Dragon

Land of Karchan

Avis Sorei

Contents

Storyline

Taini and Taima were twins, born to an elven father and a human mother. When the girls were bordering maturity, a witch spirit captured them in its gemstone ring and slaughtered every blood relative they possessed. The spell it cast kept them suspended in a state between life and death for a century, before they emerged... altered; changed, destined to bare children with special abilities for as long as their bloodlines endured.

Eventually, the girls returned to a life that bore a vague semblance to normality. Taini wed a human named Fyr Jerai, and Taima wed his best friend, and hunting partner, Oriyn Taeadrel. Both couples bore children who possessed the same gifts their mothers did: they possessed the ability to shift into a bird form, as long as the blood ritual has been completed.

Some sixty generations later, and the bloodlines have flourished! They were sitting pretty in their homeland until their abilities drew unwanted attention from those that feared the power could be used against the Lords. Being forced out, the family have found themselves in Karchan.

Blood Ritual

The witch that cast the First Spell on the ancestors of the Sorei was something akin to an archaic scientist. Her interest lay in merging souls of humans and animals, to create herself an army of impossible beings to use in her quest for domination.

The ritual involved a ring of seven gemstones collected from the farthest reaches of the land, set atop a knoll in the center of the richest forest. Having coerced the twins into accompanying her, the witch thrust them into the ring and there they were trapped, in suspended animation, for a century. The witch then thrust two of the time's most majestic birds into the circle, whereupon their souls were ever-so gradually merged with the twins'.

Having had no comprehension regarding the duration of the First Spell, the witch met her demise long before the twins emerged from their reluctant reverie. When they did, they were subjected to distrust, and at times hatred, because of what they had become: a state between bird and human, with talons for fingernails and large, feathery wings that sprouted from their backs. Becoming reclusive, for their behavior was governed by two masters: the birds' soul, and the humans', the twins entered a period of negotiation within their own bodies. It had initially been a struggle; a fight between man and avian, but a deal was eventually brokered between them. If the twins wanted their bodies back, and indeed their lives, they would forfeit the souls of all their mortal descendants.

From that point forward, every child born with the same blood than ran in the twins' veins would carry a genetic trigger that had to be activated upon maturity. If it is allowed to run its natural course, the half-man, half-bird form will enslave the child for the duration of their lives. If activated, however, it allows the bond of bird and human to be renewed, and the shift between bird and human to be seamless.

The Witch and the Ritual

There are witches within the Sorei that are able to activate the child. There are learnt witches, of pure Sorei descent, and ones with other blood; foreign blood, that brings its own qualities to the witch's power. Each Sorei Witch is gifted seven gemstones upon the completion of their training, and these play an important part in the ceremony that completes the First Birds' wishes: the ceremony that binds human to bird.

The ceremony used today bears a strong resemblance to the one that first bound the twins to the birds, and involves the majority of the Flock. The witch sets the gemstones in a circle, their positions dependent on the placing of the moon, the time of year, and the number of attendees at the ceremony.

The child stands in the middle of the circle, and recites as the witch weaves a spell:

For as long as my lungs draw breath;
 As many years the Gods allow;
My soul, I surrender.
This is my eternal vow.

The witch then pricks the finger of the child.

All mature members of the Flock prick their own fingers.

The witch collects a drop of blood from the child in a pan, and adds the Spice.

The pan is then taken around the Flock, and each member adds a drop of blood until such a time the Spice changes color. This color change indicates the fact the child and the donor have matching birds.

The child and the designated member then press fingers, and the child's bird is activated.

The current witch is Pandora Jerai.

NOTE//: If a match is not found within the Flock, every member is obliged to assist in the location of a bird currently not demonstrated by the group as a whole. The bird is then subjected to the same treatment as adult members of the Flock.

Hunters

The birdkin are hunted by a specific group, and many have fallen as a result. They have migrated to Khneo where it is safe most of the time, though they still must watch their backs when outside of the city's protective barrier.

Jerai Bloodline

The Jerai birdkin are listed below:

Adeliah
Benecio - Alpha
Brooks
Cleo
Coereba
Darcy
Graehm
Jackson
Kijda
Leonie
Lukka
Malkiat
Maymi
Mimoli
Moira
Nestor
Pandora - Beta and Witch
Perdicia
Rosella
Suruve
Velasco

Taeadrel Bloodline

The Taeadrel birdkin are listed below:

Ananke - Beta
Anustet
Athena
Dren
Dylan
Chanel
Esquiva
Fenton
Ihle
Iokepa
Jamie
Jewel
Kay
Lacea
Leifa
Loxlei
Nevana - Alpha
Oleander
Paloma
Thonyne
Xanarion

Last modified on March 30, 2016, 22:10:52