The Rahms

Basic shape for a Rahm.

**The Rahms** (*pronunciation*: "ramm" (singular)) are an elemental, dragon-like avian species most often sighted on the planet, Zantigoraasha. While it is has been rare to sight one, a rahm often resides hidden in cloudcover and only emerges when its territory or habitat is invaded by a hostile force. It is believed that each one represents an element of its own anywhere in the universe. Despite appearing to be benevolent, they are known to be violent forces of nature when provoked.

The rahms makes their official debut in *Reign of the Arc of Illumination*, but also appear in other projects, unrelated to the series.

## Lore

### Creation of the Rahm

The first rahm ever to have been created was Rahm, believed to be the omnielemental ancestor of all rahms. Designed with the energy of Heaven and given the ability to control all of the elements, it could also create its own descendents to contain its power to protect the universe. After Rahm was created, it eventually spawned six more rahms, representing the various aspects of the multiple dimensions.

Rahm is considered the most legendary of its classification and the only supernatural rahm in all five divisions.

* **Rahm** - *sky* - Brought into being to control the elements of the universe.

### Creation of the Universal Division

Because Rahm was given the ability to spawn its own descendents from the elements of the universe, it created the Universal Division. The rahms in the Universal Division have the ability to control the celestial and physical aspects of the universe.

The six rahms in the Universal Division:

* **Temporahm** - *time sky* - Created to control and protect time.
* **Spatiarahm** - *space sky* - Created to control and protect space.
* **Stellarahm** (also **Celestirahm**) - *star sky* - Created to control and guard the stars from an opposing force.
* **Elysiorahm** - *holy sky* - Created to guard Zantigoraasha from darkness and evil.
* **Solarahm** - *sun sky* - Created to control and synthesize the power of the Tesivan quadruple star system.
* **Lunorahm** - *moon sky* - Created to control the power of the three moons orbiting Tesiva.

Each of the rahms in the Universal Divison also had the ability to create their own descendents, and from this division came the Atomic and Unnatural Divisions.

Rahms found on Tesiva, which were descendents of the Universal Division, have since gone extinct from the *kein mortaeiis*, a plague of nightmares and, by extension, death. Lunorahm has since fallen ill with this disease, making two of Tesiva's three lunar satellites unihabitable for life due to its inability to protect them.

### Creation of the Atomic Division

The rahms of the Atomic Division are unlike the others, in which they explicitly control elements that can be identified on the Periodic Table. These rahms have the ability to control the basic physics of the universe instead of the cosmic elements or the physical elements. Rahms in this division can represent any atomic element that has been discovered or is yet to be discovered or named, including radioactive elements.

These rahms are considered to be some of the more powerful types due to their ability to control the basic foundation of the universe. There are twelve known classifications of rahms to represent the Atomic Division.

Unlike the nomenclature of other rahms, most of the rahms classified in the Atomic Division contain a genderless "e", "i", or "u" connector between the term prefix and the -rahm suffix.

