Kaelensia

Kaelensia are a set of races that originate from Egwyn with various animal-like characteristics, such as unique ears, tails, or wings. Though there are other races with animal-like traits, such as the Omina and Redtails, the primary identifying trait of the Kaelensia is that they all have a set of golden eyes - a trait that they are named after, as the race's name comes from an old word for "golden".

General Information

The origins of the Kaelensia are unclear, due to written history being less prevalent in Egwyn. The assumption from the rest of the world is that these races have been created by the Great Old Beasts - large beasts that have existed since before the Enlightenment that have been theorized to be gods. There is no concrete information to confirm or deny this theory, and the possibility of the Kaelensia existing through some sort of non-divine means is not impossible, but due to certain races, such as the Phenex, those sorts of theories are considered unlikely.

A Kaelensia's golden eyes aren't simply for show - they are magical in nature. Every Kaelensia is born with these golden eyes, and they provide complete immunity to all natural, magical and disease based forms of blindness, alongside slightly improved eyesight compared to the average human. This effect of their eyes also does not degrade with age or due to other factors. The only exception to this is if their eye gets destroyed in some fashion. While non-Kaelensia can have or inherit gold colored eyes (from a Kaelensia parent, for example), the immunity to blindness remains unique to the Kaelensia themselves.

Much like any other races with animal traits, they are completely human in appearance, with the exception of the few traits they are known for. The same applies in terms of their general behavior - while they can share some quirks with the animals they resemble, only a small handful of them differ significantly from the standard human. For example, a Felidae is capable of purring and meowing, but they do not necessarily act like a cat more than a human, while a Corbie would be incapable of cawing and the like simply due to the difference in physiology.

Any of the Kaelensia with unique ears, such as the Lupine, Felidae and Leporidae, only have one set, the animal-like one. These ears have above average hearing compared to a human's, greatly improving their ability to hear quieter sounds nearby as well as very slightly improving the distance at which they can pick up sounds from. The position of their ears varies - it can be in the same position as a standard human's ears are, or they can be further up on their head.

The average Kaelensia is capable of living approximately 1.5 times as long as the average human.

Lupine

The Lupines are a race of Kaelensia that have a set of wolf ears, as well as a wolf tail. Their patron deity is called Old One-Eyed - a large wolf with a missing eye that was said to protect Egwyn, and it is said that this wolf is the one that dealt the finishing blow to Hyatt, knocking him deep into Egwyn's crevasses.

The Lupines' strength among the various types of Kaelensia is second to none, and they possess a high level of resilience to physical attacks as well, making sure that they do not go down without a lot of effort. When they're in danger, they seem to only become fiercer and more resilient. For the most part, the average Lupine is not particularly talented in terms of magic, and do not trust it or those that make use of it.

Felidae

The Felidae are a race of Kaelensia with a set of cat ears as well as a cat tail. Their patron deity is called Old Scarfur - a large cat as big as a house that was said to be covered in patches of scars, that enjoyed playing with and tormenting its' prey.

The Felidae are physically strong, second only to the Lupines. Unlike them, however, the Felidae are far less sturdy physically. Instead, they are the fastest race of Kaelensia, at least on the ground, and one of the faster sentient races as a whole, capable of clearing great distances in a very short span of time, only growing faster when they're in danger.

Grimalkin

There is a particular bit of superstition among the Kaelensia, and particularly the Felidae: "A Felidae with white hair is a curse, a bad omen." The reason for such may very well be the Grimalkin - a sort of sub-species of Felidae. It is effectively albinism - a rare genetic defect that can occur where they are born with grey or white hair, though unlike actual albinism, their eye color remains golden and they retain their eyes' unique blessing. Grimalkin can very rarely be born from two Felidae, though they are far more likely to be born as a result of there being one Felidae and non-Felidae parent. Their patron deity is called Old Longtail - as the name implies, a monster of a grey-furred cat with a long tail.

