i am SO in love with your wings of fire redesigns & the accompanying clothes. how do you go about making specevo clothing that looks so fitting to the creature's bodyplan?
Managed to make the postcrania substantially less hyena-like.
The body is actually built out of this spotted hyena I found on Sketchfab: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/hyena-demo-free-download-c408114d705f4a77ad709b94b3abfe0f)
I added scutes to the lower limbs, and I figured it would make the design more distinctive if the limbs were hexadactyl (bearing six digits). The pedipalps have heavily reduced first and sixth digits that lie midway down the elongated "hand," while the legs bear weight on the third and fourth digits, reducing the first, second, fifth, and sixth digits into dewclaws.
Playing around with a hypothetical future for slugcats where they, alongside scavs, start truly taking on the mantle of the ancients' successors and next primary sapient species. This is pre-industrial attire explorations.
ok so like i offhandedly posted abt it earlier but im actually gonna make the rambling from the questions i got on art fight into some posts for easier access later!!!! will post each question in parts and under a readmore bc i YAPPED. Notably, the responses end up being only partially and/or tangentially related to the questions, but hey, info is info!
1- What sorts of magic can they use?
Their magic isn't specified because they don't have any particular types they're restricted to! E'rahnians who are capable of casting--including and almost especially Dragonfolk--have access to magic as a whole, as on E'rahnia it isn't strictly elemental, although things which would be considered alterations of reality aren't doable, such as shapeshifting and true teleportation (in which one stops existing in one location and begins existing somewhere else). Despite this, every individual has something that we (those of us creating E'rahnian lore) have dubbed in english a "manafestation", short for mana-manifestation. Manafestations present themselves as an affinity for some sort of aspect or element of magic. Most typically, these show themselves in some sort of element, but they can be just about anything. One could have a manafestation of iifa (flame), of aurora (brilliance, light which shines), of puros (bloom, growth of plantlife), so on and so forth. One may be skilled in magics which levitate objects, or magics which affects the speed and direction of the wind. It's highly varied, and very individual!
Additionally, an individual, with enough focus and mana can cast pretty much any spell! It takes a little bit more practice and skill to cast magic that isn't ones manafestation, but it isn't so hard as to prevent an individual from being able to cast a variety of magics. Now, notably, the more 'opposed' something is to ones manafestation or personality, the more trouble they can have casting in a particular way--someone whose manafestation is iifa for example, would have trouble casting magic which calls on agwa (pronounced azh-wa, water). Spoken spells often call on the language of the divine--vog'xe (voice), as it is highly magical inherently. The current vocabulary is somewhat limited, but if you have any particular meanings you'd like to know I can try to see if we have something that'd work!
Above is a chart which indicates general emotional associations to each group of color-tones! These associations are generalized and can be context-dependent, especially given that tones are utilized to create words. For example, the To'ack Qaoan'ju Se ("we who sing", the dragonfolk's language) word for "color" is sanʌ. The words used for color groups when spoken aloud are the very same word, sanʌ. The distinction being the addition of a color-tone to indicate the altered meaning. sanʌ-[F.R] for "red", sanʌ-[S.P] for "purple", sanʌ-[S.C] for "cyan", so on and so forth. Some odd exceptions are words for colors which are considered unique groups but are not considered separate color-tones for whatever reason, such as sanʌ-[S.B-D.B] for "navy", a portion of colors which includes very dark blues and teals, as well as sanʌ-[F.O-D.B] for "Brown", which includes dark yellows, oranges, reds, and even shades of brown which lean almost green or maroon!
Ichor, in color-tones, is considered simply to be 'intensity', that is, an emphasis on the hued color present. Dragonfolk actually see magic a bit differently to most other races, percieving it almost as its own 'color', except also not.. really. the more mana pushed into a color-change, the more intense It's considered, especially considering this happens naturally when emotions are high. It is extremely rare for an ichor-tone to be required for the meaning of a word due to its use as an intensifier.
Color-tones, when being used without the presence of spoken or signed words, are typically assumed to indicate emotions, in a similar way to human facial expressions. Qaoan'ju don't tend to emote in the same way that humans do at all, the visual depictions of such in much of the artwork of them on my part is more of a cartoonish stylization for clarity. their eye's expressions are minimal, they lack expressive brows, and their lips lack any notable degree of expressiveness. Expression instead comes in lidding the eyes, the angle of the head, the color of the crest, and the addition of wordless sounds such as crest-sounds, hums and coos and the like.
Generally, qaoan'ju are a highly traveled peoples, living in family and/or friend groups known as na'su-[S.G] (flock). These flocks will go on periodic--although not yearly--migrations, traveling by wing across the oceans, stopping along the way at k!ea-[W.L] ('roosts', which are villages, towns, and cities) and k!ea-[W.L] khao (travel-roosts, which are settlements with only a few buildings, and typically few or no permanant residents. These are akin to Inns, and are resting points for migrating flocks, but not usually much more.) Outside of migration, flocks will typically reside in one particular roost, especially so when mated trios within a flock choose to have children, in which case the Gestaru (one who carries the eggs) will be rendered unable to fly for a time prior to the laying of the eggs, and then the hatchlings will take a number of years to become fledged. Typically, most flocks will delay migrations if a gestaru is unable to fly, or there are unhatched eggs, although some particularly large flocks may have more strict migrational schedules--or even not have all members migrate at once, only doing so in groups which contain only a portion of a flock!
