Dune Raptors

Image (c) Artist Gothic Atrocity
Permission was granted from artist for use on this site.

Description

The dune raptors have human proportioned faces and long pointed ears, which normally poke straight out from the sides of their heads, or poke straight out behind them, but are movable like a dog's ears. They have hair on the tops of their heads, just like humans, and sometimes on their tails, and over their bodies in various styles, such as on the elbows, along the forearm, or along the back of the legs. They are very lean, built mainly for speed with long legs and tails. They have five clawed fingers, three toes, and a large battle claw on each foot. They can have horns or spikes on their bodies, but can also have none as well. These spikes can come in the form of heel claw, or various spikes along their back, or even horns.

Originally, dune raptors lived in the deserts, and even now they keep their main cities deep in the deserts. Dune raptors have a variety of skin colours; various shades of brown, red, grey, and many other dull colours. Their flesh is much like a snake's skin, very smooth, almost imperceptible scales. They do not sweat, and are most comfortable in the heat. Their eyes are various shades of red, black, and brown. Their hair is normally kept long, though there have been those who have cut it. Hair is many different shades from red, to even unnatural colours, though this is not very common.

Dune raptor eyes come in two different types. The first type is considered normal. It has the colored center, though the pupil is slit like a lizard's or a cat's. The second type has no white around the colored section of their eyes. The entire eye is colored, and the pupil is slit, but instead of being black, the pupil is white.

Dune raptors live in almost every environment now, but they dislike cold weather. Many enjoy being mercenaries, message carriers, or thieves, as their build and racial advantages help them excel in these categories. They design their own armor, spiked places strapped to their long tails, and other tight fitting armor. Dune raptors have some markings over their bodies, normally in the form of dark stripes, though it is not uncommon for them to be without such markings. They walk upon their toes, with knees slightly bent.

Like humans, dune raptor personalities range from pure to evil. The majority is mischievous and thieving, but any brute would give his right arm to have a dune raptor on his side in a fight.

The only race dune raptors truly despise are the dresall. Dune raptors believe the dresall raided one of their forest colonies, killing many of those that lived there. In a subtle war with the dresall, dune raptors will not work with a dresall, and will do anything they can to make life difficult for one they meet in a public place. Neither the dresall or dune raptors will attack each other if they meet inside a city, or any public place, but will most likely fight to the death if they meet each other in a secluded area.

Dune raptors have a talent for guerilla warfare. They can easily blend into their surroundings and walk silently. In the deserts, a small hunting band can bury themselves just below the surface, and rise up out of the and when their prey or opponent is near.

Relations and Society

Dune raptors are a very mischievous group. They are masters of the skills they possess. They cannot wield large weapons well, and so don't normally become heavy fighters. A dune raptor would much rather use the battle claws on its feet. There are very few dune raptors that would cumber themselves with heavy weapons or armor. They are quick and lean, thus preferring light armor that fits tightly, and small weapons they can use quickly. This would include their battle claws, the claws on their hands, and daggertails.

Daggertails are a dune raptor weapon that consists of overlapping plates that have raised razor edges. These plates are strapped to the top of the tail, making the dune raptor's seven foot tail a very deadly weapon.

They are not a very withheld bunch. Though dune raptors have a powerful dislike of the dresall, to the point of killing them when they find one alone, and even forming gangs in certain cities and banding up against the dresall. Dune raptors can easily be pack hunters or solitary hunters, thus they have personalities that allow them to get along easily with each other.

Dune raptors are nomadic creatures, never staying in one place very long, though they have created cities, and many do live permanently there is always the mental pull to keep moving. They get along with other races fine, all but the dresall and the scergs. They tend to join a profession of a less legal quality, or hire their services out to the highest bidder.

The dune raptors have a very loose society, one that only demands the alliance of the entire race together. If war ever broke out, it is expected of every dune raptor to band together. Like ants, the dune raptors can work together very easily, almost as if they all think on the same brainwave. If one came upon another that is fallen, he will help the fallen one to the best of his ability.

Racial Slur

Sand Snakes

Gender Status and Differences

The females are slimmer than the males, and have feminine proportions. They are shorter than the males, and quicker. Female dune raptors tend to use punch daggers, or some sort of small, quick weapon they can attack quickly with, while being able to get out of the way. Female tails are shorter than the tails of the male raptors. The battle claws of female are thinner, but longer.

Male raptors are muscular, and have been known to use swords, though short swords and knives are more preferred. Males are taller, have longer tails, and their battle claws are thicker, but shorter than the female claws.

Sexuality

Dune raptors who fall in love will become mates for a set period of time. This time is agreed upon once the decision to become mates is reached. The two agree upon the time, normally 20 years, and are mates to each other only until the time is over. When the agreed upon time is over, they can either part ways, or agree to another set amount of time to continue being mates. If a child is born inside of the agreed time, it is an unspoken rule for both parents to stay together until the child is raised, even if the previously agreed time to stay together has been reached and passed.

