Xervanosian (zer-van-nos-ee-an)
"Jagged black crowns, weapons that shift and change with their charcoal bodies, and the deep pits where eyes should be, flickering with hellfire from deep within. They're inhuman... They're... They're evil."
Basic Information
Anatomy
These subterranean creatures live deep beneath the ground within caves and caverns that stretch far across Ardras. Their bodies are made of a hardened charcoal compound that can harden or soften according to the individual's willpower. Atop of their heads they have various unique "crowns" which grow upward and outward, those with a higher societal ranking have larger and more complex crowns.
Biological Traits
Xervanosians are an agendered species of "cousins" who only hold close ties to their broodmates and to the structured hierarchy of Xervanosian society. They are born from stallagmites deep within their subterranean world and develop slowly for nearly under a decade.
They are driven by a fiery core of magical energy which drives their actions. When this flame goes out they become inanimate rock which gradually erodes away back into the soil over several years.
Growth Rate & Stages
Xervanosians are grown in broods of two or three other individuals in stalagmite formations, these other broodlings grow an intense emotional attachment to one another and share conversations alone in the dark of their growth chamber. Brood groups grow in the solitude of a small cache until at least one of the trio or duo grows to the point that they are able to break themselves free of the rock wall and become mobile, this processes can take anywhere between seven to ten years.
Once a broodling is free of their attachments to the earth, they will stick around and help the other broodling(s) detach from the wall. This second stage begins when the broodlings begin to explore the surrounding caverns and make their way into the greater Xervanosian society.
As Xervanosians age they slowly and gradually lose their ability to shift, a skill that their bodies naturally adapt to over time. Through shifting they are able to manipulate the properties of their limbs to create a wide variety of weaponry and armor. When a Xervanosian dies, their body gradually decomposes and they return to the earth, where their cycle of birth and rebirth begins anew.
Ecology and Habitats
There are several varieties of habitats that these beings encompass, known as the Five Chambers, large cavernous cities deep within the depths of the world. One primary city exists beneath the mountains of Chillrend with two larger cavern regions to the south in the Nuraflow Mountains and the Whispering Mountains and another two cavernous regions deep beneath the Aegispeak Mountains.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The source of a Xervanosian's vitality is it's fiery core deep within their chest which is protected by several chambers of rib cages. This fiery core must be fed minerals to maintain its flame, a Xervanosian's favorite meal is rust, primarily for it's iron-oxide content, but they do also enjoy the taste. Xervanosians are particularly fond of jewels and precious gems, as when combusted deep within their core produces a variety of emotional and evocative thoughts within the creature.
Biological Cycle
Xervanosians are primarily nocturnal, though this makes little difference underground, some curious Xervanosians do find their way above ground but cannot stand the brightness of the sunlight. A Xervanosian can gradually adapt to the sunlight over a period of several weeks.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Xervanosians organize themselves in a hivemind, sharing a psionic link between their broodmates and the greater hivemind society of Xervanos. They have five levels of psychic links which connect them to their religious order dedicated to serving will of The Mother.
Br'ahm - The highest order of priest who serves and protects The Mother. They are directly linked with the titanous column of obsidian stone in the center of their holy city. The Br'ahms are everlasting and sustain themselves through the K'shah. Their word is law and directs the hivemind.
K'shah - The priesthood of the the hivemind. They carry out the will of the Br'ahm and deliver the will of The Mother to the V'aishi. Only they may speak with the Br'ahm. The K'shah communicate psionically with one another and with the V'aishi, who make up the majority of the Xervanosian population.
V'aishi - The citizenry of the Xervanosians, they perform work and tasks building the massive underground empire of Xervanos whose foundations date back to just after The Sundering. These workers also make up the cornerstone of their massive armies.
Xhu'dra - The Xervanosians who venture too far from the safety of The Mother and explore the tunnels outside the cities, they are more curious about the upper world, but they are often reminded by their superiors about the dangers of going above ground. The psionic link the Xhu'dra have with the rest of the hivemind is weaker than others, but they can be persuaded to rejoin through the suggestive whispers of the K'shah.
X'alit - The exiles, Xhu'dra who have ventured too far from the Mother and live above the surface. Once a Xervanosian traverses out from the caves of their subterranean home, they are not permitted to return. Some Xervanosians struggle with this and find the outside world to be a terrifying and dangerous place.
