-
Caelu are born to a house and are educated and raised within them. Although they are trained according to the abilities of that house, some Caelu may not display any aptitude towards them, and may begin exhibiting other talent behaviour instead. This change generally occurs at the onset of puberty. If Caelu develop outside house talents, they are moved to the nearest matching house settlement for further skill development. Although this means parting with their childhood home, it is not a mournful occasion, because Caelu visit one another so often. It is merely an aspect of life.
Caelu have never been observed to develop 'mixed' talents, or inter-house abilities. Most will take on the abilities of their birth parent. Caelu that have been selected to further the lineage may be of different houses. In these cases, Caelu will decide where there is room to settle and start their family, and choose between houses. The Caelu that is not of that house will still perform their duties, sometimes needing to travel outside of a settlement to do so. If the pair do not bond by the time a child is born, Caelu are free to return to their original house. A female will take the child with her. -
Incorporating the mountains into their settlements, Caelu make use of many secret caves and tunnels to create their homes, temples, and workshops. Many centuries ago, their ancestors dug further into the Mother's stone in order to survive. They utilise and maintain these ancient structures, the entrances to which are extremely well hidden. Caelu are not a growing population; they tend to keep their numbers steady, which is part of the reason why breeding is not an individual's choice. They have no desire to dig further within the mountains, and will build only when strictly necessary.
Although there are three houses, there are multiple settlements within one house. Exact numbers are not recorded for general examination, but the high government will conduct counts from time to time. It is thought that each house has about three hundred members, to echo the divine trinity, making the entire Caelu population less than one thousand. A large settlement will contain up to eighty or so individuals. Smaller settlements of only five to ten individuals also exist, dotted in pockets all over the mountains. -
Caelu of the house Mother are devotees of Mother's spirit that resides within the earth. Domestic duties include cleaning temples, making incense, maintaining shrines, and tending to injured Caelu. House duties include using the sight for others, performing mating pair rituals, choosing ambassadors to be considered by the council, and magic defence.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Active Abilities ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
★• Magic Warding •★ Aided by carving symbols into the base of their antlers, which they later cover with gold cuffs. Mother Caelu are able to resist many low level magic attacks. If a Mother Caelu meditates, they are able to amplify this ability and protect either themselves or others from more dangerous attacks.
|Weak - Caelu may not be able to hold meditative state for long, or may fail to deflect an attack.
|Strong - Caelu may be able to protect more than one individual from attack, and maintain the shield for longer.
★• The Sight •★ Requires the use of a herbal brew. Mother Caelu that take this concoction go into a trance-like state that lasts a period of hours. When they come out of this fugue, they are usually quite drained, but they can relay information about the future. Mother Caelu use the sight as a protective tool, predicting safe mountain routes and weather patterns, prey locations, and even outsider intentions.
|Weak - Caelu may only glean snippets of future emotions, or may have unreliable predictions.
|Strong - Caelu may be able to describe a future event in detail, and their premonitions are usually accurate.
★• Atmokinesis (Rare) •★ About a quarter of Mother Caelu develop this ability, and even fewer become masters of it. With concentration, the immediate atmosphere around a Mother Caelu with this ability may be manipulated. It has never been observed to have a range larger than six feet in a circular diameter around the individual.
|Weak - Caelu may be able to clear some sky, or lessen rainfall.
|Strong - Caelu may form or clear clouds around them, and may be able to make rain stop or start.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Passive Abilities ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
★• Accelerated Healing •★ Physical wounds sustained heal about twenty percent faster as compared to an average healthy human. This ability is not able to be amplified or projected. Mother Caelu suffer scars and other skin irregularities just as any other Caelu does.
★• Aura Sensing •★ Mother Caelu are able to 'see' the strength of a life force in front of them. This is useful for detecting illness or infection in other individuals. They are unable to sense through walls or other dense obstacles. Those with magical abilities may be able to disguise their life force from a Mother Caelu. -
Caelu of the house Sword are dedicated warriors, trained and disciplined to protect all houses. Domestic duties include hunting in various ways, preparing meat to be cured, assisting manual labour tasks, and maintaining all armor and weaponry. House duties include physical training and sparring, patrolling all house borders, deflecting any attacks if necessary, and selecting appropriate defenders for caravans.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Active Abilities ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
★• Cloaking •★ Aided by carving symbols into the base of their antlers, which they later cover with gold cuffs. Sword Caelu are able to slow down their breathing and heart-rate in order to tap into a stealth state. Their movements become quieter and more difficult to detect whilst they are channelling this ability.
|Weak - Caelu may have footfalls that are muffled but still audible.
|Strong - Caelu may be able to meld with shadows and become completely silent. They may also dim the light in their qiú.
