Vulcanoid

## Common Knowledge

These are Snake-Folk that live on the island chain called the Obsidian Crescent. They are slightly stand-off-ish but generally peaceful.

### Scales:

Have scales running from their face, down their back, to the tip of their tail. They also have scales along their shoulders to the backs of their hands. They have large, thick scales on their chest and stomach, which also transition onto their tail. Their coloring can range from light, sandy brown to red or dark brown, near black.

### Eyes:

They have yellow, orange, red, or black eyes

### Height:

They are normally anywhere between 4 and 7 feet in height (not including the trailing of their tails which can add up to 1.5 times their regular height)

### Build:

They can range from fit to bulky, however, they tend to be mostly muscle

### Other:

They have opposable thumbs and three fingers on their hands. They have a snake-like snout and no legs. Their mouths have regular chomping teeth as well as a pair of poison carrying fangs.

### Aging:

They mature at 27 and live until they are 450 at max

### Birth:

Mother’s lay eggs (6-24 every pregnancy) which then incubate for 3 months before hatching, babies can slither and hold themselves up 3 hours after birth.

## History

* 3678 AB: Started very early as nomadic tribes and continued this for a loooooong time
* 4893-5012 AB: Started to settle as they found suitable places with all they needed to survive, there is no concrete date for this
* 5074-76 AB: Four of the seven volcanoes erupted within 2 years after the Vulcanoids had settled, this began their belief that the volcanoes were alive and had a will of their own (cue the start of religion)
* 5132 AB: They were for the most part peaceful except for a few conflicts between settlements and the “purging” of Ifrits from F’joer, it was the religious center for the Vulcanoids and since they outnumbered the Ifrits by a significant amount they pushed them out. When the Ifrits gained in numbers they brokered a peace treaty with the Vulcanoids so as to stop the conflicts, so the Ifrits stay away from F’joer but are allowed to settle anywhere else
* 8705 AB: Both their society and religion grew to what it is today over the next few centuries/millennia, they established the Goddesses/Gods domain/personality by basing it off the behaviour of the volcanoes themselves, thus the pantheon was solidified
* 8952 AB: Started trade with the Dwarves of Cliffhaven because, by this time, they had created their large blacksmithing industry. They both traded ores and minerals with each other as well as the finished products, such as swords or armour, that used those ores and minerals
* 9164 AB: Word got out about their plethora of minerals and ore and many explorers came to investigate the many natural underground tunnels of the volcanoes; the Vulcanoids were tolerant of the influx of people on Ogon’, Ateş and Tân but no other islands (the Vulcanoids were non-hostile if people were found on the other islands but they would get angry if the people refused to leave)
* 9173 AB: One of the early explorers was actually a very powerful mage who tried to take over the islands. The Vulcanoid Gods/Goddesses took care of the threat easily, in their combined wyvern form, and from then on the explorers nicknamed the island chain The Sleeping Dragon because the dragon had appeared from the caverns and disappeared quickly after the mage was killed
* 10014 AB: The Planar War and Fel Invasion happened, which didn’t impact them very much besides the influx of Cliffhaven refugees who they allowed onto the islands until they could get back on their feet
* 10018+ AB: There are still a few adventurers/adventuring parties on Ateş but they have largely left, the Vulcanoids are unable to reach the summit of this particular island because of the almost constant eruptions (some adventurers believe it to be because of the Violet Gem or its protector). The Vulcanoids believe it is just because Ateş is a very territorial Deity

## Culture/Religion

### Culture/Government:

A lot of their culture revolves around their worship. There are no distinct social classes beyond the Head Priest and the Island General. The tunnel guides are exempt from a ranking, they are outcasts but are important and are highly skilled. There are a lot of blacksmiths, as they have a constant source of extreme heat for their forges. They had trade deals with the Dwarves of Cliffhaven before it fell, they quickly accepted refugees from Cliffhaven so they could recuperate and organize. The volcanoes hold many dangers both alive and the mountain itself, warriors are prized as are druids. Each village has the ability to have different “Government” but it is all very much based on their religion

### Religion:

The Vulcanoids worship the Volcanoes, the volcanoes are their main gods. They call this religion La'Sep.

The seven volcano gods they worship are named after the island they reside on/in. Each god has a seat within their respective volcano, located at the deepest part of the accessible area, this is where their main temples are (some of the main temples are located in the Underdark).

* Ogon’: The largest of the gods but also the most gentle, he was violent in his youth and can be if needed but now largely represents patience, time, and maturity/adulthood
* Ateş: The second largest of the pantheon and the largest goddess; she is violent, harsh and unpredictable and these traits are reflected in the volcano she resides in
* Tân: The second biggest goddess and the jealous younger sister of Ateş; she is often associated with envy, greed and jealousy. Her island has the greatest amount of valuable minerals and metals but she always felt lacking next to her bigger sister
* Z’jarr: The “middle child” of the pantheon; he represents the concepts of balance, stability and fate. His volcano is the most dormant one out of the seven and almost never erupts
* Brand: The older of the Twins but the smallest male god; he is considered the most beautiful of the pantheon and often represents vanity, beauty, and symmetry
* Āgō: The younger of the Twins is the second smallest female goddess; she is often thought to be the least beautiful of the seven and is associated with humility, disfigurement, and asymmetry
* F’joer: The smallest of the whole pantheon and the youngest goddess; she is youthful and nieve, often connected with the concepts of fertility, birth/children, and creation

A volcanic eruption is call for a great celebration (as well as quick and safe evacuation of those in danger). Some will be chosen as sacrifice and left to die in the lava (this is totes an honour).

There are 4 other minor deities:

* Sivo: The god of the mountain, strength, and life
* Kusinth: The goddess of the sands, individualism, and change
* Vesi: The god of the waters, unity, and purity
* Shkaterrim: The goddess of the embers, passion, and destruction

There is also belief and worship of The Mother but she has no form or consciousness because she gave it up for her children to be born, the seven, and she “lives on” through them

Origins:

* There once was a single Goddess of the Volcano, created by the Goddess of Protection, that resided within the Obsidian Crescent. When the Islands were threatened she would transform into a magnificent wyvern and destroy that which threatened the islands.
* Then came the people, the Vulcanoids, and they began to settle and learned of her existence. However they had already established their own beliefs in that every volcano had a different Deity attached to it. So, over time, her existence and their beliefs melded together. The Goddess was split into seven who were then the islands themselves and her original form was called The Mother.
* Life continued on and the seven grew in power and individuality but one day there was a threat that they could not deal with as individuals. The new deities joined together and disappeared in a pool of magma and what rose from the depths of molten rock was the wyvern form The Mother used to protect the islands. However, this version of the wyvern was even larger than The Mother’s for the seven had grown in power since their birth and their combined strength dwarfed hers by a fair margin. They easily took care of the threat in this form then separated and retreated to their own islands again.