Nithusants

**Name**

Nithusant (commonly ‘N-ant’ or ‘N’ant’ by Aetherians for abbreviation)

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**Place of Origin**

The Rift / Corruption Zone

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**Rarity**

Uncommon but not rare

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**General Overview**

Nithusants have one very prominent feature that is hard to miss upon first meeting them; their exo-garb.

Their entire race is accustomed and evolved to handle a specific and isolated land within the Corruption Zone/Rift called the Fadeshalah, which is inhabited by completely different, unique creatures, diseases, bacteria, viruses and more that can found nowhere else in Aether.

Due to this, they must always wear their Exo-garb while outside of the Fadeshalah, or else succumb to the onslaught of microscopic invasions that other Aetherian races are immune to.

The Exo-garb covers every inch of their skin and can be uniquely and intricately decorated to the Nithusants desires. The garb also has several ‘cut-off’ points around limbs where strategically placed belts and straps can be tightened to slow down the spread of infections if the garb is punctured or they are exposed.

The Fadeshalah is the collective name of the Nithusants' home ‘continent’ (their word is Shalots) found within the Corruption Zone - which they call the Fade. The Fadeshalah hosts 5 variously sized floating islands branched together with pipes and bridges but is often romantically viewed by Aetherian races due to the unusually passive creatures found around the ‘Shalah, such as huge floating whales and turtles, completely different astronomy, 24/7 auroras and vivid flora.

The 5 continents/Shalots are as follows:

* Moris - pop: 1,002, Shaman: Kelis’Os Moris, specialises in science.
* Lunis - pop: 178, Shaman: Felandris’Os Lunis, specialises in magic.
* Taris - pop: 3279, Shaman: Grigori’Os Taris, specialises in alchemy.
* Goris - pop: 52, Shaman: Seltress’Os Goris. Specialises in craft.
* Koris - pop: 1436, Shaman: Xae’Os Koris, specialises in community and care.

Each Shalot is governed by a Shaman of any gender (so long as they have completed their pilgrimage) and the five form a collective council that oversees the entire Shalah together.

Shalots also are involved in the naming of the Nithusants, their names consisting of 4 parts: [first name]’[Al if pilgrimage incomplete, Os if pilgrimage complete] [Shalot name]

Upon reaching the age of 18 all Nithusants must undergo a Pilgrimage into the Aether, a tradition put in place in the last 200 years after the near collapse of their civilization due to overpopulation and a lack of resources. Now, all Nithusants are set about a task for however long it takes to find something of use for their Shalot before they are permitted to return home.

This pilgrimage can be isolating and dangerous, as the Nithusant can only take what they can carry and must survive in the Aether, making them robust and adapt to survive.

Nithusants can behave on their pilgrimage much the same way a archeologist would, and preferring not to interfere with the rest of Aether.

Upon return, the Nithusant is granted a duty within their community and permitted residence in their chosen Shalot, be it their birth Shalot or another.

If they return without severe reason or something of use, they can be banished from the ‘Shalah.

To get to the mainland of Aether and back is impossible by foot and immensely dangerous by air. To counter this, the mages of Shalot Lunis had constructed a stationary portal that allowed them to teleport to a random isolated location within the Aether. To teleport back, each Pilgrim is given three small orbs that, when crushed, will bring them back home to the Lunis portal.

If these are destroyed, then they must find another means. These orbs, as well as the main teleporter on Lunis eviscerate small organic forms, including bacteria and viruses, making contamination almost impossible.

They speak their own language known as Nith’wae, a romantic sounding tongue, however, Common is also a language all Nithusants are required to learn for their pilgrimage, however, their speech patterns in Common are a little clunky. (Think Starfire from Teen Titans).

