Melivora

Melivora, the Hardy Ones. During the First Battle, the Melivora lost to the Alfar and Fatum and were shoved into one of the more inhabitable places in Phantaforas - the deserts and savannas of the East. Despite their rotten luck, they learned to thrive in the suffocating heat of Rylsk and Calia.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Melivora are the smallest known Aelvanir race in Phantaforas. They are slim and dainty, with the tallest recorded Melivora standing no more than 5'3". Their legs are noticeably longer than their arms and is arguably the only lean part of their body.

The Melivora, angry at their exile from Empiurious, tore their wings off of their body and promised to live a life so starkly different from what they once had. Those who were born with wings had them torn off when they reached the cusp of adulthood, signifying rebirth. Eventually, their wings stopped growing altogether - now, most Melivora have either small, feathered stumps or bumps, or patches of feathers where their wings used to be.

---

Average Lifespan: 250 - 400 years
Average Height: 4'0" to 5'3"
Facial Features: Melivora facial features are made of sharp angles and turns, often diamond-shaped or triangular. They are known to have larger, rounder eyes than most Hydrurga, longer ears to help them dispel heat, and more prominent foreheads. Their teeth are noted to have sharper, finer points that allow them to bite into even the toughest fruits and meats of the desert, from the incisors up to the premolars.

Common Skin Tones: Depends on their origin. Settled Melivora, or those who live in massive underground complexes, are either pale or fair-skinned from the lack of sunlight that they get on a daily basis. Nomadic Melivora, however, are generally tanned, olive, or dark - depending on how often they go out when it's daytime. Both, however, are prone to having a scattering of freckles (or in some cases smudges) along their faces and bodies.
Common Eye Colors: Black, brown, gray
Languages: Common Aelvanir, Norwestern Melivora, Calian, High Rylsk, Hydr

Culture and Life

Diet Habits

Melivora are notorious for finding food in places where other races will expect none and have a variety of ways of extracting nutrients from whatever is around them.

On Hunting - The hunt starts by deciding whether to do so by day or night. While daytime offers more active prey, the heat of the desert sun can be potentially dangerous even to the desert-dwellers. A hunting party must be quick and efficient in dispatching their prey, otherwise they risk prolonging a chase that can have fatal consequences. They need to take several breaks over the course of the afternoon to catch their breaths and never be locked in a hunt for more than an hour at a time. On the other hand, while nighttime might remove the risk of overheating, many prey-animals are notably either absent or in hiding, making it much harder for the hunting party to find something to take home in the first place.

On Livestock - Some tribes may choose to keep livestock animals with them, however, livestock animals are hard to come by in the desert. Many of the prey-animals in the arid deserts and savannas aren't too kind towards domestication attempts, and several Melivora have died from attempting to tame them. Because of this unavoidable risk, it's common for only upper-class families and kingdoms to have any form of livestock, which they had to have bred and imported from somewhere else. Having livestock also requires additional consumption in resources, something that most Melivora tribes simply could not afford.

On Foraging - Like many of the animals, a majority of the plants in Calia and Rylsk are also poisonous to most Aelvanir - except Melivora. Because they have been living in such harsh conditions over centuries, they have grown a natural resistance to many poisons, venoms, and illnesses. Some commonly inedible plants do not give the Melivora any adverse effects. Certain cacti are considered delicacies in tribes, and succulents can be a good source of hydration.

On Farming - Most of the spots in Calia do not have fertile-enough land for farming to be an option save shore-cities such as the High Kingdom of Romanov, the Kingdom of Popsipil, and the Oasis of Nasan. Nomadic tribes do not bother with farming due to how often they move from one place to the next. Those who live in Rylsk, however, do not seem to have this problem, as certain kinds of vegetation are adapted to the savanna.

---

Naming

Lower-class Melivora do not have surnames. Instead, they receive a title that depicts their greater traits. Merchants would often have the surnames Silvertongue or Goldentouch, warriors Shattershield or Unyielding, archers Keeneye or Quickshot. Upper-class Melivora are required to have a formal surname as an identifier for other races and cultures.

