The Eldavirii of legend are both serene and dangerous, possessing an otherworldly allure and talent for blending into humanoid cultures But, those unfortunate enough to enjoy their company risk grave danger, for beneath their calmness patiently waits a predatory hunter, whose hunger can only be sated with the brains of the living.

The Eldavirii language is mysterious. Common has become the standard, taught to the budding generations more openly than their ancient language to equip them for their hunts. The ancient Eldavirii tongue is still used and practiced by most Eldavirii, though. The Old Masters refuse to speak any language but, and will only take on students who can understand them as they speak it -- Eldavirii or no.

A reclusive species are known for blending in more than standing out; one may be in the company of an Eldavirii and not even realize it, dismissing their alienoid features for that of some distant near-human offshoot. However, the species boasts biology of their own completely independent from that of any humanoid species. Eldavirii appear human by most accounts; yes, however, one may identify an Eldaviri by identifying of their defining traits. Most recognizable and prone to strike fear into those knowledgeable are their inverted eyes, void black sclera encases piercing irises that come in a spectrum of colors ranging from gold to lime to ice blue. Eldavirii also possess mute shades of skin, primarily in ashen shades of brown and tan. More minutely distinguishable, they characteristically have flared nostrils and sharp almond-shaped eyes. Their hair is traditionally dark brown or jet black, though pale shades of platinum blonde and silver are not uncommon even in young specimens.

Eldavirii are acutely able-bodied, possibly (probably) due to their cultural standards. Though not physically imposing in height, usually standing around 5'6" - 5'10" ( 1.5 - 1.8 M ) they are a lean and sculpted people, developing hardened muscle from the hunt well before their teenage years. Strength is a necessity, as an Eldavirii will inevitably go on to live physically demanding lives as they hunt sentient prey. To this end, their bodies have adapted distinct feral qualities. For instance, the nails of the fingers and toes can quickly reach a sharp elongated state, made of hardened ebony keratin.

Their body lacks any natural biorhythm, and while having a recognizable thermal signature, does not contain a pulse or heartbeat. This is due to their biology maintaining itself through a vascular system of heart-like "nodes" spread throughout their body instead of relying on one central system for pumping blood. Medical professionals theorize this system is related more closely to plants than any living flesh and blood organism, but studying the Eldaviris biology, due to their lifestyle, is extremely difficult and thus this theory is speculation.

The dietary habits of the Eldavirii are the foundation for their being. Culture, parentage, behavior -- all things that derive from the hunt. Eldavirii feed using tentacles coiled within a cavity within the Eldavirii throat. These tentacles can be swiftly deployed from hiding, ejecting out from an Eldaviri’s throat with deft precision. Eldavirii are capable of maneuvering these appendages with the same familiarity as an arm or a leg, a natural biological function necessary to their survival. Each tentacle possess barbed hooks that serve the purpose of latching onto it’s of prey,once a tentacle latches on it then excrete an enzyme that corrodes flesh and bone. Once the feeding process has begun irreversible damage can be done if one tries to remove them. Feeding is usually done using passage through the nostrils of whatever creature they feed upon, or any open orifice with connection to the brain.

Brains are the nourishment that could sustain the Eldavirii physiology, which required hormones, enzymes and psychic energy that only brain tissue could provide. A strange sensation can often occur where Eldavirii begin to manifest traits and opinions of those whose conscience they devour. Sometimes bits and pieces of their personality begin to take hold of the Eldaviri. Young Eldavirii are taught to repress this phenomena, but stronger personalities are harder to muffle. Within Eldavirii culture feeding on the brains of other intelligent species is the ultimate form of dominance over another creature.

An Eldaviri needs to consume at least one intelligent brain per month in order to remain healthy. Malnourished Eldavirii die after four months of brain deprivation. Once feeding has concluded there is roughly nothing left of the brain. Most prey die within minutes from lack of oxygen to the brain, but in some gruesome instances creatures can survive in a state of dementia over the course of the entire feeding -- during this time they experience violent death spasms and powerful hallucinations.

Eldavirii are capable of eating food, but it has no feeding effect and is usually for the purpose of a false sense of "fulfillment." This is useless to survival, but foods with spongy consistencies can stave off cravings for short periods of time.Despite their unique dietary habit, all Eldaviri must still drink water to survive.

[Talons]

Eldavirii have retractable talons in place of finger and toenails. The claws are naturally sharp and tougher than that of normal human bone structure, allowing Eldavirii to cut through most types of flesh.



[Eternal]

Eldavirii lifespans baffle most modern scholars, reaching the end of their adolescent years just after a century. When Eldavirii are called back to Eldavirii territory to mate or take apprentices, they've usually just reached the peak of half a millennia. The age of the Old Masters is entirely unknown, but some speculate they've breached millennia.

[Regeneration]
Known widely from nightmarish folktales of Eldaviri encounters, many believe that Eldavirii regenerate wounds at an advanced rate. This is true to a fault, as Eldavirii regeneration is triggered after the loss of adrenaline from the body. While useful in recovering from particularly violent battles, Eldavirii cannot regenerate when danger is nearby.