Homosexuality is accepted among the race, though is not overly flaunted, and sometimes looked down upon.

Personality

In the world of the dune raptors, nothing is free but to each other. A dune raptor will help another dune raptor free of charge. But with everyone else, it is different. To the raptors, everything comes at a price. The offering of service must be paid for, no matter if the one who accepts this service is aware of it or not. When a raptor helps someone, the raptor will either demand payment or return to steal the payment later.

Because of this, other races are very wary of the dune raptors. If a dune raptor helps someone, they expect payment. If the person leaves, not knowing this, the raptor will follow, or track this individual, making himself known when he deems it time for the service to be paid.

For the dune raptors, all services are to be paid for. This means just a simple asking of directions is starting a credit line with the raptor. Though he will gladly help, he expects return on his service.

Dune raptors are very free spirited. They are nomads and tend to be mischievous and trouble makers. They can also be dead serious with a grin on their face. One can never be sure about the dune raptors.

One hardly ever hears of an angry dune raptor, as it is extremely difficult to get one mad. This is because of their laid back attitudes towards everything. If someone does something against a dune raptor, the idea for the raptors is to not get mad, but to get even. If someone insults or injures a dune raptor, the raptor will make it a point to get back at the individual in every way possible until he feels vindicated.

Clothing

Due to their racial traits, lean form, and speed, dune raptors wear tight fitting clothing. They never wear any sort of very baggy clothing, finding this cumbersome and hard to move quickly in. Those who deal in warfare wear clothing that can blend into their surroundings well. Priests wear a form of tan uniform that clings to their scales. This uniform is covered with many runes of the peoples.

Religion

Dune raptors only believe in three gods; the god of the past, the present, and the future. The dune raptors do not name their gods; they only refer to them as Past, Present, and Future. When a dune raptor talks in any manner of time, they talk of it with all seriousness and like a priest would speak of his god.

The god of the Past is viewed as the most powerful. He has the ability to alter the present and the future. Priests that follow the god of the past have amazing power, though they live backwards. This means they can only go backward in time and alter past events, though this must be done with great caution.

The god of the Present has the ability to control the future, and is the second most powerful of the three. A follower of the present has the abilities to slow or speed up time to a degree. They cannot move forward or backward, but only control the speed of time in the present.

The third and final god of the dune raptors is the Future. Followers of the god of the future have the ability to travel forward in time, but cannot travel back. Thus if they move forward, they are not able to return to the time from which they came.

Dogmas

- Past: Followers of the god of the past have powerful magic, but perhaps very bad prices to this magic. They can only travel back in time for a set amount of time (depending on how powerful they are). A novice to the magic of the past can only travel a second or two back in time, reliving the same moment over several times if they wished, and only being able to produce the spell four or five times.

Those who have followed the god of Past for years are able to travel back in time to up to an hour four or five times before they tire of the spell. This is very useful if a band wishes to explore an area, and send in dune raptor Past priest. The priest will be able to chart out the area, but if he comes upon an obstacle and gets attacked, if he is able before death, the priest has the power to travel back in time that set amount of time and retain the knowledge of what happened in the past or rather future. Of course, if the priest only wants to go back a few seconds, and they have the power to go back an hour, that is possible.

- Present: Followers of the god of the Present have an interesting power as well. They are able to control the speed of time in the present. They can move it faster or slower. The length of this speed of time change corresponds to their strength. A novice may be able to control the speed of time for two or three seconds. A master can control it for up to an hour. Now the concept of time is changed when time itself is sped up or slows down. The caster remains in the normal speed of time, and the strength of the speed is also attuned to how strong the caster is. A novice cannot slow down time in any extreme manner; they will just appear to move slightly faster or slightly slower to those around them. A master can slow time down to such a degree that it appears to not be moving at all to the caster, and to those around him, it appears as if he is moving like a lightning flash. The same with speeding time, only backwards for the viewers. As for the time concept itself for the caster, time moves normally for them, it is the world around them that has sped up or slows down. For the spell to last an hour, it will last an hour in the normal time, or the time the caster exists in.

- Future: The followers of the Future have one of the most interesting powers of all. They can travel forward in time. Again, novices can only go three or four seconds, while a master can go up to an hour four or five times consecutively before they tire. This is an interesting power if one is looking to skip an annoying argument, or even past the boring times away quickly. Those that move forward must be careful how they do so, for flashing several seconds into the future can help one avoid a blow, but they never know where the second blow is headed.

