Banned to the Islands of Kayph, the few survivors of the Eighth Family have lived on their own, far off the angel-blessed lands of Cihan, slowly growing as cruel and cold as the islands and seas they now inhabited. Corrupted by the very stones they live on, once these lost Uçalım are grown, they are void of empathy, unable to feel warmth or love towards one another. The joy other families get from helping or creating, the Taarih now get from harming and destroying.
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However, their return to the lands of Cihan has an unexpected effect on this so far ruthless family…
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Examples: extinct birds (Dodo, etc.), birds that haven’t been sighted in decades, all raptor-like dinosaurs, all flying dinosaurs
APPEARANCE​
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Average Height: 160 - 220
Average Weight: same weight as humans
Strength: ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
Heat resistance: ◆◆◆◆◇◇◇◇◇◇
Cold resistance: ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◇
The Islands of Kayph have rendered the Taarih numb, both emotionally and physically. Hardly feeling the cold, they drape themselves in coarse pelts and leather armor once they notice their body slowing down from the cold. Taarih have a faible for oversized weapons, spikes and claws. Their base colors are usually dark and muted, with bright neon colors breaking through and often creating intriguing patterns on their bodies and glowing in their eyes and mouths, making most of them easily distinguishable in the dark.
Many of them grow horns and spikes, and paint their skin with different colors.
Key words for the aesthetic of the Taarih are Stone Age / Tribal / Neon / Fantasy. They usually dress in leather, fur, animal teeth and other items they can find on the harsh island of Kayph, but also primitive, self-crafted armor pieces and weapons are possible for them. In addition to that, many Taarih have striking, neon-colored tattoos or elements, runes and symbols all over their bodies. Fantasy elements finalize the typical Taarih design.
DONTs: Modern-day elements like jackets and buckles are absolutely unknown to them. So are elaborate armor, modern weapons, or machinery.
Different from other Uçalım, the Taarih do not have one, but three Soul Clocks, all ticking to the movement of this world’s three moons. These are the first moon, Gun, during whose new moon a horde’s new leader will be chosen by battle. The second moon, Ay, a harbinger of power, which strengthens them once it’s new moon arrives. And the third moon, Yil, which is hardly ever visible, and whose presence predicts the great disasters to come. Here you can read more about the three moons.
Dinosaur Taarih:
Since dinosaurs have been extinct for quite a while and no one can say for sure what they looked like, we leave it up to you to imagine them the way you want. However, there are a few ground rules to ensure their appearance still fits with the aesthetic we envision for the Uçalim species.
You are free to mix and match all "natural" colors (e.g. black, brown, cream, grey). On top of that, you can choose two unnatural color groups for your design (e.g. red, yellow, green, purple, etc.). This rule does of course only apply to the Taarihs' wings and ears and does not include their hair, eyes or the rune symbols that they like to cover themselves with.
For patterns, all naturally occurring patterns are fine (e.g. stripes, dots, etc.) but very bird-specific patterns like a peacock's eyes and all unnatural patterns continue to fall under the 'Pattern On Wings' trait.
BEHAVIOR
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The Taarih are as uncaring as they are murderous. Most connections only serve a practical purpose, and not rarely does a connection between two Taarih end up in one of them losing their life. Taarih move around in hordes, lead by the strongest of their kind. They vary in size, but usually range from a few dozen to hundreds of Taarih. The biggest hordes however are said to reach thousands of members. Each new moon, when the night is pitch-black, a ceremonial fight for the leadership will determine the next person to be at the top. The person who emerges victorious once the sun rises over Kayph becomes the next horde leader. Horde leaders who have survived for years, month after month, and challenge after challenge, are considered basically unkillable, leading to less and less Taarih challenging their authority in the first place.
