Andrenne
bastard
The generally desert-dwelling Aeviri, distant relatives of the Kobold, are a noble and proud race known for their archery, powerful blood magic, and necromancy. This exotic race fights amongst itself in it's homeland despite appearing as a unified, however outsiders should be wary that they will genuinely unite against any foreign threat should they need to. They primarily reside in the Great Khasiiri Desert and it's surrounding islands, though they can be found outside of them just as any other race can be found outside their respective homeland. Their magic is generally both practical and artful, a fine balance between the two.
Names and Etymology
The Aeviri (Harenae draco - Note that they are not actually related to dragons), also commonly referred to as “Basilisks”, “Iliskians”, “Khasiirians”, or “Khasiiri”.
The term “Basilisk” is based on their vague reptilian appearance and relation to Kobolds, hence “Basilisk” is used to differentiate them from their Kobold cousins or furthermore the Dragons. Though it’s not an offensive term it is generally considered odd to call Aeviri “Basilisks” when in the Khaganate, hence it is very rarely they will refer to themselves as such. “Basilisk” is a term you will hear more often outside of the Khaganate.
The term “Iliskians” itself is a mutation of “Basilisk” and is similar in most respects, though this is generally used by ‘mainland’ Khasiiri Aeviri to refer to the population of the surrounding islands, even though that population is also mostly Aeviri.
The last two terms, “Khasiirians” and “Khasiiri” are derived from the name the Aeviri gave to the desert they mostly reside in, and like the term “Iliskians” is often used by the Iliskians to refer to the mainland population of Aeviri.
Biology
Aeviri evolved over millions of years to survive the harsh conditions of the Khasiiri and the surrounding islands, diverging from Kobalds in the very distant past. Their adaptations to survive in the arid heat of the desert don’t apply to the entire race, though they do apply to the majority of the race.
These adaptations include but are not limited to… long legs to stay above the hot sands, moisture-retaining feathers covering the vast majority of the body, ectothermy, clawed fingers and hands to allow for both burrowing in the sand and hunting, tails which store fat in periods without water, pads on the bottom of their wide bird/reptile like feet to allow for better control while running in the sand, and light colored coats to reflect excess sunlight during the day.
Additionally, Aeviri have an extra set of arms. It’s not entirely known what the specific reason for evolving them was but they likely helped with burrowing and allowed them to have an extra set of hands free if their others were occupied. Aeviri, being rather tall (anywhere between 5’10” and 6’10” on average, though females tend to be on the shorter end of that spectrum) and having clawed hands, are physically quite strong, however they have fragile and hollow bones to support their tall structures without having them be excessively heavy.
Aeviri tend to have horns, though not all do. Those that do can have two horns, four horns, or even six horns. Generally only two horns will be large, however, with the others being smaller. These horns were traditionally for attracting mates and not self defense. Similarily, while their feathers do serve important biological purposes, they are also at the same time for attracting mates and thus the tips of feathers, especially those on their “wings” and tail may be brightly colored naturally or dyed.
Aeviri have long reptilian-like (though closer to, for example, a velociraptor) snouts, and this is where they most resemble their Kobold cousins. These mouths, though deceiving on the outside, are in fact filled with both carnivorous and herbivorous teeth which means that Aeviri, despite their more predatory appearance, are actually omnivorous.
This is likely because a hunt wasn’t always certain to end well, but there were always many low-lying shrubs and sea-based vegetables which could be consumed. While most of their front teeth are sharp and made for cutting and tearing meat, their back teeth are closer to incisors. In fact, they even have molars (though it’s hypothesized these were evolved made to crush bone when the prehistoric Aeviri were still entirely carnivorous). Aeviri eyes are closer in structure to, for example, eagle eyes rather than reptilian eyes. Aeviri eyes are a fair bit larger than human eyes. Their vision has the range of an eagle, and their color perception, while similar to humans, also includes many colors humans simply can’t see.
The large eyes, strong physical power, extra set of arms, and tall height of the Aeviri makes them excellent archers as not only can they easily draw back large bows, but their vision allows them see much further and better than a human.
Habitat and Homeland
The Aeviri are generally found in what they call the Great Khasiiri Desert and the close surrounding islands, though obviously some may stray from these areas as any other race may stray from their home. The Great Khasiiri Desert is mostly made up of large dunes and arid shrublands, and contains many rock formations and ancient ruins as well as canyons. The mighty Akhir River flows through the Great Khasiiri Desert like a vein, providing life along its banks. The delta where it’s flow ends in the south was the birthplace of the first Aeviri civilizations and remains a focal point of the Khaganate and home of it’s capital, Avasa.
The islands surrounding the Great Khasiiri Desert, known as the Alarian Islands, aren’t nearly as arid, though are still quite warm. They’re generally made up of mostly plains and lush tropical vegetation with some exceptions. The Aeviri of these islands tend not to be as tall as the Khasiiri Aeviri, and their feathers tend to be hydrophobic rather than moisture-retaining. This would be the sub-race known as “Iliskians”.
Magic
The Aeviri are known to be quite powerful sanguimancers (blood magicians) and necromancers, which makes sense considering their religion generally revolves around life and death. The Aeviri of the Alarian Islands are also known to be more involved in druidic magic, though some Khasiirian Aeviri are also practitioners of druidic magic. Some Aeviri also dabble in runic magic and alchemy, though this is generally reserved for specific occupations. Obviously not every Aeviri practices magic, in fact many don’t.
Unfortunately not every Aeviri was meant to be a sanguimancer, necromancer, or druid. Druidic Aeviri that overuse their magic may end up being barred from using magic, and this is simply done by taking their Focus from them or in more extreme cases, being sent into a dungeon of sorts. The consequences of sanguimancers and necromancers, however, are much more dire. Mostly because the stakes of their own lives are much higher.
Sanguimancers that end up as abominations of nature as a result of misused magic or improper magic are generally left in their state for the rest of their days as an outcast, or kept away from the public for the remainder of their life. However those that die obviously can not be punished and so instead they simply aren’t given a funeral with full rites. Their bodies are considered cursed and are instead buried far from towns and villages. The ones to bury the cursed body must cleanse themselves physically and then pray to the Aeviri gods to cleanse their soul.
Necromancers that perform forbidden rituals or misuse their magic are either sent to a dungeon or exiled depending on the degree of their misuse. Some may even be considered kill or capture on sight should they decide to attempt to return from their exile.
(WIP, more to come! Disclaimer: I am not a biologist, and I don't claim to be. If there's a problem with some of the biology, feel free to let me know and I'll try my best to fix it!)
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