Symenestra
From Mizahar Lore
| Height | 5-6.5 feet |
|---|---|
| Weight | 100-180 pounds |
| Lifespan | up to 90 years |
| Major features | Pale, ashy skin, slightly elongated arms, black "claws", fangs |
| Abilities | Can scale surfaces and dispense poison |
| Population | 900 |
| Most common in | In the north of Kalea |
| Reputation | Approach with caution and armed |
| Racial gods | Viratas, god of blood |
| Subraces | halves, but only those with a Symenestran mother |
Contents |
Introduction
They call themselves the Symenestra, but most derisively refer to them as "Widows". The Symenestra are a humanoid race with an unnerving similarity to poisonous spiders in their abilities, diet and elegant build. With claws that can catch and fangs to poison, they endeavor counteract the fragility of their frame.
History
In the generations before the Valiterrian, Symenestra were a long limbed race with coloring similar to fair humans. They always had fangs, but were able to digest denser foods and use less poison. Because less poison was needed for Symenestra to break down food, reproduction was not deadly. The Symenestra were tree dwellers in the northern jungles of Falyndar before the Valiterrian. Their floating city was a marvel, crafted with ingenuity and care from wood and glass, the structures connected only by graceful streams of fabric. Agile as they were, they required nothing else for a bridge. When other races began to frequent the city, slim bridges were built between common structures, but no traveler felt entirely safe on the narrow contraptions.
When the world began to crumble around them and their airy city was destroyed, the surviving Symenestra fled to Kalea. In Kalea, they hid in caverns and grew accustomed to the dim, coming out only at dusk to hunt. Dwellings were built in the vast caverns, resembling their old treetop homes, but they were a dour shade of the grace the Symenestra had once known.
As generations passed, Symenestra began venturing back into the brighter light of day. Their population had dwindled, and the wives were demanding surrogate mothers. Both male and female Symenestra would roam the land looking for suitable female surrogates, chosen for their beauty and strength. These journeys were referred to as "harvests". Most of the captured surrogates were treated as pampered prisoners until the child's birth and their consequential death.
Division has arisen among the Symenestra in the last eighty years, as some were uncomfortable with this barbaric practice. A vocal minority exists that encourages Symenestra to carry their own children, taking the risks of having the child cut out before birth. These dissenters also believe that with each generation, mothers may become more immune to their children's poison. The very nature of this group's protest makes their numbers small. Surprisingly, this dissent was led by female Symenestra who sympathized with the plight of the captives. They were also sensitive to the moral corruption the harvesting practice bred. Less kindhearted proponents assert that the harvest is a pollution of hallowed blood and feel that the continued presence of foreign blood will distort the race. These dissenters are collectively called Esterians, in honor of the woman, Esteria, who began the outcry.
There are roughly 900, Symenestra left in existence. The population is divided between those who dwell in the cavern community in southern Kalia and those who wander abroad.
Biology
Physical Appearance
The Symenestra are elegantly humanoid in face and form, but seem like a thing left too long in the dim. Their skin is ashen and morbidly pale, often showing a faint lace of delicate gray veins, and their hair ranges between a cobweb color, to varying shades of silver to deepest black. Symenestran eyes are human in shape with especially large pupils, and irises in only three different colors: gold, red and amethyst.
Symenestra vary from human proportions with their slightly elongated arms and hands, likely to make for easier travel on all fours. They also possess especially strong, black fingernails that are commonly used as claws. It takes the better part of ten years to grow a usable set of crescent "claws", so most Symenestra are loath to file them down (a difficult process due to the nail's strength). What is the most notable aspect of the Symenstra, though, are their long, sharp canine teeth that can dispense a corrosive venom.
Common Traits
Most Symenestra wear light, shell like armor over their body, this is due to the delicacy of their skeleton. The lightness of their bones gives them speed, but the sort of blows that would sprain or break a human, will literally shatter a Symenestra frame. As a result, their fighting style revolves around not being caught and long range weapons. Many are even cautious of jostling crowds.
