Maraya: Difference between revisions

Maraya
Race
Pronunciation	Maa-raa-ya
Classification	Maia
Common Nicknames	Vaulters (praising); Burrowers (derogatory); Sleepers (derogatory); Cryst-lars (praising);
Languages	Shalota
Naming Customs	Fluently flowing names with frequent usage of Ls and Ms
Racial Traits
Distinctions	Ancient sleeper Race re-awakened by the Cataclysm
Maximum Age	250
Height	Average to Tall

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Latest revision as of 20:01, 29 September 2024

A people caught out of place, out of time, the Maraya are tiefling-like with distinct unique features that make them also appear rather fae-like. They belong to an ancient civilization called the Meraic Civilization, sometimes also called the Fourth Civilization, that existed long before the Elves united under Talea, and founded a vast sci-fi world-spanning civilization with a high emphasis on technology and having developed space-flight. Corruption in their highest government eventually led to the Fourth Void Invasion, which ended their civilization. Up to a million of their citizens fled into specialized Vaults however, that were meant to keep them safe in cryosleep for a few centuries while the Demons disappeared. Centuries turned to Millennia, and despite the promises from the Dragons to awaken them, the Meraic Vaults did not open until a full 25,000 years later, and with only so few of them opening, the Meraic were unable to re-assert their dominance over the world, with so many civilizations now existing that outcompete them, and even create technological parity with so little information that survived the fall of their civilization. After emerging and re-baptizing themselves as the Maraya, some continue to try and open yet lost Vaults or re-discover ancient blueprints, while others have given up on the dream of a new Meraic Realm, instead bravely venturing into the world to discover it anew.

Core Concept

The Maraya Race is split between four distinct sub-cultures, three of which are playable, and the fourth of which is not (though it still exists for point of reference). The Maraya Race can be a wonderful Race to play for new players, or the worst Race to play, depending on specific choices in Character Creation. Vaulter Maraya are Maraya who entered the vaults when their Empire fell. This requires a bit of extra reading, but basically ensures that you don't have to read any other information on the Wiki besides Abilities, because such a Character is new to the world. Every roleplay interaction is discovering new information, and familiarizing yourself with the lore by playing it, instead of reading about it. Inversely, picking other subcultures of Maraya may require extensive reading, and frustrate new players who want to quickly jump into Roleplay.

History

This section covers a brief abridged version of Maraya and extended Meraic history. For a full understanding of Meraic History, read said page. It is however possible to roleplay a Maraya correctly without ever having read this page, for more information, see the Sub-Cultures section. The Maraya descend from the Meraic Empire that existed roughly 35,000 years prior to the modern era, and collapsed after a corrupt political elite dabbled in Magic, and attempted to create a magical power singularity that caused the Fourth Void Invasion. The Dragons assisted the Meraic, but were unable to stop the collapse of their civilization, instead promising to shelter survivors in Vaults that they would build with the Meraic. About a million Meraic survived in these Vaults, but the Dragons never re-opened them, with the first Vault in Hadar failing because of a technical fault and self-opening around the year 200 BC. This is where the first Vaulters emerged to a radically changed world, having to quickly adapt, and secure a foothold in a hostile area that was at that point inhabited by arriving Allar migrants, Slizzar, and some Elves. The Maraya used enough of their technology to produce a seclusionist state called Tohsmaaq Venheer, keeping foreigners out with some of the ancient tech that was taken with them in the Vaults, but lacking the manpower or the means to really amount a war of expansion on their surroundings, thus being trapped. Over the centuries, the Maraya could only watch as other Empires went to war with each other, content to keep to themselves, and research the past. Every year, a new Vault would be found, adding a few thousand more Maraya to their numbers, but at this point many of them had already abandoned the idea of remaking the Meraic state, and ventured off into the wider world, familiarizing other Races with who the Maraya were. In the modern day, the Maraya can be found far and wide, with notable communities existing in Regalia, Ashaven, Amontaar, and even Hadar, where they have found ways to make them useful. Some of them still pine after a return of their old Empire, while others have grown content to just try and save as many Maraya from vaults as possible, and see what to do from there.

Maraya Sub-Cultures

Vaulter Maraya

Vaulter Maraya are the easiest to play Maraya, only the reading of this page, and the Meraic History Page may be required to start a Character. Vaulter Maraya are those Maraya that survived the Void Invasion by slumbering in their cryovaults, only to awaken to an alien world, thousands of years later. Vaulter Characters can be of any age within the maximum aging for Maraya, as suspended in cryosleep, they did not age. They can also have been unvaulted several decades ago, or just this year, as Vaults continue to be discovered by other Maraya nearly every year. It is permissable to play a Maraya with memory less, though reading Meraic History is recommended for someone wanting to play a Maraya who can remember their ancient Empire. While technically the vaults refused entry to Mages, the chaos during the collapse of Meraic civilization makes the idea of a Mage sneaking in, or bribing their way in, as not very farfetched. Vaulters showing up in Regalia often do so to re-orient themselves and understand this new world by experiencing it, and where better than Regalia.

Roamer Maraya

Roamer Maraya are those Maraya who saw the writing on the wall, and either became disillusioned about the idea of trying to restore the old, or just wanted to experience the new before making up their mind. While they still hold onto the Tohn Sona to some degree, they largely set out into the wider world, having abandoned Maraya society for some reason or another, to discover the alien-ness of this world, and perhaps experience a little glee at how technologically backwards it is, in comparison to the far distant past of their lost superstate. Roamer Maraya can often be found selling their services as technicians, mercenaries, poets, artists or just general service people, traveling far and wide, until perhaps eventually settling in Regalia, a city where anything can be experienced, and where world events seem to come to Regalia's doorstep, instead of constantly chasing after them. It is equally possible for Roamers to have decided that Regalia is worth more of their time to support, and thus to stop working with the remnant states (or the Allorn Empire), and join Regalia.

Tohn Maraya

The Tohn Maraya hold fiercely onto the promise of the old Tohn Sona, scriptures that were stored with them in the Vaults, and continue to prescribe a standard to live by for them. Tohn Maraya sit somewhere in between the Roamer and the Vaulter. They are either ex-Vaulters, or descendants from the first Vaulters who appeared in Hadar several centuries ago, who all decided to try and revive as much of their old civilization as possible. It is mainly the Tohn Maraya who continue to hunt for as of yet unopened Vaults, aiding more of their kin in awakening from their slumber, and setting out to create a state for the Maraya in a world that is already very populated by many other Races, thus inevitably coming in conflict with the Allar, Maraya, and Elves in Hadar. The Tohn Maraya mostly inhabit the decrepit ruins of their civilization, cobbled together with modern technology to prevent it from utterly collapsing in decay, but a lasting memory to their brilliance. Some travel to Regalia, the center of learning, in the hopes of discovering more Vaults and Tech.

Homeswarm Maraya

The Homeswarm Maraya, are an engimatic and not playable sub-culture of Maraya, who drift across the world's skies on a large fleet of space-ships called the Homeswarm. Attempts from any Maraya, whether Drifter, Roamer, or Tohn, to contact the Homeswarm have largely failed, with only enigmatic contact between them and the surface dwellers. Many theories exist to identify the Homeswarm. Some claim they are the remnants of the Tohn Sona Unity, who built their own secret Vault which harbored a lot more technology, allowing them to resurface with much more power, while others speculate they are the descendants of those who traveled into space, or even those who were stuck in space when their civilization collapsed. The Homeswarm has occasionally been seen during historical events, only watching and seemingly analyzing the situation before leaving, preventing as of yet any airborne entity or being from reaching them with powerful cannons. Some Tohn and Roamer Maraya are obsessed with trying to learn more about the Homeswarm.

Physical & Mental Characteristics

The Maraya can best be described as tieflings-like humanoids, with distinct butterfly-like ears and cranial formations or horns. They have vibrant hair and skin colors (seen in color palettes to the sides) that often cause them to be mistaken for other Races, or even some Afflictions (for example, red Maraya may be mistaken for the now extinct Manathar, magically corrupted Elves). They look physically very similar to other Races of Aloria, though tend to be on the tall side. Maraya can be big and bulky or stocky, though most of them are slender and appear with more elongated limb proportions than other Races, giving them a very delicate and graceful appearance, if somewhat unsettling. Their Race engaged in genetic engineering, meaning some of them may have additional horns, tails, or different body proportions, or even skin patterns, though their ears are always recognizably the same, even if their size may vary. Mentally speaking, the Maraya are often described as callous, or melancholic. Even for those Roamers who have abandoned the idea of reviving a Meraic state, the very knowledge of the things they lost, can cause frustration to quickly boil, because of little issues like crystalline resonant self-washing clothing not yet having been invented in this era. This does not mean Maraya are angry or bitter all the time, there is plenty of laughter and celebration of life, but it can cause Maraya to come across with a sense of self superiority based on historical providence. With some very basic Meraic gene-therapy, it is possible for Maraya to have children with other Races, resulting in Half-Maraya, who have some of the other parent's visual features, but must at the very least have Maraya ears and some horns.

