PTITHEROS RACES
The people of Ptitheros are a strange bunch. Most of them stand a few feet taller than the average human, and some resemble heraldic beasts, others, completely new concepts with oddities unseen. As with any kind of people, each race is incredibly diverse. With the exception of taroots, all these races stem from the draycarus evolutionary line, and they are able to intermix. A mix is called a "morshin", essentially meaning mutt.
Canonically, ptithians stand upright (anthro). However, the community prefers to draw them quadpedal. Either interpretation is welcome and does not effect any other lore aspects.
The Dragon
The world's oldest denizens. Dragons are one of the most prevalent races of Ptitheros, they are both ancient and ever-adapting, and are found at the heart of every civilzation. Their power is wielded primarily across the regions of Manko, Zuaan, and the southern part of Nox. Their presence is constant all over Ptitheros, as scholars, warriors, and commoners alike.
Dragons are very diverse, and their forms are shaped by lineage, environment, and evolution. Ranging from winged, fire-breathing beasts, to serpents adorned in whiskers and smooth scales. Some are feathered like birds, others, cave-dreging talons, to thick fur coats, to snake-like fangs. Dragons from the east, designed by Meldr'uno, fly without wings, able to glide effortlessly through the sky.
Other readings: Dragonic Lineage [library]
The Gryphon
Gryphons are widespread and influential across Ptitheros. They are intelligent and adaptable, and their power is wielded primarily across the Maw region, where their kind is most common. Beyond the Maw, they are found in all other corners of the world, their presence found in the heart of every city, and like dragons, they fill the roles from scholars, to warriors, to commoners.
Gryphons are very diverse, and come with varying traits of feline, avian, and reptilian. There are two kinds of gryphon trait lineages found throughout Ptitheros: the Chimera and the Seamless. Chimera gryphons resemble heraldic, medieval beasts, bearing a stark division where the bird-half meets the mammal-half. Although the more ancient kind among gryphons, they are less common than their counterpart. Seamless gryphons have features that all blend together - feathers, fur, or scales all merging fluidly - and are much more common across the world. So vast is their spectrum of form that, on rare occasion, a gryphon may bear resemblance to a dragon or lefika.
Other readings: Annals of Chaveri [library]
The Lefika
Lefikas are a race of formidable stature and great history. They are widespread and enduring people. Best known for their towering warriors and masterful artisans, they are creators and conquerors of the world. Their name, derived from the ancient Tucru tongue, means permanent footprints. They hold the most power in the Meldra region.
Lefikas exhibit strong sexual dimorphism. Females towerover their male counterparts in both strength and size. Their forearms and torsos are built dense, males, by contrast, are lithe and elegant, possessing finer features and a natural gait. Both sexes share the same rugged, sandpaper-like skin, which is a natural armor against the scorching desert sun and the desert grain. They bear feathered wings on their back, but as cubs, they are born without these plumes. Their faces are feline-esce, with a lion-like nose and small nostils, preventing them from inhaling too much sand. Their tall, bristled ears can detect vibrations, while the hard cartilage of their cowls, which grow from the backs of their cheeks, serve to dispel heat.
A lefika's strangest feature is their tongue. It is long, prehensile, and splits into two prongs, then siphons water and minerals like an elephant trunk. It connects to hidden flesh pockets in their throats, where the water is stored, offering better survivial in their desert environment.
Stone Shifting: The power to turn their own flesh into living stone. They may transform any part of their body into hardened geologic material, an advantage for them in both in battle and survival. Even in their natural state, their bones already resemble stone. The rarest among them are obsidian shifters. To maintain this ability, Lefikas must consume geologic particles — gravel, sand, etc. Though their intake is minimal, without it, their bodies falter, and their geoshifting weakens.
Ancestors: Long before the rise of modern lefikas, there roamed the Lessifeals, felines of immense size, now extinct. Their remains, unearthed from the desert, reveal a lineage of great predators, creatures built for survival in the harshest land. These nomadic hunters, stalked karkadanns, forming small packs that fashioned tools and primitive garments from the remains of their prey. Meldr'uno set His gaze on them, and after purging the east dragons, he molded them into lefikas.
