Z'pirax

[Collection of Summary-esque Facts]

Culture
[General Traits of the Culture]

Magic
The Z'pirax are, ironically, only willing to practice requesting magic, and stay as far away as possible from the more controlling schools of casting. Exclusively devoted to the power that is invested in them through the faith in the moons and the mountain itself - the former of which grants them much of their magical wealth and the latter of which they have gotten particularly good at influencing - Z'pirax have in many ways made the mountain and the sky beyond the sea their closest and only allies.

Society
Type of Rank: (WORD), a blind warrior that has been raised and trained to hunt even in the sunlight, capable of defending themselves despite their lack of vision in the sun.

Appearance
Many books will portray the Z'pirax in many different ways, for their visage have long been in the eye of the beholder. Surfacing exclusively for the sake of aggression, this brutal people is often painted in antagonistic lights. They have been 'the dragon's inbred offspring', 'the many-fingered sin of mortals', 'the hateful vomit of the Goddess of vengeance' and, perhaps worst of all, 'quite the pickle', which is particularly insulting, as Z'pirax had notoriously chosen to take all things but the pickles from the cities they raid, because they found them to be rather ugly, really. These days they steal those too, out of spite.

The Z'pirax is an ancient, statuesque and nocturnal race that lives in the depths of Heera, bound to the darkness in ways no other race in the world is. They are imprisoned by their own anatomy, cursed with large, slanted eyes - a single huge pupil that cannot withstand the light of the sun. These eyes have in return given them the abilities needed to see all things in the dark, save for colours.

It is rather unusual to meet a Z'pirax with soft features -- their faces are more commonly defined by sharp and angular shapes. At first glance it may seem as if they have no nose at all, simply because their nose is skeletal in appearance - but it is their nose, this single hole that leads deep into the cranium. This feature is often the reason why they are depicted as monsters with horned skulls for heads. Despite the potential absurdity an outsider might find in such a nose, it is in fact a strong one, capable in such a way that they could navigate Lanlen cities.

However, this nose has often been depicted as the silhouette of a bat's snout as well - and that because of the bat ears that grow from their heads. On drawings highlighting the demonic qualities of their inherited design one might find them sporting broad wings because of these small likenesses to bats, but Z'pirax are in fact quite wingless, despite what certain people might suggest in hopes of painting an even grimmer image of the Z'pirax people than is necessary. Although, in the spirit of respecting such artistic ventures, one has to admit that the wings do quite suit them. The Z'pirax have flat teeth, save for canines just a little sharper than the human standard. They hide behind wide, thin lips - though males are known to have slightly fuller lips than females.

Some will struggle to understand the hulking bodies subjected to scarification, but the floral patterns running across the sturdy hides of the Z'pirax are in fact a tribute to the beauty they fight for and were denied. The surface world's remarkable natural gardens, its thriving thickets and elegant flowers are to be found on their bodies, depicted through the use of patient and talented blades. These scars have ritual purpose, and are earned by all Z'pirax who return from their first raid, as a means to show that their brutal invasion bore fruit.

Their colours range from pale white to a wintry grey, desaturated hues of sickly green and yellow occasionally seeping into their skin. Protruding through the skin is the jagged bone that makes up the skeleton of a Z'pirax, small spikes and nubs of ivory visible along their spines, arms and heads - though the consistency of their presence greatly varies between each individual. This inconsistency is true for their horns as well, which may be missing entirely in some rare cases.

What often makes the Z'pirax seem like a particularly wild people can also be said to be their most peculiar beauty. From their heads, large strong gardens grow on soil they themselves have prepared, letting flora sprout from their heads as if it was hair. These flowery displays have come to define the individual, as very little floral growth can be found in their city nor the depths surrounding it. The seeds that have been planted in the soil on their scalps is a way of showing off achievement or wealth, their ability to purchase or take for themselves such elegant signs of the surface.