The Naktar are a race of tall, humanoid beings that inhabited the world of Anuzerru alAatars long before humans and all their strife and conflict were even a ripple in the dreams of the world. They're an offshoot of a draconic race they call the Ensior, and worship the fairly reclusive Ensior as gods, often referring to them as the Makers.
According to their legends, the race as a whole was created from the mingled scales and blood and breath of eight different Ensior - C'Diaceliri, Ch'Mir, Ch'Mar, C'Terana, C'Zaneyl, Ch'Fontic, C'Gali, and Ch'Vilonan. From these eight sprang a single, unified race, but that unity was a brief thing. First to split off were the Devir, children of C'Diaceliri, followed shortly thereafter by the Avarir, children of Ch'Mir, the Karir, children of Ch'Mar, the Dazrir, children of C'Terana, and the Fyrir, children of C'Zaneyl. The Lyrir split well after the other forms were established, lending weight to the rumors that they're the result of Devir and Karir interbreeding. The Lyrir claim Ch'Frontic as their Father.
C'Gali and Ch'Vilonan have no defined children - instead, it is said that from C'Gali came their ability to reason, and from Ch'Vilonan came their ability to fight.
Birthed at the very beginning of the Iltakimen, the Naktar evolved to survive the darkness and chill that the world had fallen into. They have no real appetite or need to eat, instead surviving off of the latent energy of the world and people about them. Their body temperature is also what could be considered 'below average' as their bodies evolved to survive at a much colder temperature than what later species had to face. They have spectacular dark-vision, and even a form of infrared that they can use, but, for all but two forms, bright light of any kind hurts their eyes.
Naktar are a generally long-lived race with few children, much like the Ensior. Children, therefore, are prized above all, and no Naktar would ever willingly hurt a child, no matter what race the child is from. Unfortunately, being long lived, the Naktar can't adapt to changing circumstances in their world, meaning that when the Iltakimen began to come to an end, they gathered their strengths together in order to impose an unnatural darkness upon the world so that they could survive. That unnatural darkness began to be called the Aeon of Shadows by other races that began to evolve around that time.
One of their customs, that applies across all the forms, is that of the dual names. Every Naktar has a public name that everyone knows them by, and that holds very little "power" over them, as well as a soulname that they keep hidden from the world at all costs. The soulname actually consists of two separate names, each linked to a portion of the bearer's being. Perhaps because of their heritage, or the manner in which their race was created, their soulname is similar to a direct link to their souls, and thus all their abilities, magic, memories, and even personality. Full soulnames are only ever given out to those who will become soulsworn partners, and never at any other time, while the first of the two soulnames is given to those who will become soulbound.
On the other hand, their public names do hold enough power that someone strong enough could, with a proper spell and knowledge of the proper name-symbol, influence their target enough to perhaps force a decision or action. In the end, though, it all comes down to strength of will, the attacker versus the target, and whoever has the strongest will wins the battle for dominance. Few decide to force such a confrontation, though, as once the spell fails, they're blocked from ever trying to influence that person with the spell again.
Naktar society is based around barter and trade, and the idea that one always repays every debt incurred, good or bad. The closest thing they have to an aristocracy is the Kaesirl, the ruler of an individual form, and the Promised, the Kaesirl's right hand within that form. For issues that involve multiple forms, a Gathering, either in part or full, is called and the Kaesirl meet to work things out. While hardly a paradisiacal race - things have come to blows several times in their history - the Naktar are often quick to split the blame and call it even (some legends attribute this to how the different forms arose, but not all), unless the 'blame' involves taking responsibility for the death of a child, in which case the killer is found and punished swiftly and with vengeance by the entire form.
All Naktar share several general traits. Their bodies are tall and tend to be slender (with the Dazrir being notable exceptions), their skin is actually composed of very fine scales that grow larger and more visible towards their hands and feet, and their nails on both hands and feet are large scales that grow in slowly, shedding every handful of years as the razor-sharp edge dulls.
Devir: the Celestials
Claiming the closest, and purest, ancestry to the Ensior, the Devir are physically taller than all other Naktar, and are marked by huge wings upon their backs and a slender tail that they can use as a third hand. Their scales tend to be a dark color at the base that fades to white at the tip, giving them a unique, almost puzzling appearance because of how tiny each scale is. Devir are one of the only Naktar forms that have visible scales upon their faces, though they tend to be visible only along the jaw-line and then sweeping gently up into the cheek area. Their hair tends to be a deep raven black in color.
