The races of Hush Blossom
•P•Y•E•O•N•B•O•K•
OVERVIEW
Humanoids with attributes similar to that of bats, the Pyeonbok are petite and pear-shaped, with an average height of 5”3. Their skin can be varying shades of grey, brown, black or purple, with recent generations showing pale tones of pink.
Many have black, white, grey or brown hair, but other colours and the use of dyeing is not unseen. All Pyeonbok have large, bat-like ears that can sprout upright or droop lower on the sides of their head.
Their eyes are reverse-coloured, with black irises and sclera, and pupils that can appear in any colour, the most common being brown or purple.
Their canine teeth are much more pointed and sharper than other races, said to break through the toughest of hides.
Their most defining features are their vampire bat noses, and the bat wings that sprout from their upper back. Depending on age, these wings will grow bigger till the Pyeonbok eventually achieves flight, and will match the same shade and colour of their hair.
Each Pyeonbok lives within a clan, defined by the black, birthmark-like markings upon their forehead and arms.
HOMELAND & CULTURE
Supposedly from an alternate reality, some theorise that the Pyeonbok used powerful magic to slip into this dimension, carving out a portion of the Geuneul Mountains in their sudden materialization. Many believe that the Pyeonbok did this to escape something in their own world, others fear that they came to overtake all civilization. But ever since their appearance three hundred years ago, the Pyeonbok have kept to themselves. Residing deep within the mountains is their city No-eul, where all Pyeonbok live within a multitude of mass caverns, carved from the rock with intricate work and detail.
Each Pyeonbok belongs to a familial clan – represented by the black, birthmark-like markings upon their forehead and arms. Each clan has its own unique marking, and is led by a head chieftain. The chieftain of each clan make up the council that leads Pyeonbok society. There are twelve clans in total, and each has their own heroic historical figure (often their very first chieftain), who is treated much like a demi-god, and each presides over certain attributes that are valued by their respective clan.
An isolationist people, this has developed due to how the Pyeonbok were treated during their first contact with the outside world. Able to gain nourishment and power from drinking the blood of other races, many were quick to see the Pyeonbok as monstrous, attacking them and forcing them into hiding. Even today the Pyeonbok face much prejudice over this ability and their appearance, and after this initial conflict with others, the Pyeonbok segregated themselves into two ethical opinions: those who vowed never to partake of another's blood, and those who rebelled and sought to use the tremendous power. Those who chose the former now reside – self-exiled – in the halls of No-eul, whilst those who still partake in the blood of others have scattered themselves across the world.
Their contact with the outside has begun to reform in recent years, especially in the reign of a new council of chieftains. They guard their home with the utmost security, and very few have been privileged with the honour of entering their glowing halls. Yet there is quite the reverse in terms of those allowed to leave Geuneul - for once a young Pyeonbok reaches the age of sixteen, they are permitted to begin their tteuda. A rite of passage, and an important coming-of-age event, a Pyeonbok may use the next three to five years of their life to explore the world and do as they wish - and at the end of their tteuda, they are then faced with a final choice: to return home, never to leave again, or to remain in the outside world, allowed only to return home to see their family once a year.
POWERS & ABILITIES
Largely nocturnal, the Pyeonbok can traverse their surroundings via echolocation, emitted in low pulses to produce detailed images of their surroundings. Pyeonboks often suffer from light sensitivity, but only on the brightest of days. Despite this, their eyesight is adapted to both night and daylight vision. They also have a high level of resistance to many bloodborne diseases.
Whilst largely frugivores and nectarivores, Pyeonbok can also gain nourishment from the blood of other creatures. If they feed on the blood of another sentient being they begin to possess a limited version of their attributes - such as incredible strength from O Dân/O Iâ blood, or the ability to survive in water via Polokan blood. It is unknown if this process is magic itself. Many refuse to use this ability, as drinking the blood of others comes at a cost to the victim – for without restraint from the drinker they could become greatly weakened or even die from blood loss.
Their oddly-shaped noses enable them to perceive certain temperatures as a form of thermoception, most likely to help them in locating where the blood flows closest to the skin of those they’re about to drink from.
Upon reaching the age of fifty, many Pyeonbok find their wings large enough to enable flight. Wings also act as emotion identifiers – along with their ears – moving or shifting depending upon the individual’s current emotive state.
The Pyeonbok are also highly gifted magic-users, with many specialising in the warping and reshaping of materials.
NAMES
Pyeonbok names reflect the Korean language. Etymology features adjectives and descriptive nouns that may or may not pertain to the individual’s traits. Their names are often short and with two syllables, separated by a dash. They have no surnames, but may use their clan name when interacting with outsiders.
Traditional Female Names: Ga-Eul, Ma-Eum, Bom-Dal, Kkot-Bi
Traditional Male Names: Mit-Eum, Him-Chan, Geum-Nun, Ho-Dal
RACE SHEET
