Races of Theopetros: Crythal
The Children of Memory
Appearance
A crythal is a humanoid standing between 4 and 6 feet tall. Their skin is covered in very thin, very fine sheets of crystal similar scales. This crystal is not rigid but extremely flexible due to its composition. Their fingers and toes are slightly longer than a humans. Each individual crythal appears more like one race or another depending on their shole. A crythal does not have hair, instead they possess long strands of flexible crystal where hair would be. Crythal possess four eyes. They have two large main eyes roughly where a human would, and two smaller eyes that sit just where their ears meet their hair. A crythal's eyes look like perfectly smooth gemstones. There is no indication of a pupil or any other feature besides a pristine clear orb.
Crythal come in almost any color, but often favor those of local gemstones. As such, Crythal often come in many shades of violet, blue, green and red. There are the occasional black crythal, and others appear almost translucent with a white opaqueness about them. Their crystalline hair comes in the same shades and may or may not be the same color as the Crythal's body. A crythal's eyes are usually the same color as their hair, but the shade seems to shift constantly. This shifting shade is actually caused by the movement of the many lenses that make up a crythal's eyes.
Some crythal, usually females, possess wings. These wings would be described as almost dragonfly like in their appearance. Though thin and lightweight, the crystal that these wings are composed of is the strongest crystal that a crythal's body can produce. As such these wings are less likely to be damaged than the rest of the crythal's body. While flying, these sheets vibrate against one another creating a soft sort of music that many find enjoyable.
Personality
Crythal are curious and reverent. In other respects their personalities vary wildly and are often equated with other races. He thinks like a dwarf. She acts like an elf. A crythal’s unique personality is shaped by the crystal souls they have absorbed.
History
The history of the crythal starts with a crysmal and the effects of the Demon Lord’s seal. With the material plane sealed off, souls didn’t leave. Many souls returned as a form of undead, many more were sent to the Demon Lord to be placed in the seal for power. Other souls hit the barrier between the planes, and were sent back. In the process they crystallized, returning as gemstones scattered across the plane. After the breaking of the seal the border between the planes still carries a residual amount of the power that closed the plane. Those souls that encounter this power still return as crystal souls.
Crythal owe their existence to one particular crysmal that chose to make a meal of a deity stone. Contact with the crystallized essence of the souls trapped in the seal caused a drastic change in the crysmal. After eating the deity stone the crysmal underwent a complete metamorphosis. The creature constructed a cocoon of crystal and organic material. Roughly three feet tall and two feet in diameter, this cocoon became the home of the growing Crythal for the next month. After that time, the cocoon was consumed in the transformation and the outer shell fell away revealing to the world a stunningly beautiful female, the first of her kind.
Crythal have since spread across the plane in search of crystal souls. These souls are less rare than deity stones, but have a similar effect upon crysmals. These crystal souls allow new generations of crythal to be born.
Physiology
There are two known ways for a crythal to be born. Crythal may form when a crysmal comes into contact with and subsequently feeds upon a crystal soul. This results in the crysmal forming a cocoon and undergoing a transformation into a crythal.
The second way is for a crythal to actually be born to crythal parents. Crysmal are sexless, but as they undergo a transformation to a crythal they become either male or female. A mated pair can give birth to a pure born crythal.
Keta Crythal: These are the first stage of crythal. They have absorbed one crystal soul and have undergone metamorphosis. They look much like a crysmal but have a humanoid torso like a centaur. Their heads are elongated into more of an upside down egg shape. They sport a mouth made of two pairs of mandibles, and subtle hints of humanoid features. Their arms sport three fingered hands. Keta stand about 3ft. tall and have a rough intelligence about that of a six year old.
Sol Crythal: Sol are the second stage of crythal growth. These are crythal that have absorbed two crystal souls. They lose the extra legs and take on a somewhat androgynous human appearance. Their facial features are more defined but very smooth. The four mandibled jaw is now a defined mouth with a vertical connecting line down the center showing where the two top and two bottom pieces fused to each other. Sol sport four fingers on each hand. Sol stand between 4ft. and 5ft. tall and possess an intelligence similar to older children or early teens.
Schen Crythal: This is the final stage of crythal growth, usually simply referred to as crythal. They have absorbed three crystal souls. They take on an adult appearance with features resembling the races of the crystal souls they absorbed. Pure born crythal are schen in most respects with only a few differences. They have never absorbed a crystal soul. They look like schen from birth, and age at roughly the same rate as other races.
Drael Crythal: These crythal are a rare occurrence among pure born. They are sexless, almost a throwback to Sol, but they average 7 feet tall and are built like a brick. Drael occur in about 1 out of every 100 births.