The Devir long ago proved themselves masters of all forms of magic, though they tend to perform the magics of illusion, glamour, and shadow the most, followed by the magics of air, storms, and ice. When pressed, though, they can and will use any form of magic, or create a "spell" just for that instance by mixing elements of various types together to make a new form.
Hidden from the world for well over half of every year, the Devir prefer quiet seclusion and lonely stretches of empty land to even mixing with their own form, much like the Ensior. They're masters of lore, the storytellers and history-keepers of the Naktar, and the ones that the other forms turn to if they don't want to get their Kaesirl involved yet. It is also said that the Devir, of all the forms, are the most likely to know where the Ensior live.
They live in high, remote reaches of the land, making it difficult to trek to their lands, but many Naktar consider the journey worth the effort.
Avarir: the Skyborn
A step down from Devir in purity, the Avarir are nevertheless one of the tallest forms, marked by wings that can be folded away inside their backs and a long tail they use to help balance them in the air. In order to unfurl their wings, they must "extend" them so that they rip through the skin and into the air. For many, this is a simple, painless, and bloodless process, as the skin heals over as soon as it's ripped, shedding not a single drop of blood nor shred of skin nor tiny scale upon the ground in the process. For others, though, the process is painful, usually because their Avarir heritage is diluted by some other form, to an extent where the mechanisms aren't in place to make it painless and bloodless. Their scales are either silver or some variant there-of, and tend to be "silvered", reflecting light like mirrors, making them one of the few forms more accustomed to light than normal. Like the Devir, their hair tends to be raven black or some shade there-of.
The Avarir specialize in the magics of air, storm, concealment, and illusion. Many of them are so adept at air and storm magic that one of their favorite pastimes is storm-riding, with an unconscious respect given to those that consistently ride the strongest storms for the longest time, without death or injury. All of them would prefer to die in the embrace of a storm to dying in bed, and many strive to do so. They, not the Devir interestingly enough, are also the major source of the spells and objects that created and maintained the Aeon of Shadows once the Iltakimen started to fade.
A social form, the Avarir live in large aeries much like a flock of birds. It's rare to ever find an Avarir alone, as they thirst for company of any sort much more than any other form, and will do anything to protect anything they see as theirs. They, much like the Devir, are masters of knowledge, though the Avarir tend to specialize in types of knowledge, whereas the Devir tend to know basic facts about anything.
They live in aeries built in high, windswept areas.
Karir: the Waterborn
Of average height, the Karir instead are marked by their modified wings, which can no longer carry them into flight, but instead are adapted to serve the purpose of propelling them through the water at high speeds. They also have short, powerful tails that are their main source of force to move them through the water. Their scales are varying shades of blue, green, and silver that, when they're in their natural environment, makes them mostly indistinguishable from the water or a big fish. Their hair is often a dark green or blue in color.
The Karir specialize in water, illusion, ice, and occasionally storm magic, being powerful enough to survive underwater and keep their habitat from freezing over completely. When on land, they often disguise themselves with their illusion magic in order to look more like whichever form they're walking among, though they'll rarely disguise themselves as Devir.
Except for the occasional ambassador, it's rare to see an undisguised Karir walking the land, as they keep to themselves more often than not, staying beneath the waves in their individual communities. In general, they're social amongst their own form, but have little use for those above the waves.
The Karir live deep underwater in cities built around, and from, various underwater structures such as mountains, hot vents, and trenches.
Dazrir: the Earthborn
The shortest and stoutest of the Naktar forms, the Dazrir are marked by their complete lack of wings, a short, thick tail, and larger and more prominent scales. Their scales show up most dramatically on their faces and upper arms, giving them a softly pebbled appearance. The Dazrir are also the exception to the pale coloration, as their scales tend to be some variant between deep green and brown, with each scale starting off as one color, then fading through a gradient to a slightly different color at the edge. Again, breaking the norm, the Dazrir have pale hair, typically a mint green or pale gold in color.
Their specialization tends to be in healing and earth magics, making them the uncontested healers of the Naktar, as well as the ones who keep and guard the earth itself. Most Dazrir, if they're not healers, are instead some form of guardian, working to keep the earth healthy and the animals and ecosystem alive no matter what happens. It's not uncommon to see a Dazrir surrounded by a multitude of animals big and small.
