Races of Tey
Kii
The Kii can be divided into three main cultures - the Kii, the Ne-Kii, and the Ban. All three stem from the original Kii race. In ancient times, there was a civil war between two factions of Kii, one of which dedicated themselves to the worship of Adro, the Kii devil. The Adro cult, calling themselves the Ban, spread very quickly throughout Kii, causing many bloody battles before they were finally driven off Kii, eventually settling on the Yalei continent, where they made a deal with the Yalei (who claim to be mortal descendants of Adro). The Kii continued for hundreds of years before a second civil war erupted, this one caused by the machinations of the Yalei, who persuaded both factions that the other faction was controlled by the Ban. Even after this plot was exposed, the factions fought amongst themselves, having developed two distinct power structures. Eventually, the factions made peace, the faction led by the Royal Family keeping the name of Kii, while the faction led by the Council of Ravvor adopting the Ne-Kii name. The peace held and grew into friendship, and the two cultures now enjoy a healthy trading relationship and military alliance.
The Kii look quite similar to humans. They have pale skin, though the colour varies from pure white to a red-tinted cream colour, and the nails on their fingers and toes are transparent. The Kii culture generally wear clothes similar to those worn in Roman times, and there is currently a fashion for silver and bronze jewellery. The Ne-Kii tend to wear clothes that leave more skin exposed, especially in warmer months, as they have a liking for skin art. Some of this art is permanent, such as the Ne-Kii marriage tattoo, but it is more normally a temporary paint-based art, changing at the whim of the wearer. The Ban have a tendancy to wear clothes made out of the skin of their enemies, in honour of Adro, and treat the skins so that they do not decompose over time. As macabre as the practice is, it is not merely the fashion of a degenerate race. Skins from hard or famous kills are treated with reverence, especially the oldest skins that date back over three thousand years to the original Kii war.
Kehvarra
The Kahvarra are a race of wanderers and explorers. It is not uncommon for over two thirds of the race to be out exploring on their huge ships at any given time. They do have a home that they return to after each expedition. Their ancestral home was the Isle of Respite, a large island in the Teybse Ocean. But three and a half centuries ago, Respite was overrun by a huge horde of Mazormed. In the battle that followed, not only were countless Kehvarra lives lost, but Respite itself was totally destroyed, as the Isle broke up and sank leaving only a few small patches of land left. The Kehvarra wandered homeless for almost sixty years. Finally, they approached the Kii and Ne-Kii, who allotted them a portion of their continent to settle on in return for a share in the treasures and information that the Kehvarra uncover on their voyages, and an official alliance against their landowner's enemies (given that the Mazormed are a prime enemy of the Kii and Ne-Kii, the Kehvarra were only too happy to agree to this). The alliance of the Kii, the Ne-Kii and the Kehvarra was named the Alliance of Rosethorn, and the name has now also come to refer to the continent on which they settle.
The Kehvarra are humanoid, but they look quite different, possibly due in part to the amount of time they spend isolated from other members of their race. Some families have skin as pale as that of the Kii races, others have skin darkened to pure black. The endurance and strengths of the Kehvarra also vary, depending on the amount of time spent in hostile environments on Tey. There are some universal similarities - the humanoid shape, the taloned fingers, and the fact that Kehvarra have feathers instead of hair.
Ocians
Ocians live in a inhostpitable rocky area of Tey, and have therefore grown to be a hardy, tough race. They are a race of warriors, constantly seeking better challenges to their own fighting prowess. They often leave Ocia on trips to seek out warriors of other races to challenge. They also welcome any challenges from members of other races, and defeating a well-known Ocian is a sure way to get the respect of the Ocian race in general. The Ocians believe fiercely in the bond between mates, and see a bonded male and female Ocian couple as one single fighting unit, so their tradition states that both may fight as one even against a single opponent. (This tradition is also seen as valid against outsiders who come to Ocia to challenge, but is waived by Ocians who leave Ocia to seek competition.) The Ocians have no permanent leader as such, following whoever has the most aptitude to deal with whatever situation happens to be present at the time. They are a very proud and independant race, and use only Ocian weapons, armour, and other tools in battle and other areas of their lives. The one exception concerns the Weupa family, a world famous family of Kii weaponsmiths that make artifacts of such quality that even the Ocians prize their products. The Ocians believe that the Weupa family was blessed by their Goddess Henotha, and the more powerful Ocian broods sometimes send contacts to Ti Sweia to request and purchase weapons.
Ocians are not humanoid. They are reptillian, walking on two legs and with four arms, two clawed and two with opposable thumbs (though only three fingers). They also have large tails, that can grow to almost the length of the main body. Males have larger and stronger tails then females, and can use them to attack almost as effectively as their other appendages. On the other hand, female Ocians have horned tails and heads, and the strongest females have horns that are virtually unbreakable. Ocians can speak verbally, and many know common languages to communicate with races such as the Kii. However, their native language is based on pheremones, not voice, so certain concepts, such as Ocian names, are hard to translate. Many Ocians give verbal names simply by describing the smell that identifies them to other Ocians. For example, one of the most powerful (undefeated for over eight years) Ocian warriors gives his name as "Charcoal".
