Golems
Golems are manufactured automatons constructed across the known worlds by sorcerers in closely guarded and secretive guilds, laboratories, and corporations. Rarely, a Golem can become Awakened and have its own will. If you choose to play a Golem, you are playing as one of these Awakened Golems. Each Nation has different laws or traditions regarding how to treat such Golems, ranging from freeing them outright to requiring some kind of task or service before they are freed to completely disregarding their demonstrated free will. We encourage you to play a Golem only if you are comfortable exploring these themes or at least having them affect you to some degree.
Golems come in two primary types: Material and Alchemized. A Material Golem is the “classic” concept of a Golem, being made from stone, iron, clay, or wood. An Alchemized Golem is a more complex creation, being made from many components that are combined and alchemically transmuted into a flesh-like body.
Both types of Golem are always distinguished by three visible runes inscribed in white, black, or blue: one on each hand or wrist, and one on their forehead. Material Golems must use appropriate makeup, costuming, and/or prosthetics to appear to be made of the material in question. Alchemized Golems usually look like a member of the same species that made them, but it is not required, and they may look like any species available to players.
Eldani
The Eldani are a people of passion. When they decide to do something, they do it with all of their heart. The way this is channeled can look very different depending on the individual, an Eldani can be the ferocious berserker who is always the last to leave the battlefield, they can be the exuberant scholar who absolutely must tell you about their latest findings, and they can be the group captain who knows they can build a better future for the people under their command. That said, all
Eldani do feel some impulse towards combat or athleticism. There’s few things that settle the Eldani mind quite like the physical and mental exertion of a good melee (whether lethal combat or good natured sportsmanship).
Visually, Eldani are easily identified by their ash gray skin (with contours and highlights of darker or lighter grey, white, or black).
Their mythology says that this feature is the result of the Eldani species being born from fire. Fire features prominently in their folklore and spirituality beyond being the mechanism of their creation. The Eldani are also notable as one of the co-founding species of the Republic of Illara.
Larelti
The Larelti are a species spread out among the stars. They tend to be impulsive, but accepting and find their path all over the universe among many other cultures and species. While their home world is a member of the Hotanga Alliance, they tend to stay out of interstellar politics and focus on taking care of the other members of their species.
The Larelti operate in a strict hierarchical society with one another. When a request is made of a Larelti by another of a higher rank, it is seen as a moral imperative that the request be carried out. The Larelti do not look down upon failure, as failure naturally occurs, but they do not accept giving up. To give up on a task given to you by a higher rank is to deny the path that has been laid before you. The path is an important concept to the Larelti, all must walk their path and the choices you make push you further along it. It is why the Larelti despise augury; seeing the future allows you to make different choices than you otherwise would, twisting your path. One who denies their path too often by turning down requests or using augury can be shunned from Larelti society and marked as “broken”. The Larelti believe that leaving the path wounds the spirit and if the spirit is wounded too deeply one cannot be a full Larelti.
All Larelti have thin wavy blue and purple lines along their bodies, necks, and heads. Culturally they wear loose, flowy clothing of a single color, though more modern Larelti have taken up accent colors and accessories. All Larelti wear bands on their wrists. Metal bands denote rank within the Larelti hierarchy, the number corresponding with their position from First Daah to Eighth Daah, the highest rank. A pair of wooden bands or no bands at all are worn by those marked broken.
Vresh
Vresh are the founders of the Sovereignty of Riavan and are known for their dedication to the Code of Dallaran. This code lays out the six virtues of the Sovereignty and, usually, of the Vresh themselves. They are; Law, Honesty, Mercy, Courage, Knowledge, and Honor.
Beyond the Code, Vresh are notable for having large families with twins, triplets, or even quadruplets as more common than single births. These large groupings have led to a more communal focus in families, where the village, or other small community, is generally seen as an extension of their own family.
Vresh have lines of silver and/or gold emanating from the outside corners of their eyes and feathers growing along their arms and/or in their hair. Some also have vestigial feathered wings and elongated talons.
Humans
Humans are the most numerous and prolific species in the galaxy. All of the major nations of the world counts at least some population of humans among its citizenry. Humans are known for being creatures of diverse potential, this is likely part of why they seem to be so ubiquitous. Where other species seem to align to a certain degree in terms of psychology or predilections, humans seem to be equal parts aggressive and passive, loyal and capricious, energetic and slothful.
If members of others species were going to point out one thing that epitomizes humans, it would be the Republic of Illara. The nation was founded largely by humans and it bears their mark: many different viewpoints in constant clash and compromise. As noted, humans can be from any of the nations, but they are most numerous in Illara and are one of its founding species.