Heritage Traits

Lore Compliant Maraya Hair or Skin colors. Their hair is consistently one of these, and skintone another. Being Dimensionswapped allows them to change either to a tone more appropriate for their Dimension.

Maya cranial features can either form horns, but also forehead plates that either bend back, stick sideways, or point upwards. There can even be multiple.

Maraya can grow facial hair, though they often shave it off. Roamer Maraya will still frequently sport facial hair however, as it both helps them fit it, and they may not have access to shaving equipment.

Traditionally Kul-Merai fought with technological gloves powered by Crystaltech for extra punching power.

Maraya horns can be short or long, curved or sharp, and even multiple horns that can exist, though they always follow the skin color in tone.

When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.

Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).

Free Packs

Maraya can choose one Pack from either the Chem, or Adapt (Non-Magic) Categories for free.
Maraya can choose one Pack from either the Tech, or Roguery Categories.

Mechanics

Maraya have small Ichor glands on their hands, which are capable of producing Chrysalis that they can shape into Crystals of any shape or size.
Maraya can also make music with these Chrysalis Crystals, as they can resonate based on tunes, and produce music autonomously.
Maraya come from an Ancient world. They can read certain Event hints that may not be obvious to other Races (inquire with DM/Event Hoster for opportunities).
Maraya can (out of combat) remotely hijack Tech (including Automata) to follow their commands and instructions instead, due to their historical superiority.
Maraya can (if they can reach melee distance safely) hack into Dragon Sites/Entities and alter their routines to unlock additional functions (consult Event Dm's).

Society

Language

The Maraya all speak the Language of Shalota, a tongue even older than Altalar given its roots among the Meraic. It is a melodic language which makes frequent use of double m’s, s’ and l’s with plenty of vowels, with the most common hard consonant being “q”. Whether Shalota was the exact tongue that the ancient Meraic spoke however, is up for debate. Due to the nature of Maraya reawakening, the ancient Meraic language and modern Shalota does share continuity in its alphabet, a series of 26 glyphs refined by modern Maraya but essentially the same as those found in Meraic ruins and old Vaults. There is also one more quirk of Shalota, and that is in the use of the word “Tohn.” Tohn was the first name of the Maraya unifier who wrote the most important scripture of the Tohn Sona. Tohn just means "greatness" nowadays, but it is often used a prefix to things from states, book titles, machine names, anything that Maraya make essentially. Maraya names are inherently genderless, though they commonly use nicknames for each other that try to shorten the name as much as possible.

Example of Maraya Names: Qaleem, Meniir, Emmenaa, Tohsaal, Ssinim, LLomela, Llewel, Menness, Immir, Ossorm, Allaarn, Lluna, Ssola, Mmana, Silaam, Ymalla, Qullo.

Religion

The Maraya do not formally have a religion (though some, Drifters notably, may have adopted one over time). Rather, the Maraya have a near-holy scripture called the Tohn Sona, which is a book with ground rules for how society should function. This book is theoretically long, covering topics from healthy diets to correct forms of governance, however in all practicality, most roleplayers will never interact with the deep sociopolitical nuances of the Tohn Sona, and only need a basic structure for how to live their lives on a daily basis in Regalia. As such, this section will cover the most important tenets of the Tohn Sona that can be applied in day to day Roleplay on the server. Note, these are also not extreme rules, one does not get expelled from Maraya community for breaking them, but they invite a point of contention and debate, as well as accountability for those that break them. Even those Maraya who are religious, or largely abandoned the Tohn Sona, still recognize its historical importance, and that it is just a generally well-rounded ethical list of rules to follow. Even Mage Maraya try to follow the majority of the rules, even if one explicitly implies they live a life of evil.

The serene state of world, is to be led by the Meraic kin, devoid of monarchies, devoid of religions, and ruled by technocrats, for scientists and scholars always know best.
The serene state of mind, is one with ambition and goals, the wandering and drifting mind is one of idle error and miscalculation, a danger for others waiting to happen.
The serene state of body, is one where aesthetic sensibilities do not undermine functional uses. Self idolatry is a getaway and gateway drug to a failing mind and fortune.
Magic is not evil by nature of existence, but evil by nature of changes to nature. To underestimate or downplay the power of this force, is equally as ruinous as to drink from it.
Information is a common good that cannot be withheld, privatized, owned, or otherwise gatekept, Information can only be collectivized, from which it is utilized.
The great source of corruption, is religion, to outsource the free state of independent thought and reason to an incomprehensible and contempt filled capricious entity.
The minor source of corruption, is a failing ethic, to inflict willing physical or emotional harm on others without the explicit betterment of society at large.
The least source of corruption, is spite and envy, for emotions are cascading failures of personal integrity, and every building begins with a first brick laid in error.

Families

Maraya families are not out of the ordinary in comparison to other Races, though the context of their Meraic history is important. During Meraic times, their society moved past the need for intercourse to reproduce. Many Maraya children are so called "pod-children", who were born from an external artificial womb to avoid the process of child-carrying, and after that usually raised by robotic nannies to avoid the difficulty of child raising. Some families disregard the use of technology, believing that their children need to be well adjusted to other Races in the world, lessons only they can teach, but many Maraya also appear to lack basic experiences other Race infants might have had while growing up. In old Meraic societies, relations were strictly regulated by the Tohn Sona Unity, with people who were considered to be born with genetic flaws denied a partner, while those with good genes were put in pre-arranged matchings. The adaptation of this kind of lifestyle to a free-choice environment in for example Regalia, may be quite an adaptation for the Maraya, especially if coming fresh from a Vault and still suffering from the nascent tyranny of the Unity even though it had already collapsed several decades before the end.

World View

Even while divided, on different sides, following different ideologies, or directly fighting each other for different alliances in Regalia, there is an unspoken rule between Maraya that there shall be no fighting in drinking taverns or pubs. This is because Maraya are already so few in the world, and there must always remain a neutral ground from which to discuss differences in peace.
A curious point about the Maraya, is that their old fashion was completely abandoned in favor of Elven clothing. They found that Elven clothing most resembled their old fashion styles, but also discovered that to their regret, the specific fiber used to produce their clothing went long extinct after the Vaults closed, and no seeds were saved, so they literally could not reproduce their old clothing style with old materials.
Because Maraya were a near sci-fi civilization, their art rendering is extremely abstract, downright alien when viewed by other Races. While they can certainly appreciate the realist and environment pieces produced by Regalian artists, they do look very "3000 years ago" to them, with more brutalist and artistic pieces open to interpretation being the norm.
Music produced by the Maraya often uses Crystal resonance, Crystals humming at varying tones to produce an orchestrally complex melody, reminiscent of metal chimes. Meraic music sounds alien to other Races, from what few compositions survived in the vaults clutched by artists, but the Maraya have also quickly adapted to the new music styles of the modern age.
Traditional Maraya often have greetings and farewells related to paths, energies, and currents such as “May your path be straight,” “Your energy mingles with mine,” and “Until we meet again, let the currents guide you well.” Where this comes from is uncertain, though it is presumed to have dated from an understanding of the Leylines when the Meraic were Dragon Worshipers.
Allowing outsiders to witness and experience Maraya songs, especially their music welcoming a baby into the community and when an individual has died, is seen as a great sign of trust and respect. Anyone permitted to do so, is seen as included in a piece of history that spans back tens of thousands of years, which they likely have no understanding of.
Maraya absolutely hate carbonated drinks. When offered a carbonated drink, a Maraya would prefer to leave it standing on the table or counter to lose its carbonated property and become room-temperature before drinking it. They insist that it is "too spicy", and refuse to entertain the idea that carbonated liquids are not called "spicy", but instead "sharp".
While the Tohn Sona forbids the hoarding of information, Maraya still tend to be a little bit private with information about the Meraic Empire. After all, they are aware that oversharing may result in others being interested in opening Meraic Vaults. The wrong person might open such a Vault, and force convert all of the sleepers inside to Void Alignment.
Uncorrupted Maraya (in their views, not aligned with Ordial, Exist, or Void), often seek to convince a Maraya to become cleansed, but there is a general understanding they should not apply violence or undue emotional pressure to force someone to change. There are so few Maraya left in the world, that fully expelling one from social contact, is seen as a grave error.
While there are some Maraya who have re-embraced Dragon Worship, calling Dragons their saviors, the fact that Dragons did not awaken them as they had promised, and let other smaller Races (never refer to them as lesser, that is not very Tohn Sona) rule the world in their stead. Why the Dragons did this, is unclear, and many Maraya harbor resentment to their once allies for being so indifferent to them.
A common curse that Maraya may use is Tohshaar, meaning "be damned in the name of that which is great". It is a very milk-toast curse for the Maraya, that does not quite compare to the alien expletives used by other Races. This is often why Maraya can become quite flustered when someone uses a lot of foul language in their presence, because their language does not really accomodate for it.
Many Maraya who found the idea of an autocratic government deciding things for them, may find Regalia very comfortable, albeit frustrating because it is ruled by a monarchy and nobility who haven't done much to prove their station in life. This often results in complicated feelings, both liking the Regalian government for the structure it provides, but disliking it for the manners in which it does this.
Some Maraya use the term "Haat-Maraya" to refer to Maraya who are Dimensionally aligned to Void, Exist, Ordial, or Dragon Magic, though this is technically a slur, and only those who take issue with said particular Maraya would stoop so low as to use a slur against their fellow kind. Maraya also refuse other Races the right to use this word, as it is a very personal one in Shalota, their language.

