Yep, I'm bringing the phoenix race back. This does not mean you can have a whole kingdom or empire of Phoenixes. They will be limited as Phoenix's are more of loner types and do not flock together much. Those who are allowed to have one will be allowed ONE. This excludes Hawkeye who can have ZERO.
History:Rising from its ashes, the fire bird that never dies. This is the legend that depicts the Phoenix to most. And in truth, it is the legend the Phoenix Sages, descends from. It is the secret of their origins they keep, and the truth of their birth to which they rarely reveal but has been passed down and known to every Phoenix alive as a calling.
See, The Phoenix was not a true sage at first. Unlike many other races and even the other mythical creatures of legend that make up the Sage race, the Phoenix was created by the Perfect themselves back before the Embodiments and other life were created. It was formed to be one, and created for a purpose and to serve that purpose only.
By taking the ash of death and the very flame of life, the Perfect crafted it into the image of a bird. The ash became its body, the fire its spirit. It had no definite size due to the wild untamed likeness of fire. And it had no definite color, for it shone with every visible and invisible spectrum of light. It's gender was that of none for it was not created to reproduce.
Through the ash that became its body; a symbolism of the dead and fallen remains, and the flame that was its spirit and burned in its blood; symbolism of life through heat, the Phoenix conquered both life and death, being unable to die. If wounded it would simply heal. If shattered it would rise from its own remains, and if its spirit were to be put out, the strands of its astral would gather and recreate anew. The Perfect had created something far more powerful than even themselves. Whereas they could die, this creature could not. This creature was in every meaning of the word, immortal.
But alas, there was only one. Because of the power one item held, the Perfect had created this creature for one purpose only. To equal and in turn guard the item in question. The Phoenix was created for and given the task to guard the Arami Scrolls.
The Perfect found this item truly frightening. For years they had believed there was a higher power to even themselves. And it was when they came across the scrolls of old, the key to reality, that their beliefs were found true. The Arami Scrolls were thought to hold that higher power and to no extent could they be destroyed. The Perfect used time, destruction, decay, all the forces in their power and they still could not manage to destroy the item.
Though they were Perfect even they believed they would fall to the corruption that power gave one, and instead opted to guard the item from even themselves. This was why the Phoenix was created and given the power it had, to equal the scrolls and thus overpower the Perfect and through the ages make sure the Perfect or their later creations could not obtain obtain them.
But fate is a cruel thing, and unforeseen occurrences befall us all.
With the eventual fall and death of its Perfect and Imperfect creators and the rise of the embodiments and their creations. The Phoenix was left alone, devoid of the company of those that knew it. Kept away in the far reaches of the Astral Plane and guarding the scrolls, the Perfect were the only being that had ever visited, as they were the only beings that knew of it. The secret kept to insure the safety of the scrolls.
After many eras had passed and no Perfect came to visit, the Phoenix's loneliness got the best of it and it dared, despite its creators orders, to venture out into the rest of Existence, but not before assuring the scrolls were once more guarded in a realm created on the Astral Plane that the Phoenix its own magic passed from the Perfect to form.
Thousands of years later through the search of its creators, The Phoenix came across Asura, the embodiment of time that another embodiment had pointed it to. Through her it learned the demise of the Perfect and Imperfect, the rise of the embodiments, and the creation of life on the Planes. It was told of Creation and Destruction, and what had become of the North. And then, it was asked as to why it was not still guarding the Scrolls.
Filled with sorrow of the revelation to its creators, the Phoenix admitted to its feelings of loneliness and its own hate for the task with which it was created for, having no other purpose in Existence except to be a guard. Moved with pity, and the fear that the Phoenix would fall from its duty through loneliness, Asura offered to lock the scrolls in Time where only those gifted with the control of time or the blood of the Phoenix, could access them. This would free the Phoenix of its duty and assure the scrolls stayed guarded.
The Phoenix happily agreed and the realm of the Arami Scrolls was locked in time where only its descendants or Time could access.
