Wokma (wok-mah)
Summary
The enigmatic people of misted lands, seas, and oceans, wokma are a water-aspected variant of dragonkind. They're remarkably distinct for their complete lack of draconic wings and the addition of very long, air-buoyant 'whiskers' that emerge from their faces. It is said long ago the wokma had a distinct homeland, a relatively isolated place that was since destroyed in a calamity. Historians have trouble figuring out where it was, as much of the wokma accounts prove difficult to match to anything certain. The sheer scale of time involved could simply mean that whatever was left behind simply changed, as Veltrona is wont to do. Still, despite the enormous distances and time between the many wokma cultures, this detail serves as a singular, unifying point of reference. Any who may have even lived in such a time themselves are either dead, or so far into isolation no one can readily reach them. What can be said for certain that is among all dragonkind, the wokma were the ones to go farthest into the realms of magic. Ancient mistresses constructed vast libraries, arranged enormous schools, and operated esoteric laboratories that saw all kinds of work done. For many lineages, it became a foregone conclusion that the wokma would probably end up running most of their magical research to some degree. As it would be, the wokma didn't have a fascination with magic as a source of power, but as a means to understand the world. Their perception, senses, and very being interact with existence in a different manner than others. As one human sought to describe it thusly: "they (wokma) breathe color, see a vast canvas, and paint upon it with their whole being". Indeed, the uniqueness of this view is so stark that other species often have trouble comprehending the conveyance of wokma-based magical arts. The permanence of things are said to be somewhat different for them as well. Even the youngest of wokma can command magical talent to alter and change the world around them. To the wokma mind, things exist as they are, but will not 'always' exist that way. Change is a certain inevitability to form that will eventually happen, whether by their hand or others. The most permanent sorts of existences to them tend to be other people and animals, as magic cannot easily change them. Perception itself can be a key to existence, and so the perceptions of other peoples proved alluringly attractive. The others were understandable, but just different enough the wokma were insatiably curious of their point of view. The foundations of this desire created a very 'open arms' cultural idea they largely embraced. In trying to see through these new, foreign eyes, they gained even more insight into themselves. From there, trade, cultural exchange, and much more ever followed. For most wokma cultures, life became one of the most precious things to protect and treasure. It lent them to being surprisingly kind guardians, and brutal avengers. Still, it was also difficult for them to connect to other species, even other dragons. Overcoming this hurdle is a constant source of strife and troubles. The commonality that many other species took for granted required constant work on the wokma's behalf to achieve. All things being said, the wokma built their homes in places of great mana richness, just out of the way but not too far into desolate regions. Many of their lands became regarded as 'misty', as things like frequent fog, rolling weather events, and other localized disturbances became the norm. For the unprepared, the locales were eerie and disturbing, with things not seeming quite right or very real. Considering everything else Veltrona could throw at a person, the weary regard and concern most people gave such lands was rather well-founded. While notions of mysticism and superstition, ill-informed or otherwise, surround the wokma, they are yet a people in their own right. They adopted the ways of their new homelands, changed and grew as all others do, and so birthed countless new cultures. Something that would become sorely affected by the age of the Imperium. Imperious, ever seeking stronger foes to triumph over, challenged her brutal might against wokma magic. Though many sorts of spells, tricks, deceptions, and more stymied her efforts, she proved ever unrelenting. Indeed, the more wokma she fought, the more Imperious found a way through even their most arcane and esoteric of magics. In the end, many of them laid dead, and those who survived did so only in servitude. A decision that, to later generations, can be hard to conceptualize–even more so that a single individual could really do so much. While Imperious very much represented an unstoppable force, it was the vast apparatus around her that solidified her gains. Other dragons pressganged the defeated into service, often holding the victims' family members hostage, threatening dire retribution, or even promising to whisper into Imperious' ear. Those who bought in and became oppressors themselves only benefited, further driving a rift in dragonkind. The wokma were no different, and so despite their great individual prowess, they couldn't muster the collective might to continue fighting. As their lineages were decimated, torn apart, or changed, they stewed in bitter, hateful silence. They did as Imperious bid, and so crafted new magics for the Imperium to utilize. Thanks to their own skillful maneuvering, the wokma largely stifled war-centric magical development their traitorous kin worked on. Some, with ignoble sacrifice, did so at the cost of their lives so that others might be spared such horrific magics. So marked their long, centuries-drawn insurrection against Imperious and the Imperium at large. Ultimately, their fate fell to Hal-Joren, Principle Supreme of the Imperium, and her insidious plan to topple Imperious once and for all. Originally seeking to turn the World Gate against Imperious, her goal had been to use the gate as an enormous bomb to kill Imperious and sever the invasion portal permanently. However, when Imperious disappeared