The Dazrir are welcomed everywhere they go, and so are often known as the messengers or "bards" of the Naktar, as they keep the different forms connected and informed. Pleasantly cheerful no matter what they face, their good nature and common sense has helped smooth over many troubles and issues.
When they're not traveling, the Dazrir call the valleys, lowlands, and even caves their clan homes.
Fyrir: the Fireborn
Shorter than all but the Dazrir, the Fyrir are slender like the rest of the forms and are marked by wings built specifically for gliding upon thermals and flying very short distances, a slender tail, and prominent scales on their faces. These scales tend to be along the jaw line and up slightly into their cheeks, as well as around their eyes and sweeping back from the outside corner and into their hair. In coloration, their scales are a gradient from red at the base to yellow at the tip, and shimmer like fire in any light. Their hair is a deep red or orange in color.
The Fyrir specialize in fire and occasionally earth magic. Perhaps because of this, they're the most suited to surviving the coming changes to the world, as they're adapted to higher temperatures and more light than the rest.
They rarely leave their homes, for the sole reason that they're uncomfortable elsewhere in the world because of how much cooler it is. On the other hand, they welcome visitors with open arms and clan-wide parties, as they're a rather rambunctious form all around, willing to sport and play at any opportunity. Some Naktar have compared the Fyrir to eternal children.
The Fyrir call home the areas surrounding active volcanoes, hotspots, and other places where the heat at the center of the planet escapes.
Lyrir: the Iceborn
The last, and least known, form of Naktar, the Lyrir are said to be the result of crossing the Devir and Karir forms for generations, though there is little enough evidence to prove or disprove this. Only a little shorter than the Devir, they tend to be the most slender and ethereal of the Naktar forms, with a tail even longer and more flexible than the Devir. Their scales are all the colors of the ice and the winter world, and it's said that they can change the color at will to camouflage themselves perfectly in the snow or ice. While they do have wings, their wings are often kept furled within their backs and very rarely unfurled because of the unceasing, violent winds that slice across their chosen territories. Their hair, oddly enough, is as snow or ice-pale as their scales.
The Lyrir excel in ice, storm, and occasionally water magic, though some Naktar believe that the Lyrir also know illusions and glamours. They use these skills to survive in their chosen lands and maintain their isolation.
Isolationist enough to make even the Karir look outgoing, even the Dazrir are unlikely to ever see a Lyrir for more than the briefest of moments out of the corner of their eye. Its said that the Lyrir guard the travels of those who decide to cross the icy flats, and there are enough stories to at least put some truth behind this theory. One thing that all the stories agree on, though, is that the Lyrir will never actively get involved in anything unless their emotions or sense of justice is touched in some way.
Anywhere covered almost exclusively in snow or ice has a large likelihood of playing home to at least one Lyrir.
Every form is led by a man or a woman called the Kaesirl. Chosen at the death of the old Kaesirl by a series of trials and tests designed exclusively for each form, and presided over by the elders of each form, the challengers are often youths who've made names for themselves in some manner or another, though it's not a requirement that they be known to others.
There can be anywhere from just two challengers to over one hundred challengers, and the tests can take any length of time from a week to a month, during which time the challengers must not only pass each test that's handed to them, but pass a greater overall test - whether or not they can win the support of the other members of the form. Because, in the case of a tie between two equally proficient challengers, the one with the most support will often win.
The time between two Kaesirls, when the tests are being run, is a time of gathering and catching up between the varying members of the form, and so usually turns into a huge "party" as the entirety of the form gathers, even the children. Even the Lyrir are said to abandon their solitude in favor of a large gathering in order to see the challengers for Kaesirl, and some forms, especially the Fyrir, become so actively rambunctious and "childlike" during the gathering of their entire form that outsiders often feel overwhelmed by the sheer energy and exuberance of the gathering.
A Kaesirl's duties are many fold:
Firstly, they are the judges, the last recourse of their people in a dispute, and their decisions upon cases within their own form are final. No other Kaesirl may overturn such a ruling, not even the entire Gathering of Kaesirl can overturn a ruling that was given within a Kaesirl's specific form and affects no others, unless the Kaesirl who decided it permits it to be overturned.
