Races

[J A Y]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LWSqSNpIToc/TYZTxT60WjI/AAAAAAAAAUg/kX0kRj5ZB6k/BlackWood.jpg); width: 437px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30;] THE RACES The following types of races are found in Alagaësia and the surrounding regions: - Humans: The human race was not native to Alagaësia; along with the elves and the Urgals, humans came from some unknown continent across the Western Sea in ages past. The first twenty humans landed in what later became Surda; however, according to Orik Thrifksson, these humans merely came to visit. It is held among the dwarves that "the humans had completely forgotten us by [the time they returned in 7203 A.C.], except for vague stories about hairy-men-of-the-mountains that preyed upon children in the night." In the preface of Heslant the Monk's Domia Abr Wyrda, it is said that these humans who visited in 5596 A.C. exchanged gifts with the dwarves, then left. Humans live to about 80 years, but sometimes can exceed that. They range in height from about 5' to 6'5'' in height. They are generally considered unequal to other species but show amazing talent is sorcery and magic. - Dragon riders: The Dragon Riders (Shur'tugal in the Ancient Language) were a coalition of elves and dragons formed at the end of Du Fyrn Skulblaka to forge peace and order between the elves and dragons. The Riders were created because treaties between the two races would prove useless to stop fighting: a signed piece of paper meant nothing to a dragon. So, an irrevocable bond was wrought by the elves and the dragons; the elves provided the structure of the spell and the dragons provided the strength, thus creating the Dragon Riders. When a fleet of humans sailed across the sea thousands of years later, they too were added to the elite order of the Dragon Riders. The role of the Riders became more than uniting the Elves and Dragons: they became keepers of the peace throughout the land of Alagaësia, and were respected and honored by the people they served. There were both male and female Riders[1], all of whom were able to use magic. The Riders not only were peacekeepers, they were healers, scholars and the strongest magicians throughout the land besides Shades (though they didn't promote that they were strong magicians). - Elves: Elves were a race of beings who migrated to Alagaësia from Alalëa in the distant past; around 5217 AC. Humanoid in appearance, they had noticeably angular features, slanting eyebrows, and pointed ears, and a feline face; they were generally tall and always slim, and were, according to legend, the fairest people of the land, partly because of the physical transformation caused by the dragons' influence on them (and were thus called the Fair Folk). Most elves were more greatly gifted with magic than the other races, and had an innate knowledge of their true names, thus being more powerful than other races. Elves possessed inhuman strength and speed. It was said by Brom that even the weakest elf can overpower any human with ease. Elves mainly prefer to use a bow and arrow, spears, and swords (though all well-crafted swords were created by the elf Rhunön), rarely "bothering" to make any other kind of weapons. They were exceptional swordfighters, and during the Siege of Feinster two elves held off over a hundred swordsmen. The Elves had special skills of working with metal but they never shared them with any other race. They also had a natural affinity with nature, and could bend it to their will, though they respected it greatly. Also, all elves had amazing gifts with singing; they could use it to weave a spell, uphold a spell like at the Blood-Oath Celebration, or just for leisure, however their songs always held some meaning or power. - Dwarves: Dwarves (Knurlan in Dwarvish, singular knurla and Dvergar in the Ancient Language once known to all creatures) were one of the only races native to Alagaësia. Known as lovers of rock and stone, dwarves had a long lifespan and often lived in large, underground cities in the Beor Mountains. One of the most famous dwarf cities was located in Farthen Dûr ("Our Father" in dwarvish). The city itself, Tronjheim, was the secret hiding place of the Varden up until the Battle under Farthen Dûr. The dwarves had many clans such as the Dûrgrimst Az Sweldn rak Anhûin and the Dûrgrimst Ingeitum. With the fall of the Empire the Dwarves were accepted into the Dragon Riders along with the Urgals. Before elves and humans came into Alagaësia, the dwarves and dragons fought in many battles against each other. Though never escalating into a full-scale war, these battles nevertheless left the two races with a rivalry. The dwarves were not a part of the blood-oath pact between elves, men, and dragons. As a result, it was impossible for a dwarf to become a Dragon Rider. During Galbatorix's uprising, however, this proved to be something of a blessing, because the dwarves escaped the downfall of the Riders and the subsequent havoc wreaked by the new king and his minions. The dwarves were split into thirteen distinct, miniature societies called clans. Each clan had its own clan chief, who was a member of the Council. The thirteen clan chiefs were responsible for electing a king; the king was the final authority over all the clans. - Dragons: Dragons were sentient creatures that roamed freely in the land of Alagaësia. They were the mounts and life-long companions of the Dragon Riders. Apart from werecats, spirits, Nïdhwal, and Lethrblaka, dragons were the only known intelligent non-humanoid species. The dragons of Alagaësia were reptilian, with scales, sharp teeth, bat-like