Humans in Invictus look very much like the humans of Earth. There are no special makeup or prosthetic requirements.
Zeverians
Zeverians are the founders of the Calid Circle. Zeverians have a darkened philtrum (the vertical indentation in the upper lip under the nose) and underside of the nose and horns emerging from their foreheads which grow in a wide variety of shapes. Some also have fangs or elongated nails that resemble talons.
Because they come from a world of plenty, Zevarians are often fast and loose with things like food and money, as eager to share as they are to take what they please. The primary exception is knowledge, prized as it is in their homelands.
Zeverians walk a strange line between bestial and civilized, being some of the most well-learned people in the known worlds while also routinely engaging in the raids that the Calid Circle are known for. Zeverians who live in other nations often struggle with their bestial side, and either take up lives that provide an outlet for their wildness, or simply end up living in places that are more permissive of a free and wild life.
Khezera
Khezera are the primary species of the Khezeratt of the Sun and Stars. As a culture they are greatly influenced by the deserts of their homeworld, An-Tesh, and the great migration that brought them there. The Khezera greatly admire the values of honesty, integrity, and directness as these are seen as the values of the desert. Though the Khezera long ago branched out among the stars they maintain a cultural affinity to the lessons derived from that harsh climate, even those who only know of the world from afar. The Khezera who are from the Khezeratt of the Sun and Stars hold the world of An-tesh as the center of their religious and cultural lives.
Khezera tend to be faithful in friendship and unrelenting in enmity, placing a high value on family, hospitality, and debt obligations. They are often reserved, saving their words for moments of import, but those they befriend are known to tell stories of incredible warmth and generosity behind closed doors.
Khezera can be identified by their pointed ears and red-rimmed eyes. Generally the Khezera keep to the ways of dress common to the desert. Flowing robes or loose fitting layers of tan, grey, white, or black. Usually with a head covering that can be adjusted to protect the face from wind and direct sun.
Azoth
Azoth originate from the same world as Humans and Eldani, and are one of the founding species of the Republic of Illara. Of the three they are the most rare, both within the Republic and the galaxy as a whole. They are most noted for their talent for alchemy and tendency to avoid direct physical contact. This talent, and the infusion of Alchemy in their very blood, has led the Azoth to believe that they are destined to someday uncover the fabled elixir of immortality that has been searched for since the dawn of time.
Despite all this, not all Azoth are interested in spending their lives in alchemical pursuits. Many are still drawn to crafting and industry and become notable coopers, blacksmiths, and the like. Some prefer to become merchants and factors and other trade agents. And, of course, in a vast galaxy, there are Azoth in all other walks of life.
As a player who plays an Azoth, alchemy is an inherent part of your nature regardless of your vocation. This is plainly visible on every Azoth, in the form of red or green veins branching across the backs of their hands, on their face, and can sometimes appear throughout their bodies as well. Some Azoth also have crystalline formations along their skin.
Tyndarians
Tyndarians are a species of people who are bound to the worlds they inhabit. The societal castes of the Tristar Hegemony (the Tyndarian home nation) are based almost entirely on a split in how Tyndarians manifest this binding. The Highbound are Tyndarians who are bound to a naturally occuring metal: typically copper, cobalt, or silver. The Lowbound are bound to terrain archetypes: typically mountain, forest, or desert.
To be a Tyndarian is to believe that honoring your word is the most important moral directive. The fact that other species sometimes choose to ignore their promises and oaths horrifies and disgusts them. To call a Tyndarian a liar is the most dire insult that one can make, however, due to the subtle nature of their thoughts and speech, such an accusation must be direct to trigger a duel. Insinuation of lies and deceit is common in Highbound political repartee.
Costuming / Makeup
All Tyndarians have a stripe of color that runs across their eyes. The color of the stripe identifies their spiritual binding. Their lips are also the same color.
In addition, Metalbound Tyndarians often have fingernails colored in alignment with their metal and/or veins of their metallic color running up their arms and/or neck. Mountainbound Tyndarians can alsomay have patches of skin that appear like stone. Forestbound Tyndarians optionally have leaves or vines wound into their hair. The coloration of this vegetation can also shift with the local seasons. And Desertbound Tyndarians sometimes have sand-colored swirl patterns on their necks and/or cheeks.
The basic coloration of the stripes and lips is as follows:
Copper - Copper colored stripe and lips, sparkles/metallic luster
Cobalt - Cobalt Blue colored stripe and lips, sparkles/metallic luster on the stripe only
Desert - Yellow, Matte
Mountain - Brown, matte
Silver - Silver colored stripe and lips, sparkles/metallic luster
Forest - Green, matte
