Bone Men - Xaelian (Zay-ehl-ane)
"Bone men" are different from skeletons in that they are fully sentient, have full control of their will, and are not evil. They came from an ancient race of beings that were so enamored by the properties of Manna crystals, that they infused them into their skulls. It isn't so simple as shoving a manna crystal into one's skull, it takes time crafting and engraving each crystal with special runes. Once the runes have been completed, the being will then sleep with the crystal set on their forehead. Once the union has been accepted by both the being and the crystal, the special gem will set itself into the beings' skull. They are called "bone men" as it is impossible to tell if male or female, so the term bone men was adopted by those who witnessed the strange beings in their skeletal form. These beings draw their life force from their ethereal connection with their stone, granting them many powers, including the ability to regenerate their skeletal form even if reduced to ash. They can appear as full, blue skinned humanoids with glowing eyes and runes, but it is merely a projection of their former selves, and may cause more alarm amongst the peoples they choose to visit than just seeing an animated skeleton. They appear as skeletons due to the gem being faceted to that part of their being during that beings' life. They are considered undead, but have none of the traits of the undead, other than being in skeletal form, and having once been a living being. Before death claimed the bodies of all in their civilization, they were known as the Xaelians. They were a race of blue skinned, large glowing eyed, cave dwelling beings.
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Author's Notes
After their race was devastated by an upset from the core of the planet (due to them being a race from under the land) They all died physically, therefor there are no more of their race to be found within the realm, making their current number quite fixed. They were the only race capable of understanding the Mana crystals enough to merge with them, so even the dragons had no idea how they came to be, or what strange magic made them as they were. Though their knowledge of the crystals were exceptional, the crystals themselves are quite common, and can be found easily throughout the land. The only other being able to understand Xaelain magic are the Crystal Fae that tend to the Sons of Stone . It has to do with their unique physique, being that they were born and raised near the source of the crystals, just as the Fae. The Xaelains are truly indestructible, even if reduced to ash, and cannot receive any lasting curse.