The Iekursi: Children of the Flame (ee-eh-koo-rh-see)

Tense. Poised. Waiting. The foe sat perched and taunting on a gnarled branch, daring Sīksa to pounce over the bubbling pit of lava to her doom. She paced back and forth on the boiling rock shore, eyeing her adversary with murderous intent and weighing the likelihood of her demise against the searing pool and the threatening creature. In the stillness of a breath, the wing casing flicked open and Sīksa sprung to intersect her quarry midair before it could escape.
Crunch! Snap! Her jaws closed around the beetle and victory was hers. A swathe of burning air brushed her underbelly and suddenly the lava was rushing to meet her. If this was to be her end, it was a good way to die.
A familiar pair of small hands suddenly closed around her belly and lifted her from hell.
"Mummy is going to scold me if she sees us down here..." Her young mistress waded out of the lava pool, her dragon-like scales glowing with the heat, "What were you--? Spit that beetle out!" Sīksa squirmed and fussed, trying to twist away before O'na could steal her hard-won prize. The Ieksursi girl held the salamander by the scruff of her neck and tried to pry her jaws open.
"O'na, you know we're late for prayers!" The commanding voice of her mother called down the jagged hillside. "You better not be playing near that vent mouth again!"
The Iekursi child began to run as quick as her little bare feet would carry her home, praying under her breath to avoid a scolding. Sīksa was being jostled up and down, but the speckled salamander cared not, for her belly was full of juicy ember beetle.

"They are horrid creatures, monsters of which I have never seen the like. With limbs covered in hard scales and inhuman pallor to their flesh, their eyes burn like devils right into your very soul. Hellspawn! The deep-dwellers must be kept at bay."
 

Father Jokubas, missionary of the Andryte Order

Aona pursed her lips, seeing her daughter had been doing exactly what she had hoped she had not been. Now was not the time for chastising. The Ieksursi woman petted her daughter's thick hair as she scampered inside, just passing her hip.
"Come, come. Sandals. Your Mama will be waiting on us," she gave her hands a little clap and ushered the girl along. Her wife would certainly have a thing or two to say about their tardiness; she imagined her soot-stained face from working in the forges frowning and tried not to smile so O'na would not think that she was off the hook.
"Will the egg be hatching today, Mummy?" O'na chimed as she slipped her feet into her shoes, repeating the same question she always did. Aona managed a smile as she ushered her daughter and her fat pet salamander out the door and down the road to the temple.
"Soon, my sweet, soon." It was impossible to quantify 'soon' to a small child, especially on the scale being referenced. The augurs reported the anointed egg had begun to stir only recently. It would hatch within their lifetimes and that was certainly soon enough; entire dynasties came and went tending to an unborn egg.
Soon, a new Emberlord would emerge to rule their ashen vale.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Ieksursi are a beautiful and diverse people, very different in appearance from humans or Lauma. Their limbs are layered in hard, fire-resistant scales that come in many different warm colors including gold, red, bronze, and black. Cooler colors like blues and purples are rare but not impossible. Ieksursi with blue-ish scales are said to be "born of the sky" with a special connection to the Mother Sun and are often regarded as children of prophecy or great beauty.

Their shades of skin are equally diverse with shades similar to humans, or more commonly, colors that match their scales such as burnt umber, crimson, and ashen gray.
Most Iekursi possess bone-like spines which can protrude from their cheeks, jaws, or forearms. The most blessed of the Iekursi posses the horns of their draconic ancestors which grow from their temples or upper parts of their skulls and can be curved, straight, big, or small. The population of members with horns varies from settlement to settlement.
Their heights vary depending on their settlement of origin, but the average member is noted to be either significantly shorter and squatter than a human (4 - 4.5 feet) or significantly taller and thinner (6 - 6.5 feet). On the rare occasion a pair of Ieksursi from different settlements have a child, the child seems to favor one parent or the other, rather than averaging their heights.

Growth Rate & Stages

Ieksursi mature at a rate similar to humans and live to be about two centuries old on average.

Ecology and Habitats

The Ieksursi believe their spiritual connection to their gods, their anointed egg, and their personal health is improved by proximity to an active volcano. For this reason, most Ieksursi settlements are established within the throat and vent of an active volcano and no further away than the base of the mountain.

Origin/Ancestry

The Ieksursi believe themselves to be children of the Mother Sun and Ugne, a draconic entity of earth and fire.

Geographic Distribution

• Ealdè, The Land of Ancient Gods