Trivia

There is a saying among scholars that goes "Color Theory is not real", when attempting to explain why so many Void people dress red, Exist people dress blue or white, and all Ordial people only have green clothes in their wardrobe. Maraya on the other hand, prove this wrong, as they can have their skin tone and hair color change to Color Theory appropriate tones.
Space-flight is an ever enduring dream for the Maraya, unfortunately nearly all blueprints and designs for space faring vehicles were destroyed when the Samsaal Black-Site had its database deleted by Councilor Ossello. Ossello went mad when he realized he and his fellow Tohn Sona Unity council members would be blamed for the end of civilization, and decided to erase his name from all databases, which included the space-flight build plans.
There is a modicum of grief among the Maraya, that the Homeswarm does not open its arms to them on the ground, and raise them up. Even those who have abandoned the old ways, consider there is much to be learned from these hyper technologically advanced Maraya. But somewhere, a conclusion must be made, that in hiding themselves, they are breaking the Tohn Sona, implying they may not be following it.

Accreditation

Writers	MonMarty, HydraLana
Processors	Acosmism, Volaie, OkaDoka, FireFan96, MantaRey, HydraLana

Last Editor	HydraLana on 09/29/2024.

» Read more

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 {{Info races
-|image = Marayasplashssa.png
+|image = Marayasplash.png
 |pronunciation = Maa-raa-ya
-|classification = [[Magus]]
+|classification = Maia
-|subraces = Ka, El and Haat
+|nicknames =
-|nicknames = Sleepers, Old ones, Burrowers
+*Vaulters (praising)
+*Burrowers (derogatory)
+*Sleepers (derogatory)
+*Cryst-lars (praising)
 |languages = [[Shalota]]
-|naming = Fluently flowing names with frequent usage of l and m
+|naming = Fluently flowing names with frequent usage of Ls and Ms
+|distinction = Ancient sleeper [[Race]] re-awakened by the [[Cataclysm]]
-|distinction = Ancient sleeper race re-awakened by the [[Cataclysm]]
+|maxage = 250
-|maxage = 400
+|height = Average to Tall
-|height = 6’
-|eye = Varied on Subrace
-|hair = Varied on Subrace
-|skin = Varied on Subrace
 |}}
-The last remnants of the ancient [[Meraic Civilization]] and survivors of the [[Void Invasion]], the Maraya, otherwise known as the Sleepers, are the oldest still-living race in [[Aloria]]. When faced with imminent extinction, the greatest minds and mages of the their world-spanning Empire came together and constructed the [[Tohn Valeer]]; massive underground stasis vaults intended to preserve their species in an centuries-long slumber. Their slumber could only last so long, however. At the end of the Void Invasion that had pressed them into their vaults, [[Magic]] was drained from the world, an event unforeseen by the Meraic. With each passing century, extinction loomed ever closer to the sleeping race, with Tohn Valeer vaults worldwide failing without the Magic used to sustain them. While some vaults became the final grave of their inhabitants, others managed to preserve the lives of their inhabitants, and others still were subject to magical corruption, altering the biology of the Maraya within. Eventually, with the destruction brought by the Cataclysm and the [[Wildering]] in the [[Allorn Empire]], the vault seals were broken and exposed, and the sudden burst of Magic preceding these events re-activated the magic of the vaults, awakening those inside. Wrought by memory loss and the effects of long term hibernation, the Maraya that emerged into a world that was alien and hostile to them. Guided by their [[Tohn Sona]] (holy scriptures of the past), they set out in the world to try and reclaim some of their lost glory. In immediate opposition to the [[Allar]] and [[Slizzar]], the Maraya continue to struggle in a world where they increasingly come to realize that their past is long behind them, and that they have to adapt to survive in a world that is too full of other Races all fighting for dominion.
+A people caught out of place, out of time, the Maraya are tiefling-like with distinct unique features that make them also appear rather fae-like. They belong to an ancient civilization called the [[Meraic Civilization]], sometimes also called the Fourth Civilization, that existed long before the [[Elves]] united under [[Talea]], and founded a vast sci-fi world-spanning civilization with a high emphasis on technology and having developed space-flight. Corruption in their highest government eventually led to the [[Fourth Void Invasion]], which ended their civilization. Up to a million of their citizens fled into specialized Vaults however, that were meant to keep them safe in cryosleep for a few centuries while the Demons disappeared. Centuries turned to Millennia, and despite the promises from the [[Dragons]] to awaken them, the Meraic Vaults did not open until a full 25,000 years later, and with only so few of them opening, the Meraic were unable to re-assert their dominance over the world, with so many civilizations now existing that outcompete them, and even create technological parity with so little information that survived the fall of their civilization. After emerging and re-baptizing themselves as the Maraya, some continue to try and open yet lost Vaults or re-discover ancient blueprints, while others have given up on the dream of a new Meraic Realm, instead bravely venturing into the world to discover it anew.
-==Physical Characteristics==
-===El-Maraya===
-[[File:Marayaface.png|260px|thumb|right|El-Maraya are considered the more beautiful Maraya]]
-The El-Maraya are the most common form of Maraya found as they were born from the Tohn Elaya, the vault for the common folk. Back in the Meraic Empire, the Meraic Race experienced speciation. This means that the Maraya were split between two Races that had a shared ancestor, but diverged in development at some point in history to form two distinct species. The El-Maraya resemble [[Altalar]] in many ways in their [[Body Shape]], though there are some very distinct differences. The most obvious difference is their skin tone, ranging from pastel colors of blue, orange, yellow and red, while their hair has similar pastel colors. The color of their irises is often a very bright variety of these main colors, for example sky-blue, bright pink or vibrant yellow. Other prominent features are their cranial features and their ears. Their cranial features are usually two triangular shapes with smaller ridges extending outwards growing up from their forehead, differing in shape between individuals. Some shapes can also be disk-shaped, and some can also be rectangular, as the edges differ wildly. Their ears are much like those of the Altalar, but twice as long and curved slightly upwards, with two butterfly-wing shaped lobes hanging on the underside that give them a very butterfly-wing-like appearance. Their hair, despite not being made of actual silk, has a very silken feeling to it, which can quickly grow to longer lengths. Male El-Maraya can also grow facial hair, but often shave it off. It is said that El-Maraya hair can grow upwards to an inch a day on their head, until it reaches to around their waist, when the hair growth stops.
-===Ka-Maraya===
-The Ka-Maraya are the less common form of the Maraya found as they were born from the Tohn Kaya, the vault for the scholars and the philosophers. The Ka-Maraya are the sister-clade to the El-Maraya, sharing a common ancestor in the Meraic species, who represented a more philosophical and religious caste within their civilization (though have since abandoned that distinction). The Ka-Maraya are considerably larger than the El-Maraya who are generally slim and athletic. The former are bulkier and larger (despite their more scholarly inclined disposition) and are as such often mistaken for the male dichotomy of the El-Maraya, even though both El and Ka-Maraya have male and female genders within their Subraces. The Ka-Maraya have a similar skin tone palette to the El-Maraya, but all their colors are less pastel and more gray-muted with darker tones. Their eyes are the same, and they also have cranial formations on their forehead. Additionally, they can also have these on their cheekbones, their chin, and they have (usually) two sets of horns that flow from their cranial formations on their forehead to follow the curve of their skull backwards.
-Most Ka-Maraya don’t have hair on top of their head, though when they do it is usually a very color-muted variety of their skin tone. That means to say for example, if a Ka-Maraya has a darker blue skin-tone, then their hair color is black but with a very light tint of midnight blue. Additionally, nearly all Ka-Maraya males have some form of facial hair growth that grows much faster than any other Race’s facial hair growth. It is very common to see a Ka-Maraya with a full beard, the older and more venerable ones even having beards down to their chest. Ka-Maraya also have a number of skin-deep formations on their cranial formations, their cheeks and neck that often appear like sub-skin veins but are actually thicker skin shapes. These differ between individuals. They furthermore have long ears like those of the El-Maraya, but these ears tend to be more angular and pointed, and the lobes on their ears are not butterfly-wing-shaped but more like actual triangles. Finally, the Ka-Maraya have a non-prehensile strong muscular tail that is about as thick as their upper leg when flowing from their spine, but narrows at it goes closer to the ground. Towards the end, the tail is shaped like that of thresher shark. They are able to move this tail around with some efficiency to strike people, but it is not flexible enough to hold items or their weight. It can also be used when swimming to provide better steering underwater, but does not enhance their swimming speed.
-===Haat-Maraya===
-[[File:Marayaka.png|260px|thumb|right|Ka-Maraya still look very similar to the El-Maraya, though are often mistaken for male El-Maraya (regardless of their gender)]]