membraned wings. and a tongue that covered with hooked barbs.They could develop the ability to breathe fire as they matured. Their color varied from dragon to dragon, and there appeared to be some variation in features between different colored dragons, but all dragon colors were the same species. For example, Saphira, a blue dragon, possesses four cheek spikes, slightly curved horns, and two forehead spikes while Thorn, a red dragon, had wide, crescent-shaped horns, and two cheek spikes. Glaedr, who was gold, had six cheek spines, crooked horns, and a beard. According to Brom, dragons could grow to be "larger than most houses" and that some older dragons could be confused with large hills. They were connected to the land in strange ways, that sometimes even they could not control. This is shown when Saphira touched Zar'roc with her muzzle, and when she turned Brom's grave to diamond. Dragon eggs tended to be the same color as the dragon's scales, as did the color of their Rider's magic. Their scales were very strong, capable of deflecting arrows, even on the underbelly. The wings were the weakest part on their body, composed of only a thin membrane of flesh. Females tend to be more aggressive, vain, and stronger than males, as Saphira often calls herself the "most beautiful creature in all of Alagaësia", as well as attacking Glaedr when he opposes to mate with her. Glaedr himself said that in the wild, the "females were so formidable". Not all dragons had matching color for their eyes and hide, but all did possess long, barbed tongues. All dragons ate meat, especially deer and other ungulates. The dragons were similar to other creatures, namely the Nïdhwalar and the Fanghur who were said by Glaedr to be "cousins of the dragons". The Lethrblaka were also said to resemble the dragons somewhat appearance-wise. Dragons hatched from eggs. When first hatched, they were the size of an average house cat, but grew rapidly. When dragons reached about six months old, they gained the ability to breathe fire. Predators by nature, they hunted large animals, with an occasional fish or fowl and some plants, such as Fireweed, which eased bad breath and indigestion. Dragons started to mate when they were young. They were unfading and did not die, unless by wounds in battle or by sickness. If they had a Rider, they could live on after their Rider's death (ex: Glaedr, Oromis's dragon, lived on after Oromis died), though it was usually unwillingly or if they died and retreated to their Eldunari . It was believed that there was no limit to a dragon's size, as they grew continuously. Brom said that the most ancient dragons could be confused for hills or small mountains because of their size. When the Unbound Dragons delivered one of their eggs to the Riders, certain words were said over it. These ensured that the dragon would only hatch for the one destined to be its Rider. When a dragon's Rider was ever killed, they would go on rampage to avenge their death. Afterwards, they often died from grief. If they so chose to, after dying they could retain their conscious mind in their Eldunarí, or their jeweled "heart of hearts". This allowed anyone with the Eldunarí - if the dragon gave it up to someone - to speak to the dragon and draw energy from them. The dragons could give up their Eldunarí and still live on until the dragon died. It was revealed by the elf Oromis that Galbatorix, during his rebellion, acquired all the Eldunarí from the dragons he killed, which was the source of his amplified power. It assumed he may have given some of them to Murtagh, which explained his increased power and Thorn's speedy growth. However, though Galbatorix did collect all the avalible eggs and Eldunari, there were many hidden in the Vault of Souls underneith the place the riders and dragons dwelled, which Galbatorix was oblivious of. - Nïdhwal: Nïdhwalar were huge, intelligent creatures living in the Western Sea. Glaedr compared them with the Fanghur and called them "cousins of the dragons". They were described as being closer to dragons than Fanghur in terms of intelligence, and like Fanghur, could use the power of their minds to incapacitate their prey. They had structures similar to the dragons' Eldunarí, which allows them to remain submerged at great depths for extended periods of time. The Riders tried to negotiate with them, but they always failed when they tried. They are cannibalistic and have even been known to eat Dragons, to which they do not consider themselves alike. They were said to be rare by the 8th millenium AC because of this, and were rarely spoken of. Their heads were long and angular and they had tendrils that were about six feet in length. Their jaws were large enough for a horse and rider to pass through unscathed and were filled with hundreds of glinting white teeth. They had giant oar shaped flippers coming off their chests. - Ra'zac: The Ra'zac (or Lethrblaka when full-grown) were one of the several ancient races that were thought to have followed the humans across the sea to Alagaësia. They were a race that fed on humans and likely came from the same homelands. Ra'zacs' breath have the power to paralyze humans in a dream-like state, however, it barely clouds the minds of dwarves and is ineffective against elves altogether. The last two Ra'zac to live before the extinction of their race in Alagaësia (as well as the remaining two Lethrblaka) were servants of Galbatorix, living in their black towers at Helgrind. They were used by King Galbatorix to investigate any rumors of dragons who might have escaped the downfall of the Dragon Riders. They were called by some the king's