These larger, more organized flocks end up making up the dragonfolk's closest equivalent to a body of government--as those of the flock in a leadership position (often groups of the wiser elders in tandem with a number of more impassioned youth) tend to make decisions which can in some cases affect the whole of a roost. qaoan'ju aren't a peoples who tend towards violence as a means to solve conflict, and so even when things go awry between flocks or even within them, full-scale combat is a very rare way to solve their problems. There are instances of it, but violence, especially at sea, quickly results in loss of flight and then death in the waters below, so it is largely avoided save for in hunting practices.
Technologically, dragonfolk aren't wanting by any means! Most of their structures and contraptions are built largely with grown materials such as wood and fibers and the like, but they also make use of natural stones and in some cases, ores traded with their flightless neighbors which reside on the flatter islands (and sometimes within the lower levels of their sea-spire cities) Their technology could be likened visually to the drawings of Da Vinci, being primarily wood, fabric, and fiber coming together in mechanical contraptions for their needs. The wood and fabric isn't the only aspect to this, however, as the use of magic is very tightly interwoven into their daily life! E'rahnian spellcasters can imbue objects with magical properties, this is easiest when something is crystaline, but can be done with a variety of other materials as well, especially if runes or crystal-infused ink is used! One notable example of this is trade-currency! Qaoan'ju don't have any one centralized currency, but they utilize trinkets, beads, and other small valuable things strung up on strings as a form of currency! Trade is still especially common, especially amongst crafters and fishes, but trinket-chains are steadily entering more common use. these chains are tipped with pieces of metalwood imbued with small portions of electrical magic as to give them magnet-like properites, so that the chains can be easily opened and closed to take trinkets on and off of them!
Some of the common technologies you'll see in towns are things like lifts--elevators, utilized by pups (pre-fledgling young), carrying gestaru, the disabled, and other non-flighted sophonts visiting or residing in their cities! Liftoff/Landing overhangs are quite common as well, since qaoan'ju typically take off via dropping from the sides of cliffs or off of ledges! In tandem with that, is isn't uncommon for qaoan'ju buildings and pathways to have a blend of ramps, staircases, and even ladders! more open, high-traffic areas tend towards the former, and smaller more personal-use areas tend towards the latter! Despite their taur-like builds, they're actually excellent climbers, their hands and feet, less-so their wingfeet, having excellent grip on rocky cliff faces, and they can even rotate their hindclaws backwards to climb face-first down cliffs, like squirrels! Additionally, various wind-powered contraptions are a common sight on their cities, seeing a wide variety of uses. Not least, the use of wind vanes, dangling chimes, small windmills, and other similar idle things that allow an individual to easily view the speed and direction of the wind prior to takeoff--while they're naturally quite in-tune with the winds, an extra view can always help! especially for those taking off from a launch-point where the city is blocking much of the wind!
What they wear depends a good bit on what they're doing! Dragonfolk don't really have much in the form of a nudity tabboo--at least not one socially enforced quite so heavily as that of the US and many other regions on earth. The genital area, which is located between the hindlimbs, is not expected to be covered by clothing, and the vast majority of dragonfolk do not do so. At rest, all genetalia is internal, and when standing the region is visually hidden by the wing membranes and those which attach the back of the legs to the tail. One could go about their day-to-day life fully nude and it likely wouldn't get more than a cursory glance here or there. That said, they do wear clothes! Casual daily clothing tends to consist largely of cloaks and drapes made of light, breathable fabrics which lay over the foretorso and back, all of which come in a wide variety of colors and patterns which dragonfolk use to express their individual preferences and self! They place a lot of value on color and the symbolism they percieve for it, so when dying textiles many individuals will choose their colors quite carefully. Those who don't anticipate needing the use of their hindlimb fingers will often wear shoes of some sort--typically fairly light sandals, but sometimes hardier shoes depending on the work, sometimes with decorative drapery. Said decorative drapery, typically hanging strings and fabric, is quite common in their garments, most often as borders to cloaks or as jewelry in its own right!
For the particularly scholarly, poetic, creative, and sentimental, the drapery can be in the form of chains of songbead; a form of 'writing' which qaoan'ju have utilized for far longer than their more 'expected' inked language, where beads of various shapes and materials are strung together to indicate meaning! There are standardized forms of songbead which aim to indicate phonetic and crest-colors individually, similar to the more modern form of their writing system, but many individuals utilize personal forms of songbead with meanings that only few--sometimes only the individual--know the true meaning of. These more personal chains--and sometimes those laid out for wayfinding on spires and islands without settlements--can utilize materials and items not ordinarily seen in more standardized forms of songbead, such as the scales of fish or teeth and bones.
Animal hides fashioned into leather make for a common material in clothing, especially for the more functional straps, harnesses, and heavy dudy bags utilized by migrating flocks. E'rahnian leathers range from various shades of purple, to earth-like browns, to cooler blueish greys, all in a wide variety of values, from quite light leathers to ones so dark they appear black. The methods used to create leathers is mostly similar to that employed on earth, so the texture and general appearance can be expected to be much of the same. The straps and harnesses the leather is utilized for is primarily that of flight gear--fittings which migrating qaoan'ju utilize to carry large packs and attach safety lines to their flockmates as to avoid being separated in the event of dangerous winds and to be able to lead those who are sleeping during long flights Flight harnesses, and some varities of sandals, typically involve a form of minor surgery--the use of an iifa-heated implement of some sort to burn a careful hole in the wing membrane; one just large enough to allow a leather strap to be woven through, but small enough that the resulting gap won't interfere with one's flight. Typically, these incisions will be placed just behind the midlimb shoulder and just behind the hindlimb, near the base of the tail. For midlimb sandals, incisions are sometimes made just above the dew-toe, although many varieties of sandals exist which do not require an incision to be worn.