-The Haat-Maraya were once El Maraya, but were corrupted by their Tohn Haat vault’s magical bindings failing and Void Essence leaking into their chambers. The Haat-Maraya as such physically changed away from the Meraic racial standard (of either the El or Ka-Maraya) but remain genetically Maraya and part of their racial category. The Haat-Maraya have the same shape as the El-Maraya and can also have the same pastel skin tones, but there are a couple of notable differences. Firstly, their nails are much longer and resemble black claws more than actual nails. A bone-like blade extends from their elbow parallel to their upper arm towards their hand with a slight inward curve and a sharp end. These elbow blades can actually be used to fight opponents and inflict a lot of damage when impaling someone. Their hair grows just as fast and just as long as the El-Maraya, but is nearly always black with some red or blue tints possible. Their hair also happens to be one of their most distinctive features aside from their horn crown: they have some amount of physical control over their hair, being able to pull strands together into spider-like legs, and are able to jab these at others who come close. As opposed to their elbow blade, these spider-leg-like hair jabs don’t inflict any piercing damage and at most can become obstructing to vision when repeatedly jabbing in someone’s face. Somewhere under their fast growing hair, they have the same ears as El-Maraya, but usually hidden underneath.
-This hair can be used to hold up the weight of a Haat-Maraya suspended from the ceiling, where the spider-leg-like hair strands act like spider legs that chitter over the ceiling and using the flexibility of the hair to hold onto any crevice or object they can grab a hold of. It is as such possible for Haat-Maraya to even use their hair on the ground to drag their body around if for some reason their hands and legs are restrained, but they obviously refrain from doing so out of the notion that this looks incredibly silly. Haat-Maraya faces and head shapes are also very different. On top of their head is the so called horn crown that all Haat-Maraya have, which is a cranial/horn formation growing out of their skull. The skin on the edges of their face and their forehead transitions into a much darker brown or black toned bone formation with horns ranging in different directions, usually two major horns and two smaller ones, so four on each side. On top of these bone formations are two sets of three smaller spider-like eyes which the Haat-Maraya can actually see from if they close their normal eyes. Haat-Maraya eyes also differ from the other Maraya species, with completely black sclera, bright red irises, an orange limbus, and the absence of a pupils. These eyes (and those embedded within their horn crown) also glow in the dark, not enough to illuminate a room, but certainly bright enough to be visible in a pitch black room.
-===Maraya Common Traits===
-All Maraya species share the same age  and height restrictions, but do have different Body Shape restrictions, as noted on the [[Proficiency Page]]. Racial breeding between the sub-species can result in one of three options. If for example the mother is El-Maraya and the father Ka-Maraya, then a child may be born as either an El or Ka-Maraya, or it may be born as a Nol-Maraya. Nol-Maraya aren’t officially defined on this page because they are a form of sterile (to their own species) mutt Maraya that is not able to reproduce with other Nol-Maraya and as such seen more as a physical abnormality than an actual racial category. Nol-Maraya take physical traits from both parents. They could for example inherit the mother’s ears and facial features but the father’s tail. They simply can't reproduce beyond mating with other Ka Haat or El-Maraya, in which case they do, either they or their partner give birth to the Maraya variety of the other non-Nol-Maraya partner. Maraya age up to 400 years old, but this aging principle follows much of the [[Ailor]] process. Maraya become adults at the age of 20, after which they continue to age at a normal rate until they reach around 100 years old, which is 80 years in equivalence to Ailor. Then, they continue to live another 300 years after their 100th birthday, but remain as if 80 years old throughout that time, until they finally die of old age around 400. Note, characters above the age of 150 years old require a [[Special Permission]] application from the Forums. Maraya do not give birth like other Races, but instead produce small eggs immediately after intercourse (both males and females can produce eggs). These eggs continue to grow from fist sized to about child sized for over several months, absorbing plant matter that is put onto the shell. A child is eventually born with a connection to their biological parents, but able to adopt any person as their parent should they so wish if their real parents are absent.
-All Maraya have an ability called the Race-Weave. Race-Weave is a barely understood old Meraic ability that allows the Maraya to affect the racial abilities of those around them that are not Maraya. For each Race, the effect is slightly different, so a bullet point list is described below to define each effect. In order to use Race-Weave, the Maraya make use of small glands on their palms which are capable of secreting a sticky and very sweet resin-like substance that they can weave between their hands. This is usually done by clapping their hands together, and then pulling them apart, which causes strands of this Maraya Chrysalis to form between their hands. A couple of hand gestures causes this Chrysalis to take the shape of a web or shape, after which they hold it in front of their mouth and give it a blow of air in a direction. It then flings towards a person, where it will latch onto them and sink through their clothing/armor/skin regardless of protections, and get absorbed fairly quickly. There is a chance that they can miss this “shot” ability against a fast moving target, but as soon as the Chrysalis is attached, it cannot be removed, as it immediately starts being absorbed by the skin. The absorbed Chrysalis through the skin does not negatively affect the person in any way or cause long term issues besides the Race ability blocker effect described below. If no time limits are defined for these Race-Weave blockers, assume they all last up to an hour and can only be used once per person per day. This ability also cannot be spammed during combat and requires the Maraya to not be under attack.
-*[[Qadir]]: Suddenly become super clumsy with clockwork for up to an hour, quickly breaking them while touching them and not being able to remember how to craft or maintain them at all.
-*[[Songaskia]]: Forces them out of their Elder Shift and denies them the use of any of their Elemental abilities.
-*Altalar: Denies them the use of any activate-based abilities from the Rings of Power.
-*[[Sihndar]]: Blocks the use of Shape Reflection Ability / Power Reflection Ability / Magic Mute / Cursing Eye depending on the Taint Archon, thus making the Sihndar susceptible to Magic.
-*[[Isldar]]: Causes agonizing Wyrm-Tongue whispering in their head which they just cannot make sense of, also can no longer understand Wyrm-Tongue in this period.
-*Slizzar: Makes their Sensation Surge ineffective and causes a temporary break in the Bonding of the Slizzar (which reverts back to being bonded after the hour is over).
-*[[Orc]]: Cancels out any physical Goor changes, thus temporarily reverting any Orc who is higher up in the Goor back to their grunt size.
-*[[Url]]: Cancels out their emotional inhibitions making them wilder and exploding their temper.
-*Ailor, [[Sihai]], [[Dwarf]], [[Avanthar]], [[Cielothar]], [[Yanar]], Maraya, Allar, [[Varran]] and [[Half-Races]]: No Effect
-==Mental Characteristics==
-[[File:Marayahaat.png|260px|thumb|right|Haat Maraya usually combine their attacks against foes with wild jabs from their hair.]]
-The El and Ka-Maraya have roughly similar personalities, which are seemingly conflicting with their world view of wanting to regain their lost glories. One would expect the Maraya to be very arrogant and cold like the Altalar, which is true, but not at face value. Many of the Races experience the Maraya as the most two-faced Race in existence, able to have a poker-face that is so effective and thorough that it is nigh-impossible for the other Races to tell whether they are being truthful or deceiving. Maraya are masters at masking their own emotions and intentions, and know just what to say to make others comfortable around them while keeping their true motivations hidden. This doesn’t mean that all Maraya are inherently evil conspirators however, it simply means they are excellent liars. Many of the Maraya don’t buy into the glory reconquest ideology as professed by the Tohn Sona and are more than happy to just be alive, haunted with vague memories of the utter destruction and suffering imparted on them many millennia ago during the Void Invasion. Now living in a world where Void Invasions are seemingly a thing of the past, and with little loyalty to their old memory, the Maraya remain flexible and fluid in their movements from social circles to social circles, using their crafty personality to get in good graces anywhere they like. The Maraya have an overarching ideology that wishes for them to become great again, but ultimately there is no urgency to this plan and many Maraya have accepted that they simply need to have a larger population before this even can become a priority.
-Haat-Maraya however are a different deal altogether. Haat-Maraya have in turn both been physically and mentally corrupted by the [[Void]] powers and much of their personality has also been corrupted like that of a possessed person. This is not to say that the Haat-Maraya are incapable of feeling fear and anxiety. If anything, they have a crippling fear of death and will go to any lengths to avoid it, but much like their Ka and El-Maraya cousins, they are very good at deception through lies and keeping their own agenda hidden. The Haat-Maraya get along very well with abberants and [[Kathar]], especially because they are essentially aberrants (though not officially) and because the Kathar allied with them when they were awakened from the Tohn Haat vault. They take up a small subsection of Kathar society and have several colonies on the southern coasts of the [[Dread Empire]], fulfilling several espionage roles for the Dread Empire. Their general personas are driven to self-satisfaction, often through sadism but also lust, greed and destruction. The failings and misery of others is pleasing to them, and especially with the masochistic Kathar, they love inflicting what the Kathar love to have inflicted, making them a perfect match for one another (even if Kathar still sort of consider them a useful vermin). They are capable of kindness in rare moments and compassion, but usually only when it concerns situations where it benefits them, or where it concerns people who they consider their personal property or terrain. The Haat-Maraya don’t buy into the concept of Meraic revitalization, they simply concern themselves with their own lives and the continuation of themselves as a species under the umbrella of the Maraya Race.
-==History==
-[[File:Meraiahair.png|260px|thumb|right|Compliant ranges of El-Maraya Hair.]]
-[[File:Meraiaskin.png|260px|thumb|right|Compliant ranges of El-Maraya Skin.]]
-[[File:Acceptable.png|260px|thumb|right|Compliant ranges of Ka-Maraya Skin.]]
