Alatash

The Alatash are a race of angelic-like beings. Specifically, they are humans with wings. Created entirely by the god of unity and defense, Mishabar, these humanoids greatly resemble him, especially the older they get. Each roughly quarter of their life, an Alatash gains more and more wings, coming to eventually have 6 wings by the end of their lifespan.
Alatash are a very honorific and intelligence-centered people. Due to their ability to fly extreme heights and through clouds they are attuned to water magic, and often like to make their homes in the sky on the clouds. They can feel the moisture in the air and can command it, not really needing large amounts of water to do their magic. Almost all Alatash have the ability to condense clouds so tightly that they are not only walkable on, but also buildable on.
Due to their biology when they are very old, some Alatash have even begun to learn minor psionics, even though only a few are ever good at it. All-in-all, at least right now, most established Alatash towns and cities are isolationist at best, and xenophobic at worst; this is a fact, because most Alatash cities are built in the clouds, and most Alatash do not have to interact with "land walkers".

Basic Information

Anatomy

Alatash are angelic-like and thus, unless deformed, have at least two wings by the time they reach full maturity. The color of their wings vary depending on where their great grandparents hailed from and what biome they are born in. Therefore:

• Alatash born over or on oceans and seas have blue wings

• Alatash born on or over mountains have red wings

• Alatash born in or over forests have green wings

• All Alatash have a chance of being born with white, cream, or black wings, no matter of birth location.

All healthy Alatash develop strong muscles and carbon fiber-strength bones. These particular bones are hard to break, yet incredibly light weight. However, despite how strong an Alatash is, they cannot gain too much weight, or carry anything too too heavy or their stamina in flight is greatly reduced, and some can't even fly under those conditions. This does not mean that they cannot have any extra weight at all, or that all Alatash have to be a certain way, it just simply means that they were only made to handle so much by nature.

Biological Traits

Alatash are strong humanoids with a fine balance of muscle definition to help them fly with ease. Their life spans are greater than the average Drimorian human, but they are also lighter than the humans too, especially for their height. This is attributed to their bones, being stronger and lighter than a Drimorian human.

Genetics and Reproduction

Alatash reproduce very similarly to humans, with one very specific difference. The female Alatash cannot carry a child in her womb and thus needs to instead carry and then lay an relatively large sized egg(s) with her young, developing baby inside. Mothers can only produce 1-2 eggs after a few months from their date of intercourse. The eggs grow and eventually detach from a space on her back right above her lower spine. These eggs first are covered by skin in a sort of pouch. After the month's pass, they become too heavy and too large to remain attached to her, so she sits and her body helps her release the eggs she was carrying on her back up to this point. The babies within the eggs then take another seven months to fully mature before hatching through the egg. Just like human babies, this process is a full nine month process, and when they are born, they are wingless and look like an average human baby.

Growth Rate & Stages

Alatash start off as fledglings, hatching from eggs with no wings and no difference in appearance from humans. Alatash grow at the same pace as humans and when they reach between ages 8-11, they begin to develop their 1st pair of wings, out through their shoulder blades. These wings continue to develop until roughly around age 15-17. After that, the Alatash continue to grow with their fully mature wings until age 35 and then at that point, they cease to look any older.
At anywhere between the age 60-65, Alatash begin developing their 2nd pair of wings, giving them a total of 4 wings. These wings develop right below their first set of wings and give them twice the flying power and endurance. Once Alatash reach their middle-age years, they enter into the peak of their performance and life.
By anywhere between age 120-125, the Alatash finally enter into their elderly age. They do not physically look old, but they develop a final 3rd pair of wings that slowly grow around their eyes. These wings are rigid and force the Alatash to rely on other senses to "see". As such, an Alatash will usually live out the rest of his or her days helping their family and teaching younger Alatash.
Once the Alatash reach this final stage of life, they will continue on living to anywhere from 150-175 before they finally give up their spirits, leaving their dead bodies behind. This does not mean an Alatash cannot live longer than 150-175; in fact, the oldest Alatash to have currently lived has made it to age 205, nonetheless, the average life span of an Alatash is usually around 150-175 years.
Alatash are usually religious and will have ceremonies for the dying one, where their families will gather around the elder and enjoy one last day with them and then wave them goodbye. All Alatash know when it's time to give up their spirits.

Ecology and Habitats

Most Alatash prefer to live in the highest heights of the world, on clouds, or in the mountains. However, it is not unusual to see Alatash in other places, especially if they are not resistive to living on the ground with other races. It is, however, almost not possible to find any Alatash living in extremely cold environments, like the north and south pole of Drimore. When temperatures get too cold, it makes the joints of the Alatash stiff and their bodies heavier, making it harder for them to fly.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Alatash are omnivorous, but love to eat large quantities of food that is high in calories but low in fat. As such, the enjoy many grains, fruits, and even fish, depending on if they live over oceans where there is no land to farm. Life is a constant balance for them, and over eating or not eating high return foods for them, can easily spell death for them.

