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| Pronunciation: Al-lar. | ||
| Common Nicknames: Smileskins, Scalies, Scaleskins. | ||
| Classification: Naylar. | ||
| Max Age: 60 years. | ||
| Naming Customs: Varying vowels with double L,S and Z. | ||
| Languages: Zasta. | ||
| Subraces: None. |
Originating from the mysterious and unmapped jungles of Sendras, the Allar Naylar are some of the strangest sentient beings on Aloria. Allar are known for producing a vast variety of alchemical concoctions and potions, their alchemical abilities known far and wide in the world. They are equally as revered as they are reviled, however, due to their part in the recent Chrysant Wars with the Regalian Empire. Since that war, the Allar have seen a strong decrease in population at the hands of the Ailor. The few remaining still live independently, struggling for control over the remnants of their once vibrant kingdoms while Regalia looms over them like a puppet master.
Physical Characteristics
Allar can best be described as humanoid lizard people. Their skin is covered in sometimes slimy scales ranging from dark green to gray or brown, with some even having yellow variation. They have long necks and fingers with sharp nails and digitigrade legs. Their head is lizard-shaped with a snout. Adorned across their skull, jaw, and brow are occasional horns or spikes of varying sizes that stick out of the scaled skin. Their eyes are slitted, always a vibrant yellow color with a darker eye white. Allar also have tails, sometimes as long as their legs which are used to preserve balance. Many often assume this tail functions like the tail of a snake, as with the Slizzar, but this is not the case. The tail is a rigid part of their body with bones in it and musculature that keeps it from bending too much. Slizzar skin also has special properties, in that it is able to resist nearly all poisons and in many cases is resistant to most diseases. Allar are usually subdivided into Allar and Mu-Allar. The Mu-Allar are identical to the Allar except that they are covered from their cheeks and forehead down to their knees in feathers and strands of hair. These feathers and hair are usually colored in a dull blue or red ranging to orange.
Mental Characteristics
Allar are usually called simple minded, though not for their lack of intelligence. Allar think simply because the world moves faster around them than for the other races due to their metabolism, as well as the fact that they see everything in life as an established fact or unchangeable reality, even down to the most simplest of things. Allar religion and philosophy has further reinforced the idea that events are created by variables, some of which they can control, but others which they cannot. This belief has caused many Allar to become acceptant of fate “as it comes,” much to the disbelief and disdain from other races. This makes Allar exceptionally good at blending in, or simply adapting to a new environment as they are able to detach themselves from their original cultural beliefs or norms. Allar do not have a natural predisposition to greed, selfishness, and ego, though in adapting to a new environment like Regalia, they have shown the capability to assimilate these personality traits.
History
The earliest record the Allar kept of themselves was their flight from Sendras at the hands of the Mu-Allar. It is unknown to historians why the Allar and Mu-Allar fought one another in the jungle lands, though it is generally accepted the Allar lost and fled to Hadar to the north. According to what the scholars do know, the Allar became fractured and they refer to themselves as northerners while referring to the Mu-Allar as southerners. Very little Mu-Allar have been seen beyond the borders of Sendras since the Allar fled to Hadar around 102 AC.
The arrival of the Allar in Hadar was met with the Slizzar who already occupied the land and, in limited degree, Dakkar who roamed around. The Slizzar did not formally live in state entities, and in many cases were tribal without even a basic form of writing. The Allar quickly established minor kingdoms spanning the many isolated islands of Hadar, though never unified in reality. Their people were severely fractured after the flight from Sendras. The Slizzar integrated into their society, largely because of their espionage capabilities as well as their natural ability to charm people into thinking they are excellent advisors and servants. Over the next 150 years or so, Slizzar effectively integrated into the highest echelons of Allar society, which was at it’s height, a monarchy.
The situation turned sour for the Allar when one of the Slizzar, Mikuni, started gaining traction among the poorer kingdoms due to her promise of wealth and providence, as well as offering a way for them to avenge their flight from Sendras and take back their jungle homeland. This military fervor, while aimed at Sendras, was misunderstood by the Regalian Empire who did not even know Sendras existed and had little contact or information with the Allar kingdoms, thus seeing them as a threat. In 276, the Allar kingdoms formally unified into the Hadar Empire with Mikuni as its Empress. It is not known how or why the larger kingdoms submitted to Slizzar rule, though foul play has always been implied, even by the surviving Allar.
