The Rekk
General Information;
Rekklin are a very attractive species with features similar to those of their Heartwoodian relatives, the high elves. They have innocent, child-like faces with large bright eyes, detracting from their small horns and fangs. A rekk cannot eat or drink traditional food, and only absorb nourishment from emotions. Fear, hatred and jealousy are sweet, while happiness causes them great pain. Many rekklin are talented in magic and swordplay, but their magic is much darker than their cousins, or any related to elf-kin.
Statistics;
Name:: Rekk, Rekklin
Average Lifespan:: Immortal
Average Height:: 6ft/1.8m
Average Weight:: 120 pounds
Location Found:: Abroad.
*all statistics based on averages; extremes in any direction, or found in odd locations, are always allowed.
Notes;
Emotions All rekklin feed off of negative emotions, and these emotions are often split into the same number of categories as their clans; five distinct types. Each one had subsets within it, and thus have a range of feelings they may feed on. A short list for reference may be found below.
Sadness: also includes depression, despair, hopelessness, etc.
Anxiety: also includes fear, worry, concern, nervous, panic, etc.
Anger: also includes irritation, frustration, annoyance, rage, etc.
Guilt: also includes remorse, regret, suffering, selfishness, etc.
Shame: also includes embarrassment, powerlessness, mistrust, worthlessness, etc.
Inter-Clan Offspring Inter-clan offspring are possible, though very rare. All inter-clan rekklin are born with small nubs for horns, and the primary emotion upon which they feed dictates what clan they most resemble later in life. However, some inter-clan rekk show mixed traits their entire lives, and do not often get accepted by others of their race.
Diet This is what this species, and any variants, may eat at any given time.
Common:
All-
specific negative emotions.
Uncommon:
All-
other negative emotions.
Rare:
All-
neutral emotions.
Overview:
Rekklin feed upon negative emotions; specifically, sadness, anxiety, anger, guilt, or shame, depending on clan. However, they can make do with a different negative emotion if their preferred food isn't readily available. In extreme cases, they can draw enough energy to survive on from neutral emotions, though such feelings are bland to them. No rekk has ever managed to successfully feed upon any positive emotion.
Credits;
Species info credited to Aehryn, Fyfergrund, Aviela, and Verridith.
In-Depth Information;
Appearance The rekklin (plural, singular is rekk) are tall, slender, and elven in appearance. Their hair color, skin tones, and eye color run the entire range of tones and colors possible among all elvenkind. Their eyes tend to be very large, and beautiful, and their canine teeth are sharp, resembling fangs, as are their molars upon close inspection. Whenever they go for too long without feeding, they tend to take on some more bestial features, with their nails elongating into claws, their pupils taking on a more animalistic look (or in some cases vanishing altogether), and any horns or antlers they have growing longer and wilder. Even when well-fed, rekklin tend to have small horns or antlers, though in most cases these nubs are too small to be seen, or are hidden beneath hair or head-wear.
Each rekklin clan has unique appearance traits depending on their clan. Most often, these traits may only be seen if one studies a rekk closely, but if they have not fed in some time these features are much more noticeable. These clans are listed below.
Nazakk: The clan who's preferred emotion to feed off of is anger. Rekklin in this clan tend to have horns similar to antelopes or bovine creatures, and this is more apparent the longer they go without feeding. Their eyes, when starving, show horizontal pupils and very large irises.
Kazen'i: The clan who's preferred emotion to feed off of is anxiety. Rekklin in this clan tend to have antlers similar to deer and other cervine animals, and this is more apparent the longer they go without feeding. Their eyes darken considerably when starving, and become rounder with slightly horizontally-elongated pupils.
N'uuku: The clan who's preferred emotion to feed off of is guilt. Rekklin in this clan tend to have horns similar to goats and other caprines, and this is more apparent the longer they go without feeding. Their eyes become brighter when starving, and their pupils may split in two.
Linaela: The clan who's preferred emotion to feed off of is sorrow. Rekklin in this clan tend to have large horns similar to saurians and fauxians, and this is more apparent the longer they go without feeding. Their eyes become brighter and their pupils contract into slits, with limited feathering around their faces, when starving.
Hizasii: The clan who's preferred emotion to feed off of is shame. Rekklin in this clan tend to have very small horns similar to small reptiles such as lizards and snakes, and this is more apparent the longer they go without feeding. While scaling may be found on their bodies regardless, these scales grow across their skin when starving, and their eyes darken and contract into very noticeable slit pupils.