★• Berserking •★ During a fight, Sword Caelu that are at a disadvantage may activate the ability to berserk. This mental fortitude bolsters attack speed and power, and dulls outside distractions. Some Sword Caelu carry a spice paste with them which they may push onto the roof of their mouths to trigger this state.
|Weak - Caelu may be removed from this state after suffering a blow, or losing focus.
|Strong - Caelu may become hyper-strong for a short period of time, and do not lose concentration.
★• Absorption (Rare) •★ About a quarter of Sword Caelu develop this ability, and even fewer become masters of it. Used both during combat and outside of it, Sword Caelu with this ability can absorb magical attacks against them. They cannot use this magic in any way or store the energy of it, they simply negate the effect on themselves.
|Weak - Caelu may only be able to absorb low level attacks, such as mind reading.
|Strong - Caelu may be able to absorb high level attacks, such as pyromancy.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Passive Abilities ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
★• Pain Resistance •★ Able to tolerate mild to moderate physical injury such as bruising, scrapes and cuts, and muscle manipulation without registering much discomfort. Sword Caelu are estimated to be about twenty percent more impervious to the experience of pain than an average healthy human. This does not mean they do not experience the injury -- it is important to thoroughly examine a Sword Caelu after heavy sparring or a fight.
★• Hardiness •★ With slightly thicker skin than the two other houses, Sword Caelu are more difficult to harm with blades that aren't freshly sharpened. Their skin can be cut or punctured; it just takes greater pressure or physical exertion on the part of the attacker. -
Caelu of the house Cloud are resourceful crafters that supply houses with a majority of goods. Domestic duties include the upkeep of all tools and machines, repairing or making new buildings, curing skins and hides, and preparing spice blends for cooking. House duties include training and taming yaks, making ceremonial jewellery, using their animal control abilities to aid defence, and choosing traders to lead a caravan.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Active Abilities ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
★• Animal Control •★ Aided by carving symbols into the base of their antlers, which they later cover with gold cuffs. Cloud Caelu are able to channel their Mother spirit into the minds of animals. Using this ability, they may be able to understand what it is thinking, or even influence its actions.
|Weak - Caelu may be able to understand an animal's intentions, but not manipulate it further.
|Strong - Caelu may be able to persuade an animal to calm, or to protect them.
★• Charismatic Influence •★ This ability requires eye contact with an individual. Cloud Caelu can use a mild form of hypnosis to sway the decision of an outsider. They are not able to use this ability against other Caelu. Charisma is only used in a way they consider moral; for instance, to lower the unfair pricing of a merchant's wares. Cloud Caelu often put specific herbal notes in their perfumes, which they believe strengthens this influence.
|Weak - Caelu may only be able to make an individual question their actions.
|Strong - Caelu may be able to calm an individual and put them in a mild trance, making them susceptible to suggestion for a brief time.
★• Metal Transmutation (Rare) •★ About a quarter of Cloud Caelu develop this ability, and even fewer become masters of it. Holding a piece of expensive metal in one hand and a piece of cheap metal with the other hand, a Cloud Caelu may be able to make the cheap metal transform and take on the properties of the expensive metal. They are not able to transmute large pieces, and this ability is very draining. It requires time and meditation.
|Weak - Caelu may only be able to marble one metal with properties from another.
|Strong - Caelu may be able to completely transform a chunk of pure copper into pure gold.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Passive Abilities ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
★• Poison Resistance •★ A Cloud Caelu's blood is about twenty percent more resistant to poisons than that of an average healthy human's. This proves useful when they make rarer spice blends, or dyes for their wares. They may still become unwell if purposefully poisoned, but will recover faster, and there is a smaller chance of fatality.
★• Inspirational •★ Other Caelu and some individuals may feel momentarily uplifted by a Cloud Caelu's presence. They do not have control over this effect. Caelu of other houses that are struggling with a task are known to 'borrow' a Cloud Caelu for company. If a Cloud Caelu is mentally or physically unwell, this ability will be greatly dampened.
