Ri'kin
While the Ri'kin are free to take to the skies, this peaceful and contemplative dinosaur-like race has no desire to influence the world around them, preferring to remain hidden from the trials and tribulations of outside influence.
Following the devastation wrought by the Great Sacrifice and Erenel’s reawakening, the Ri’kin left their lands to find refuge elsewhere, hidden from great threats they believe echo from the failures of the Architect and the Foremother. Now, the scaled Ri’kin look at the other races with skepticism. They remember much of what came before and, thanks to their instinct for surviving in hostile climates, will know what comes after.
In hidden vales or atop high mountain peaks of Erenel’s warmer climates, small communities of Ri’kin thrive in isolation. Ri’kin are most comfortable in the sky, soaring between jungle canopies or diving for fish with their elongated necks. Even though they choose to live away from others and would flee before beginning a conversation with a wanderer, they do not feel confined but rather grateful to be free of the chaos slowly consuming the outside world.
Ancestral Blood
At birth, all Ri’kin benefit from the knowledge of their ancestors. In a Ri’kin community, once a year, as determined by the sun’s cycle, a Ri’kin can choose to reproduce asexually or with their mate. The Ri’kin community reproduces ritualistically, causing each Ri’kin to lay one egg, with each egg laid in a communal nest to hatch together.
A Ri’kin’s community nest is blessed by the memories of its ancestors. When a Ri’kin dies, a vial of blood is collected before the body is burned. This vial of blood is deemed more important than any worldly possession and ritually spread onto the communal nest.
Within their blood, one ancestral memory, considered of great importance by the deceased Ri’kin, is passed on to all hatchlings born within the communal nest. Hatchlings are not raised by an individual parent but by the entire clan, with each hatchling blessed by the experiences of all Ri’kin from the community who came before them. Thanks to this gift of passing memories from generation to generation, Ri’kin are comfortable with death to the degree that may be unsettling to others.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Resembling a humanoid dinosaur, a Ri’kin has a colorful scaled hide alongside webbed or feathered tendrils running down their neck. Standing upright, a Ri’kin can reach anywhere from 3 to 6 feet with long leathery folding wings attached to their arms. To aid in their ability to fly, they have long, narrow legs and are generally slim.
Their flexible necks can account for a fifth of their total height, letting a Ri’kin extend in any direction to deliver a powerful bite with fanged teeth. Their heads complete the dinosaur-like appearance, often resembling those of a Deinonychus or a Tyrannosaurus.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
A Ri’kin is given a personal name at birth. Because Ri’kin are raised by an entire clan, they often include their clan’s name after their personal name when introducing themselves to others. There is no distinction between male and female names.
Names: Ahsha, Dakh, Gadahar, Maalakar, Pataga, Riddhi, Surrig, Turanya, Virresh
Lifespan
Ri'kin reach adulthood around age 10 and can live for almost 150 years.
Average Height
3ft - 6ft
Average Weight
80 - 200 lbs
Geographic Distribution
Samudra Fatewing
Knowledge and Mystery
Thanks to their ability to pass memories from generation to generation, ancient Ri’kin communities possess enormous amounts of knowledge without the constraints of books and libraries. Ri’kin hatchlings emerge with lessons on history, survival and language already known to them, bypassing a need for schools and many first-time experiences.
As expected, this ancestral knowledge is of great worth to those outside a Ri’kin community. To protect themselves from outsiders, the Ri’kin live far from other civilizations and cloak their communities with ancient Hematurgy (blood) magic, hiding in plain sight.
If a Ri’kin is discovered or chooses to enter society, they often hide their true nature, claiming to be a Draconic or using illusion magic to disguise their true selves. Thanks to their extreme caution, Ri’kin and their communities are often seen as a myth than a reality.
Feathered Ri'kin
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