The Yavek

## History and Origin

The Yavek have a long a troubled history that helps to give them a very interesting and deep bloodline. Yavek is an overall term referring to a large group of several different sub-species of creatures in Razhai. In biology the Yavek would technically be classified as a genus.

At the very start of the Yavek's ancestry we can find they have their biological roots in basic reptilians. After Saivoz is when what we know as the Yavek began to take shape. During the massive bombings of Saivoz most creatures were wiped out and a great amount of species went extinct. While a great amount of species were lost forever, there were some lucky survivors of the great inhalation. Small pockets of wildlife remained relatively untouched during the initial blasting, but just because they weren't hit directly doesn't mean they didn't feel the influence of the bombs however. In fact quite the opposite because reptiles felt the most intense effects of the radioactive fallout compared to any other creature. The Terror Bombs that were used during Saivoz spread a unique radiation that was highly deadly to any living creature. Trace amounts of contact with radioactive material produced by a terror bomb would cause an 80% likelihood to develop cancer or radiation poisoning in a matter of days. This was true of all living things except reptiles. While still largely unexplained by nature or science it appeared that when the unique isotopes of the terror bombs came into contact with a reptile their DNA would mutate rapidly. Instead of developing a terminal cancer like all other animals, reptiles seemed to gain beneficial mutations. Rapid mutation may seem like a death sentence for a species but in fact it was actually extremely beneficial in evolving reptiles. It was almost as if the reptile classification of living creatures were granted a shortened evolution. A process that took millions of years of natural selection and careful curation of beneficial traits was speed up to the staggering pace of only a few hundred years. Even from a parent to her offspring, massive mutation would occur creating a seemingly different creature. If a mother reptile laid fifty eggs about forty of those eggs would die before hatching or very quickly after hatching. They would die mutated abominations of twisted flesh and be horribly disfigured. The other ten eggs that hatched however would all become extremely successful however due to sheer luck of getting a good DNA structure. Anything from small changes like an extra eye on the back of its' head, extremely poisonous venom produced in its claws, or growing to a staggering size were all possible due to this rapid evolution. Over the years this rapid evolution seemed to slow down as Razhai started to cleanse itself of the radiation it was so deeply infected with. The sped up process of evolution was slowed down and a more normalized DNA structure was slowly starting to set into place. As this new species started to be normalize some dominant traits came up more and more frequently into reptilian gene pools. Very strong gene combinations started to emerge and the first breeds of Yavek were slowly but surely born.

### Proto Yavek

As radiation started to decrease in some areas of Razhai, the rapid mutation of reptiles slowed down. During the formative years of Yavek development natural selection didn't play any part at all. The rapid mutation from parent to offspring meant that the chances of a strong gene or trait being preserved were extremely low. The race we identify as "Yavek" didn't really exist, instead being a jumbled mess of different creatures all stemming from what used to be considered reptiles. But as radiation cleared up the Yavek began to take on more and more of an identity. The vast amount of mutation was still common, but mothers would have more successful hatch rates and more and more Yavek grew to be strong. Over time the strongest genes started to form gene pools and species started to be created. Out of the vast combinations of unique and useful mutations as well as the harsh nature of Razhai only the extremely strong truly survived. The process of natural selection was beginning to take place as only individuals with extremely strong mutations lived to produce many offspring. Soon the vast amount of mutations that made each reptile hundreds of years ago was now being narrowed down. Tighter and tighter groupings of selective traits and mutations started to emerge as distinct species. At first there were several different distinct species with their own set of traits that aided their survival but this changed over time to only a single species. This eventual merger of all Yavek species finally gave a concrete race of creatures that could be reliably classified. This initial super-species was a culmination of roughly a thousand years of rapid evolution in an extremely harsh environment and they are known as proto Yavek.

**Identifying Proto Yavek**

Proto Yavek are the culmination of a sped up evolutionary process and natural selection in a very unforgiving environment. This means that the Proto Yavek are extremely capable animals and dominate any food chain they find themselves in. They are the definition of an apex predatory having very few creatures that could actually outclass them in survival. While mutation is still fairly common in proto Yavek they follow a strict set of biological traits that makes them a distinct species. The following list is all the traits that proto Yavek have been observed to share as a species trait.