Jewlery and other accessories arequite typical as well! Most jewelry will be in the form of the aforementioned songbead, but some qaoan'ju will have metallic jewelries, most often made of tin, copper, zinc, gold, or any alloys thereof. These metals are almost exclusively obtained via trade with other E'rahnian Sophonts, as qaoan'ju don't have focused means of obtaining notable quantities of metals themselves. Metal and dyed leather or fabric bands on the forearms, forefingers, hindfingers, neck, and tail are popular. As is jewelry which utilizes the crest-hole as an anchor, as the opening extends across the front of the crest, allowing things such as rings and bands to be placed as decoration without any peircings. that said, qaoan'ju do practice piercing for jewelry, often in the thin membranous skin on their wings, hips, and tail tip, although peircings through the lip, beak, or beam of the crest (area in front of the nasal opening) are not unheard of.
Nail caps are also quite a popular form of accessory, in combination with them being an important tool for a number of professions! while qaoan'ju do utilize a written language, they do not emply the use pens or similar tools to write with, instead, they use nail caps which have been carved as to hold onto ink in order to write, not unlike the carving present on dip pens and glass pens! Those who write for long periods of time near-daily may choose to instead have their writing nail itself carved, but the safety of this practice is somewhat debated. Nail caps aren't just for writing, though, as many will use them for decorative or protective purposes as well! For example, fishers and hunters will often wear safety caps on their fisher's claw when not working, as to avoid injury and to keep the long, curled nail sharp (the fisher's claw can grow to be quite large, if not regularly trimmed!). And, of course, colorful and patterned nail caps for decorative purposes are popular, especially amongst those who like to accessorize.
Below included a couple different drawings by myself and my friend @the-carcass-collective which feature clothes! the sketch included here is the most recent, but all of these image include concepts which still remain in dragonfolk clothing--albeit with a large degree of simplification and stylization, especially in things like the plain patterns of the foretorso cloaks and the relatively modern appearance to the leathers.
4- What are their settlements and environment like?
Qaoan'ju are an oceanic peoples! Their settlements are built on steep mountains and cliffsides, built primarily with wood, although they do make use of some stone excavation for sturdiness and more sheltered rooms in the event of dangerous storms. They often build cities on the sides and tops of sea-spires, as well as oceanside mountains and cliffs. They generally avoid the inland regions of the eastern continents, but they do often make trade with the ocean-side folk of the north-eastern continent, Seshia. While many buildings are open to the air due to the relatively high (to us as humans) temperatures on the most of E'rahnia, they do also have plenty of more closed buildings, and some which can have entire walls opened and closed as needed. Their houses are quite well-built to weather storms, but in the case that they cannot, they're made to be easy to repair or rebuild.
Pathways within their cities are much the same, often being structured wood emerging from cliffsides and spires, or paths carved into the stone itself.It's not uncommon for areas of path to have open edges and drops, and things such as fences or barries to prevent falling aren't a particularly common sight within cities intended only for qaoan'ju. Mixed-species spaces, especially lower levels of mixed cities, will have more precautions taken for the safety those who are flightless. In that sense, 'nesting' areas of cities tend to be quite high up (as the altitude is beneficial to both the gestaru and the pups) and located in areas that are less succeptible to strong winds (as to avoid fledglings being blown away by strong gusts), and due to the nature of fledglings and their urge to fly, these areas very often consist of paths made to be jumped from for practice; in that they will oft have netting placed below the pathways in order to safely stop the fall of any fledglings who take the leap a little too early.
The above image is a dramatic simplification (as I struggle a good bit with backgrounds, and this wasn't intended to be too highly detailed as it's actually the background of the species reference!!), but it does include a vague depiction of what would be a portion of a small dragonfolk town (that would likely stretch further down the cliff-faces and onto some of the smaller rocks as well, even including things such as docks and the like) on the left of the image, in comparison to a village belonging to other sophontson the right (which would also be structured quite differently, being an oceanside town) The scale is off as well, but I hope it helps get the idea across!!
Additionally you may notice that the sky is purple! The water likely should be to some degree as well for its portion of reflecting the sky above, but given water is still simply water, it does have quite a blue hue to it despite the shade of the sky. the depicted sky is roughly its coloration during sunny daylight. E'rahnia is a planet with two suns--a large red one, and a small, brighter blue one. The blue sun rises second and sets first, leaving periods of many hours which are the morning and evening times, known to most as a word which means some variety of "twilight" (this is despite the scientific inaccuracy of such, this is a fantasy world after all). Morning Twilight typically sees the sky fading from maroons to reddish pinks and eventually brightening to the daylight lavender. Evening Twilight on the other hand will see the sky steadily darkening from lavender to purples, maroons, and then reds. Nighttime then, known by most cultures by words which mean some variety of "midnight",has a near-black sky, the lack of large moons leaving every night quite dark, save for the aspects of nature which take on a glow at night, present across most if not all continents. The planet does have moons, but they are extremely small, andare more akin to glorified asteroids than to substantial moons like Earth's Luna.
