About the Rukora

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The fierce and honorable people of the city-pearl of Kalkaroras, the Rukora are famed across the aether for their masterworks in smithing and forging. The jewels and ores harvested from the heart of their deadly, volcanic realm are used to create many legendary items. 

 

Kalkaroras is a massive pearl dotted with ash-buried ruins thought to belong to the ancient Kyne, a people the Rukora credit for their awakening from life as beasts. Now, they are a sentient species capable of using their dexterous thumbed paws to create masterworks. Their bodies are thickly muscled, bear-like, and powerful, with thick necks, long prehensile tails, dense scaly and furry hides, and axe-like horns on their muzzles. Their small feathered wings are mostly flightless, used to glide from cliffs and soften their landings from high places.

 

All Rukora are biologically female. Gender roles do not factor into their society, and their native language has no binary pronouns. Instead, Rukora of different lineages and builds are tasked with mastering different arts. Some are larger and more thickly-built, suitable for hard labor and smithing, others are lithe and nimble, making expert jewelers and crafters, and others still are built for speed and endurance. They have a communal type of society led by the most well-respected elders of their capital city, which encircles the volcanic core of the realm. At the deepest pits, the Elder Forges are operated by the most famed smiths of their kind, where they harness a special metal alloy called adamantine - a silvery or golden metal shaped by the magma. This metal holds its edge better than any other, and is nearly indestructible.

 

Rukora worship Agna and Tierra, Sisters of fire and earth, and venerate the Primals and aethrin who visit their realm. They primarily practice ancestral worship, as well as praying to the Crimson Lilies of the past and the Maidens of the Lily.

 

The Crimson Lily

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At the peak of the volcano of Kalkaroras, a single flower blooms once per ten years at the beginning of summer. Glowing with molten energy and crimson as blood, this lily-like plant is deeply sacred to the Rukora, and its location and care are protected by an order of celibate priestesses called the Maidens of the Lily.

 

The Maidens’ task is to extract the Lily’s nectar to make a potion called the Vial of Life. The Vial is intensely poisonous, fated to kill any Rukora who is anything but the strongest of their kind. To ensure success, the Rukora host an aether-wide tournament in which all their people, no matter how far from Kalkaroras, are invited to do battle for this honor. The battles are usually not to the death, although they may sometimes end in accidents. The victor becomes the next generation’s Crimson Lily - its “sire” - and drinks the Vial of Life. This process turns the Rukora into a male through parthenogenesis, and eligible mothers-to-be are selected to mate with the Crimson Lily. Each Rukora mother then bears a clutch of eggs, which hatches after being incubated in volcanic magma for several months. The Crimson Lily’s genetic information is not carried down to the children, serving instead as a ‘randomizer’ for their genes - therefore Rukora of the same generation are not biologically related unless they share a mother. After all the eggs have been laid, the Crimson Lily retires to a life of luxury - but shortened due to the Lily’s toxins.

 

The Ritual of the First Treasure

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Young Rukora must undergo a dangerous journey before they are considered no longer hatchlings. At their 16th nameday, they set out alone into the ashen wastes to delve into the Kyne’s sunken ruins, battling monsters and environmental hazards to find an enchanted trinket that resonates with them. This trinket is brought back to the elders, who polish it up and attach it to a cloth mantle worn about the Rukora’s neck. The mantle’s pattern and design is unique for each Rukora and is their most treasured possession. The trinket on the mantle may be a crystal, stone, piece of metal, bone, small object, or other treasured item, but it always possesses a Kyne enchantment that causes hidden runes on the item to glow when conjured. The enchantments serve as protection for the Rukora who wears it.

 

Rukora in Society

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Rukora primarily live on Kalkaroras or sometimes on other desert or volcanic realms, finding cooler-climated pearls uncomfortable. However, they are not reclusive about most aspects of their society, eager to trade and share their culture. Many live in cosmopolitan cities like Cor Ionas as traders and crafters. In Kalkaroras, they allow visitors to enjoy the volcanic springs and let tourists shop for their coveted treasures and services. They even allow respectful outsiders to watch the Tournament of the Crimson Lily, making a public spectacle out of the fights. The only protected parts of their culture are the Ritual of the First Treasure, the details of the Crimson Lily and Maidens, and the locations of the Elder Forges.

 

Rukora are close-knit with their family clans and even if they wander far from home, such as on adventures, many prefer to keep in close contact and are eager to return home when called for.

 

Rukora Naming Conventions

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Rukora names are harsh and guttural, with sounds like purrs, growls, and snarls based on their native language - designed to be spoken with bestial vocal chords. They tend to ‘skip’ vowels which can make pronunciation difficult. Their clan names are shorter names which come first.

 

Examples: Skyr Rstheka, Il’crth Ahrkren, Shkatha Vrethriskr, Kaa Zahrrn, Morr Nohlrreni