Valra

Valra can be found almost anywhere but are seen most in treacherous regions. Poisonous marshes and swamps, mountainsides with loose and sharp rocks, or any area that can kill beast and Nyctoran easily. Volcanoes and fiery places are avoided however.

They are the only Nyctoran species which scavenge for their food. Sour and rotten meats are their favorite food. The scavenged flesh can come from a beast or other Nyctoran species that are not Valra. Fresh meat is enjoyed equally much especially if other races visit. Various nuts and fruits are enjoyed but to a smaller degree.   Tools aren't required when they hunt fresh prey. Their shape-shifting abilities allow them to catch prey with talon and beak. The were-raven and griffon form are the two used for hunting.

Anyone who sees a Valra might say they are immortal. Time seems to avoid them leaving them looking like teens and young adults even in old age. Some might look like middle aged adults by the time they reach 120-147 years old.

Face shapes of the tribal Valra vary from narrow to a “normal” width with delicate or chiseled features. Eyes may be sharp, curious, or even lazy in appearance.   Heads of the city Valra are expected to be narrow with well-defined features. The nose is to be sharp and long but not too long.

Valra are blessed with a keen sense of smell, able to smell things from 15-32 miles away. This enables them to find their favored food, decayed corpses, and identify friend and foe with ease. They despise strong scents, like perfume, as a result. Incense is often used to make their homes and themselves smell good instead.

Valra choose names associated with death, decay, or darkness. Sometimes they even pick names based on what they are a valravn or raven.

Unlike some species, Valra have no divide between male and female. Both scavenge, hunt, raise the young, defend, ect. They believe to separate jobs based on gender only weakens the clans and people as a whole.

Similar to the goth style. Lots of black and bones. Bellies are usually exposed on both genders but some prefer to cover more.   Every individual is expected to make their own outfits which they craft from leather, bones, and feathers. These materials they scavenge, harvest from prey, or shed themselves. They may craft an outfit for a friend, family member, or loved one too.   Ceremonial garb covers more of their body. They wear elegant armor that is crafted from a metal so dark it absorbs light. A black robe with crimson designs is worn over the armor with a hood to hide their heads. Normally they are in their wereraven form for ceremonies but for those that they remain in their humanoid form, they might wear a gleaming black mask.

Valra are scavengers and will feast on the dead be they Nyctoran or beast. It is forbidden, however, for them to hunt and eat another Valra.

Valra/Cotricikal Relations - The relationship between these two races is powerful. Cotricikal have lethal breath that can kill or petrify anything that gets near their caves. Scavanging meat is easy but harvesting crops of any kind is near impossible.   Valra are immune to their breath. The dead that are always around the Cotricikal homes provide ample food while the treacherous terrain provides a safe home for them. Since the tribes are rarely far from each other, Valra help bring in materials for the Cotricikal that they can't obtain themselves.   Relations of their city counterparts aren't so close. Valra are forbidden from entering the cities while Cotricikals happily obtain everything they need from merchants. At best, the two races ignore one another.   Valra/Luminary Relations - The relations between these two are tense. The tribes often ignore eachother since they are of opposing elements and have little to offer. Rare times they may trade for materials.   Luminaries do keep a close eye on where the Valra gather. If a tribe of Valra is near then death or danger isn't far. More aggresive Luminary tribes may bring death apon themselves if they attempt to wipe out a Valra clan that has gotten too close.   The tension is at a breaking point for the city variants. Luminaries are the sole rulers of the city and demand that the Valra stay outside the city. To add insult to injury, they even deny the existence of Valra, making them seem like nothing more than a myth. On the other hand, it is expected of the Valra to be assassins for the elite clans and to clean up the dead piled just outside the city walls.   With so much piled against them, Valra have used their stealth and guile to steal. For most it's a fun game and easy revenge on the Luminaries but for others they steal to assist the poor. Luminaries are well aware of the tension though, and fear for their lives should they ever cross a boundary with their local Valra.