Armorians

(Legacy Content)

Armorians are large, many-lived humanoids who hail from the now ruined kingdom of Armoria. They are a society based on the recognition of the strength of the individual, be it physical, mental, magical, or otherwise. As such, their society once held some of the finest warriors, mages, and craftsmen on the planet. Though their strength as a society was clear to all who bore witness to it, Armorians are a tempered people, seeing the ease of using their often superior strength to annihilate their enemies to be a temptation rather than a necessity. These factors culminated in a sense of superiority when compared to smaller races, and although this cultural sense is often interwoven in their speech, most Armorians recognize that even they can be outmatched by the greatness of individuals from other races.
Ever since their homeland was demolished in the mid Alorean Second Era, Armorians are a rare sight in modern Alore. The fact that most modern Armorians carry a resentful glower towards the other races because of that destruction does not help their cases for integrating into other societies. As such, most Armorians live their days as either wandering adventurer mercenaries or as part of a nomadic tribe of their people.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Armorians are very much similar to Aloreans in both anatomy and morphology, with the obvious differences being in overall size and musculature. Armorians are typically twice the average height of Aloreans, and a properly proportioned Armorian can easily weigh up to a full ton.

...It is understood that this "magical knot" - hereafter referred to as a Sorceric gland - appears to be what fuels the innately magical properties of the Armorian race, which brings into question their capabilities regarding the limitations between Maijure and Yearn...

On an anatomical level, however, Armorians possess a strange additional organ set in the torso immediately behind and attached to the heart. This organ resembles a flesh-covered orb composed of a thick bone structure with a strange, currently unidentified lumenous gland set within. Additional arteries connect this orb directly to all of the major organs throughout the body. It is understood that this "magical knot" - hereafter referred to as a Sorceric gland - appears to be what fuels the innately magical properties of the Armorian race, which brings into question their capabilities regarding the limitations between Maijure and Yearn.
Upon dissection of several deceased Armorians of varying age categories, this organ appears to shift in brightness depending on the unique multi-life characteristics of their kind. The brightness ranges from most bright in first-life Armorians, to very dim in fifth-life Armorians, which provides further justification for the sorceric gland theory. The fact that the knot does not completely go out when the Armorian is in their fifth life lends credence that it is also the source of their innate magical abilities.

Note: Due to the multi-life aspect of Armorians, the aforementioned dissections often resulted in at least two surgeons and morticians being wounded or nearly slain.

Biological Traits

Armorians can possess a number of usually strange qualities that extrapolate on what already exists within Aloreans, such as strangely colored hair and eyes. This phenomena appears to be more prevalent in Armorians than Aloreans, however, as many Armorians have traits that show a far wider selection of- and variations thereof - colors in hair and irises. 
Armorians tend to be of similar height and build in terms of either sex, with the only differences being the natural differences in male and female anatomy.

Genetics and Reproduction

Armorians are sexual creatures, and thus require both a male and a female to reproduce. Pregnancy occurs with a roughly seventy-two percent chance in most Armorians. A gestation period of roughly ten to eleven months will follow, after which typically a single offspring will be produced, though it is not unheard of for an Armorian to produce multiple offspring in a single pregnancy. 
 
It should be noted that Armorians are one of the only species known to be capable of producing half-breed offspring with other races. This is a distinctive difference from other races, whose offspring tend to emulate either the most non-Alorean parent, or either parent in a partnership between two non-Aloreans.

Growth Rate & Stages

Upon birth, an Armorian will follow an aging pattern similar to that of Aloreans. However, upon reaching a maturity of roughly twenty-five to thirty years, an Armorian rate of aging will slow to a similar rate to that of Oro-kin, thus giving a maximum lifespan of around five-hundred years.
However, Armorians possess a unique addition to this: thanks to the sorceric gland discussed in the anatomy and morphology section of this document, Armorians can live many lives, with the maximum being a total of five lives. Taking this into account, the total maximum lifespan of an Armorian can reach as much as two-thousand five-hundred years. Though considering the often violent manners in which Armorians die, this total is reduced in a general sense. 

The Many-lived 

Contrary to popular belief, the bodies of slain Armorians are not possessed by vengeful spirits. Rather, the sorceric gland delivers a burst of Halum magics to the body, which stitch together wounds, regenerate lost limbs, and reverse the age of the body to be physically between twenty and twenty-five years. After this occurs, the light of the sorceric gland dims by about a fifth. This "resurrection" so to speak gives the Armorian another five-hundred or so years of life, while cutting off the rest of their previous life, reducing their total life-span by the amount of years they had remaining. This effect occurs regardless of the condition of the body or the cause of death, except when the body of the Armorian is completely disintegrated or otherwise reduced to non-living matter.

