Nephalim

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Nephalim are creatures with four muscular arms and dull yellow-grey skin, strengthened by the constant warfare. Overall they are an incredibly durable species due to their home plane of Pandemonium.

Genetics and Reproduction

Nephalim reproduce similar to humans.

Growth Rate & Stages

Nephalim appear to grow at incredible rates physically. By age 10 Nephlim appear almost fully grown, however they their mental development will continue for an addtional 8 years.
It is incredibly rare for a Nephalim to die of old age. As they age they do deteriorate physically as much as a human does, but may begin to lose speed and reaction time. As a Nephalim grows old and begins to slow, they will head off to battle to die in glorious combat.

Ecology and Habitats

Pandemonium is a harsh environment, with the very ground sometimes becoming unstable due to large scale combat. However the Nephalim being a strong people are able to protect the regions they claim and are able to pick up and move quite quickly, their strength and endurance giving them incredible building abilities.
Pandemonium being the Eternal Battlefield, there are innumerable types of environments within it. The Nephalim prefer places with solid ground where they can build their great halls.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The Nephalim are largely carnivores. They hunt any creature in the regions they take up. Storage of food is usually salted which they recieve from either the Demons or Seraphim when being paid to fight on one side or the other. They have massive appetites because of their size, however the Nephalim after a large meal are able to survive for several days without food or water, which makes marching to war incredibly effective.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The Nephalim are tribal in nature with a chief leading a tribe. These tribes can contain from 50 to 200 Nephalim and will join forces in time for war. The more magically gifted of the Nephalim will become Shamens who converse with the Seraphim and the Demons when negotiating sides in a battle. While Shamens are not the leaders their word is highly adviced.

Facial characteristics

With everything, Nephalim have strong musclar faces. Their jaws have relatively sharp edges and very blocky. They are capable of growing hair on the top of their head, but largely cannot grow facial hair. Many choose to go bald, or keep a small patch of hair very long.

Average Intelligence

On average the Nephalim are not a very intelligent people except when it comes to weaponry, combat, and hunting.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Nephalim are given a single name, but in addressing themselves they name their father or mother whoever was the Warrior of House, along with the name of the tribe they hailed from. For instance on warrior could go by the name:
"I am Upanga son of Maji, of the Raging Boar"
Upanga being the given name, Maji being either the mother or the father, and Raging Boar being the name of the tribe Upanga son of Maji hails from. Should a Nephalim be exiled from his tribe, they drop the tribe name.

Major Organizations

The major political factions are tribes that have proven themselves more prominent in combat. One tribe however is seen as less favorable and who hails from it is often shrouded in mystery, the Black Spiders, which is a tribe of assassains. Nephalim children that are seen as feeble (by Nephalim standards) are taken in by the Black Spiders to become Nephalim of deception and assassination.

Beauty Ideals

Beauty in Nephalim culture is all based on combat prowess. The more foes they can slay in combat, or best in an arena the more they are sought after.

Gender Ideals

Men and Women Nephalim are treated in equal measure. Men are slightly inferior to women because of their inability to birth a child making them less useful. This is a minor inferiority as prowess in combat is still seen as the end all of ideals.

Courtship Ideals

The first born of a family is under the greatest stress for partnership as they are most expected to take over as Warrior of the Home and to produce an heir to join families. If the first born is slain, then the next born takes up the mantle of first born, continuing down the line. Because combat is praised above all else, when one family wishes to for two of their first borns to join families, the proposing family must issue a challenge of courtship. This challenge is a sparring match between the two first borns of the house. If the challenging house wins then the courtship is accepted and the families join, but if they lose then the courship is declined and may even result in the death of the first born. These challenges are preferred to be between a woman and a man as they are expected to produce more heirs.
The other children that do not have the responsibility of joining families, are free to find a mate of their own. These still result in challenge of courtships, but do not often result in death or the merging of families. Instead when a challenge is issued, it is to bring the other member of the house into the challengers family. The challenger can also choose to create their own house from such a union. These unions do not have to be between a woman and a man, but of any two Nephalim as members of the family can be added with additional challenges of courtship.

Relationship Ideals

The preference for relationships are two who are proficient in combat and have compatible fighting styles. Two who fight together and are stronger than they are apart is the ideal relationship. These relationships do not even have to be between a man and woman.

Average Technological Level

The technology of the Nephalim is not highly advaced. They have incredible skills with a forge and their ability to build fortifactions is astounding, but they do not have a written language and their history is passed down orally. They are capable of creating seige weapons, but do not prefer them as they often desire to fight their enemy up close.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The primary language that they speak is called Neno, in the Common tongue it is called Nephalim. Each tribe may have its own dialect having its own mannerisms and pronunciations, but learning Neno will allow you to speak with all tribes.
Neno is a descendant of Celestial as Ariel was their mother and was the one to teach them. Much of the vocabulary has changed, but those that know Celestial will recognize the structure of the language and be able to identify much of the language.

