Skyborn

Skyborn
Ashkhas Minara (in Zahram)
Motto: "Between the Machines of Knowledge and Ages of Wonder."
Nation State	Al-Alus
Ruler	Technocratic Council by Examination
Other Present	Regalian Empire
Languages	Zahram, Common
Religion	Unionism
First Recorded	10,000 BC
Demonym(s)	Skyborn

The Skyborn are a diverse group of people with ancestry from all the major corners of the world, who once ruled much of the seas and lands between the Elven and Sheng Empires in the far west and east respectively. They built vast flying cities with their technology in clockwork and steamtech, but eventually came into conflict with the Dragons and suffered internal strife. Following the calamity of the Great Storm, their Empire fell and their people were scattered in the winds. Now a fractured people, many of the Skyborn seek to return to the past or look toward a better future. The Skyborn are well known worldwide as the pre-eminent technologically advanced people, with a specialty in machinery and robotics, known as automata to them, while secretly holding out hope for the return of their Skyborn Empire.

Design

Due to their reputation for being the world's foremost technicians and engineers, many Skyborn who come to Regalia open up mechanical shops and services.

This half-Eronidas Reclaimer Skyborn's Sky-weave tattoos glow. Sky-weave does not always have to be beige or golden, it can be any color.

Skyborn often have very rich color patterns and designs, owing to their high-precision mechanical looms and weaving equipment. Blue and gold/beige are common color combinations found in traditional Skyborn clothing.

Sheer masks are common for both men and women among the Skyborn. While commonly a cultural custom in the modern era, in the past it was purely a practical habit as breathing on sensitive machinery was considered unprofessional.

Reclaimer Skyborn are sometimes sneered at by the other Skyborn on account of being more rugged/brawny than them, but also because they are frequently grimy and covered in mechanical oils.

It is by sheer willpower of the Founder Skyborn that the eternal war between Al-Alus and the Dragonkin continues.

The Skyborn are not exactly homogenous in the same way an Ailor, Dwarf, or Lanlath Elf might be. Due to their Skyborn Empire having existed for tens of thousands of years, their population became very diverse from large population migrations in and out of their Empire. Skyborn generally appear like Ailor (standard Humans), with the sole notable exception of all of them having beige eyes and darker pigmented skins being more common due to their proximity to the equator. Secondly, Skyborn are set apart from those with other Heritage due to their Sky-weave. Sky-weave is a pattern of skin pigmentation, coloration, or tattooing, that appears on the bodies of the Skyborn (usually on the hands, though it can originate from anywhere), which grows and spreads throughout their life in mandala-like shapes. These shapes record events in their life that can be read as these shapes much inspire the Skyborn script. Finally, Skyborn are roughly divided into five subgroups which may dictate their appearance. These groups define a Skyborn's ancestry and may also inform some of their culture.

Founder Skyborn are the most common ancestry of Skyborn that descend from the original inhabitants of Ard-al-Nur, the continent from which the Skyborn created their Empire. Founder Skyborn are visually and culturally inspired by real-world Umayyad Iberia (Al-Andalus), and Middle Eastern people. Founder Skyborn filled the roles of the majority of the engineering classes and citizenry. Following the Empire's fall, the majority of them gravitated to the successor states in the south, continuing to try and reclaim part of their lost Empire's territory from the Dragonkin.

Scripter Skyborn have ancestry among the Elves who migrated into the Skyborn Empire millennia ago, and slowly mixed into the population. Scripter Skyborn are not Elves, but they do remind others of their ancestry by their Elf-like ears and extended lifespan. Scripter Skyborn often fulfilled bureaucratic and scribe work in the Skyborn Empire. Following the Empire's fall, many of them scattered across the world, founding Skyborn Academies in far flung nations while preserving as much literary work from the Empire as possible, and searching for more long lost treasures.

Reclaimer Skyborn have ancestry among the Velheim Ailor who migrated into the Skyborn Empire's northern territories millennia ago. Reclaimer Skyborn unlike the other Skyborn who rely on steam-tech and clockwork, use diesel-tech instead, extracting oil from the Hadravyan provinces in north Ard-al-Nur, and using it to fuel their technology. Reclaimer Skyborn were often seen as outsiders in the Skyborn Empire and latecomers compared to the other ancestries, but since the fall of the Empire, their technology has made leaps of progress and rivaled the common clockwork.

