Post by Acies Valdun on Aug 30, 2005 18:37:41 GMT -5
Yrlitas
Important!: If you plan on playing a Yrlita character, they may not be a white haired male.
History:
The Yrlitas (Yrlita when refering to an individual) are a part of the Second Race, coming into the world after the Jinn and the Harpies had arrived. Originally they took up residence in the forest at the southern end of the continent... Though they were eventually driven out by the mad Fées Aliénées, forced to wander the land aimlessly until they found a undisturbed forest to call their new home. Currently they reside in a Northern forest, in a city they call Ysiak Vin that was built among the branches of the huge trees.
Typically they are a very serious people, thiking of the welfare of the whole race before themselves. Their calm and centered nature gives many creatures the impression that they are very wise creatures. And although this is a rumor, they do nothing to get rid of it and enjoy the added respect it brings. What they are most known for, however, is their strangely kind nature to all creatures non-Fae. This is understandable though, as they are still recovering from the scars left by the Fées Aliénées.
The only race that is known to have earned any dislike from the Yrlita are the human, as they dissaprove of how some people in the race tear down living trees to make their homes. Aside from this issue, which they realize not all humans are guilty of, the two races have no real animosty towards each other as a whole.
Due to their deep loyalty to the duties they feel towards one another, it is fairly uncommon for the Yrlita to travel outside of Ysiak Vin, and even more uncommon to travel alone. Most of the Yrlita's life is spent devoted to a single trade the race needs, with little thought to the desires and ambitions of the individual. They have no elected leader per se, but they always let a council of their elders deal with whatever problems may arise, providing guidance and ideas as well as deciding what is best for the people.
In direct contrast to many races, male is not the dominant gender among the Yrlita people. In fact, the race is predominately female, with about 82% of the entire population of that gender. With males being so rare, they must be gaurded closely to ensure that the race doesn't die out due to a lack of breeding. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty a Yrtlitian woman faces when trying to have a child, the male has to be used to breed quite often to actually produce a few children. In fact, it's estimated that due to high rate of miscarriages and stillborns among their people, only about 20% of the women actually give birth succesfully, though 7 of that 20% dies within the first year.
Thus, the Yrlitian men are basically treated to a life of pampering and frequent mating after adulthood, hoping to create enough male children to keep the generations continuing. The majority of them never have time to take up a trade, and are simply used as a tool for breeding. And while most of them have little problems with this life, there are always those ambitious few who are left miserable. A few exceptions are always made, however, as they do not want to turn the males into quasi-slaves. As such, there is always at least one, sometimes two, male Elders in the ccouncil that makes large descisions, and some are even allowed to take up collecting knowledge when not being used, becoming lorekeepers and sages.
Appearance:
The Yrlitas look quite similar to both the Humans and the Elves, and they often claim to be the basis for both races, having come before them. They are smaller then both of their 'kin', typically standing between 3'8" and 4'6", with the men leaning towards the shortside side of the scale and the women being somewhat taller. Their bodies are slender and graceful, rarely able to hold any great amount of muscle. Like the Elves they posses pointed ears, though their ears are longer in general. The average Yrlita's ears are around 7-8 inches long, and pointed very sharply at the end. Unlike their 'relatives', the Yrlita spine is much longer, resulting in a thin and hairless tail that tends to extend down to the bends in their knees.
The Yrlitas are more prone to earthly colors when it comes to their hair, with the most common colors be various shades of brown and green. Blonde hair is not unheard of, though uncommon compared to the other two colors. Very rarely a child will be born with white hair, which is considered a sign of great beauty, importance, and talent to the Yrlita people. On the rare occurance that a male is born with a white hair, which typically only happens once every VERY long time due to how few males are born, it is a wonderous occasion celebrated for an entire two month period.
Eye color is much simpler, as they typically only have blue or green eyes, with the occasional hazel pair sneaking by. The color of eyes matters little to them compared to the color of hair, though they do hold eyes in general as something of great importance. They consider them to be portals into the soul of a creature, and thus demand eye contact to be made during serious discussion.
In most cases the female Yrtila are larger than the males, possesing both more height and weight over their male counterparts. This makes sense as they have to provide for the race, as the males are too important to risk their health. Both gender prefer simple clothing, prefering browns over most other colors. Important figures in their society tend to wear combinations of Green and blue, to represent the elements of Water and Earth.
Innate Skills/Abilities:
Plant Shaping: The Yrlitas have, over time, developed a magical method that they can use to cause plants to grow faster than they normally would, as well as shaping the pattern of the plant's development. It can also be used to save dying plants as well... So long as there is enough of the plant left to grow from. This isn't a skill they are born with, but it is one taught to all Yrlita children before they become adults.
Special Traits:
The Yrlita depend a great deal on sunlight, growing steadily weaker after being without it for long periods of time. Fourteen hours without the sun starts the process of their bodies breaking down, which will be immediately repaired should they be exposed to the light once more. No noticeable weakness would occur until after around a ful 24-30 hours, though after that point they begin to deteriorate rapidly in terms of strength and general health. Six wholes days without sunlight kills a Yrlita. After two days without the sun they are permanenlty weakened after basking in the light once more, making them more prone to illness and weaker physical.
Similarly, touching metal too long begins to burn at the flesh that is exposed to the material, eventually searing through the flesh and scarring the muscle and bone underneath with unnatural burns. It would take several hours, with the pain gradually increasing until it literally becomes to much to bear, causing most of them to pass out. It starts out as a very small, hot pain in the part that is touching the metal, though it can be ignored at that point. Certain metals are slower to cause pain, gold and silver being two examples. Things like Copper and Brass tend to cause them pain normally, while some metals cause increased amounts of pain... So far only Steel, Iron, and Tin are known to do it.
The Yrlita's body is significantly different from that of an Elf or a Human, though it holds some traits of both. As stated before, the Yrlita should get a good amount of sunlight a day... Being outside or just in the sun for around 6 hours is enough, and getting more will result in them feeling healthier, and happier in general. Being creatures closely attached to water, they have to drink quite a bit of it a day. Drinking about 1/8th of their weight in water is healthy, which for most is around 10 pounds, is healthy. On the other hand, they require very little food, and usually only eat once every day or two, though some eat more by choice.
Getting around 4-5 hours of sleep is all the Yrlita requires daily, though a lot of them prefer to sleep during the dark parts of the day, to escape the drained feeling darkness puts upon them. Minor diseases hold no affect on their bodies, though large viruses and dangerous diseases still pose a threat to them.
Note: the spell check doesn't seem to be working...