Biological Cycle

For the most part, Alatash are not all that affected by the different seasons, though they tend to dislike winter, as the colder weather makes it harder for them to fly, and they have to remain pretty active to keep up with extra cold conditions. However, Alatash can handle colder temperatures as most do live at higher altitudes; they simply prefer that it doesn't get colder than usual.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Alatash exist in most climates and in their higher-up atmospheres, except in regions that are over the polar regions of Drimore. On average, most Alatash dislike the persistently colder environments, because the cold air slows them down and makes their joints stiffer.

Average Intelligence

Alatash are sentient, and they have no problem learning and inventing higher-tech from their current era.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Most Alatash have very keen sight, on par with hawks and eagles. On top of this, they are sensitive to moisture in the air, making them excellent at sensing weather patterns and air streams.
In some occasions, if any number of Alatash are able to agree about something in their minds, and if they need to then do something about what they agreed to, each Alatash involved becomes subconsciously linked together and are able to accomplish any task in total harmony and lockstep without having to coordinate a thing. A unified Alatash army is a major threat in battle, as they do not need to coordinate their actions in preparation, they simply operate together as one, flawlessly, regardless if they know each other or not.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Alatash name things with schemes closest to Greek, Latin, and Japanese. Because they are an honorific society, they tend to lean towards more Japanese-style names and some Alatash only refer to those they do know by their last name. Surnames include Newar, Abe, and Kira. Due to the limitations of the Jailic language and writing system, the Alatash do not give names to their children that contain the common letters:

• L
• Q
• V
• X

Gender Ideals

Alatash tend to hold a patriarchal society, expecting male Alatash to lead more so than females. While it is not impossible for a female Alatash to have a job of her own, or to lead, the expectation of leadership more heavily falls on the men. It is also expected of the men to protect their family, and every male Alatash is given a arcane weapon to defend himself and his family when he becomes of age.

Average Technological Level

High Medieval Era Technology

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Jailic and Common

Common Etiquette Rules

It is common etiquette to bow to strangers as an Alatash, and just like in Japanese culture, the level of which you should bow depends on the level of meaningfulness the action done to you is. It is also common etiquette to bow even more respectfully to elder Alatash as you have no idea how much they have done for your city or town. They didn't live as long as they have without living a life worthy of such age.

Common Dress Code

Most Alatash like to wear warm, but light clothing, as they always like to maximize their flight stamina. It is also common for Alatash to wear close-fitting clothing, as things like robes and dresses are very cumbersome when trying to fly, and are more so used ceremonially.
As always, they need to wear clothing that allows space for however many wings they have, so their upper clothing tends to be more strappy, so as to easily weave around their wings. Because of this, an Alatash's shirt usually looks backless. The front part is a full piece, and the back is one that can easily close around them, leaving a space for their wings, while also covering the small of their back and upper shoulders. Then usually, they also have a special piece of cloth or leather that they place down their spine, usually with help, that covers the space between their wings, especially during winter time.
Both male and female Alatash commonly wear pants, unless at form events that do not require flying. The pants are made of different types of materials depending on the time of year for warmness, but they are all fairly form fitting to allow for maximum aerodynamics.
Because they mostly live in the clouds, Alatash often wear sandals that can tie onto their feet, or when it's cold, boots that can be tightly fastened. It is considered lazy not to have nicely fitting footwear, because otherwise, losing shoes would be extremely easy.
Soldiers often have padding around all the vital parts of their body that it is woven into their clothing, so as not to have any thing that is not form-fitting.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

When an Alatash has come to the end of their lives in old age, it is custom for the Alatash family to host a celebratory ceremony for the dying loved one. At the end of the ceremony, and once the Alatash have given up their life, the family will then take the dead body and drop it off the side of the cloud, a really tall ravine, or generally into some place where the bodies could pile up safely in some sort of deep pit where birds, mammals, and insects can feast on the carcass. In the cases like Sorapoli, sometimes they instead lower the body down on a crane, wrapped completely up, and then the body is buried into a mass pit off the side the mountain towards the Great Helleran Plains. This tradition is done, because the dropping of the body off a high place, is symbolic of their spirits taking flight once more to then be rid of their mortal shackles below when the body inevitably is burst open upon impact.
The Alatash are also very keen on both respecting and taking care of the eldery among them. Although these Alatash are not frail by any means, their two wings that cover their face is a clear sign they have lived a long while and seen many things. The elderly are the crowning jewel of the Alatash society, and they are often leaders, for though they can no longer see, it in a sense opens up their other senses and many Alatash as this age are particularly wise.

Common Taboos

It is absolutely taboo and forbidden, except by highest crime punishment, to remove the wings of an Alatash for any reason. To remove an Alatash's wings is to essentially invite him or her to die. Almost all Alatash would rather die than not be able to fly.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Alatash are usually very against interracial relationships. Born and raised high above most places, they view other races as inferior and "below". As such, it is very rare to see an Alatash be married or even in a relationship with someone of another race.

Origin/Ancestry

Oceanic, Woodland, Highlander

Lifespan

150 - 175 years

Average Height

6' - 7'5"

Average Weight

107 - 150 Ibs

Average Physique

Most Alatash clearly look strong and muscular, be it the women or the men. However, they are by far not as muscular as a bodybuilder, as that much muscle would give them too much weight. Every Alatash has at least one pair of different color wings, depending on where they are born.