Secondly, they are the Champions of their form, bound by the expectations of their people to work for what's best first for them, and then the race as a whole. Sometimes this comes into play during the Gatherings, other times it comes into play amongst the form itself, when some bring up new ideas or thoughts on how things should be run. On them rests the hope of their form, and much symbolical meaning is placed upon their actions and the things that happen around them, such as the birth of children or the passing of elders.
Lastly, they are the ultimate authority, the ruler of their form, with all the power and responsibility that being a ruler entails. On their shoulders rests the life or death of every member of their race, on their decisions rests the fate of their form. Though the Naktar don't require all the laws and punishments that other races do, as they believe that one should be true first to one's family, then one's form, they do have strict laws and punishments for kinslayers and thieves, and the ultimate penalty is incurred for killing a child or youth.
Unlike most societies with distinct rulers, the Kaesirl rule alone, without courtiers, a court, or even a real council. Naktar society believes that everyone should do what they're good at, whether it be exploring, crafting, or any number of other activities. A Kaesirl, thus, depends heavily on his or her Promised to assist in controlling their form.
Promised, or Nakeliarae (roughly translating to "those who have sworn trust"), came about early in the development of the current form of Naktar government, evolving out of friendships and confidences that the challenger brought with him or her into the Kaesirl position. Now, the Promised are a distinct segment of society, holding their own position and rank slightly above the normal members of the form, and slightly below the position of Kaesirl. They're expected to be fair and impartial, and as such rarely deal with their own family or enclave, as it's believed that most, if not all, will lose their impartiality if dealing with their family or close companions. Also, they move about quite a bit, for the exact same reason, rarely spending more than a few days in any one area before moving on, unless they're posted as messengers.
The Promised are a Kaesirl's right hand, the ones who go out and enact his or her wishes, who act as lesser judges and champions for the race. If the life and death of the form rests on the Kaesirl's shoulders, then the control and strength of the Kaesirl rests on the Promised gathered about him or her. Without the Promised, well over half of what keeps the form running smoothly would vanish, and the Kaesirl would be swamped with obligations and duties that should have been done yesterday.
A Kaesirl may have as many as half the form chosen as Promised, or as few as three, through the average is somewhere around one in a hundred of the population become Promised at one time or another. Most of the time, Naktar begin to gather around the challengers during the trials for Kaesirl, and it's from those that the first Promised, or even most of the Promised, are chosen when a Naktar becomes a Kaesirl. Normally, the position of Promised is granted until death, and it takes a rare clash for a Promised to be "retired" or removed from the position.
There are many ways that a Kaesirl may utilize their Promised, and while the most common ways are as messengers, judges, and champions, some Kaesirl permit their closest Promised to stand in for them in things that don't necessarily require a Kaesirl's direct authority. Such cases are rare, though, and can lead to jealousy if the Kaesirl isn't careful of how he handles it. Normally, if such a case arises, the Kaesirl will turn to his or her soulsworn instead of to any of their Promised.
A strange, and rather rare division of Naktar society, soulsworn are treated with deference and, in some forms, a bit of fear. To be soulsworn is to have become so entwined with another person's soul that it's nearly impossible to tell where one begins and the other ends. To be soulsworn is to give up the sacred soulname and permit another Naktar to know everything. To be soulsworn is to give up independence and pure individuality.
Normally, no Naktar will form such a bond unless absolutely necessary, even with a loved one, making it extremely rare amidst the common folk, and only slightly more common amongst the Promised. Also, such a bonding is used to nearly double the effectiveness of a single Kaesirl, as it permits him or her to effectively be in two places at the same time. Even so, only about half of all Kaesirl ever find another they desire to be soulsworn to.
The formation of a soulsworn pair is simple, involving a short ceremony in which the two are purified by an elder, and then left alone to speak their full soulnames to each other. At that point, the ceremony can take minutes or hours or even, in some cases, days, while the two must come to terms with everything that they learn about the other and attempt to sort out where one personality begins and the other ends. Needless to say, such a bonding significantly alters both participants, and neither can ever return to what they used to be.
Soulsworn rarely require words between each other, as they know instantly every thought that the other has, and nothing is a secret between them, unless both want to struggle constantly to keep it away from the other. Everything, even powers and life itself, is shared without question.