An additional note regarding Midnight, it is a time in wich the fabric of reality seems to... loosen, a small bit. Shadows themselves seem almost to come alive at night, and all a manner of things moves about in the dark and the magical glows which would not be seen in the daylight. Many of these things are not friendly to the living, especially on land, and as such most cultures tend to avoid going out during midnight almost entirely--at lest in more rural locations, without artificial lighting. Qaoan'ju are unusual in this sense, as their migratory flights sometimes lasting days at a time without landing, they have no such taboo about being outside of shelter during the hours of midnight, the two small moons and the stars being more than enough to light their way, in their minds. Flying in a storm, however, is quite a bit more dangerous.
ok so like i offhandedly posted abt it earlier but im actually gonna make the rambling from the questions i got on art fight into some posts for easier access later!!!! will post each question in parts and under a readmore bc i YAPPED. Notably, the responses end up being only partially and/or tangentially related to the questions, but hey, info is info!
1- What sorts of magic can they use?
Their magic isn't specified because they don't have any particular types they're restricted to! E'rahnians who are capable of casting--including and almost especially Dragonfolk--have access to magic as a whole, as on E'rahnia it isn't strictly elemental, although things which would be considered alterations of reality aren't doable, such as shapeshifting and true teleportation (in which one stops existing in one location and begins existing somewhere else). Despite this, every individual has something that we (those of us creating E'rahnian lore) have dubbed in english a "manafestation", short for mana-manifestation. Manafestations present themselves as an affinity for some sort of aspect or element of magic. Most typically, these show themselves in some sort of element, but they can be just about anything. One could have a manafestation of iifa (flame), of aurora (brilliance, light which shines), of puros (bloom, growth of plantlife), so on and so forth. One may be skilled in magics which levitate objects, or magics which affects the speed and direction of the wind. It's highly varied, and very individual!
Additionally, an individual, with enough focus and mana can cast pretty much any spell! It takes a little bit more practice and skill to cast magic that isn't ones manafestation, but it isn't so hard as to prevent an individual from being able to cast a variety of magics. Now, notably, the more 'opposed' something is to ones manafestation or personality, the more trouble they can have casting in a particular way--someone whose manafestation is iifa for example, would have trouble casting magic which calls on agwa (pronounced azh-wa, water). Spoken spells often call on the language of the divine--vog'xe (voice), as it is highly magical inherently. The current vocabulary is somewhat limited, but if you have any particular meanings you'd like to know I can try to see if we have something that'd work!
Above is a chart which indicates general emotional associations to each group of color-tones! These associations are generalized and can be context-dependent, especially given that tones are utilized to create words. For example, the To'ack Qaoan'ju Se ("we who sing", the dragonfolk's language) word for "color" is sanʌ. The words used for color groups when spoken aloud are the very same word, sanʌ. The distinction being the addition of a color-tone to indicate the altered meaning. sanʌ-[F.R] for "red", sanʌ-[S.P] for "purple", sanʌ-[S.C] for "cyan", so on and so forth. Some odd exceptions are words for colors which are considered unique groups but are not considered separate color-tones for whatever reason, such as sanʌ-[S.B-D.B] for "navy", a portion of colors which includes very dark blues and teals, as well as sanʌ-[F.O-D.B] for "Brown", which includes dark yellows, oranges, reds, and even shades of brown which lean almost green or maroon!
Ichor, in color-tones, is considered simply to be 'intensity', that is, an emphasis on the hued color present. Dragonfolk actually see magic a bit differently to most other races, percieving it almost as its own 'color', except also not.. really. the more mana pushed into a color-change, the more intense It's considered, especially considering this happens naturally when emotions are high. It is extremely rare for an ichor-tone to be required for the meaning of a word due to its use as an intensifier.
Color-tones, when being used without the presence of spoken or signed words, are typically assumed to indicate emotions, in a similar way to human facial expressions. Qaoan'ju don't tend to emote in the same way that humans do at all, the visual depictions of such in much of the artwork of them on my part is more of a cartoonish stylization for clarity. their eye's expressions are minimal, they lack expressive brows, and their lips lack any notable degree of expressiveness. Expression instead comes in lidding the eyes, the angle of the head, the color of the crest, and the addition of wordless sounds such as crest-sounds, hums and coos and the like.
Generally, qaoan'ju are a highly traveled peoples, living in family and/or friend groups known as na'su-[S.G] (flock). These flocks will go on periodic--although not yearly--migrations, traveling by wing across the oceans, stopping along the way at k!ea-[W.L] ('roosts', which are villages, towns, and cities) and k!ea-[W.L] khao (travel-roosts, which are settlements with only a few buildings, and typically few or no permanant residents. These are akin to Inns, and are resting points for migrating flocks, but not usually much more.) Outside of migration, flocks will typically reside in one particular roost, especially so when mated trios within a flock choose to have children, in which case the Gestaru (one who carries the eggs) will be rendered unable to fly for a time prior to the laying of the eggs, and then the hatchlings will take a number of years to become fledged. Typically, most flocks will delay migrations if a gestaru is unable to fly, or there are unhatched eggs, although some particularly large flocks may have more strict migrational schedules--or even not have all members migrate at once, only doing so in groups which contain only a portion of a flock!
These larger, more organized flocks end up making up the dragonfolk's closest equivalent to a body of government--as those of the flock in a leadership position (often groups of the wiser elders in tandem with a number of more impassioned youth) tend to make decisions which can in some cases affect the whole of a roost. qaoan'ju aren't a peoples who tend towards violence as a means to solve conflict, and so even when things go awry between flocks or even within them, full-scale combat is a very rare way to solve their problems. There are instances of it, but violence, especially at sea, quickly results in loss of flight and then death in the waters below, so it is largely avoided save for in hunting practices.
