Nation: Avara
Location: East side of the map. Takes up the bottom of the two islands that look like Japan and All the surrounding island chains up to Rivalia (Arixia's Nation)
Race: Avarian
Race Description:
The Avarian people are a humanoid species that have some aspects of reptiles but mostly identify themselves with birds. They stand very tall, the shortest recorded of their species being 5'11" and the tallest standing standing at 7'9". However those are extremes, and the average is about 6'11" or so. Unlike most humanoid species, the Avarians have 6 appendages. Two arms, two legs, and two very large wings that extend out of their back. Their wing spans range from 10-15 feet, all depending upon their height. There is no distinguishable height difference between the males and the females.
Most of their species are dark-grey to black with white feathers upon their heads. Though in rare instances an Avarian can be all white. Their irises are either brown (being the most common) or a rich emerald green (most common on the all white ones). While there are recorded instances of males being white, it is almost always the females who are. If a male is it makes him extremely desirable and also suspected to be of great importance. Though any all white Avarian is presumed to have some sort of destined significance.
Where the Avarians do not have feathers they have a tough, scaley skin that acts as a natural armor. They speak from their beak, which is as hard as diamond. They have the same strength as most elves. However, truly dedicted individuals can carry larger loads. Avarians are also naturally quick and agile, though their large size makes them more suited for open spaces and outdoor combat. Avarians have great endurance. However, they require twice as much food as a regular human and the same amount of water. They are extremely suseptable to starvation or dehydration.
Avarians have hollow bones, which allows them to fly more easily. However, this makes them especially suspecptable to blunt trauma, as their ones will break and shatter. Most Avarians can stay in flight for 12 hours, and if they must can fly for a day nonstop, though that takes an extreme toll upon their bodies. They can carry loads while flying equal to the normal amount which they can carry. But the more they lift the more severly their flying time is cut, as their wings are design for lifting only their bodyweight.
Repopulation is an issue for the Avarians, as the gestation periods for the eggs of their hatchlings is 12 months. A female can also only lay 2 eggs at a time within that 12 months, and must wait another 2 to be physically prepared to lay another healthy batch. Avarians are long lived, living to be on average around 240 years old, though the longest recorded age was 287 years. However their longevity comes at the price of slow growth rates. For a male to reach maturity it can take 55 years. A female to become mature takes slightly less time, taking about 45 years. This issue of population and aging has made a distinctive culture where females are often married young and having many children -- the average family having 6 -- being very common.
Unlike other cultures, however, females are treated with great respect and have equal rights as the males. And because the gestation of the eggs takes place outside the woman's body, many are able to still be productive members of society outside of the home until the egg hatches. Even upon hatching, the father is expected to have equal share in raising the child.
In terms of special abilities, Avarians are very resistant to extreme temperature changes and climate changes, and have uncanny healing skills. A fatal wound for a human can be regenerated by an Avarian if proper medical treatment is given immediately. In exceptional cases, up to the loss of a limb can be regenerated. However, strikes to the heart and in most cases the brain are immediately fatal. Only in one case has a heart ever been regenerated. Because of this uncanny healing ability, Avarian have some of the best medicine in the world, making their healing even more exceptional.
Culturally, the Avarians have a high honor system. They believe all ar born with a certain level of honor, and that through marvelous deeds you gain more. While blatantly awful deeds make you lose honor. This inheritantly makes them a warrior-esque society. However, because they have a slow population growth, they are not the war mongers of the world. They prefer to have small, controlled wars which they know they can win and then make a peace treaty on their terms. They do have a landgrab tendency however, and will quickly place their flag in unoccupied lands or lands that other nations have week claims on. Despite this semi-pacifist outlook, their military-- namely their navy-- is one of the best in the world.
Their religious figure is Raz, the God of Creation. Legend states that he flew through the cosmos with a rainbow trailing behind him. From its dust and light all the known univers was created. But at one moment a feather broke free from his magnificent wings and fluttered down creating Earth and more specifically creating the Avarian people. Their people are not religious zealouts, but the teachings of honor and good will stick strongly to their people.
