Vesdorians

Vesdorians

People

Vesdorians were, by all accounts, humans with wings attached to their backs, and thus had six limbs and are considered to be hybrids. They are similar to some degree to Bayakas, but only insofar as they are both bird hybrid people. Vesdorians themselves had a similar appearance to Margonians, only with more dust-coloured hair. Their wings were golden brown and tipped with black. It seemed all Vesdorians had the potential to fly but it did not come naturally; flight took many years of training, a lot of wing exercise for growth, and required certain clothing to be worn to allow for full movement. Only a very small percentage of these people actually achieved the ability of full flight.

Some breeding did occur between Vesdorians and Nor Vastin, as the Vesdorians were considered to be an attractive prospect by some. Some say it was the Vesdorians who brought green eyes to Benevis, as blue eyes came from Seleru, and brown eyes from Nor Vastin.

History

In 750BD, a clan of winged people called Vesdorians emerged from the Great Ranges in Benevis and founded a kingdom under their king Alophiel. Though they experienced tension between their own kingdom and Nor Vastin, at their peak they held dominion over much of the Lytelands, introduced Liogons to the area, built Vesdor Castle, and founded the city of Lyte. Their kingdom ended during the Burning Seas War around 450BD, and their last winged king was slain by Renin the Great. Vesdor Castle was besieged and destroyed by the Xilou Hoqomer during the Burning Sea Wars around 390BD using Yrmbaro siege animals, heavy artillery, and sapping. A towering ruin remains to this day, sitting at only a fifth of its previous height.

Religion

Little is known about the religion of the Vesdorian Kingdom. They were very secretive about it, though it is known that they worshipped magic birds and a holy Sky Father who dwelt above the sky, and could see the entire land at once. Many religious towers called Sky Temples were built across the Lytelands, but those that were not torn down by the Red Temple after the wars stand today as mere ruins, distinguishable only by the distinct Vesdorian patterns on the stonework.

The Red Temple has removed almost all traces of the religion over the past millennium, stating that the Sky Father directly opposed Nikina and the Red Temple itself by declaring Nikina to be a false god. They also challenged the hoqons of Qeyu and Xilou, eventually contributing to the Burning Sea Wars wherein Vesdoria was destroyed and all Vesdorians were hunted down and slaughtered by the Xilou Hoqomer for opposing Hoqon Xilouxar.

Technology

Despite seeming to come out of nowhere, Vesdorians emerged from the Great Ranges by the hundreds, bring with them many of the technologies already known by humans at the time, including steel, advanced stone masonry, a comprehensive writing system, and a monarchical government. Historians suggest that they had been advancing deep in the mountains, copying humans from afar but staying out of sight. Others say this is preposterous, and that they must have been blessed by some deity, and then sent down to test and challenge Benevis.

Perhaps most impressive of Vesdorian technology was their superior ability in erecting stone structures. Vesdor Castle to some was the tallest man-made structure ever, but other scholars deny this as they deemed the Vesdorians to be hybrids rather than pure humans. So advanced was their architectural knowledge that the multi-tiered walls of Vesdor Castle towered over the surrounding land at an estimated whopping 350 meters (1150 feet). The castle, for some reason, had battlements atop these walls, leading many to speculate that the Vesdorians expected an aerial assault from some unknown force during their reign, but this never occurred. Others say that flying monsters were the true foes of the Vesdorians.

Some scholars have noted that Vesdorians are second to Manamorians in regards to building colossal structures, and that Manamorians mysteriously vanished millennia ago and Vesdorians mysteriously appeared centuries ago, but similarities seem to end there; architectural styles and patterns differ significantly, and Vesdorians themselves seemed to possess no magical knowledge.