(ARCHIVED)The Fereg

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Overview:
The Fereg, or Great Devourers, are a race of worm-like creatures infamous for their destructive feeding habits and known for their colonial nature, combining together to form different entities and colonies. The Fereg are generally subterranean, burrowing in search of their food source, metal. The race's odd food source have made them both a pest and a nightmare for blacksmiths, engineers, craftsmen, and even the mighty Dverfar, whose implants are easily susceptible to Fereg consumption.

An individual Fereg, or Nyu, is alone a simple burrowing creature with the singular intention of eating and reproducing, incapable of complex thought. However, Nyu will gather together to form colonies, using unknown means to communicate between each individual and form complex thoughts and relay information very quickly. This advanced form, is called the Maganyu, or "Unified one", and is the most recognized form of the Fereg.

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Appearance:
An individual Nyu eel is roughly four feet long and weighs twenty pounds. Their flesh color varies depending on their lineage, and most consumed metal. Their flesh is featureless besides a few ribs, which aid in locomotion.

Maganyu, or Fereg Colonies, vary in size and shape, with more Nyu meaning a more intelligent and versatile colony.
Maganyu are broken down into two sub-categories:

Alap "The Base": Fereg colonies that are content with having little to no external contact. They are massive, consisting of thousands upon thousands of Nyu, and their intelligence is unrivaled. Their shape and size can vary, but generally they form a massive mount, and spread out tendril like sections of themselves, burrowing in all directions in search of more metals.

Seta 'Walkers": Fereg colonies dedicated to the external world, exploring and interacting on the surface of Aeria. These colonies are charged with the duties of protecting the locations of Alap, handling diplomatic issues with other races, serving as scouts for the outside world, gathering intelligence and trinkets from the surface, wage war, and are the form used for transportation of large amounts of Nyu to different locations. Seta are broken into two more categories;

Hajo "Farstriders": Massive Fereg colonies that take the form of gigantic quadrupeds and weigh more than four thousand tons at minimum, they are mainly used for the transportation of Nyu, and for establishing new colonies in different locations. Hajo are usually the end result of Alap colonies, rising to the surface world when the minerals of the land have been exhausted. They are generally covered in a thick layer of metal alloy, making these colonies some of the most important to the Fereg race.

Dof "The Prod": Smaller colonies of around fifty to sixty Nyu, these colonies travel across Aeria in search of all types of metals and potential burrowing sites. Their appearance is that of a small crab, as Dof travel in hollowed out boulders, extending tendrils to travel and prod the land for minerals. The Dof are what are give the Fereg their bad reputation, considered pests and thiefs. Despite this, few will attempt to kill a Dof colony, as they will simply burrow underground, or retract into their "shell". If a individual succeeds in killing a Dof, the next form of Seta will be quick to respond.

Szaz "Travelers": The most powerful form of Fereg colonies, the Szaz take the form of large bipedal entities weighing a total of five tons, all due to their thick armor. These "Travelers" are responsible for defending Dof colonies, handling external affairs such as war. These bipedal colonies consist of little more than a hundred or so Nyu, their intelligence level being higher than a standard biped. They are armored with heavy metal alloys, signifying their importance to the Fereg race, and carry a massive metal shield, known as the "Great Shield", a culturally significant part of any Szaz colony.

Vandor "Diplomats": The Vandor are the most versatile form of Seta, they trade full protection for manipulative skills, speed, and adaptability. Vandor colonies are composed of around 80 Nyu, setting them on par with most bipeds. Their versatility is key to their position in Fereg society, serving as the eyes, ears, and diplomats for the Fereg colonies. They wear heavy armor in key spots, but have a good amount of their Nyu revealed.

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Vandor Racial Traits:
The versatile arm of the Fereg, Vandor have multiple traits that make them distinguishable:

*Height: Vandor stand anywhere from 6 to 8 feet tall.

*Gender: Referred simply as gender, but more comparable to a class. Some Vandor have no shields, but have thick armor to compensate, while others may choose the shield at the cost of thinner armor.

