The Fairikin

Fairy Races: Codex Epicanum

Draken:

Draken, is the word that humans changed to be, "Dragon". But the race, whatever you call it, is one of the wonders of magic and life. Created by the All Father to be both wise, lovely, and mighty, they were a most regal display of the symphonic energies that drive all natural life on Epica. As natural to Epica most often means magical in essence and fiber.

Classified as immortal by ecological authorities and scholarly minds over the eons, they are also recognized as shape shifters. They are one of only 4 races said to be immortal, and the creator of the race was Primus; so we have to call the dragon a child of light.

I know there are plenty of miners and wealthy men over the ages who may say otherwise, but dragons at creation were not so fallen as their modern descendants.

Dragons ruled and fought their own battles out of pride and folly long before the Dark Era, and, Draken Law, was established very early on as the order by which all dragon kind live today. The dragon emperor, an ancient golden wyrrn set the code after defeating his rivals, and so the law stands even now as if first levied by the ruler.

It's basically this:

Each dragon may rule as he will/live as he/she will within the haunts of their own territory. But every 10,000 years, they all fly home to the secret homeland of the Draken to choose a new realm, and cycle around.

The effect being; a land area ashed and ruined by a wicked black dragon, is inhabited by a nature loving green dragon who then helps to restore the beauty of that land. As the destroyer moves on to a lush new forest to sap. The cycle of burning and cleansing assuring a natural balance that allows the dragons to make what they will of their haunts for a set number of years.

All Draken have honor whether good or evil in nature. All live under the code that allows much freedom to be as they will in their chosen lair lands. Dragons rarely if ever get involved with human or other mortal struggles, but a few have gone down in history and myth as being the saviors of many goodly nations when all else was at a loss.

Dragons hate devils, and even evil races of Draken have been known to clash with the titans on sight. They see them as worthy sport for hunting, and a deadly foe to test their skills.

Few dragons save the truly evil varieties stay in Draken form nearly all the time. Red's typically have trouble countering the rage that leads to the transformation, or simply relish the draconic form. While a green or silver will very seldom be provoked to the point of transforming into their bestial side. They appear as 'human' beings, with 'noticeable' oddities about their appearances that mark them as more than man.

Gnomish:

The Gnome is said to be the brother race of the Draken. Legends of creation say the same elements course in their tiny bodies as those found in the titan race of the world.

Gnomes are perfect human replicas in miniature, standing only 2' to 3' tall. They are seldom slender in build; most races of gnome tend to be rotund and stocky. Many are even stoutly built as hard as the finest physiques in the, Jopper Isle, "Hall of Athletes".

They are gifted with harmonious magic's that make them excellent spellcaster's and better druids. Most live as they did in the age before, "The Darkness", and ride either Elk, or some form of other herding beasts.

A few nations have taken to the mines with dwarf allies in the, Deep Delves. History tells of great ability in forging the most potent weapon one can imagine residing in the hands of the Sagesmith.

Gnomes perfected the use of magic in the crafting of weapons and artifacts that amplify magical power. They invented the spell wards for jewels, and developed this into the art of "Glyphting". In this process, several wards are imposed magically one upon another at the core of a ward stone. The mixture of runes, and the effect of the spells unleashed can be awe inspiring.

Gnomes also possess a spirit being; who in the command of one trained in their symphonic meditations, can be thrown out of the tiny body of the meager folk.

Spirit Warriors present themselves to the mortal field of battle as a projection of solid light about 20 feet tall, and will look like the residual self imagination of the gnome who hosts them. They appear about ten feet from their host.

Whole armies were trained on Jopper in this art, and used the united front of spirit beings to slay a dragon army with dwarf berserker's sailing in to join the quest and rid the land of the rouge blue dragon rabble. They broke every law of the dragon order, so their passing did not earn the gnome grief at the hands of their cousin race.

The great giant spirit is a physical being able to deal damage and take it directly on behalf of their host. But the host can summon them again if they fall. They are only vulnerable from behind while entranced in this way. If a host is slain the spirit moves on to the next world, where they drink with Gwart at the stature all gnomes should have always known. It's a magical equalizer that Primus gave his most diminutive children, uncovered far too late in the ages to be of use in the, "Dark Era".