The key difference between the Felidae and Grimalkin, aside from the hair color, is that the Grimalkin are far less capable physically compared to the average Felidae. In exchange for this, the Grimalkin are one of the few races that are capable with magic, a trait that their Kaelensia peers don't particularly approve of the majority of the time.

Due to the prejudice they have suffered in the past, the Grimalkin are also said to be the race that created curses - a form of spiritual magic that afflicts the target with some form of misfortune or poor health.

Leporidae

The Leporidae are a race of Kaelensia with a set of rabbit ears, and on rare occasions a tail to match. Their patron deity is called Old Chipears - a large hare with bits and pieces missing from their ears, shaped like lightning bolts.

The Leporidae have very sensitive ears, capable of hearing even better than the average animal-eared Kaelensia, which they make use of to react to their surroundings more easily, but also suffering from loud sounds more as a result. In addition, they regularly have very strong legs, capable of leaping great distances or delivering devastating kicks, and due to the influence of their patron deity, they also have an affinity with weather-based magic.

Corbie

The Corbie are a race of bird Kaelensia, with large wings on their back, that regularly live in the trees of Egwyn's forests. Their patron deity is called Old Greyfeathers - a large crow that none have truly seen, yet tribes have claimed to have seen large, grey bird feathers resting on the tree branches.

The Corbie are generally lighter and more fragile than most - a trait that makes them rather poorly suited to close range combat - but they are, unsurprisingly, capable of flying into the air. This along with their natural speed allows them to evade danger better than most, and this plus their golden eyes makes it very easy for them to attack targets from the air.

Phenex

The Phenex, somewhat similarly to the Corbie, are a race of Kaelensia with large, flame-colored wings on their back. Unlike most of the other Kaelensia, this race is not connected to any of the Great Old Beasts - instead, their patron deity is Helondis, a large, fiery phoenix that left the land of Egwyn to roost high in the mountains of Kysei. Although it was slain in Heaven's Contention, it left behind a large egg that most Phenex believe Helondis will one day be reborn from.

While the Phenex do not share the same natural ability with airborne attacks and overall proficiency with flight that the Corbie do, they hold a unique ability to "rise from the ashes", in a sense - while it has its' limits, they can recover from various injuries when they are near death to stand once more, provided any limbs or organs required for survival aren't completely destroyed. This power isn't necessarily limited to just themselves, either - they can use this power to help their allies get to their feet as well. In addition, their flame-colored wings are resistant to flame and light magic, allowing the Phenex to make use of their wings to protect themselves from those elements, though their weakness is the cold, especially ice, and darkness magic.

Heron

A type of avian Kaelensia, and perhaps the most famous, despite their rarity. Known as songbirds, they are well known for their angelic appearance, with lovely white wings and soft features, and more importantly, the charming voices they have. Herons have a natural affinity with magic; more specifically, with Galdr, magical attunement with sound and song. The Heronic language is ancient and powerful, and like their cousins, the Phenex, this is often used for magical incantations, along with Draconic and Phenexic. Herons often communicate with other Herons using this language in song, while Phenexic has more or less stopped being used by the Phenex. It is theorized that the progenitors of the Herons, the true Herons', great, god-like birds, still live in seclusion with some Heron tribes, contributing to its spread.

Their magical potential has made them the target of study, particularly for magic based societies such as Karaten, and at times, with less than humanitarian methods. Perhaps this is why Herons are so rare to see, even in Egwyn, often preferring high mountains or even the skies, where they are less likely to meet other races. Herons are likely the Kaelensia you are least likely to see in civilization, but not impossible to come across. They are, by nature, usually soft-spoken and reclusive, in part due to being sought after as research subjects or "pets' in the past. If one finds themselves able to listen to their song, they are not soon to forget the experience.

Herons -- not 'true Herons' -- live about as long as other Kaelensia. They live very simple lives when they are not venturing forth outside their territories -- singing, eating, and finding a mate, if possible. Herons are generally very rare to see, and are distrustful of strangers, despite harboring a natural curiosity for the world.

Herons can reproduce like any other Kaelensia, and they can be born anywhere if that is where a Heron is to be born. However, most are born in high places, away from civilization.