As a subspecies of Humanity, the Kavosh no longer carry a singular cohesive structure to their tongue. Most would consider 'Ozkavosh', the language they speak, dead in all terms of the word, used only by the scholarly who study the ancient texts offered by ruins and aging collections of notorious mages. Generally, Kavosh speak the local language they were born around, with a strong emphasis on Trade or Common since these are the most prolific and expanded linguistics of the modern age.

Still, for those that look into the language, they'll notice various things. The language itself is harsh, with 'Ch' sounds coming out with a guttural flourish, 'Sh' a common sound, and written with Z's over much of its vernacular. The primary terminology for one's self in the language, for example, would be 'Ozh', which is to imply ones self, such as I, me, or myself, along with possessives such as mine. 'Izh', referring to other person or their possession, you, him, her, etc.

Generally, the language carries a large plethora of terms and mentions, though much of it has been lost to history itself. Because of this, even scholar's can't decipher the true nature of the language, however there are rumors abound that a 'pure blood' Kavosh is often able to read tomes that would otherwise be unreadable in the native tongue, though no instances of this have been recorded to date.

Language Reference:

Ozkavosh (Alt)​

Generally, the Kavosh look and act similar to humans in almost every aspect. Bipedal, with varying heights and sizes, but where human's experience a wide variety of appearances and presences, the Kavosh are often rather mundane in nature.

More pure form Kavosh, those born of less deluded blood, are often gifted hazel hair or dark locks of varying brown; this being a relatively mundane defining feature of the species as a whole. Their skin is pale, their lips matching, and they generally experience nothing that makes them stand out, albeit one feature; Each Kavosh, regardless of blood percentage or purity, have the dominating genetic trait of pale eyes. As though cataracts had targeted strictly the iris, each offers a pale display if grey that fills out much of their eye, almost blending in with the sclera perfectly in more grand displays of the trait.

It is these ghostly eyes that have given them the name 'Pale-Eyes' in various communities, the defining trait of demonized humans left to rot in shallow graves more often than naught.

As far as general features, the Kavosh are able to differentiate depending on their parents, just as the human's due. There aren't real restrictions, however they generally carry thin faces and well defined bone structure; from cheekbones to jawline, the variety in the face is relatively simple, as geometry seems to take the commanding role in defining their features; though as said before, these are easily able to fade or change depending on parental imposition.​

Just as humans, their root species, the Kavosh are generally adaptable in all walks of life, though they carry a certain affinity for more urbanized, temperate climates over any other. The reason for such is all but unknown, but you're far more likely to find a Kavosh within lands like Elbion or the coasts than you would somewhere near The Forbidden City or tundras. That doesn't discount them from such places, only that they don't carry the outright audacity of their cousins to spit in the face of nature as a whole.

The rarity of the Kavosh in generally however don't allow them the luxury of simply choosing where they wish to exist, and while they may historically prefer temperate coastal areas, if one is born in the tundra then they simply have no choice but to adapt, and often adapt they will. However, it is no different than a human who is exposed to such enviroments if otherwise accustomed to a more accepting climate, rather than the extremes of either.

Overall, the Kavosh don't find a huge difference in habitat than humans, though certainly prefer the salty sea air and a nice warm sunrise.​

The Kavosh are a mysterious, unknown people with a singular defining trait that has made them feared and hated for centuries. Every Kavosh at the age of three months, begins to exhibit traits of sorcerers many years their superior; but with none of the experience to contain such. There is no identifiable reason as to why it appears to young, and so potently, but it is a dangerous ability that gives the Kavosh a certain advantage in the world of magic, and a disadvantage in the realm of reality.