Known words:

* Fadeshalah (common spelling), or Fade’Shalah (Nith’wae) - Their civilisation/land/home within the Corruption Zone
* Shalot - continent / island, literal translation: “air home”)
* Sharam - Shaman
* Vashis - magic, witchcraft
* Shee al’sav - My blessing is you (equivalent of ‘I love you’)
* Xi’xa - the most foul insult in Nith’wae
* Galim - help me
* Gali’far - I will help/journey with you (can be used affectionately as well as offering assistance)
* Hara’flur - closest equivalent is ‘friend’, a close companion, enjoyable company
* Har’ghasn Fless - By the Sky, help me home (common prayer, said fairly often)
* Fless - the Sky, their deity.
* Gashar - gathering, large meal, equivalent of a street party.
* Nishwim - pilgrim festival
* Esho’garv - their exo-garb

Nithusants aren’t necessarily devoutly religious, but treat the sky, including the beacon, around them as their deity, protecting them and aiding them, so they thank it every day and pray to it. They do not believe their god, the Sky, restricts them or demands of them, but merely keeps them safe, in return they revere their god and do not pollute or sour the air.

In this, the sky of Aether can make them nervous, and so the Pilgrimage can feel extremely isolating or lonely, due to their Fless being so distant and far away, not protecting them.

Nithusants are used to a higher concentration of carbon dioxide and hydrogen in their air than other Aetherian races, meaning breathing Aether air is laboursome and can cause burning, irritation and early death. Likewise Aetherians should not breathe the air of The Fade’Shalah.

Another reason why the Exo-garb should not be removed.

Nithusants can be adventurous with foods, a primary ingredient of their meals in the Shalah being couscous or quashivi, a unique red rice that can only be found there and has a spicy tinge to it. In this, their main meals tend to be spicy from moderate to hot, and the whole family will eat together as the sun sets in one big setting. On weekends the entire Shalot will gather in the streets to share food, cooking and cleaning duties together as they all share a meal, known as the Gashar, ‘the gathering’.

For holidays and festivals, Nithusants have large festivals to celebrate the Pilgrimage, for both those who have returned and those who are leaving. This is used to congratulate the achievements of the pilgrims and wish them great fortune on their journey.

The festival is known as Nishwim, and is hosted at the end of their 8 day weeks, on a special day added just for them.

In this, Nithusants have a very close community within a Shalot and are used to socialising, often making them charismatic or charming, overly friendly or bubbly.

Their lifespan stretches to 80 years, similar to humans.

One of the most intimate gestures of love or trust either amicably or platonically is to harshly tighten the straps of the exo-garb so the Nithusant can expose one part of their skin at a time for up to 2 turns, being able to feel the outside world and their ally for a short time. Any longer than 2 turns and they become infected, their skin will start to burn and they may experience severe rashes or worse.

Nithusants do not traditionally ‘bury’ their dead for they have very limited space on the Shalots. Instead, they have always conducted sky burials, sending the body by a small wooden boat lavishly adorned with all things meaningful to that Nithusant and their loved ones.

This boat is then lifted via magic into the centre of the beacon carefully, with the belief their essence will be greeted by the Fless and strengthen their god.

In truth, each death adds to the entire Fade’s slow and looming encroachment into the Aether year by year as the Fade is fed on the deital souls of the Nithusants. While not by much at all, over time, it adds up to 4cm a year.

During the time of civil conflict, the Fade had swelled by 10cm every 8 months…

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**Race Alignment**

Any neutral

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**Natural Race Abilities/Affinities**

* A Nithusants exo-garb can be robust and tough, allowing them to take half damage from most standard and light attacks.
* While Nithusants are generally weaker in physical strength (10lbs to 40lbs for strength) than humans, they are lighter and quicker on their feet, able to reach speeds of 35mph with some training and can dodge a little easier than most (their exo-garb can limit them, without the garb they are much more flexible).
* Experienced Nithusant pilgrims have unique and exceptional survival skills.
* Nithusants can only breathe air for 2 turns before passing out. If they remain exposed for a further 4 turns, they will suffer serious harm, and for a further 4 after that, they will die.
* Nithusants have a natural leaning towards air magic if they go in for magic at all, having a minor proficiency in it.

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**Appearances**

Aetherians do not know, nor have likely ever seen, a Nithusant without their Garb unless in a dire situation.

However, underneath they are somewhat flora in appearance.