After the meeting with Time and its own freedom obtained. The Phoenix returned to a place that had caught its attention in its search. The Sage Dimension. Filled with other mythical creatures such as its self, the Phoenix found its home here for many years. But even that would eventually become lonely as it was still the only one of its kind.
While there were many Gryphon, many Dragons, and tons of the other kinds of Sages. There was only one Phoenix. And for years it stayed this way. Till wars erupted between kingdoms of the Sages for power. It was these wars that had led to the fall of its creators, and so the Phoenix had sought to stop them, using its massive power and immortality in attempt to stop sides of the wars
This failed as the Phoenix had grown weak through depression over the years and together the current Sage Kingdoms were able to bring the massive bird down. But the other Sages did not know of the immortality of the Phoenix and it would be at this time that the legends would start.
Immediately healed of its wounds the great bird was reborn, this frightened the other kingodms and they left the bird alone, all other kingdoms continuing their fighting elsewhere but never interacting with the Phoenix.
This left the bird alone once again and over time its depression grew. Eventually, through its one death, an idea had formed in the Phoenixes mind. Because it could not die, it would be reborn. But instead of being reborn as its self, perhaps it could use the gifts of the perfect and give rise to its own kinds, a race of Phoenix, to be reborn in the land of the sages with more purpose to them than to just be silly guards. A race that would be prideful of who they were and who would bring all other kingdoms to a halt.
With this concept in mind, the Phoenix, the very first and most powerful of all its kind died its last death as it burst into flames and shed all of its great plumage, the feathers dropping to the ground into its ashes and from them the Phoenix Sages born.
The Phoenix sages were like the original Phoenix in many ways, but they did not have the great power it possessed because the power had been split up amongst them. (See magic and description for differences.)
Over the years the Phoenix Sages went from the pile of feathers they had been born from to many. They had become great and had made themselves known throughout the Sage Dimension as one of the most powerful Sage kingdoms as their original had wished. But where the original had wanted to stop the wars, the Phoenix Sages instead opted to join them, and go forward with making their presence known.
Eventually the Phoenix saw themselves as being held back by their birdlike form. Though this was their true form and the form passed to them from the original Phoenix, it kept them from reaching their full potential and lacked easier certain traits. This was the turning point for the Phoenix Sages as they took the only other form they knew of. The form of their originals creators, the form of the Perfect and thus the humanoid form most Sages today take.Taking this form led to other Sages in the dimension that hadn't taken this form yet to follow suit, and it led to a common appearance. In this form they could harness magic much easier and still revert to the inherited phoenix traits of wings, tails, talons, or the full extent of their true form. It wasn't permanent, more as it was just a chosen form.
Later in history, years after they were formed. The Phoenix Kingdom which was home to most of the Phoenix of the race had entered into rivalry with the Dragons. This rivalry eventually grew into something more and head resulted into war with the Genesis Dragons in two large events. Through the first, the Phoenix had mostly been victorious. Through the second, not so much.
Not all Phoenix agreed with these wars however, and many had split off to go their own ways before the first war, and many more before the second. These other Phoenix would go onto other dimensions and either take other forms to hide what they truly are, or to marry into other races and pass along the traits to half-breeds. Some may even be staying true to their heritage.
For the ones that did support the war, they stayed in the Kingdom and under the King and split off towards the end of the war when Empathy tried to destroy the rest of the Kingdom. Where the royal family entered into marriage with the remaining Genesis royals, the rest of the Phoenix Kingdom did not, and went their separate ways when the kingdom had fallen.
To this day, though very few Phoenix are known throughout the Dimension, there does exist more somewhere out there. But the Phoenix Sages, despite joining together in kingdom, were still descended from the original Phoenix and thus carry with them preference not to flock together like most birds along with others that carry with them the loneliness of the one Phoenix as well and prefer to surround themselves. It all depends on the individual Phoenix Sage.
