Balaur, Who Are They!

ID: 730083
Balaur, Who Are They!

	NPC Level: 1 HP: 63 Aggression radius: 0m
Dialogs: This work is the first serious attempt to chart the pedigree of the Balaur race. Though my plan is anything but popular with my fellow scholars, it is my firm belief that this research would be helpful to our people. There are Balaur in the Abyss, in unguessable numbers. We can no longer dismiss them as ugly legend; they are a reality, a threat. The information here includes both research on the Balaur written before the Cataclysm, and personal observations compiled during my travels across the Abyss. Known Balaur may be classified into four lineages: the Drakan; the Dragons; the Nagarants; and the Draconutes. When referring to the Dragons--also known as ascended Drakan--we specifically mean the Five Dragon Lords. Interested scholars can find more--and more complete--information in other works. If there are other breeds of Balaur, we do not know them. Those that follow me will need to expand upon this work, as I myself have done with the words of others. The key difference between the Balaur and all other known creatures of Atreia is their incompatibility with Aether. They are not only unable to use it, but actively vulnerable to it. Even creatures completely indifferent to the Aether do not display this vulnerability. The Drakan are the first pedigree of the Balaur. Just as Daevas are ascended Human beings, the Five Dragon Lords were ascended Drakan. Most curiously, they emanate an energy that functions as a form of negative Aether, which other scholars have termed Counter-Aether. To contend with Aether-using creatures, the Drakan employ this Counter-Aether to develop enhanced weapons and armor. The legendary Drakan temper conceals a surprisingly high level of intelligence. Study of their stone constructions reveals knowledge of advanced architectural concepts and stoneworking techniques. Only a few sites survive, and these are mostly in ruins. They adapted well to harsh environments where no Humans or Sapiens could survive, spreading over and ruling ancient Atreia. Driven from Atreia during the Cataclysm, they have recently been discovered in the Abyss. We can only assume they are nesting somewhere beyond the limits of the Aetheric Field. We know nothing of their numbers, nor of their degree of organization. Nagarants did not exist in ancient times. A new species born of the Cataclysm, the Nagarant form is grotesque: a Humanoid torso crowning a snake-like lower body. The genders are distinct enough to require separate names--females are referred to as Nagas, the males as Nagarants. Spotted in the Abyss shortly after the discovery of the Draconute species, the Nagarant presence was clearly a colony or camp. Without any permanent settlements, relics, art objects, or documents from which we might learn, we are largely ignorant of Nagarant society and culture. However, we have noted strikingly complex approaches to labor division and military organization in their groups, indicating intelligence at least on par with Sapien cultures. Reports indicate the Nagarants are able to draw upon Counter-Aether and channel it into acts of magic such as freezing a target in place. Our knowledge of Counter-Aether and its true potential or scope is extremely limited, as all experiments have made...little progress. Study of Nagarant tissue confirms the Nagarant are a mutated branch of the Drakan species. My hypothesis is that exposure to tremendous levels of Aetheric energy in a short time caused cells to mutate. We can reasonably classify the Nagarants as being below the Drakan, but above the Draconutes. They may yet continue to evolve as a species. Draconutes were first seen during the Abyss War. Their discovery was the first solid proof that the Balaur had not been destroyed after the Cataclysm as previously believed. Like the Nagarants, the Draconutes are a subspecies mutated by the shock of the Cataclysm. They are physically weaker than the ancient Balaur, and far less intelligent. Their upper bodies are disproportionately developed compared to their slender lower halves. Their sense of balance is poor and their posture ungainly. Their jaws cannot exert significant force, and such teeth as they have are small and weak. Draconutes are not sophisticated enough to have developed a distinct culture. While exhibiting elements of labor specialization, this societal division is more likely imposed upon them by their Nagarant leaders. What they lack in physical and mental strength they make up in sheer weight of numbers. Draconutes are very prolific, and their reported numbers are increasing faster than those of the Nagarants. In battle, they typically wield older weapons, but somewhat more advanced upper body armor.

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