Arsaki

Basic Information

Anatomy

Arsaki have two arms and two legs, and a head. They are humanoid, but have a few defining features. Their skin is mottled with an oily black taint, shifting and rippling, though never covering their entire skin. Their eyes are a entirely a dark shade of purple

Biological Traits

Males usually weigh around 150 pounds and are 5 feet 10 inches tall, on average. Females weigh around 130 pounds and are 5 feet 7 inches tall, on average. Males and females do not have a longer life expectancy than one another.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Their eyes are a solid purple that glow very faintly. Black veins creep out across their face from their eyes. These veins form geometric patterns rather than behaving as regular veins do. No anatomical functions are disturbed by this feature.

Average Intelligence

Varies from person to person.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Arsaki can see in the Shadow like Shadowspawn can.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Arsaki lack the parasitic infection of Shadowspawn.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Male First Names: Verermos, Salikon, Narcariox, Talinos, Serikon
Female First Names: Everai, Laesivar, Errismae, Xerixas, Ratharai
Clan Names: Windwalker, Darkhunter, Taintcaster, Duskbringer, Skyseeker, Landhealer

Major Organizations

The Darkhunters are a group of Arsaki that hunt down the dark. They are devoted to destroying it through war. Every month, a party of seven Arsaki leave the safety of a village or Radiant Dome and journey into the The Darklands to hunt down a powerful Shadowspawn.
The Windwalkers are a group of Arsaki mages that focus on bringing down the Shadow. They research ways to destroy it, and constantly work for its downfall.
The Taintcasters are a group of Arsaki that focus on spellcasting for the Shadow. The group of mages is famously reclusive and hard to find, but it is said that they work directly for The Nightwatcher .
The Duskbringers are a group of warriors that work for the Shadow. Their warriors are the inverse of the Darkhunters, seeking out those of the Light and destroying them.
The Skyseekers are an organization that focuses on technological development. They do not work for or against the Shadow, although individual members might.
The Landhealers are devoted to healing the sick and injured and fixing what is broken in people. Uniquely, their efforts are both for and against the Shadow, as they will heal anyone in need, be they good or evil.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The Arsaki teach their children Taintspeak, to fight or aid the darkness.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The Marking  is a time in a young Arsaki's life where they chose what Clan to be a part of. They can remain in the Clan that raised them, or they can switch Clans to one that pleases them. It happens precisely on the young Arsaki's 17th birthday. This custom is kept very secret, so it is the highest honor the Arsaki can bestow on a non-Arsaki is to come to a Marking.

Common Taboos

The Arsaki believe that their homeland is cursed and should not be returned to or even mentioned. They only allow talk of the Homeland when a war party traveling to the Homeland has been purified by the elders in an Arsaki village. The Arsaki who serve the Shadow, of course, have no such qualms.

History

Arsaki were created when The Nightwatcher  cursed the ancient Arill race with the Shadow. The Shadow infested their bodies, changing their abilities and appearance. They were shunned by society, thought to be unclean and unworthy of the Radiant Domes or even the outcast villages. Over the years, they were accepted into the outcast villages due to the act that a great plague swept the earth, killing many creatures who were not Shadowspawn. The Arsaki were not harmed, and the lords of the outcast villages let them in to work for them. The lords of the Radiant Domes reluctantly let the Arsaki in, but they are not trusted and are not treated well.

Common Myths and Legends

The Arsaki have many legends about the Nightwatcher and the Light. More than anyone, they know the secrets of the Breaking, and what happened Before. But they do not share these with anyone, sealing the secrets up forever in the Vault of the Ancients in the Homeland.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Arsaki have the most in common with Drow, though they are on friendly terms with all elves. They admire the dwarves for their laws and honor system, as even the evil Arsaki have an honor code that they refuse to violate. They are indifferent to halflings, seeing them as simple farming folk who do not know the secrets of the world. They see gnomes as annoying, as they are always tinkering with something rather than fighting the Shadow. They hate humans for shutting them out of the villages and the Radiant Domes.

Lifespan

80-120 years

Average Height

5 feet 9 inches tall.

Average Weight

140 pounds

Average Physique

Varies from person to person.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

A shifting blanket of oily black shadow creeps across their skin with no describable pattern. Their skin that is not covered by shadow is usually tinged with blue, as if they had been frostbitten.