Kygorin Sprites

Basic Information

Anatomy

They are bipedal creatures, walking on two legs and with two arms, with an unusually small frames. They typically only reach three to four feet in height, and have small dainty frames. Their heads are small and relatively angular in shape, giving them an inquisitive look. Their most notable feature is, however, their huge bat like wings. They have long bones that extend from in between their shoulder blades. These bones split into four long, finger like structures with small bony claws on the tips. They are able to bend and stretch these wings in order to fold to almost flush against their bodies, or to stretch them to almost straight out. Their wings are on average 8 feet in wingspan, designed to allow them swift flight. They have a small tail with relatively small, 6 inch fins on the tip in order to allow for better steering. Their heads are small, with large, dark eyes with black sclera and pupils and warm toned irises. They have sharp, jagged teeth that are designed to tear meat off of bone.

Genetics and Reproduction

They reproduce sexually, with two biological sexes. They gestate every three months, but can really have a child at any point. Pregnancies can last anywhere between 8 and 10 months. A typical pregnancy yields 2 - 3 children.

Growth Rate & Stages

Babies are born very small, at only around 4 inches in length and weighing in at less than a pound. They grow relatively slowly, reaching one foot in height at 5 years old. They reach their maximum height of 3.5 feet at the age of around 20, and are fully developed mentally at 30. They have a lifespan of 130 years. They will learn to walk at around 1 year old, and to fly at around 5 years old. They are typically talking by 2 years old, and are capable of living independently at around 18 years old.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They are facultative carnivores, and primarily live off of a diet of Andrian meat. They have sharp teeth designed to tear through flesh, and have difficulty consuming non-meat products. They cannot aim well with their arms, and do not throw well. Due to this, most of their technological advances are centered on making their natural skills more effective, such as long metal claws and strong bracers to steady themselves. This has led to them being made immensely strong, fast, and dexterous hunters who can fly through the trees silently and descend on their prey, killing them almost instantly with huge metal claws.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

They have flat, humanoid faced. They have long ears that extend back to be almost flat against their heads, though the skin is not connected. They have long, fanglike teeth within a somewhat oversized grin that dominates their face. Their eyes have dark sclera and pupils, and irises in warm tones. Their eyes most commonly come in yellow, brown, and orange, with red being somewhat rarer. Males have small horns that curl back against their face, sprouting from just above their inner eyebrows. Their horns are naturally a deep orange color, but they are often painted and decorated, creating fanciful displays of color.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They live primarily in Andria, but can often be found roaming the streets of different cities due to an almost insatiable wanderlust.

Average Intelligence

They are completely sentient, but not too intelligent, with an average intelligence of 9.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have incredibly good vision but relatively poor hearing. Their ears are long and curved back, but often have hair growing over them and noise funneled away by the structure of their wings. Their eyes are sharp, picking up any small movement long before it is seen by anyone else.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

They do not have a specific naming ritual, but there is one specific tradition that they do hold close and that is that a child's name will start with the first letter of their mother's name and end with the first letter of the father's name. In the case of same sex relationships, they will just choose who ends the name and who starts it. For example, parents Erior and Kwei might name their children Erik, Etinok, and Eyotak. Female and male names don't differ much.

Beauty Ideals

In males, perfectly shaped symmetrical horns are considered incredibly attractive, whereas horns that are asymmetrical are considered lesser and unappealing. As well as this, symmetrical wings are considered appealing, as well a certain colors of fur on the wings and on the head. In wings, natural colors include various shades of gray. Dyed fur on wings is considered by some beautiful and exotic, but by others as tainting the natural beauty. Many dye their wings into exotic and unnatural colors, and some even create beautiful patterns out of colored fur.

Gender Ideals

Men are expected to be strong, nimble, dexterous, and good at flying and dodging. They are expected to be able to soar through the trees at remarkable speeds. They are expected to be warriors, hunting huge prey or chasing off intruders. Women are expected to be superior fliers, and to be excellent hunters. They are considered default teachers, mentors, leaders, and hunters.

Courtship Ideals

Their relationships are often determined by where they fall in social hierarchies, as arranged marriages are common in higher-ups. It is also very very common to see hunting partners coming together to form a relationship. They typically court by gift giving, with the relative value of the gifts increasing until one of them proposes, which is done in the form of a gift of a small jewel. This jewel can be anything from a small hunk of quartz to a massive, ornately carved diamond, but it must be a precious gem.

Relationship Ideals

They form monogamous relationships which tend to last a lifetime. Arranged marriages are common in higher social circles, and while these rarely break up there is strong evidence to suggest that the members no longer feel any sense of love, and even have other partners, though they cannot officially marry. They call pairings of two lovers, "Mirolsti" which roughly translates to "the perfect platoon" suggesting that they originally paired up for more militaristic purposes. It is common for Mirolsti to be hunter-defender groups, and there are very few group leaders who would not assign them together for this purpose. They have a love language that typically consists primarily of gift giving, with richer couples showering each other with lavish luxuries and poorer couples showing off a cool pelt that they found or splurging and buying some out of town cheeses.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

They have three major languages, Spriispeak which is the language of all sprites as a whole, Kigospriitongue, which is specific to Kigorin sprites, and common tongue, which is learned by almost all sprites. Kigospriitongue is a language that lacks the "th" and "l" sounds, due to their sharp teeth making it hard to pronounce. When played, you choose to either know Kigospriitongue or Spriispeak, as well as Common Tongue.

