Spellbinder

Tall, elegant, arrogant, pale-skinned and scary beyond all reason, spellbinders are delicate, but long-lived humanoids whose natural magical ability is easily the most powerful of their racial peers. In addition, they're the most adept at learning spellwork, and along with their cousins, the necromancers, are capable of disincorporating their form altogether, abandoning their bodies and bonding their soul to magical gems, a process known as ascension.
All of this can be owed to their unique brain structure, which has an enlarged arcana node and amygdala, leading to magically powerful, but highly irritable and mood-swinging people. Spellbinders are often remarked upon as remaining adolescent in mind well into their twenties, and given their long lifespans, they may as well behave that way.
Despite their natural magical prowess, their bodies are willowy and delicate, with food generally not being applied to musculature or fat unless strictly necessary, as maintenance of a spellbinder's often excessive magical powers is costly. Regular usage of their powers will result in deep, dark bags beneath their eyes, a facet many spellbinders take as a point of pride, with a regular aesthetic choice of spellbinders, male and female, to use make-up to exaggerate or highlight these marks. They also have long, rat-like tails, which in concert with their tall, thin form, and thin face with slit-like nostrils, has led to their race's appellation of 'snake'.
The dominant species of both Galdusian continents and the Isle of Dreams, Ilazar, as well as being a culturally significant minority in Arkhera, the spellbinder race remains influential and unparalleled in arcane prominence.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Spellbinders tend to have prominent cheekbones and flattened, slit-like noses. They sometimes have noses large enough to count as a human button nose.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Spellbinders are most populous in the Galdusian nations of Sula and Nortez, however they also dominate Ilazar and are present as an influential minority in Arkhera.

Average Intelligence

While sapient and capable of empathy/functioning in a society, spellbinders have a notably flatter curve in emotional maturity compared to humans, maintaining an adolescent mindset well into their 20s. This is likely due to their need to stimulate their arcana node through feelings of heightened fear, focus and arousal, which is most powerful in adolescent minds. As such, spellbinders have a higher incidence of narcissism, psychopathy and insecurity.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

There are two major ethnicities of spellbinder: Isleborn Ilazari and Galdusian (including Plagueborn Ilazari). Arkheran spellbinders are technically their own ethnicity, but generally have ties to Isleborn or Galdusian heritage, the latter being the most common. There are three major naming variants: Galdusian, Isleborn, and Plagueborn.
Galdusian naming conventions are equal to necromantic naming conventions; the suffixes are the most consistent aspect.
Galdusian male name examples: Veraxes, Abraxas, Lesteris, Varus, Vieri, Prismus.
Galdusian female name examples: Inera, Priora, Serella, Quirella, Altera, Fiora.
Isleborn naming conventions are likely to include ei, nya, na, ki, and ks sounds, and often are made to be spoken with a soft accent.
Isleborn male name examples: Weil, Ivan, Markiz, Elki, Nikita, Sasha.
Isleborn female name examples: Anya, Katina, Anastasia, Yelena, Zasha, Zofia.
Plagueborn naming conventions are based off the closest possible pronunciation of the usually incomprehensible Chaostongue, spoken only by chaos-speakers, and was popularised by the Sulari Galdusian Plague Emperor, who, in wishing to distance himself from his roots, constructed a language. The only major consistency in naming convention is a tendency towards two-sectioned names, one of the sections being consistent among family, and harsh sounds such as z and kh.
Plagueborn male name examples: War'mal, Rakh, Rani, Mal'dar, Kahz'har, Razilath.
Plagueborn female name examples: Razarkha, Salakh'has, Hiraz'nul, Nu'ei, Vi'khash, Vi'kara.

Major Organizations

Freehold of Ilazar (Ilazar)
Duchy of Nortez (Nortez)
Freehold of Sula (Sula)
Fuchsia Division of the Order of the Shade (Arkhera)
The War'mal Group (Ilazar)
The Sons of Sula (Nortez)
R's Revolution (Nortez)

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Modern spellbinders mostly cooperate with fellow humanoids, however, in Sula, exploitation, enslavement and domestication of humans still continues. Mage supremacist organisations such as the Arkheran Order of the Shade and Nortezian Sons of Sula explicitly place spellbinders above all other races, and numerous bigots who aren't part of these organisations quietly hold the same views.

Genetic Descendants

• Serenian (species)
• Spellbinder-Necromancer Hybrid

Scientific Name

Homo magicis magicis

Origin/Ancestry

Kakajuan Humanoid

Lifespan

100-200 years, can potentially live up to 700

Average Height

6'6'' to 7'8''

Average Physique

Generally ectomorphic, tall and lanky. Female spellbinders have muted curves but are mostly just as skinny as males, while some male spellbinders are capable of built musculature. Body hair is minimal to nonexistent, and they possess long tails that resemble a rat's.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Spellbinders tend to be pale skinned, though with enough sun exposure some can tan to a mild olive. Magically augmented spellbinders can sometimes have discoloured skin, with traits such as mild glowing in red or teal. Their eyes vary in colour, covering pretty much every area of the spectrum, while their hair colour tends to be on the light side.

Geographic Distribution

• Arkheran Isles
• Ilazar
• Nortez
• Sula

Related Ethnicities

• Arkheran
• Galdusian
• Ilazari