Name: The Chosen People, also commonly called the Desert Dwellers or the Dark Ones. Sometimes the two major castes, the Elegant Ones and the Earthly Ones, are considered two different races in colloquial speech as well.
Appearances: The Chosen People is famous for its extreme polymorphism, where the appearances of members from different bloodlines and social castes vary greatly to both specialise in their intended role, and to reflect their social standing to other members of the society. Most of them, however, can often be organised into one of the two following major groups.
The Earthly Ones, the most numerous caste, usually have a toned, muscular body built for prolonged menial labour. Usually living deep within the large underbellies of their cities, they have hardened, charcoal-black skin to protect themselves from the extreme working conditions they have.
The Elegant Ones, as the higher echelon of the society, are treated with proper care, from a variety of high-nutrition food to magical enchantment that facilitate and control their growth. As a result, they tend to have a lithe or curvy body, with smooth skin of deep complexion ranging betweel ebony, dark blue and dark red, as well as an ageless, attractive feminine appearance regardless of gender, demonstrating their focus on visual and tactile pleasure rather than protection from the elements. They usually have a long hair of silvery or golden colour, and a pair of slightly-glowing eyes with the colour of gems.
Physiology: Like appearances, the Chosen People has an extremely high level of polymorphism that drastically influences the physiology of members of different caste.
The Earthly Ones, the lowly foundation of their society, usually serve as menial labourers, producing raw materials for the consumption of the city dwellers. Tough working conditions, as well as the lack of proper nutrition or education meant they have low mental capacity, making them suitable for mindless labour and less likely to revolt against their higher brethren. Similarly, their mesomorphic physique means they develop and mature faster than most Desert Dwellers, but also have the shortest lifespan either due to injuries or biological deterioration. In addition to it, many Earthly Ones have been bred to react to pheromone released by the bodies of Elegant Ones, which, when combined with mental conditioning, ensured further control of the Elegant over the Earthly servants. The Earthly Ones can reach maturity in less than seven years, and usually do not live past their 20th birthday.
Some of them, called the Uplifted Ones, are specifically bred for combat and bodyguard. Unlike normal Earthly Ones, who have troubles understanding complicated orders, Uplifted Ones possess higher mental capacity to understand and carry out orders without sacrificing their well-built physique. Such characteristics make them ideal choice both as bodyguards of the Elegant Ones, and as unit commanders to coordinate Earthly Ones on a smaller scale during the heat of battle. Because of their elevated role, Uplifted Ones tend to receive better treatment in the society, both because of their presence in high society functions, and because of the possibility of them leading an uprising using their superior intellect. They mature slower than usual Earthly Ones, usually taking around 10 years, and can live for several decades due to their improved treatment.
The Elegant Ones are the backbone of their society, and as such, their breed, nutrition and education allows them to focus their development on mental and magical capacity, making them significantly smarter and refined than their Earthly brethren. Their body is relatively feeble, but it does not pose a significant hindrance of their life, which is mostly supported by the robust Earthly Ones under them. Virtually all Elegants are hermaphrodite, meaning that they have fertile male and female reproductive organ, although it is said that some purely female and male Elegant Ones do exist, but only rarely and almost always a result of "improper" raising.
While members of the Elegant caste generally possess a decent understanding of arcane knowledge, and have some degree of ability to use magic, some bloodlines are more devoted to such cause than others. Often called the Transcended Ones, they undergo extensive modification - including magical enchantment, a heavy dose of the Illuminating Fever spice and vigorous training – to further their arcane ability. As a result, their body is quite feeble, some to the point of being crippled, in exchange of an innate ability to utilise magic at a higher efficiency. Most Elegant Ones are considered adult by their 13th birthday, and many of them can be expected to live for 40 to 50 year, with some living as long as 70 years.
