Veran

Crafted by an envious ysai to mimic a beautiful celestial race another ysai had made, they were subsequently cursed by the latter ysai out of anger, made weaker and forced to drink the blood of other creatures just to survive, as well as losing their wings.
Being one of the most ancient civilized species, their culture is refined and steeped in tradition, and they hold as much land in the world as the eleshad do.

Basic Information

Anatomy

While mostly humanoid both internally and externally, this tall species has a few key differences that separates them - aside from the dietary need to consume blood. Their short ears are pointed, and their nails are naturally black or grey and much harder than a human's, more like claws than regular nails. Their irises are large, making it appear so their eyes are one solid, jewel-like color.
Similar to shadreagh, they can 'ascend' once reaching a certain power threshold, which gains them large, feathered wings that grow in stages.

Genetics and Reproduction

Standard, live births. Gestation in the female takes around 10 Vruanhaian months.

Growth Rate & Stages

Veran grow slowly. Infancy to toddlerhood takes six years, toddlerhood to childhood takes another fifteen, childhood to adolescence takes thirty, and adolescence to adulthood takes eighty years, so that they reach adulthood around the age of one-hundred-and-thirty.
Afterwards, they mostly stop aging, with young adulthood being around 1500 years long, with mature adulthood being 4000 long. Only around 5600 years old do they start to age again, and over the next several millennia will start to get gray in their hair (sometimes sooner if stress is persistent enough) and their face will wrinkle. Before they can look truly elderly, however, the aging process stops completely, halting at a state of late middle-age.
No veran has ever been known to die of age, and in fact usually loses their life to conflict of some kind. The eldest still-living veran is Renoraz Arduhelkev, at over 22,000 years old.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They are able to eat just about any food, though old, dead blood will make them briefly ill. They must consume a cumulative liter of blood every 48 Vruanhaian days, since their bodies do not produce enough on their own due to the curse upon their species. While able to go longer without blood before it's detrimental, consuming enough at the 48-day mark helps ensure the veran is at their best health.
In order to process foreign blood, supernatural processes take over to "rewrite" white blood cells that would otherwise attack the veran's body, and make them recognize the veran as the original host.

Additional Information

Social Structure

King and Queen monarchy
Rest of royal family
Nobility
Commoner

Facial characteristics

Most common facial type is diamond, with the next most common being triangular and heart-shaped, with rectangular and rounded faces being the rarest. Their eyes run the spectrum of colors, and they have round, standard pupils.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Spread the world over, their owned lands consist of the following countries:
Anais, Ygeris, Duseldrar, Tarediiv, Mayilan, Adar, and Iera.
They also own a vast amount of castles and cities in almost all other countries, per their treaties with the eleshad.

Average Intelligence

120 IQ (100-150)

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Generally better eyesight and hearing than humans, with average tactile senses. Like the shadreagh, they can overlay aura vision or soul sight over their regular vision to perceive the metaphysical aspects of their world. They are also gifted with infrared sight, which can be activated at will.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The Fourteen Primary Houses:
Arduhelkev
Evasa
Kaseris
Lumadel
Rajir
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Gender Ideals

Women should be of a shapely hourglass figure, while men ideally have the triangular upper body. Dress plays little role, since many clothing styles are unisex.

Courtship Ideals

A long period of monogamous dating.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Kedhal, spoken by all veran, and Efvrega'ele, spoken by most.

Common Etiquette Rules

Greetings:
Shallow waist bow - done between equal ranks, or higher rank to lower rank.
Deep waist bow - lower rank to higher rank.
Nod - royalty to royalty.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Veran culture is ancient, steeped in tradition, and very strict. As the species has no natural age of death, barring outside means they live forever. And, as they physically do not change past a certain age, neither do their ways or ideals (generally.) While this can make for rather stiff conversation with elder verans, the species as a whole contributes much to the world in the ways of technology and innovation.
Each House keeps meticulous records of its history and members, good or ill, for all believe the preservation of accurate history is as important as life itself. One cannot advance if one does not know the past, after all.
There are a total of fourteen primary Houses, each headed by a king and queen whose power extends only to their own House and property. Each House has a specific task - Arduhelkev, for example, compiles records from all Houses and safely stores them in an ever-growing underground vault.
There are numerous smaller Houses, but none that have persisted as long as the primaries. It is not uncommon for smaller Houses to rise and fall over the centuries, or for new ones to be established when members from multiple Houses come together, discontent with their own Houses for one reason or another.
Verans are territorial. While multiple Houses may coexist in any given city, only one ever has a Grand Castle in its bounds, and rules over all other veran in the territory. The ruling House in a city has the final say over how some veran-only laws are to be enacted and carried out, though it's possible if gone to an extreme, an intercity war between opposing ruling Houses can break out.
A ruling Council consisting of members from each House keeps most of the bullshit in check.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

As there are so many people on Vruanhai, most of them not verans, a set of rules has been established that all verans of every House must follow, or else face strict punishment.

• Do not force yourself on an unwilling party.

• Report to your House at least once every century about your current living conditions, address, and any major events you participated in. More frequent reports is recommended.

• Always obey those in your House who rank higher than yourself. They have earned their positions, and you are subservient.

• Always obey the Council.

Common Taboos

Do not turn children of other species into a veran, ever, for any reason.

History

The first civilized species on Vruanhai, ...

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Veran <> Eleshad
Veran <> Zelfir
Veran <> Naga

Lifespan

Unlimited

Average Height

6'6" - 7'8"

Average Weight

200 lbs - 450 lbs

Average Physique

Generally fit and lean, given many of them have active lifestyles, though softer-bodied veran are not uncommon given how many do not travel.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Dark brown to pale white.