Kavosh are able to summon magic many times greater than their contemporaries for the same relative cost as defined by the rules of magic, taking this experience and pressing it into most arcane applications. With this, Kavosh have a tendency to be able to burn twice as bright, but half as long; taking the metaphor of a candle very literally. While Kavosh have traditional mana pools and reserves of arcane energy, their ability to rush through it in moment’s notice allow for far aggrandized spells, amplified unfortunately, by emotion. This means that an untrainted Kavosh may be able to commit themselves to large spells they wouldn’t normally be able to cast, but without proper training they will almost always kill themselves from the exertion; the natural course of such being that first mana or arcane energy is used, followed by sacrifices of the flesh, and finally of the soul, meaning that an untrained Kavosh attempting to use their powers will almost always suffer from a ‘blooded’ spell, that which takes from them their body in some form. Even more trained Kavosh suffer this greatly, and make them notoriously likely to kill themselves, or lose control of spells and kill those around them.

This fear stems less from the aged Kavoshians however, and more from the youth, but the reputation sticks regardless. Rumored to be a curse, when a Kavoshian begins to express their magical prowess they are almost always likely to kill themselves, or those around them. Children under three especially are susceptible to this, as an emotional fit will cause them to unknowingly draw upon the magics of the realm, and if unable to calm themselves they will see fit to lay waste to their home, if not the surrounding homes; all by accident. This is only for those that are born with excessive mana pools, as the breeding Kavoshians now undergoe often leaves them with smaller than average reserves arcane energy reserves, which will see them burn though suck in the blink of an eye, and instantly move to the sacrifice of flesh. A ‘blooded’ spell committed by these lesser Kavoshians generally do nothing but move air, but will always end with the death of the child; sacrificed to their own spell with nothing to show for it.

With this in mind, Kavoshians as a whole have been considered ‘demons’ or ‘omens’, looked down upon by most standard religions and cultures of the realm. Children born in hamlets showing even the mildest signs of discontempt or fits will be lynched, sometimes even before they have a chance to express their magical potency, making Kavoshian’s almost strictly populating the more progressive epicenters of society that don’t look towards lynching or kangaroo courts as the norm; and live their lives out of rational than fear. This however, has made the Kavoshians excessively rare, and more often told as boogeyman stories for the ‘Pale-Eye’ed’ Ghosts that wander the continent, looking for the next city to level.

Diminishing in population, the Kavosh are now nearly extinct, but for reasons less of genetic muddling and so much as their infant mortality rate. The Kavosh genetics dominate other species, making any spawn of a Kavosh a ‘Half’ Kavoshian, continuing on until that specific lineage has been killed off. These half-breeds could be considered watered down in the sense they neither have the same power as the ancestral Kavoshians, nor the same drawbacks, all of their traits expressed to a far lesser degree. However, when two half-breeds have a child, a ‘Pure’ form can be achieved, that which expresses the traits of both its parents, and doubles up the danger of its potency. These are extremely rare as the Kavoshian lineages are waning further with each concurrent generation, and even more rare that they survive past the age of five.

All together, the Kavoshians are a subspecies that are feared by the many and told to children as the curses of gods they’ve never met. Their potency in magic is greater than other traditional races, along with their affinity to learn such, however because of the raw strength of their power they often see it fit to commit to spells far more often than other mages; easier to slip into overexertion than any other, and see themselves left a muddled, gory mess from casting something that felt possible, but was really many leagues above their ability. Novice Kavoshian mages are considered the sprinters of the arcane world, known for their quick, exciting burn, but not their longevity.​

History doesn't shine brightly on the pale light of the Kavosh, as they have been sent to the annals of history's darkest corners with extreme prejudice.

Originating from the lost island of The Kavosh Polis; the Kavoshian people have no actual home to speak of. No ‘Falwood’ as the elves have, no ‘Blightlands’ for the Orcs, only the vast expanse of Arethil as a whole; losing any sense of national identity in the process. However, there was indeed a small island in the Akiva Sea that these people originated from, beginning as an alcove of the world’s most advanced mages and scholars researching the fringes of magical understanding. This secluded Mage Order were known as the Ozkavosh, forcing the name to stick long after.