At the top of the social pyramid lies the exalted caste of the Exalted Ones. Although based on the Elegant Ones, their body and mind is highly-specialised as rulers of the people, to the point that breeding with foreign races is not only morally repulsive to them, but also a phsiological impossibility. Handled with extreme care since before birth, Exalted Ones are invariably bewitching beauties that are the envies of even their Elegant compatriots, housing a refined mind that is dedicated to statesmanship and politics, as well as the daily function of their society. It is believed that members of the Exalted caste takes decades to reach maturity, and can live for at least a century, usually even longer under extensive care, as the long-living rulers of their herd.
Reproduction: Theoretically, all members of the Chosen People are capable of producing fertile offspring with any other members of their people. However, the highly-regimented and controlled society means breeding between different caste is rare and often shunned, and the harsh working conditions of the Earthly Ones mean most of them are not capable of carrying foetus, and thus have to rely on either specifically-maintained female Earthly Ones, or females and hermaphrodites from other castes, often as a form of punishment.
While most Desert Dwellers are
viviparous like humans, some bloodlines of the Earthly Ones are capable of
ovoviviparity. Length of pregnancy varies depending on the caste of both the mother and the foetus, with higher castes generally meaning a longer pregnancy. Generally, the Elegant Ones are born after eight to ten months of pregnancy, while the Earthly Ones are delivered after six months, or sometimes even less due to their relatively low level of development.
Culture: The Desert Dwellers' society is extremely stratified, where social mobility between minor castes within the same major caste is rare, and mobility between major castes will "most likely require divine intervention" as an observer noted. At the very top of the secular hierarchy, the Exalted Ones guide the direction of the country by their will, while the Elegant citizenry work in their majestic cities as overseers, priests, artisans and merchants. Below them, the lowly Earthly caste are the mindless labourers and workers, their back-breaking work providing the raw material and power required for the society to function.
The Elegant Ones are an artistic and commercial people, with great innate wits and skills to entertain people and secure their own gain in the process. As a result, they tend to welcome foreign travellers and traders, especially if there is something to be gained from them. However, since most of them do not fit in any of the existing castes of their society, intermarriages and assimilations are rare, although foreigners who are granted suitable castes by the ruling Exalted or the Twin Gods will be welcomed by them as their own kind most of the time.
As a reflection of their lineage-based society, the Chosen People is a highly traditional people with great pride in their bloodlines. From the humble Earthly Ones to the reigning Exalted Ones, almost all houses are known for having their own banner and clothes. While on a first glance, such cloth resemble little more than extremely embroidered carpets or flags, native Desert Dwellers - even the otherwise illiterate Earthly Ones - can easily read the entire history of the bearer's lineage since its foundation. The detailed embroidery marked both the meaning, pronunciation and the tone of which it should be sung, essentially turning the long history of said lineage into a sung epic. Because of its values, disrespecting or damaging such banners is considered sacrilegious, and is a sure-fire way to earn the ire of the entire people.
Dress-code: The extreme heat of desert, especially in the underground catacombs of the cities, means most of the Desert Dwellers prefer lighter, simpler dress out of practicality. For most Elegants, their usual dress usually consist of white silk clothes wrapping around their breasts and pelvis, along with decorations and accessories depending on their caste and lineage. These clothes tend to have a tight cutting, both to prevent the intrusion of sand and small animals that can potentially harm their bodies, and for aesthetic purposes.
The Earthly Ones, on the other hand, more often than not are fully naked due to the intense heat and moisture of the underground environment. In battle, the Dark Ones prefer to wear additional pieces of armour made of a combination of leather, silk and metal for additional protection of torso and limbs while maintaining as much manoeuvrability as possible.
Religion: The Chosen People believe they are the chosen people, the proudest creation of the Twin Gods. They see the highly-stratified and polymorphic society of theirs to be the manifestation of order in the boiling chaos that is the mortal realm, and it is their divine duty to spread the order to conquer the chaos.
The Dark Ones recognise the existence of other gods and their creations, but most of them are seen as inferior creations that would be better serving in different castes of a unified society. Headed by the Chosen People, naturally.