[Absorption]
For Eldavirii, you truly are what you eat. Feasting upon the brain matter of living creatures bestows new knowledge upon that Eldaviri. Average minded meals offer little besides nourishment, but greater minds can offer rapid mental growth and obscure insights into the memories of their meal. This place of expanded conscience is universally referred to by Eldaviri as the Sea of Memories, and the place the Eldaviri's mind drifts to can change based on the memories they devour.

[Enhanced Senses]
Members of this species have been noted as having developed Heightened Senses (often manifesting in increased depth perception, a heightened sense of smell and hearing, as well as a natural night vision).

[Powerful Psionics]
Eldavirii, are known to be an inherently psychics and are known are known to produce powerful Psions who are on par with mages, or in some cases superior.


[Hunger Madness]
The Eldavirii must consume a brain at least once per month. Though this requirement can be overcome, the longer an individual goes without feeding the more likely they will succumb to what is colloquially known as 'hunger madness'. This 'madness' often results in the individual tearing through any populated location, slaughtering and feeding regardless of the species (even turning on their own kind). If an individual gets to this point it becomes a matter of principle that other, Eldavirii put the individual down.

[Endless Hunger]
Once a Eldavirii consumes a sentient victim's brain, there is an ever remaining thirst that grows into addiction; it then becomes a battle of willpower to resist giving into the urges, by fighting their instinctual nature with training and lessons taught to them.

[Mental Health Issues]
Mental maladies are often seen developing in older more "ancient" members of the species. Those who do not undergo a routine hibernation period to rest and restore themselves, are often at a higher rate for developing mental health issues (such as Alzheimer's and dementia).

[Low drug tolerance]
An oddity of the species is how mind altering stimulants (no matter the variant) affects their biological capabilities. Stimulants in all its variants appears to adversely affect individuals of the species. While accidental contact with drugs suppresses the healing abilities of a member of the species for a few hours, continued ingestion (forced or otherwise) will eventually completely shut off the healing capabilities of an individual until the spice is flushed from their system.

While Eldavirii mating is notably similar to the traditions and practice of humanoid mating, there are small differences. Eldavirii usually choose mates based on who will provide the most capable young; sexually active, athletic men and women are favored, as they will usually bear worthy younglings. Superb vigor more than wealth or status appeal to potential Eldavirii lovers, even in regards to interspecies relationships. Dominance is also highly sought after, as this is seen as a trait of good fertility, but not to the point of arrogance, which is an extremely unattractive flaw by Eldavirii standards. Eldavirii are also particular in choosing their mate due to a high infertility rate caused by their long life spans. Eldavirii breed at a stunted rate when compared to most creatures, producing only one offspring over the course of hundreds of years, if lucky. Because of this, Eldavirii repopulation is a very selective and sacred process. An Eldavirii can mate for pleasure, but procreation is viewed as an honored blessing.While Eldavirii are equipped to mate with other species, due to variation in biology they cannot produce offspring with them. There are no half-Eldavirii.

Eldavirii are slow to change. They may be slow to find humor in a joke or slow to get over anger after being wronged. They're a race with a high capacity for holding a grudge, and those they consider close will remain that way for a lifetime. This slow pace of change is attributed to a smaller spectrum of emotional availability than other humanoid species. Eldavirii don't display emotion outwardly, and are perpetually locked in a state of hollow neutrality. If an Eldavirii doesn't vocally tell one their emotions they may not even know their state of mind. They speak with a trance-like calmness, and beyond naturally responding anger are rare to show their true feelings. An Eldaviri may laugh with only a smirk, and cry without changing their facial expression at all. They're not cruel, but their nature as an aberration makes them strange in social settings compared to most mundane crowds. All Eldavirii learn to faithfully mimic the culture of whatever humanoid community they choose to burrow into, but without the facade of their character it can be hard to relate.

Again, it is important to note that Eldavirii are not vacant, they actually feel emotions very deeply. Their emotional neutrality is due in equal parts to culture, biology and the fear of outlasting most things that could possibly have an emotional impact. They see other creatures as fleeting, guarding themselves from attachment to minimize the impact of inevitably losing them to time. Some are so attuned to their relationships that the loss of loved ones can cause centuries long pain and remorse, which is hurtful to the hunt.

Eldavirii culture has also grown around a mantra of neutrality. All things will be lost to the eons, governments will crumble and rise again like the trees; nothing holds true significance. Only survival is true, creatures are born to die and life is generally viewed as a means to continue the Eldavirii species as a whole. Seeing their proud people fade away to time is the only true fear of the Eldavirii. This is not a strict view, but a widely accepted one.

