Races

## Farkhan

First, there was life. It is said that Sylos was formed in the blink of an eye, almost as if it were a new memory of The One. Just as a person would create a new memory with a new experience, Sylos was formed in an instant. The first species was the **Farkhan**. While the Farkhan may look like humans in appearance and at first glance, one will notice distinct features once up close. First and probably the most apparent, is their yellow glowing eyes. This is due to their acute ability to see infinite possibilities of the past and future; they see what *can be* or what *could have been*. They have the ability to view the minds of others and become empathetic with their thoughts or ideas. They are able to see the results of actions others have not yet taken, and unlike most creatures of the universe, the Farkhan are not controlled by the struggle between light and dark energy. The Farkhan always have an equal balance between the two energies, causing a canceling effect which allows them to see beyond that which others fall. Their souls are not that of dark energy or light energy, but rather that of both. They are always neutral because of this and are mainly approached for counseling and wisdom. They do not speak often (although they have every ability to), but rather use telepathy or gestures to communicate to other creatures. While they can be killed, they are considered immortal for the most part. They do not succumb to disease and age, and are immortal in that sense. But, in the other sense they can be killed, and there is only a set number of Farkhan as they cannot reproduce. Their knowledge of the world, the galaxy, and the universe is far beyond that of any other being on Sylos. As they were the first species to be created, they are also the oldest species in existence.

## Mulangost

The second species created was the **Mulangosts** (Moo-Lan-Ghosts). These creatures represent what one would think of when they see a dwarf, only that they too are much different from first glance. By day they forge in the deepest mountains of the North, creating the strongest and most powerful weapons and armor on Sylos. By night they venture out to kill their prey and control their land (legendary mountains). Very few have seen a Mulangost and lived. Their eyes glow blue in the dark, and they are at their most powerful state when there is no light. The Mulangosts are filled with dark energy, yet they separate themselves from the rest of the dark world. They are an independent species, trusting non-other than their own kind. They do not have faith in allegiances or alliances. They also differ from the dwarves due to their increased strength. While a dwarf may be able to carry 3 times his weight, a Mulangost can withstand 12 times their weight. Their skin is a dark grey, similar to that of a wolf. Like the wolf, they live in small packs, and they generally live between 500-600 years before they succumb to age. They are disease resistant, but still not immortal. They can however reproduce (unlike the Farkhan), although due to their life style very few Mulangosts are born. You usually will see 2 or 3 new Mulangosts born every 100 years. The Mulangosts are also able to turn into large bears. They can shift from dwarf, to bear, to a mixture of both. Because they do not pledge allegiance, few have seen Mulangosts in war. But of those who have seen them in battle, they have raved about the half-bear half-dwarf beings who ravage their enemy.

## Ancient Elves: Hyzecks and Prozecks

### Hyzeck

The **Hyzecks** dwell within the **Ancient Forest of Bankuru** in the **Southern Kingdoms**. They rely on light energy and base their civilization off the creation and preservation of life. They are masters of magic, and can create and control vegetation and plants at their will. They live in the tops of trees and believe in peace and diplomatic relations, rather than go to war. Their eyes glow green as they are the ancient healers of Sylos, and certain Master Healers can bring back the dead by transferring the life from something that is living. It has been seen in the past that a Master Hyzeck Healer has transferred the life of a tree to that of a person, granting life to the person and death to the tree. Many often wonder why they do not just create tree farms to harvest life and bring back the dead, but their answer is that it must be used sparingly. The cycle of life and death should not be altered so carelessly unless it is crucial to the preservation of a race or people, or the preservation of a worthy life. They are grown from Ancient Trees, which the Hyzeck population is able to create and maintain in many regions of Sylos. They are extremely large trees which 7-12 Hyzecks are grown at a time.

### Prozeck

The **Prozecks** are the dark elves of Sylos. They are masters of stealth, the shadows, and deception. Where the Hyzecks create and preserve life, the Prozecks corrupt and destroy it. They feed off of life like leeches and often abuse their ability to transfer life from the living to the dead, usually raising servants at their control. They are assassins of the night, and almost impossible to detect. They drain the life of those they kill and regularly keep the energy to become more powerful, rather than transfer the energy on. They are able to convert light energy into **250% more dark energy** to which they harvest. They are able to move quickly and fly as a cloud of thick black smoke. They have pitch black eyes, and in the daylight they have a dark grey skin, similar to that of the Mulangost. When light falls or there is no natural light, their skin turns to a charcoal black and to the untrained eye, they are invisible. They do not have any one land to claim as their home, as they have destroyed anything they've come across including their origins. Nothing is left but the blackness of death and dark energy. Areas that are destroyed by the Prozecks look something like a forest fire; a barren landscape covered in black ash and soot. Before the Great War, Prozecks and Hyzecks would migrate to areas previously occupied by the other. Hyzecks would turn a wasteland into a lush, blooming forest. Prozecks would drain all life from the land, leaving a plain of death ready for the Hyzecks to transform back into lush forests. Each worked in harmony with one another, until the start of the Great War.