Ecology and Habitats

Armorians are only found in large quantities in Saeralore, since that is where the kingdom of Armoria existed. However, since the destruction of their home, many Armorians have become disillusioned with their kind, and travel the world as wandering mercenaries, finding kinship in the company of other wandering souls.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Armorians, due to their size, require at least two-and-one-third more calories than a similarly proportioned Alorean's diet, with an equal supplement of water. Armorians, like most humanoid species on Alore, are omnivores, though they have a distinct preference for meat over other forms of sustenance.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Armorians, for the most part, exist primarily within the bounds of central Saeralore. Give the now nomadic inclination of their people, Armorians can be found amongst the wilds all throughout The Saeralorean Landmass. Amorians that have become incredulous towards their kin and history often seek the life of an adventurer, and as such will wander the boundaries of the world seeking some form of meaning in their life. This is the primary reason why Armorians can be rarely sighted outside the bounds of Saeralore.

Average Intelligence

Armorians possess intelligence that will often surpass that of Aloreans and even a large swath of Urbo-kin. This lends credence to the fact that they were able to create such an advanced society in spite of both the harsh conditions and wildlife within Saeralore, but also the cruel machinations of their jealous neighbors. Though, of course, not even their fantastic mental capabilities could predict the how their civilization would fall.

Civilization and Culture

History

Divergent Paths 

Armorians first came into existence during the period of time between the First Calamity and the Second Reclamation as a result of genetic modification via technological and magical means. As a result, the original Armorian people were nearly self-created demi-gods, using their vast and powerful abilities to crush any demonic resistance unfortunate enough to stand against them. Once the population of Alore returned to the surface in the Second Reclamation, the Armorian people set about creating their own society, building a relatively small and humble kingdom in comparison to their people's normally grandiose ambitions. It was only for a few decades of that this kingdom was allowed to exist in this manner before - seemingly by the will of Order -  a prominent figure of their people by the name of Lord Calfinghar decreed that their people held too much power to be so humbled. As such, he laid a curse upon the Armorian people, dividing their godly powers between his followers and the remaining Armorians. The people that would become the Calfingharns took the majority of their people's supernatural abilities, while the Armorians retained their people's many-lives, though to a lesser extent than before. He then lead the Calfingharns to Fyoré, where they would form their own society. 

A Grand Reckoning 

Since the departure of the Calfingharns, the Armorian people worked tirelessly regain portions of their previous form's abilities. Although they were never truly able to regain their natural abilities, they were able to augment their still impressive physical capabilities with their use of advanced technological weaponry and Maijuric practices. Their people continued to advance in terms of achievements of philosophy, economics, industry, magics, and so on, much to the ire of their jealous Alorean neighbors. This jealousy eventually evolved into hatred of their kind, and eventually gathered the attention of House Ulyssant. The Ulyssants, ever spiteful of the successes of the Armorians, sought to rally the majority of Saeralore's people against them. They were aware, however, that even they with their profane gifts from Balraious-Kaneig and the assistance of the entire central Saeralorean population that they could not stand against the Armorians in conventional warfare. So instead, they used their allies to feint a siege of Armoria and cover their entry into the city. Once their agents reached the palace atop the city, they performed a heinous ritual in an attempt to bring their master to life. Instead, their ritual resulted in the emergence of The Colossus of Alore, which proceeded to lay ruin to the Armorians, the Ulyssants, and everything else around it. Most Armorians attempted to fight the great beast to no avail - dying in vast droves, leaving no bodies to resurrect from - while a portion of their people escaped into the wilderness far away from their now ruined home. 

Modern Armorians 

Ever since the destruction of their homelands, Armorians have been forced to live a nomadic, wandering lifestyle - their disposition towards Aloreans only further souring as they are turned away from the cities. Now, Armorians simply await the day when they can return to their rightful and glorious place among the people of their nation.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Modern Armorians are oftentimes at odds with members of the smaller races, due to their belief in their generally superior capabilities. This is especially true for Aloreans, as they consider the fall of their people to be the fault of the Alorean people for allowing a cult like House Ulyssant to exist within their world. Though not all Armorians have closed themselves off in such a manner, as there have been some cases - especially within the final few decades of the Second Era - of Armorians integrating into modern societies, and few still that seek to reestablish the Armorian society upon the ruins of their old kingdom.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Aloreans

Scientific Name

Augmented Humanoids

Lifespan

Since Armorians have many lives, their typical lifespan reflects this. Armorians can live as long as 2,500 years, though considering the often violent manner of deaths they end up in, they live an average of 120-200 years between all their lives.

Average Height

10' 2" - 12' 6" (3 m - 3.8 m)

Average Weight

1,600 lbs - 2,200 lbs (726 kg - 998 kg)

Average Physique

Armorians possess a vastly superior physique in comparison to nearly every other humanoid race - even that of Giants when viewed in terms of proportions. They will often possess at least somewhat muscular forms, though most will be heavily muscled. This has has been the case for their people as long as history has known of their existence, and provides further examples for how their society was able to rise to such prominence, as well as remain for as long as it did.

Geographic Distribution

• The Planet of Alore
• The Saeralorean Landmass