Technologically, dragonfolk aren't wanting by any means! Most of their structures and contraptions are built largely with grown materials such as wood and fibers and the like, but they also make use of natural stones and in some cases, ores traded with their flightless neighbors which reside on the flatter islands (and sometimes within the lower levels of their sea-spire cities) Their technology could be likened visually to the drawings of Da Vinci, being primarily wood, fabric, and fiber coming together in mechanical contraptions for their needs. The wood and fabric isn't the only aspect to this, however, as the use of magic is very tightly interwoven into their daily life! E'rahnian spellcasters can imbue objects with magical properties, this is easiest when something is crystaline, but can be done with a variety of other materials as well, especially if runes or crystal-infused ink is used! One notable example of this is trade-currency! Qaoan'ju don't have any one centralized currency, but they utilize trinkets, beads, and other small valuable things strung up on strings as a form of currency! Trade is still especially common, especially amongst crafters and fishes, but trinket-chains are steadily entering more common use. these chains are tipped with pieces of metalwood imbued with small portions of electrical magic as to give them magnet-like properites, so that the chains can be easily opened and closed to take trinkets on and off of them!
Some of the common technologies you'll see in towns are things like lifts--elevators, utilized by pups (pre-fledgling young), carrying gestaru, the disabled, and other non-flighted sophonts visiting or residing in their cities! Liftoff/Landing overhangs are quite common as well, since qaoan'ju typically take off via dropping from the sides of cliffs or off of ledges! In tandem with that, is isn't uncommon for qaoan'ju buildings and pathways to have a blend of ramps, staircases, and even ladders! more open, high-traffic areas tend towards the former, and smaller more personal-use areas tend towards the latter! Despite their taur-like builds, they're actually excellent climbers, their hands and feet, less-so their wingfeet, having excellent grip on rocky cliff faces, and they can even rotate their hindclaws backwards to climb face-first down cliffs, like squirrels! Additionally, various wind-powered contraptions are a common sight on their cities, seeing a wide variety of uses. Not least, the use of wind vanes, dangling chimes, small windmills, and other similar idle things that allow an individual to easily view the speed and direction of the wind prior to takeoff--while they're naturally quite in-tune with the winds, an extra view can always help! especially for those taking off from a launch-point where the city is blocking much of the wind!
What they wear depends a good bit on what they're doing! Dragonfolk don't really have much in the form of a nudity tabboo--at least not one socially enforced quite so heavily as that of the US and many other regions on earth. The genital area, which is located between the hindlimbs, is not expected to be covered by clothing, and the vast majority of dragonfolk do not do so. At rest, all genetalia is internal, and when standing the region is visually hidden by the wing membranes and those which attach the back of the legs to the tail. One could go about their day-to-day life fully nude and it likely wouldn't get more than a cursory glance here or there. That said, they do wear clothes! Casual daily clothing tends to consist largely of cloaks and drapes made of light, breathable fabrics which lay over the foretorso and back, all of which come in a wide variety of colors and patterns which dragonfolk use to express their individual preferences and self! They place a lot of value on color and the symbolism they percieve for it, so when dying textiles many individuals will choose their colors quite carefully. Those who don't anticipate needing the use of their hindlimb fingers will often wear shoes of some sort--typically fairly light sandals, but sometimes hardier shoes depending on the work, sometimes with decorative drapery. Said decorative drapery, typically hanging strings and fabric, is quite common in their garments, most often as borders to cloaks or as jewelry in its own right!
For the particularly scholarly, poetic, creative, and sentimental, the drapery can be in the form of chains of songbead; a form of 'writing' which qaoan'ju have utilized for far longer than their more 'expected' inked language, where beads of various shapes and materials are strung together to indicate meaning! There are standardized forms of songbead which aim to indicate phonetic and crest-colors individually, similar to the more modern form of their writing system, but many individuals utilize personal forms of songbead with meanings that only few--sometimes only the individual--know the true meaning of. These more personal chains--and sometimes those laid out for wayfinding on spires and islands without settlements--can utilize materials and items not ordinarily seen in more standardized forms of songbead, such as the scales of fish or teeth and bones.
Animal hides fashioned into leather make for a common material in clothing, especially for the more functional straps, harnesses, and heavy dudy bags utilized by migrating flocks. E'rahnian leathers range from various shades of purple, to earth-like browns, to cooler blueish greys, all in a wide variety of values, from quite light leathers to ones so dark they appear black. The methods used to create leathers is mostly similar to that employed on earth, so the texture and general appearance can be expected to be much of the same. The straps and harnesses the leather is utilized for is primarily that of flight gear--fittings which migrating qaoan'ju utilize to carry large packs and attach safety lines to their flockmates as to avoid being separated in the event of dangerous winds and to be able to lead those who are sleeping during long flights Flight harnesses, and some varities of sandals, typically involve a form of minor surgery--the use of an iifa-heated implement of some sort to burn a careful hole in the wing membrane; one just large enough to allow a leather strap to be woven through, but small enough that the resulting gap won't interfere with one's flight. Typically, these incisions will be placed just behind the midlimb shoulder and just behind the hindlimb, near the base of the tail. For midlimb sandals, incisions are sometimes made just above the dew-toe, although many varieties of sandals exist which do not require an incision to be worn.