Other readings: Annals of Tora [library]
The Scalace: Lefika Subtype
Scalace are a unique subtype evolved from the modern lefika. They resemble their kin but have adapted to the extreme conditions of the Scorchland, a land of volcanic heat. With basaltic skin and igneous geoshifts, scalace are built to endure the infernal landscape. Unlike their feathered brethren, they lack much of the fur and plumage common to lefikas, as such traits would be charred away in the blistering heat. Some scalace developed a barbed tail, capable of injecting molten lava into their foes, much like a venomous sting. Some retain traces of their ancestry, such as vestigial wings and crisped ear tassels.
Scalace society is a testament to survival in one of the most inhospitable regions of Ptitheros. They have developed their own language, an offshoot of Tucru, and possess knowledge passed down from the ruins’ ancient occupants. Though intelligent, their transition into the wider world is one with difficulty, their ways alien to the other civilizations of Ptitheros.
The Scorchland was not always a land of fire — it was once a white-sand desert oasis, a divine gift from Meldr’uno to his followers. But as their devotion waned, so too did His favor. He withdrew His blessing, allowing the land to be swallowed by unrelenting heat. Those who remained were left to perish, but those who survived sought shelter in the ruins below. There, they discovered a temple with enchanted waters, granting them an immunity to heat. Over generations, they adapted, their very bodies shifting to endure the hostile land, becoming what are now known as now.
The Rubasyn
Rubasyns are a race of cunningness, intellect, and agile form, and are widespread people of Ptitheros. They are best known for their scholars and architects, for their deft hands at tinkering, and for the philosophers who ponder the mysteries of their unique world. They are equally infamous for their political meddling and slyness, earning a reputation for slipping into matters where they are neither wanted nor expected. They hold the most power in the Nox region.
Rubasyns are built for speed and agility. Their strong hind legs grant them the ability to sprint and leap with ease, while their dense tails aid in balance. They most often have a slender frame. Their bodies are wrapped in thick, coarse fur, to provide insulation against the northern cold. They have long, sharp feet (similar to a kangaroo) that bear three talons, the middle one extended and called a latch claw, which hooks into flesh, dirt, or stone, making them adept at both hunting and climbing. Behind their noses lie three small slits on either side, beneath which reside the altitude glands. Within these glands, a rubasyn has chemical sensors that detect the slightest changes in air composition. This allows them to always sense their altitude, aiding in navigation, survival, and aerial maneuvers.
Glide Webbing: Some rubasyns are gifted with the ability to glide. These uncommon individuals are born with thin skin stretching from their wrists down their sides, allowing them to drift effortlessly from heights. They are unmatched aerial scouts, their figures cutting through the air.
Ancestors: Rubus were ancient scavengers of the northern realms. Their fossils were unearthed in the Lowlands and the Honeycomb Forest of Maw, lurking on the fringes of civilization. These creatures infested Chaveri and were infamous for pilfering food and rifling through early settlements. Their razor-sharp latchclaws, found not only on their feet but also upon their wrists, made them adept at both tearing flesh and defending themselves. Edenlline who saw potential in these elusive scavengers. The rubus had a remarkable ability — time and time again, they infiltrated Her divine palace, outwitting even Her most loyal disciples. Amused by their persistence and cleverness, She shaped them into something greater; the modern rubasyn.
Other readings: Annals of Nox [library]
The Taroot
Taroots are a race shrouded in mystery, and a recent addition to society. Though they are rare, their intelligence, survival instincts, and profound attunement to nature and magic have proven them equal to the more widespread peoples of the world. Their history, however, is one of obscurity, and they are still working to earn their place as equals across the world.
Taroots possess fur coats that adapt to their environment — those of the north grow thick and dense for warmth, while others retain a sleeker coat. Unlike the wild tion (or jessel), the taroot possesses eye sockets. Their hollow eyes, often with glowing pupils, hold an infinite darkness. In elders, this abyss contains the cosmos itself, a trait revered by those who study them. Taroots possess a formidable arrangement of teeth. The front are sharp, canine fangs, while the back contains pin-cushion teeth — needle-like structures used to puncture and consume small prey in a single bite. Most Taroots lack external ears, their hearing organs reduced to hidden openings along the back of the skull, concealed by long fur.
Dreolic: Their noses are sharply chipped at the end, accompanied by two slits behind them, known as whistle slits. These allow them to communicate with both tions and other taroots. Through this, they command their feral kin and share complex expressions with their own kind in a language called Dreolic, one that remains incomprehensible to others.
Taroots are recognized by law in all major territories as "people". In lawless regions, their status is contested and are considered unprotected. An estranged creature standing between beast and being.
Other readings: Divide Between Wild and Civilized [library]