The consequence of this unification was the invasion of the Regalian Empire in what was known as the Chrysant War. Following this military conflict, the vast majority of the Slizzar and Allar were eradicated by the technologically superior Regalian Empire. After this point, many Allar themselves also started hunting Slizzar to avenge their destruction at the hands of the Regalian Empire, blaming the snake folk for their demise. Many Allar established successor kingdoms in the Hadar region which still survive to present day, though they are little more than squabbling states at the mercy of the Regalian Empire which simply seems to sit by and spectate the warring for entertainment. Many Allar fled Hadar further north, some even entering Regalia itself but also going as far and wide as Daendroc, Farah’deen and Fendarfell. Those who fled Hadar have simply started integrating into those societies as unwanted individuals, who are only tolerated due to their skill in alchemy and the usefulness of the craft.
Society
Allar society to outsiders was always considered to be strongly superstitious. Allar kings relied on court Alchemists to divine the future through rituals involving alchemy and chemical reactions. This practice was often misunderstood by outsiders however, as the truth dictates that the Allar were highly scientific in their rule as well as general life philosophy. They were tolerant of Slizzar and Dakkar integrating into their society, had a fairly democratic government for as far as that is possible under a monarch, and did not formally have any class systems in their society.
Politics
The head of an Allar state was the Allar-Sul-Rassa. This head of state was theoretically the leader of the state, though in reality just a figurehead. The real power of any state was truly with the court of alchemists, a unit of aged sages who were experts at analyzing situations, understanding the different compounds, and then divining the outcome of it based on probability. The court of alchemists was supported by the Sulzzar, which could be compared to nobility in Regalia, but was more like a system of viceroyalty. Sulzzar’s were chosen for their administrative ability, not their birth right. It is generally assumed MIkuni played in on the Sulzzar to drive away the power of the court of alchemists and corrupted them to do the bidding of the Slizzar in exchange for power when she took over.
Culture
Allar culture, despite being very isolated from Sendras and one another in Hadar, stayed virtually the same over centuries. Even if an Allar is not knowledgeable in alchemy, they spend most of their time in life gathering alchemical ingredients, plants, liquids, and metals and storing them for later use. These could then be gifted to friends, family, or even traded to acquire food, clothes, and other goods. An Allar could become as rich or affluent as they had the ability to gather materials people needed or were fond of. The Alchemists held a special role in society as healers, diviners, priests, mathematicians, and much more. By general assumption, the gatherers is what empowered Allar society, while the alchemists are what made it progress. Allar clothe themselves in green or blue colored fabrics, usually made from the local wildlife on Hadar. They mostly eat fish, a result of having founded most Allar societies on coastal areas, though some inland Allar have been known to cultivate livestock. They do not under any circumstance consume plant life except for medicinal use. Alchemy was central and revered in their culture, there was a potion to solve any problem. Fatigue, slow workers, bad eyesight, sore bones, broken tail, weak heart, and much more, anything had an alchemical solution. Unfortunately, most of these mixtures were lost during the Chrysant War when Regalia sacked the great Alchemical Ssenstra, the central place for Allar knowledge.
Religion
Allar don’t formally believe in a god but rather hold that every being, thing, and event is a part of a greater mixture that has a certain result which is existence itself. Variables factor into an outcome with a certain weight, and it was up to the alchemists to interpret the value and outcome of these factors. It could be reasoned that in a way, the Allar believed every god and pantheon ever espoused truly existed and every belief is right. For example, they believe Ailors are once destined to rule over all. They universally accept Unionism as a true factor in life. They also accept the fact that the sun is divine as dictated by the Qadir and that there is a living Elven goddess statue for the Elves. The Allar factor in all these things and consider reality with the following phrase: “Nothing is untrue, every spoken truth is a variable with a degree of value in life”. This furthermore makes it easy for Allar to integrate into other societies. They have no trouble accepting or adapting to new norms or peoples, because they accept their beliefs to be as true as that of others. Allar religion thus is not active, but rather passive. They observe events and reason about them but make very little effort to change them.