*Shield: Similar to a Szaz's Great Shield, but much smaller. Still capable of protecting a Vandor's vitals while still remaining mobile. It can be used as a weapon as well, sharp edges can prove to be deadly. If a Vandor's gender dictates its usage of a shield, it cannot remove said shield.

*Specialized Armor: Having hte most advanced armor of Fereg colonies, a Vandor's armor protects vital areas while leaving certain areas exposed in order to allow increased mobility and comfort.

*Hands: Vandor colonies have two hands, each with two fingers and two thumbs on either end of the hand.

*Intelligence: 80 Nyu allow the Vandor to have intelligence on par with most sentient races.

*Strength: While lacking the numbers of Nyu in larger defensive colonies, the movements of all their Nyu moving grants them commendable strength.

*Vocals: Vandor can vibrate their bodies to produce sound. This process allows for a vandor's words to travel over miles if exerted hard enough. Their voice is deep bass, vibrating all those around it.

*Speed: Double-hinged leg formation allows a Vandor to jump and run at decent speeds and heights for its body size.

The Grievdor:
A rare and elite class of Vandor, the Grievdor colonies lack the shield and thicker armor of their comrades in exchange for an extra ten Nyu. This boost allows for greater intelligence, but also something else, the use of magic. A larger chest cavity allows the extra Nyu, and also have two unusually bred Nyu eels that form visual organs.
The Fereg's anatomy allows for a unique form of weaving used exclusively by these colonies. Learning magic from being on the front-lines against Dverfar forces, they picked up on their methods and honed it to their usage. As each Nyu eel is its own entity, it has its own magical field. This allows for a colony to possess a considerably powerful field, and the weaving of all the Nyu together allow for quicker weaves, with unusual variations. The process of weaving for a Grievdor colony is very loud, as all the Nyu vibrate different patterns in their native tongue. A Grievdor colony's position in the Fereg hierarchy is that of a guardian, a veteran, a diplomat (As they are still Vandor), and some volunteer to defend Nyu miners against leaks or collapsing rock.

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Szaz Racial Traits:
Multiple traits and attributes encompass what it is to be a Szaz colony,

*Height: Szaz colonies stand at thirteen feet tall when at full extension, but stand at eight feet when they are crouched down, or bracing for combat.

*Speed: Szaz are generally slow moving, but can "Jog" to get around faster if need be. Their large size and weight makes fast speeds difficult, but if the need arises they could charge at a decent speed at the cost of little to no control or stability.

*Strength: Szaz posses extreme physical strength, the combination of all their Nyu straining at once allows massive amounts of force to be exerted.

*Alloy Armor: All Szaz wear a specialized alloy armor, protecting against projectile and melee based weapons.

*Great Shield: Szaz Great Shields are massive armored shields that can vary in shape, but almost always weigh two tons. They bear the design of the Szaz's colony heritage, varying in color and shape. While some shields may be rounded off, others may have triangular points to it, or other designs.

*Hands: Hands on a Szaz can vary, as some may wield only their shield, and others may have tactile hands. The standard Szaz usually has at least one hand with three fingers, usually the arm that has the Great Shield mounted to it. However, they lack the finesse to operate any devices or weapons besides their own shields.

*Nyu Color: Nyu color is different for every colony and reflects their standard diet. A colony that has fed on iron for centuries will develop a grey skin color, and so forth.

*Enhanced Sense: Fereg do not have any standard sensory organs, rather they "feel" vibrations around them in order to locate and clear obstacles. Because of this, visual contact is not necessary, and they can "feel" around themselves in a different patterns depending on colony size, and shape. A Szaz colony can feel and detect obstacles, organisms, and vibrations within a 500 foot radius of themselves.

*Vocal methods: Ferag communicate via vibrating their bodies to produce a rumbling sound. Because of this, they lack any vocal chords or any way to speak languages fluently. Instead, they mimic other languages and sounds with vibrations that are felt, more than they are heard. This makes a steep learning curve for Szaz colonies that wish to speak other languages.