Jewlery and other accessories arequite typical as well! Most jewelry will be in the form of the aforementioned songbead, but some qaoan'ju will have metallic jewelries, most often made of tin, copper, zinc, gold, or any alloys thereof. These metals are almost exclusively obtained via trade with other E'rahnian Sophonts, as qaoan'ju don't have focused means of obtaining notable quantities of metals themselves. Metal and dyed leather or fabric bands on the forearms, forefingers, hindfingers, neck, and tail are popular. As is jewelry which utilizes the crest-hole as an anchor, as the opening extends across the front of the crest, allowing things such as rings and bands to be placed as decoration without any peircings. that said, qaoan'ju do practice piercing for jewelry, often in the thin membranous skin on their wings, hips, and tail tip, although peircings through the lip, beak, or beam of the crest (area in front of the nasal opening) are not unheard of.
Nail caps are also quite a popular form of accessory, in combination with them being an important tool for a number of professions! while qaoan'ju do utilize a written language, they do not emply the use pens or similar tools to write with, instead, they use nail caps which have been carved as to hold onto ink in order to write, not unlike the carving present on dip pens and glass pens! Those who write for long periods of time near-daily may choose to instead have their writing nail itself carved, but the safety of this practice is somewhat debated. Nail caps aren't just for writing, though, as many will use them for decorative or protective purposes as well! For example, fishers and hunters will often wear safety caps on their fisher's claw when not working, as to avoid injury and to keep the long, curled nail sharp (the fisher's claw can grow to be quite large, if not regularly trimmed!). And, of course, colorful and patterned nail caps for decorative purposes are popular, especially amongst those who like to accessorize.
Below included a couple different drawings by myself and my friend @the-carcass-collective which feature clothes! the sketch included here is the most recent, but all of these image include concepts which still remain in dragonfolk clothing--albeit with a large degree of simplification and stylization, especially in things like the plain patterns of the foretorso cloaks and the relatively modern appearance to the leathers.
ok so like i offhandedly posted abt it earlier but im actually gonna make the rambling from the questions i got on art fight into some posts for easier access later!!!! will post each question in parts and under a readmore bc i YAPPED. Notably, the responses end up being only partially and/or tangentially related to the questions, but hey, info is info!
1- What sorts of magic can they use?
Their magic isn't specified because they don't have any particular types they're restricted to! E'rahnians who are capable of casting--including and almost especially Dragonfolk--have access to magic as a whole, as on E'rahnia it isn't strictly elemental, although things which would be considered alterations of reality aren't doable, such as shapeshifting and true teleportation (in which one stops existing in one location and begins existing somewhere else). Despite this, every individual has something that we (those of us creating E'rahnian lore) have dubbed in english a "manafestation", short for mana-manifestation. Manafestations present themselves as an affinity for some sort of aspect or element of magic. Most typically, these show themselves in some sort of element, but they can be just about anything. One could have a manafestation of iifa (flame), of aurora (brilliance, light which shines), of puros (bloom, growth of plantlife), so on and so forth. One may be skilled in magics which levitate objects, or magics which affects the speed and direction of the wind. It's highly varied, and very individual!
Additionally, an individual, with enough focus and mana can cast pretty much any spell! It takes a little bit more practice and skill to cast magic that isn't ones manafestation, but it isn't so hard as to prevent an individual from being able to cast a variety of magics. Now, notably, the more 'opposed' something is to ones manafestation or personality, the more trouble they can have casting in a particular way--someone whose manafestation is iifa for example, would have trouble casting magic which calls on agwa (pronounced azh-wa, water). Spoken spells often call on the language of the divine--vog'xe (voice), as it is highly magical inherently. The current vocabulary is somewhat limited, but if you have any particular meanings you'd like to know I can try to see if we have something that'd work!
Above is a chart which indicates general emotional associations to each group of color-tones! These associations are generalized and can be context-dependent, especially given that tones are utilized to create words. For example, the To'ack Qaoan'ju Se ("we who sing", the dragonfolk's language) word for "color" is sanʌ. The words used for color groups when spoken aloud are the very same word, sanʌ. The distinction being the addition of a color-tone to indicate the altered meaning. sanʌ-[F.R] for "red", sanʌ-[S.P] for "purple", sanʌ-[S.C] for "cyan", so on and so forth. Some odd exceptions are words for colors which are considered unique groups but are not considered separate color-tones for whatever reason, such as sanʌ-[S.B-D.B] for "navy", a portion of colors which includes very dark blues and teals, as well as sanʌ-[F.O-D.B] for "Brown", which includes dark yellows, oranges, reds, and even shades of brown which lean almost green or maroon!
Ichor, in color-tones, is considered simply to be 'intensity', that is, an emphasis on the hued color present. Dragonfolk actually see magic a bit differently to most other races, percieving it almost as its own 'color', except also not.. really. the more mana pushed into a color-change, the more intense It's considered, especially considering this happens naturally when emotions are high. It is extremely rare for an ichor-tone to be required for the meaning of a word due to its use as an intensifier.
Color-tones, when being used without the presence of spoken or signed words, are typically assumed to indicate emotions, in a similar way to human facial expressions. Qaoan'ju don't tend to emote in the same way that humans do at all, the visual depictions of such in much of the artwork of them on my part is more of a cartoonish stylization for clarity. their eye's expressions are minimal, they lack expressive brows, and their lips lack any notable degree of expressiveness. Expression instead comes in lidding the eyes, the angle of the head, the color of the crest, and the addition of wordless sounds such as crest-sounds, hums and coos and the like.
