Legends of Belariath

Torian

The Torian are a winged race most closely resembling humanity but for the massive feathered appendages sprouting from their backs. While hardly a 'rugged' people there are few environments which prove inhospitable to their kind. Torian known to dwell in all makes of terrain, from thick and steamy jungles to towering mountain-tops, to deserts both hot and cold. They average in height from 5'4" to 5'7", and are as varied in matters of skin-tone and the color of hair and eyes as humans. The vast majority of Torian have white wings with a span of eight to twelve feet, though infrequent deviations do occur. Such deviations are treated with considerable significance among Torian. Black, crimson and violet wings are considered terribly ill omens, while gold, blue, beige, and browns are considered blessings and portents of good fortune.

Character Creation

Starter Classes: Warrior, Ranger, Thief, Bard, Mage, Druid, Shaman, Healer, Entertainer, Laymen, Artisan

Advanced Classes: Warrior Mage, Mist Raider, Fire Mage, Air Mage, Seductress, Necromancer, Hierophant

Armour: Due to their light nature and hollow bones, Torians are limited to Class A and B armor. Other armor not being flexible enough, or else to heavy to be useful in flight.

Weapons: Again due to their light nature, they are limited to A, B Weapons and C Class Bows.

Starting Stats:

	STR	INT	AGI	RES	STA	SPL	LFE
Basic Stats	3	4	2	4	4	4	4

Mindset

Torian are a diverse people of no set mind, ranging from fierce and deadly warriors to meek and gentle healers, and all the shades of character between. . Many are known to be haughty and proud, and authority is not known to sit well with them, but the most defining trait, the one almost all Torian share is their commitment to kin, clan and kind. Torian are committed to their own people and the interests of their communities to a fault. While direct family can form greater bonds of affection at times, their responsibility to their clan, their people as a whole holds greater responsibility. With no gods above them, this sense of community has become the pseudo-religion of Torian near the world over; omens and portents no longer sought from on high, but within themselves. Potent superstitions have thus developed among them regarding the color of their wings, deviations from the prevailing white seen as signs of coming fortune or peril for the community as a whole. Those born of colors deemed favorable are well cherished by the community, and typically considered far more desirable where matters of match-making are concerned. As bearers of ill omens, 'darkwings' as they are commonly known are shunned and often ostracized; becoming pariahs, unwelcome among their own kind.

Characteristics

While the Torian appear mostly human, there are several physical characteristics that make them more distinct from the other races. Most noticeable are the large feathered wings on which they easily take flight and can soar great distances and heights with. They also have extremely keen eyesight that allows them to discern minute details from staggering heights, and are particularly resistant to harsh cold and high altitude. They also have an innate sense of direction where 'north' a gut-feeling most can call upon at will, and balance comes quite naturally to them with vertigo a word with which many are unfamiliar. Finally, they are also able to adapt with ease to most climates despite their frail nature.

Such graces come at a cost however, to allow them flight the Torian have a hollow bone-structure that also leaves limbs brittle and easily broken, more prone to shattering outright and complicating the healing process considerably. While there are capable Torian warriors, the amount of training and effort necessary to even throw a punch without risking a broken hand, coupled with a more innate magical talent, mean the race has a strong slant toward the magic classes instead of physical.

In their formative years Torian experience frequent moltings where they grow new feathers while shedding the old in tandem with bodily growth-spurts. Come maturity this process of molting averages out at once every year and a half or so, though stressful events can potentially induce a molting, and the intervals continue to grow longer as they age.The Torian lifespan is varied, but no modern Torian are known to have lived longer than two-hundred years.

Culture

Torian Society

In the aftermath of the Fallen Wars, which saw the destruction of Toria, the Torian have been a scattered and largely nomadic people. Their communities were spread across the Ilfirian continent long before it was claimed as such, with some even traveling far beyond. While there is no rigid structure for each community or clan, some have put down roots and constructed villages, townships, even cities in which to dwell as the other civilized races do. Most, however, choose to oblige the innate wanderlust of their kind, flocking from land to land and never lingering too long.

What is constant between all Torian clans, tribes and settlements is a ritualistic reverence for community itself. The role, as it is called, that a Torian is given in support of that community their most sacred charge and duty. Roles are assigned to a Torian when they come of age based on their aptitudes and can vary between clans and tribes. The Warrior, who fights for and defends their clan, whether by magical or physical means. The Rangers, who hunt for food, gather rare materials, and keep watch of the skies and borders. The Fledgers, who assemble and tend the homestead and watch over the very young. The Healers, who tend to the sick and injured, and devote themselves to the health of the unborn. Last but not least are the Story-Weavers, who record the history of the community orally or through the written word, and whose responsibility it is to impress upon the young the sacred nature of the community and the importance of their Role.

The roles of leadership are those which a Torian must earn rather than be granted at Rolebirth. Leadership consist of a council, typically made of five individuals chosen by the community as a whole, and an Elder who is elected by the council in the event of the death, retirement, or, far more rarely, the banishment of the previous Elder. The ruling of the Elder is deemed law, and it's the council's role to temper his or her determinations with their collective wisdom, hear the will of the community as a whole, and ensure the Elder continues to represent that will.