Personality
The Fereg are a passive race, keeping to themselves for the most part. Their feeding habits does place them in some bad situations sometimes, and they have been forced to fight dozens of wars. Despite this, Fereg civilization retains a open mind regarding current events, and they often try to find logical solutions to issues rather than violent ones. Vandor colonies retain this mindset, but also hold honor and respect very important to themselves. A Vandor is quick to trust, but is ever cautious of its surroundings. They treasure peace, quiet, and poetry, and even demonstrate this unusually on the battlefield, tearing an opponent in half one moment, and reciting poetry another. Vandor colonies are naturally social, but their problems with language makes communication difficult.

Cultural and Racial Biases
The Fereg have had extensive interaction with the Dverfar due to their feeding habits, and their location of large colonies near mountainous regions. This interaction has sparked wars at times, but the Fereg find the Dver's usage of metal to be very beneficial, and consider them almost as providers.
For other races, the Fereg keep their minds open, but do hold a sense of superiority over most, and can be arrogant at times.

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Culture:
The Fereg have a very simple culture, revolving all around the self-preservation of their race, and finding metals to feast upon. Their search for metals leaves a large amount of them to live nomadic lifestyles, while the emptied caverns and tunnel systems they leave behind often become locations for cities and other buildings. The Fereg social structure is based on what form a colony is, and what materials they and their ancestors have feasted upon. Colony roles are very important to Fereg society, as Alap and Dof colonies are seen as the standard civilians of the bunch, while Szaz, Vandor and Hajo are seen as respectable and higher ranking colonies. Szaz, Vandor, and Hajo colonies are the few types of colonies to have enough social status to use metal for non-consumption purposes, such as armor and other tools.

The Fereg's high respect for Szaz and colonial defense makes their Great Shields some of the most valuable and culturally significant aspects of Fereg society. Great Shields represent the safety and honor that Szaz colonies provide to other colonies, and each Great Shield has a long heritage and a lengthy story for each.

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Location:

A map displaying the areas that Fereg inhabit.

Spoiler:

The Fereg's search for food makes them a rather expansive race. However, they have certain habits or needs that limit the kinds of areas they can inhabit.
The Fereg generally start their caverns at 10km below sea level. These caverns house the majority of the Nyu, and all their variants, and also serve as the locations for the massive Alap colonies. From these caverns, Alap colonies will sprout out their tendrils in all directions in search of metals. As a result of evolution, Fereg instinctively avoid moisture and humidity, as it may indicate a pocket of underground water, which can prove fatal to the Fereg in their underground caverns and tunnels. With that, the Fereg watch carefully where their tendrils extend, never going much further than 20km underground, and never higher than 5km.

The Fereg's dislike for water has led a large amount of colonies to inhabit the Great Sidan Desert, traveling as Hajo colonies instead. These colonies are on the move, avoiding prolonged burrowing as to not attract or aggravate the Gun'iib Sakneed. The Hajo colonies that inhabit the Great Sidan Desert use modified Hajo armor, the bottom section completely removed, as this allows Nyu columns to extend into the sands of the desert, in search of metals.
The remaining Fereg colonies have located themselves near or even inside of mountains, which historically has caused turmoil between them and the Dverfar. These colonies highlight the mountain ranges that extend across Aeria, from the ranges in Estivon, all the way to mountains of Kar'Rasa.

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The Dverfar Conflicts and Renegade Fereg:
For a time, the Fereg had been inhabiting the Karaks, feeding off of its precious metals and the contraptions of the Dver race. After countless attempts at eradicating the Fereg that infested their cities, the Dverfar finally declared war on the race as a whole. Both sides knew the Karaks inside and out, making the playing field even for both. While the Dverfar had technology, the Fereg had numbers, and lots of them. Relentless swarms of Szaz warriors and specialized combat colonies laid siege upon the Dver cities, even going as far to infest their mighty constructs, using them as war machines as well.
The Dverfar used a combination of their technology and something else the Fereg had never mastered, magic. Both sides fought for decades, Fereg consuming entire cities while Dverfar would destroy entire colonies and flood their caverns. This drawn out conflict led both sides to an agreement, the Fereg would leave the Karaks as long as they could finish mining the resources within their own caverns, and were allowed to recover all the destroyed pieces of Dver technology as they left. Up until this time, Great Shields where crafted from stone and unprocessed metals, but the salvage of processed Dver scrap showed that heavily processed metals could not be consumed easily, and where then used for the armors and weapons of Fereg ranks. The older Great Shields were reinforced with these new metals, while the shields crafted at the end of the war were composed entirely of processed Dver metals.

