Volari

Volari are the dominant race in the Kingdom of Asteria where they coexist peacefully with the minority Valka. While they don't often venture outside of their homeland, players can create Volari characters by gaining approval from the support team and making the appropriate purchase from the Marketplace.

Country of Origin: Kingdom of Asteria

Physical Traits:

• Volari are humanoid with lithe, graceful bodies.
  • Volari have extreme size variations, ranging from 4 to 7 feet tall for both men and women.
  • They have elongated limbs with webbed hands and feet, perfect for swimming and navigating their watery home.
  • Volari have smooth, flowing hair and large, expressive eyes; both hair and eye color usually compliments their skin color.
• Volari have patches of iridescence scales, usually on their back and limbs. Scales may be the same color or different colors from their skin.
  • Men typically have darker colors and women usually have lighter colors; options include blues, purples, greens, blacks, whites, golds, silvers, pinks, and oranges.
  • If a scale is lost, it regrows over a span of a few weeks, going through a cycle of colors before settling into its mature hue.
    • Naturally shed scales are often used in art and jewelry; they retain their natural iridescence and beauty.
    • Forcibly removed/lost scales (through injury, for example) retain a semblance of their iridescence for a few days before decaying into glittering dust.
  • Scales and webbing gain deeper and more saturated hues as the Volari ages.
    • Weakened, injured, or elderly Volari may develop pale, jagged markings that spread across their body.

Abilities and Traits:

• Natural Abilities:
  • Extended lifespan - Volari can live up to 120 years; they mature slowly with long childhoods.
  • Aquatic - Volari are fast, agile swimmers with the ability to hold their breath for extremely long periods of time.
  • Bonding - Volari typically bond with Tidewings.
    • If you are joining your Volari already bonded, you may join them with a Tidewing; otherwise, they will usually need to bond with a standard Astrofel. Contact Signe if you have any questions!
  • Shapeshifting - Volari can shapeshift completely in to a single marine animal at will.
• Strengths:
  • Most Volari have an innate ability to harness the abundant sunlight in their environment for various purposes.
  • Volari can usually communicate with aquatic creatures; the method and reliability of this skill varies depending on the individual.
• Weaknesses:
  • Volari heavily rely on the sunny weather to maintain their vitality and spirit.
    • During prolonged periods of cloud cover or heavy rains, the Volari can experience a significant dip in their energy levels, becoming lethargic.
  • Volari are weak to Moonvine Toxin; exposure to this toxin can lead to hallucinations, impaired judgment, and a loss of control over their abilities for a period of time

Society and Lifestyle:

• Build villages along the coast, often built half on land and half on the water.
• They live in loose social groups, with most people being gatherers, fishermen, and cultivators.
• Homes are constructed from renewable materials like bamboo and are often surrounded by vibrant land or sea gardens.
• Value symbiosis and balance, emphasizing a deep connection with the land, sea, and sun.
• Believe in a radiant afterlife where spirits become luminous beings in a heavenly sea garden.
  • These beings continue to nourish and protect the living, lending their light and warmth.
  • The Sun is viewed as the grand guardian of this cycle, a warm, nurturing entity that oversees the continuous cycle of life and death.

Relationship with Other Races:

• Alliances: Auren, Asterian Valka
• Conflicts: None currently, but have had conflicts with Zenoxi in the past
• Neutral: Zenoxi, Rockfolk, Igneans

Tidewings

Tidewings are unique magical creatures native to Asteria; they are similar to, but different from, the Astrofel found on New Ognos and have an innate ability to bond with Volari.

• Tidewings are large creatures that have a combination of canine and manta ray traits.
  • Their bodies are streamlined and flexible, supported by strong muscles - particularly their tails. They possess smooth, manta-like skin that transitions into a more fur-covered head resembling that of a canine.
  • Tidewings have incredibly expressive faces with gentle ocean-colored eyes that change color depending on their emotions.
  • They are often two-toned and come in a variety of patterns; they are commonly sapphire blue/aquamarine, coral/rose gold, emerald green/turquoise, white/silver, or amber/orange.
  • Tidewings typically communicate with soft barks, whistles, and clicks; they are also capable of telepathic speech with all Volari.
• Tidewings have fins resembling manta rays’, which they usually keep wrapped tightly around their midsection;when unfurled, they aid in swimming or gliding over the land, catching the wind like sails. Their fins are decorated with bioluminescent patterns that can glow in the dark.
  • Tidewings can be used as mounts both over land and in the sea.
• Bonding is initiated when a Volari seeks out a rare and special seaweed from the ocean floor and presents it to the Tidewing; if the bond is accepted, the Tidewing will eat the offering and a pattern resembling their wing markings appears somewhere on their Volari's body.
  • Tidewings and Volari bond for life; if their bond is severed or one partner dies, the other will usually be unable to bond again.
• Sentinels can be quite challenging, but also incredibly rewarding and affectionate companions once their trust and respect has been earned.
  • They have all the naughty craftiness and stubbornness of a goat paired with the calculating nature of a large predator, not to mention their muscular form is perfect for scaling steep mountainsides!
• Sentinels are formed in The Nursery, a specific cavern system that starts at the Prime Mountain and snakes its way across the country.
  • Sentinels are born from magma at the heart of the Prime Mountain, where they live for a few months before venturing out.
  • They are still red hot and incomplete when they first leave the magma pit.
    • What they eat during this time determines their final form; ex: a Sentinel that eats iron will become an Iron Sentinel while one that eats primarily emeralds would become an Emerald Sentinel.
  • Once their form solidifies and cools, the Sentinel ventures into one of the many Cradles, special caverns where they continue to eat and grow.
    • Young Rockfolk typically venture into the Cradles around the age of ten to find their Sentinel.
      • It is rare for adults of either species to form a bond after leaving the Cradle, but not entirely unheard of.