Common Dress Code

Nephalim do not wear upper body garments as it can interfere with the motion of their secondary set of arms. Some will wear a segmented breast plate, that allows independant motion of the upper and lower arms. Some will wear a tabbard, mostly for signaling status and family. A shamen may wear a more recognizable shirt (with four sleeves) to adorn with various talismans as they are unlikely to fight directly in combat.
Leg wear is common as genetalia are often desired to be protected from the elements and in combat. Boots and socks are also a development in order to fight off disease and extend ones ability to march into war. However lack of footware outside of combat is common as it is more freeing.
Some warriors however are happy to fight in combat in complete nudity.

Common Taboos

It is seen as taboo to kill another while they sleep for one in slumber cannot fight back. Therefore assassins are looked down on as they do not fight in combat but use trickery to kill each other.

History

Long ago Demons brought war to Arborea. The Endless Forest was being ravaged by the countless armies of The Abyss. The war raged for millenia, with many on both sides growing tired of fighting. Ariel, the once Archangel of the Sapient People, met with the Demon general Zogmog. They hatched a plan to end the war between the two and produced the first Nephalim child whom she named Machafuko. The followers of Ariel and Zogmog began having their own Nephalim children and soon an army was raised that fought both sides.
The Angels now having lost more ground in the war, turned to the Seraphim to help quell the Demons and the Nephalim. Bringing the might of Oolithia the Seraphim came and helped end the war, driving home the Demon hordes and wounding the Demon Lord Kagaath, Demon Lord of the Hunt. The Nephalim were nearly wiped out. Only by the order of Tabbris, Archangel of Trees were they spared, for Tabbris and Ariel had made agreements that his trees would be used for the people she help create and that her people would help cultivate and protect the trees. Having the pressure of the other Archangels, Tabbris ordered Ariel banished from Arborea, for her actions had not done so much creation as they had destroyed. For that her and all her children were banished to Pandemonium to fight the wars that her children had been bred to fight in.
Ariel and her followers were forced to live in Pandemonium, never to return to Arborea. And so she helped her Nephalim children learn to hunt and build homes. Zogmog had been slain in the Seraphim assault and so it was up to her to cultivate the last people she created. Machafuko lived still and became the leader of their people being the first of the Nephalim, he was also the first Mfalme Silaha making it the trait of leadership and power. Machafuko was declared as King of Chiefs, the ultimate ruler of the Nephalim.
But tragedy followed Ariel as Kaagath, recovered from his wounds in the war, seeked vengence for his defeat. Knowing revenge against all of Arborea was impossible he sought after the only Angel he knew he could destroy with no reprecussions, Ariel. And so in the middle of Pandemonium, Kaagath and his forces attacked the city of the Nephalim in hopes to bring out Ariel to their aid. Kaagath found the Nephalim people even more fierce than they had been in Arborea, now under the leadership of Machafuko and his many princes. During the seige Kaagath seeked the help of his bretheren Elmoth, Demon Lord of Illusions and got aid sneaking into the city. In the night they murdered Machafuko in his sleep but his cries of death awoke Ariel who came too late to save her first son. In a rage she destroyed the assassins, waking the city. In this destruction she made herself vulnerable and in a last effort to save her children from the oncoming destruction she split the city to the princes and flung the pieces to all corners of Pandemonium. What happened to Ariel is not known. Kaagath claims to have slain the vulnerable fallen Archangel, but the word of a Demon Lord is not always to be trusted. Elmoth claims to know the true fate of Ariel, but none can trust the words of the Demon Lord of Lies.

Historical Figures

Machafuko, son of Zogmog, the first Mfalme Silaha
Mbuzi, daughter of Ng'ombe, of the Iron Banner, Uniter of the Tribes of the Salt Flats
Shaba, son of Futa, of the Great Forge, tamer of the Flames of Oolock and reigniter of the Great Forge
Mti, daughter of Brashi, of the Fire Ape, slayer of Agmath

Common Myths and Legends

Machafuko, the first Mfalme Silaha is believed to be the descendant of Ariel, the Archangel of Sapient People and Zogmog the Demon General of Kaagath. Because of the union Machafuko was a stronger and more powerful Nephalim, unlike the Nephalim produced by Zogmog and Ariel's demonic and angelic followers. So those born Mfalme Silaha are seen as direct descendants of Machafuko and a symbol of the creation of the Nephalim.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Nephalim are highly critical of other races, having interacted with them on the planes of Pandemonium in eternal conflict. The ones they respect most are those who are able to hold their own against the Nephalim in combat. Some individuals may even be taken into a tribe of Nephalim should they be able to prove themselves in battle. Those who fight in the eternal conflict in Pandemonium do not stay dead when slain but awake the following day to fight anew, so the Neno name for them is "Tamaa" or "Deathless" in the common tongue. While combat skilled Tamaa are respected, any attempts to create an offspring with them is impossible.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Angel

Lifespan

150 years

Average Height

7-8 feet tall

Average Weight

300 lbs

Average Physique

All Nephalim are incredibly muscular. Their muscles hare incredibly resistant to fatigue, making them formidable foes in combat allowing them to fight and run for longer periods of time.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Their skin is largley a dull yellow and grey color. Their eyes are usually grey with variations, but very muted colors. The Mfalme Silaha, or roughly translated "King of Arms", skin is a brighter yellow and has black markings that appear as tattoos.