The Eldavirii people, if unified, could create a fighting force unrivaled by any within the entire world, or so they believe. This strength will never be seen, however, as Eldavirii are fiercely independent, and see each other mostly as competition in the hunt. Self sufficiency is a staple of their culture. Children are taught self sufficiency early, as they are forced to leave the planet in search of prey for most of their young adult lives. Seclusion and scrutiny is engraved into their being, and some can go years before fully trusting a person as friend. To Eldavirii, patience is a true virtue. Many Eldavirii have spent their long lives learning and mastering their crafts, from the art of painting to the art of combat. Their long lives serve to make them truly adept at what they put their mind to, but the limitations of their cultural beliefs usually dwarf their understanding of most civilized concepts. An Eldaviri may never come to understand the routine of city-living, they may never know empathy for living creatures or how to even operate a speeder. In few words, they can be reliably described as ancient children, becoming masters in some forms and infantilizing themselves in more mundane ways. Over centuries Eldavirii have to learn to cope with solitude, as joining societies and making friends are slim possibilities. Most sentient creatures look down upon the Eldavirii as vile parasites. Though many Eldavirii look past their hunter culture, and when leaving their homeland’s cruel culture choose simple lives, though the stigma still plagues them.

Strengths

• Self-sufficient
• Disciplined
• Cunning
• Meticulous
• Determined

Weaknesses

• Felonius
• Reclusive
• Naive
• Addictive
• Skeptical

Eldavirii architecture may range from exquisite to utilitarian. Most newly established families opt to carve their homes in the shadow of grander palaces. Regardless of stature, Eldavirii traditionally carve their homes from mountain stone, though some lowland clans will make wood homes within the crimson forests. The longest lived families will have their homes decorated with jade, sapphire and ruby, among other lavish materials. Inevitably, the average home will house only tens of Eldavirii, as their population usually doesn't constitute families of more than twenty or so.

They are a warrior culture. Life for a Eldavirii is fully devoted to training in the hunt, so that at the day of adulthood a young Eldaviri may leave well prepared to seek prey among the civilized creatures out the world . So comes the importance of the Old Masters: ancient assassin masters returned to Eldavirii homeland to seek only the most worthy apprentices. Strength and wisdom, representing mastery of mind and body, show great mastery. Such masterful pupils are sought after as the leaders of the next generation of Eldavirii, and masters will seek far and wide among the scattered provinces of Eldaviri before settling on a new flock to teach. Many, however, do not seek, instead waiting in meditation for their worthy successors to trek to their forgotten monasteries and skyward palaces.

Once apprentices find shelter within the stone halls of an Old Master's palace, they will spend a night at rest -- for the rest of their young life will be spent tired. From sunrise to sunset, nearly a century will be spent training. Pupils are taught the martial way, trained in making weapons of intellect and hands. When the body is sharpened, they will move on to weapons stealth, and then psionics the deadliest course of learning. Trials will test young Eldaviri to their limits, and once broken they are born once more. Never again will they rely on another creature to find life, never again will they let morality cloud their judgement.

The history of the Old Masters and the upbringing of Eldavirii has created a belief of neutrality. All things will fade in time. Kingdoms will rise and fall time and time again like trees, and wars will burn all, a sacred sign of rebirth. In all of this, Eldavirii will survive. From their misty peaks the Eldavirii have watched the progression of the eons, accepting that good and bad, light and dark, were concepts newly formed with the arrival of civilization.

There are many varied schools of martial training among Eldavirii Old Masters, often learned from the natural power of bestial predators. Examples of traditional styles include Wind Discipline, taught by Old Master Iyen and Claw of Nexu, taught by Old Master Najara and the Assassination Fist taught by Old Master Goken . No matter what discipline young Eldavirii apprentices are taught, they all utilize Ki, a school of psionics used to strengthen the body allowing the Eldavirii to access supernatural strength and speed. Training also includes use of the blade and throwing knives as tools of defense and assassination alike.

There is no pantheon of Eldavirii deities. Eldavirii honor the elements, and live with the belief that fate and the cosmos are one in the same, both pulling at the strings of reality and guiding life on an unknown path. Trees and circles are symbolic norms in Eldavirii meditation and spirituality; the Trees mirroring the workings of the mind and it's billions of possible pathways, and circles representing the completion of the self -- balance.

Violent death plays an antagonistic role in Eldavirii culture. One religious Eldavirii ritual is to clean oneself thoroughly after being near death or killing. One must be clean of not only the danger of the death, but the essence of it, to avoid it.

The recollection of Eldavirii's past is steeped in mystery, with most accounts coming from folklore. Some apprentices to the Old Masters are fortunate enough to hear stories from an ancient past, but most are braggadocious recounts of fictitious duels. The truth is, the loss of Eldavirii's history is mostly the fault of the Eldavirii people themselves. Their lack of community has dispersed any records to superstition and lost legends. Some claim the Eldavirii are a race from a different world entirely, some claim the Eldavirii were the first species to gain sentience, others claim they are a muntant sub species of vampires. The Eldavirii care little; the past, present and future are all one in the same, as is generally believed. The only way is forward, and that is the direction the Eldavirii choose to walk on their path.