-[[File:Hatera.png|260px|thumb|right|Compliant ranges of Haat-Maraya Skin.]]
-Maraya history is an enigma, even to their own people, constructed around vague fragments of the Meraic Empire, either through what still exists on the surface world, or from the trinkets, writings, and memorabilia remaining in the Tohn Vaults. These scraps of knowledge allow brief glimpses into what the Maraya once were, but are scarce; such materials from other vaults dwindle over time, suffering from failure of magical archive wards, or from simple passage of time, destroying nearly all Meraic written material. Modern scholars estimate the initial period in which the Maraya were intended to sleep was for roughly 300 years; instead, their stasis lasted for at the very least 2500 years. Their Vaults numbered 177 initially, a number gleaned from the Tohn Sona, a religious text, and one of the very last surviving remnants of Meraic literature, though only 55 of these Vaults have ever been discovered in modern times. Of these 55, only the Tohn Elaya, Tohn Kaya, and Tohn Haat offered life; most were reduced to ancient, intricate crypts with little more than dust, while others fell victim to natural disasters like earthquakes and flooding, only discovered by stumbling upon their last fragments.
-When the Maraya awoke, they collectively could not remember their past. In three separate locations the Ka-, El-, and Haat-Maraya awoke in utter darkness to irreparable ruin and failing Magics. Of the dozens of rings and levels constructed in their great underground silos, barely a handful remained, their heritage and ancestry utterly crushed by rockslides and the erosion of time. The newly awoken Maraya spent months or even years still inside their Tohn Vaults, subsisting off Magics which needed to be manually re-activated to initiate a painfully slow opening process. The first of these vaults to open was the El-Maraya Elaya Vault, which suffered no complications in opening, and released the Maraya Home Swarm. This Swarm, a large fleet of airborne houses suspended and merged with a single balloon of Meraic origin, made the first preliminary scouting expeditions around the vault, concluding to them the world had been taken over by new Races. The Maraya concealed themselves high above the clouds of tropical storm, making use of devices left behind by the Meraic to observe and collect information on the Allar and Slizzar beneath them, in the initial stages of the foundation of the [[Essa Empire]]. Elsewhere, they watched as the Ailor established the [[Regalian Empire]] after casting off the shackles of their tyrannical Regalian King.
+==Core Concept==
+The Maraya Race is split between four distinct sub-cultures, three of which are playable, and the fourth of which is not (though it still exists for point of reference). The Maraya Race can be a wonderful Race to play for new players, or the worst Race to play, depending on specific choices in Character Creation. Vaulter Maraya are Maraya who entered the vaults when their Empire fell. This requires a bit of extra reading, but basically ensures that you don't have to read any other information on the Wiki besides Abilities, because such a Character is new to the world. Every roleplay interaction is discovering new information, and familiarizing yourself with the lore by playing it, instead of reading about it. Inversely, picking other subcultures of Maraya may require extensive reading, and frustrate new players who want to quickly jump into Roleplay.
+===History===
+This section covers a brief abridged version of Maraya and extended Meraic history. For a full understanding of [[Meraic History]], read said page. It is however possible to roleplay a Maraya correctly without ever having read this page, for more information, see the Sub-Cultures section. The Maraya descend from the [[Meraic Empire]] that existed roughly 35,000 years prior to the modern era, and collapsed after a corrupt political elite dabbled in [[Magic]], and attempted to create a magical power singularity that caused the Fourth Void Invasion. The Dragons assisted the Meraic, but were unable to stop the collapse of their civilization, instead promising to shelter survivors in Vaults that they would build with the Meraic. About a million Meraic survived in these Vaults, but the Dragons never re-opened them, with the first Vault in [[Hadar]] failing because of a technical fault and self-opening around the year 200 BC. This is where the first Vaulters emerged to a radically changed world, having to quickly adapt, and secure a foothold in a hostile area that was at that point inhabited by arriving [[Allar]] migrants, [[Slizzar]], and some [[Elves]]. The Maraya used enough of their technology to produce a seclusionist state called [[Hadar|Tohsmaaq Venheer]], keeping foreigners out with some of the ancient tech that was taken with them in the Vaults, but lacking the manpower or the means to really amount a war of expansion on their surroundings, thus being trapped. Over the centuries, the Maraya could only watch as other Empires went to war with each other, content to keep to themselves, and research the past. Every year, a new Vault would be found, adding a few thousand more Maraya to their numbers, but at this point many of them had already abandoned the idea of remaking the Meraic state, and ventured off into the wider world, familiarizing other Races with who the Maraya were. In the modern day, the Maraya can be found far and wide, with notable communities existing in [[List of Major Cities#City of Regalia|Regalia]], [[Southwynd|Ashaven]], [[Westwynd|Amontaar]], and even Hadar, where they have found ways to make them useful. Some of them still pine after a return of their old Empire, while others have grown content to just try and save as many Maraya from vaults as possible, and see what to do from there.
-Here, the Maraya came to the realization they could not seek conflict; less than 50,000 Maraya had awoken from the Elaya Vault, they were receiving no communication from any other Tohn Vault, and their advanced astronomy and navigation skills opened their eyes to two dire truths; they had far overslept their target, and there were no remaining Meraic cities. What little had survived of their settlements and structures had been absorbed and cannibalized into Altalar cities. The tropical storms which followed their Home Swarm kept them hidden from sight by the surface dwellers for decades, until the reception of an emergency signal from the Tohn Kaya Vault, whose inhabitants were unable to open their main vault door. The Home Swarm descended from the clouds to [[Sendras]], discovering an Allar Void Cult making residence directly on top of the Tohn Kaya door. The first contact of the Meraic inheritors to the new Alorian races was slaughter; the Home Swarm Maraya proceeded to utterly eradicate the tribal Allar and force the Tohn Kaya gate open, releasing their Tohnsa-Ka-Meraic, which would go on to become known as the Queenship in modern times. The Queenship was constructed by the Meraic civilization, and outfitted with technologies still unparalleled today. Powerful propulsion systems enabled the Queenship to take its place at altitudes untouched by modern Alorians, and crystalline structures built into the Queenship allowed it to alter the very weather around it, creating the clouds with which it would hide itself in later times. United, the Maraya would bring together their Tohnsa and the Home Swarm, electing the Tohnsa as their capital ship, from which they established a government in 172 AC, and formally adopted the name ‘Maraya’, differentiating themselves from the Meraic civilization which had come before them.
+===Maraya Sub-Cultures===
+<table style="width: 100%;"><tr><td style="vertical-align: top; width: 50%;">
+{|
+|[[File:noimg.png|170px|thumb|left]]
+|
+<span style="font-size:130%;><center>'''Vaulter Maraya'''</center></span>
+Vaulter Maraya are the easiest to play Maraya, only the reading of this page, and the [[Meraic History]] Page may be required to start a Character. Vaulter Maraya are those Maraya that survived the Void Invasion by slumbering in their cryovaults, only to awaken to an alien world, thousands of years later. Vaulter Characters can be of any age within the maximum aging for Maraya, as suspended in cryosleep, they did not age. They can also have been unvaulted several decades ago, or just this year, as Vaults continue to be discovered by other Maraya nearly every year. It is permissable to play a Maraya with memory less, though reading [[Meraic History]] is recommended for someone wanting to play a Maraya who can remember their ancient Empire. While technically the vaults refused entry to [[Mage]]s, the chaos during the collapse of Meraic civilization makes the idea of a Mage sneaking in, or bribing their way in, as not very farfetched. Vaulters showing up in Regalia often do so to re-orient themselves and understand this new world by experiencing it, and where better than Regalia.
+|}
+</td><td style="vertical-align: top; width: 50%;">
+{|
+|[[File:noimg.png|170px|thumb|left]]
+|
+<span style="font-size:130%;><center>'''Roamer Maraya'''</center></span>
+Roamer Maraya are those Maraya who saw the writing on the wall, and either became disillusioned about the idea of trying to restore the old, or just wanted to experience the new before making up their mind. While they still hold onto the Tohn Sona to some degree, they largely set out into the wider world, having abandoned Maraya society for some reason or another, to discover the alien-ness of this world, and perhaps experience a little glee at how technologically backwards it is, in comparison to the far distant past of their lost superstate. Roamer Maraya can often be found selling their services as technicians, mercenaries, poets, artists or just general service people, traveling far and wide, until perhaps eventually settling in Regalia, a city where anything can be experienced, and where world events seem to come to Regalia's doorstep, instead of constantly chasing after them. It is equally possible for Roamers to have decided that Regalia is worth more of their time to support, and thus to stop working with the remnant states (or the Allorn Empire), and join Regalia.
+|}
+</center>
+</tr></table>
+<table style="width: 100%;"><tr><td style="vertical-align: top; width: 50%;">
+{|
+|[[File:noimg.png|170px|thumb|left]]
+|
+<span style="font-size:130%;><center>'''Tohn Maraya'''</center></span>
