The Anyeli

Overview
Official Name: Anyeli Common name: Anyeli (Angels) Pronun.: an-YEH-lih
Geography
Homeland:	The Dusky Mountains
Capital:	The The Cloud Palace
Statistics
Currency:	Xanthai (ζ)
Calendar:	Xanth's Arrival (XA)
Languages:	Anyeli, Elysian
Population:	1,189,431 (mainland) 241,388 (Dardanos)
Physical
Lifespan:	800-1,000 years
Average Height:	5'10 / 1.78m (male) 5'10" / 1.73m (female)
Wingspan:	½-4' / 15cm-1.22m (Infant) 5-8' / 1.52- (Fledgling) 9-12' / 2.74-3.66m (Adult)
Wing Colour:	Shades of grey (dyed white or black
Politics
Archangel:	Persephone Anderton
Patron:	Dazadi Rhea
Classes:	Apali Skotadi
Specialties (Castes):	Peacekeeper Warrior
Skills & Powers
Skills:	Aura Form Aura Shield Combat Divine Shield Flight Heal Mediate Mental Shield Might Shadow Cloak Shadow Form Speed Stealth
Weaknesses:	Swimming

When Xanth mixed her own DNA with human and bird in 500 XA (7,500 BC), she created the Anyeli, the first of five races to bear her blood. Mostly human with only a few bird-like traits, the first Anyelos was quick to spread his unique genes, further diluting Xanth's blood by breeding with humans. Over the course of several decades, the Anyeli quickly evolved, gaining certain powers and abilities that, along with their feathered wings, set them apart from the human race. During the next two millennia their culture developed and a council of leaders rose out of the chaos along with two distinct factions.

The majority of the species are born and raised in the numerous small villages dotted throughout the mountains. Orphans of the war sometimes find a place in the towers of the Cloud Palace and most children attend school until they reach the end of their adolescence. At this point, fledglings begin preparing for the choices they'll make later in life.

As children and fledglings, Anyeli wings are fairly small and useless but as the Anyelos grows and practises, their flight muscles strengthen and their wingspan increases. All Anyeli will, at some point, break a bone or two during flight practise and these injuries have come to be a rite of passage among their kind.

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Anyeli Factions

In 2,000 XA (6,000 BC), war was declared between these two factions, a war which has been fought on and off ever since. During the infrequent peace-times, the Anyeli race as a whole has been exceptionally productive and it was during one such period, after five centuries of endless bloodshed, that Xanth bade them build a glorious palace. Her intention was to show them what they could achieve if they worked together and for nearly a hundred years, they were far too busy building to fight. However, a mere decade after its grand opening, the Cloud Palace hosted a new outbreak of the civil war and the trend was set for the forseeable future.

With the entire race so entrenched in the ongoing, if broken, civil war, all Anyeli are expected to join either the Apali or the Skotadi when they come of age at around 100 to 200 years old. Each faction comes with its own set of goals, skills, tactics and codes of conduct. The initiation ceremony includes the ritual dying of the new member's wings, whereupon they gain access to new mentors who will teach them abilities specific to their chosen faction. Membership is lifelong.

Choosing not to join a faction is political and professional suicide, as an Anyelos has no right to vote in official policy until they are represented by a faction leader. Anyeli are also limited in terms of what and how much they can learn.

The Black Skotadi

Official Name:	Skotadi (si. Skotados)
Common Name:	Skotadi (Dark Angel)
Wing Colour:	Black
Leader:	The Kurio (fem. Kuria)
Headquarters:	Skouros Tower

The Skotadi have a vested interest in darkness and shadows. They use cloak-and-dagger methods to win their battles and, though their warriors are as skilled as those of the Apali, their victories come more from reconnaisance and stealth than it does from any overt tactics.

The dark colour of their wings is a tribute to the power they hold over the shadows.

Skotadi are a secretive lot who guard their tower in the Cloud Palace well. They typically value knowledge above battlefield prowess and many of their successes have come from sabotage and detailed planning instead of actual battle.

