About the Zephyr.

The Zephyr are a race of keen, intelligent people with avian features who utilize the gifts of aethertech to elevate their society to new heights. Hailing from the windswept heart of the Arion, in the shining pearl of Zefylhalis, they are adapted to its hostile environs and thrive wherever their souls can sing in rhythm with the open sky and winds. The Zephyr are most famous for their “runeboards”, called rhun’alkhai in their native language, which allow them to sail effortlessly upon the winds of both air and aether.

 

Zephyr worship the Primal of the West Wind, the great she-dragon Hesper who took up residence on Zefylhalis in the ancient past. She and her aethrin children are seen as guardians and guides to their people. 

 

According to Zephyrian legend, in the ancient past they once commanded mastery over the skies with powerful enchanted wings, a gift from Hesper in pre-history. But they came to abuse this power, using it to travel between worlds and conquer the peoples of those lands by force. In punishment for their continued ignorance of her pleas, Hesper stripped them of their wings -- and therefore, their magic. Humbled by the Great Loss - the Ahl’aht - the Zephyr became a reclusive people dedicated to healing their spiritual wounds. Their ingenuity and clever minds granted them the knowledge of aethertech, which over time they would come to use to make up for this disadvantage.

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Zephyr live in city-states populated by matriarchal clans, called akh, led by the eldest female. She is the authority on all important issues within the family and assigns roles to the rest. Females of all families are expected to grow up to become caretakers and leaders, mostly remaining at home to ‘guard the roost’, while males have more freedom to travel at the consequence of being the first to be called upon to fight for their people, to the death if need be. No matter how far a Zephyr travels from home, they are usually in close contact with their clan in case they are needed to return. The clan matriarchs themselves answer to the priestesshood for higher decrees outside the family, with the High Priestess of Hesper serving as the de facto leader of their people.

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When a Zephyr comes of age, they decide which gender role they wish to embrace in adulthood. The role is reflected by the location of their clanmark, or akh'zha. Females have the clanmark on their left cheek, males on their right cheek, and kiir (a third, neutral gender) on the center of their forehead.

 

Rhun'alkhai.

The rhun'alkhai, or 'runeboard', is a personal device shaped like a winged board, made of Zephyrian mythril, that allows them to sail through the sky. The runeboard is a Zephyr’s closest treasure, and they carry its matrix - an enchanted crystal inlaid in jewelry used to summon the runeboard - with them at all times. The runeboard is given to each Zephyr at their coming-of-age after many years of grueling and dangerous flight training.

 

Language and Sacred Art

The Zephyrian language, Zefyl’iht, is written in two forms, one functional (feril'iht) and one poetic (ahalan'iht). The functional alphabet is used for everyday writing. The symbolic alphabet is made up of complex patterns and artistic shapes, and is culturally forbidden to be translated. The primary use of ahalan’iht is in creating spiritual art, imbuing magic into Zephyrian aethertech, and designing sacred tattoos called "zhan".

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There are four types of zhan:

 

• On’zha (Namemarks). These tattoos are a newborn's given name. These are written over the heart in akh’ei, a special ink whose recipe is a closely held secret of each akh. This is the only word permitted to be translated  from ahalan’iht.

• Akh’zha (Clanmarks). These tattoos are a single small symbol that represent the individual’s birth akh. They are placed on a Zephyr’s face when they enter adulthood, representing their agreement to become a fully fledged member of society. The location of the akh'zha determines a Zephyr's gender role.

• Erhen’zha (Honormarks). These rare and blessed tattoos are made by elder Ahavyl priestesses to anoint those who have performed deeds of great service to the Zephyrian people. The ink is made with a drop of Hesper’s blood, granting the tattoos divine powers that the wielder may call upon in times of need. The placement of these tattoos depends on the kind of deed - arms for deeds of strength, throat for deeds of speech, and right chest for deeds of courage.

• Shen’zha (Oathmarks). These are created by the Zephyr themselves or by a trusted companion or elder, using ink created from the Zephyr’s own blood. They are carved as a promise of lifelong dedication to a cause, ideal, or journey, by writing a word or phrase the Zephyr aspires to. It is seen as brave to carve a shen’zha during or after a struggle in one’s life, such as repentance for sins or after a grave physical or emotional wound. Once carved, the Zephyr is obligated to follow through with the shen’zha until they die, or else they must slash it through - leaving a permanent sign of shame.

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Zefyl and Ahavyl.

The vast majority of Zephyr are Zefyl, the wingless ones. A small sliver of the population, less than .1% and predominantly females, begin to regrow their wings in youth and are chosen to serve as anointed priestesses of Hesper. Over a lifetime of service, the anointed ones - Ahavyl - may come to regrow their ancient wings and reclaim their lost magics under Hesper’s watchful eye. If an Ahavyl strays from the path of goodness and begins to commit evil deeds, Hesper’s will forces their wings to rot away, leaving bone and ragged feathers behind and corrupting their magics to darkness.

 

Zephyr in Society

While the Zephyr were once a reclusive people, in recent centuries they came to open up, especially after the actions of a legendary hero reached out to save their people from starvation during a historic calamity. While the exact recipes of their alloy are kept secret and the majority of their aethertech knowledge is kept in their hands, they have shared some bits with the Manu in particular, enabling collaboration between their people. For the most part, outsiders are kept on the fringes of Zephyr society and not allowed membership into their clans. This is even the case for Manu/Zephyr couples and their children - most often the Zephyr parent is the one forced to leave home if they want to lead a harmonious life.

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Zephyr Naming Conventions

Zephyr names are unique words in their native tongue, so no two are alike. They are comprised of three or four syllables meant to have a fluid and lyrical sound. Their meaning, if any, is not relevant to the name, as Zephyr believe a name gains meaning from the life lived under it.

 

A Zephyr’s surname is the name of their akh. Out of cultural privacy, many Zephyr substitute their akh's name with an alternative - whether it be one invented by themselves, a nickname or title based on their occupation, or just a slightly-different version of the akh name. Akh names are always one syllable.

 

Male and female names are not distinguished from each other.

 

Examples: 

 

With akh surnames: S’radhra Khyr, Gheheli Sei, Lerich’ai Noh, Neresakha Xer.

With occupational/nickname surnames: Heshteth Nightwalker, Le’inina Fletcher, Jirahashi Grey