Race: Si'lura [off world]

[Ic'anthe Lysea]

History

On the planet of Alesia, in the wilds of the Western Reaches the Si'lura were created by the World Tree, a deity known only to her creations as Yastera. The Si'lura was created from Yastera’s very essence to be defenders of both the World Tree and the forests in which she resided. Thousands of years passed by without incident, the Si’lura kept to their forests, and the cycles continued until the rise of the humans, which ushered in a time of hardship for race.  

The humans developed, and their technologies with them, first they found a need for fire, which brought them into the forests the Si’lura held so dearly and were sworn to protect. They strived to remain hidden, only using the forms of various woodland creatures that had lived alongside them for generations. This worked well, until a human witnessed a transformation taking place; born as a dark oil-like substance with no shape, the Si’lura form was free to mould itself into any creature they saw, or desired to be. The humans found this unnatural, and were repulsed by what they saw. The humans sent hunters after the shapeshifters, and thereafter the culling of the Si’lura began. 

It did not last long, and although many survived, the scars of the culling remained with the Si’lura that survived. The humans also never forgot about the forest dwellers, and as generations turned, they began to blame the Si’lura for every failing crop, the death of every child, and the disease of livestock. As the years passed and both the Si’lura and the culling became nothing put murmurs and myths, the forests began to dwindle and the Si’lura were forced out into the open. Their gifts allowed them to mirror the form of a human, taking on their looks but not their mannerisms. Their most distinctive feature, which they soon realized was the one thing that never changed between their forms, was the amber elliptical pupils of their eyes. 

Though each of them tried different ways to hide the tell-tale sign of their nature the humans soon started to realize that the myths and legends of their forefathers were as real as the Si’lura. The Si’lura knew little of the world outside of the Western Reaches, and the humans were unsettled by their presence, in time, they grew violent and forced the Si’lura they found into slavery. Yastera had not created them for this fate, and so through the telepathic link they all shared, She incited rebellion and as each and every Si’lura rose up and shed the mantel of slave, the first Si’lura war broke out.  

Years of bitter resentment for the humans forced out a side of the Si’lura never seen before; their once peaceful nature was twisted, and revenge placed a seed in each of their hearts. The war became bloody and violent and many innocent lives were lost on both sides of the battle. In the end the Si’lura last the war, and were forced back into the small pockets of the Western Reaches that still remained. Yastera was displeased with the treatment of her children birthed three new and powerful family lines.  

These families bore three new Si’lura each: to the first clutch, the Aeslyn, Edra, Cari and Adon were born; to the second, the Lysea, Anthe, Mera and Dareth and to the third, the Senal, Vor, Tith and Fair. Each family were given a specific purpose by Yastera but all were expected to return the race to its former glory. The Si’lura remained silent in their forests while the three clutches grew into their powers and abilities. There was no real concept of time but upon the dawning of their naming day, Yastera chose Edra of the Aeslyn clutch to succeed the current leader of the Si’lura, the elder-root. 

While time had moved slowly for the Si’lura of the Western Reaches, it had not slowed for the other races of Alesia. A new God had been raised from the ashes of humanity’s past, a young God with only power and mischief at His heart. He seduced Poledra, and changed the course of the Si’luran history forever. The seed of malcontent planted by the humans so long ago was ignited, and the Si’lura rallied around Poledra and Torak, feeding into her arrogance and thirst for power. Though bound to the dark God, Poledra made it her mission to protect Yastera and her people from his taint and through the link they all shared, she instilled each of the major families with a different type of magic, a magic they had never felt before. The Aeslyn became Elementalists, the Senal were given powers of the Mind, and the Lysea powers of the Divine. 

The use of these powers and the darkness that spread through the Si’lura not only made them arrogant but complacent. With time, and evolution other races had made their home in the Western Reaches; one of those races was the Utari, a race of swamp creatures who favoured humanoid lizards. The Utari felt the same prejudices from the humans as the Si’lura but instead of forming alliances with their natural cousins, they blamed them. The Utari considered the Si’lura blight on Alesia and took action; they watched, and they waited for their moment and it came, seemingly out of nowhere. The arrogant shapeshifters were so enamoured by their powers that they didn’t realize that their greatest love, was also their greatest weakness. In one single act the Utari changed the face of Alesia forever; they poisoned the water. The Western Reaches started to die around the Si’lura and the poison seeped into the roots of Yastera herself.  

Poledra was forced to watch on as her people and forests died around her; protected by the powers of Torak, she instructed each of the main families to open portals and to save whom they could. There was no way to save Yastera, and the spirit of the World Tree moved from its poisoned husk into six seeds. These seeds were spread amongst the families; Poledra took with her three seeds, Ic’anthe took two, and Tith the remaining two. Three large portals were opened in the end, and through them moved what remained of the Si’lura race… unsure of where they were going, or when they would return to their home – if ever. 