They have tendrils across their body that vary in size and placement, but mostly can be found across their neck, the crown of their head, along their back or elbows and the backs of their legs. These tendrils are designed to alleviate heat by raising them and swelling the area with excess heat to expel it, or keep heat in by pressing them flat against their body.

These tendrils are most commonly red and used as another way of communicating expressions. To other Nithusants, larger tendrils can be more desirable.

Nithusants can also have ‘gills’ and horn-like structures that function the same as the tendrils. The more the merrier in their culture.

Their eyes are almost always an icy blue, only rarely being white or having black on the retina.

Tattoos and markings are common and are merely an artistic expression, having little to not cultural bearing other than this.

Hair is usually frizzy and commonly white or black, but can be brown, or a light blonde.

They typically weigh anywhere between 80lbs to 150lbs, and can be between 4’11 and 5’10. Gender does not affect height or weight.

What they look like under the mask

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**History**

Nithusants have been isolated throughout most of their history, and as such they have had no quarrels with outside forces. Their quarrels have always been internal.

For the last 600 years they have existed with civil war that has gradually become more severe and desperate and their resources become limited.

This led to a mighty climax where all sides almost wiped eachother out, spelling the end of the Nithusants.

Only two shamans from Lunis and Goris managed to broker peace with a new solution: the pilgrimage. And with the aid of the constructed portal from Lunis, the idea was a reality the other Shamans jumped at.

This explains why the Nithusants have only been seen uncommonly across the Aether in the last 200 years.

Their civilisation is calm, but there is still unrest amongst their numbers as Shalots take to mild and passive aggressive discrimination against eachother.

Despite all this, their creation is largely a mystery to them. The Nithusangs believe the sky birthed them, which scholars largely believe is a distorted reality of what happened. In truth, the Nithusants were created by Angra before the Gods ascension from the Aetherian plane, when the Lord of Loathing was the God of Life.

He had created them to be his magnum-opus, beings he spent an eon perfecting through careful crafting of biology and physiology.

And indeed they were perfect. So perfect they had the potential to challange the gods.

Angra did not wish to soil his creation or share them with the other gods, creating their home within the Fade itself on isolated islands, away from all other life.

When the Blight took hold of the gods and Angra sacrificed himself, Bephine and Inir were afraid of the potential of the Nithusants and what could happen should they find out about Angra’s sacrifice, prompting them to collude together to create an immense beam of raw magical energy from Silia down into the core of Aether itself to act as a beacon, summoning forth monsters from across the Fade to lay siege to the Nithusants’ ‘Shalah.

However, when conscious memory began they awoke to said beacon that attracted monstrosities, the Nithusants refused to go down without a fight.

The N-ants developed exponentially, advancing whole ages in mere days; by the time their race was 30 days in, they were the equivalent of a modern Aetherian city.

By the time the aforementioned monsters laid siege to the ‘Shalah, the Nithusants fought valiantly and proved their might, but despite their best efforts there was a relentless horde of monsters.

Thanks to their advancements they had come to understand the beacon to a minor degree, discovering that should any organic being enter the beam they would be eviscerated.

With this knowledge they discovered a way to disperse this raw magic into a swirling maelstrom around them, encapsulating their civilization safely within, protecting them from the creature outside and creating a safe haven. This maelstrom is the cause behind their unending auroras and why they cannot leave by normal or typical means.

The maelstrom destroyed the weaker monsters, but not the more vicious beasts. As these beasts learning to live within the maelstrom, attracted to its power, they would evolve, becoming what is known as Altered Beasts (of which Wremona is one), creatures infused with so much magic and chaos and blight that their sustenance comes from the gigantic maelstrom, no longer needing to eat by normal means.

The Nithusants became reliant on the beacon over time, accustomed to the special environment within their sanctuary, and prevented them from living on Aether without their developed suits designed to replicate their environment.

The halt in their advancement was caused by their lack of resources and space for their ever growing population, leading to their wars and developments of the Lunis portal and their pilgrimages.

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**Created by Impy**

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