Aethen (Ayy-then) are one of the more common races in Magience. Other than the Elf race, they're the most human-like. They're the second most popular of the 7 playable base races, mainly due to their wings and the chance of learning to glide or even (rarely) fly at higher levels. Their main stat is "Wisdom". Collectively they are known as "The Gentle Healers", and aren't known for being particularly combat-oriented.
An Aethen Chibi, as drawn by Faewild.
Appearance[]
Aethen seem very much like an average human. They vary from 5 feet to 6 and 1/2 feet tall fully grown. Really, the only difference they have from ahuman being are their small wings, visible over the shoulder. These wings can be anything from feathered to bat-like, and stronger (read: higher leveled) Aethen can use magic to make them grow, allowing for flight. Weaker Aethen (lower leveled) can only hover.
Their skin tones can be any earth-toned shade: tan, brown, or olive are the most common. Their hair can be any shade of brown, black, or blonde; redheads are uncommon, and despite the name, the hair color is closer to being orange than red. Eyes can be green, brown, blue or grey, or any shade inbetween those four. In short, other than their wings, their anatomy is completely human.
When it comes to clothing, they dress modestly and plainly, not using overly bright colors or obnoxious patterns. Most of them prefer to go barefoot, though the ones who travel tend to wrap their feet with cloth or bandages to protect them from the elements.
An Aethen concept sheet, by Faewild.
Culture[]
Aethen are led by a council of 7 elected leaders, which are switched out every 10 years. Councilmen (which are called as such regardless of actual gender) can only serve once every other term, so once they're switched out they must wait until the term after theirs is over before they can apply to be a Councilman again. Councilmen are held in high regard, but other than voting on important subjects they are no different from an average citizen and they only make enough money on their salaries to live by, not profit.
Aethen don't believe in profit. They don't live in squalor, but neither do they have large mansions or castles or fancy cities. They believe in living for the sake of living, not living for material wealth, and so most of the money any individual Aethen earns tends to go towards charity or helping the needy. For their kind and selfless mindset, the Aethen are highly regarded by most other races; most races would never dream of hurting an Aethen, since most cultures believe it's bad luck.
Names[]
Aethen names tend to be plain and simple, and their surnames usually have something to do with birds. They're the ones most likely to have first names that sound curiously, modernly human.
Varieties[]
There are many different varieties of Aethen, the following are just a small set of examples.
Cherubi often have fluffy feathered wings, usually white or black in color though brown has been known to show up from time to time. The smallest of the three.
Seraphi tend to be taller than average, and some have an extra set of wings. Seraphi tend to have more aggressive tendencies (by Aethen standards, at least), so if you see a Warrior Aethen it's most likely one of these.
Ophani are the rarest of the three. They have bat-like wings, unlike the other two. For some reason, these Aethen tend to be a little unusual and quirky.
Racial Abilities / Flaws[]
There are many different abilities/flaws tied to Aethen, the following are just a small set of examples.
Mystic Talent - 50% faster mana recovery, -50% mana use when casting support or healing spells.
Shared Pain - Shares damage and healing amongst those who have the ability activated on them, splitting the total damage into equal shares for each person. (For 3 people, the damage is split into thirds. For 5 people, it's split into fifths.) The ability can be activated at will once every 6 hours, or automatically if the Aethen's health drops to 30%.
Faint Glow - The Aethen gives off a faint glow. The light they generate is not enough to illuminate anything other than themselves, and is much easier to see in the dark. The glow is brighter the healthier they are, a person in low health would have a very faint glow. +5% to vision limiting percentages, -50% to stealth when active.
Hollow Bones - Lowers the weight limit of the character, but makes them more fragile, increasing the chance of fractured bones. Cannot wear heavy armor.
Nurturer - Healing spells recover 50% more health when used on others, whether they're in a party together or not.
Shifting Karma - Doing good deeds gets Aethen a bonus of 1-50% to their luck stat for at least an hour, up to a week. They also receive penalties to luck when they do something malicious or self serving, 5-80% less for at least a full day, up to a month. The bonus/penalty and length thereof usually corresponds to the act. This ability does not apply to any harm done to mobs or in self-defence. It also stacks, so you can build up lots of luck by doing a lot of stuff. You can only build it up time-wise, though. Quality averages out. (Example: Do one big thing for 24 hours of +20% luck and then do 3 small things for 1 hour of +5% and you'd end up with 27 hours of +9%.)
Flock Mentality - Aethen gain +25% to all stats when in a party with other Aethen or Ayviah.