Population Scale: 1,750,000
Government: The Avarian Government is broken up into 3 sections: A High Chief selected from the Royal Family; a 13 member Parliament (Known as the Roost) body elected by the citizens of Avara; and a 7 member Council of Elders chosen by the High Chief and approved by the Roost. Altogether they are known as the Sky Council.
The High Chief: Is chosen from the Royal Family (Currently the Rito Clan). However, it is not soley based on who is the eldest or next in line for the throne. The Council of Elders and the Roost selects the family member who would make the best High Cheif. This is done through a series of tests. A High Chief remains in the position for 4 years and then there is another Clan-Wide Test. A High Chief can remain on the throne for a total of 3, four year terms. The High Chief is responsible for conveying the will of the citizens, vetoing laws passed by the Roost, and enforcing laws. The High Chief is the commander of the military.
The Roost: Elected from political officials who are nominated from each region/city of the nation. They have a 3 year term and can remain in power for a total of 3 terms. The Roost votes on laws, creates laws, and collects taxes.
The Council of Elders: Chosen by the High Chief and approved by the Roost by a 50% approval, they are responsible for upholding the morals of the nation. There are 7 members of the Council of Elders. If a law is deemed illmoral it can be dispelled without a revote. Elders on the Council have one 25 year term.
People of Importance:
Rohan Rito - High Chief of the Avarian. He is on his second year of his third term and is 134 years old. Started his reign at age 124, making him the youngest High Chief to assume the throne.
Nisha Rito - Member of the Council of Elders. She is 176 years old.
Horus Rito - Member of the Council of Elders. He is Nisha's less loved twin brother
Ra Laverus - Member of the Council of Elders. He is 201 years old
Ios Xenus - Member of the Council of Elders. He is 256 years old, the oldest member of the Council. Many believe he will die soon.
Perna Flio - Member of the Council of Elders. She is 181 years old
Oneus Wings - Member of the Council of Elders. He is 149 years old, making him the youngest on the Council
Ra Feather - Member of the Council of Elders. Is 192 years old
Ra Rito - Member of the Roost. She is 147 years old
Mazwell Tale - Member of the Roost. He is161 years old
Hzera Sky - Member of the Roost. He is 154 years old
Zio Drap - Member of the Roost. He is 200 years old
Teia Drap - Member of the Roost. She is 194 years old
Aron Vezyr - Member of the Roost. He is 188 years old
Ron Lebr - Member of the Roost. He is 157 years old
Aliyah Shah - Member of the Roost. She 168 years old
Mora Krer - Member of the Roost. She 167 years old
Lebonon Fa - Member of the Roost. He is 121 years old. He is the youngest member in the Roost, and in the Sky Council.
Andraw Fon - Member of the Roost. He is 155 years old.
Xon Crew - Member of the Roost. He is 212 years old
Bar Bon - Member of the Roost. She is 225 years old and the oldest member in the Roost.
Admiral Hirosha Yamato - Highest ranking officer in the Navy and in charge of the entire Avarian Navy
General Leondis Rito - Highest ranking officer in the Army and in charge of the entire Avarian Army
Magi Marius Cyper - Head of the Magicians Corps
Nation Size: Large-- Due to Flight Capabilities and Advanced Shipping the Avarian have very connected cities and a nation wide economy.
National Geography: Avara is an extremely diverse region. In the center are the Avarian Highlands and Mountains, rumored to be where the Great Raz roosted after he finished creating the universe. Here rich minerals, such as marble, stone, iron, copper, silver, and sulfur (thanks to the volcanic composition of the island) can be mined and the government is located upon the Avarian Plateau. Rivers run down the mountains giving good areas for water wheel production. Terace rice farming is also common here, with rice making up a large portion of the Avarian diet.
