|
The Polarians, more commonly called "Stars" in the Crystal Realm, are one
of the rarest and most mysterious races to be found. Indeed, they are so tied to ancient legend that most do not believe
they exist at all. Others, called Star Hunters, become obsessed with finding them.
Stats:
Species Type: Humanoid
Primary Language:
Common
Lifespan: Immortal
Dominant Sense: Sight
Land of Origin: Unknown
Average Height:
Five feet five inches
Primary Religion: Starlight Worship
Social Standing: Nomads
Eating Pattern:
None
Unique Abilities:
The unique abilities
of the Star race are tied directly with both their physical and metaphysical hearts. Their immortality and eternal youth
stem from their physical hearts and the blood in their veins, making their hearts much sought after by practioners of dark
arts and marketeers of the black market.
Metaphysically, the heart of a Star allows her to access other powers.
When a Star is content, her heart will cause her entire body to glow, radiating warmth to those around her. Stars can
only control this glow with great concentration and emotional discipline. Although it is useful in bringing pleasure
to those around them and providing light in the darkness, it can also give away a Star to a Star Hunter.
Stars who
have spent more time in the realm have developed greater control of this light and can use it as a weapon against attack.
A Star who can channel all the love in their hearts into a single burst of light that can blind anyone looking directly at
it. This light is so powerful, it can void out dark magik, although only for a short while. This power is very
exhausting and a Star can only do it once a day.
Most Stars have a developed and focused telekinesis. This telekinesis,
unlike that of the Hylians, cannot be used on other objects, or people. Instead, Stars use it for flight. Again,
however, this is exhausting and a Star usually cannot drift more than a meter off the ground. This power too relies
on deep concentration and contentment of heart, so only Stars that have been in the realm for awhile can achieve it.
The
Stars have a form of telepathy as well, however, they can only communicate within the race and only at night. They cannot
receive telepathic messages from other races, but they can send telepathic messages to anyone who is asleep, though the message
will usually be mistaken for a garbled dream.
History:
According to legend, the Polarians were created by the goddess called the Starlight after the Imprisoning War.
In celebration of the defeat of evil, the Starlight broken off pieces of her shining hair and scattered them in the sky, intermingling
them with actual stars. These bits of hair were transformed into beautiful young women, eternally watching the realm
from the heavens. Whether this is true or not is uncertain, as the Polarians have no memory of their own origins.
As far as they are concerned, they have always existed.
The story moves into history when the first Polarian, called
Semele, fell from the sky. Her descent was described as a shooting star, earning the Polarians the name Stars, which
has stuck with them throughout history. Semele fell to Miranda where she was found by a peasant boy who nursed her back
to health. He was unable to return her to the sky, but was kind to her nevertheless. The two fell in love and
married. It soon became evident that in giving him her metaphysical heart, Semele had granted immortality to the boy.
In
time, many began to covet this immortality. Countless suitors tried to woo Semele away, but she was steadfast.
It was a witch who finally discovered that the immortality of the Star could be stolen, not through love, but through murder.
Semele was killed, her heart cut out. When the witch injested the heart, she regained her youth and power for nearly
two hundred years before aging once again.
From these events, the people called Star Hunters began to appear, determined
to hunt down fallen Polarians and cut out their hearts. Although the practice was highly illegal and immoral, many fell
prey to it, though there were few Stars to be found due to the fact that as many as a hundred years could pass before another
Polarian would fall.
Polarians in the sky existed in a semi-conscious state, observing the people of the Crystal Realm
and telepathically communicatig with one another at night. As Stars began to fall, those left in the sky observed their
sisters and realized that despite the dangers of being hunted, life in the realm provided them with the opportunities for
adventure and love, both absent in the sky. This created a dualty, some Stars eager to fall, others afraid to.
What actually causes a Star to fall, however, remains a mystery, even to those Polarians who do descend to the Crystal Realm.
Those
that fall usually awake in craters, injured and in need of help, barely able to comprehend the world around them. They
develop slowly, rather like children. If they are lucky enough to avoid Star Hunters, eventually Stars are able to blend
into humanoid societies around them, few people knowing their true nature. Regretably, no Star has ever been able to
return to the sky.
Appearance:
Stars generally appear as Humans with rounded ears and humanoid features. They
are all female and unless mutilated by their time in the Crystal Realm, Stars tend to be very attractive. Most Stars
appear to be around their mid-twenties and they do not age. Appearance spells cast by other species hardly ever work
on Stars, so they are difficult to disguise.
For the most part, Stars are thin and frail. They like to wear their
hair long, and it can be any natural humanoid color. The skin of a Star is very thin and easily burned. It can
be any humanoid color, though most stars tend to be pale. All Stars have milky green eyes. Interestingly, their
pupils do not dialate. They naturally see better in the dark than in the light of day.
When glowing, a Star loses
definition and usually looks like a burst of pale blue light. It is uncertain whether a Star actually changes shape
or not as even the Star herself cannot tell. During a glow, a Star is not vulnerable to weapons, but in regular form,
a Star can be battered or bruised just as easily as any other humanoid.
Reproduction:
Polarians, who are all female, are not capable of reproduction.
Although fallen Stars may participate in sexual activity, they are completely infertile and unable to bear young to humanoid
males.
Interestingly, demonoid species in which the male bears the young are capable of reproducing with Stars.
Such races, among them the Andorians, produce unique half breeds called Starlings. Starlings are completely sterile,
female, and as mortal as their demonoid fathers. Their appearances reflect their demonoid heritage, as well as their
abilities. Starlings cannot glow like their mothers. Most people, demonoid and humanoid alike, see these creatures
as abominations and they are hunted down. The hearts of Starlings have a similar, but weaker, effect to those of Stars,
making them valuable on the black market.
|