Abilities

They have very unique abilities that contribute to their skill in fighting. Dune raptors have slight chameleon ability. When they hold very still when crouched in the bushes or against a wall in the shadows, their skin will take on the colour of their surroundings. This colour change only lasts until the raptor makes a jerk or quick movement, and it does not cover armor, or strapped on weapons.

Another ability unique to the dune raptor is their speed. This is more of a physical ability, but not one to be overlooked. Dune raptors have a maximum speed of 105 mi/h. They can hold this speed for nearly 5 minutes, depending on the state the raptor is in and how much he is carrying. They can hold 50mi/h easily for about 20minutes.

They have an amazing jumping ability. It is not uncommon for a dune raptor to be able to jump over a ten-foot high wall, clearing the wall with plenty of space to spare. These abilities make an outlaw of the dune raptors very hard to catch, and normally takes another dune raptor to capture them.

Dune raptors have a small ability to create gusts of wind strong enough to throw up sand around themselves, and form a small dust devil to circle them. They can see in a sandstorm, having a special lid that slides over their eyes when they enter one. This makes them able to fight in the crippling storms while others are not able.

Fighting Styles

Within a fight, if a dune raptor has no available weapon, they will fight with their claws. This involves quick slashes and stabs with the short claws on their fingers. If their opponent lets his guard down for even a second, the dune raptor will jump forward, holding upon his shoulders with his hands and ripping at his back or stomach with the powerful battle claws on his feet. This is always a fatal attack, except on a begris.

Dune raptors have been known to strap spikes onto their tails and elbow and knee joints, and use these in a fight. With spikes on his tail, a dune raptor can use the seven foot appendage as a deadly weapon, whipping it into an enemy and deal a powerful blow.

Dunes are quick fighters, they will use punch daggers, arrows, and anything else that are easy to carry, doesn't weight too much, and can be used for quick fighting. Dune raptors fight as a wolf might. They run in, deal damage, and then leap back from the fight in a deadly dance.

Raptors will not use heavy weapons, and are not heavy fighters. One will never see a dune carrying a large sword, or heavy hammer or axe. They will use spears upon occasion, but prefer to use surprise attacks. They will hide in the shadows of the trees and brush, alleyway or under the sand, springing out to stab their enemy in the back with quick attacks before he has a chance to fight back. This makes them the perfect assassins and guerilla fighters.

Strengths

The most obvious strength of the dune raptor is his speed and natural weapons. They are smooth talkers, and very persuasive. They can climb almost any surface very easily with their claws, making them, also, perfect thieves. They are master swimmers. Any dune raptor can swim upon birth, with never a lesson in his life. They are naturals in the water.

Weaknesses

They cannot handle the cold. In cold temperatures, or against cold spells, they will quickly lose energy and become exhausted. A dune raptor can die easily and very quickly in a cold area, or if attacked by ice spells. They are built for the heat, not for the cold.

Cities

The dune raptor capital city is called Permier, located deep in the Blacksand Desert of Trenton. Though the dune raptors allow all races into their haven, they do not allow scergs nor do they allow anyone that is not raptor to stay more than a week without being asked to leave.

Holidays

The first of the Aztersil new year is a great time of joy for the dune raptors. They see it as a renewing of Time, and celebrate in a great mass at the capital city. They sing, dance, and tell stories among their people for the entire day and night of the new year.

Life Span

The raptors have a maximum life span of about 275. The oldest recorded dune raptor lived to 353, but no other dune raptor has come close to his age. Dunes grow fast from birth, reaching their full height at about age 14, though they are not considered adults among their people until they are at least 40.

Classes

These classes are unique to the dune raptors only.

- Priest: Those who follow and gain spells from a god. The three gods available to the dune raptors are the Past, Present, and Future. See gods and dogmas for information to these.

- Worgraw: These use the chameleon ability to a new level. They are able to completely blend their clothes and forms into the background. Doing so, they are able to become invisible. Worgraw can move slowly while staying in this state, but only for a few minutes.

- Storm Bringers: Those who perfect the ability of creating a small dust devil around themselves in a fight to creating a fair sized dust storm. These dune raptors can mildly control the weather, mainly the wind.

Mutations

Two mutations exist in the dune raptor line. The first is a split tail. They call the raptors that have this mutation, Sparrow Tailed raptors. The split can form along any part of the tail, but normally it splits in the center of the tail length. The tail splits, forming two, free moving tails.

The second mutation is called Unfortunate among the dune raptors. The mutation is nothing but the absence of the battle claws. They are deemed unfortunate, for much of the dune raptor fighting styles are based along the battle claws.

Language

The dune raptor's language is called sinma, and is very quickly spoken. It is a blend of whistles, and many s, z, and other smooth sounds. When hunting, they communicate between each other with something that can be compared to Morris code. The dunes click the battle claw against the ground to communicate.