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Race Profile: The Marahnians

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The Marahnians

Overview: The marahnians are a race of humanoids with deep ties to ancient magic bestowed to them by the blood of dragons and a long history of fighting to survive. Harsh in their outlook on life and bound to oaths and laws of all sorts, their societies are built to be presidential republics.

Led by political councils of varying size, they also have at least one high priest as a member representing the religious sect of a given nation and de-facto a leader called the Grand Overseer, who acts as the head-of-state in all but the most exceptional of circumstances.

With a strong affinity for order, the arts of war as well as the elements of darkness, death and the arcane, the marahnians live out their lives, seen as strong soldiers and loyal servants of the powers that they worship and as fierce enemies to those who'd dare distrupt their way of life. The most well-known marahnians have settled both underground and on lands where other races thrive.

Personality: Marahnians are well-known for a serious demeanour, and generally view most non-marahnians with suspicion if not outright hostility. Those who do earn their trust often have to go some lengths to keep it as well. This is especially true with most of the dark-scaled marahnians, who live in a harsh enviroment most of the times and do not see other races as being very reliable.

Physical Description: To most, marahnians could easily be mistaken for demons or other monsters due to their looks. Standing around 6 to 7 feet in height and weighing from 220 to 310 pounds, the marahnians are tall and fearsome beings. While the males are often rather muscular or rugged in appearance, the females tend to have a curvy body and slightly less of a buff build.

Both genders have dark, curved horns on their heads similar to those of a goat. They also have reptilian tails with differently colored scales (Depending on the ancestry and environment) that range from three to four feet long, a trait tracing to the blood of an ancient dragon running through their veins.

The skin of a marahnian is often pale or ashen grey in color. Their ears are slightly pointed and their eyes are of varying shades of red, ranging anywhere from light pink to a dark crimson. The hair of a marahnian can be of any color, but blonde and other bright colors are just as common as dark ones.

The traditional wear of the marahnians is often practical, with clothes of dark color made of wool, linen or cotton accompanied by red or green decorations, preferably gems such as rubies and emeralds. Both males and females are also known to tattoo themselves, but piercings are less common. Due to their mixed blood, some marahnians have more draconic traits than just their tails.

While some have scales on their arms and feet, others even have scaly wings on their backs. The marahnians were said to have once had feathered wings in ancient times until a quirk of their dark god caused them to lose their wings. The marahnians themselves accepted this decision without a problem.

Marahnians live around as long as dwarves, but mature faster after when reaching the age of 20. They age slowly after their prime years, but hardly any marahnian lives to the last years of its life, usually ending up dead before becoming completely senile.

Marahnians reach adulthood at 40 years, and can live up to 300 years.

Powers and Abilities: Marahnians possess a deadly mix of strength, endurance and cunning. Their eyes are developed to seeing just as well in the dark as in the light, and the blood of the dragons gives many marahnians a natural talent in wielding magic.

This same draconic blood has gifted some marahnians with powerful claws or fangs, as well as their signature scales and horns. Even an unarmed marahnian is a dangerous opponent, as most take at least basic training with their horns and claws.

When it comes to magic, most marahnians draw upon their own reserves of power, or make use of crystals found deep within the earth (more usually the case with darkscale marahnians). Some take the art of using one's own magical power a step further, drawing their power from their own blood and becoming blood mages in the process.

The talent that most marahnians prize is craftsmanship, especially that of superior weaponry and architecture. Like some other races (dwarves), some marahnians are talented craftsmen, and some smiths are known as well as any legendary dwarf for their magically enchanted weapons of great power. Unfortunately, most marahnians wouldn't hand such weapons over to outsiders even with a fair market price for one.

Marahnian Lands: Marahnians are widely spread as a race, having an ability to adapt to most surroundings in a manner similar to humans. Also, like the dragons that they share their blood with, some can live in even harsher conditions than humans can. Marahnian cities are built in a way to show fear to others, with tall, spiked buildings of dark stone standing tall from outside the city limits.

The most important structures are usually law firms, court houses and temples as well as the city hall. Nearly all marahnian cities are guarded by large, fortified walls, as they are very mindful of the security of their race. Watch towers are often built adjacent to the walls and near the gates, for added security.

In cities among other races, marahnians actively take part in the events of the city, usually pursuing a path as a politic or guard, to show their loyalty to the law of the place. If this is not accepted, they can at least work as executioners, interrogators or grave keepers.

Marahnian Sub-Cultures: Though the most common scale color for marahnians is black (thus making the dark-scaled ones the most numerous), some marahnians are born with differing scales colors, such as red, green or white.

Reliable sources and research have shown that the environment has an effect on the color of the scales that a marahnian can have. Green scaled ones are common in woodlands, while sand-colored scales are most commonly seen with marahnians dwelling in deserts.

These marahnians usually form communities and sub-cultures of their own, which differ from normal marahnian communities in many ways while also keeping the core aspects of such intact. Thus, where the dark-scaled marahnian might be a powerful priest, a red-scaled one is more often a fierce warrior.

Aside from differences in scale color, these marahnians also tend to behave differently from the common subeterranean marahnians. Reasons for this maybe the life they live above the surface as well as genetics.