Culture Since the rekklin lack any need for food or drink, and draw nourishment from negative emotions, they are forced to be somewhat nomadic, wandering alone or in small groups among the Realms. They tend to make use of their natural beauty to gain acceptance wherever they go, and are often gracious guests. However, they are manipulative, and seek to instill or strengthen negative emotions into their guests, especially those who are more emotionally vulnerable, so they may feed on those emotions. While a number of rekklin will feed without remorse, there are some seek to be more altruistic, attempting to help their hosts overcome their negative emotional tendencies before inevitably having to leave and seek other hosts to feed from, often becoming bards or storytellers.
Though they do not gather in large groups or intermingle often, each clan has tendencies that many of its members hold. These trends are listed below.
Nazakk: Clan Nazakk are often fiery orators, playing upon people's passions to incite them into anger, fanning their irritations or frustrations. They are drawn to places where there's great unrest, and, in extreme cases, can drive people into revolt or riotous behavior. They themselves tend to be passionate individuals, and rather stubborn in their opinions.
Kazen'i: Clan Kazen'i are adept at preying upon people's concerns, driving them to give in to their fears. They are drawn to places where people are more apt to be fearful, whether it be war, famine, plague, or the like threatening to break out. They themselves tend to be calm and level-headed, and very subtle, rarely drawing attention to themselves any more than they have to.
N'uuku: Clan N'uuku prefer to take up residence in communities that are especially lawful or pious, where they take great pains to learn the laws and customs before pointing out the failings of the local populace, driving them to feel guilty. It isn't uncommon for a rekk from this clan to gain a position of leadership among smaller communities who look to them to keep people on the right path. They themselves tend to be orderly, given to be creatures of habit and stoicism.
Linaela: Clan Linaela are drawn to places where people have suffered great loss, so they may prey upon their feelings of sorrow and grief. Many of these rekklin pose as bards, though the songs and tales they tell are always tragic, calculated to leave listeners in despair. As such, they are the most nomadic of their kind, leaving when feelings of sadness begin to leave. They themselves tend to be casually fatalistic, having a take-it-as-it-comes mindset.
Hizasii: Clan Hizasii are drawn to more competitive cultures, where they prey upon those who can never seem to measure up to expectations, or those who suffer great embarrassment from failing a public challenge. They also frequent places where public humiliation, such as the stocks, are used for lawbreakers, where they often instigate crowds into further shaming the accused. They themselves tend to be rather competitive, and are fond of goading others into competitions that favor the rekk.
Abilities Physically, rekklin are much like elves, strong and fast, immortal, youthful-looking for much of their lives, and skilled in swordplay and magic. However, their magics are far darker than those of their elven kin.
The rekklin are able to manipulate anger, anxiety, guilt, sadness, shame, as well as any of their subsets, and fan those feelings into powerful emotions which they then feed off of. The stronger these emotions are, the more nourishing, and better tasting. Positive emotions tend to have an opposite effect, so no rekk will even attempt to feed off of them. While stronger or more disciplined rekklin will be able to shield themselves from such positive emotions, weaker ones will tend to be driven away by feelings of nausea or disorientation.
It is thought that emotions fed upon may physically alter the rekk in question, as well, having developed initially into the clans in their past. Thus, the more a rekk feeds of one its clan's preferred emotion, the more their horns and features resemble that particular clan's. However, should a rekk of one clan switch to feed off of a different emotion, their features may begin to superficially resemble that of another clan's, though they will never completely change.
Species Origin;
Life on Evylon has never been easy, even for the strongest of creatures. The magestorms themselves are a constant danger, as are the creatures spawned by the ever-raging storms. So, perhaps it was only a matter of time before some of the Realm’s inhabitants turned to unorthodox, even distasteful means to try to improve their lives.
Such methods were practiced by a group of elves in Heartwood. What these methods were have long been forgotten, but they were heinous enough that the elves caught practicing them were banished, and driven out of Heartwood. The Halgians drove them away in turn, and they were eventually forced to hide away on Anquil.
Fear, hatred, jealousy, and anger consumed them, and they swore vicious but empty oaths against the elves who had banished them, and the Halgians who had turned them away. And there, in that storm-wracked land, their base nature began to change. With only their bitter thoughts to sustain them, they lost the ability to eat or drink, instead feeding off those emotions. It wasn’t long before they discovered they could be sustained for far longer by feeding upon other species’ emotions. Thus did they cease to be elves, and become instead the rekklin.
Having grown strong despite their exile, they swiftly left Anquil, and many left Evylon altogether, spreading across the Realms and thriving whenever negative emotions flourished. Many of them took to stirring up conflicts so they could have plenty to feed upon, while a fair number fought against their desires, but none could be free from their need to feed upon such dark emotions, no matter how hard they tried. Evylon had left its mark upon them, and they would never escape it.
This species did not have an Ancient First.
subspecies
No subspecies have been discovered for this species yet!