Generally, qaoan'ju are a highly traveled peoples, living in family and/or friend groups known as na'su-[S.G] (flock). These flocks will go on periodic--although not yearly--migrations, traveling by wing across the oceans, stopping along the way at k!ea-[W.L] ('roosts', which are villages, towns, and cities) and k!ea-[W.L] khao (travel-roosts, which are settlements with only a few buildings, and typically few or no permanant residents. These are akin to Inns, and are resting points for migrating flocks, but not usually much more.) Outside of migration, flocks will typically reside in one particular roost, especially so when mated trios within a flock choose to have children, in which case the Gestaru (one who carries the eggs) will be rendered unable to fly for a time prior to the laying of the eggs, and then the hatchlings will take a number of years to become fledged. Typically, most flocks will delay migrations if a gestaru is unable to fly, or there are unhatched eggs, although some particularly large flocks may have more strict migrational schedules--or even not have all members migrate at once, only doing so in groups which contain only a portion of a flock!
These larger, more organized flocks end up making up the dragonfolk's closest equivalent to a body of government--as those of the flock in a leadership position (often groups of the wiser elders in tandem with a number of more impassioned youth) tend to make decisions which can in some cases affect the whole of a roost. qaoan'ju aren't a peoples who tend towards violence as a means to solve conflict, and so even when things go awry between flocks or even within them, full-scale combat is a very rare way to solve their problems. There are instances of it, but violence, especially at sea, quickly results in loss of flight and then death in the waters below, so it is largely avoided save for in hunting practices.
Technologically, dragonfolk aren't wanting by any means! Most of their structures and contraptions are built largely with grown materials such as wood and fibers and the like, but they also make use of natural stones and in some cases, ores traded with their flightless neighbors which reside on the flatter islands (and sometimes within the lower levels of their sea-spire cities) Their technology could be likened visually to the drawings of Da Vinci, being primarily wood, fabric, and fiber coming together in mechanical contraptions for their needs. The wood and fabric isn't the only aspect to this, however, as the use of magic is very tightly interwoven into their daily life! E'rahnian spellcasters can imbue objects with magical properties, this is easiest when something is crystaline, but can be done with a variety of other materials as well, especially if runes or crystal-infused ink is used! One notable example of this is trade-currency! Qaoan'ju don't have any one centralized currency, but they utilize trinkets, beads, and other small valuable things strung up on strings as a form of currency! Trade is still especially common, especially amongst crafters and fishes, but trinket-chains are steadily entering more common use. these chains are tipped with pieces of metalwood imbued with small portions of electrical magic as to give them magnet-like properites, so that the chains can be easily opened and closed to take trinkets on and off of them!
Some of the common technologies you'll see in towns are things like lifts--elevators, utilized by pups (pre-fledgling young), carrying gestaru, the disabled, and other non-flighted sophonts visiting or residing in their cities! Liftoff/Landing overhangs are quite common as well, since qaoan'ju typically take off via dropping from the sides of cliffs or off of ledges! In tandem with that, is isn't uncommon for qaoan'ju buildings and pathways to have a blend of ramps, staircases, and even ladders! more open, high-traffic areas tend towards the former, and smaller more personal-use areas tend towards the latter! Despite their taur-like builds, they're actually excellent climbers, their hands and feet, less-so their wingfeet, having excellent grip on rocky cliff faces, and they can even rotate their hindclaws backwards to climb face-first down cliffs, like squirrels! Additionally, various wind-powered contraptions are a common sight on their cities, seeing a wide variety of uses. Not least, the use of wind vanes, dangling chimes, small windmills, and other similar idle things that allow an individual to easily view the speed and direction of the wind prior to takeoff--while they're naturally quite in-tune with the winds, an extra view can always help! especially for those taking off from a launch-point where the city is blocking much of the wind!
ok so like i offhandedly posted abt it earlier but im actually gonna make the rambling from the questions i got on art fight into some posts for easier access later!!!! will post each question in parts and under a readmore bc i YAPPED. Notably, the responses end up being only partially and/or tangentially related to the questions, but hey, info is info!
1- What sorts of magic can they use?
Their magic isn't specified because they don't have any particular types they're restricted to! E'rahnians who are capable of casting--including and almost especially Dragonfolk--have access to magic as a whole, as on E'rahnia it isn't strictly elemental, although things which would be considered alterations of reality aren't doable, such as shapeshifting and true teleportation (in which one stops existing in one location and begins existing somewhere else). Despite this, every individual has something that we (those of us creating E'rahnian lore) have dubbed in english a "manafestation", short for mana-manifestation. Manafestations present themselves as an affinity for some sort of aspect or element of magic. Most typically, these show themselves in some sort of element, but they can be just about anything. One could have a manafestation of iifa (flame), of aurora (brilliance, light which shines), of puros (bloom, growth of plantlife), so on and so forth. One may be skilled in magics which levitate objects, or magics which affects the speed and direction of the wind. It's highly varied, and very individual!
Additionally, an individual, with enough focus and mana can cast pretty much any spell! It takes a little bit more practice and skill to cast magic that isn't ones manafestation, but it isn't so hard as to prevent an individual from being able to cast a variety of magics. Now, notably, the more 'opposed' something is to ones manafestation or personality, the more trouble they can have casting in a particular way--someone whose manafestation is iifa for example, would have trouble casting magic which calls on agwa (pronounced azh-wa, water). Spoken spells often call on the language of the divine--vog'xe (voice), as it is highly magical inherently. The current vocabulary is somewhat limited, but if you have any particular meanings you'd like to know I can try to see if we have something that'd work!
