Oreyli of the Elentharan Steppes

📎 Quick Reference

🧠 Overview

🎨 Physical Traits

• Height: 5'5" – 6'5" (165–196 cm)
• Build: Lean, agile, muscular, long limbed
• Complexion: Wide range from golden beige to rich umber, usually with warm undertones
• Eyes: Bright and expressive, shades of sky blue, honey, gold or green — distinct luminescent shimmer
• Hair: White-blonde, sandy brown, copper, black, often worn in braids or wrapped to keep it protected and under control during flight
• Distinct Features:
• Large feathered wings unique to the individual; shape, function and patterns are clan based, some build with powerful soaring wings while others have smaller wings built for speed and control
• Light freckles and sunmarks are common especially on face, shoulders and arms
• Subtle humming when emotional or tense as feathers charge with Sahan

🌍 Region of Origin

The Elentharan Steppe is a sprawling grassland set apart by its rolling plains, cliff faces and wide, open skies. Lakes, rivers, valleys and stone outcroppings weave through the steppes, creating a lush, fertile meadow that is a haven for the Oryeli and a challenge for everyone else.

This is the ancestral homeland of the Oreylians, who navigated its terrain with ease. Their wings allowed them to navigate the land, made uniquely for them.

The large lake in the center of the territory was skirted by several villages. For reasons unknown to this day, the lake was surrounded by standing stones, that could be seen glowing at dusk, as if they’d collected the light of the day. Sky-reaching arch-like land bridges scatter the land, singing and resonating as the wind flows through them, called Chorus Stones.

🎭 Cultural Identity

The Oreylians define themselves as people of freedom, memory and song. They came up in harmony with the wind and the land, learning flight from the clifftops, singing along with the Chorus Stones and recording their life and experiences through songs, poems and stories, which are passed down through the generations even still, rather than ink-written records. The Oryeli consider these stories to be sacred and each one can carry intense emotional weight to the listener or the one reciting it.

The Oryelians value their freedom, both of thought and movement. Rigid structure is rare among them outside of ceremonies. Historically, there were no designated leaders. Communities would hold council among themselves and made decisions as groups, via voting, cooperation and compromise.

Clans were independent, tight knit and nomadic, traveling across the Elentharan Steppes with the winds and resources. They were, however, extremely friendly with one another, and upon meeting another clan, they would always celebrate their meeting by camping alongside each other, sharing stories and making friends before going their separate ways.

The Oreylian society celebrates flight as a birthright rather than a simple skill. Wing maintenance is a sacred daily ritual, and to touch another’s wings is considered very intimate, reserved for lovers, family or combat. The loss of their flight, let alone their wings, would be a devastating experience for any Oreylian.

📖 History

The Oryelians originate from Oreyli, home of the Elentharan Steppes, a land of cliffs, valleys, rivers and hill. They were among the three Etharim to be created by Ethestes during the Aetus Emergence. From the very beginning, the Oreylians had no interest in conquest. Rather, they’d fallen in love with life, song and story. They were the Etharim of peace.

When the quiet broke, and Ethestes called on the Etharim to defend against the Hladari assault, the Oreyli were the first to answer his call. Their land was their home and while they were a people of kindness, they didn’t believe that equated to passivity. They defended their land and the other Etharim with a fierce loyalty.

During the height of the war, the Steppe became a fortress and line of defense, as it was difficult to cross without flight. Unity and brotherhood came easily to the Etharim and it didn’t take long for the Children of Ethestes to gain the upper hand against the attacking Hladari. In a desperate attempt to halt their momentum, a Miranese warlord know as Verakir unleashed a forbidden weapon, a ritual fueled by unfamiliar magicks. The ritual was meant to create a detonation that would carve a path straight through the grasslands of Oreyli.

Instead, it ruptured the Sahanic weave across the entire region.

The devastation that followed, called The Shattering, tore through the land. Cliffs and valleys alike were destroyed as the Sahanic Veil ruptured and radiant Fraythane fractures surged across the plains like veins. The Windspire Lake was shattered, its water flash-boiling into steam. Entire clans were obliterated mid-battle. The skies above Elentharan became deadly; turbulent and unstable because of the surging Fraythane below. The land itself became toxic, the air, water and soil saturated with the fragmented magic.

The damage was irreversible. What was previously a haven of music, magic and peace had become a hazardous ruin of magical storms. The Oreylians were forced to flee their homeland, many finding refuge in Erishka and Naiyu.

After the Malvigo D’arim, the Oreylians were granted sanctuary and citizenship like the Erishka and Reikai as the newfound Empire began its building efforts. Even now, generations later, Oreylians still sing amongst eachother of reclaiming the Steppe, somehow.

🧬 Racial Affinity / Unique Trait

Oreylian wings are not just appendages, they are extensions of spirit, and have evolved to act as both weapon and ward. The channeling of Sahan through the wings is known as Aetherwing. This allows them to harden their feathers like armor, slice through steel or deflect incoming spells in motion. Every set of wings is a living instrument of battle and survival.

This trait is exclusive to the Oreylians. While most races can achieve flight via their Sahan, few can do so with the grace and precision of an Oreylian, while also having both blade and shield on their body.

⚔️ Racial Strengths

(Optional — for roleplay flavor only, not stats)

• Born for the skies, Oreylians have exceptional speed, control and grace in the air. It’s as easy as breathing, and takes no magical energy to do.
• Centuries of navigating open air has given Oreylians an instinctual spatial awareness and sense of momentum. They can expertly detect shifts in wind pressure, predict trajectories and avoid incoming attacks reflexively.

“Cloud suckin’ no good filthy fuckin’ moon grazin’ spanners.”

— Some Hladari Hickbilly

🎲 Trivia

• Many Oreylians sing or hum while they fly to keep rhythm and stay grounded.
• Gifting feathers is sacred and intimate and is usually out of love, memory or mourning.
• Many Oreyli children are taught to fly before they’re even able to walk