Common Etiquette Rules

Touching a Kyn's tail is considered rudeness of an extreme level, as the tail is a very sensitive part of the body. It is typically accepted etiquette to show intent and emotion with one's wings, and touching wings is considered the approximate equivalent of a handshake. It is also social etiquette to keep the wings relatively close to the body but not tucked all the way back, so as not to take up a large amount of space.

Common Dress Code

They do not have a strict dress code, but you must be clothed from the waist down, must be wearing a shirt that covers the chest and leaves a gap for the wings, and must have the claws covered while in public. Gloves are one of the most common pieces of apparel sold in Kyn stores, and are available in hundreds of colors, fashions, and uses. Being without gloves while not one the hunt is considered a strong taboo.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

As extremely superstitious folk, they observe many traditions depending on the region. Many religiously pray after every single kill they make for many different reasons such as it not being diseased, it's spirit having a safe journey to the after life or being reborn soon, thanking a larger spirit for it's life, etc. They celebrate many different religious holidays, such as the day of the moon, or "luunday" which is a widely recognized celebration, the day of departure, where all of them must spend an hour in complete silence so as to allow spirits to pass by undisturbed. There are many other holidays, but they vary immensely between regions.

Common Taboos

It is remarkably taboo to touch the flaps of a Kyn's tail, or really to touch their tail at all. This is due to the fact that the tail is remarkably sensitive, and allowing it to be touched is considered to be an act of vulnerability. On the hunt, many have pads or armor for their tails due to their sensitivity. As well as this, it is considered taboo to be without gloves or some hand covering in public when not on the hunt. This is due to the fact that in the past, it was extremely common for unintentional injuries to occur due to the sharpness of their claws. This led to claw covers becoming more and more common, until it was simply the norm to wear something to protect others. Since then, the original reason has been forgotten, but the tradition is still practiced to this day.

History

They descended from the original sprite, one of four subspecies of sprite. They were originally descended from the northwoods of Andria, but later on became residents of the entire continent. They come in huge numbers, living frequently in tribal nations with thousands of individuals. Most notably in their history was a lineage separation, where animalis sprites were seperated officially into two seperate genus, the Kygorin sprites and the Anili sprites. Kygorin sprites are names for famous scientist Vanille Kygor, a moonfolk scientist who classified them as a separate genus entirely. The three main Kyn nations, which are really the only three that aren't nomadic and are relatively stable in existence, are Azalen, a nation built on the basis that all exist entirely equally and there is no government, Irni, an ancient nation with an odd political system that seems to involve the person with the closest physical proximity to a magical staff having absolute authority, and Eridocra, a nation set on the foundation of authoritarianism where the strongest members of society have essentially absolute power over the weakest. Eridocra is the oldest, having formed at around 400 CE, named for the location it was founded in, Eridor. The region has since been renamed "Northwood" since it makes more sense in common tongue, but the nation's name is still retained. Azalen split off later on in a brutal war for independence that lasted almost 15 years. It took place from 813 CE to 827 CE. It's anarchist form of government has led to many challenges, and smaller tribal groups branch off of it frequently. It has been in a somewhat state of war for almost its entire existence, with opposing factions forming left and right. Irni formed just after Eridocra, so historians believe that this was around the time that their intelligence evolved enough to form governments. Surprisingly, despite its odd form of government, it somehow works and the country has been relatively successful throughout its history.

Kygorin Sprite traits
Size: small
Speed: 25ft walk, 40ft fly
Languages: Common tongue, choose between Spriispeak and Kyorspriitongue
Fearsome appearance: You have proficiency in the intimidation skill
Hunter's might: You gain proficiency in the survival skill
Talon claws: Your unarmed strike deals 1d4 + dex slashing damage
ASI: +2 to Dex, +1 to Wis

Scientific Name

Fari Kygorinis Sapiens

Origin/Ancestry

Sprite

Lifespan

130 years

Conservation Status

They have a relatively healthy population size at this point, and are subsequently not under any form of protection. It is illegal to kill them under charges of murder due to the fact that they are, in fact, sentient.

Average Height

3 - 4 feet

Average Weight

25 - 35 pounds

Average Length

Wingspan of 6 - 8 feet, 2 foot long tail.

Average Physique

They tend to have little muscle mass, and are never incredibly heavy. If they get too heavy, it makes it difficult to lift themselves off of the ground, so they typically don't.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Their skin is a pale gray in color, and is usually solid in tint. They lack fur everywhere but their wings and top of their head, and this fur is usually a more vibrant orange or pink in color. Their hair usually stands up, flowing back behind them and giving them a majestic, flame like appearance. Their horns are a deep orange color, with small indentations highlighted by a distinctly darker color.

Geographic Distribution

• Continent of Andria