Origins
In the beginning, the world flower bloomed. It burst forth, its pollen scattering, its seeds sowed.
Primordial creatures crawled across the soil, and the divines, happy with their creations, sat content.
One god, however, looked upon the creatures and cried.
“How sad! How lonely!” She sobbed.
“They crawl and crawl, with nothing to do.” Her tears, falling upon the world flower, beaded onto the petals.
Sagging from the weight, the tears became dew, and slowly slid off the edge.
The god gasped in surprise, as the light shone on the falling dew drop, scattering into beautiful colours.
One colour was bright vermillion, scorching the soil with fiery might.
One colour was a deep sapphire, covering the soil with watery waves.
One colour was glimmering russet, enriching the soil with earthy gems.
And the last colour was a vivid green, breathing into the soil with windy skies.
The god, delighted, flew down into the world to play with her new spirits; however, the spirits had no form, or mind.
They scattered and moved aimlessly, just as the primordial creatures did.
“I know,” the god said. “I will give these spirits...”
“An elemental body, one part from each spirit.”
“A sidereal spirit, from a lively starshard.”
“An immortal divine soul--myself.”
And so, these spirits, born from dew, celebrated their being with their god.
In joy, the god lived amongst them, creating the five greater spirits.
Primordial creatures crawled across the soil, and the divines, happy with their creations, sat content.
One god, however, looked upon the creatures and cried.
“How sad! How lonely!” She sobbed.
“They crawl and crawl, with nothing to do.” Her tears, falling upon the world flower, beaded onto the petals.
Sagging from the weight, the tears became dew, and slowly slid off the edge.
The god gasped in surprise, as the light shone on the falling dew drop, scattering into beautiful colours.
One colour was bright vermillion, scorching the soil with fiery might.
One colour was a deep sapphire, covering the soil with watery waves.
One colour was glimmering russet, enriching the soil with earthy gems.
And the last colour was a vivid green, breathing into the soil with windy skies.
The god, delighted, flew down into the world to play with her new spirits; however, the spirits had no form, or mind.
They scattered and moved aimlessly, just as the primordial creatures did.
“I know,” the god said. “I will give these spirits...”
“An elemental body, one part from each spirit.”
“A sidereal spirit, from a lively starshard.”
“An immortal divine soul--myself.”
And so, these spirits, born from dew, celebrated their being with their god.
In joy, the god lived amongst them, creating the five greater spirits.
The dark, musty air of the cellar wafts around you, as you finish reading the passage. Yes, well, everyone in Septima has read this part of the creation story. How was this supposed to help your studies in any way? As you flip around the old scrolls, the wizened sylph roravi seems to stir from his slumber, raising a brow at your direction.
"If it is further secrets you seek... You must look with a roravi's eye. With the earth, and wind. The blaze within your heart and the flow of magic that permeates all," he murmurs, as he gently taps the papers. Slowly, but surely, more writing appears in a soft glow of green. You hastily read.
The place of RoraviThe roravi are the children of the greater spirits of yore. Since time immemorial, the roravi have been the keepers and protectors of the Island Crown of Septima. Widespread and varied, the roravi features reflect the spirits of their origins—the windy Sylph, the earthy Gnome, the fiery Salamander and watery Undine. All roravi share the responsibility of keeping the world balance, under the watchful and loving eye of the Goddess. The Goddess herself represents the element of metal, of change and void, of celestial bodies and timelessness. The Goddess and her guard take form as dragons, who shapeshift as easily as breathing to them. The Goddess herself is a great dragon, and she has once lived among the roravi as in legend. As generations pass and we grow old, the Goddess and roravi would pass their roles to their children, renewing the cycle.
But even the cycle of the seasons are uneasy, and the rise and fall of the sun changing from day to day. The dragons broke the treatise, and a great calamity almost undid Septima, caused by roravi hand. Unwilling to remain as Septima's keepers, the dragons discarded their magic and forms. They tore off their horns, their wings and became the primordial creature of legend—a human. Thus humans spread themselves through the islands, like wildflower seeds across a field. Plentiful they grew. Wild they grew. Unbeknownst to us, the roravi, the discarded remains of magic that the humans left became pieces of resentment and despair, and slowly they seeped into the life stream of the Islands. In their world, they amassed themselves as the praecipitare, or daemons. As our duty, as the keepers of Septima, the roravi have the responsibility of keeping these daemons in check, protecting the beings of Septima from their tainted influence. The original five spirits, with two additions—the magicless humans and tainted praecipitare, form the seven beings of these islands. And thus we are called Septima of the seven. |
You gulp. This means... humans were originally roravi! And not only that... they were originally dragon roravi, much like the Goddess is said to be! The tone of which the passage was written made it seem like this was already a universal truth for the roravi, as if they had always known. But was that truly the case? You glance over at the wizened sylph.
