Cetan
Summary
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(This is pronounced as Chetan but is written as Cetan)
Cetans are a race heralded mistakenly as wind or hawk spirits when in reality they are hawk people of the Mountains.
Physical Attributes
General
The Cetan look human in all aspects other than the large wings on their backs (colors tend towards shades of brown but shades of black and white, though rare, are also possible).
Skin
Their skin is tan or dark (no exceptions are known).
Eyes
Any eye color is possible among the Cetan.
Hair
The Cetan people usually keep their hair cut short to keep it out of their faces while flying; though it can grow to any length. Some Cetans are known to have hair that clumps together in feather-like strips, but their hair can be normal as well. Another odd trait is that all Cetans have unusually soft hair compared to that of other races (reason unknown).
Body
Although appearing to have normal human bodies, Cetans actually have very fragile bodies because of their hollow bones. Due to this, they must be aware of how much clothing they wear and what they carry or else they will not be able to fly. Cetans can only carry ¼ of their own weight and still be able to fly. This means that often the Cetans do not wear much clothing at all compared to the other mountain dwelling races. In fact, while other races would freeze from the frigid temperatures of the mountain range (especially with the summer-like clothes), each Cetan is constantly, mysteriously surrounded by an air pocket of controlled temperature air.
If a Cetan’s wings are cut off, they will grow back over the period of 2 months.
The average height for a Cetan is 4’0” - 5’6”
Cetans weigh anywhere from 50-120 lbs.
Age
The maximum life span of a Cetan is 50 years.
History/Information
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The Cetans have existed for centuries; though, until recently, they have remained mostly shrouded in mystery. This is due to many reasons, but most notably because of their small numbers. Cetans only live in remote mountain ranges and are broken up into many small tribes that are scattered along the particular mountain range. Though that is not to say that they are isolated from each other, as the many tribes of each range are led by one main tribe that is based in the center of the range. This tribe is the largest of them all and is considered the head of their society and religion; having both the council and temple within their territory.
Culture
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Religion
For generations the Cetans have worshipped the God of Air known as Rytis. For any Cetan, their beliefs guide every aspect of their lives. Cetans are known air magic users and even when they are first born, they are surrounded by “Rytis’s Gift” (which is the aforementioned temperature controlled air pocket) which does not take any effort to maintain, only very minimal amounts of mana. Other than this, Cetans have varying magical abilities, but it is clear that all of them have at least basic abilities, allowing them to shift, control, and create small breezes. The Cetans with the most magical ability though, are usually the warriors and the priestesses.
The priestesses are a very interesting aspect of the Cetan culture in that every girl, starting at the age of four, are sent away for two years to the main tribe where they study under the priestesses there. Normally it can be a nightmare to imagine a group of four year olds running around the temple; however, this is not the case with the Cetans. The Cetans are raised, even from the very beginning, to understand the importance of their religion and the necessary steps they must take to honor their tribe through it. So, while there are of course a few troublemakers among each group, most are very well behaved. Now, during these two years the girls will study how to properly care for the temple and how to perform very basic rites. This is very important for many of the girls as they will likely maintain their tribes’ small shrines back home. After these two years, the girls must make a very important decision, to go home or to stay behind and continue their training.
If the girls decide to continue their training, their families must send homage to the temple for every year that the girl stays. This of course can be anything, even one pence. However, most take this as a challenge and send many extravagant gifts each year (if they can afford it). The girls, if diligent with their studies, will stay until they reach the age of seventeen. Then, on their seventeenth birthday, a celebration is held in their honor, and at the end of the celebration, the girl is taken before the High Priestess in the heart of the temple. Here, it is said that Rytis speaks through the High Priestess, and decides whether the girl will become a priestess or be sent home empty handed. The few girls that do stay for this long usually become priestesses; however, it is not impossible for them to be sent home. Ultimately, it depends on how dutiful they’ve been in their studies.
Family
The common family unit consists of the immediate family such as the parents and their children as although the Cetan share strong ties, privacy is very important to them. Due to this, the average occupancy per house is 3.
Cetans leave their family home to build one of their own when they turn seventeen.
Traditions
The Cetans have many traditions. They have many holidays all of which they celebrate by gathering in the main tribe to worship at the temple. Their most notable holiday is the initiation of tribe warriors. Every year, as the summer sun begins to melt the snow of the lower peaks, the tribes gather at the main tribe to test the young Cetans (both men and women) (minimum age 18) in trials of archery and air magic. Those that pass in their trials will be taken to the temple for the initiation ceremony where the High Priestess will grant them Rytis’s blessing, making them full-fledged warriors. Other traditions include the holidays that honor the seasons and the stages of life. Another notable tradition is the Flight of the Fledglings which holds three important occurrences. During this holiday, from the top of the highest peak in the main tribe’s territory, the youngest of the Cetans will prove themselves by using their wings for the first time. Also, a select group of warriors will leave from this peak to travel the world for 10 years to fight for the people of their Kingdom. This is a very dangerous journey and the warriors that return (if they survive) are heralded as heroes among the tribes. The last important event of this holiday (though a rarer occurrence) is the leaving of the young men and women that wish to see the world. These Cetans may leave home for as long as they wish, but most only leave for about a year as they are eventually pulled back home by a strong sense of longing.
Fighting
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Powers
As stated before, the Cetans use air magic, though the most powerful air magic users are the Priestesses.
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Preferred Fighting Style
Due to their fragile bodies, the Cetans prefer archery over hand to hand combat. But, a few have been known to use other distance weapons such as throwing knives, blow darts, nets, and etc. They can also use any heavy throwing weapons as although their bodies are fragile, the Cetans are strong (the only limitation from this would be that they would not be able to fly while using the weapon).
Weaknesses
The Cetans are weak to water in that if their wings get wet, they cannot fly. To avoid this, Cetans can often sense when there is a rain storm on the wind. (They live in the mountains because snow is deflected by their air pocket; rain is not, though, so they often remain recluse in the mountains.)
Names
Cetan names are quite odd and often have a variety of sounds and meanings. Most often, though, their names hold a “light, airy sound” to them. To make a Cetan name, simply use any name that sounds ‘light’.
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Male Examples:
Aenai, Beio, Canlo, Dirasi, Ersion
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Female Examples:
Aila, Blie, Corlie, Dianil, Elenia
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As for last names, Cetans do not hold the last names of their family but of their tribe. This is to make it easier to discern a Cetan’s tribe during the gatherings of the holidays. Names of tribes are usually of where the tribe is located in the range. Examples are: West Rock, Ice River, Cloudy Peak, and Low Valley.