Infrastructure: The lack of building material in desert environment means the Desert Dwellers have to rely on extensive use of limestone and sandstone as their main building material. Utilising enchantments and Earthly labour, the Dark Ones managed to construct large,
pyramid structures that form the majority of their buildings. Long corridors, all carved with runes and writings of the long history and rich tradition of the people, formed the outer layer of the buildings, while the inner compartments become home for the Elegant Ones, shrines dedicated to the Twin Gods, and chambers of entertainment and commerce.
Under the great cities, though, laid the massive catacombs that powered them. Hot and humid, these dark corridors were not suitable for the Elegant Ones, but they proved to be the ideal environment to grow various types of fungi, among them precursors of the Illuminating Fever spice, a valuable spice that is said to empower one's magical capacity, as well as providing an ecstatic state to its consumers. As such, both to feed the thriving cities and their libertine citizens, numerous Earthly Ones worked in such extreme environment as farmers and labourers, harvesting and mining vital raw materials for the surface population.
Magic: Most Elegants are capable of using magic in various degrees of proficiency. However, some bloodlines are more devoted to such cause than others. Often called the Transcended Ones, they are the product of a combination of chronic consumption of enchanted food and Illuminating Fever spice, vigorous mental exercise and even bodily modifications, all dedicated to shape their mind to accompany arcane ability and, more importantly, the Twin Gods' own magical power.
The Illuminating Fever, an unique substance extracted from the fungus growing within the vast catacombs of the Desert Dwellers, is used to reshape the mind of its consumers which, when in combination of suitable rituals, allow the Transcended Ones to align their mind better with the gods. As such, they are capable of channeling some of the Twin Gods' magical power. However, the fundamental differences between mortals and gods mean their mental stability and sanity will suffer from the process.
Army: The Dark One's army, like every other aspects of its society, reflects the highly specialised caste system. The majority of its members are Earthly light footmen. Armed with only simple armour and spears, they often rely on their numbers and innate endurance to form a protective line against enemies. Behind them, Elegant bowmen, usually recruited among the stronger breeds, provide covering fires to help immobilise the enemy forces, and the Transcended Ones provide magical protection against enemy projectiles.
The core of the Dark One's army, though, is the small bands of elite warriors. Usually consist of Uplifted Ones lead by a particularly strong and ambitious Elegant One each, they move under the cover of volleys and chaos to combat their opponents in close-range, where the fortitude of the Uplifted Ones and skills of the Elegant One can have the greatest effect against them.
The Desert Dwellers are famous as both traders and raiders. As such, the raiding warrior bands are specialised in capturing captives and goods alike, and most wars tend to be short and small in scale. Some of the largest raider clans possess enormous ships made of stones to traverse the vast desert through magical enchantment, trading with those willing and rading those who are not.
Background: For the most time since its inception, the Dark Ones have been a nomadic people, travelling between oases for subsistence. While many smaller oases thrive and languish, several larger oases are able to sustain itself and some of the nomads permanently. As such, trade routes started to appear between them. Supported by trade of goods, crafts and spice alike, the Desert Dwellers as a race started to consolidate. However, it did not become a unified country until the Twin Gods intervened.
It is believed that two of the largests clans were fighting against each other for a new oasis next to a mount of limestone. When the sweet water of the oasis became red from all the blood spilled, an eclipse occured, and both Heavenly Blossom and Stone-like descended on the top of the mount. The opposing clans prostrated in fear and awe as the elders of both clans are summoned. Along with their wisest seers, the Twin Gods bestowed their Divine Glyph on a flat stone. Its sacred radiance immediately blinded all of them, as well as sending any uninvited people who peeked at it into permanent shock and awe. Once the blind seers returned, they revealed the divination to their people, as well as a simplified symbol of the Divine Glyph.
Under their guidance, the first city of the Desert Dwellers was built on the mount, with a majestic shrine dedicated to the Twin Gods erected around the blinding emblem both as a place of worship and as a mean to protect the people from its very essence. With the construction of the first permanent settlement, the elders, now known as the Exalted Ones, created what would later become the caste system that defines the entire people.