"More questions, curious one?" He chuckled and stroked his beard, one that trailed long over his chest. "You and I are not so different. We and the Goddess, holy be she, and even the damned beings known as the praecipitare. We are all from the world dew. But this secret, no one will believe."
He smiles at your worried expression, eyes crinkling at the edges amicably.
"Do not despair. The roravi, even if they do not believe their own origins, will continue to protect the world balance, as we always have. It is our hope that you and the others that live in Septima will work with us."
The daily lives of Roravi
The roravi, while mainly referred to as one species, have vastly different lifestyles and ways that they contribute back to the life of the Islands. They live in different parts of the Islands, and communicate occasionally to keep up with each other and provide trade opportunities. Roravi attitude in general tend to seem haughty and highborn to the humans, and many roravi maintain the position that they are better than the other races (though of course, entirely untrue and a generally unpopular opinion). They live adjacent to humans as equals, but as readily as humans can often be slaved off for labour, some times roravi are captured as well to be kept as prizes or rare gifts among the more corrupt nobility. It is largely disputed whether these trades are justified, and the danger of humans has caused many roravi to adopt a magicked, 'human' form to hide themselves carefully.
Sylph Roravi
The sylph roravi, also just called the sylph, are able to ride the winds and soar higher than any roravi, able to manipulate the wind to their bidding the easiest. They are apt at manipulating wind and air, and consequently electric and storm forces that form from using hot and cold wind together. They're often known to be whimsical and playful, often interacting with humans by tricking them, or offering them gifts. Many sylph will trade for human goods and think that human commodities are fun toys to have. The sylph capital in the north, Assurgo, has many shops and merchants selling beautiful clothing and jewels to adorn themselves with, as they value natural beauty greatly. The sylph are often seen butting heads with gnome roravi, as they see them as stubborn, rude and ugly. Their word for them is 'rockeaters', as many like mocking their tendency to stay underground for prolonged periods.
Gnome Roravi
The gnome roravi, also called the gnomes, live within high towers of rock and stone, all beautifully crafted and designed. They are able to manipulate earth and metal alloys, making them the best Artesans and creators of the roravi sub-species. Stubborn and steadfast, they love working with humans to create new things with them and enjoy borrowing their mechanism ideas for new machines. This strong friendship with humans has placed the gnome capital, Ferrea, very close to the human capital of Alton, about a day's boat-ride away. Years and generations of living underground has made them poor flyers however, and has placed them in poor standing with the sylph. The gnomes, in turn, think the Sylph are air-headed idiots and think their flashy, adorned clothing and wings are superfluous.
Salamander Roravi
The salamander roravi live in high mountains and dormant volcanos, often traversing down to live in hot deserts as well. They use fire, heat, explosive forces and lava to their bidding, and strong salamander are also able to remove heat from objects and beings, giving them the perplexingly rare trait of ice as well. The salamander are eager to fight and use their own strength to overcome obstacles, without relying on others. They have an undying drive to prove their strength to themselves and other roravi, and will go to great lengths to find the perfect materials for their weapons, as artesans of the best weapons of all the roravi. The art of war is unrivalled for the salamanders, and this leads to hostilities with the Undine, who are peaceful roravi that tend to hide underwater. Unable to understand their fear, the salamander will often provoke any undine they see and try to solicit a reaction out of them, but are usually met with rejection and cold shoulders. The salamander capital resides within a deep volcano, called Incendi, and requires most travellers to wear protective gear before entering it's extreme heat. Various hot springs also dot the city.
Undine Roravi
The undine roravi have their own island to dwell on, but their main settlements and life are under the waves, in the surrounding sea and lakes. Their largest city capital is deep underwater within their island's great lake, in the city of Lacus. They are often mistaken for fish or mer-folk because their true roravi forms often will have a fish-like tail to swim with. Physically they can look the most different out of all the roravi. They are masters at manipulating water, mist, clouds and snow, even able to move and change most liquids to their bidding. Their temperament often appears calm and fair like the waves, but can change quick quickly without warning like a brewing storm if they are crossed or deeply offended. Unwilling to engage in fighting or violence, they will actively avoid salamander flight patterns or humans to avoid being prodded about.