Religion: Marahnians worship Kol'Marah, the god of darkness and death who created the marahnians out of an ancient celestial dragon's corpse as well as his own blood. The death god shares his people's interest in all things draconic and is a hater of all undead and lawbreakers, demanding at least some degree of loyalty and obedience to established order from his worshippers.

Kol'Marah is a solemn god who sees that people should do the right thing while avoiding excess altruism and other similar things, as such things are short-lived and easily corrupted. Common sense is a good thing in his eyes for the same reasons.

The marahnians that do not worship Kol'Marah usually worship deities that match their ideals, or choose not to worship any deity at all. These individuals usually live up to a code of honor or a philosophy of some sort instead.

Language: Marahnians speak Kolran, a language with a demonic sound to it with it's guttural sounds and odd use of some consonants, a fact that has given some marahnians a negative portrayal or a connection to monsters. They don't seem to mind, as this is often used as a means of intimidating others and making them sound exotic to some.

The language also seems to be made to be compatible with the languages spoken by dragons. The laws of a marahnian city are always written in the language of Kolran, but some settlements that have visitors from other races may also translate them into other languages as well.

Names: Marahnians have a naming system akin to that of humans, with a first name and a surname given. The marahnians themselves like inventing exotic names, and some come up with original ones that might have a hidden meaning to them.

Kol'Marah the King of the Dark

Title: King of the Dark, Emperor of Despair, Lord of the Dead
Symbol: An executioner axe and a tombstone, or a dragon skull with bloodshot eyes
Weapon of Choice: Executioner Axe

The god of darkness, death and the marahnians, Kol'Marah is a solemn deity who demands obedience to law as well as a peaceful rest to the dead. As such, he hates the undead as well as any chaotic beings in existence. He is the creator of the marahnians, having brought life to them through the ashes of an ancient celestial dragon and his own blood. He is also the older brother of the goddess Kun-Lumi, and the two are allies despite their differing beliefs.

Kol'Marah teaches his followers to obey the law and to either punish or destroy those who would break the peace. He also teaches his followers to follow a path of virtue not tied to altruism. As he says, love and kindness should be spared for the needy, not handed out and wasted on those unworthy of it.

In terms of personality, Kol'Marah is shrewd, clever and honorable but ill-tempered and cruel, holding grudges for eons and speaking out his mind when angered or provoked. He also has an affinity for dragons and a strong dislike of most elves.

He often resides in his own domain among the different dimensions, known as the Judge's Hall, a dark fortress with ancient lore, courthouses and numerous torture chambers. Despite often being occupied with the endless battle with other deities, Kol'Marah finds time to visit his sister Kun-Lumi in her own realm on some occasions.

So far Kol'Marah is only allied with deities who have some degree of respect for order. His greatest allies are his younger sister Kun-Lumi as well as the deities of the dwarves. On the other hand, he sees the benevolent goddess of the sun as a bitter rival to his darkness, and he absolutely despises gods of trickery and thieves, of undead and of demons and devils.

Kol'Marah himself appears as a slender marahnian man with black hair, glowing red eyes and skeletal wings, clad in dark robes and a dragon skull mask, usually holding an executioner axe in hand. Like the marahnians, Kol'Marah has a pair of curved horns on his head. His left hand is skeletal till the elbow and the injuries to his hand and wings are said to have been caused in battle against the other deities.

As he lost his wings in ancient times, he decided to rid the marahnians of their wings as well, seeing that he no longer had his and the marahnians had taken refuge in the Underdark, where wings aren't really needed. Marahnians themselves know that they used to have glorious feathered wings, and consider the loss to be justified and find that the blood of the dragons that Kol'Marah gifted them was more than good enough as a compensation.

It also seems that he no longer cares of the issue, as some marahnians have grown scaly wings to replace their old ones as the race has evolved to more closely resemble their favored animal.

The priests of Kol'Marah are solemn figures with a strong understanding of ethics and lawful conduct, having low tolerance towards lawbreakers and grave robbers. They dress in dark robes with red or violet trimmings and also wear many skull decorations on them to signify the constant presence of death. Higher ranked priests who lack wings go through a painful ritual, emblazoning scars in the shape of skeletal wings on their backs.

The priests must gain their dragon skull helms through an even more dangerous mission: Slaying a dragon that is causing trouble and making the dead beasts' skull into the helm they wear. Common jobs of the priesthood are found among law enforcers, judges, undertakers and grave keepers, though some also get involved in politics. Despite their dark nature and rituals, they are also tasked with comforting those who have lost a loved one, and they do so with kind-hearted understanding and the warmth that hardly anyone would get from such harsh people.

Avatars of Kol'Marah usually take a form similar to that of the actual deity, but can also take the form of a pale-skinned young man or woman, his face always covered by the dragon skull mask. He often sends them to watch over his priests, and to purge the undead when their masses grow unnaturally big. He may also interfere in moments of great injustices through his avatars.

Temples of Kol'Marah are always built underground from dark stone and gems, and it is forbidden to bring light into them. Prayers are done in separate rooms, and some temples also have a basement floor that works as a mausoleum for important people such as heroes and other exemplary citizens.
Here it is, the work that I asked about in a poll. Presented in this text are the marahnians, a race of slightly draconic humanoids created by me.

Enjoy!

The marahnians and Kol'Marah belong to me ~Icyshadowlord

:icondonotuseplz::iconmyartplz:
© 2010 - 2024 Icyshadowlord
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