If it is possible to absorb more than three crystal souls and further grow it hasn't happened yet. The Queen herself is the only crythal that can be considered beyond the schen stage
Perhaps the strangest part of the crythal makeup is the crystal souls themselves. Every crythal that dies leaves behind a crystal soul. These shards are consumed by crysmals and younger crythal to grow a new generation.
In the event of the Queen's death, a female crythal will take the Queen's crystal soul and undergo a metamorphosis into the new Queen. In this way some of the Queen's memories are always carried on in the newest ruler. The new Queen is typically a daughter of the previous Queen.
Culture
Most of the menial labor in crythal society is performed by crysmal drones, which leaves the crythal free to follow other pursuits. At times though, their limited animal intelligence and size prevent them from doing certain jobs. Just above the crysmal are the keta and the sol each with increasingly complicated jobs based on their abilities.
At the top of the pyramid is the Queen. She is the law and the guiding light for her people. After the Queen is the Geode, a council of advisors who also act as a court system among the crythal. The council is composed of some of the wisest among the crythal, but includes others of varying viewpoints. The Queen also holds a position in the Geode when needed to cast tie breaking votes and such.
Next in line are the speakers of the ancestors. These are scribes and lore keepers who diligently collect and store the knowledge passed on to the crythal by the shole who have formed ancestor charms. They also keep a record of the people’s history and customs. Some of the speakers have seats in the Geode. After the Speakers come the artisans. This includes most of the rest of society, those who have a particular crafting skill, those who act, those who sing, and basically everyone else who tries to enrich society. Many take up art or music as a pastime. Crythal performers are known for clear pristine voices and beautiful melodies. Their artwork is often bright and vibrant depicting the world around them. Many Crythal with wings have learned to produce varying types of music with their interplay.
Crythal that formed from crystal souls are born possessing some of the memories of the person the shard was formed from. This leaves many Crythal with a sense of wanderlust as they wish to see the places in their minds and interact with the people that live there. This has caused a deep streak of curiosity among the crythal population.
crystal souls hold a special place in crythal society. They are extremely protective of these shards, especially those that form from deceased crythal. Crythal refer to crystal souls as ancestor charms. The individual who formed the shard is called a shole. Crythal believe that a shole forms an ancestor charm when they have unfinished business, great knowledge to pass on, or when the other ancestors have deemed the shole worthy of joining them. Some crythal see it as an appointed task to try and find the family and friends of their shole if they are still alive. Crythal do this so that those who knew the shole in life can have closure with the shole's passing. Many crythal keep a journal containing memories and stories of their shole.
Nemestal: Nemestal is both a greeting and a parting. It involves placing one's hands to one's forehead then lowering them to chest level held together to represent an opened book. This action is accompanied by an incline of the head and often the spoken word Nemestal. Nemestal to Crythal means “I see the ancestors knowledge in you” or “I bow to the spirit of knowledge in you.” It is also often used to concede defeat in games of skill.
Relations
In some ways crythal are every other race. As such they get along well with other races. There is no cultural or racial animosity, and individuals are taken as they are without regard to their racial past.
Crythal share cultural similarities with halflings due to their reverence and care for their ancestors.
Architecture
High up in mountains and deep beneath the earth are magnificent cities constructed with the natural crystals which form in the area. At first the city may be hard to spot, as it seems to grow directly from the crystal around it forming a city that is at once livable but also integrated with the natural habitat to such a level that it's presence does almost nothing to disrupt the natural order. Crythal construction is made almost exclusively of crystal and stone.
Religion
Stemming from the nature of crystal souls, many crythal revere their ancestors, and the ancestors of those who became crythal. They believe that a portion of the ancestors is always passed down, reborn in the subsequent generations as something akin to a guiding spirit or consciousness.
Crythal worship every god. A specific crythal typically worships the god of their shole.
Bloodlines
Crythal rarely if ever produce offspring with with other races, but the nature of the crystal souls means that crythal display traits from the bloodlines of their shole.
Government
Crythal are a culture apart. Even if they live in other lands, they are all members of the crythal kingdom. They all are under the sway of the Queen and the Geode.
Military
Crythal warriors are fearsome for their ability to shape their bodies into weapons. A crythal warrior is never unarmed, and the crystals making up their weapons can cause grievous wounds.
Technology
Crythal possess the same level of technology as the more advanced kingdoms, but they choose to live their lives in simple harmony with the world around them. When it comes to crystals they are even more skilled than the dwarves. Their artisans can create the most complex and beautiful crystal pieces seen. If the need arises this can include diamond hard melee weapons and armor.
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Stephen Mayo lives in Montana with his wife, daughter, and three cats.
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