The majority of Fereg colonies strictly enforced that no other colonies be established within Dver territory, but that did not stop there from being renegades. In recent times, renegade Fereg have disobeyed the majority by settling into the old Fereg caverns. These colonies are mostly, if not, all Dof colonies, with some scattered Nyu as well. The renegade Fereg have began to be a pest for the Dverfar people again, but Dver technology has grown significantly more powerful over the years that passed from the Great Conflict, and the Dverfar consider the small bundle of renegade colonies to be nothing but pests, easily getting rid of colonies bold enough to invade their territories and damage their technology.

RULES FOR PLAYING FEREG

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* Consult Venom before you do anything
* Read this page fully
* I'm serious, read it
* The only playable Fereg variant is the Vandor and Grievdor, read them fully
* Szaz colonies are NOT playable by normal players, and are for event or special purposes only
* Read the colony descriptions, they have the amount of Nyu in them

* Multiple criteria needs to be posted in a application to make a Fereg character viable:

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- (All standard information)
- Fereg colony type (Only Vandor or Grievdor are allowed)
- Skin color, dependent on most consumed metal
- Name: The Fereg use a special naming system, three names. The first is the face name, identical to a normal first name. The second is a personal name, which is only told to close friends or family. The third is the lineage name, which is identical to a normal last name.
- Physical abilities cannot vary further than what is stated for the colonies here.

Follow the criteria, be respectful, and consult Venom, and you will have your Fereg character.

This is... a very unusual concept. But I like it.

There's a good explanation as to why this race has never before been encountered (they live mostly underground or near Dvergar areas), and they aren't a stereotypical fantasy race (like elves, dwarves, etc). I'd like to see what some others think, but I think there's a strong chance of this being accepted.

If there's one problem with this, it's that I don't see it being used a whole lot, except perhaps by you. There are also other underground races that this lore might clash with, but we'll see.

This is great stuff. The only thing lacking that I'd like to have in here is the regions they tend to inhabit. Beyond that, I think a little additional formatting is in order.

I also think that these guys are a great explanation behind why rare metal deposits can be found higher than they usually would be, even on the surface: They're harvested, processed by these guys, and after the death of a colony, the metals are left over in huge clusters.

So, yeah. I like it. I want to say accept, but I'd like those other pieces of information added first.

I'll start by saying I like the Fereg and feel they could be a good addition to our current lore, with maybe an event centered around a passing Hajo. That said, I do have a couple questions regarding the race.

Under their racial traits you have, "Speed: Szaz move at a a normal speed despite their massive size. If it is required, they are capable of extreme outbursts of speed, being able to easily catch up to a fast opponent." This seems contradictory given their weight with their armor, "the Szaz take the form of large bipedal entities weighing a total of five tons, all due to their thick armor," in addition to, "Great Shield: Szaz Great Shields are massive armored shields that can vary in shape, but almost always weigh two tons." Even if weight of the shield is included in the original five tons, this is still a creature with a few thousand pounds on a large diesel engine truck. It just doesn't seem feasible (or entirely fair) to me that they would be capable of quick bursts of speed allowing them to "easily" catch fast individuals. I could see them slowly building speed to a point where their own momentum could carrying them to faster speeds. Think Juggernaut.

My other question is on whether or not the Szaz were in some part inspired by the Hunters from the Halo universe. They to are a type of colonial organism forming a larger entity, and have a few of the same characteristics; Namely the spines on their back, and their signature shield. There's no problem if they are, I'm just curious if that's where you got your idea from.