Charger Skyborn come from far away, the Zhong Kingdoms to be exact. When the Sheng Empire expanded westward into the lands that would later become the Zhong Kingdoms, they pushed out the local population whose name has been lost to time. These people migrated to Ard-al-Nur where they slowly integrated into Skyborn society. The Charger Skyborn are visually and culturally inspired by real-world turkic peoples, especially those form Central and South Asia. Charger Skyborn often filled military roles in the Skyborn Empire due to their old homeland's martial customs.

Heritage Traits

In Character Design, Proficiency allows for the buying of Packs, which give Combat Abilities. Heritage Traits add free Packs and Mechanics to a Character, fit around cultural themes. Mechanics are flair and roleplay opportunities Characters have outside of Combat, while Packs are Combat Power. Free Magic Packs can always be defined as any Alignment. Mixed Heritage Characters (characters of two different culture parents) choose one set of Free Packs, and can mix and match Mechanics from both parents up to a maximum of 5 Mechanics. Skyborn Ancestry Mechanic counts as a single Mechanic.

Free Packs

• Skyborn gain a Pack from the Tech Point Buy or Chem Point Buy Categories for free.
• Skyborn gain the Pack Familiar Disrupt Pack for free.

Mechanics

• Skyborn do not need to choose a Tech Branch for any engineering or technology tinkering they do. They can build/edit/repair any Branch. Even if a unique Technology Branch has specific requirements they do not meet (such as Religion, or Affliction), then they are not able to build or make it, but can repair or edit it. They can install security systems in their Rentals, requiring OOC notification of Break-ins.
• Skyborn have a unique sequential memory that allows almost perfect recall. With mechanical equipment, they can extract their own memories including all sensory experiences, and copy them onto so-called Memkeys. Memkeys in turn can be used by other Skyborn to "watch" such an experience and feel as If it was them who experienced it, or use a virtual-reality-like device to allow non-Skyborn to experience them.
• Skyborn have a high analytical ability to perceive and understand the machinery that is witnessed or operated during Events. This may allow them to learn more about the devices that are seen or used, or discover hidden features or functions that other people cannot perceive. Make sure to contact an Event Dm for any potential uses in Private Message during the Event or beforehand to learn more.
• Skyborn have a sixth sense for manipulating technology, even without directly touching it and just laying their eyes on it. Skyborn can "hack" or hijack any technology made by anyone in viewing distance and cause it to operate or change its functions. Think for example forcing a mechanical tea pot to boil over, or a music-machine to play off-key. This may not apply to Event Machines.

Ancestry Mechanic

Each of the four unique Skyborn Ancestries provides a Mechanic, depending on what Ancestry is chosen. While it is possible to have mixed Ancestry (by for example using Elf-Ears reminiscing of Scripters, and the appearance traits of the Charger Skyborn), for gameplay reasons a Character must always have only a single Ancestry declared, and thus can only receive one of these Ancestry Mechanics.

• Founder Ancestry Mechanic: Founder Ancestry Skyborn are both equal parts touched, and repulsed by Beyond. If a Founder Skyborn is Ordial Aligned, they gain +1 Attack Stat (break Cap up to 11) against anything that is not Ordial Aligned. If a Founder Skyborn is not Ordial Aligned, they gain +1 Defence Stat (break Cap up to 9) while defending against Attack Emotes from Ordial Aligned enemies only.
• Scripter Ancestry Mechanic: Scripter Ancestry Skyborn are immune to any type of memory alterations due to their high attunement with their sequential memory. While it is possible to remove memories from their mind, memories cannot be implanted, edited, or replaced. This means that if a memory is removed, a Scripter Skyborn will always know that a memory is missing, and where it disappeared.
• Reclaimer Ancestry Mechanic: Reclaimer Ancestry Skyborn have extended analytical abilities when it comes to understanding component ingredients, and material identification. They can identify any metal or material that they can touch and are able to smell what ingredients or compounds are present in any alchemical mixture. This extends itself even to smelling poison in their drinks.
• Charger Ancestry Mechanic: Charger Ancestry Skyborn live and die in the mechanical saddle. Charger Skyborn gain +1 Defense Stat (breaking Cap up to 9) so long as they are Mounted in Combat. This bonus however only applies outside of the city's built-up residential areas such as the Wilderness, Gloomrot, the Badlands, City Parks, and the Noble District where the streets are wide enough for Cavalry.