* **Large size**: Proto Yavek stand around 9 feet tall on average with a usual 3 foot variation. On average females are usually slightly bigger than males but the largest recorded Proto Yaveks have all been male. Male Proto Yavek have the capacity to grow to larger sizes than females
* **Impressive strength, agility and stamina**: Along with size, Proto Yavek have immense amount strength and agility. On average they can move around objects weighting 10,000 lbs. (For reference a school bus is around 10,000 pounds so they would easily be able to flip or push a school bus but not pick it clean up). Despite their large size they have lighting fast reflexes that allows them to out maneuver any of their potential prey. An adult Proto Yavek can run around 80 miles per hour at top speed and due to their vast stamina they can maintain that speed for well up to an hour. They can also stretch a single meal over a week without food making them incredibly efficient for a creature of their size and mobility.
* **Hardened Skin**: The skin of the Proto Yavek is covered in thick, hardened scales that can with stand several gunshots worth of damage. They are covered in these thick scales all around their bodies but especially thick areas of coverage are the back and head. Even in the areas where they aren't as protected like under the arm or inside the thigh, their thick rubber like skin and lean muscle protects them from minor damage.
* **Sharpened Senses**: Their status as apex predators is due to a lot of reasons but especially due to their extreme animal senses. They have the ability to see incredibly well in both dark and bright environments, not suffering any of the drawbacks of **darkvision** in other creatures. They have an accuse sense of smell that allows them to track prey effectively. Hearing may not be the proto Yaveks' strongest trait, it is still perfectly functional and has a place in their tool kit of survival traits. They also have the ability to sense the radiation levels of creatures and can avoid areas that would be toxic even to them.
* **Reptile Ancestry**: While they are a very far departure from the pre-Saivoz reptiles, proto Yavek actually share a lot of traits with their lizard ancestors. All Yavek including proto Yavek are covered in scales which they shed after a period of time. All Yavek also lay eggs from which their young will hatch. The most questionable trait that all Yaveks retained from their lizard ancestors is being cold blooded. While the proto Yavek has ways of effectively retaining heat, their bodies lack any proper way to produce heat. This means that Yavek can't invade environments that are too cold which forces them to seek out more temperate environments.
* **Radiation Immunity**: One of the strongest yet simplest traits this race possesses is the immunity to radiation. Even very early on before the Yavek formed, many reptiles passed down the trait of radiation immunity. This was the only example of natural selection because without protection from radiation an offspring would die instantly. Proto Yaveks' are the culmination of these reptiles so they have a very powerful radiation immunity. This trait aids in their survival by letting them build nests in highly irradiated ares. The high levels of radiation would keep potential predators away from a mothers nest and would also ensure that the runts of the liter would immediately die off if they weren't strong enough to survive the powerful radiation.
* **Fresh Cells**: While every living creature dies over time due to the process of aging, the Proto Yavek didn't face this problem. A unique trait from their rapid mutation phase as a species was the ability to always produce fresh cells no matter how long the organism is alive. Proto Yavek couldn't live indefinitely but they could live up to several hundred years before dying of old age. They had the ability to constantly heal old cells which also gave them a distinctly fast healing factor that wasn't supernaturally fast, but still one of the fastest healing factors in an animal species like the Yavek.
* **Mastery of biology**: The proto Yavek may be a very effective hunting and killing machine just based on the traits listed above but their biggest strength was completely unique to their species. While some species of animals may be stronger, or faster or have sharper claws or harder armor none could compare to the secret that only proto Yaveks had. They had to ability to transform and control their bodies at will to fit any circumstance through a series of controlled mutations. Adult Proto Yaveks were so successful because they could call on a seemingly infinite list of mutations at will. If they hunted underwater they could grow fins, flippers and expand their lung capacity. If they hunted at night they could sharpen their eyes to see in complete pitch black. They could harden their scales to hardnesses that were stronger than forged steel. They could even produce multiple extra limbs if needed. This unique trait gave the Proto Yavek a level of versatility not seen anywhere else in Razhai. They firmly secured their spot as an apex predatory because they had an answer to any situation or a way to deal with any foe. Even if a proto Yavek was out matched or injured it could change its' skin color and hide with perfect camouflage. This trait isn't even seen in later species that descended from the Proto Yavek.