---

SOCIAL STRUCTURES

Melivora live four different ways: they either live with a familial tribe, or a united tribe (a tribe formed in camaraderie and are not related), and they either live in a stationary plot of land or in different places at a time. The kind of tribe that they are in usually determine the kind of social structure that they are subjected to.

Familial tribes are often led by the strongest member in the family (such as the Head of House). They represent the family in any and all kinds of political affairs, as well as lead them into battle should the need arise. They have the biggest hut/room/chambers, the biggest portions, the first pick, and the most responsibility. Heads of Houses will always be held responsible for their people and are also expected to receive whatever punishment their people get. Heads of Houses may also be overturned if a stronger family member is to beat them in a one-on-one tournament that challenges their hunting, offense, and defense skills.

On the other hand, united tribes are always led by the oldest member, simply called the Eldest. Leadership is politically simpler in united tribes. The Eldest gets the same and eats the same as their people, and their huts are not too bigger than everyone else's. They are often expected to pick last unless otherwise requested by the giver and are all-around more down-to-earth than their familial counterpart. The Eldest, however, is naturally unable to be at the front line of the battle, and may succumb to old age - when that happens, the next oldest member of the Tribe immediately takes up the mantle.

---

LOCATIONS

Many Melivora clans live a nomadic life, staying in one territory for only a predetermined amount of time before searching for other places to stay. Because the arid desert is so massive, it’s possible to go for days without encountering other desert-dwellers; it’s, perhaps, for the best. Melivora do not take too kindly to intruders in their temporary territory without diplomatic reasoning or escorts. On the other hand, stationary Melivora (often familial tribes and major kingdoms) live in massive, underground complexes to help keep cool during the day.

---

COMMUNION

For the united tribes, they have the habit of eating as one in the night, gathering at their local clearing. Each family brings their own food, but it’s common to share with other village members. Those who do not have a family may ask for food from others - kids and elders are given shares, however adolescents and adults are rarely shared with, as they must learn how to hunt on their own. They indulge in play-fighting during these social gatherings, with the adolescents and adults quickly falling into scraps and brawls. The defeated will often have to provide something they own to their victors.

---

TABOOS

Tattoos in Melivora culture are used to identify low-ranking or exiled individuals. Only one symbol is ever used. An 'x' on the palm signifies that the bearer is low-ranking or has been convicted of a crime, while an 'x' on the chin signifies that the bearer has been permanently exiled from Melivora land. These marks are believed to be carried to the afterlife.

---

Daily Lives

Ideals

Gender Ideals - Males are tasked to protect and defend borders while females are tasked to hunt, scavenge, and trade. However, progression has allowed males to take on hunting, scavenging, and trading duties while females take on offense, defense, and protection. Currently, the Head of Defense of the largest known Melivora Clan, House Romanov, is a female known as Ruwanae Romanov.

Myths and Legends

Anthflos

The patron of growth.

---

Eorthere

The patron of change.

Leadership
House Romanov of Calia
House Popsipil of Calia
House Novosad of Calia
House Dichan of Rylsk
House Rougg of Rylsk
House Duniaro of Rylsk

Origin/Ancestry
Aelvanir

Relationships
Hydrurga: Active-Diplomatic
Alfar: Passive-Neutral
Aelcere: Active-Neutral
Lesser Fatum: Passive-Neutral
True Fatum: Active-Antagonistic

_{May our nights bring us bounty,
may our days bring us sleep,
may our prayers bring us prosperity;
May Mother Anthflos bring us growth,
may Father Eorthere bring us change,
may our tribe bring us security;
May the dawn bring us peace,
may the dusk bring us courage,
may our hearts bring us integrity;
May the Jarbufoix give us peace,
may the Pagoselbe bring us conflict,
may the desert give us community.}

Genetic Descendants

• Aelcere