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Little is known of this mysterious race, now called the W. While not
completely omnipotent, these creatures take a close second to deities in the realm, just short of worship, but powerful enough
to evoke many lengends and myths, some as rare as the appearances of this people.
Stats:
Species Type: Humanoid
Primary Language:
Common
Lifespan: Immortal
Dominant Sense: Sight
Land of Origin: Unknown
Average Height:
Five feet six inches (female); Five feet seven inches (male)
Primary Religion: None
Social Standing: Nomadic
Eating
Pattern: None
Unique Abilities:
Aside from immortality,
the W race share many similar gifts with Hylians. They are capable of telekinesis and inter-racial telepathy, along
with a form of teleportation sometimes called "site to sight." When using this unique power, the being's entire body
is engulfed in a white flash of light and then vanishes. Unlike Farore's Wind, there appears to be no limit to the distance
a W can teleport, even crossing galaxies. However, this power relies heavily on ether and is completely shut down within
the confines of Shaldani, including the Phoenix House itself.
The W race are capable of weilding an arsenal of powerful
and ancient weapons called "the helmets" due to their appearances. These helmets are crafted from pure minirals and
elements and there is only one of each in all of existence. Each individual helmet provides the wearer with a unique
ability. The most coveted of all these helmets is the Gold Helmet which allows the wearer to control the minds of anyone
around them. Most knowledge of the helmets and what they do has been lost with the ages, but some scholars have attempted
to compile lists. The whereabouts of the helmets themselves are unknown to this day.
As minerals empower these
creatures, elements are also their downfall. Every member of the race has a vulnerability to a different element, depending
on the color of their eyes. Those with golden eyes are vulnerable to silver and those with silver to gold. Copper
eyes are vulnerable to lapis and those with lapis eyes to copper. Jade eyes are vulnerable to onyx and those with onyx
eyes to jade. Exceptions are made for magically endowed instruments of the above metals and minerals, however, prolonged
exposure even to these eventually leads to a deterioration of the body.
Whisperings claim that the older a survivor
of this race gets, the more abilities they develop, independent of magical equipment. Some occultists hold that the
oldest of the old develop the power of the Wish, able to grant gifts to beings who they deem worthy. These ancient survivors
have an uncanny ability to look into the hearts and minds of those around them and the mechanism they use to do such is completely
alien to the realm.
History:
The history of the W Fellowship is as enigmatic as the race itself. They are thought to be one of the oldest
races in the universe. Most texts agree that they evolved from felines native to a land far beyond the stars of the
Crystal Realm. These felines had begun to develop agriculture and a written language long before even the Hylians appeared.
Some even think the W predate the Ra Family. For unknown reasons during the development of the race, however, a peculiar
feature took hold. Though most members were born mortal, with life expectancies close to thirty to fifty years, every
generation, a single boy and a single girl were born immortal. These mysteriously chosen few became known as the Wiz,
from which the Crystal Realm's word for "wizard" is derived. There was no way to determine who would become a Wiz or
when it would manifest itself. Often, older members of this elite sect would leave the homeland after several hundred
years, fanning out across the universe in search of knowledge.
Recorded history of the race comes into focus around
10,000 years ago when a single king called Wilmette united the land under his rule. In honor of his accomplishment,
it was declared that henceforth, all children born to the race would be given names beginning with the Common letter W, to
forever remember this king. It was further decreed that each family should only raise a single child, barring unexpected
death or multiple births, to ensure that no family feuding over inheritance would lead to civil unrest in the peaceful kingdom.
Hylians
and Draconians began to develop their own teleportation a thousand years after this peace began. Few visited the land
of the W, but those who did brought back many concepts that have become standard practices in the Crystal Realm today, such
as the concept of using glass to change the color of light. Despite these visitors, contact was limited, as the W were
a slightly xenophobic race, afraid of contact that might lead to conflict, breaking the thousand years of peace.
Nearly
7,000 years ago, an envoy of Draconians led to a nearly fatal conflict, shaking up a complacent population into civil unrest,
this time, led by a group of revolutionary young people, eager to reject practices they considered outdated such as dowry
and arranged marriages and enforced chastity. Before many of the changes demanded could be enacted, however, disaster
struck the land when the young wife of the newly crowned King Wizra fell ill and accidentally destroyed the entire land, killing
all mortal members of the race.
The surviving immortals, the Wiz, were spread thin across the Universe with no way
of knowing what had befallen their homeland and no way of knowing how many others survived. These creatures dwell in
secrecy now, 7,000 years after becoming true nomads. They often pretend to be Humans, blending into societies around
them. Some become mages to monarchs, a few popping up across the realm, most famously in Calatia where the same mage
has served the royal family for years. The purpose of the W, if, in fact, they have one, is shrouded in mystery.
Many believe they seek to reunite the lost helmets and restore their homeland.
Appearance:
At first glance, most members of the W Fellowship appear identical to Humans. They
have standard humanoid forms with two eyes, arms, legs, and feet. Unless magically effected, they bear the standard
hair and skin colors of Humans and Risans. There are, however, subtle differences that can be spotted by trained occultists
who have studied the race.
The people of W are tied to elements and minerals. To that end, members of the race
do not have ordinary, humanoid eye color, but instead, have glistening gold, silver, copper, lapis, jade, or onyx eyes.
Their pupils, although ordinary to the passive observer, have a slight feline appearance, particularly when the person in
question is alarmed or in panic.
Members of the W Fellowship, specifically those claiming the title of Wiz, appear
to be in their mid- to late-twentie due to the fact that they stop aging around this time. Because it is said that the
gravity of their homeland was greater than it is in the Crystal Realm, members of the race almost never appear to have wrinkles
while in their true state.
The W have a few additional body parts, missing on standard humanoids. They possess
an additional vertebrae at the base of the spinal column, hinting at a prehistoric feline tail, two additional molars on each
side of the mouth, and an eight chambered heart.
Reproduction:
W reproduction is accomplished in the standard, humanoid
fashion. Females bear the young after a yearlong gestation period and nurse them. Multiple births are exceedingly
rare, but when they occur, the children are usually completely identical and of the same gender. Fraternal twins and
triplets are rarer still, although not outside of the realm of possibility.
A common ailment that strikes some mortal
members of the W Fellowship is Genesis Terminus. It is a sexually transmitted disease of unknown origins. It has
no impact on male carriers whatsoever, but it renders female carriers completely barren and has the added effect of draining
them of skin pigmentation. Curiously, the disease cannot be transmitted to males outside of the race, but it can be
transmitted to non-W females, often resulting in death.
Mortal members of the race are born and develop quite like
Human children, according to historical scrolls from the homeland. It is the immortals that develop telepathy and telekinesis
during late childhood and into realy adulthood. Genetics play no part in which children develop the Wiz immortality
and which do not.
Due to this fact, crossbreeding between the Wiz and other species generally results in a mortal child.
With training, this child may be able to develop powers similar to, but weaker than those of the Wiz parent, but he or she
will still age and die, although at a slightly prolonged rate. Matches between the Wiz and mortals is extremely rare,
in part, due to the pain rendered to the immortal parent of having to watch their child die. For this reason, many children
of mortals and the Wiz grow up completely unware of their immortal parent, living the life of any other mortal.
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