On the eastern side of the mountains are mighty forests of bamboo where timber is gathered. However there are very few "prized" woods there. The most valuable of them being the Ebony Forest and the Teak Forest, though those are only found in extremely small amounts which only the most wealthy of Avarians can afford to have. A few large-scale Herb Plantations are found on this side of the Island.
The western side of the island is where the majority of the islands rivers run off into the Avarian Low Lands. Here the land flattens out making it very suitable to towns and cities. This also wherea wheat and other vegetables are produced. However, because the soil of Avara is very rocky and unfertile there are very few large farms or many cash crops. The coasts also have large port cities where fishing and importing/exporting are huge industries.
The small islands controlled by Avara are some of the most important areas of the country and one of the main reason for their emphasis on naval power (excluding, ya know, the whole Archipelago world and stuff). On these fishing is again, a huge industry, and the soil is very fertile due to the tropical currents that flow past. Upon the islands fruit plantations and cash crops can be grown. Often slaves from conquests are taken to these plantations, though that is not the Avarians main source of labor. The most common commodidites grown here are exotic fruits, cotton, and sugar.
In the very north and on an eastern pennisula there is an extremely infertile stretch of desert. Here there are occasions when a strange black tar-like substance wells up from the ground. The avarian only know that this substance is flammeable and can light torches for some amount of time if refined. This refining is an extremely long and costly process however, so it is not a big industry.
Capital: Azuran, located in the center of the island upon the Avarian Plateau. Next to Azuran is a mysterious river that flows through the Plateau called the Azure River.
Other Cities: Raza, Ritona, Gale, Cyclale, Kimali
Settlements: Most Avarians live in Bamboo hut ranches. The homes of wealthier Avarians can have stone and can live in larger ranches or two story homes.. The wealthiest live in large manors that have marble, stone, and ebony or teak wood and are completely devoid of Bamboo.
Nation History:
The Avarians are an ancient race, living on the isolated Avarian Isles long before many of the other races-- including the Lumen-- appeared on the continent from lands north or south. Though the Avarians were present long before the creation of other nations, they remained isolated from the world for generations. During the ages of foreign conquests, shipping was not advanced, preventing the crossing of the seas surround Avara. Meanwhile the Lumen did not search beyond the Horizon Islands until long after they landed upon the Soorden continent.
Avara's internal history is a quiet one with few disturbances, though its beginnings were very turbulent. The Avarian's live in clans; though in this case a clan is simply Avarians in a family. Often clans would conquer one another, annexing the losing clan into the winning clans ranks. Eventually two clans became the most powerful of them all: The Rito Clan and the Zephyr Clan. So large and powerful were these clans that an cataclysmic clash between them would be inevitable. That clash came about 1,750 years ago. The entire island was engulfed in a civil war. Small clans had no choice but to hide and wait out the war. For 250 years it dragged on. But in the end the Rito won upon the killing of the Zephyr Clans chief. As with tradition, the Rito clan annexed the few remaining Zephyrs, and clan name has vanished from Avarian history from that moment forward.
But it the island had been ravaged from the war. Chief Kimali Rito knew that if life continued, it would only be a matter of time before war would break out again. Instead of letting history repeat itself, he summonned the chiefs of all the remaining clans to the Avarian Plateau-- the land that was said to be flattened when the Great Raz landed after creating the universe. Here, Kimali Rito proposed to create a united nation, a land where clans no longer fought and rules would be in place to govern the Avarian people. It took a long time, but after much arguing and negotiating the chiefs came to an agreement, the creation of the Sky Council. Kimali Rito became the High Chief, while the remaing Chiefs entered The Council of Elders.
Upon the creation of the Sky Council a sudden surge of nationalism swept across the country. To the north was the Northern Avarian Isle, a land open to Avarian expansion. High Chief Kimali, with the grace of the Council of Elders, prepared an exploration party of some of the greatest warriors. They flew across the channel dividing the two islands and landed, beginning their explorations.
