Meyghurs

Meyghurs (Asmukhareg: *Meyghurul*, Nesarian: *Maigore*) are an intelligent species inhabiting Asmukhar and Rulkhar, and are native to the former. Though they are regarded as an intelligent species, their intelligence is inferior to that of Humans. Meyghurs used to be renowned as powerful mages, and were the means by which the people of Asmukhar and Rulkhar were able to use magic in battle. They also used to be able to communicate through magic, but lost this ability after magic faded from the world, which has resulted in them being intellectually and emotionally stunted ever since.

## Name

The English name Meyghur comes directly from the Asmukhareg and Rulkhareg word *Meyghur*. The exact etymology of this word is unknown, and many linguists have speculated that it may be a corrupted loanword from an unclear source.

*Meyghur* was borrowed and corrupted by several other languages. In Onshian, the race is known as *Maigo* (singular and plural forms are the same), in Nesarian they are known as *Maigore* (singular *Maigor*), and in Aukani they are known as *Maggoren* (singular *Maggor*).

Meyghurs are known in Raskevite as *Yostanazh*, which from archaic Raskevite literally translates as "weird-creatures" (from *yost*, "weird/strange" and *ana*, "creature"). This word was adopted into Saverian as *Estane* (singular *Estana*), which is also the Elvic Avamorican and Epsilucian word, and became *Estanne* in Roulonnais.

Meyghurs are known as *Te'Keçtakn* in Cisenilan (singular *Keçtakn*), which translates roughly as "magic-singers" or "singers of magic" (from *keç*, "magic" and *takn*, "singer"). This name is derived from their vocalisations, which are somewhat musical in nature.

## Communication and Intelligence

What the Meyghurs call themselves has never been known, because the Meyghurs do not communicate using what can truly be called a spoken language. Their beaked mouths can only produce a small assortment of sounds, and they instead communicate through body language and wordless vocalisations that are faintly musical in nature. With these, Meyghurs convey emotional states and very simple concepts or questions much like a dog or a cat, rather than using anything that resembles words or sentences.

When magic was still present in the world, Meyghurs chiefly communicated magically. This behaviour is poorly understood, and has no analogue in other mortal creatures, but is likely to have been an ability of several known Titans. Their magical communication did not, as was the case with some Titans, entail speaking into a person's head. Meyghurs instead conveyed information directly, without using words or language; one who was "spoken to" by a Meyghur did not hear a voice, but was able to somehow understand the information being sent to them.

It is entirely possible that the supposed inferior intelligence of Meyghurs is a result of them losing the ability to magically communicate. The general negative perception of Meyghurs as being barely more intelligent than common animals only became dominant after the loss of magic in the 12th-13th centuries, though it is true that they were never regarded as especially clever creatures. The loss of magical communication may have also done more than just affect the perception of their intelligence; many scholars have suggested that losing such a crucial part of their communication has severely stunted their development and permanently lowered their IQ.

## Appearance

Meyghurs have serpentine bodies that are usually between 2.5 and 3 metres long in adults, from mouth to tail. Their bodies are covered in small and slick feathers, coloured a deep red on their back and cream on their underbelly. This is a trait shared with the Titan known as the Nurse, which may suggest a connection between them, but this may also be mere coincidence. They also have ears that resemble those of a cat, another trait shared with the Nurse. Underneath their feathers, their skin is a very pale pink.

Meyghurs have somewhat large beaked mouths, with a lustrous black beak made of the same material as their horns, which are shaped like those of a gazelle. Both males and females have horns, but the horns of females are much shorter and have rounded tips, whereas the horns of males are longer and have sharp tips. The tongues of Meyghurs are slightly barbed and are very long, to allow them to groom themselves effectively. They have long, slanted eyes that are generally either honey-brown or dark blue in colour, though green eyes do also rarely occur.

Perhaps the most distinctive trait of Meyghurs is the three pairs of insectoid arms sprouting from their back, covered in a black exoskeleton (in addition to internal bones). These arms somewhat resemble the legs of a spider. These arms are often used for locomotion, however when a Meyghur stands up, these arms can be used as arms. The arms end in a fairly sharp point, and so it is very difficult for them to securely grab objects (grabbing entails using at least two arms to hold an object in place), but their main purpose used to be manipulating the Magestream to cast magic. Now that they no longer have this ability, their arms are significantly less useful.

## Physiology

Meyghurs are mammals, since mothers feed their young with milk from their two teats (which are always covered by feathers unless the young are feeding from them), however they do not give birth to live young and instead they lay eggs. These eggs stay in the mother for approximately one month after conception, and the offspring inside the egg further develops for approximately four months before hatching, at which point the offspring is fed from their mother's teats for approximately one year before being weaned onto normal food sources.

Meyghurs take roughly 5 years to grow to maturity. Their lifespan in the modern age is approximately 40 years, but back in the era of magic they could live substantially longer (upwards of 70 years), presumably by passively using their own magic to preserve themselves. The oldest Meyghur on record lived for roughly 85 years.

### Clearsalt

In addition to standard food, Meyghurs also require the consumption of clearsalt (also known as saltglass and magesalt), a completely transparent mineral that can have effects similar to Mageglass, but is very soft and so cannot be used to make any functional tools or weapons. It is called clearsalt because it tastes somewhat like salt when ingested; its actual chemical composition bears no resemblance to salt. Meyghurs must consume clearsalt roughly once every 20-30 days to survive, but most Meyghurs will eat it roughly once a week. It is unclear whether Meyghurs require some kind of chemical from clearsalt, or whether there is a less tangible and more magical explanation.

The supply of clearsalt used to be the means through which the Human tribes and kingdoms of Asmukhar and Rulkhar would control and effectively enslave Meyghurs. Humans monopolised the supply of clearsalt, taking control of all known deposits and easily mustering the resources to capture new ones that were discovered. The Meyghurs were therefore forced to turn to Humans to live, doing their bidding in return for the essential mineral. This almost always entailed being conscripted into military service, since the steppe warriors were otherwise totally devoid of magic and so were very vulnerable against magic-using armies.

Despite Emperor Athdus III (76-131) abolishing slavery in the lands he conquered, nothing actually changed in the situation of the Meyghurs; they were still effectively enslaved to Humans, even if they were not slaves in name. Empress Rixa (137-199) made some effort to improve their situation upon learning about it, passing a law that fixed the price of clearsalt to avoid extortion (with the price being controlled by an independent administrator not tied to the steppe tribes), but the Meyghurs were not truly liberated until the reign of Emperor Amelos (960-1011). Amelos essentially nationalised the clearsalt industry, forcibly taking away the supply from private hands (though offering fair compensation in return) and selling clearsalt at a fixed price without conditions or restrictions.