Shulli
The Shulli are a race that hold the hand sacred to a point that seems obssesive to other races. They go about their daily lives wearing thick leather gauntlets over their hands, never revealing their hands to the world unless they are alone (or in the presence of family or very close friends). The Shulli are quite a restrictive race, to a point where other races think of them as an entire species of monks. That isn't quite true - they don't live their entire lives on their knees in prayer, and enjoy having fun as much as any other race. It's just that their idea of a good time happens to be tamer than other races' ideas of entertainment. The Shulli are governed by an elected council of five, the main leader being referred to as the Thumb and the four other members as the Fingers.
Shulli are humanoid with dark, crystalline skin. Their most obvious features are the large, thin bat-like wings that fold up to and extend from their back, and can extend to over twize the size of the Shulli's body. The wings can't really allow the Shulli to fly properly, as high winds tend to ground Shuli quickly, they can glide and gradually gain height for extended periods of time. Experienced gliders can fly from one side of the country to the other in less than two hours, assuming that the weather holds.
Fire Ones
The Fire Ones get their names from their hair, which smoulder like the embers of a doused campfire when restrained, and rage like a full-blown inferno when allowed to. The fire, no matter how fierce, never harms the body of the Fire One it belongs to, but can be used to harm other Fire Ones, or any other being. Thankfully, the fire dies down completely when the Fire One sleeps, so the Fire One doesn't have to worry about burning down his house in the middle of the night! Even so, the Fire Ones have developed fire-proof materials for just about every use in their country. The Fire Ones are quite a serious race, very calm and very cool in any situation. However, every so often (maybe two or three times a month), the Fire Ones suddenly experience a surge in their emotions, and throw huge "Flash Parties" that last for several days. These parties are so intense that other races often get scared by them, though there are rarely any injuries caused by them. The Fire Ones claim that in ancient times, their ancestors caused great damage by recklessly using their fire hair, and so the race started to exercise more control over themselves, and that the Flash Parties are just a way to let off steam and clear up all the frustration that they build up while repressing themselves.
The Fire Ones look fairly similar to the Kii, though with less pale skins. The main difference, of course, is the Fire One's hair. Fire Ones don't often let their hair flow loose (except during Flash Parties), and generally tie their hair back in pony tails (which resemble jets of flame when they flare up). They also keep their hair under specially made bandannas that can withstand the fire hair at normal levels, though burns away when the hair flares up. Fire Ones generally carry several of these bandannas when they travel to other countries.
Yalei
The Yalei are a very mysterious race, if they can be called a race - exact numbers are not known, but is is unlikely there are more than twenty of them in existence. They claim to be mortal descendants of She Who Wears Skins, the Kii devil, and rule over the Ban for this reason. They also rule over the Mazormed, though how they manage this is not known. However, whether or not they truly are Adro's descendants is not known. They share so little in common physically with the Kii that many believe their claim exists only to manipulate the Ban. However, what is known is that the Yalei are monsters in the most horrific sense, and are possibly the most dangerous and powerful entities present on Tey.
No more than six Yalei have ever been seen, and none of them look at all like the others. The only Yalei well known outside the Yalei Continent are the twins, Sharra and Tevwex. They appear as two scaled twin Kii teenagers individually, but can combine to form a huge monsterous creature called Sharex that looks like a cross between a dragon and a spider, and easily wiped out a cabal of Ocian warriors and a Kii village. The twins act as Yalei spokespeople, and if their claims can be believed, are the weakest of the Yalei family. Then again, there is little of the Yalei that can be believed. Some people even believe that Sharra and Tevwex are actually the only Yalei that exist.
Mazormed
The Mazormed are Tey's monsters. They are a race that revel in the destruction of their enemies. Most of them are unintelligent, but they are governed by fifty Mazormed leaders, who have intelligence at the same level as the Kii and other races. When one of these Mazormed are killed, the next one in the race to be born is gifted with the intelligence of his or her predecessor. Exactly how this occurs, or why the Mazormed obey the Yalei, is unknown.
Mazormed appear like two giant beetle shells propelled by multiple tentacles that extend from within the shells. When the shells open, the Mazormed inside looks like a giant mutant squid of some sort. The Mazormed live on land, but they are faster and deadlier underwater, and some believe they originated from the ocean.
De-De
The De-De are a chaotic race. They believe in the nature of chaos and change, and little about the individual De-De or the race remains constant for more than a few days. The De-De change their names when they get bored of their old ones, and the same goes for their clothes, homes, friends, and even relationships. De-De couples rarely stay together for more than a week, unless a pregnancy occurs. The couple will stay together while the woman is pregnant, but when the child is born, the man will normally get bored and leave. De-De children are not looked after by the mother for long. They are often passed from one person to another, who will looks after and care for the child until they get bored and give the child to someone else. However, the De-De will never just abandon a child until it is old enough to look after itself, and will keep the child for as long as it takes until someone else takes it in. The De-De are chaotic and changeable, not cruel or uncaring.
The De-De have a strange relationship with the Fire Ones. The Fire Ones will step in if the De-De is faced with a threat that they are unable to defend themselves against, but otherwise seem content to simply watch over their chaotic neighbours. De-De generally ignore the Fire Ones, but often turn up when a Flash Party is in progress (just the environment that the De-De enjoy). The Fire Ones speak of an event that occured millenia ago that keeps them watching over the De-De, but never say what that event might be.
The De-De bear a resemblance to the Fire Ones, though without the flaming hair. But they change their look so often, using clothes, paint, accessories, and anything else that springs to mind, that the differences between themselves and other races are a lot more obvious than the similarities.