It was there that the Avarians first contact to the outside world-- the accursed Slythers of the north. They were vicious serpents over 12 feet long weilding deadly swords. They attacked the exploration party, killing over half the party and forcing the High Chief and his remaining men to flee back across the channel. This would be the first of many Slyther-Avarian battle to come.
Enraged, the High Chief and the Council raised an army of 1,500 soliders and flew across the channel to avenge their fallen. They searched for 4 days until finding a small Slyther village. There they swooped down and slaughtered the unsuspected Slythers. The bloodshed further fulled their bloodlust, and they continued northward, razing more villages along the way. It was only upon the tenth destroyed village did a Slyther escape. Then, two weeks a Slyther army of 2,000 appeared from enraged tribes throughout the island. Ambushing the Arvarian Army they slaughered over three-quarters of the Avarians, forcing an all out retreat across the channel. Again, High Chief Kimali escaped.
Again, Kimali cried out to the Council for retaliation, but this time they were more obstinate. They did not want the unnecessary bloodshed of their people in a war that they saw had no real end. So, for a time, the Avarian age of Expansion ended.
50 years later, as High Chief Kimali's feathers were growing grey, another desire to expand overwhelmed him. Calling upon his people, another army of 5,000 was gathered, and sent off to take the plains of the Northern Island. The war began in a similar manner, the razing of small villages. But after last time, the Slyther prepared for this. Once again clans reunited against a common enemy. So savage was the wrath of the Slythers, that it overwhelmed the Avarians. All but three were slain, and this time the High Chief did not return.
From this tragedy, the Roost was created, as a way to stop these wars and save the Avarian people. It was under High Chief Meldon Rito that this third branch was forged, and from it the thirst of Avarian expansion was quenched. Upon the conception of this third branch the government truly became stable, and has remained in its current state since. With the stability came the healing of the ravaged island as well.
However, this stagnation in ideas and in change soon brought the Avarian people into a dark age. Their isolation only worsened this. While they could fly, the Avarians had a great fear of the open ocean. They felt that they would not be able to cross it, and would drown before being able to come home. Also, the fear of being swallowed by the massive storms that frequently patrol the Sailor's Sea only heightened their fears. Thus, their only knowledge of the world was what they could sea when the flew as high as they could over the island and looked across the horizon. As the dark ages worsened, any hope of attempting to cross it was crushed, and the Avarians fell further into isolation and darkness.
It was then, 600 years ago, that the Avarian made contact with the Lumen, who had finally sailed past the Horizon Isles to the Avarian Isles. This was the first external contact the Avarians had ever had, and as such were appropriately afraid. However, the Lumen were benevolent people, and showed the Avarian much of their technology. From ships to maps. This external influence was the light the Avarian people needed. They borrowed maps and ships from the Lumen, and were tought about sailing and the world. To this very day the Avarian still use the Lumen map of the world and call all but the Avarian Isles what the Lumen had named it.
The Avarian Renaissance Era lasted for another 200 years and then swiftly gave way to the Avarian Era of Exploration. From seemingly out of the shadows the Avarians appeared as a world power, with a massive navy bolstered by a massive population that was untouched by years of peaceful isolation. After seeing with their own eyes much of the eastern and western sides of the map, their views changes from simply exploring to conquering.
The Avarian Era of Imperialism lasted from 200 years ago to the present, though it is now mixed with the new Era of Pre-industrializtion. The Avarians first set out to take the island chains surrounding their home island, resulting in clash with the indigenous Frogmen of the Minor Avarian Isles and the Lonely Isles. While the conquest of the Lonely Isles resulted in the complete extermination/removal of the Frogmen, the Frogmen population of the Minor Avarian Isles made the conquest less successful. Despite their lack of major success in expanding, the Avarians sights have grown to encompass all of the Avarian Isles and much of the land around the Sailor's Sea.
Nation's Trade Resources: Rice, Bamboo, Timber, Ebony, Teak, Bamboo, Sugar, Cotton, Refined Tar/Oil, Citrus Fruits, Herbs (medical and ediable), Pomegranites, Fish, Silver, Sulfur, Iron, Copper, Stone, Marble, Weapons, Merchant Ships.