Combat and Warfare
Allar have never been formally good at warfare. During the Regalian invasion, most Allar had never used a weapon, though many were taught by the Slizzar. The majority of the Allar military capability was hidden in their alchemical ability. The Allar used mixtures to daze, confuse or outright poison their enemies. This made them deadly on land, taking out many Regalians, though useless on the oceans. The Regalian fleet was able to take out any approaching Allar and bombard their coastal cities into submission. After the Chrysant War was over, the majority of the Allar returned to their pacifistic ways.
Economy and Technology
The entire Allar economy and technology was driven by Alchemy. They had alchemical solutions for most problems, which made them little reliant on magic or metallurgy. Their economy was driven through bartering for alchemical ingredients, most of which were simply foraged from the land around them, but in many situations also traded externally with the other races of Aloria in exchange for much desired alchemical mixtures. Most of the knowledge and Allar technology was lost during the Chrysant War, leaving many of the Allar in present day scraping by to attempt to rebuild their lost knowledge.
Subraces
The Allar are formally only recognized as a single species, but they themselves are actually aware of their own racial cousins, the Mu-Allar, Es-Allar and Zu-Allar. For sake of simplicity, the Allar are called Al-Allar when comparing them to the other Allar.
Mu-Allar
The Mu-Allar are a relative newcomer on Aloria, being created at roughly 15 AC. The Mu-Allar are broader than the Al-Allar, having wider shoulders. Their snouts are longer than those of the Al-Allar, and aside from their face, their entire body is covered in colorful vibrant feathers. These often range between the colors orange, blue and green. The scales of the Mu-Allar are equally colorful, often having a brown overtone with red accents. The Mu-Allar have a more "wild" appearance compared to the Al-Allar but aren't any less intelligent. The Mu-Allar are traditionally void worshipers, but not the conventional kind. They worship void essence as opposed to the intelligence that comes from the dimension as some sort of holy essence that should both be respected and feared. Mu-Allar, contrary to Al-Allar are very fond of magic, and frequently use it in their military as well as civilian lives.
Es-Allar
The Es-Allar were a lithe small breed of Allar living in swamps and coastal areas. The Es-Allar were the only Allar capable of staying underwater for hours on end without the need to breathe. They had no horns or spikes like the other Allar, had much larger eyes and webbed fingers. The Es-Allar went extinct in 24 AC following reprisals from the Al-Allar and cannibalism from the Mu-Allar.
Zu-Allar
The Zu-Allar were a larger lumbering breed of Allar living in the mountains of Sendras. They were all gray scaled and their scales were compared to thick rocks. They similar to the Es-Allar did not have horns or spikes, nor did they have a tail. They had long arms which they used to support themselves while walking around like a large ape. The Zu-Allar all went extinct instantly in a massive magical event in Sendras in 15 AC. The Zu-Allar were best remembered for their pacifism and love for everything alive, the very reason why Al-Allar think they died in the end. Zu-Allar life teachings contributed greatly to the eventual flight of the Al-Allar from Sendras and their subsequent peaceful living in Hadar.
Trivia
- There was once an Allar alchemist who was able to produce a Banassa mixture that when consumed, caused the drinker to grow to grotesque orcish proportions and give them inhuman strength. These mixtures were used during the Chrysant wars, though knowledge to produce them has been lost as the Empire collapsed.
- It is not often spoken about, but Allar bone and skin is a much used ingredient in Allar alchemy. Dried tails and eyeballs made some Allar very “rich” through immoral means.
- Allar can actually regrow partially severed limbs over time. Tails, fingers and toes can regrow after having been removed in a matter of weeks. Whole limbs however never regrow fully, instead just becoming an unformed mass of flesh without bone structure. The regrown pieces however are often in a different color or opposing pattern. Veterans from wars often look like patchworks of regrown skin that looks out of place.
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