alongside Aerintor, the plan went awry. The Imperium rapidly descended into anarchy as oppressed peoples rose up, and many dragons too joined alongside them. Hal-Joren and her cohorts instead changed the World Gate from a bomb and into a source of energy. It would still be destroyed, but they would use its titanic reserves of mana to fuel a complex magical array. In laywoman's terms, a barrier that would separate Aerthen and Hal-Joren's homeland of Nerzin from each other. Unfortunately, she grievously underestimated how much power the World Gate possessed, and the calamitous scope of its subsequent detonation. If one was to be asked, then the blame for Tyrant's Sea, the Barrier Sea, and the Great Darkness can all squarely be laid at Hal-Joren's feet. The surviving wokma elders looked upon the results of their magics being turned to evil ends, and so swore to prevent such from ever happening again. When the other dragon survivors of the Imperium called out, summoning all dragonkind for a summit meeting, almost all the wokma went. That very meeting would later become the foundational beginnings of Votyoger itself. The wokma elders, once among the 'intellectual elite' of the Imperium, committed earnestly to building Votyoger into an instrument of protection, balance, and justice. To not only hunt down what Imperial loyalists and their wretched kin remained, but to stop anyone who might become another disaster like Imperious. It would not only be their vast magical repertoires that aided in such, but their intimate knowledge of how the Imperium worked, top-to-bottom. Secure in the belief that their worthiest would stand vigilant, many wokma left to whatever remained of their homes in Etzli Cuauhtla, Nerzin, Fauverngarz, and Aerthen. Some took their survivors and migrated farther away, while others sought to rebuilding their destroyed legacies. Many sought seclusion from the wider world, frightened by what harm they, or others seeking revenge, might do. So it became that for centuries the wokma kept to themselves where they could. Outside of Votyoger, few could be found. Time marched onward, and as the wokma healed, new blood came into the world. These wondrous youths soon wished to see all the world and its myriad possibilities. Though their war-scarred elders held great reservations, eventually they relented. The younger wokma thusly walked out of their ancestral homes, eager to see what they could, and experience even more. Their elders followed along with as watchful guardians, haunted yet by horrors they'd never speak aloud. So it was, the wokma at large returned to the world stage, reserved in many ways, but slowly changing.Basic Information
Anatomy
Wokma are anatomically similar to the prototypical dragonkind, with the key distinctions that they have no wings, their tails are longer and broader, they have long 'whiskers' growing from their faces, and a beautiful plumage of feathers grows down their backside. More wokma-specific details will be noted below:
Wokma horns grow in more rigid, geometric shapes: hard right angles, perpendicular curves, etc. They're particularly notable in that they grow in very 'tower' and 'antenna' like fashions, making them visually distinctive. In some regards, they look more to be ceremonial ornamentation, being more for appearance than function. However, despite their apparent fraility, they are as strong as other dragon horns, and so shouldn't be disrespected.
The hair of wokma is typically fluffy and mane-like, easily growing to great sizes and prominence. Their hair and back feathers meet at the back of the skull, with the hair translating into plumage fluff from the shoulders downward. The characteristics of the plumage itself varies between lineages, ecological habitats, and the like. Some are thicker, fluffier, having enlarged feathers, having specifically large feathers amidst small ones, and so on.
For the most part, the most consistent rule is where the plumage grows. It trails down the wokma's spine, following along their tail, and usually terminating near the tip. The plumage branches off in two locations: down across their upper arms, and over their hips. The arm feathers terminate around their forearms, while the hips terminate going toward the belly side. They have no plumage at all on their legs normally, but some lineages may develop independent plumage there.
There are large blank spots on the backside where the shoulder blades and sides of the lower back are. This spot is where dragons normally have their wings come out, and so the absence of plumage or scales there is quite notable. Mythological ideas surround this blank area, for better or worse.
Their fluffy appearance can often disguise that wokma have the same amount of scales as normal dragons. Their plumage and scales often compete for the same space, with the plumage usually growing around (or even in between) the dragon scales. That said, their scales trend toward being smaller, more broken up, and flexible even if the usual amount of their body is being covered.
Wokma hair and feathers normally share their coloration groups, and are distinctively separate from their scales. Of their hair and feathers, the feathers may feature more wild variation, patterns, different colors, and other beautiful appearances. Overall, the wokma are extremely distinct looking and possess fantastic color arrangements, making them vivid and eye catching.
Their longer, broader tails are nominally better for aiding them in swimming. Their size and great flexibility make them versatile appendages, useful for simple tasks or as a dangerous weapon.
The 'whiskers' that grow from the wokma face are usually as long as their arm span, and are air buoyant. Their exact appearance varies, with some having tiny plumage trailing down the whiskers, long fleshy tendrils with bulbously hairy tips, armor scales, and more. These whiskers are powerful sensory organs, and a vital part to the wokma perception of reality. Female whiskers are typically longer and sharper in appearance, while males have shorter, cloudy ones.