While once none of the race suffered from the odd amplifications of the Kavosh’s now iconic genetic markers, this innocence was lost in the face of pushing the understanding of magic farther than reality would allow. When the husk of an Ancient was found near the Falwood; the entire island became focused on studying the only known corpse of the primordials that came before. The process in which they studied it isn’t known, likely still residing in untouched archives on the Kavosh Polis.

However, the result is what became important and a marker for the Kavosh’s history. Through their machinations, they discovered a process in which they were able to inject the Ancient’s genetic ability into their own, taking on even a portion of the great strength of the old race. This was a boon in the short term, as the sudden jolt of magical prowess allowed their experiments to push the limits they had faced prior; but issues began to arise as the long term downsides became more obvious. The once healthy islander’s children had become monsters; pulling, twisting, and drawing on magic in ways they never had before.

The reality of their once short time boon became evident, as infant mortality skyrocketed to a near 95%; leaving the island’s future disposed, and its inhabitants unruly, there was a choice to be made. Members of the island began to leave, expecting the worse to come, and in time it would. The people had risen up against the standing guild master, a man once known as ‘Hieronymus Kish’, forcing the island in a short lived civil war. While some were able to leave before the Guild Master enacted a fail safe, the island was eventually lost to a massive storm created by Hieronymus.

This storm has concealed the island for millenia, the magical currents so rampant from the battle that had taken place there that its very earthen foundations shift and mold according to unknown laws. Ships who come across it see only a blackened city, shrouded by the massive supercell of a storm; leaving only a single entrance utilized many years prior by the facilities inhabits. A portal stone that lies dormant, though with an unfound activator portal stone situated somewhere along the coast of the Akiva Sea.​

"Ever seen a wee babe taken by the winds of magic? Their flesh peeled from their skin with nothing but its crying husk left to greet ya? I have, and its terrifying, but I've heard even worse from those children who survive..." - Villager Outside Alliria

Myth speaks of an island race from the Akiva Sea, who lost their home to a curse that took their entire people with it. Once thought to be gifted by the gods themselves, the truth of the matter was lost to history along with the supposed location of the island; though myth has persisted in campfire stories and treasure hunter’s conspiracies. Often spoken of at sea by the Akiva Sea regulars, rumors with varying degrees of truth have persisted for eons, literal millenia to skew the truth of the island known as The Kavosh Polis.

Some speak of an island shrouded in a constant storm, turbulent fog and rogue waves striking down any ship that veers to close; leaving nothing but a distant silhouette, the harshest echo of ‘The Black City’ in the distance. This has left many to believe treasures of exceptional quality lay on the island, but despite all those who claim to have seen it any attempt to map out its location have been for naught; as if the very island itself moves about by unknown means. Because of this, it has been cast off as a reality, and left to more the legend surrounding the race than fact by scholars.

However, the race itself is known very well compared to its origins or history. Generally considered cursed, the Kavosh have never held their own country, neighborhood, or even ghetto in todays harsh racial climate. Their numbers too few, much of the world lives without ever seeing a Kavoshian, but many hear the rumors that come with them. Talk of children killing themselves in ‘blooded’ spells, blasting their organs and sinew on nearby walls; but even more speak of the few brutal cases where a child with uncontrolled abilities levels a city block in a fit of rage. This natural affinity to magic has created a vast stigma to the race as a whole; forcing most to live in larger population centers with more liberal populations, or strictly off the beaten road in feral wilderness.

With no place to go to, and a high price on the slave markets for their prowess, Kavosh are generally looked down upon by the vast members of society, but this has not stopped many warlords, kings, and even emperors throughout history to have sought them out. While most peasantry consider them a curse, the nobles of the land often look to the few Kavosh in society as a diamond in the dirt; the chance to have an exceptional mage in the court is an opportunity few pass up. So much so, some propose that places like Amol Kalit and Vel Anir actually buy slaves of the Kavosh to make up Dreadlord legions and magical brigades.​