DescriptionBasically brought out in History. The Phoenix Sage is a subrace of the Sages, but unlike other Sages was not an original but instead created from the very first and only Phoenix. Because this Phoenix had no definite size, color, form (except the sillouette of a bird) the Phoenix Sages have inherited this and can therefore take any size they want in their true form. This can be as big as planet, to as small as an ant. But this is only in their true bird form that this can be and not in their chosen form.
Because the Phoenix had no definite color but was every visible and invisible spectrum of light, the Phoenix Sages therefore can be of any color plummage when born. There's red phoenix, white phoenix, rainbow phoenix. Their talons and beak can be of any color as well. They have no definite color, with the exception of their eyes. Most Phoenix will inherit golden eyes in some way or form. Though they can still be another color and thus stay two-toned, one of the tones is most always gold This is in their true form.
In their chosen Sage form that was derived from the Perfect, they will carry traits of their Phoenix form, but these can always be hid. Their hair will usually take the color of their feathers and wings that they had in their true form, with one strand, tips, or highlights of gold. Though this can of course be dyed through magic or physical means.
In this form the females have feathers in assorted and cleverly done places. Such as up the spine in small tufts, to around the breasts and private areas. Their wings, however, are cleverly done and instead of like the normal wing of a bird where the feathers are of the same length. They instead have their primaries the longest, their secondaries short, but their feathers near their back long once again, ending in their tail feathers which connect to their wings. These tail feathers are the longest even longer than their primaries and will normally go passed their ankles and drag on the floor.
For the males, it is pretty much the same, though muscled do not show on a Phoenix. Most males are of average build and carry not enough to be called feminine but yet at the same time not extremely manly features. (Think Bishounen.) Their feathers are displayed in the same way.
But of course, the wings, the feathers, all of it can be done away with through magic, and whatever the features the Phoenix in question wants to keep left. It is just this is the default appearance and placement of the feathers and other such traits.
(Feather placement and wing layers can be seen here
http://i56.tinypic.com/vvvj5.jpg )
As these descriptions fit pure Phoenix Sages, they do not always apply to Phoenix that have other racial blood in them. Such as the popularly known Tyris family who are of Phoenix, Dragon, and something else. Or other such Phoenix that have mated with other races. If not pure Phoenix, their true form is what they are born as, and can instead take the pure blooded 'true form,' and make it a 'chosen form,' as in switch back and forth like a pure Phoenix, but just reversing the True and Chosen form thing as they were born as something different.
They can still carry many traits that a Phoenix does such as the feather placement, the wings, the golden eyes and hair strands, and other things. It all depends on the individual born.
Their feathers, beak, and talons are normally harder than diamond, having the ability to deflect most small attacks. Their blood is like Holy fire melted into liquid form, but red when it leaves the body and thus loses the heat and innate abilities of the Phoenix. This means their racial magic cannot be copied, but their common magic and they can still be bound as their blood carries the same sacred properties all races do.
CulturePhoenix Sages are mostly either loners or leaders. There have never been Phoenix Sages that are a mere follower or someones slave. Their pride will normally not allow them to be that low, as they still carry the pride and duty the original Phoenix had, along with the pride of the powers they carry.
Because all Phoenix Sages are different, there really is no culture, as there is no definite way they raise their young or go about life.
ReproductionThe Phoenix will normally mate in the form of their chosen mate. This usually means if they're mating with a human they'll take human form. If they mate with another Sage subrace, it'd be of their form. Another Phoenix, they'd mate in their true form, and so on.
However, in birth they lay eggs like most birds do. This is not to mean a normal eggs. But a fetal egg inside the shell of a bird-egg. They will have the pain, and other features of the birth in their Chosen form, yet lay an egg which will grow the child inside and hatch when ready. Unlike most bird eggs however, the mother Phoenix does not need to be around as the inside of the fetal egg and around the child is a layer of holy fire that keeps the child incubated. As Phoenix are immune to their own flames, this does not harm the child.
If the child is only Phoenix it will hatch in its true form, birdy. If however the child is a cross between a Phoenix Sage and another race, the child will hatch in the form it will take later in life as its true form is not pure Phoenix and thus not born a bird. But even then, they will still come from an egg.