Age and Reproduction
Symenestra can reach ninety, but few do in this violent age. The female Symenestra die either in their fertile twenties or age normally. This is because of the grisly reproductive process.
Every Symenestra is a killer within a minute of its birth. The newly born Symenestra has an especially potent dose of poison, and they instinctively turn on their mothers for their first meal. Moments before the child is delivered, the child has begun to spread its acidic poison and destroy the mother from the inside out. Symenestra women survive only by having the child delivered prematurely or cut out of them before the birthing process. Commonly, mother or child do not survive this. Symenestran males only have the ability to sire two or three times, after which they are infertile.
In recent times, reproduction has been used as a means of destroying other races. Symenestra men would impregnate foreign women, increasing Symenestra numbers while killing the enemy women. Sired half-breeds take on the race and abilities of the father, but may draw subtle physical characteristics from the mother. However, half-breeds carried by a female Symenestra will have a weaker poison, allowing the mother to survive the birth. As adults, these half-breeds have a denser build and are unable to climb surfaces or produce potent poison. Inconveniently, their dietary needs are the same as full Symenestra.
Diet
Symenestran cuisine is reviled by all outsiders. The race lacks the digestive system necessary to inwardly break down complex foods. Instead the Symenestra pierce the skin of whatever they intend to eat with their fangs and use the poison they produce to break down the inner parts of the food. Some softer fruits and vegetables can be chewed instead of broken down. Once the fare is properly liquefied, the Symenestra are able to suck it out of the fruit or animal. This process takes several hours, resulting in Syemenstra eating maybe twice a day. It is a common misconception that the Symenestra are blood drinkers. While it does make a part of their diet, it is a poor replacement for liquefied protein and broken down sugars.
Special Abilities
Symenestra have three abilities that make them peculiar from most races:
They are able to see well in poor lighting conditions, dilating their pupils at will. What is murky to human eyes is fairly clear to a Symenestra, and what is pitch black to a human is only foggy to a Symenestra.
Also, they can produce a poison dispensed from their fangs. This poison works like a potent stomach acid, breaking down organic structures into liquid form. It begins the process by dispensing an agent that relaxes the body of the prey before beginning the painful process. A humane Symenestran kills their prey before this portion of the poison begins. The strength of the poison is based on how long the Symenestra has gone without eating: the longer between meals, the deadlier the bite. If a Symenestra has eaten with the past two days, then its poison is painful but not fatal. Symenestra can control the dispensation of poison for the most part, but poison tends to be produced involuntarily when the idea of hunger is introduced. However, desire and hunger can trigger it in the same way, so a benevolent Symenestran lover must handle themselves with focus and care. The expression, "The Kiss of a Symenestra" is often used to describe a bittersweet experience.
The strangest ability of a Symenestra is their defiance of gravity. Symenestra can extend a host of microscopic hooks from their hands and feet that enable them to scale seemingly smooth walls.
Society:
Social Structure
Due to the nature of their religion, Symenestra have a great respect for bloodlines. Their ruling family was decided by the purity of its connection to the first Symenestra. However, Symenestra believe that genealogy will speak for itself. Physical and mental trials were held every fourth generation, or when the rulers were unable to produce heirs. Symenestra felt the purest blood would excel and be worthy of the position. A male and female would be chosen from the trials and dubbed the new rulers. Often this pair would marry, but it was not required. Currently, the Symenestra have a ruling couple that govern the daily concerns that arise in their small cavern community. However, the couple has produced no heirs and the female is approaching an age of infertility.
Language
Symenestra are unfailingly literate, and fluent in both the common tongue and their own language: Symenos. Their ability to charm and persuade verbally is a key tool in the hunt for surrogates, as they would rather coax than fight and risk damaging a healthy surrogate.
Symenos is a softly spoken language that creeps off the tongue. Some find the sound of it entrancing while others think it eery.
Names
There are few formal rules for the naming of full Symenestran children or Half-Symenstra with a Symenestran father. Masculine names are usually denoted by their use of "D's" and "V's", while feminine names tend to use "S's" and "N's". Names are to be pleasant to the ear when spoken aloud and often have three syllables. This is a more recent trend, introduced with the rise of the "Harvest". Few women would be inclined to stop for Thrack, but Duvalis might have better luck.