The Wingless:

The elves, known as the "Varndahar" or "Wingless" by the Fairiling's of ancient myth, are also called the "Hero Race" by men. For it seems that no elf who has ever lived was anything other. They have no great ability at magic beyond that of other mortal beings, but in martial prowess, there are no finer soldiers in the world.

The magic they do possess aids practically in an Elfish life. The ability to calm animals before a kill, or drive a fierce carnivore away by mental thoughts alone. The ability to imbue wood with magical energy to make it harder than stone, so that weapons crafted by elf hands are superior even at the shaft to human arms.

Elves were the race created at the beginning of the, Dark Era, as Lorllyn formed of the spirit of the planet so too did the first elves form. They are her first children, the 4th holy race of creation, but because Primus is the creator of all, even Epica herself, the elf is most similar to the Eelian. Hence, the twin races (one winged and one wingless) mingled in the heartwoods of Ilyon, and the half breeds were born.

One such elf prince is the basis of all elf lore and religion to this age. Helanar Den Nwyr Arn Nwyrrin Eta Vallejo Arn Helanarn Ata Ilyonii Arn Derinathi, is the regal title of the fabled hero. He was banished to the "Four Hells" after a fight with a demonic army that he himself banished by a magical portal. Unfortunately for all his kin, Helanar, too fell victim to the banishing.

But every elf who has ever died has been morned by the worlds gentle forces. The trees, the rivers, the winds themselves that elves and Eelian may listen to. None have ever sang a song of morning for the prince of Valenoth. So the tale goes, that Helanar is alive in the abyss slaying devils and still strong and mighty, enlarging heaven with each horror he defeats.

Dwarves may claim the victory of the gods as the chosen race of, Gwart, but the elves have a living avatar of light to pray for, and ask to shelter their families from the hells themselves.

The Fairiling's:

Eelian, the race of the first world. The children of, Primus Light Freer, born as a people from a sacred cherry tree. They flew forth from blooming flowers to seed the world and use their magic to grow the greenery of Epica. No one knows how long the time lasted before even gnomes and dragons were born. But all agree; that the Fairiling was the only race of sentient life in the first age of the world.

Selfervan (the Black Wing), was first born amongst them all. He flew above the tree, and saw every other hatch out.

He was tiny, only a few centimeters at first, but he flew off with the others to make Epica bloom with fertile living magic's. The reason for their creation. An estimate of 100,020,000 is a rough guess for the ages that came before the Draken.

By the time we get to the, Dark Era, Selfervarn is at least this old, and the evil races grew up around them during countless generations. They killed the peaceful folk, and many things that were, died never to return. Black Wing, marks the final stand of the godly, he said; "enough is enough". Until him, no Eelian had ever used magic for battle, but his love of his people, the meager gnomes under his care, and his daughters burned in him as a fire of righteous anger, and he began the end of the Dead God's reign.

He is the size of your average man in the portrait done by artist and friend "Irene Campos Alfaro". Created to be eternal like angels, the fairy's are the perfection of life and magic. The races age is 'immortal'. Never aging in the way men would. They simply get better every year.

Note: (Epica, is a Jupiter sized version of Earth. In such a place an eternal being such as the fairy could conceivably grow to a gargantuan size and power, but they were never allowed to mature to that extent. The race died long before any could know its true potential.)

What men know as the Elfish tongue, the elves call "Eirgova", "the songs of learning". For the Drake, Gnome, and Elf were all taught to speak by the Eelian. The fairy listened to the song of nature to learn it first, and this is the reason why an Elfish speaker can talk to the wilds. Elves forgot the inert tongue of their ancestors when the winged elves came to live amongst them. And the bloodline was preserved in the blood of the Ilyonii elves of Valenoth.

They took ages of care in rearing young ones to adulthood, but even the babies were able in spells.

4,000 is considered a mature adult, but there is no real way to measure the life span they might have. The ages of Epica were never so long, and each life of the Eelian was cut short by the, Drall.