Valaira (vahl-eye-rah)
The Valaira are descendants of the Nuaira that have adapted to life in the oceans of Solia.The Valaira are an amphibious people who, like most aquatic life, live in small communities in the euphotic zone, a shallow region near the water's surface where enough sunlight passes through the water to allow for photosynthesis to occur.
While most Valaira are reclusive and prefer to keep to themselves, some are curious and adventurous and make their way to the surface frequently. These Valaira frequently act as salvagers, traders, or adventurers.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Humanoid in anatomy, the Valaira are slender and relatively short compared to their Nuaira cousins. Resembling the Nuaira, Valaira have two arms and two legs, with webbed fingers and toes, as well as gills located behind their frilled and pointed ears.
While amphibious, the Valaira cannot move from one side of the water to the other easily; they must first expel the air in their lungs, then transition to the new environment and take in their first breath in the new environment. On the surface, Valaira breathe through the nose and mouth, and their gills close and seal themselves with a thin membrane of mucus, while underwater the gills open and allow for the filtration of oxygen from the water, while the nasal passages and trachea are sealed with a hydrophobic mucus that breaks down upon contact with the surface atmosphere.
Genetics and Reproduction
Valaira are a sexually dimorphic species, with males displaying dull, simple coloration and females displaying brighter, colorful skin and hair. The Valaira, like the Nuaira and Humans, reproduce sexually and mature around their eighth decade of life. The average gestation time for a Valaira is twelve months, and multiple births are very rare (with twin birth making up 99% of multiples).
Growth Rate & Stages
Valaira are capable of breathing amphibiously from birth, and quickly adapt to their birth environment. Those born above the water's surface are typically known as e'Valai (Topsider), while those born underwater are known as a'Valai (Undersider). See Culture and Cultural Heritage for more information on the significance of birthplace.
A relatively young species, Valaira age similar to the Nuaira and have inherited their concepts of aging from their ancestors, with infancy taking approximately three years. True childhood, where Valaira youth start to become more independent, begins at the first-decade mark, while adolescence begins around forty years, sexual maturity at eighty years, and adulthood at approximately one century.
Most Valaira consider middle age to start around their second century, old age around their third century, and anyone beyond four centuries is considered a venerable elder. It is theorized that, like the Nuaira, a Valaira can live up to eight centuries.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Valaira are omnivorous, with a diet largely consisting of fish and ocean plants (kelp, sargassum, and other seaweed species). Surface-dwelling Valaira supplement this diet with more traditional fare, such as birds and lizards (as well as their eggs) and crops like wheat, corn, tomatoes, and the like.
Biological Cycle
Once a Valaira reaches the age of maturity, their growth and aging slows significantly. A Valaira one century old appears much the same as a Valaira four centuries old. Once they have surpassed five centuries, Valaira begin to show signs of age: lightening hair (typically a sandy brown or slate gray) and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth.
While Valaira appearance does not readily show the signs of aging, the effects are present. The body slows and weakens while the mind grows sharper with knowledge and time.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Located primarily in the Outfair Ocean, the Valaira originated in the Valmyn Sea, at the island settlement of Hauala. After The Burning of Hauala, the few Valaira that called the island home fled into the ocean, escaping to protect their species.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Valaira eyes are as sharp as those of the Nuaira, with pupils capable of discerning features in low-light conditions at approximately double that of Human eyes. Valaira are considered perceptive, with keen hearing and the ability to detect pressure or temperature change in the air or water.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
Female Valaira are the brighter and more colorful gender and go to great lengths to augment their appearance, using various inks to create swirling patterns along their skin either temporarily or permanently. Male Valaira, by contrast, are relatively plain and drab and rarely go to any effort to augment their appearance.
Gender Ideals
Valaira society is not defined by gender roles, with each individual expected to perform to their ability to better their community. Female Valaira who become pregnant will continue working until such time as they are unable to do so for their health or the health of the baby, though their role in society may change after the birth, based on their desire and ability.