The White Apali

Official Name:	Apali (si. Apalos)
Common Name:	Apali ((White) Angel)
Wing Colour:	White
Leader:	The Arkigos (fem. Arkiga)
Headquarters:	Leikos Tower

As the Skotadi control darkness, the Apali control light. They believe in openness over furtiveness and will choose a full-frontal attack over secrecy. True to their philosophy, the Apali have developed the power to control light and in their initiation ritual dye their wings white.

They are not above sabotage nor spying, however, and have learned to keep things close to their chest in an effort to keep their enemies from learning their plans. They guard their tower equally well but are more open in doing so, posting their guards in visible locations to prevent attacks.

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Anyeli Castes

As soon as they're ready (usually a few years after joining their faction, though some are later), Anyeli must join a caste if they want to learn powers and abilities specific to their role in society.

Choosing not to join a caste is not as damaging as not joining a faction, but the benefits of specialising (both in terms of power and the Anyelos's standing in the Anyeli community) are usually worth doing so.

(OOC: Apali must have at least 5 skill points spent in Aura Form or Aura Shield in order to choose their specialty. Skotadi must have at least 5 skill points spent in Shadow Cloak or Shadow Form in order to choose their specialty.)

Warrior

Official Name:	Warrior Caste
Common Name:	Warriors
Leader:	The Aeridos (fem. Aerida, pl. Aeridi)

From the Palace Guard and the Archangel's personal Guard to the scouts patrolling the Anyeli borders and even the battle instructors, Warriors are charged with the defence and advancement of the Anyeli species.

Not all warriors are fighters, however, as many find work in other areas not even related to their caste. They are, however, under oath and drafted into battle whenever war breaks out.

Peacekeeper

Official Name:	Peacekeeper Caste
Common Name:	Peacekeepers
Leader:	The Eremis (fem. Eremis, pl. Eremi)

Where the emphasis for warriors is in the defense of their race and in developing team work skills, Peacekeepers must take a more individual path. Though their goal is the same - to protect the Anyeli race - Peacekeepers are pacifists and choose the less direct approach. Training as diplomats and healers, Peacekeepers learn to mediate in feuds both great and small and, as a caste, are responsible for many of the ceasefires the Anyeli have enjoyed.

Peacekeepers are sworn to forsake all violence and are not allowed to lift a weapon against anyone. Utilising their empathic and healing abilities, they usually become negotiators, scholars or healers, though the quest for peace can take them into any occupation that does not involve fighting. Many of the teachers, labourers and caregivers at the palace were first Peacekeepers and during wartimes they are invaluable as field medics.

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The Cloud Palace

As the war between the factions grew more and more violent, it seemed there would never be an end. In an attempt to remind the Anyeli that they were capable of so much more than killing, Xanth ordered them to build a palace that would provide a sanctuary against the destruction of the war. Though it took a hundred years to build, and Xanth herself laid down laws that prohibited violence within the palace walls, the undertaking was a rewarding one. Unfortunately, it did not end the war as Xanth had hoped.

1. Main Tower

   The Main Tower is also known as the Central Tower, though it is unclear why as, geographically, it is far from the centre of the palace. Housing many of the offices and chambers of Anyeli administration, including the Archangel's quarters at the very top, the Main Tower is where much of Anyeli bureacracy takes place.

2. Great Library

   Founded by a great Anyeli hero, the Library was originally just one tower but grew so large that extra towers have been built on and the entire stock now contains over a hundred thousand books, though few of them pertain to the Anyeli themselves. The majority of the library's shelves are open to the general public but there are some sections restricted to Anyeli only.

3. Apartment Towers

   At the peak of Anyeli civilization, the four dormitory towers were full to the brim with fledglings. In recent years, few of the beds were occupied and many of the floors were closed down to save resources. Though many of the residents were fledglings, there were enough who were older - and therefore members of a faction - to necessitate the segregation of not just gender but also wing colour.