Phoenix Sages (pure) are Polygamist and Polyandrous. This means they do not mate for life or stay with a mate for long. Of course it depends on the individual Sage. But most default Phoenix Sages will take many mates throughout their life.
MagicAnd now we get to magic... Through the creation of their race, they have inherited many powerful abilities. And later in life developed these into more. They are a very skilled race in magic, and not one race out there matches their talent in fire based and healing skill as far as they know. As they are known as the bird of life, healing, rebirth, and fire. Most of their innate racial abilities as well as their magic circles around these traits.
Though they can still do common magic and pick up or learn other types of magic, those will normally be through training, whereas the skills listed below are inherited and a part of them as a Race.
Rebirth and HealingThrough their origins and the immortality of the one original Phoenix who was born of the Flame of life and Ashes of death, the Phoenix race is skilled in Reincarnation and Resurrection. Though they can still die a spiritual death unlike the original Phoenix who conquered death, a mortal death they can be brought back from. If killed, they will rise from their own ashes or remains as a child of memory repressed, ready to rejoin the aging cycle.
This is a form of immortality, as they do not keep their previous age as their true age and instead reset the aging clock. Even if they died at 1000 or more years.
Other than reincarnating themselves, they are skilled with resurrection and can thus heal the body and call back a spirit if it has not yet been judged.If it has, they can still call it back, but may have to face deals or arguments with the rulers of the realms they're calling it from.
As such, they are also fast healers, and will heal rapidly from certain amounts of damage. Though they can still be overwhelmed and killed before they can heal, this depends on a case to case basis.
Their blood also carries adaption and if exposed overtime they will develop immunity to viruses, sicknesses, drugs, chemicals, and such faster than a human. But they have to be exposed to it enough times, and it really depends on the thing in question. Such as tranquilizers, if shot enough, immunity and adaption will build up.
FireAs they are the bird of fire and was born from fire it self. The Phoenix is extremely skilled and if not the best, damn near close to it in fire arts. As such they can combine fire with any substance to create their own types of fire that carries properties and effects of both the fire and the merged substance. This is known as their Fire manipulation ability and has given rise to things such as Stone Fire, Ice Fire, even Spirit Fire and the very dangerous Deicide Fire.
As their blood is fire its self born from the flame of life, the Phoenix has inherited its own special type of fire that no other creature can copy naturally and must use magic to replicate. Holy Fire. A pure golden flame that looks like one took gold and melted it down into a fire. This figure is the strongest fire under God Fire, as it can burn anything on the Physical Plane and match any fire but God Fire. It is a Phoenix's blood while still in their body, but once leaving the body is in a way put out. This means only a Phoenix Sage can create and manipulate it without effort.
Whereas a normal mage would have to focus and not be able to call upon it as easy for they have to do it through replication.
Fire ImmunityBecause they are a creature of fire. Phoenix Sages are immune to most fire types including regular fire, their own fire, and weaker type fires. But if a fire is magically laced or newly created so as to have properties most fire does not, they will take damage from it, such as Black Fire, God Fire, and the like.
Spiritual and Astral ManipulationBecause the one Phoenix stayed in the Astral Plane for most of its created life, and was created through the flame of life. The Phoenix Sages have inherited somewhat of a skill to manipulate Spirit Energy and Astral to an extent more than other mages. This lets them absorb, rechannel, and even preserve Spirit Energy or Astral. This does not mean they cannot die a Spiritual death, no. But if they have the means to gather up the Astral of someone killed through Spritual death, they can reform that person and save them before they are reincarnated. This is a very difficult skill and is usually a gamble at most times, but still possible.
FlightThough not really considered a magic, the Phoenix are skillful fliers as they are in their true forms, birds. They can fly at high speeds up to the speed of sound if not the speed of light, turn and dive sharply without slowing down, and a natural in the air as well as ground.
OtherThough also not magic, it should be noted that Phoenix can survive in the cold of space through the heat of their own body and blood and breathe through magic. This includes cold temperatures as well reaching down to even absolute zero.