You are correct, they are heavily influenced by the Lekgolo. The Fereg are essentially Lekgolo, while Szaz are Mgalekgolo. With that said, the speed boosts are to be similar to in Halo almost. Hunters are capable of catching up to the Chief, and when charging can hit him very quickly. I should have elaborated that they can't do it for long at all, but rather just very quick outbursts.

I'd still like to see them a little bit slower since having a fast moving battletank doesn't leave most people with any options of survival if they've got to fight one. I do like the lore though and I don't really think it'd be an issue to anything that's already in place.

Edited their speed, and fixed format issues.

Venom OPS wrote:

You are correct, they are heavily influenced by the Lekgolo. The Fereg are essentially Lekgolo, while Szaz are Mgalekgolo. With that said, the speed boosts are to be similar to in Halo almost. Hunters are capable of catching up to the Chief, and when charging can hit him very quickly. I should have elaborated that they can't do it for long at all, but rather just very quick outbursts.

I'm good with the new speed description. I suppose if someone could outmaneuver them for a short while they would be able to escape safely enough, as a second option. Or if we're talking combat evolved, just slip around behind them when they charge, and put a single pistol round into their back. :P

Kain wrote:

The only thing lacking that I'd like to have in here is the regions they tend to inhabit.

Munroe wrote:

There are also other underground races that this lore might clash with, but we'll see.

My questions and concerns are addressed. Once everything else is put to rest you have my accept.

I read over the other races, and there seems to be no conflict with them. As for regional, i'm waiting for Pat on that one. He was as interested in making this race as I was, and i'd like to have his opinion and advice on it.

Bump
Leave feedback, advice, concerns, etc.

Venom OPS wrote:

Bump
Leave feedback, advice, concerns, etc.

Bumping 2 hours after the most recent post isn't necessary.

Especially when the last post was from you.

thorogoodd wrote:

Venom OPS wrote:

Bump
Leave feedback, advice, concerns, etc.

Bumping 2 hours after the most recent post isn't necessary.

Especially when the last post was from you.

hes excited

Just a few things.

You wanted my advice on regions, but you should also consider depth. At what depth do most Alap colonies reside? Are there any requirements for the location of an Alap colony - materials, moisture, and so on? Anything above 25km in depth is safe. Any further and you start running across dangerous magical storms, truminum veins, and the like. For reference, the Underdark ranges from 1-4 km to 6-10 km down. Major Dverfar cities are usually situated in the mountains, and are therefore above sea level, but there are deeper Dverfar settlements and research installations.

As far as regions, what do the Fereg prefer? Do they dislike dry environments? What bothers them, what are they attracted to? Obviously precious materials, but what else?

Also, I'm not sure where you could put it, but I like the idea of Fereg eating out and inhabiting, using as weapons or for movement, Dverfar constructs. For their part, the Dverfar would probably loathe them and probably constantly be at war with them, driving them from precious metal deposits and eradicating those infesting cities.

Updated to add Fereg Locations, and Conflict with Dverfar.
Also added a picture of a Szaz colony, and a map of Aeria, showing where the Fereg are located.
Picture of Alap colony is soon to come.

I quite like the changes. Just one thing to note, the Sultanate of Torah and Kar'Rasa are also very dry. The Fereg might live there too.

I tried to avoid the other sultanate simply because it was close to the coast. Also a reason they would not travel further would be the fact that profitable colonies already exist in Kar'Rasa's mountain ranges.

If there are no further issues, I'm going to move this.

Added the "Vandor" Seta, further details and image to be added at a later date. These are the only race that are approved for normal character usage, any other being used as a special or event character.

Added Vandor (Playable race) stats and characteristics as well as adding the Grievdor variation.

Gave it a look, looks good. The two new variants are both interesting and balanced out.

I CAN'T HOLD BACK MY RAGE! PHOENIX SMASH!

I suggest reading, if that doesn't work, then go ahead and leave, you'll just be back the next day.

Added guidelines that really didn't have to be there, apparently wasn't clear from the beginning.