   However, the Rhea family bought the palace after the Council of Nine threatened to shut it down. After renovations, three out of the four dormitory towers were converted into apartments, the final tower reserved for fledglings and orphans of the war.

4. School

   In its hey-day, the school was filled with Anyeli of all ages (and coming from villages miles away) learning new skills and practising the ones they already had. Lessons included cooking, sewing, flying, and more less anything the Anyelos might need to survive in the world outside the palace. Since the palace was bought by the Rheas, the school towers have opened once more, and not only to the Anyeli people.

5. Skouros Tower, Skotadi Headquarters

   As the Central Tower houses the Archangel and most of the bureacrats and caretakers of the palace, the Skouros Tower houses the Kurio on the top floor and his staff on the lower floors. There are rooms dedicated to training initiates including an armoury, exercise room and a so-called 'quiet room' for Peacekeeper students. No Apalos may enter this tower and guards are posted, hidden from sight, in the majority of the corridors and entryways.

6. Leikos Tower, Apalos Headquarters

   Similarly, the Leikos Tower houses the Arkiga on the top floor and her staff on the lower floors. The architecture and layout of the tower is identical to that of the Skouros Tower, though the rooms are decorated differently to reflect the bond the Apali have with light. No Skotadi may enter this tower, and there are plenty of guards stationed in visible spots to discourage spies.

7. Fountain and Statue

   Inside the main gates, the architects of the palace erected a statue dedicated to Xanth and sat it atop a glorious fountain. It is a popular picnic area and lights have been fixed so that at night it is displayed in its full glory and visible from the highest floors of all the towers.

8. Main Gates

   These wrought-iron gates stand over one hundred feet tall and pierce the guard towers on either side. Such a feat in itself is awesome, but the architects were not satisfied in stopping there. The gates depict one of the most famous battle scenes in Anyeli history and, despite their name, were never intended to be opened. Instead, there are smaller gates a mere six feet in height at the centre of the massive iron network that act as the actual entryway with guards posted either side.

9. Gate Towers

   These twin towers are spherical in shape and hold the main gate upright. Though they house guards just as the Guard Towers do, the supportive walls are so thick that the rooms inside are tiny and the guard quarters are only available on the top floor.

10. Guard Towers

    Moulded seamlessly into the Outer Wall at regular intervals, these towers were shaped into enormous statues of Anyeli heroes and hollowed out to house the Palace Guardsmen who patrol the Wall.

11. Outer Wall

    This massive wall surrounds the palace more as a symbol than any real defence, though it is easily capable of keeping out the non-flyers. The base is fifteen feet thick and the wall gradually slopes in towards the top.

12. Inner Wall

    Only twenty feet high, the Inner Wall is more for decorative purposes than defense. All manner of blossoming plants cascade down the walls and grow into cracks in the limestone, providing a sweet smell and a pretty vista all year round. The Inner Wall is often used as a jumping point for fledglings learning to fly and instructors overseeing their warriors-in-training.

    Inside the Inner Wall lies the Great Corridor, a mysterious hallway that is split into 'sectors'. Each section is decorated differently, from the brightly lit halls where sun streams in through the windows in honour of the Apali, to the Hall of War where each window depicts a bloody battle scene and so the light itself turns blood-red. The transition between sectors is incredibly subtle and the Great Corridor is often used as a sanctuary within a sanctuary as well as a teacher's tool for historical field trips.

13. Courtyard

    Though the entire space between the Outer and Inner Walls is effectively a courtyard, much of the space is used for training purposes and for gardens. Only the area directly inside the Main Gate is referred to as the Courtyard, and it is here where Xanth's statue was erected.

14. Training Grounds

    As suggested by the name, the Training Grounds are an area walled off for training purposes. This is the only area where fighting is permitted, though instructors try to ensure no real harm comes to their students. Peacekeepers are not allowed to step foot on the Training Grounds at all.

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Skills & Powers

For an alphabetical list of powers for all species, check the Skills & Powers page here. Back to the Top