Racial Profile

Race name: Si’lura 

Summary: Si’lura are a race of naturally born shapeshifters who come into the world as black oil-like ooze. They are creations of the Great Tree (and deity) Yastera, and are expected to serve and defend nature. The Si’lura can change into any form that they have at least seen before, but they must spend time practicing proportions and size. The only thing about a Si’lura that does not change is the shape of their pupils and the colour of their eyes; they will always have amber elliptical pupils.  

Powers and Weaknesses 

Immortal – natural form has to be destroyed for a Si’lura to die 

Shapeshifting – innate 

Elemental Immunity - specific to the Si'lura

Affinity to Nature 

Favoured Form – Si’lura will choose one form they favour above all; it can be any animal or humanoid. 

Telepathy – limited to other Si’lura and Dryads (and some animals) 

Family Magic

Lysea: Divine Magic – tied to nature and closest to Yastera (Druids, Dark Druids, Rangers, Shamans)

Aeslyn: Element Magic – the element is tied to the nature of the Si’lura (Recognized elements: Fire (extremely rare), Water, Air, Earth (common), and Shadow). 

Senal: Psionic – the type of psionic ability is tied to the nature of the Si’lura. (Known abilities: augmented telepathy, metacreativity, clairsentience, and psychokinesis.) 

Weaknesses: Cold Iron (generic) 

Si’lura must revert to their natural form for 6 hours over a 48 hour period. If a Si’lura spends too much time in one form, they solidify and lose all links to the Si’lura and become an outcast. 

Expending too much energy, casting too much magic, or taking too much damage can force a reversion and hibernation.  

Naming Conventions

Each Si’lura is created or born with a name divined by the elder-root from Yastera. They keep this name until their naming ceremony, at which point they receive their designation, which is added to either the front or the end of their name. It is the choice of the recipient how they construct their name. 

Designations 

Pol – Leader  

Ith – Protector  

Ic – Hunter  

Ant – Berserker  

Is – Dark  

Bel – Priest  

El – Priestess 

The Naming Ceremony 

The Naming Ceremony is a Si’lura rite of passage, if a Si’lura or those with Si’lura ‘blood’ do not take the naming ceremony they do not learn their designation and cannot be made whole. The naming ceremony has to take place at spring. 

At the naming ceremony the Si’lura must submerge into a deep well of Yastera’s sap. The sap has a distinct magical property that allows the Si’lura a glimmer into their true heart, at which point a bud on Yastera herself will flower. The colour of the bud designates their naming designation, and their true path in life. 

Bud Colours 

Leader – purple 

Protector – granite 

Hunter – dark green 

Berserker – red 

Dark – black 

Priest (Druid) – pale yellow 

Priestess (Druid) – bright yellow

A Priest/Priestess who gains a yellow bud which flowers into orange immediately is destined to be the High Priest/Priestess. The High Priest/Priestess retains their divined name for the whole of their life. 

Bud colours can mix in very rare occasions and so the recipient takes on both aspects into their name. 

Examples 

Adonantis was divined the name Adon, his bud flowered with red and black petals making him a Dark Berserker. He chose to use Adonantis, making his literal name: Adon Dark Berserker. 

Poledra was given the divined name of Edra, she was chosen by Yastera to take the place of the elder-root, so her bud flowered purple but with black edges giving her the designations Pol and Is, she chose to make her name Poledra. Her literal name is: Leader Edra. 

Ith’cari was given the divined name of Cari, her bud flowered with grey petals, giving her the designation Ith, and she chose to use Ith’cari making her full name mean: Protector Cari. 

Families (Known members & Whereabouts) 

Aeslyn – arrived on Rhydin through their portal, lived in many place before finally being returned to Alesia by the Corassian Empire. 

Known members 

Poledra 

Ith’cari 

Adonantis 

Anya Blake (no divined name or naming ceremony) 

Athos (no divined name or naming ceremony)  

Lilen (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Athena (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Jensen (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Erin (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Orion (no divined name or naming ceremony)  

Sebastian (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Arden (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Elena (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Ezri Malice (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Elias Blight (no divined name or naming ceremony)

Lysea – arrived on Arith and have been biding their time in the forests of the continent, fled Kir’Viir before the scarring, but lost one of the seeds of Yastera to the ash. 

Known Members 

Ic’anthe 

Elmera 

Belisdar’eth 

Senal – Whereabouts unknown, the Senal have not been seen since the escape from Alesia. 

Known Members 

Ithvor 

Belfair 

Ant’tith


(( OOC ))
For people familiar with the Si'lura, specifically the Aeslyn line - it needs noting that the Arith based family have no idea what the other families have done, or are doing. There is no contact between them at all, and the Lysea have made their home on Arith.