Ikrouks: A Brief history
Humble Beginnings:
The Second Age
The Second Age
The Ikrouks as a species started from nothing; at their very beginnings, they were recovering from the plagues of the Great Purification, and were thus in very low numbers and at the brink of extinction. This was called the Second Age. Ikrouks were known as the Ikeyn'cks, an early state of evolution that would later evolve into the modern Ikrouk; Ikreyn'cks are still present on Etaliari today, in small, isolated communities of feral birds, showing how far this branch of the species has gone in comparison. Protected by the great Mother Koth and her watchful Eyes, the Ikrouks learned everything they know today from her teachings and the remains of the Old Home. Their writing and their languages came from the writings found in those ruins, their magic and their magic runes came from ancient words carved on rings and statues, among others.
Ikrouks evolved into different branches over millions of years of evolution, and are today separated into eight categories; the Ook, the Lotlar, the Ssarh, the Izn'ck, the Ehas, the Lumara, the Rakureh, and the Urayite. Each of those subspecies have evolved in very specific biomes and habitat, which in turn has developed unique cultures, languages and needs.
Ikrouks evolved into different branches over millions of years of evolution, and are today separated into eight categories; the Ook, the Lotlar, the Ssarh, the Izn'ck, the Ehas, the Lumara, the Rakureh, and the Urayite. Each of those subspecies have evolved in very specific biomes and habitat, which in turn has developed unique cultures, languages and needs.
Risen Again:
The Third Age
The Third Age
The Third Age of Ikrouk History began when the First King freed the world of the growing festering hunger of the Corruption. Since then, Ikrouk-kind has been stuck in an endless cycle of death and rebirth at the claws of the Corruption, and all our Mother Koth can do, in her great benevolence and kindness, is offer them the tools to keep their world alive; in the form of the Pale Ones, grown to be Kings and Queens. The First King not only freed the world of the Corruption, but also brought the people of Home together. Once divided by landscapes and different cultures and tongues, the King established the first Greater Elder Clans in each country, bringing all the separated people together as one. Today, five millennia later, this tradition of the Greater Elder Clans meeting with the present King is still in place, and wars between races and countries have come to a halt. The First King was viewed as a saviour, and many legends, songs and stories still circulate about him to this day.
The Third Age has seen many leaps in intellectual advances, in technology, culture, arts and quality of life for Ikrouk-kind. Some would consider them more civilized now, but since Ikrouks are so in touch with their world and their habitat, they can still be viewed as animalistic to some third party Outsider. As of today, their technology level would be on par with Renaissance-level technology; they do not use electricity as a form of power, but still rely on fire and locally grown crystals to power their magic-infused tech.
The Third Age has seen many leaps in intellectual advances, in technology, culture, arts and quality of life for Ikrouk-kind. Some would consider them more civilized now, but since Ikrouks are so in touch with their world and their habitat, they can still be viewed as animalistic to some third party Outsider. As of today, their technology level would be on par with Renaissance-level technology; they do not use electricity as a form of power, but still rely on fire and locally grown crystals to power their magic-infused tech.
The Great Beyond and the Outsiders
The Ikrouks are aware that they are not alone in the universe, for they know that the Celestials that watch over them come from the Great Beyond, space. In the year 800 of the Third Age, they made their first contact with Outsiders, with aliens from other worlds who came to meet with this strange, remote planet. Those aliens proved to be of the friendly type, and came merely to observe and learn about this world. Today, in the year 5750 of the Third Age, Etaliari is often visited by Outsiders from the Great Beyond; scholars, scientists, collectors, and the worst of all, poachers. A race of aliens from a nearby world called the Kandraxis often comes to Etaliari in order to kidnap Ikrouks; everything in an Ikrouk is of great value, from the tiniest feather to the smallest bone. A great number of eggs have been taken in the past and sold on the black market, far into the Great Beyond, and it is unknown what became of those lost Ikrouks. The Ikrouks have a no tolerance rule when it comes to Kandraxis; they will kill on sight. When it comes to other races, however, Ikrouks are much more welcoming, and often show themselves curious enough to invite them to their table.
The Ban on Magic:
A Silent War
A Silent War
For a very long time, ever since the Ikrouks entered the Third Age, a feeling of hatred and fear had begun to spread among the people against magic. When they had a more clear understanding of why their world was dying at the claws of Corruption - due to the sorrow of the Lonely One and the remnants of his ancient magic dug deep into the earth - feelings of disdain appeared in many communities toward magic users, those called Witches and Sorcerers. Because magic takes its source from the Old Home, the civilization that existed prior to Ikrouks and the Great Purification, and uses arcane knowledge left behind by the Lonely One, some people believe that using magic contributes to the spread of Corruption, and that magic users will be the first to fall to its claws. Forbidden dark magic was the cause of their world's fall into darkness, it will be the fall of their new world if nothing is done. Under those sorts of speeches, a silent war between anti-magics and Sorcerers took its roots, and even today is continuing. That sentiment is especially felt in Ook territories, where the people are especially fearful of the Corruption due to being so close to the King and the influence of the current Empress, Lady Miassly.
While not an open declared war, the Empress has been known to send Black Hunters to nearby settlements of Sorcerers and "clean them up". These acts have been mostly pushed under the rug by the Ook authorities, and they have also resulted in the Lotlar preferring to keep their distance from these lands, since the Lotlar are most in tune with magic runes than most species. The Empress has forbidden all trafficking of arcane objects of any kind containing any kind of magic runes, and because of that, the black market for these things is booming in other regions, especially Ssarh'isse. Many people find the ban on magic very ironic, because the Black Hunters that the Empress relies so much on are all usually fluent in magic, and rumours say that she is as well... Ironic indeed.
While not an open declared war, the Empress has been known to send Black Hunters to nearby settlements of Sorcerers and "clean them up". These acts have been mostly pushed under the rug by the Ook authorities, and they have also resulted in the Lotlar preferring to keep their distance from these lands, since the Lotlar are most in tune with magic runes than most species. The Empress has forbidden all trafficking of arcane objects of any kind containing any kind of magic runes, and because of that, the black market for these things is booming in other regions, especially Ssarh'isse. Many people find the ban on magic very ironic, because the Black Hunters that the Empress relies so much on are all usually fluent in magic, and rumours say that she is as well... Ironic indeed.