Facial characteristics
Xervanosian heads are a geological mass of hardened black charcoal which take on a variety of different shapes. Growing from their craniums is a crown which grows upwards and outwards. Their closer their connection to The Mother and their upper echelons of their religious society, the grander and more complex that crown becomes.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
These creatures are predominantly subterranean in a network of tunnels and caverns stretching all throughout Ardras. They can be more often encountered within the mountainous regions of the world and in deep cave systems.
Average Intelligence
Xervanosians are innately curious, though their connection to the hivemind becomes stronger the closer they are to it. Their mental states balance between deep connection with The Mother and the freedom of a explorative and curious mind.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Xervanosians are an otherworldly species that can communicate via a hivemind. The have a religious order that dictates how they regard one another dependent on the level of perception and connection to the hive mind that one has attained. The closer they are to The Mother, a sapient column of black obsidian deep within the earth, the higher their attunement to Her.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Beneath the ground in the subterranean lairs of the Xervanosians, they do not have need for names. They refer to eachother as "cousin" or "broodmate."
Above ground, some explorative Xervanosians have adopted names for themselves based off of their experiences on the surface. These can be given to them by kindhearted strangers or discovered for themselves from an inciting event.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Common Etiquette Rules
Together the hivemind must work to build The Mother's underground empire, and allegiance to her and the tasks she has set forth for them. This includes tunneling, mining, constructing, residing, and becoming a fully functioning society. Anything diversed from this line of thought is frowned upon by the hivemind, and one can find themselves quickly exiled if they do not do their fair share of the labor.
Common Dress Code
Xervanosians wear light garments spun from moss collected from moss farms established in the outer tunnels. The moss is spun by artisans who produce it for the K'shah, who distribute it amongst the V'aishi in accordance to their closeness with the Mother.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Xervanosian culture is all at the same time strange, exotic, and perhaps even a bit terrifying to an outsider. They have a deep umbral connection with the earth and consider certain caves to be sacred places. Their subterranean world is lit up by various glowing crystals of blue and green light, casting an enchanting glow on cave walls.
Connection between social groups is constructed and maintained by the will of the Br'ahm in accordance with the wishes of The Mother. Each Xervanosian understands their place in their society and there is little benefit of leaving this comfortable place, save for the burning curiousity of the outside world. Xervanosians are encouraged to quell and control this flame, as too bright a flame brings pain to the Mother, or so the Br'ahm would have you believe.
Those who exist on the peripheries of their society band together in small groupings and despondently interact with the rest of the hivemind while carelessly exploring the outer cave networks leading up the surface. They are told not to speak to or interact with the exiles, the X'alit, but this is not always a command that they listen to.
History
The Xervanosians were borne out of the catastrophy of The Sundering, the powerful impact of the striking spell that put down God King Arrliot created a potent pillar of nura charged obsidian deep beneath the earth. This nura would spread through the earth, creating the first Xervanosians from pockets deep beneath the crust.
Over time, these beings would organize themselves into a structured society through the will of the nura charged pillar, otherwise known as The Mother. Her soothing and calming voice guides the hivemind to her instruction, slowly and quietly building her empire beneath the world.
The Xervanosians would go undiscovered for thousands of years until the beginnings of the Era of Dusk, where Fervorian militias discovered them within the Aegispeak Mountains and The Intrepedium. Terrified by their visage, the fervorians have waged an all out war against this race for hundreds of years, ensuring that they remain underground where they belong, according to one fervorian scholar.
Xervanosians have also popped up in several tales from across the world from as far as the dark tales told in the forests of southern Lithos as the Yamii to the distant and enigmatic Drkjinn in Meinongian folklore. As of the Era of Twilight, scholars have made this connection.
Following the fall of the Empire of Blackhearth, and the reconstruction of Aristolia under the wise leadership of Arushala Ivorcoat, the Xervanosians have been welcomed amongst the populace of Aristolia and though it is uncommon, several of the X'alit class can be found absent-mindedly exploring Aristolian society.
The Xervanos are a hivemind, subterranean race who share a common set of ideals. They have been at war with Fervor for many centuries.