personal "dragon hunters." They were especially effective against Dragon Riders because their minds were shielded from mental powers. Unbeknownst to the main characters, Galbatorix hid several Ra'zac eggs throughout Alagaësia, though the only ones found were beneath Dras-Leona. These two were destroyed and killed shortly after hatching by Solembum. However, more were found and they were allowed to live. Now, the Ra'zac are as plentiful as they were during the time of Galbatorix's reign, but instead of hunting humans they are under a pact that prevents them from consuming human flesh besides that of the sacrifices from their worshipers. - Lethrblaka: Lethrblaka is the adult form of the Ra'zac. In the Ancient Language, their name means "Leather flapper". They could hunt anything in Alagaësia. Oromis stated in Eldest that it was strongly believed by the Riders that the Lethrblaka had followed the humans to Alagaësia. Only two of these creatures survived the Ra'zac War. The humans tried to eradicate the Ra'zac and Lethrblaka as quickly as possible. Two Lethrblaka escaped and laid eggs. The remaining Ra'zac and Lethrblaka (two of each) worked for King Galbatorix because he made a deal with them to work for him in exchange for their favorite food (humans). Oromis stated that they are cruel, twisted creatures, somewhat similar to dragons. However, they are described as being something akin to a twisted, cunning, evil dragon, and are probably not actually related to dragons. They had tight corded muscles, large, leathery wings, very strong hind legs, a thick hide, a beak "seven feet long" (according to the book), and eyes the size of a grown man's fist, with no pupil or iris. Its body had the appearance of a starved, furless dog. From the description in Eldest, the Lethrblaka slightly resemble a Pterosaur, only with four legs. Their blood is blue-green.Their appearance has some similarities to the Ra'zac. They both have beaks, black eyes and they have no eyelids. - Werecats: Werecats are sentient creatures with shapeshifting abilities, being able to take on the appearance of either a human or a large, shaggy cat. Whether they migrated to Alagaësia or were native to the land was unknown. They were quite rare; the few who were alive during Eragon's time did not often reveal themselves. Werecats were said to be very smart and dangerous at times. - Urgals: Urgals (or Urgralgra in their language),[1] were a race of sentient creatures that inhabit Alagaësia. In the first book they had been forced by Durza into the service of Galbatorix, they are considered evil by most humans, but are not inherently so. Though most are uneducated in the normal definition of the word, they make up for this with brute strength, exceptional combat and commanding skills. They were used as expendable "shock troops" of Galbatorix's army. The Urgal language is a simple, guttural language. Only a few phrases are known to outsiders, and most of those are related to war and combat. Angela, the herbalist, is one of few who can speak their language. As with other races, and ignorantly dismissed by dwarves and humans , they are capable of using magic . With the fall of the Empire the Urgals were made Dragon Riders along with the Dwarves. Urgals are roughly humanoid in appearance, with grayish skin, bowed legs, and thick arms. They have yellow, piggish eyes, claws on their hands in place of nails, and a pair of long, twisted horns protruding from above their ears. Urgals can be anywhere from six to nine feet tall; an Urgal's height depends mostly on heredity though environmental factors may play a role. Urgals usually have seven toes on each foot as Dwarves do, a similarity that Eragon observes when traveling with Nar Garzhvog, although both rather believe it be the creativity of their gods than any possible relation. In the film, they are portrayed as barbaric, primitive humans. Although Humans and Dwarves think them merely bloodthirsty beasts, according the Heslant the Monk, Urgal dams (mothers) care well for their young. Their entire culture revolves around violence and physical strength; one's prestige being directly connected with how many kills one had or how many opponents they had beaten in combat as well as their size and the size of their horns. Thier horns actually are a sign of pride, if an urgal were to lose his horns it would be considered being stripped of his being and manhood. On average Urgals have lifespans similar to humans, they are stronger, faster and can run for much longer distances than any human or dwarf. This, as can be observed, makes them subject to tales of beasts among other species. - Half-breeds: Half breeds are, as their name states, one race crossed with another. Say, an elf and a human or a dwarf and a human. The half-breeds share the attributes of both races. Their abilities and appearance can vary greatly, depending on what two races were crossed. For example, an elf and human half-breed may have the elven speed and strength, but hold the physical appearance of any other human. Or a human ans Ra'zac half-breed may hold the dark, blue-ish black skin of the Ra'zac with a human's face and can breathe the same paralyzing gas that a Ra'zac does, only choosing when it does and doesn't release the gas from their lungs. Also, the abilities and appearance varies greatly from individual to individual. One elf-human may look like a human with elven abilities, while another may look like an elf and have human abilities. Half-breeds are very rare, seeing as the single races tend to keep to themselves when it comes to reproduction.

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