Above is a chart which indicates general emotional associations to each group of color-tones! These associations are generalized and can be context-dependent, especially given that tones are utilized to create words. For example, the To'ack Qaoan'ju Se ("we who sing", the dragonfolk's language) word for "color" is sanʌ. The words used for color groups when spoken aloud are the very same word, sanʌ. The distinction being the addition of a color-tone to indicate the altered meaning. sanʌ-[F.R] for "red", sanʌ-[S.P] for "purple", sanʌ-[S.C] for "cyan", so on and so forth. Some odd exceptions are words for colors which are considered unique groups but are not considered separate color-tones for whatever reason, such as sanʌ-[S.B-D.B] for "navy", a portion of colors which includes very dark blues and teals, as well as sanʌ-[F.O-D.B] for "Brown", which includes dark yellows, oranges, reds, and even shades of brown which lean almost green or maroon!
Ichor, in color-tones, is considered simply to be 'intensity', that is, an emphasis on the hued color present. Dragonfolk actually see magic a bit differently to most other races, percieving it almost as its own 'color', except also not.. really. the more mana pushed into a color-change, the more intense It's considered, especially considering this happens naturally when emotions are high. It is extremely rare for an ichor-tone to be required for the meaning of a word due to its use as an intensifier.
Color-tones, when being used without the presence of spoken or signed words, are typically assumed to indicate emotions, in a similar way to human facial expressions. Qaoan'ju don't tend to emote in the same way that humans do at all, the visual depictions of such in much of the artwork of them on my part is more of a cartoonish stylization for clarity. their eye's expressions are minimal, they lack expressive brows, and their lips lack any notable degree of expressiveness. Expression instead comes in lidding the eyes, the angle of the head, the color of the crest, and the addition of wordless sounds such as crest-sounds, hums and coos and the like.
Hailing from the harsh planet of Ettera, Knights are the only sophont in the Zhagaviit system made of two consciousnesses.
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At last, here they are! Nearly finished with redesigning every Vivere 44 species. These guys are retconned werewolves which I posted about some time ago. You might have noticed I brought back some space unicorn aspects as well! They've been through so many design changes but I've finally settled on something solid.
More information below!
I'll try to keep this concise. Most of this info is introductory biology.
Knights are the only sophonts living on Ettera, a mostly barren planet where survival is tough. Their civilisation is the least advanced compared to others in Zhagaviit, such as Arrows and Sea Crawlers. They were the third species to be contacted by the ZGC (Zhagaviit Galactic Community) followed by Post Humanity. Knights are known for being hardy, efficient, and motivated.
If it isn't already clear enough, Knights are two species in a symbiotic relationship acting as one individual. Helmets and Hosts have an evolutionary history so intertwined that one cannot survive without the other.
The Helmet is attached to the head of the Host, and will remain there for the rest of their life (unless separation happens - but we'll get into that later). In the relationship, their role is vision and dexterity. Since the Host is effectively blind, it is the Helmet's job to guide them. Their hands are also important, being the Knight's primary manipulators. They played a large part in early tool use. The Helmet lacks a mouth, and receives all its nutrients from the Host through a specialised organ not unlike an umbilical cord.
The Host is essentially the main body of the Knight. Wolflike and mammalian in nature, the Host is the Helmet's mode of transportation. Because they need to eat for two, Hosts are omnivorous and will eat just about anything. Although majority of their diet is comprised of meat, they are capable of digesting plant matter and bones. They are highly skilled and effective hunters.
It is in both party's best interests to assimilate as soon as possible. The Host cannot see without a Helmet, and within a few weeks bonding will become impossible. The stakes are higher for a newborn Helmet, because they cannot feed by themselves and will starve in under a week without a Host or an artificial feeder tube. Prior to first contact with the ZGC, Knights did not have the technology for artificial feeders, and infant death rates were high.
So how do two beings coordinate one body? The fact is that once assimilation occurs, they become one being. The Helmet's brain and the Host's brain are connected by millions of nerves exchanging signals. It's complicated, but the best way to describe the experience would be a 'mutual trance' in which full body coordination is achieved. They have shared interests and intentions. However, a Knight can mentally separate the Helmet and the Host, gaining back individuality; they do this for many reasons, perhaps to discuss something among themselves or simply for company. Yet on the whole, a Knight will spend 80% of their life in this 'trance'.
Both Helmets and Hosts have noticeable sexual dimorphism. Male Helmets are called Pikes, and females are called Guards. Pikes are distinguished by their horn, bold stripes, and more prominent crest spines. Guards lack a horn and have less contrast in their thinner markings.
Female Hosts are called Forts. They are larger than males and have a mane of fur on the back of their necks. Male Hosts, Spires, lack this mane.
In Knight society, individuals are usually referred to based on their combination of Host and Helmet. Since there are four sexes involved, there are four possible combinations.
Guard-spire [female Helmet, male Host]
Pike-fort [male Helmet, female Host]
Guard-fort [female Helmet, female Host]
Pike-spire [male Helmet, male Host]
(Knight languages have their own version of pronouns for each, but in English all are referred to as they/them by default. Of course, each individual has their own preferences. Usually a Knight will refer to themselves as we/us).
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I'll get into Knight social structure, cultures and more in another post! For now, if you have any questions, feel free to send an ask. Always happy to answer!
the signs here are "mountain (<- this ones a homebrewed sign inspired by the "five pebbles" sign) shelters stay bugs". this one was made for a dnd campaign with bug people (and this is the name of the nation "mountains that shelter staying bugs")
both of these mean "place without opposition", with the individual signs being stylized forms of "region no-stranger-predators" (with "you" lacking tone indicators meaning a lack of familiarity, meaning "you (unknown)"
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