also provides a lower food requirement and adaptive metabolisms for the Aolctic, particularly useful in regions where agriculture is not optimal and food is scarce, especially so for the Hetra in desert regions, allowing them to dominate areas where net calorie availability is too low to sustain other species.

Female Aolctic lay eggs, which grow in size throughout the incubation period. The eggs are initially white, but change color/pattern based on the individuals and ethnic groups. The species has about a 70:30 male:female ratio.

Ethnic Groups

The Aolctic have three major cultural groups, sprouting from major biological differences.

The Co-at live in Upper Tlacaxa, they have sharper claws and stronger upper bodies built for climbing and fighting. They built cities of trees and stone deep in the jungle, or high in the plateaus.

The Nera live in Lower Tlacaxa, they are amphibious and have gills, webbed appendages, stronger lungs and legs meant for swimming and running cross country. They settle in wetlands and island chains with cities built intro cliffsides and underwater, making the Shattered Coast particularly treacherous for unwelcome ships.

The Hetra live in the desert plateaus of Tlacaxa as well as the western shores of Khazibar and Hatun, they have powerful legs for chasing and tracking in desert sands, pointed scales for increased defense and protection against the sun, and efficient stomachs, allowing them to go days or even weeks with little food and water. They settle in small desert villages, or larger underground communions, when not living on their own in the wild.

While the Co-at can thrive in any climate, the Nera prefer moist environments and their gills can become damaged if they dry out for too long, the Hetra thrive in dry environments and their lungs can erode if filled with too much moisture leading to incapacitation and death.

Co-at

The Co-at live in Upper Tlacaxa, they have sharp claws and teeth, dense bones, and stronger upper bodies built for climbing and fighting. They built cities of trees and stone deep in the jungle, or high in the plateaus. Their thick skin and scales provide protection against rivals as well as the harsh environment and insects in the jungle.

The volcanic activity on the island provides obsidian for those who know how to find it, allowing the Co-at to have sharper and more deadly weapons than their counterparts.

Characteristics:

Covered in smooth, thick scales
Dominant color: Cyan, Green, Black, Grey
Recessive color: Red, White, Brown

Specialties:

Warfare
Espionage
Piety

Nera

The Nera live in Lower Tlacaxa, they are amphibious and have gills, webbed appendages, stronger lungs and legs meant for swimming and running cross country. They settle in wetlands and island chains with cities built into cliffsides and underwater, making the Shattered Coast particularly treacherous for unwelcome ships.

A signature weapon of the Nera is the vi-zlachi, a spear attached via string to a specially designed gauntlet, designed to return to the user after being thrown when the right force is applied. While intended for underwater use, particularly strong and skilled individuals can use it above the surface.

Characteristics:

Webbed appendages & tail
Gills
Dominant color: Maroon, Black, Navy, Green
Recessive color: White

Specialties:

Aquaculture
Architecture
Fortification

Hetra

The Hetra live in the desert plateaus of Tlacaxa as well as the western shores of Khazibar and Hatun, they have powerful legs for chasing and tracking in desert sands, pointed scales for increased defense and protection against the sun and desert sands, and efficient stomachs, allowing them to go days or even weeks with little food and water. They settle in isolated desert villages, or larger underground communions, when not living in small packs in the wild.

More so than their counterparts the Hetra use ambush techniques for hunting prey and attacking enemies, preferring quick battles and sprints than dragged out encounters, however will resort to them if necessary.

Characteristics:

Covered in rough scales
Many sharp scales on the heads and backs
Dominant color: Brown, Yellow, Black, Red
Recessive color: White, Blue

Specialties:

Exploration
Warfare
Architecture

Culture

Preserve their kin, drain the blood of their enemies

Some clans bathe hatchling eggs in the drained blood, staining them red in hopes that it imbues the unborn children with the sacred blood of their ancestors. Hatcheries are also often looked upon by the graves and memorials of ancestors, so they can bless the future generations.

Despite their worship of the Everglow and magic, a surprisingly small percentage of Aolctic are magic users, as a result they have compensated with incredible war tactics and technology

Creativity and self expression are not strong suits among the Aolctic, while not completely literal in their thinking they often don't understand metaphors and embellishment; life is too short and harsh to waste time in what is not essential.

The Aolctic have no particularly strong skill in reading the stars, but they are fascinated with astronomy, believing the stars show to way home to the Acara, their celestial ancestors.

Slavery

While smaller tribes typically take survivors as slaves, many do not find themselves worthy of owning other mortals, especially other Aolctic. More often Aolctic sell themselves or family members to powerful demons or demi-demons who rule over land in exchange for living and money for a period of time.

Geography

History

Religion

Ra’ierotl (The Sacred Blood)

The Aolctic consider themselves to be the mortal offspring of everlasting creatures (Acara) who have left this world.
Variations upon the Ra’ierotl are commonly believed among Co-at and Nera populations, while many Hetra believe in a different sect will similarities to Khira’ura, the common Ura religion.
The universe was created and between the heavens and Crecia was a separate realm in which the Acara were born. Their world was beautiful and perfect and static, never changing. They were beings of light and could shift between realms in large interdimensional ships. Crecia acted as a crossroads between celestial realms where the Acara were falsely believed to be gods.
The Acara spread knowledge and goodness throughout the land before they fought with evil beings of equal power. It is said that the Aolctic were born during the first fight of the ancestors as the first cut was made, the Aolctic were born from the spilled blood. Through this cut the Acara lost their divinity and they left, only to find that the rift in the universe had been closed to them.
Some believe that the Acara roam the cosmos for eternity without purpose.
Others believe the Acara stayed stranded on Crecia, everlasting until one by one they are hunted and destroyed.
Aolctic look to demons as powerful and with respect, some believing that they are related to their creators.
Ancestors are viewed as benevolent life forces among the Aolctic, believing that they are closer to the Acara and as such in the afterlife they carry a powerful life force. The older the ancestor the more power they hold. If their spirits are ignored or abused the spirits may become corrupted and become dangerous beings.

Ra’khira

Sect of Ra’ierotl, especially prevalent in Hetra communities on Daedoras as it combines the main beliefs of Ra’ierotl and Khira’Ura.
The major differences are that in Ra’khira the Acara are believed to be from the city of Ur, and that all mortals come from the same beings before they entered Crecia millennia ago.
They believe that in the end of days when the current world ends, the spirits of the living and dead will return to their source in Ur, reincarnated as the Acara.
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Hetra believe in Khira'Ura after hegemony by Ura empires and kingdoms over the millennia, however they believe in the Ura gods and their will to be worshipped. This has warped over generations where Hetra feel antagonized by their own religion, beginning to actively worship Khira'Ura enemies and believe that the Ura should be stopped from returning to the holy city.

Lamaerabada (The Forever Battle)

The Lamaerabada is an eternal war between the forces of good and evil
While few Aolctic believe in the Lamaerabada in its full form, many do believe it has some viability in the context of Ra’ierotl and Ra’khira, believing that at the end of the Lamaerabada the Acara will return and all will enter their realm for eternity.

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