Ralian
From Slinkiwiki
Ralians are a race of cat-like dragonoids who are well known for their Mercenary forces. They generally reside in the country of Ralier, which is a somewhat cold country. They manage to hunt and grow enough food to support themselves (though the task becomes more strained as the population grows), but they aren't able to make anything of note to export to other countries.
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Biology
Ralians are mammals, having warm blood, fur, and skin. They live an average of 105 years, but some can live as long as 130 years. The longest living Ralian to date was alive for 148 years. Due to their mercenary lifestyle, their average life-expectancy in the international encyclopedia is only 86 years. On average, Ralian males stand between 6'0" and 6'9" (183-210cm), and females stand between 5'7" and 6'6" (170-202cm). Males generally weigh between 125 and 170lbs (57-77kg), and females weigh between 110 and 155lbs (55-70kg).
Mating and reproduction
Ralians mate for life, having a Joining ceremony that can be compared to Marriage for humans. Ralians are capable of feeling love, and will generally go out on dates (Ralian word "Daite", adapted from Common) until they find That Special someone. Then they will give each other a Joining Gift as a sign that they will take part in a Joining ceremony. The gift is generally something that means a lot to the person giving it or recieving it, like a family heirloom.
The joining ceremony is a celebration involving the couple's family and friends. They generally party into the night, dancing around a bon fire once it gets dark enough. There's sharing of stories and tales about the couple, and lots of singing. At the end of the celebration, the couple embarks on a Joined Flight (See Flight section), where they will fly above the party in a show of trust and love. These flights are quite graceful, and represent the bond between the two. Afterwords, they will fly off to where they'll spend their first night as a Joined Couple, signifying the end of the party. Often their departure is met with yells of well wishes.
Puberty begins at about age 13, and ends at about 20. Ralians are generally able to reproduce from the ages of 13 to 65. Ralian females go through a cycle of about 60 days, though like most sentient beings they don't strictly follow this in determining when they find a partner. Pregnancy lasts for 11 months, and Ralians are capable of having 1 child per 2 years. Families generally consist of 1 or two children, though some couples have as many as 5 children. It's not terribly uncommon to see a brother and sister being 10 years apart.
Religion and Beliefs
Ralians believe that Shai is a living creature mothering her children. They believe that Nature deserves respect and adoration, for it created them any everything around them. Most of their rituals revolve around the respect of nature, and they never kill anything they don't intend to eat or otherwise use, the exception being other sentient beings who would seek to harm nature. In modern times, the growing need of Mercenary forces has riled protesters who claim that they go against nature by killing for money. The Forces usually reply by saying they only accept Kill Missions against those with Ill Will, but there's no way to prove this.
Joined Couples
Joined couples are meant to be life-long, and the priests generally don't honor divorces (The Ralian word for it is even "Divorce" from Common as they had no word for it), with some exceptions. If one side causes the divorce, they are generally shunned and the victim of the divorce shown pity. Mutual Seperation often has both sides being shunned, but in modern times Ralians are slowly becoming more lenient on this issue. The government has begun to honor divorces, but the priests still do not.
Because of the difficulties with Divorce, it is generally taught that a couple should not be Joined before they've spent 3-5 years together. This "engagement" period helps a couple be sure that they're meant to be without making any rash decisions. Sometimes, however, couples don't abide by this precedent.
In the case of Domestic Abuse, the victim is encouraged to move on and find who is believed to be the "Real mate". The abuser is kicked out of the country, never allowed to return. These Ralians either head to Wievi or to a city in the middle of all the countries that generally houses exiles. This is the only type of Divorce that Priests will honor, saying that it is more against nature to suffer than it is to be Joined.
Magic and Mana
Ralians generally use Magic and Mana in a more artistic manor than other races. They believe it to be a gift from nature, and most of their spells and techniques aim to be graceful and elegant. Not many of their spells are designed to hurt others, though in modern times the Mercenary Forces have begun to invent such techniques. Priests refer to this as "Dirty Magic".
Technology and Science
As trade continues from Human country and Bryna, technology makes its way into Ralian culture. Priests tend to be picky on which devices they accept and which they deem against the workings of nature.
Magic and Mana Abilities
Male Ralians are gifted in the field of Magic, and female Ralians in the field of Mana. To some degree, males can use mana and females magic, but only a Wizard is capable of using both with a notable level of skill. This is because the genes allowing one or the other is blocked by the hormones created by male or female ralians. In rare cases, the gene is mutated and resists both hormones, allowing the Ralian to use magic and mana at the same time. They typically become Wizards and master both schools of magic.
Ralians are not as powerful with magic as Bryna, but they've held their own in the wars because Bryna are incapable of learning Mana. Ralian magic and mana is more powerful than the Wievi and human varieties, but their mana is weaker than the El'himzen's.
MORE TO COME...
