Touched
From Lithmeria
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| Race Art by Aja | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stats
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| Origin Continent | Teladir | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lore
Don't you understand? We lead because we were born to. We fight because we were destined to. This is our calling. This is why we were blessed. Make the best of it.
- -- Paragon Adrale Domyrri
- -- First century PQ Touched catechism, recited after battles
The Touched are, depending on whose opinion is solicited, a blessing from benevolent elemental spirits, a spontaneous mutation or a race of dangerous aberrations. In their native Teladir, public opinion is firmly settled on the former, the arrival of the Touched having slowed considerably the inexorable advance of the Sovereignty armies.
- -- 'Tiny' Jak'ton on the unfortunate end of a Touched hustler
First appearing around 440 years before the Great Quake, the Touched are unique in that they were and still are born to Teladiri human families seemingly at random. Neither rhyme nor reason has yet been established to determine whom a Touched child will be born to, and the union of two Touched seems to have the same odds of producing a Touched child as that of two humans. Touched who sire children with non-humans birth children of that race, suggesting that they share the genetic submissiveness of ordinary humanity.
Physically, the Touched vary wildly. Tall, short, broad and slight, the Touched are as diverse as the humans they most closely resemble. The defining features of a Touched are equally desperate, being determined by the elements with which they are most strongly connected. This most often expresses itself in the form of brightly hued hair in the primary colors, intricately colored irises and faint colors that seem to lie just under the skin.
Most Touched find that they have an incredible, almost supernatural aptitude toward one area of personal development. Often, a single Touched will be unfathomably strong or blindingly swift, but possess wisdom or magical aptitude scantly surpassing that of a regular human. Similarly, other Touched find that their intelligence or connection to the divine is vastly superior, but their physical attributes are merely average. This makes Touched almost savant like in their capacity to specialize and master their chosen fields.
The ability to master a specific task has led many Touched to lead highly specialized and focused lives, dedicating themselves utterly to mastering a fairly narrow set of skills or abilities. This leads some Touched to become abrasive and rude when dragged away from their work to perform other tasks, but the natural charisma of most Touched precludes this kind of behavior or simply leads to it being good naturally ignored as the grumbling of a genius. Other Touched are more aware of their proclivity toward single minded obsession and work hard to overcome it, deliberately broadening their skills and experience beyond their chosen field.
Upon Teladir, Touched are revered as having been singled out by the elements. They are viewed by the common folk as part idols, part saviors. Even the events of the Great Quake, triggered by a ritual conducted by four of the greatest Touched on Teladir only helped to cement the pedestal on which the Touched are placed by the Teladiri. Touched respond to this treatment in different ways, with some finding the attention embarrassing, some viewing it as a sign of the responsibility they bear and still others reveling in the glory of a manifest destiny.
In the east, the Touched filled a deep need: for protectors, for leaders, for uniters. Though it had been attempted before, it was not until Aradis Sedell - a wind Touched - brought together the first generation of Touched and created the Paragon Circle that the Nomadic tribes were finally united. His efforts brought several other previously-unaffiliated eastern races to the table as well, binding them together in a mutual bid for survival, the Accord of Teladir The Touched have since increased in number - rough estimates suggest that one of every ten Nomadic children born is Touched, now, and this rate is still increasing - and while many chase their own dreams and aspirations, those that lead carry the dreams and aspirations of so many more.
The elemental saturation of Teladir seems to have a somewhat comforting effect on the psyche of a Touched. Strongly connected to a single element, Touched often report feeling a sense of peace or contentment in areas where that particular element is strongest. This leads to a concentration of flame touched around volcanoes, wind touched on windswept plains and so forth. On Aspalaria, where the power of the arcane reigns supreme, many Touched report feeling a sense of instant homesickness and longing to return back to their own elementally charged continent. This is in no way debilitating, but is noticeable.
In contrast to their status on Teladir, the Touched are viewed on Aspalaria as dangerous, twisted aberrations whose very existence is both an affront and a threat to the normal order of things. The Ephemerals are especially vehement in this view, holding the Touched largely responsible for the 'curse' upon their race. Any Touched who finds themselves on Aspalaria would likely find only a slow, agonizing death at the hands of Arcanist researchers, ever eager to uncover the anatomical intricacies of their foes. Touched in the west are practically unheard of, but highly valued - though not necessarily as members of society, as they are typically subject to the studious nature of the Ebon Tower.
Those who do survive the process - both of the Ebon Tower's nature and potential attempts to assassinate defectors by the Accord - and merge into Aspalarian society are treated with curiosity and a fair bit of suspicion, though elder Ephemerals tend to despise them for reasons that they, as with most things, refuse to speak about.
Little is understood about the influence of the elements on Teladir: though it was always a vibrant, lively continent rich in resources and supernatural oddities, it was not until recently that more spontaneous developments began to happen. Lakes that came alive, sudden developments of elemental power, and, most notably, a sudden and significant rash of affected births among the Nomadic. Ever the optimists, the Teladiri declared them a blessing. The Touched display higher than average capabilities both physically and mentally compared to their progenitors, as well as minor manifestations of their elemental nature.
In the east, the Touched filled a deep need: for protectors, for leaders, for uniters. Though it had been attempted before, it was not until Aradis Sedell - a wind Touched - brought together the first generation of Touched and created the Paragon Circle that the Nomadic tribes were finally united. His efforts brought several other previously-unaffiliated eastern races to the table as well, binding them together in a mutual bid for survival, the Accord of Teladir The Touched have since increased in number - rough estimates suggest that one of every ten Nomadic children born is Touched, now, and this rate is still increasing - and while many chase their own dreams and aspirations, those that lead carry the dreams and aspirations of so many more.
The Touched vary as widely as their predecessors and the elements themselves: their hair occasionally carries color related to their element, though their skin tends to retain usual human tones, being affected much less frequently. Wind and fire Touched tend to be a bit taller than normal humans, while earth Touched tend to be shorter. Fire and frost Touched share the peculiar trait of having their body temperatures affected by their respective element.
- -- Champion Al'ghan Kintor
- -- Cinder, Eunuch at the Court of Mok'hin