That being said, it would seem that Prozecks still live (at least temporarily) inside of trees or other large living things until they eventually suck the life out of them. If they have nothing for them to live in, they dwell within the shadows. The Prozecks cannot die of age but rather if they do not harvest enough life to maintain their own (this is not to say they are immortal, they can be killed). The reproduction of Prozecks is much different than that of the Hyzecks. They can only be created if a Prozeck is able to harvest 2,000 souls, at which point the Prozeck is given the ability to create another Prozeck. Once a Prozeck has harvested and saved 10,000 souls (not using those souls to create more prozecks), they are able to create a copy of their self. To do this, the Prozeck is forced to split its own shadow. Once the process has been fulfilled, a new copy of the Prozeck has been created. Both bodies are connected to the same mind, so if either are destroyed the Prozeck will still exist in which ever form is still living. To kill 1 Prozeck you must kill all of its shadows. This will end the cycle of the Prozeck and destroy it.

The Prozecks and Hyzecks were originally created by the Ulgundar in order to maintain the balance between life and death and the light and dark on Sylos. They lived in peace with one another until the year 1218, when Warthall built an Army of the Dead (known as the Forsaken) to conquer kingdoms of the Western World and disrupt the balance of life and death. Since the Hyzeck do not believe in war (in theory), they have not disrupted the Prozecks control of the Western World (meaning that have not tried to attack land under Prozeck control), but they have been officially at war since 1218 and have had many battles in the Eastern Kingdoms to defend their lands. Both are extremely intelligent, although not as intelligent or wise as the Farkhan.

While the legendary overseers are of the most powerful in Sylos, they do by no means make up the masses. There are of course, your humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, goblins, orcs, trolls, harpies, centaurs, and many, many more.

## Humans

**Humans** are the most populated species on Sylos, and are considered to be the most average of all the races. They are not born of light or dark energy, but are one of a handful of races that have both light and dark energy inside of them. The path they take in life will lead them towards one of darkness or one of the light, but it is a choice that is left up to the individual. Even humans whose souls are filled with light energy still have darkness within them, even if it may only be a sliver of their soul. Any human soul can be corrupt by the opposing energy force, and it is because of this that many who are not humans have become weary when making deals and alliances with them. The biggest fault of the human race is their uncontrollable greed for power. Once a human has been exposed to power, their drive for more can be equated to that of an addict. Many great Kingdoms have fallen because of this, and it can be said with great assurance that many more Kingdoms will continue the cycle. Humans will generally live between 70-100 years old. Because they are spread out over all continents of Sylos, it is hard to say where the "true" home of Humans lies, but it is said in great texts that they originated in the Southern Tier of the Eastern Kingdoms. Humans are the most basic of species, which is why they inhabit every planet in the Elduan Galaxy. They are also the least predictable species, which serves as a reason as to why the Ulgundar are so interested in the human race. The Ulgundar use the human race as an experiment, to see if this race can control the balance of energy within their planet. On each planet the humans encounter different life forms (as compared to Sylos) and the Ulgundar watch these interactions to see if the human race, one not born with an allegiance to the dark or light, can balance the power of their planet through the nature of their species.

## Elves

**Elves** are one of the oldest races of Sylos. They have some of the longest standing Kingdoms since the start of the Modern Era. Most elves rely on light energy and stick to the roots of their ancient ancestors by preserving nature and the life of Sylos. There are however, a few branches of the Elvish people who use other techniques to make a mark on their land. Elvish societies rely on scripture from the Ancient Era and base their morals on their readings. The Bush-Elves from the Hanoru Jungles of the South, the Woodland-Elves from the Forests of the East, the Wetland-Elves from the Yoslen Swamps (Central Sylos), and the Highland-Elves from the Silvari Mountains of Central Sylos focus on Hyzeck history and readings, and believe in their way of life. The Everglade-Elves of the Marshlands of the West do not, and focus solely on the Prozeck way of life.