Rockwing

A race born in the grayness

According to one of the most popular myths, once "Everything was Gray". Although the being which caused the Colors to show up has never been proven to exist, the rest of the myth describes the real order in which both the Colors and races started to show up on the continent. The oldest one of them, the one who to this day can survive in places almost completely devoid of any Color is the species of rockwings. These beings which look like a mix between humanoid insects and living rocks like to live slowly. It is only when they are forced to fight when they show their true power and energy reserves.

Morphology

Throughout the years, the appearance of the rockwings changed. Their bodies started to adapt to the increase in the saturation of Colors in the environment. The three district kinds shown up throughout the history of Urnketh. Still, they have traits they share with each other.
All of the rockwings resemble humanoid insects. They possess two arms, legs and a pair of wing-like growths on their backs. They are not functional and exist merely as another part of their exoskeleton and a trait a potential mate might consider attractive. Although according to some of their legends and myths, some of them could fly at some point, despite their weight and shape.
On their heads, they have antennas, which they use for smelling, pair of eyes, and mandibles used to tear their food to pieces. They are omnivores.
When rockwings get agitated, the slight glow (which color depends on their current state of Colors) shines through the cracks and softer tissues of their bodies.

Three kinds

Primeval rockwings

The eldest of the kinds of rockwings, primevals went extinct over 2000 years ago and were the first sapient race to walk on Urnketh. Their bodies resembled rocks both in texture, shape, and composition. They were extremely slow creatures that could live even longer than the two other cousins of theirs.

The modern ones

Compared to their primeval kin, the modern kind of rockwings lost most of its rocky shape and texture. Thanks to that, they are more mobile and can store more Colors in their bodies (making them a little more energetic). The average individual resembles a beetle and like one, its body is round. This kind constitutes 70% of all currently living rockwings.

Slim rockwings

The kind that least resembles their predecessors, slim ones are tall but very thin beings. Their limbs are elongated and they tend to be even more agile than Beteclaws, although they tire more quickly than them if they ever decide to expend so much energy. Their skin is soft but still harder than that of Humans. They are also the most colorful of rockwings.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Before the Age of War, they were curious explorers, each keeping to themselves, meeting one another only for the time of mating and raising a child.
As the years passed, and wars forced them to live together, they started to form the clans, protecting and living with each other.
Now, they integrated completely into the society, some of them returning to their clans once in a while, while others leave everything behind, having the same urge to explore as the ones before them.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

The first name the rockwings have is usually that of the first natural thing their mother or father see after their hatching, When they get older, they can get the second part of their names after they manage to accomplish some feat.

Beauty Ideals

Rockwings love to cover their bodies with shiny things. Be it precious stones and metallic jewelry, a shiny armor, or glistening dresses, wearing those things brings them joy.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Rockwings hate beteclaw's temper just as beteclaws hate rockwing's slowness and patience.
They tend to go along pretty well with Smeltsparks, due to their hard exteriors and a peaceful nature that can change them into warriors in mere seconds if there's a need for that.
They find huerustler's curiosity amusing.

Average Height

Between 1.7 and 2.2 meters.

Related Myths

• "Everything was Gray"

Perception:
They possess eyesight that's worse than that of humans. They are, however, able to perceive the flow of Colors in the air

Lifespan

Thanks to the slow rate at which they absorb and burn the Colors, rockwings can live up to 500 years.

Intelligence

They have an amazing theory, and although they are slow learners and slow to connect the facts, they can become really smart thanks to all the time they can spend on learning. There's a saying: "If you want something done quick and good, you hire a human. If you want something done perfect, pick a rockwing instead."

Reproduction

Rockwings are dimorphic species. Males tend to be smaller but more colorful, while females are bigger and less saturated. They can breed with the rockwings of other kinds. Rockwing females produce eggs. After being impregnated, they lay a single egg. After around a year, a newborn rockwing hatches.
Rockwings reach their maturity around the 100th year of their life and then can have a child every 20 years.

Magic-users

Due to the fact that rockwings store very low amounts of Colors inside their bodies over very long periods, there are almost no magic-users among their race. Once in awhile, there will be one who decides to use most of their reserves they managed to store throughout their whole life. At this point, they could use up to 3 Colors like other powerful casters, however, such feat would bring strain to their bodies, even leading to the cracks showing up on their shells.