Needs: Wool, Livestock, Salt, Gold, Gems, Horses/Mules/Donkies, Vegetables, Tobacco, Water, Tin, Coal
Economy: It revolves around ship building and exporting their most common resources (Bamboo, Rice, Weapons, Luxury Resources). They prefer a mercantile economy whenever possible.
Military: 18% of total Population (315,000 Troops); However in dire times it can swing up to over 30%, however these units are not trained like the professional army.
Regular troops: ~40% of total Troops (126,000 Soldiers)
The Army is the lesser of the two military branches of the Avarians. This is namely due to the fact that their empire-- as well as that of most other nations --is water based. Therefore land conquest is of far less importance to the Avarians, and their Army serves a more defensive role than an offensive.
However, this does not make the Army weak by any means. It contains several unique military units that make the the Avarian Army very hard to face. Being the only race to possess natural flight, they sieze this advantage through units called Phoenicians. Phoenicians often fly over the enemy with a large items (i.e. boulders, large logs, sacs of cannon balls, etc.) and drop them upon the advancing army. Each is also equipped with a short sword, duel hand swords (like in the picture up top) or spear as well as a small bow with arrows. This allows Phoenicians to fire more shot into the advancing army as well as fend of enemies if for some horrible reason the Grifyth is grounded.
They also possess a unique type of cannon: the
hwacha. Units controlling these unique weapons dot the coasts and mountains, prepared for an assault if one were to take place. These weapons, while taking longer to fire than normal bows and arrows, have a far greater intimidation factor as well as being able to dispatch large forces in one volley of arrows. Hwacha are also very light an extremely mobile.
The Arvarians also believe in the new Musket Technology, and have devoted 5,000 soldiers, known as Janisari, to being able to use them. Cannons however are not very common amongst the Army, as they are overshadowed by the Hwacha. As for the remaining forces, they consist of Archers, a good portion of which carry cross bows, long swordsmen, half-pikemen (longer than a spear but shorter than a full pike) or duel hand sword wielders, like the picture shown up top. The duel hand sword wielder is the most common type of infantry.
Navy: ~60% of total Troops (189,00 Sailors)
Far larger than the Army, the Navy is the pride and the lynch pin of the Avarian Empire. After meeting the Lumen the Avarian began experimenting with ships and sails. Already keen to how the wind affects speed, the Avarians took to sailing quickly, and created one of the
best ships that is sailing on the seas. One may argue that their navy isn't the "best" in the world, but it is certainly one of the largest. Consisting of the most sailors and over 1,700 ships of varying sizes and speeds.
The types of Sailors are very similar to that of the Army. There are a few Janisaris, Archers, and Phoenicians. However, the long swordsmen and half-pike men have been replaced with only duel hand sword wielders. Sailors are trained for all types of combat with all types of weapons, and then become specialized in one certain one.
As for ship armament, the Hwacha can been seen, however it is not as effective on the open sea. Instead, cannons of all sizes can be found on the ships. These cannons also fire an assortment of ammunition.
Magic: 10% of all Troops. 6% in Navy 4% in Army
Magic is not as prominent in the Avarian culture as it is in other races. While all possess magic within them, most have it in such small amounts that it cannot be tapped for any real purposes. Of the population, only about 10% possess magic in any substantial amount.
Sorcery and spirit manipulation are common practices, however necromancy is nearly impossible to Avarians to do, as their spiritual beliefs prevent them from touching the dead. If one did achieve necromancy, they would be slaughtered by other Avarian. However, the most sought after type of magic is that of illusions and mind control. Stemming from their fear of direct combat and depopulation, the Avarians would rather convince the enemy to defeat himself rather than have to face them in a magical duel. This concept, and Avarians overall lack of magical talent, has stemmed them to have great interest in the magical areas and races of the world.
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