* **Alkali Rahms (Group I)** - *Hydrorahm*, *Lithirahm*, *Sodirahm*, *Potassirahm*, *Rubidirahm*, *Cesirahm*, *Francirahm*
* **Alkaline Rahms (Group II)** - *Beryllirahm*, *Magnesirahm*, *Calcirahm*, *Strontirahm*, *Barirahm*, *Radirahm*
* **Lanthanide Rahms (Group III)** - *Lanthanurahm*, *Ceriurahm*, *Prasiodymiurahm*, *Neodymiurahm*, *Promethirahm*, *Samarahm*, *Europirahm*, *Gadolirahm*, *Terbiurahm*, *Dysprosirahm*, *Holmiurahm*, *Erbirahm*, *Thulirahm*, *Ytterahm*, *Lutetirahm*
* **Actinide Rahms (Group III)** - *Actinirahm, Thorahm, Protactinirahm, Uraniumrahm, Neptuniurahm, Plutonirahm, Americirahm, Curirahm, Berkelirahm, Californirahm, Einsterahm, Fermirahm, Mendelevirahm, Nobelirahm, Lawrencirahm*
* **Transition Rahms (Groups III to XII)** - *Scandirahm, Yttrahm, Titanirahm, Zirconirahm, Hafnirahm, Rutherforahm, Vanadirahm, Niobirahm, Tantarahm, Dubnirahm, Chromiurahm, Molybdenirahm, Wolfrahm* (also *Tungstirahm*), *Seaborgirahm, Mangarahm, Techetirahm, Rhenirahm, Bohrahm, Ferrorahm, Ruthenirahm, Osmirahm, Hassirahm, Cobalrahm, Rhodirahm, Iridiurahm, Nickerahm, Palladirahm, Platinurahm, Cuprahm* (also *Copperahm*), *Silverahm, Aurahm, Zincrahm, Cadmirahm, Mercurahm, Copernirahm*
	+ (NOTE: Chromirahm is not to be confused with Chromarahm.)
	+ (NOTE: It is largely assumed that Kaolirahm and Ferrorahm are exactly the same, due to both controlling the element of iron.)
* **Post-Transition Rahms (Group XIII)** - *Aluminurahm, Gallirahm, Indirahm, Thallirahm, Stannurahm, Plumburahm, Flerovirahm, Bismurahm, Polonirahm*
* **Metalloid Rahms (Group XIV)** - *Bororahm, Silicarahm, Germanirahm, Arsenirahm, Antimorahm, Tellurahm, Astatirahm*
* **Nonmetal Rahms (Group XV)** - *Carborahm, Nitrorahm, Phosphorahm, Oxyrahm, Sulfurahm, Selenirahm, Fluorahm, Chlorahm, Bromirahm, Iorahm*
* **Noble Rahms (Group XVI)** - *Heliurahm*, *Neorahm*, *Argorahm*, *Kryptorahm*, *Xenorahm*, *Radorahm*
* **Unknown Rahms (Period VII)** - *Meitnerirahm, Darmstadtirahm, Roentgenirahm, Nihonirahm, Moscovirahm, Livermorahm, Tennesinerahm*
* **Transactinide Rahms (Group XVI)** - *Oganessorahm*

### Creation of the Unnatural Division

From the Universal Division also came the Unnatural Division. Rahms of the Unnatural Division are so named because they were laid as eggs in physically unnatural places on Zantigorassha. These rahms are gifted the ability to control the unnatural elements as well, and are powerful enough to put the whole of the planet into chaos if one of them disappears.

Two of these rahms, Maasarahm and Fossirahm, are the mother and father of all of the Rahms on Zantigoraasha. It is largely assumed that these rahms could also have come as descendants of the Atomic Division, but no one is sure.

* **Maasarahm** - *mother sky* - Mother of all Unnatural and Basic Division rahms.
* **Fossirahm** - *father sky* - Father of all Unnatural and Basic Division rahms.
* **Psychorahm** - *psychokinetic sky* - Ability to control the movement of physical objects using mental power.
* **Shadorahm** - *nightmare sky* - Ability to send someone to sleep and infect their dreams with nightmares.
* **Skirahm** - *flare sky* - Ability to create fire out of increasing the temperature in the air.
* **Kaleidorahm** (also **Chromarahm**) - *spectrum sky* - Able to control spectrum-colored energy.
* **Vidrirahm** - *glass sky* - Able to create glass in the sky.
* **Nuclearahm** (also **Atomirahm**) - *nuclear sky* - Able to generate atomic radiation through nuclear fission.

From Maasarahm and Fossirahm also come the Basic Division from their combined sixteen elements. It is also largely assumed that they helped to terraform Zantigoraasha for the Tesivan who were to live there.

### Creation of the Basic Division

Like the Unnatural Division, the Basic Division includes rahms that were also hatched on Zantigoraasha, because of their sire (*Fossirahm*) and dame (*Maasarahm*). The Basic Division rahms are rahms whose elements exist on the planet and are not considered unnatural more than they are the basic elements that create the building blocks of the planet.

These rahms are equally as powerful as their unnatural siblings, given that they are rahms that represent the Physical Realm.

* **Carcinorahm** - *tropic sky* - Controls the element of *nature*.
* **Venorahm** - *poison sky* - Controls the element of *venom*.
* **Minerahm** - *crystal sky* - Controls the element of *lithos*.
* **Cascarahm** - *water sky* - Controls the element of *aquatics*.
* **Cimmerahm** - *darkness sky* - Controls the element of *darkness*.
* **Arktirahm** (or **Polarahm**) - *polar sky* - Controls the element of *freeze*.
* **Zephrahm** - *storm sky* - Controls the element of *storm*.
* **Kaolirahm** (or **Ferrorahm**) - *iron sky* - Controls the element of *ferrous*.