The young are cared for by both genders, with no expectation that one or the other take primary caregiving duties.
Common Dress Code
While neither culture is particularly modest, there are environmental differences between the two Valaira cultures' fashion choices:
a'Valai rarely wear clothing, finding it too restrictive or impeding the flow of water. When they do wear clothing, such as during ceremonial or traditional events, it tends to be form-fitting and with an eye to function rather than style. Armor tends to be made from coral, with layers grown over one another to provide protection without impacting maneuverability or buoyancy and leave the hands and feet uncovered.
e'Valai, more exposed to the elements, opt for simple and light clothing, often in bright colors and serving to protect the skin rather than simply cover it. Toes and fingers tend to be covered to protect the webbing between them, and ear ornamentation that covers the gills is a frequent point of fashion. Armor choices tend to be leather, cloth, or similarly non-metallic if they are near any body of water deep enough to swim in, both for buoyancy and concerns of rusting.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Valaira culture places a strong emphasis on homogeny, self-sustainability, and community. Anyone not born in the community is known as i'Valai (Driftwood) and considered a lesser person than those who were, and Valaira from the other side of the water are often viewed with suspicion. In a'Valai communities, e'Valai are considered 'surface sympathizers' and frequently shunned or met with outright violence, a perspective not shared by the e'Valai who welcome a'Valai visitors.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Valaira build their homes into the coral and underwater plantlife much as their surface cousins weave their homes into the trees and plants of Nuaira. Augmenting this with illusion magic, most Valaira communities go unseen without a guide to point them out.
Historical Figures
Kyrenic Omasalor - the first true Valaira with gills and webbed digits.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
On the Nuaira: Cousins separated by less than a millennia, yet distant due to location and environment. Similar in culture and philosophy, the Nuaira are admired for their achievements and viewed as the foundation upon which Valaira better themselves.
On the Humans: Predators who stop at nothing to consume anything they desire. The actions of The Haphrises War are fresh in the cultural memory of the Valaira, causing the Ezirandi to be seen as somewhat of a bogeyman from which to hide. The Falcresti, Norten Fiereni, and Southern Fiereni are not much better, their whaling and fishing ships a sign of encroaching danger. Where the humans go, death follows.
On the Golenti: Unable to adjust to the currents of change, the Golenti are little more than the rocks with which they build their homes. They can be reliable, but limited exposure to them has forced the Valaira to consider them through the lens of their Nuaira ancestors.
On the Fiore: Little is known about these diminutive people, save for the small colonies established in some of the island kingdoms. Their disarming nature makes them one of the only surface folk the Valaira will trade with, second only to the Nuaira.
On the Djenati: If the Fiore are relatively unknown to the Valaira, the Djenati are even more a legacy of historic record. With little interaction between the two people, the Valaira consider them to be pranksters and agents of chaos, based only on the stories told by their ancestors.
On the Maro: Kindred spirits of the water, the Valaira admire their accomplishments and frequently engage them in trade, though the Valaira dislike the militant Maro culture and expansionist ideals. The Valaira were taken in by the Maro after The Burning of Hauala before venturing out to form their own civilizations. The Valaira are careful to keep the location of their underwater settlements hidden, trading only in neutral territory (typically close to an e'Valai surface settlement).
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Reference Race: Aquatic Elf
Origin/Ancestry
Humanoid (Elf) (Aquatic)
Lifespan
150-800 Years
Average Height
Females: 5'0" to 5'8" (1.5 to 1.7 meters)
Males: 5'4" to 6'0" (1.6 to 1.8 meters)
Males: 5'4" to 6'0" (1.6 to 1.8 meters)
Average Weight
Females: 80 to 160 lbs (36 to 72 kg)
Males: 92 to 180 lbs (41 to 86 kg)
Males: 92 to 180 lbs (41 to 86 kg)
Geographic Distribution
Related Myths
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