Surnames are taken from the father's side and are derived from jungle flora, as they were once a tree-top dwelling people. The first Symenestran Webs were identified by their proximity to certain plants. However, the common language's name for the plant was used, as the Symenestran titles often had double meanings that might connote something undesirable.
Examples:
Daratur Balsam, Soraya Avenca, Valdyor Curare, Nalessa Erva, Avadon Scarlet, Enella Orchid etc.
Half-Symenestra with a Symenestran mother have the prefix of "Dra". The prefix literally means "little", and a demeaning connotation is often read into it. Their first names will usually have two syllables. They will have no surname.
Examples: Dra-Sosai, Dra-Lenev, Dra-Altha
Family Life
Symenestran culture is based largely on community dynamics and the race tends to be covetous of their privacy. Family groups are referred to as "Webs". Mothers and matriarchs may be related by blood or adoption, the latter having less standing. However the scarcity of mothers who survive birth has increased the adoptive matriarch's value in recent generations. Within Kalia, Webs live in close proximity to one another and tend to govern themselves. The monarchs rarely intercede into the affairs of Webs, choosing to make decisions that affect the race as a whole. The eldest child is usually designated to conduct a harvest if one is necessary, bringing back surrogates for all his or her siblings. The second born male leads religious rituals for his Web, but is not viewed as a priest. Symenestran religion encourages all its members to be familiar with its principles and rituals and does not require a priesthood. However, especially wise and devout second sons are often looked to for spiritual guidance within the community.
Art and Industry
Symenestran art is embodied in three words: dark, elegant and delicate. When they lived among the treetops, their style of architecture was organic and weightless with arabesques and thin filigree. In the caverns, the design has darkened while retaining its eerily organic feel. Smooth black and white structures hang like cocoons from the cavern ceiling, suspended between stalactites and flowing over the edges of limestone flows. Ladders and bridges do not exist, only narrow ropes making a web between structures. It is impossible to ascend or descend into their community without a Symenestra willing to carry you.
Non-Symenestra have difficulty navigating structures as nooks and hammocks for sleep or sitting are often out of human reach. The saving grace for visitors is the Symenestran preoccupation with weaving fabric. Male and female learn how to work a loom at a young age and create silky textiles. Fabric is liberally strewn and layered on the floor of their structures creating a nest of sorts.
This also influences the Symenestran style of dress. Beneath their exoskeleton of armor, male and female wear snug leggings then wrap themselves in long strips of fabric. A time consuming process akin to bandaging the whole body. Darker colors are preferred as they match their hunting environment, but the Symenestra are also a drawn to jewel tones that recall their heritage in the lush jungles of Falyndar.
Religion
The Symenestra worship, Viratas, the god of blood. If asked, they would say they worship the god of the essence, life and connection. While outsiders see the faith as barbaric, the Symenestra find a great serenity in their beliefs. Blood sustains life, binds peoples and serves as the ultimate sacrifice. Any crime against life and community is a crime against their god.
Beliefs and rituals are drawn from a sacred text called: The Viratassa. The text is rather short, and most Symenestra have memorized large portions of it. Apart from detailing the mechanics of rituals, the text emphasizes a hierarchy. It calls for devotion to god, the Viratassa and sentient life. The prime virtues the text espouses are sacrifice, patience, devotion and respect for all people that bear blood.
The original rituals of worship often included the letting of blood from an animal and commonly the penitent Symenestra. Animals used in this ceremony would have been raised as pets by the worshiper, so their sacrifice would emphasize the gravity of the Symenstra's wrongdoing. The blood was gathered in sacred glass bowls and offered up to their god as a covering for their trespasses against the life that blood represented. Blood from the worshipper was only given in small doses, and usually in a show of thanks as opposed to a sacrifice for wrongs.
In present times, some fringe worshipers have become more violent. They see the nature of their god as connected to sustenance and violence instead of life and community. Their rituals reflect this shift in perspective and tend to be literal bloodbaths followed by feasting on sacrifices.