+The Tohn Maraya hold fiercely onto the promise of the old Tohn Sona, scriptures that were stored with them in the Vaults, and continue to prescribe a standard to live by for them. Tohn Maraya sit somewhere in between the Roamer and the Vaulter. They are either ex-Vaulters, or descendants from the first Vaulters who appeared in Hadar several centuries ago, who all decided to try and revive as much of their old civilization as possible. It is mainly the Tohn Maraya who continue to hunt for as of yet unopened Vaults, aiding more of their kin in awakening from their slumber, and setting out to create a state for the Maraya in a world that is already very populated by many other Races, thus inevitably coming in conflict with the Allar, Maraya, and Elves in Hadar. The Tohn Maraya mostly inhabit the decrepit ruins of their civilization, cobbled together with modern technology to prevent it from utterly collapsing in decay, but a lasting memory to their brilliance. Some travel to Regalia, the center of learning, in the hopes of discovering more Vaults and Tech.
+|}
+</td><td style="vertical-align: top; width: 50%;">
+{|
+|[[File:noimg.png|170px|thumb|left]]
+|
+<span style="font-size:130%;><center>'''Homeswarm Maraya'''</center></span>
+The Homeswarm Maraya, are an engimatic and not playable sub-culture of Maraya, who drift across the world's skies on a large fleet of space-ships called the Homeswarm. Attempts from any Maraya, whether Drifter, Roamer, or Tohn, to contact the Homeswarm have largely failed, with only enigmatic contact between them and the surface dwellers. Many theories exist to identify the Homeswarm. Some claim they are the remnants of the Tohn Sona Unity, who built their own secret Vault which harbored a lot more technology, allowing them to resurface with much more power, while others speculate they are the descendants of those who traveled into space, or even those who were stuck in space when their civilization collapsed. The Homeswarm has occasionally been seen during historical events, only watching and seemingly analyzing the situation before leaving, preventing as of yet any airborne entity or being from reaching them with powerful cannons. Some Tohn and Roamer Maraya are obsessed with trying to learn more about the Homeswarm.
+|}
+</center>
+</tr></table>
+===Physical & Mental Characteristics===
+The Maraya can best be described as tieflings-like humanoids, with distinct butterfly-like ears and cranial formations or horns. They have vibrant hair and skin colors (seen in color palettes to the sides) that often cause them to be mistaken for other Races, or even some [[Afflictions]] (for example, red Maraya may be mistaken for the now extinct Manathar, magically corrupted Elves). They look physically very similar to other Races of Aloria, though tend to be on the tall side. Maraya can be big and bulky or stocky, though most of them are slender and appear with more elongated limb proportions than other Races, giving them a very delicate and graceful appearance, if somewhat unsettling. Their Race engaged in genetic engineering, meaning some of them may have additional horns, tails, or different body proportions, or even skin patterns, though their ears are always recognizably the same, even if their size may vary. Mentally speaking, the Maraya are often described as callous, or melancholic. Even for those Roamers who have abandoned the idea of reviving a Meraic state, the very knowledge of the things they lost, can cause frustration to quickly boil, because of little issues like crystalline resonant self-washing clothing not yet having been invented in this era. This does not mean Maraya are angry or bitter all the time, there is plenty of laughter and celebration of life, but it can cause Maraya to come across with a sense of self superiority based on historical providence. With some very basic Meraic gene-therapy, it is possible for Maraya to have children with other Races, resulting in Half-Maraya, who have some of the other parent's visual features, but must at the very least have Maraya ears and some horns.
-The Tohn Haat, conversely, never released their distress signal. Disgusted by what they had become, the Haat-Maraya rejected Meraic teachings and hid within their vault for far longer than was intended, even past the establishment of a Maraya government by the other opened Vaults. By the opening of the Tohn Haat in 192 AC, the Haat-Maraya had long since resorted to cannibalism for sustenance, out of fear of what the world outside would force them to confront. The generations would inherit the Tohn Haat from the first Haat-Maraya to awaken would become increasingly violent and cruel, with frequent internal conflict, and aforementioned commonplace cannibalism. The Tohn Haat was forced open by Kathar from the outside, who had led an expedition into Altalar lands in which the Tohn Haat lay. Initial relations between the Kathar and the newly freed Haat-Maraya were unspeakably hostile but, through this hostility, the Kathar developed an appreciation for the Haat they could harbor for no other races. With massive efforts on behalf of the Kathar to translate and negotiate with the Haat, so as to prevent the Haat attacking them for use as a good source, they were convinced to join the Kathar expedition in their return to the Dread Empire, and found colonies to live life how they desired. To this day, the Haat retain a taste for Kathar, who they can very easily see as both a dish, and a lover.
+==Heritage Traits==
+[[File:Maraya_Colors.png|260px|thumb|right|Lore Compliant Maraya Hair or Skin colors. Their hair is consistently one of these, and skintone another. Being Dimensionswapped allows them to change either to a tone more appropriate for their Dimension.]]
+[[File:Marayaface.png|260px|thumb|right|Maya cranial features can either form horns, but also forehead plates that either bend back, stick sideways, or point upwards. There can even be multiple.]]
+[[File:Marayaka.png|260px|thumb|right|Maraya can grow facial hair, though they often shave it off. Roamer Maraya will still frequently sport facial hair however, as it both helps them fit it, and they may not have access to shaving equipment.]]
+[[File:42bbfdd4538ebebf57b6c8d63ad75bbf.png|260px|thumb|right|Traditionally Kul-Merai fought with technological gloves powered by Crystaltech for extra punching power.]]
+[[File:0d044b14137e05e52670a4edccb18a1d.png|260px|thumb|right|Maraya horns can be short or long, curved or sharp, and even multiple horns that can exist, though they always follow the skin color in tone.]]
+When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.
-The Home Swarm and Tohnsa-Ka-Meraic were witness to all of this, but could not intervene from their place in the clouds; even with time to reproduce, and the bolstering of their numbers by the scholarly Ka-Maraya, they numbered only around 230,000. With only two decades of existence as a formal state, they elected to instead record the events and their observations, disappear back into the clouds, and establish a plan at a later point. In the meantime, they were confronted with increasingly disheartening experiences, as each Tohn Vault they tracked down was discovered to be an empty ruin, devoid of all life. The first recorded instance of an intervention of the Home Swarm in regards to the Haat was an attempt to seize a ship carrying Haat eggs between two colonies in 261AC. In doing so, the Ka- and El-Maraya cemented their lasting hatred from the Haat; envied by the Haat-Maraya for their lack of mutation, the two sister clades had made their first contact with their relatives an act of theft, trying to steal the unborn children of the Haat. Although the theft was a success, a stowaway remained aboard the fleet until it floated somewhere over [[Daenshore’s]] northern coastline. This stowaway initiated a series of fights which would disable a number of levitation devices and cause the disconnection of a breeding chamber ship from the Home Swarm, which would crash onto the land below, killing all on board and leaving rubble over a mile-long stretch. The Maraya of the Home Swarm chose to abandon the wreck and accept the eggs as lost.
+Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).
+===Free Packs===
+* Maraya can choose one Pack from either the [[Chem_Point_Buy| Chem]], or [[Adapt Point Buy| Adapt (Non-Magic)]] Categories for free.
+* Maraya can choose one Pack from either the [[Tech Point Buy| Tech]], or [[Roguery Point Buy| Roguery]] Categories.
-Thanks to the work of the Maraya still aboard the ship as it fell, however, many of the eggs store inside survived. These eggs were taken by the Altalar and Ailor nearby, who saw them as curiosities. Of these eggs, a significant number simply died, locked in Altalar cabinets and seen as little more than trinkets. Ailor, on the other hand, saw much greater success. Attempting to keep the eggs warm with dried hay, the Ailor inadvertently provided them with the plant matter necessary for them to survive and gestate. When these eggs hatched, hundreds of Maraya were raised in the slum towns of Daenshore, even in spite of apprehension regarding the sudden appearance of this apparent new race. The Maraya of the Home Swarm and Tohnsa-Ka-Maraya labelled these the Skyfallen Maraya, of Ka-, El-, and Haat-Maraya origin. These Maraya adapted to Ailor and Altalar culture quickly, and prompted the Home Swarm to alter its tactics; with the appearance of their kin on the ground, it was only a matter of time until their fleet was exposed to the world at large. Nearly a century after the opening of the Haat Vault, the Home Fleet chose to act, falling upon the Essa Empire in 287 AC. Collapsing under the weight of an already-invading Regalian Empire, the Essa lacked their Allar defenses and access to resource-rich regions they had previously possessed. The Maraya readily took advantage of this, testing their now-functionally sized military, and using their invasion of the Essa Empire as a staging ground to test their might, refill their resources, and announce their presence to the world. They descended from the tropical storms generated by the Home Swarm, invading the Allar with strong guerilla tactics, hopping from one side of the Empire to another, consistently outpacing the military minds of the [[Cro-Allar]].
+===Mechanics===
+* Maraya have small Ichor glands on their hands, which are capable of producing Chrysalis that they can shape into Crystals of any shape or size.
-The Maraya played a small, but influential role in crippling Allar logistics which would enable Regalia to utterly crush the Essa Empire, but formal agreements or positive bonds between the two were never established; the two warring parties simply shared a common enemy. If anything, the Home Fleet continued to treat all foreign nations as enemies, no matter their standing or actions. By the time of the [[Bone Horror Crisis]] however, the Maraya began to understand making enemies out of everyone would not suit them in the long run, and they began sending sleeper populations and envoys to various corners of the world to learn more about the locals. Eventually however, many of these envoys would have children who themselves would integrate and spread the influence and culture of the Maraya into the various states in the world. The relevance of the Tohn Sona declined massively in these latter years; the message of racial superiority and an optimistic, utopian view of the world became less of a driving aspect of their society, and more like a goal stuck as a pipe dream. Many of the Maraya abandoned their old ways, and simply opted to try and live as best they could in the alien world they were now a part of.