Wokma eyes have differently shaped and colored irises, lacking the defined and jewel-like clarity dragons ordinarily have. As is often compared, their eyes appear like the colorful nebulae of the starry night sky, possessed of vivid but ill-defined colors intermixing together. In much the same way, their irises twinkle like a sea of reflective glass beads, with the sole unmoving, static part being their pupil. For some, a vaguely circular, iris-like shape remains, while others 'bleed' into the sclera, blurring the distinctiveness between them.
Biological Traits
In addition to all the traits they inherited from dragons, wokma have the following differences:
Water Aspected – This species is fundamentally biased toward water mana.
Magical Mistressy – Wokma live and breathe magical arts, seamlessly interweaving mana with their very beings. Their natural talent toward magic as a whole is virtually unrivaled upon Veltrona.
Water Breathing – This species can breathe underwater as easily as they do above water in air-rich environments.
Supernatural Senses – Wokma perceive reality with complex and difficult-to-comprehend senses, giving them a very unique and altogether different view of existence.
Civilization and Culture
Relationship Ideals
In a world of constant change, any semblance of a 'constant' can be of great value. To the wokma, relationships are one of these constants, as the people involved in them are ever present and very real. For many species, the urge to go on is often innate and ever present. To the wokma, life's shifting tides means they can easily be trapped in an indecisive malaise. Even a very simple affair can be the proverbial push they need to go into motion. The greater the push, the more reactive the wokma become.
On the other hand, they are not lacking in self-agency, only willful purpose. That sense of purpose is what creates an order in the ever changing world, something they can react and change to themselves. For some wokma, purpose easily comes from within, and they are often epicenters of great social labyrinths of their kin and friends. For others, purpose is defined around them, and they explore a means to fulfill it. It is a balancing act between who one is, and who one becomes when measured alongside, or by, others.
Such experiences can be quite formulative to the wokma.
That said, among all things they may want, reliability is the most important trait many wokma look for. Showing up for something to happen is often better than nothing at all, whether it be positive or negative. Antagonism is a rather strange thing for the wokma, as few matters come off as 'blatantly evil'. However, having someone to act against can be inspirational, and in a roundabout manner, creates a stronger relationship basis. For many species, it often looks like 'frenemies' or strangely supportive and friendly rivalries.
From reliability are many other things born, and for their romantic interests, much more complicated circumstances. Wokma place great value on having compatible interests that serve to push both sides further and further along. Being as purpose oriented as they are, their partners are their often first source of inspiration to purpose itself. How this affair is navigated can be quite tricky, especially as interests change. Sometimes the most common source of falling out is both sides diverging because of how life changed.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The malleable permeability of existence is a common thread in wokma cultures. When the certain rules of reality start to bend or change, knowing how things work both absolutely and relatively is extremely important. This foundation is what leads into their more unique view points that others can often struggle with.
For example, the wokma greatly value life and its interconnectivity. Life, of all things, adapts to change, and so survives despite said change. A home may eventually crumble and fall to any number of things, but if the people inside survive, the home can be rebuilt. Hence, of the two, wokma value the people over the home. In other words, wokma value what cannot be replaced over what could be.
It can be particularly troublesome when some of those replaceable things carry irreplaceable memories. A necklace locket may be materially simple and nondescript, but said necklace coming from a deceased loved one makes it irreplaceable. Indeed, safe guarding such memories throughout eternity is a daunting prospect. A problem many immortal species must confront, but one particularly changing for the wokma themselves.
Where the wokma place their evaluation of 'irreplaceable' can be quite stark. The lives of people and nature is a common occurrence, but some place reverence on non-tangible ideas like honor as well. Disrespecting these reverent topics is a surefire way to anger the wokma, and more often receive retribution. For as nonchalant as they may be about a castle of gold exploding, the slain innocent will set them on a war path. Or, as the case may be, tarnishing a beloved memory.
That said, among the wokma themselves, they're typically quite busy with social jousting. Artful yet competitive, they're eager to train their skills, then put them to the test against one another. Defeat and victory are both flavors to their eternal struggles. One year's mistress can become the next's underdog, inspiring all sorts of turbulent waves as victor and loser alike continue to compete. Just as much, emotions ever run high, and so sometimes things get out of hand.
Like a mountain being razed or something.
Finding a way to keep their interests alive and busy is an important thing to the wokma. Without direction and purpose, they easily become lost in the mire of changing existence. It can seem like an ironic problem, how they must change to avoid being overwhelmed by change. No end of scholars have been befuddled by this thought, but through the wokma mind, it is a very self-evident matter.
For better or worse, it can lead them to being entrapped by tradition as a means of expression. Through rote rites and more, they structure their lives and so can establish more meaning. This can make dramatic upsets, like being displaced in their social structure, literally damaging to their sense of self. In other words, wokma often find the self in the others around them.
Which is quite the trick considering how hilariously arrogant about it they can be sometimes.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
Immortal
Average Height
7-8ft / 213-243cm
Average Weight
300-600lb / 136-272kg
Related Organizations
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