Proud people that they are, naming of the council and the Elder can grow contentious and wraps many Torian communities up in their own political intrigues. While efforts have been made in the past to coalesce the scattered Torian people in fealty if not in locale, to establish a Torian 'Nation' united under one banner, they have consistently failed due to irreconcilable disputes over leadership and the inability to reach an arrangement to benefit all communities equally.

Sexuality and Taboos

Torian sexuality is diverse and matters of gender or infidelity rarely raise issue among them. Polyamory is not uncommon among them, and polygamist unions have been known to occur. This does not mean Torian relationships are flighty and frivolous affairs, however. While one is free to love whoever they wish, taking on a lover or mate is considered an acceptance of responsibility for that person's happiness and well-being. While another's happiness can be a difficult goal to achieve, outright failure to meet one's responsibilities in this regard is a grave offense to Torian.

A lack of responsibility is generally taboo among Torian. Those who shirk their duties, refuse or neglect to meet the needs of their role or repeatedly fail in their responsibilities to others, earn severe punishment, or find themselves cast out into the world.

The Chirot Menace

The Torian have been in fierce conflict with a leather-winged race known as the Chirot for the past several centuries. The Chirot are relative newcomers to the World of Belariath, transported from a plain of existence quite unlike our own, and believe the Torian to be the 'Kirojan', the feather-winged offspring of the dark God Kiroaja who betrayed and cast out their goddess Sheara. Since their arrival the Chirot have made it their singular mission to exterminate all Torian, wherever they may be.

For many years the Chirot were terrifyingly successful in their objective, and the crusade still carries on to this day, but Torian resistance has made some gains in recent history. In particular convincing the Ilfirian Empire to consider the Torian as citizens and outlaw acts of targeted aggression by an allied power against them.

Though blocked from openly attacking Torian communities in force as once they had, Chirot crusaders still operate in the land. Tracking the movements and numbers of tribes and clans, arranging paid bands of raiders to assault them, and take what individual vengeance on the Kirojan they can. Acts, while terrifying, the Empire does not see serious enough to take major actions against. As such, terribly bad blood between Chirot and Torian remains and conflicts frequently erupt between them in Nanthalion and surrounding lands to this day.

Religion

With the common belief of a divine war leading to their fall, the Torian have separated themselves from gods and the worship of them. No temples will you find and a devout Torian is nearly unheard of. Many will go so far as to ridicule those who pay peity to gods or goddesses since from childhood they were taught to not be tricked by the rituals of the so-called faithful. Raised to believe such rituals are simply a farce to bring fools into the dominion of false gods and their power-hungry priests. However, to say they lack any beliefs at all is quite incorrect. Instead of gods the Torian have a strong belief in Fate, Destiny, Luck and Devotion to family and clan. These beliefs are so powerful that even wings that differ from the most common colour of white can guide a Torian's life and their entire relationship with the clan.

The variants seen among non-whitewings and the omens and beliefs most commonly associated with them:

Hues of Brown: Seen as incredibly fortuitous for the clan as a whole. Wings that follow the rich tones of a hunting hawk or fertile soil are deemed to be an omen of plentiful hunts and bountiful harvests, meaning few in the clan will find themselves in want of food or shelter. For clans on the move, the birth of a brownwing is often a sign that they have reached a fertile land that will sustain them for generations... home.

Hues of Blue: Just as a Torian can see for miles in a clear sky it is believed that those with feathers of blue will have the clarity of vision and mind to never have their judgement clouded by falsehood or doubt. Such clarity is well-respected and many seek out a bluewing for the guidance and wisdom their feather colour is believed to provide. It is not uncommon to see such a Torian becoming a seer or even rising swiftly to the role of clan elder.

Hues of Gold and Yellow: The colours of wealth and the radiant sun are believed to bring great affluence and prosperity to the bearer. While not necessarily helpful for the clan as a whole, the promise of wealth for the owners of these glorious wings makes them quite desirable, many doing whatever they can to become close to such an individual. While this tends to make them rather popular individuals, fame often begets a degree of vanity or selfishness.

Hues of Violets and Purples: While it seems like every clan has their own story and reason for the belief, those cursed with violet feathers are considered marked as traitors. The most common myths and legends suggest it was a violet-winged clan who either betrayed the gods and started the war which led to the fall of the Torian, or turned on their own kind and sided with the gods during that war. Regardless, the true reasons have been long forgotten and those with such feathers will find themselves rarely trusted and often friendless, for many will doubt that their intentions are ever pure or anything more than selfish.

Hues of Red: Feathers of blood and fire are considered an ill omen, for it is a warning of war and strife ahead and that violence is nigh, whether it be from outside forces or within the clan. Carrying the burden of blame for conflict, many of them are forced to take the path of a warrior, with the most legendary fighters in Torian lore being redwings. Some being heroes that protect their clan from threats. Others... destructive villains whose fighting tears their clan apart.

