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[IMAGE]

Structure: Mostly humanoid
Avg. Height: 4-5 feet
Avg. Weight: 100-200 pounds
Genders: Just the two, Male and Female
Physical Features: Beaks, single forhead horns, feathers, birdlike feet
Skin Colors: Pink, but completely covered by feathers in all colors
Hair Colors: Black, blue, brown
Eye Colors: Black, brown, blue, green, rarely red
Magic: Above average
Powers: Shamanism, alleged communication with spirits of the dead
Intelligence: Average
Strength: Above average
Homeland: Hau-Pei-Tse Mountain Range

Origins: At the beginning of the universe, when Somnium was inhabited only by the gods who created it, a butterfly laid a clutch of eggs. Each egg hatched into one of the many animals which eventually populated Somnium, the last of which was the first of the Po-Kai. There is some dispute over the species of the egg-laying creator creature; the Po-Kai words for 'Faery' and 'butterfly' sound incredibly similar. Po-Kai mythology is passed down through oral tradition, and each storyteller interprets the word differently. Interestingly, the Po-Kai storytellers agree that before the butterfly's eggs hatched, the world was inhabited ONLY by gods and plants, and the butterfly's existence is never explained. Thus, it is implied that the gods of Somnium are either butterflies or Faerys.

Interestingly, the Po-Kai were not always a mountain-dwelling people, as they are today. In the days soon after the creation of the Po-Kai race, the land was flooded by some mysterious force. The rising water levels forced the Po-Kai to move to higher ground, eventually driving them all the way to the highest peaks of the Hau-Pei-Tse, where they have lived ever since. The legendary flood coincides with similar events in Lacertan, Patrian, and Elfish mythologies.

Culture:

((Po-Kai are based off my very loose and limited knowledge of Hmong culture. Please do not treat them like an end-all pan-Asian culture. They aren't Japanese. They aren't Chinese. They don't use chopsticks. They don't speak -chan after every other pronoun. *gag*))

Allies and Enemies:

Humans- Human physicians hold a deep respect for the Po-Kai and their natural medicines, and Po-Kai textiles are becoming increasingly popular amongs Patria's upper-middle class. Patria has made many attempts to take the Hau-Pei-Tse into its control, much like the relationship between Patria and Lacerta. However, the Po-Kai have successfully resisted the imperialist advance. The Humans generally consider the Po-Kai to be incredibly stubborn, antisocial, and merely half-civilized. The Po-Kai are always suspicious of Human visitors to their villages, and rarely show true hospitality towards the Humans. They still trade with Human merchants, however, because they feel it is to their advantage.

Elfs- The Elfs admire the Po-Kai and their ability to resist Patrian colonialism. The two races rarely interact, but are currently at peace with each other. The Po-Kai consider the Elfs to be much nicer and less dangerous than the Humans and will often express this sentiment to members of either race.

Faerys- The Po-Kai creation myth revolves around what is either a butterfly or a Faery. Some Po-Kai clans revere Faerys as sacred creatures, while others treat butterflies in the same manner. Faerys like to live in the densely forested Hau-Pei-Tse, and enjoy the respect they get from the spiritual Po-Kai.

Nagas- Naga hunters are known to climb up into the Hau-Pei-Tse to steal the eggs of the Po-Kai, a rare delicacy in Lacerta. The Po-Kai hate and fear the Nagas, giving them the position of demons in their folklore. When a Naga is sighted in the mountain forests, all able-bodied Po-Kai men are duty-bound to seek it out and kill it before it reaches their nests. The Po-Kai will not even use Lacertan dragonskin leather, considering it cursed and unlucky. Putting a Naga and a Po-Kai in a room together will always result in at least one of them getting killed.

Ghoblings- No Po-Kai has ever been to the island of Maligo, as it is far, far away from their mountain homeland. Thus, the Ghoblings and the Po-Kai have never encountered each other. It can be assumed that the Ghoblings would treat the Po-Kai as they treat the other races. A few Hobghoblings have been to the Hau-Pei-Tse, where they were not given any special treatment. The Po-Kai consider the Hobghoblings to be just one of many strange outsider races that they are not concerned with.

Unica- The Po-Kai rarely leave their mountains for anything, and the Unica rarely travel far from their valley. Thus, the two races only know of each other through the accounts of Human merchants. The Po-Kai are horticulturalists living at high elevations, and the lowlander Unica are primarily hunters. The two cultures seem to be exact opposites and would probably not mingle even if they lived in close proximity to each other. Because both cultures have a tendency to mind their own business, they would probably not have any major problems with each other.