When the gods shared all things, they shared all creation. Joyously, they gave life to any whimsy that came to mind, and reveled in the activities of those who gazed at the sky and whispered to each other.
One of their creations was a race intended to guard, to protect and to carry out the whims of the gods. So they created the angelos to be their messengers, and the ethereal, winged creatures served their purpose well. Settling disputes that inevitably arose- one of the consequences of granting free will- and bearing the message of the gods' love, the angelos were welcomed by those they attended.
When the war began, Tari tore away half of the angelos, her growing insanity twisting them into mindless instruments of slaughter. Sending them against Sarapis' creations, she instilled fear into the world, personified by her white-winged, golden-eyed destructors.
Desperate to preserve some of what they had created together, Sarapis gathered the angelos remaining to him and did the unthinkable- he gave them free will. Now it was their choice to serve, their choice to slaughter or their choice to flee. Some remained by his side, warped by the growing war into visions of nightmare. Feathers gave way to leathery flesh, sweet eyes narrowed into slits of rage and where once they had swept the land seeking to aid, now they sought the angelos of Tari to engage in battle. Others returned to Tari freely, believing that their mother could not be in the wrong.
Those who chose to leave the war entirely fled, seeking shelter where they were not yet feared. As time passed, they found more than mere shelter with some of those they had encountered, and so the half-blooded angelos- called angeli- were born.
Sarapis' nightmares also found more than mere shelter and slaughter. For them it was not exactly tender, nor was it love. When their numbers dwindled due to the battles fought with Tari's angelos, they passed on their powers through brutal rape, instilling terror in those they used. The derali- half-blooded nightmares- were shunned by their parents, but the communities understood that a child is not responsible for the crimes of the parents'.
Angeli and derali bore the marks of their parents' blood, and some of their nature. As the angeli sought to instill hope, so the derali carried fear. Twisted by the decisions of those who had created them, and the full angelos who still carried on the war of their creators, the half-blooded took free will to a new level. Splitting away from their homes, they became wanderers, following their own wild paths.
Angeli:
-Alignment: Non-evil
-Appearance: With the feathered wings of their angelos parent, and eyes that bear an otherworldly golden sheen, the angeli are beautiful in an unearthy way. The touch of mortality has softened their angular features, and given them an approachable look. Graceful and swift, they are often mistaken for the angelos from afar, despite the fact that their wings no longer bear the snow-white feathers of their full-blooded kin. Colours of every shade grace the wings of their backs, and a few who have bred with the Ramiar tribes bear paws in lieu of feet, while those descended from the Chiia clop about with hooves.
-Classes: Any- favoured: paladin, cleric, monk, wizard
-Lifespan: 200 years +/-, with the option of existence as a spirit after the death of the physical body (provided the soul isn't destroyed)
Derali:
-Alignment: Non-good
-Appearance: Born from moments of fear, parented by living nightmares, the derali hold a haunting appeal, twisted into monstrosity. Elongated ears, sharply-tipped horns, whipping tails and clawed or hooved feet mar them, marking them as products of desperation and rage. Their eyes tell the tale, as within the gaze of all derali burns a fire of contained rage, seen as the lick of firelight against the colour of their irises. While they are not as easily identified as their angeli counterparts, they too make themselves quickly known by the aura of ferocity they carry. The few who were born of elf are slimmer and lighter, often specializing in sorcery and magic over physical combat. It is they who are considered most frightening.
-Classes:
-disallowed: Paladin, Wizard
-favoured: Bard, Rogue, Sorcerer
-Lifespan: 200 years +/-, with the option of existence as a spirit after the death of the physical body (provided the soul isn't destroyed)
