*shrugs* Well, these guys fit perfectly into the world that Clan Akelara is on, somehow. Meaning: they're a very, very old race as far as the world is concerned. Eventually I'll actually draw out a continent map to show where various things are, but anyway..
Race Name: Narisho An'he (Nar-ish-o ahn-he)
Meaning: Princes of the Sky
Habitat: Mountains, in hidden cities that they build themselves.
Traits: Bipedal or Quadrapedal depending upon the circumstances, opposable thumbs, spiny crest that can move as they will it, crystal rising from the headcrest that glows whenever they use magic, various jewels on the headcrest denoting their powers.
Gem-Ability: Emerald-Healer; Jade-Earth; Ruby-Fire; Sapphire-Wind; Aquamarine-Water; Lapis Lazuli-True Sight; Amber-Remembrance; Tiger's Eye-Summoning; Topaz-Sun; Moonstone-Moon; Onyx-Darkness; Diamond-Light
Notes: The large gem at the top of the crest (not the crystal ‘spike’) denotes their strongest ability. If, instead, that gem is an Opal, they’re one of three Princes – if White Opal, the Prince of Day; if Black Opal, the Prince of Night; if Water Opal, the Prince of Change. The title is “Prince of…” no matter whether the Narisho is male or female. There are only ever three of them, except for the intermediate time when the old Princes are training the new Princes.
If, on the other hand, the gem is Tanzanite (a gem of deep blue with purple tones), the Narisho is considered a Marquis. The Marquis are more often seen than the Princes, and there are typically twelve of them, one for each power, with the power they represent being determined by the large gem that rests on their forehead. Titles are: Marquis of Healing; Marquis of Earth; Marquis of Fire; Marquis of Wind; Marquis of Water; Marquis of Truth; Marquis of History; Marquis of Summoning; Marquis of Sunlight; Marquis of Moonlight; Marquis of Darkness; Marquis of Light. The title is “Marquis of…” no matter the gender of the holder.
Colors: Their colors can be nearly anything, as can their markings, although the colors of the sky are prevalent.
General Personality: Warriors, defenders, protectors. Somewhat secretive, have a tendency to “lie by omission,” especially on the subject of their race. One has to ask specific questions to even hope of getting a straight answer to a question about the Narisho race. They rarely use their magic, and never speak about what they’re capable of.
Size: 15-30 feet long from nosetip to tailtip, 7-20 feet tall from paw to shoulder when on all fours, 15-40 feet tall when bipedal (the largest of them rarely stand on two legs except if they want to be impressive)
History: No much is known about the Narisho – the only reason their existence has been made known is because… well, two of them, the Marquis of Truth and her companion Alluo calmly waltzed into Clan Akelara one day. Their cities are still undiscovered – even by the Skydance Tigons that live up in the mountains. They seem to have come out of hiding for an express purpose, but whatever it is, they’re not saying. Yet.
No one's likely to get a Marquis, and I doubt anyone will ever get one of the Princes, but if someone wants one of these guys for a birthday present, feel free to chime in and I'll hand one off. As a note - they probably -can- interbreed with other species, but it's likely that they -won't-... something about keeping their bloodlines clean in order to uphold their sacred duty. Whatever that is. They can and will breed together, though - and those type of clutches are the only time a clutch of Narisho will show up anywhere in the nexus.
Edit: And I just realized it looks like this guy tripped over something. *snork* Ah well. Maybe I caught him in the middle of a takeoff, since they do prefer to jump from ledges instead of taking off from flat ground.