+* Maraya can also make music with these Chrysalis Crystals, as they can resonate based on tunes, and produce music autonomously.
+* Maraya come from an Ancient world. They can read certain Event hints that may not be obvious to other Races (inquire with DM/Event Hoster for opportunities).
+* Maraya can (out of combat) remotely hijack Tech (including Automata) to follow their commands and instructions instead, due to their historical superiority.
+* Maraya can (if they can reach melee distance safely) hack into Dragon Sites/Entities and alter their routines to unlock additional functions (consult Event Dm's).
 ==Society==
-Maraya society is a very flat society of indifferent democracy. That is to say, the vast majority of the Maraya believe in the concept of communal decision taking and voting on important matters, but are so comfortable that the ruling classes do a good job at it they simply don’t show up at voting processions. Theoretically every Maraya has a right to vote on the business of the Home Swarm, but very few actually end up voting and most of the meetings are mainly participated in by the elected representatives which are often elected for life and merely pass from one parent to another. The Maraya have essentially produced a de facto aristocracy, without it explicitly being aristocratic in nature. Most of these aristocrats are Ka-Maraya in nature which makes sense, since the seat of government is on the Queenship, the Tohnsa, where most of the Ka-Maraya live. Those living on the ground and away from the Home Swarm are rarely loyal to the Home Swarm however, as the primary directive of the Maraya is to operate independently and thrive away from the collective, if only to come back at some distant point in the future to contribute some value to the Tohn Sona’s future development.
+===Language===
+The Maraya all speak the Language of Shalota, a tongue even older than [[Altalar]] given its roots among the Meraic. It is a melodic language which makes frequent use of double m’s, s’ and l’s with plenty of vowels, with the most common hard consonant being “q”. Whether Shalota was the exact tongue that the ancient Meraic spoke however, is up for debate. Due to the nature of Maraya reawakening, the ancient Meraic language and modern Shalota does share continuity in its alphabet, a series of 26 glyphs refined by modern Maraya but essentially the same as those found in Meraic ruins and old Vaults. There is also one more quirk of Shalota, and that is in the use of the word “Tohn.” Tohn was the first name of the Maraya unifier who wrote the most important scripture of the Tohn Sona. Tohn just means "greatness" nowadays, but it is often used a prefix to things from states, book titles, machine names, anything that Maraya make essentially. Maraya names are inherently genderless, though they commonly use nicknames for each other that try to shorten the name as much as possible.
-===Culture===
-Maraya culture is entirely lacking. What little Maraya were able to gleam from the Tohn Vaults has been incorporated in their architecture, language and writing, but practically everything else is a mixture of the other Races. At the Home Swarm, most of the fashion and cultural practices are Altalar in nature, a culture which they most self-identified with in comparing it to their Meraic cultural traditions. Aside from this however, most Maraya on the ground adapt to whatever they feel like, while Haat-Maraya are nigh perfectly integrated into Kathar society. Maraya as such remain flexible and fluid, a trait in culture which aids their predisposition to being pragmatic and good at lying to others as personality traits.
-Maraya culture is something of a patchwork. Maraya architecture, language, and writing is descended from the Tohn Veer Vaults of their Meraic ancestors; however, everything else is derived from the works of other races. The fashion and practices among the Maraya of the Home Swarm are lifted from Altalar; the Haat-Maraya, on the other hand, take practically everything from the Kathar for themselves. Fluidity, as such, is perhaps the most defining feature of their culture. However, over time, some more self-determined Maraya have elected to create their own cultural norms and activities, suchs as sports involving throwing inflated balls into raised rings.
-Technology constitutes a significant portion of the daily lifestyles of most Maraya; the water used for drinking, bathing, and farming by the Maraya is collected and purified by Meraic-derived devices. Agriculture at large is similarly dependent, with a few select fields tended by massive crystalline constructs intended to efficiently harvest vast quantities of grain while simultaneously ploughing the field behind it. The Home Swarm cuisine is derived from, but not identical to, the recipes of the Altalar, with a greater emphasis placed on red and white meats and breads, while imitating their visual styles. Conversely, Haat-Maraya take almost their entire cuisine from the Kathar, with the single defining aspect being the consumption of Kathar meat when available.
-Arts and leisure among all Maraya is constructed largely around the crystals that their technology revolves around. Marayan music is a combination of voice and the resonation of their crystals, creating a sound that can, when conducted correctly, take on an almost otherworldly beauty. Art in Marayan colonies is some of the most abstract of any culture in Aloria; rather than making use of paint or pencil, the Maraya align crystals of differing colors to shine light onto a canvas to produce vibrant fractals that have no express visual meaning, but are instead meant to evoke an emotional response in its observer. Although migrant Maraya and even some non-Maraya have attempted to recreate this form of art using stained glass, the sheer clarity and brightness of color found in authentic pieces cannot be imitated without the crystals themselves.
-Maraya literature is one of the few aspects of their culture not dependent on their crystalline technology, this being the core reason why most Meraic texts failed to survive their slumber. Instead, their texts are written into paper and parchment, intended to be easily stored and moved around. Nearly all of the modern Maraya writings are authored by Ka-Maraya scholars, with an keen affinity for the exploration of philosophy and the roots of the many external practices adopted from other races, such as the self-aggrandizing tendencies of the Altalar, or the ease with which Ailor seem to submit to their own kind, even to detrimental ends.
+'''Example of Maraya Names:''' Qaleem, Meniir, Emmenaa, Tohsaal, Ssinim, LLomela, Llewel, Menness, Immir, Ossorm, Allaarn, Lluna, Ssola, Mmana, Silaam, Ymalla, Qullo.
 ===Religion===
-The Maraya lack a standard religion; instead, they have the Tohn Sona, or the Great Purpose, outlined in a collection of documents stored in every intact vault sleeping chamber. While it is self-evident they are the superior Race and others exist to further their own goals, the Great Purpose serves as a road map to actually re-establishing dominance. They do not recognize any existence of a deity, or a higher power beyond their own ability to shape their future. The Maraya see the Tohn Sona as an evolving set of instructions with three real sources, ranked by first to last in priority: that which can be deciphered from the Tohn Sona, that which comes from Illumination, and that which has been newly learned post-emergence. As a result, with regards to life philosophy, Maraya can sometimes be found studying the Tohn Sona, meditating or analyzing their surroundings (often by stealing or enslaving Allar for this purpose) to divine their future aspirations and fulfill their spiritual needs.
+The Maraya do not formally have a religion (though some, Drifters notably, may have adopted one over time). Rather, the Maraya have a near-holy scripture called the Tohn Sona, which is a book with ground rules for how society should function. This book is theoretically long, covering topics from healthy diets to correct forms of governance, however in all practicality, most roleplayers will never interact with the deep sociopolitical nuances of the Tohn Sona, and only need a basic structure for how to live their lives on a daily basis in Regalia. As such, this section will cover the most important tenets of the Tohn Sona that can be applied in day to day Roleplay on the server. Note, these are also not extreme rules, one does not get expelled from Maraya community for breaking them, but they invite a point of contention and debate, as well as accountability for those that break them. Even those Maraya who are religious, or largely abandoned the Tohn Sona, still recognize its historical importance, and that it is just a generally well-rounded ethical list of rules to follow. Even Mage Maraya try to follow the majority of the rules, even if one explicitly implies they live a life of evil.
+* The serene state of world, is to be led by the Meraic kin, devoid of monarchies, devoid of religions, and ruled by technocrats, for scientists and scholars always know best.
+* The serene state of mind, is one with ambition and goals, the wandering and drifting mind is one of idle error and miscalculation, a danger for others waiting to happen.
+* The serene state of body, is one where aesthetic sensibilities do not undermine functional uses. Self idolatry is a getaway and gateway drug to a failing mind and fortune.
+* Magic is not evil by nature of existence, but evil by nature of changes to nature. To underestimate or downplay the power of this force, is equally as ruinous as to drink from it.
+* Information is a common good that cannot be withheld, privatized, owned, or otherwise gatekept, Information can only be collectivized, from which it is utilized.
+* The great source of corruption, is religion, to outsource the free state of independent thought and reason to an incomprehensible and contempt filled capricious entity.
+* The minor source of corruption, is a failing ethic, to inflict willing physical or emotional harm on others without the explicit betterment of society at large.
+* The least source of corruption, is spite and envy, for emotions are cascading failures of personal integrity, and every building begins with a first brick laid in error.
