Races of Theopetros: Terora

The children of angels

Appearance

Terora are avian humanoids whose features strongly resemble large birds. They have beaks of varying shapes which are usually black, or a shade from yellow to orange. Both their arms and their legs end in powerful talons. Feathers cover their bodies ranging in color from pure white or black to multicolored like a rainbow. Their skin, talons, and eyes are typically dark colored. They are slightly taller than an average human, but are thinner as well. A terora's eyes sit slightly back and to the sides of their head, giving them binocular vision with a slightly more panoramic field of view than other humanoids.

Terora have hollow bones and reproduce by laying eggs.

Personality

Most terora are content to stay in their communities, passing life by in its ordered simplicity as they perform their role in society. Terora adventurers are not a rare occurrence though, they enter the adventuring life out of a sense of duty. They believe in protecting the world from evil, and many leave their communities for a personal crusade, only to return in their old age and pass their wisdom down to the next generation. Terora without a gift for the religious life are likely to set out into the wider world. Most eventually return to their mountain homes. Terora who damage society are shunned from the community.

History

The Beginning

The members of this race are known as terora, but most simply refer to them as terora. They are often mistaken for beastmen by those who are not used to them. In some ways terora are the opposite of the beastmen. Whereas beastmen and humans came from the work of demons, terora owe their existence to celestials.

Early in the Demon Lord’s reign he tried to exterminate any celestials who happened to be on the material plane when he sealed it. Roughly a hundred celestials managed to survive the first purge. They went into hiding and formed a resistance movement. Since they could not operate openly, many chose to hide themselves in the animals of the world. These possessions were benign, the celestials mostly went along for the ride as the animals lived their lives. One celestial chose to hide in a roc, a great bird. When that roc laid an egg, it was different than normal. The celestial watched in interest as as something not quite bird and not quite celestial emerged from the egg. The first terora was born.

The celestials knew that they could not increase their own number while the Demon Lord was in control, but the terora gave them a different way. At first celestials began possessing different birds as they were ready to lay eggs, but this process was slower than the celestials liked. Eventually they discovered that they could get the same result by passing through the eggs themselves. Any egg that a celestial passed through underwent a transformation, resulting in the birth of a new terora.

The celestials scoured the world for eggs from great birds, but many of those birds have slow birth rates. To make up the numbers, the celestials began collecting any eggs they could find. Birds that laid eggs frequently were kept on hand.

The terora population grew from one to thousands in less than a decade. The celestials raised their children high up on secluded mountain peaks where they taught the terora about culture, and trained them as warriors. The terora fought frequent skirmishes against the armies of the Demon Lord. The terora army was short on equipment, often resorting to stone and bone in the construction of their weapons, but they provided one of the largest forces when the free races rose up against the Demon Lord.

After the Seal

Many of the celestials stayed with the terora after the breaking of the seal. They have continued to guide teroran culture alongside the oldest and wisest of the terora. Most of the terora population still lives on mountain peaks, following simple monastic lives.

Culture

Terora live in close-knit communities consisting of extended family units. These communities make their homes high up in the mountains. In the urban centers of other races, they tend to group in communal quarters, preferring taller buildings. Those living in rural areas establish settlements near forests and hills. Terora society is very structured and self contained, much like a monastic religious order. In fact, terora study religion above all other topics.

Relations

Terora get along well with elves and dwarves. These races longer lives give them a perspective that the terora appreciate for it’s lack of spontaneity. Halflings and humans are far too flighty and unpredictable for their sensibilities, but terora are often too polite to point out such things. They rarely get along with orcs and goblins, recalling the violent history between their races during the Demon Lord’s reign.

Architecture

Having the ability to fly has greatly influenced teroran architecture. They construct cities on cliffsides and in tall trees. Bridges, ladders, and such are added as an afterthought to allow less mobile races to traverse their communities.

Religion

Religious beliefs vary from community to community; Since there were few gods around when terora were born, they feel no personal attachment to any one deity. They study religion as a whole, showing healthy respect for the good and neutral gods. Many embrace polytheism, picking and choosing to uphold the tenets of whatever deities best suit them.

Bloodlines

Due to their heritage terora have the strongest celestial bloodline of all the races.

Terora often display traits which trace back to various birds and bird-like creatures. These bloodlines include: Phoenix, Roc, Gryph, Thunderbird, Axe Beak, JubJub Bird and the Stymphalidies among many others.

Draconic bloodlines also run strong in terora communities, as do air elemental bloodlines.

Government

Most terora communities tend to follow an extended family group structure. Community rules remain loose and subjective, and community members settle most conflicts through public arbitration. While every terora has a voice in their society, in most settlements terora still defer to their revered elders for wisdom and advice.

Military

Terora were born to be warriors and the right hand of the celestials. Most learn at least basic fighting techniques which make use of their natural weapons and their ability to fly. Each terora community has a core of warriors who have chosen the martial way as their preferred religious expression. These forces are typically monks, but other forms of combat are often intermixed with the rigid training. Terora find a sort of kinship with hippogriffs, and raise them for use as mounts.

Technology

With the world opened up after the Demon Lord’s defeat, the terora have access to the technology of other races. They still prefer simplicity in their own technological endeavors. In many ways their technology is still in the stone age. Other technology is used when needed, but terora view their simple lives and their stone and bone weapons as a cultural staple.

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