Black or Near-Black Hues: The gravest and most dire of signs, the birth of a blackwing, means that the very existence of the clan is in peril. It is believed that those with black wings are the embodiment of death and decay, they will almost certainly signal the fall of darkness over a clan. Rare is the clan that rears such a child through to adulthood and beyond, though some might argue that those cast out are the lucky ones. Those that are not are ostracized, blamed for their role in everything bad happening to a clan regardless of possible involvement. Poor harvests or hunts leading to hunger, disease, stillbirths and so much more are all placed upon the wings of black. Should one be trusted enough to perform tasks for the clan they are typically given roles that are either too minor to be of threat, or too dangerous for others to do. More often however they are simply left to fend for themselves and live off of whatever scraps they can find.

Advantages

Natural Flight

Torians are built for flying. Broad wings with strong muscles and lightness of form from their hollow bones make it possible for this race to fly without the aid of magic. This natural form of flight is even more efficient than the Magi's, allowing a Torian to soar high and for long periods of time without needing to rest, or last longer in a fight than those straining mind and concentration with magical flight. It is not perfect, however, and a Torian is still required to land to be able to rest and recover, and they can only carry so much weight before even their mighty wings can no longer hold them aloft.

Mechanics: Torian can fly naturally both inside and out of combat. When in combat they obey the flight rules for combat for a natural flier. This means they are unable to !evade while flying and all attacks and defenses cost 1 additional stamina to perform. Landing takes no time and a Torian can land and perform a combat action in the same turn, however it takes a full round to take flight. In flight, Torian are immune to any close-ranged attacks from opponents on the ground and they can only engage them with ranged attacks as well. However, should their opponent be in the air, they may engage each other with attacks of any range.

Children of the Skies

None can soar higher than a Torian. Their broad feathered wings, light forms and, some Torian may try to claim, remnants of power from when they lived with their gods allow them to fly and survive at heights where even the tallest mountains fail to reach where air is thin and winds blow with fury. When able to conserve their energy and call forth their latent magical talents a Torian can fly in even gale-force natural winds and breathe comfortably at extreme altitudes. They can do little more than soar at these heights and/or wind-speeds however due to the concentration required and how one must move their wings to remain aloft. Should Torian's find themselves in combat they must drop down to more reasonable altitudes that will likely put them back within range of arrows and spells of even grounded races, if not outright land in cases of extreme winds, until they can once again focus on the trials of such difficult flight or the skies become more favorable.

Disadvantages

Frailty of Form

The ability to fly without the aid of magic is powerful and a mark of pride to the Torian. However such an ability comes with drawbacks, bones that are light and frail, and their weight being centered on their back and wings in flight puts a unique strain over most of their bodies. For Torian of good health this presents no problems, however those injured and weakened will find it difficult to fly while those those who are close to death are outright unable to, even if they otherwise have the strength to walk.

When a Torian is at 50% of their life or lower, they are unable to use their RP advantage (Children of the Skies) in flight and stamina costs of abilities, spells and attacks are doubled when using their wings in flight. When at 10% of their life or lower a Torian is outright unable to fly naturally. When calculating for when this penalty is put into effect one should always round down, so for instance a Torian with 29 life suffers double stamina at 14 life, and is unable to fly at 2. This only comes into effect when a Torian is attempting to use their natural flight and does not impact them when on the ground or are flying though other means such as the fly spell.

The Unfaithful

It is the Torian belief that they once lived among their gods, those that created them and everything around before being cast out for rising up against their creators. The exact details of the legends and the true meaning of it all can vary from clan to clan. Some use it as a warning against hubris, to beware the jealousy of gods. Some may even spin the tale to make it sound how close they were to obtaining true godhood before being smitten down to live upon Belariath. This tale of warning, or hubris, has led to a new faith, one without gods, and has soured many Torian to the very thought of ever bending a knee or paying respect to a god or Goddess. The Torian are about as close to agnostics as one can be in Belariath.

While there are always exceptions, many of the Torian are not only those who refuse to pay homage to any Gods or Goddesses, but in fact tend to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome (even if they are anything but) in temples and around shrines, and rarely see eye to eye with the other races when it comes to matters of worship. Making them tend to avoid such places and people altogether when able, treating them with mistrust or in some cases outright hostility.

Disabilities and Their Mechanics

Type:	Attack				Defense				Init
	CloPhy	RanPhy	CloMag	RanMag	CloPhy	RanPhy	CloMag	RanMag
Sight	-30%	-100%	-30%	-100%	-30%	-30%	-30%	-30%	-50%
Hearing	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	-25%	-25%	-25%	-25%	-25%
Speech	N/A	N/A	-100%	-100%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Hands/Arms***	-25%	-25%	-50%	-50%	-25%	-25%	-25%	-25%	-20%
Legs/Feet***	-25%	-10%	-25%	-N/A	-25%	-20%	-25%	-25%	-25%
* Attack/Defense Enchantments are not effected, penalties apply to base stats. * Those temporarily blinded in one eye will receive half penalties for blindness to all attacks. ** All penalties are cumulative. *** Penalties are cumulative per limb. * Those temporarily blinded in one eye will receive half penalties for blindness to all attacks.