| Wurxith | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Height |
6'3" 6'9" | |
|
Weight |
215 pounds | |
|
Form |
Beastrace | |
|
Lifespan |
150 | |
|
| ||
Summary[]
Physiology[]
An amphibious, subterranean race, they have compound eyes in vibrant blues, greens, and reds. Reverse articulated legs that end in three toed clawed feet often used to anchor them below the water. Three-fingered hands, thick, powerful tail. Antennae "Mustaches", female's tend to be thinner. Taller than an average human Skin varies from white to pale yellow/cream colored. Sexual dimorphism isn't as dramatic as other races, females tend to be only more slender than their male counterparts with softer, more rounded features.
Personality[]
The Wurxith tend to be inquisitive and talkative, but speak bluntly and often say tactless things, not knowing or caring about offense. They tend to trend over moral topics and mock unwillingness to do anything in pursuit of knowledge. The Wurxith tend to approach conversations as experiments, observing the subject for a long stretch of time before barraging them with questions; this can tend to make other races uneasy as Wurxith remain still with unblinking eyes for many seconds before talking.
The usage of singular pronouns and names is reserved only for a Wurxith powerful enough to claim one, it is not uncommon to have a rival Wurxith to challenge another for their name or to wipe the records of their opponent. The average Wurxith refers to themselves as "We", even if alone.
Death is a common topic of conversation among Wurxith, often bordering on the macabre. Magic consumes society here and it's normal to find Wurxith that speak, move, or even see magically; whether it be due to past injury or a show of power. While some mages like to show off their powers, it's often discouraged out in public; many foreign mages have found themselves torn apart out in the open by many Wurxith that find such display as a threat.
Culture[]
A highly magic influenced race, each Wurxith comes into the world at birth in shallow water and left to fend for themselves, even fighting their fellow siblings born in the clutch. The power of the individual is all their goal, a Wurxith strives to gain as much knowledge and power in the mystic arts in their lifetime and beyond. Young or weaker Wurxith refer to themselves with plural pronouns, the usage of names and singular pronouns is reserved for the powerful and high achievers. This, combined with the lack of any law enforcement can often make outsiders nervous, but a strong sense of citizen power has any Wurxith putting down any criminals acts, whether it be because they perceived it as a threat or a potential boon to their power. The Wurxith law of free information exchange is core to the races' society, everyone is expected to give any and all information. The refusal of knowledge is often met with extreme aggression and it's not uncommon to have outsiders "enlightened", beaten or tortured for withholding even the tiniest of details. Perhaps because of this, lying or misinformation is held as a crime against the Wurxith and execution is left to the discoverer of the truth. Among the higher aschelons of Wurxith society, there are many practictions of type of magic called Xirith'kinir or "Knowledge's grasp"; more of a intersection of necromancy and mind manipulation, it entails the mage's ability to steal, absorb, and manipulate souls. The common use is for steal a dying opponent's spirit to retain their knowledge; a rarer few absorb the soul directly which gives the mage all of the knowledge the fallen had at the risk of loosing their identity.
Their 'technology' is based heavily on magic and the manipulation of the soul; Necromancy isn't just a common practice, it's a part of every Wurxith's life. When their death draws near, they travel to a communal mass grave called the "Parting of the Veil" where a dying Wurxith goes through a ritual to attempt to remove and rebind their soul to their body, a process few succeed. This place is unkempt and bodies are left where they dropped. Those that do continue their life as a member of the Krixith'urm (The Disrobed), the governing body of the race; all Krixith'urm are undead and often wrap themselves in fine linens and native water flora, the few foreigners that have seen them have described them as mummified corpses, often with body parts missing. The Krixith'urm counsel the race on its direction and are more cultural figures than law, as all Wurxith follow their own path. The Wurxith don't have any founded religion, rather they believe in something called the Veil, the power that pervades their life. All Wurxith believe they go to the Veil to die and it's their goal to be strong enough to go there and bring that knowledge back. The concept of gods is alien to this culture at best and an affront worthy of death at worse.
Their homes are often lit by fire created from the souls of the dead and forges are often infused with the souls of former blacksmiths.
Typical classes for the Wurxith at large are Spellswords, mages, necormancers, Nightblades, and other magic heavy professions.
Their blunt speech, unblinking eyes, alien beliefs, and unnerving appearance makes it difficult for other races to see them as anything short of evil, but those that do get to learn the Wurxith find an ambitious, intelligent people that lack the normal xenophobia or racism that comes with many races.
History[]
Despite the efforts of generations of Wurxith, nothing is known about their past or how they came to be. Though recent discoveries have indicated that the race was once a surface dwelling people and that their warring with the Mhenuur may have started in ancient times.