Dragon Roravi
The dragonkin are widespread and elusive, rarely revealing themselves to other roravi and humans. They enjoy choosing areas of deep nature, such as thick forests and hidden caverns, to make their nests. Their magic comes from the natural metals in the earth and sky, aka the planets and celestial bodies. Because of this constantly changing and malleable magic, their own forms are fluid, often able to keep 3 forms—their natural dragon form, their glamoured human form (that most roravi can achieve) and a third, rare animal totem form. Able to live much longer than regular roravi (upward to around 500 years), their role as guards and protectors of the holy areas of Septima are longstanding, and many will make regular pilgrimages back to the distant dragon island, to their city of Nidum Scalis. It is said that the Goddess herself resides there, and that plucky adventurers may get a glimpse—before getting eaten by a dragon.
The sylph roravi, also just called the sylph, are able to ride the winds and soar higher than any roravi, able to manipulate the wind to their bidding the easiest. They are apt at manipulating wind and air, and consequently electric and storm forces that form from using hot and cold wind together. They're often known to be whimsical and playful, often interacting with humans by tricking them, or offering them gifts. Many sylph will trade for human goods and think that human commodities are fun toys to have. The sylph capital in the north, Assurgo, has many shops and merchants selling beautiful clothing and jewels to adorn themselves with, as they value natural beauty greatly. The sylph are often seen butting heads with gnome roravi, as they see them as stubborn, rude and ugly. Their word for them is 'rockeaters', as many like mocking their tendency to stay underground for prolonged periods.
Gnome Roravi
The gnome roravi, also called the gnomes, live within high towers of rock and stone, all beautifully crafted and designed. They are able to manipulate earth and metal alloys, making them the best Artesans and creators of the roravi sub-species. Stubborn and steadfast, they love working with humans to create new things with them and enjoy borrowing their mechanism ideas for new machines. This strong friendship with humans has placed the gnome capital, Ferrea, very close to the human capital of Alton, about a day's boat-ride away. Years and generations of living underground has made them poor flyers however, and has placed them in poor standing with the sylph. The gnomes, in turn, think the Sylph are air-headed idiots and think their flashy, adorned clothing and wings are superfluous.
Salamander Roravi
The salamander roravi live in high mountains and dormant volcanos, often traversing down to live in hot deserts as well. They use fire, heat, explosive forces and lava to their bidding, and strong salamander are also able to remove heat from objects and beings, giving them the perplexingly rare trait of ice as well. The salamander are eager to fight and use their own strength to overcome obstacles, without relying on others. They have an undying drive to prove their strength to themselves and other roravi, and will go to great lengths to find the perfect materials for their weapons, as artesans of the best weapons of all the roravi. The art of war is unrivalled for the salamanders, and this leads to hostilities with the Undine, who are peaceful roravi that tend to hide underwater. Unable to understand their fear, the salamander will often provoke any undine they see and try to solicit a reaction out of them, but are usually met with rejection and cold shoulders. The salamander capital resides within a deep volcano, called Incendi, and requires most travellers to wear protective gear before entering it's extreme heat. Various hot springs also dot the city.
Undine Roravi
The undine roravi have their own island to dwell on, but their main settlements and life are under the waves, in the surrounding sea and lakes. Their largest city capital is deep underwater within their island's great lake, in the city of Lacus. They are often mistaken for fish or mer-folk because their true roravi forms often will have a fish-like tail to swim with. Physically they can look the most different out of all the roravi. They are masters at manipulating water, mist, clouds and snow, even able to move and change most liquids to their bidding. Their temperament often appears calm and fair like the waves, but can change quick quickly without warning like a brewing storm if they are crossed or deeply offended. Unwilling to engage in fighting or violence, they will actively avoid salamander flight patterns or humans to avoid being prodded about.
Dragon Roravi
The dragonkin are widespread and elusive, rarely revealing themselves to other roravi and humans. They enjoy choosing areas of deep nature, such as thick forests and hidden caverns, to make their nests. Their magic comes from the natural metals in the earth and sky, aka the planets and celestial bodies. Because of this constantly changing and malleable magic, their own forms are fluid, often able to keep 3 forms—their natural dragon form, their glamoured human form (that most roravi can achieve) and a third, rare animal totem form. Able to live much longer than regular roravi (upward to around 500 years), their role as guards and protectors of the holy areas of Septima are longstanding, and many will make regular pilgrimages back to the distant dragon island, to their city of Nidum Scalis. It is said that the Goddess herself resides there, and that plucky adventurers may get a glimpse—before getting eaten by a dragon.
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The roravi have many traits to differentiate each other.
Click above to see them in detail. |
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