This family is mostly carnivorous, and they are able to drink salt water without taking damage. They can eat pretty much anything, even moss, bones or bark but they do need to eat meat in order to survive. Many members of this family even resort to cannibalism, seen as a by now normalized habit. Also, they do not have to sleep daily, a Taarih can stay awake for months and then, mostly during the cold winter months, hibernate for as long as they need. Members of this family are able to sleep practically anywhere, their wings instinctively holding them steady on any stonewall, tree or other surface they’ve chosen as their place to rest.
A few, unfortunate Taarih are said to have maintained their emotions despite the cursed land. Those however hide this fact, as it is far more enjoyable for a Taarih to harm them if their victims feel emotions through it.
EDUCATION
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Taarih abandon their children as soon as they can walk, not even giving them names. These young, still empathic Taarih bond together in small groups at the edge of their hordes, give each other names and learn by watching the adults, always careful not to come too close to their murderous kin. During their late teenager years, after being exposed to Kayph for so long, they start losing their ability to feel empathy or love, leaving them the same cold beings that Taarih hordes are made of. Almost no friendships survive that stage of their development.
HABITAT
The Taarih live on an abandoned island complex called Kayph, a cursed land which is said to have emerged shortly after Cihan, when a demon threw its fist at the world in anger after seeing the perfect land the angels have created. Some of the demon’s fury still seems to reside in Kayph’s harsh nature, causing plants to grow low, animals to stay small and Taarih to lose emotion. Flocking together in hordes, this family does not have a steady home, let alone a set capital since they do not build lasting accommodations. The only thing that comes closest to that concept are the biggest Taarih hordes, which however move around and can hardly be located.
CIHAN'S EFFECT ON TAARIH
Upon stepping onto Cihan soil, Taarih tend to get an odd feeling, caused by angelic blessings slowly washing away the seals that the land of Kayph has put on their hearts. Some Taarih already feel different only a few minutes after entering Cihan, others take days, weeks or even months to notice a difference. How severe the effects on them are, depends on each Taarih individually. Could some of them even regain all of the emotions they have left behind in their childhood?
HYBRIDS
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Due to all those millennia of exile, there are currently no living Taarih hybrids wandering this planet. Before their extinction, which was even before the Hybrid discrimination started, there would only be hybrids with families like the Atabey, ÇaÄŸlayan, or Eser. Weaker families were not considered worthy enough to be acknowledged by the Taarih.
In the present day, there is no family who hates Hybrids more than Taarih do. They blame the Hybrid who has banished and extinct them from Cihan for their exile on Kayph.
Second Generation: After their reappearance on Cihan and the way the blessed soil took influence on their former demonic nature, some Taarih have grown softer - even going as far as to find their partners within other families of this strange and unknown land. Taarih Hybrids are still rare, but their existence is slowly being established in the succeeding generation of Uçalım. To own a Taarih Hybrid, your Uçalım must be from the 2nd Generation.
TRAITS
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Soulclocks: Their three soulclocks do not count down the days until they die, they instead exist to showcase the three moon's cycles.
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Angel Wings: During specific events involving the moons, Taarih can develop Angel Wings. Those Taarih still have feather fluff on their forearms, where their Harpy Wings should have grown. Click here for more information.
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Gilded Tips: The tradition of Gilded Tips originated from the Taarih, and symbolizes a high status in your horde.
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Bone Wings: Once the bone structure of their wings is shown, they count as Bone Wings. Bone Wings can have a full membrane, less or even no membrane at all, but none of that negatively influences their ability to fly.
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Crystal Scales: Some Ucalim’s scales have absorbed so much of Kayph’s demonic energy, that eventually they crystallized into full-sized gems. Only one kind and color of crystal can be used for this trait.
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Glowing Eyes/ Mouth/ Bodyparts: This trait enables you to make any bodypart glow. Glowing tattoos, freckles and patterns are not allowed. For pupils, skleras and tongues to glow in a certain color, their respective Traits (“Colored Pupil/Sklera/Tongue”) are still required.
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Blood: Their orange blood can be used to summon a shadow to support them in battle. It tastes like hot chili and can knock out some of the more petite Uçalım. Click here for more information.