## History of the Proto Yavek

Proto Yaveks first started to emerge around 1000 years after Saivoz and remained the dominant predator in their food chains for another few hundred years. During these first thousand and a half years the sentient races of Razhai started to repopulate the land. At first the Proto Yavek feasted on humans and Uruks who were defenseless against the apex hunters. Over time the story changed however with the addition of technology. While a human with a gun was still no match for a Proto Yavek, a general fear of the reptilian beasts started to spread throughout mankind. A proto Yavek would terrorize a town, stealing livestock and picking off those who strayed too far away from the safety of a group. Hungry Yavek would even raid houses on the outskirts of small villages, having no fear of the residents residing there. This boldness caused even more fear amongst humans who were powerless to stop these monsters that terrorized them. This all changed with the introduction and development of technology though. As time scrapped by humans developed more and more dangerous pieces of technology. Very soon Proto Yavek started to feel the wraith of the humans that feared them. While a Proto Yavek could easily defeat a human with a gun, surviving a cannon shot was a different story. Even with their vast adaptability a Yavek couldn't survive a pit of explosives dug out as a trap and the title of being an omnipotent apex predator slowly started to slip away.

The true challenge the Proto Yavek faced coincided with the **Were-Lord crusades.** This was a time where the sentient races of city building races of Yavek banded together to exterminate the **were-lords.** While were-lords were the main focus of these crusades the Proto Yavek faced the same persecution. The fear and hatred of these creatures had been building for so long that none were spared in the beast hunts. Unlike the were-lords however the proto Yavek had done nothing antagonistic towards any of creature. They didn't operate with the same level of human intelligence as a were-lord did, in comparison the Proto Yavek were simple animals try to survive. This fact gives the story of the Yavek an almost tragic tone because they truly did nothing wrong except try to survive. Like all other animals the Proto Yavek hunted to eat and ate to reproduce and that was all they did. Human fear was what fueled the **beast crusades** and the humans deeply feared the effectiveness of the Proto Yavek.

During the Were-Lord Crusades the Proto Yavek were hunted to near extinction. The appetite for fear humans had was turned into an. outlet to let out their anger and hatred. The proto Yavek were hunted relentlessly first out of fear then out of greed. As hunters killed off Yaveck it was found that their bodies could be repurposed in a number of unique ways. Their hardened scales were forged into effective armor that gave protection and natural camouflage, their sturdy claws were sharpened and mounted as blades at the ends of spears or used as knives, their muscle could be turned into leather that would protect from radiation and even their blood and organs were used in healing potions and brews. The Proto Yavek had no choice but to flee to the deepest most toxic parts of the wastelands but even this didn't save them. While hunting parties may not have been able to follow them into irradiated areas, no other living creature could as well. Essentially hunters would corner a Yavek into an area that was highly irradiated. Even if they were safe there, there was any animals for the Yavek to use as a food source. This meant they'd either have to eventually leave the area and fall right into a hunting parties hands or stay hidden and starve to death. Very few Proto Yaveks managed to survive the beast crusades whether through good luck or from being an extremely strong member of the species.

## Creation of the Lesser Yaveks

Many folks get Proto Yaveks confused with **Were-Reptiles** and while admit-ably similar they have distinct differences that separate the two. Yavek are a product of radiation effecting the evolution of a creature. Were-reptiles are the product of **opa** merging the souls of an animal and a human. (*To learn all about were-lords and how they were created check out the page on **Were-Lords** were a detailed explanation of their creation and history are explained*). As both Proto Yaveks and were-reptiles faced extinction something unique to only these two races happened. Were-Reptiles and the few Proto Yaveks actually started to mate and the result was an entirely unique creation. The resulting offspring inherited a mixture of traits from both races of creature. From their were-reptile linage, lesser Yavek gained sentience and human intelligence. They were essentially a were-creature that couldn't turn into a human form due to having parents that lacked the ability to shape-shift into a human. Proto Yaveks passed on the very strong traits they used to survive to these lesser Yaveks but also nullified the magical properties of the were-beasts. Were-beasts had a vast amount of **Blin** and had the ability to wield it very effectively if they wanted to but after mating with a proto Yaveck the offspring lost this ability to manipulate Blin so freely.

Another unique feature of the lesser Yavek were that they took strong traits from whatever were-animal they were born from. This means that the cross between a were-alligator and Proto Yavek would result in a species like The Grazil which have very strong traits that come from the were-alligator part of their ancestry. The tendency to follow the traits of the were-creature meant that several distinct species started to emerge as a result. The following is a list of the most defined races that were created from the mating of were-reptilians and Proto Yaveks.

* Grazil the alligator Yavek
* **Sluzuk** the snake Yavek
* **Turtek** the turtle Yavek
* **Lizfos** the Lizard Yavek
* **Gekot** the Gecko Yavek
* **Cameleoz** the Chameleon Yavek
* **Igar** the Iguana Yavek
* **Yavekasaur** the dinosaur Yavek