As time flies, descendants of the first city rallied the entire people under its sacred banner, voluntarily or otherwise. Soon, the entire race was reshaped into a highly hierarchal people who functions not unlike a single body: the perfect order with its root already present in the mortal realm since its conception, but is knly made lear by the Divine Glyph.
Relations: (TBA)
Legends/Myths: It is believed that Heavenly Blossom and Stone-like, despite being different manifestations of the same deity, once fought a great war against each other for dominance. However, once they exhausted all their divine power over a fight under a starless night, they reconciliated with each other under the veil of darkness, realising the potential of a new people who bear the strength of both of them. Thus, after seven nights and six days, the first Dark One is born, as a twin of female Elegant and male Earthly, who later became the ancestors of all the Chosen People.
Despite the apparent lack of fertile farmland in the desert, the Desert Dwellers, regardless of caste, have a deeply-rooted contempt towards many kinds of crops, such as wheat and rice. They believe that surviving on a subsistence chiefly based on easily cultivated plants will erode their will, mind and body, tainting the Twin Gods' creation and disqualifying from inheriting the mortal realm. While such defilement is not immutable, people who are raised in such a way will usually be viewed with extreme contempt unless they perform exceptional acts to otherwise "prove their purity".
Apart from their gods, the Desert Dwellers also believe powerful spirits reside in numerous things, especially languages. As such, sacrilegious uses of languages, especially their Divine Tongue, would be punished by mortals and gods alike. Because of that, the Dark Ones are extremely hesitant in teaching their Divine Tongue, which also serve as the official language of their government and banners, to foreigners. Instead, they either use their Colloquial Tongue or, more commonly, translate the meaning of their words when dealing with foreigners.
The Lands: The land of the Chosen People consist mostly of desert dotted by oases, rocky grounds and plateaus. Despite the seemingly lifeless appearance, the sea of sands is home to numerous kinds of lifeform. Land-bound rays and large scorpions have since been domesticated by the Dark Ones as mounts and beasts of burden when Earthly Ones are not available. However, the most famous beings that dwells in the depth of sands are the Sand Dragons. With a size exceeding small towns and a destructive force of a small army, these majestic beings are the cause of numerous deaths and destruction of villages since time immemorial. While they appeared to be non-sentient force of nature, they are also symbols of wealth, as their rock-like scales brings invaluable gems and minerals from the deepest reach of the desert to the surface, leaving them for the brave and strong to claim.
While most vegetations on the sand dwell near the few and moving oases, deep beneath the sandy caverns various types of fungi can be found. Some of them rely on the dead bodies of fauna and flora sunken into the sand to thrive, while some can grow on seemingly inorganic, but burning rocks. As most crops cannot survive the burning sun and arid sandstorms, and hunting alone cannot sustain the massive Earthly population, these fungi-based food soon become a staple of their cuisine.
Location: <Central Yellow Land>
The homeland of the Desert Dwellers is the vast desert, on which their country ultimately formed under divine guidance from the Twin Gods. On top of the waves of golden sand, blood-red plateau and rock formations, green and azure oases and rivers dotted the landscape, many of which have since become vital in either the religious lore or political infrastructure of the Dark Ones. While the lingering zenithal sun definitely helped shaping the scorching desert, it is ultimately the underlying flow of magical force beneath the land, commonly attributed to Sand Dragons or the planet itself, that forged the burning sands of the land. As such, the desert remained arid and hot even when the sun moves beyond the veil of the horizon.
Currently, it is estimated that there are around 15 million Dark Ones inhabiting their native homeland. Among them, less than two millions are not of the Earthly caste.
Why: The Dark Ones believe that they are chosen by the Twin Gods to inherit the mortal realm, and it is their divine duty to spread their idea of an orderly, perfect society to all races, eventually incorporating them all within a single, unified society. While they are not above waging ars and raids to accomplish such goal, they prefer diplomacy and trade to those who are willing, so that their strength can be reserved to those who are not.