Another reason such a bonding is rarely performed is that such a thorough and constant immersion in another's consciousness has the potential to drive both insane at any time, though the most common time for insanity to surface is right after the bonding has been completed. Well over half of the pairs who try it die, either by their own hand or by the hand of the warriors standing by to assure that the bonding is stable, and over half of those who survive go insane as they age, losing all sense of 'self' eventually, though whether they become a danger to others at that point is in the air. Many retreat to distant territories and become hermits, others stay within the society and become strange elders, still others die by their own hand, unable to cope with not being 'themselves' any longer. Of the relatively few who form such a stable bond that they not only survive but can each make their own decisions and retain their own personalities, being flavored only slightly with the personality of the other, the chance that they'll go insane or lose their sense of self is next to none.
No one, not even the elders, can guess at what will result from each pairing, whether it will be stable or instable, a delicate balance or so firmly settled that nothing can move it. Indeed, the results of each pairing seem to follow no visible pattern, and only the two who are soulsworn know the answer to why they survived, or didn't.
Besides pairing, there's also the potential that more than two might wish to enter into a bond, but with every extra personality, the chance of failure or insanity seems to exponentially rise. The largest pairing to survive was a group of five, and that was so long ago that many question if the number hasn't risen in time due to becoming a legend.
Much less dangerous, though even rarer than becoming Soulsworn, Soulbound individuals share only their first soulname, and thus only their powers. They are often looked upon as freaks going against the natural order of things, especially when two Naktar of different forms become soulbound. Because of this, those who are soulbound often take pains to never reveal this fact.
On the other hand, the Kaesirl of a form, if they refuse to become soulsworn, will often become soulbound with a Prophet of their form, in order to have a better knowledge of what will occur in the future. Unlike others who become soulbound, Kaesirl who become soulbound to known Prophets are treated with more deference than if they weren't, because of the perceived 'degradation' in pursuit of the betterment of the form.
Similar to becoming soulsworn, becoming soulbound involves a short ceremony in which the two are purified by an elder, and then left alone to speak their first soulname to each other. At that point, the ceremony is technically over, though often the two will remain secluded for a time while each teaches the other the full extent of their skills.
As soulbound pairs aren't merging their very selves, words are still required between the two, though the sharing of the first soulname grants them the ability to speak mind to mind with no difficulty. The only true danger inherent in becoming soulbound is the danger of one half of the pair accidentally losing control over their new abilities.
More than one Naktar can become soulbound, though the public opinion sinks almost exponentially with each Naktar added to the soulbond, unless one of them is a Kaesirl and the form is going through rough times.
Prophets are those rare individuals that see the future, sometimes only a few seconds to minutes ahead, sometimes entire years or centuries ahead. The further ahead into the future they see, the more paths, and the more faded, their visions get, until they see only wisps of potential, and not events. They begin seeing visions sometime between their eighth and ninth birthdays, though no one knows why, and it is said that there is a Prophet specifically born for every Kaesirl, one that shares the same birthing day and a compatible personality as the Kaesirl to be. On the other hand, there are often more Prophets born than Kaesirls that rise to power, so some whisper that there is a Prophet born for each major player in their form's future - from scholars to warriors to the Kaesirl themselves.
Prophets have no control over their power, and often refer to themselves as the Cursed because of this. They can be taken with a vision at any moment, and for any length of time, though their reactions during their visions vary from Prophet to Prophet. A few go near catatonic, while others scream their visions aloud - some fall to the floor, while others may rise and run - some may stare into nothingness, while others will fix their gaze onto someone in the room with them. The reactions are many and varied, and sometimes are a mix of many different reactions, somewhere between extremes.
The populous looks upon Prophets as strange, unnatural creatures. Though the populous respect the power that runs through the Prophets and enables them to see the future, few ever feel at ease around such an uncontrolled power. As such, Prophets often live the life of recluses, a painful proposal for Prophets from the more social forms, especially the Avarir, and something that sets them apart even more, becoming a self perpetuating cycle.
The power of the Prophets doesn't pass itself on through the bloodline. In fact, it almost seems that the power of prophecy refuses to appear more than once in a family line, and it's only when that line has been diluted by more than five generations does the power have the potential to resurface. Twin Prophets are, interestingly, very common, occurring more than three fourths of the time and in more than three fourths of the twins that are born. So, while twins are a true blessing for a mother because of how rare they are, they are also a curse, as they're more likely to be Prophets than single babies.