+===Families===
+Maraya families are not out of the ordinary in comparison to other Races, though the context of their Meraic history is important. During Meraic times, their society moved past the need for intercourse to reproduce. Many Maraya children are so called "pod-children", who were born from an external artificial womb to avoid the process of child-carrying, and after that usually raised by robotic nannies to avoid the difficulty of child raising. Some families disregard the use of technology, believing that their children need to be well adjusted to other Races in the world, lessons only they can teach, but many Maraya also appear to lack basic experiences other Race infants might have had while growing up. In old Meraic societies, relations were strictly regulated by the Tohn Sona Unity, with people who were considered to be born with genetic flaws denied a partner, while those with good genes were put in pre-arranged matchings. The adaptation of this kind of lifestyle to a free-choice environment in for example Regalia, may be quite an adaptation for the Maraya, especially if coming fresh from a Vault and still suffering from the nascent tyranny of the Unity even though it had already collapsed several decades before the end.
-===Economy and Technology===
+==World View==
-Maraya economy is laughable compared to other Races in the world of Aloria, but their technology is extremely interesting. All of it cannot be operated by non-Maraya and practically all of it is kept on the Home Swarm and aboard the Tohnsa-Ka-Meraic, but the technology produced by the Meraic millenia ago surprisingly still functions as if it was produced mere years ago, and continues to serve the Home Swarm as it moves around the known world, reaping resources where it goes. Allar are routinely enslaved for simple jobs and maintenance, which is why it’s commonly said the only non-Maraya Race living on the Home Swarm are Allar, though this isn’t strictly true. Some foreign guests have occasionally been allowed on, and at least one Regalian Empire ambassador lives in one of the aft ships, though denied access to the inner ships. The Home Swarm continues to move around, occasionally attaching to cliff sides and mountains like a large colony of lanterns, before being swept up by the wind again when local resources have run dry.
+* Even while divided, on different sides, following different ideologies, or directly fighting each other for different alliances in Regalia, there is an unspoken rule between Maraya that there shall be no fighting in drinking taverns or pubs. This is because Maraya are already so few in the world, and there must always remain a neutral ground from which to discuss differences in peace.
+* A curious point about the Maraya, is that their old fashion was completely abandoned in favor of [[Elven]] clothing. They found that Elven clothing most resembled their old fashion styles, but also discovered that to their regret, the specific fiber used to produce their clothing went long extinct after the Vaults closed, and no seeds were saved, so they literally could not reproduce their old clothing style with old materials.
+* Because Maraya were a near sci-fi civilization, their art rendering is extremely abstract, downright alien when viewed by other Races. While they can certainly appreciate the realist and environment pieces produced by Regalian artists, they do look very "3000 years ago" to them, with more brutalist and artistic pieces open to interpretation being the norm.
+* Music produced by the Maraya often uses Crystal resonance, Crystals humming at varying tones to produce an orchestrally complex melody, reminiscent of metal chimes. Meraic music sounds alien to other Races, from what few compositions survived in the vaults clutched by artists, but the Maraya have also quickly adapted to the new music styles of the modern age.
+* Traditional Maraya often have greetings and farewells related to paths, energies, and currents such as “May your path be straight,” “Your energy mingles with mine,” and “Until we meet again, let the currents guide you well.” Where this comes from is uncertain, though it is presumed to have dated from an understanding of the Leylines when the Meraic were Dragon Worshipers.
+* Allowing outsiders to witness and experience Maraya songs, especially their music welcoming a baby into the community and when an individual has died, is seen as a great sign of trust and respect. Anyone permitted to do so, is seen as included in a piece of history that spans back tens of thousands of years, which they likely have no understanding of.
+* Maraya absolutely hate carbonated drinks. When offered a carbonated drink, a Maraya would prefer to leave it standing on the table or counter to lose its carbonated property and become room-temperature before drinking it. They insist that it is "too spicy", and refuse to entertain the idea that carbonated liquids are not called "spicy", but instead "sharp".
+* While the Tohn Sona forbids the hoarding of information, Maraya still tend to be a little bit private with information about the Meraic Empire. After all, they are aware that oversharing may result in others being interested in opening Meraic Vaults. The wrong person might open such a Vault, and force convert all of the sleepers inside to Void Alignment.
+* Uncorrupted Maraya (in their views, not aligned with Ordial, Exist, or Void), often seek to convince a Maraya to become cleansed, but there is a general understanding they should not apply violence or undue emotional pressure to force someone to change. There are so few Maraya left in the world, that fully expelling one from social contact, is seen as a grave error.
+* While there are some Maraya who have re-embraced Dragon Worship, calling Dragons their saviors, the fact that Dragons did not awaken them as they had promised, and let other smaller Races (never refer to them as lesser, that is not very Tohn Sona) rule the world in their stead. Why the Dragons did this, is unclear, and many Maraya harbor resentment to their once allies for being so indifferent to them.
+* A common curse that Maraya may use is Tohshaar, meaning "be damned in the name of that which is great". It is a very milk-toast curse for the Maraya, that does not quite compare to the alien expletives used by other Races. This is often why Maraya can become quite flustered when someone uses a lot of foul language in their presence, because their language does not really accomodate for it.
+* Many Maraya who found the idea of an autocratic government deciding things for them, may find Regalia very comfortable, albeit frustrating because it is ruled by a monarchy and nobility who haven't done much to prove their station in life. This often results in complicated feelings, both liking the Regalian government for the structure it provides, but disliking it for the manners in which it does this.
+* Some Maraya use the term "Haat-Maraya" to refer to Maraya who are Dimensionally aligned to Void, Exist, Ordial, or Dragon Magic, though this is technically a slur, and only those who take issue with said particular Maraya would stoop so low as to use a slur against their fellow kind. Maraya also refuse other Races the right to use this word, as it is a very personal one in Shalota, their language.
-===Combat and Warfare===
+==Trivia==
-Maraya are rightly considered an invasive species. While some liken their motivations to that of an insect infestation, the similarities are only superficial. Whereas Human expansion is often motivated by individual greed, and a Race like the Kathar do so out of religious zeal and retaliation, Maraya wish to expand their holdings in order to take Aloria back from the host of inferior species that now appear to have taken control. Not only would achieving this goal fulfill the Great Purpose, it would correct what Maraya intuitively feel is wrong: Aloria should be in the hands of what they view as the most competent Race. It is no coincidence that the first interaction Maraya had with another species was one of fierce combat. To this day, many of the old Allar kingdoms lie in ruins, their wreckage inhabited by the Maraya or dismantled to fuel colonization. Maraya, in particular, are skilled in agile movements in hand-to-hand combat. Their agility and surprising flexibility further assists in their ability to defeat foes, while if forced to use weapons, they will often use whip and flail-like weapons. The Ka-Maraya are more prone to using their own fists and heavier weapons however, while the Haat-Maraya also fight with their hair, elbow blades and claws.
+* There is a saying among scholars that goes "Color Theory is not real", when attempting to explain why so many Void people dress red, Exist people dress blue or white, and all Ordial people only have green clothes in their wardrobe. Maraya on the other hand, prove this wrong, as they can have their skin tone and hair color change to Color Theory appropriate tones.
+* Space-flight is an ever enduring dream for the Maraya, unfortunately nearly all blueprints and designs for space faring vehicles were destroyed when the Samsaal Black-Site had its database deleted by Councilor Ossello. Ossello went mad when he realized he and his fellow Tohn Sona Unity council members would be blamed for the end of civilization, and decided to erase his name from all databases, which included the space-flight build plans.
+* There is a modicum of grief among the Maraya, that the Homeswarm does not open its arms to them on the ground, and raise them up. Even those who have abandoned the old ways, consider there is much to be learned from these hyper technologically advanced Maraya. But somewhere, a conclusion must be made, that in hiding themselves, they are breaking the Tohn Sona, implying they may not be following it.
-==Trivia==
+{{Peoples}}
-*The siren-like song of the Maraya was instrumental in helping newly emerged Maraya Communes find one another. Maraya communicate over long distances with communal singing, able to bridge miles as long as ten Maraya sing in unison, producing a song which only other Maraya can hear.
-*Almost all Maraya wear their hair long. While they can cut it (and grow it back), they have a cultural inclination to long hair as the Meraic are always presented as having long hair on what little material they have available on them.
-*Maraya love crystalline based jewelry, necklaces and earrings. [[Quartz]], colorful gems and stones are especially loved.
-{{Races}}
 {{Accreditation
 |Artists =
-|Writers = MonMarty
+|Writers = MonMarty, HydraLana
-|Processors = HydraLana, Scribbe, AlphaInsomnia
+|Processors = Acosmism, Volaie, OkaDoka, FireFan96, MantaRey, HydraLana
 }}
-[[Category:Races]] [[category:Maia Races]]
+[[Category:Heritages]]