## Characteristics

### Appearance

#### Shape

Unlike most of the bestiary, the rahms are unique in that the appearance of one is often different as compared to other rahms, despite being of similar contour. Rahms have large, transparent pterodactyl-like wings with two claws and a slender muscular system. They have serpentine necks with long tails for balance and a wingspan longer than the length of their body from head to tail. The back of their neck carries two fin-like, translucent spines also used for balancing or maneuvering in air.

Most rahms do not have eyes. Instead, the eye-like organs on their heads are usually formed of a series of crystal-like organic structures that allow it heat-seeking capability and may be covered by a flat pane of glass-like crystal to protect them. There is no known pattern to what rahms have unarmored crystal organs or what rahms have armored crystal organs, although the rahms of the Universal and Atomic divisions are more likely to have this pane of crystal.

#### Gender

A general understanding about gender in rahms is still being researched. However, in spite of largely being believed to be genderless creatures, being made up of elements rather than flesh, all rahms exhibit attributes to their torsos that define them as male or female in appearance. Some rahms *are* defined physically with genders, including Maasarahm and Fossirahm, but there are few examples of this.

#### Elements

Every rahm is unique due to their elemental classifications in that each one makes its appearance similar to the element it controls. Compared to the fact that each basic shape to a rahm is similar, a rahm of any particular element is highly unique. A rahm with an element often has a crest and different colored eyes than another rahm with another element.

Rahms with elemental attributes can also have various attributes that are not part of other rahms. Some rahms with celestial attributes are more ornate than more basic-elemental rahms.

All rahms are classified into five divisions: *Atomic Division*, *Basic Division*, *Unnatural Division*, *Universal Division*, and *Supernatural Division*. Each of these divisions is defined by the ornateness and nature of their design.

* **Atomic Division** - Often designed by having a central core of energy made up of the element that it represents. Though of relatively simple design, some appear to be very peculiar.
* **Basic Division** - Based thoroughly on the nature of the element they represent. The Basic Divison rahms are the least ornate of all five divisions, but some of the most detailed. Contains a combination of motifs from lesser divisions of rahm.
* **Unnatural Division** - Based thoroughly on the nature of the element they represent. They are ranked second least ornate of the five divisions, but their general designs range from detailed to very unusual. Contains a combination of motifs from lesser divisions of rahm.
* **Universal Division** - More ornate than either the Basic or Unnatural Divisions, and are based on the gradiose design of the element they represent. While they may be of a relatively simple design, they can also be complex to represent the broad element they control. Contains a combination of motifs from lesser divisions of rahm.
* **Supernatural Division** - Highly ornate, inscribed by the Heavenly language of God. The form is made up of not only the energy of Heaven but constantly moving parts. Contains a combination of motifs from every division of rahm.

### Temperament

The temperament of a certain rahm often differs from other rahms. Rahms are particularly territorial, preferring to remain in their own habitats where they can be without interference from other lifeforms, including other rahms. Because of their self-imposed isolation, they are rarely ever sighted and can often be referred to as "mirages" or "hallucinations".

If one are provoked, a rahm can cause catastrophe in a nearby area or stalk its prey and wait for a sign of weakness. If it is injured and is not properly able to retaliate against a stronger foe, it will try to make a quick and soundless escape. When a rahm is closer to death, they are known to progressively become more berserk and ravage whole landscapes in their wrath. It is considered unnatural for a rahm to be close to death for any reason.

### Rarity

Rahms have been listed in the *Tesiva Conservations Network* on Neira as *fully extinct* on the planet. They have also been added to Zantigoraasha Rarities for their status as *endangered*. It is believed that their populations have dwindled due to the interference of *kein mortaeiis* (lit. "death plague"), extreme hunting or poaching -- often hunted for their energy, or another valuble material they provide -- large-scale development in a few cases, and pollution in very rare cases.

Efforts to conserve the rahms are struggling to remain due to the rapidity of their endangerment. It is purported that the rahm will become extinct on all planets within the next few centuries if conservation efforts are not taken to the extreme to preserve their existence.