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Alignment: Dark Arts
Lifespan: upwards of 3,000 years Size: Height from 6'2" to 7'5" Experience Level: Intermediate+ |
Talents: Lunar Magic, Draconic Magic
Disposition: Adventurous, Religious, Traditional Suggested Offerings: Moonstone, Sandalwood, Found Items, Dedicated Travel, Performing Ritualistic Magic |
The Khal Rhup'a (singular: Khal Rhub, pronounced: KAHL ROOB or KAHL roo-PAH) are a species similar in appearance to demons, although they are anything but demonic. The specific civilization I work with have built their society into the side of a cliff, utilizing gorgeous architecture and creating intricate cave systems in which to live, worship, work, and raise their children. They are not the only Khal Rhup'a civilization, but they are the one I stumbled upon and have been working with. Culturally, they are very ritualistic and follow a set of powerful, timeless traditions that date back generations. They can be secretive about their religion and culture, choosing to not reveal much to outsiders. Everything I'm sharing here, I have been given explicit permission to divulge.
When I first came upon the Khal Rhup'a, I randomly astral traveled into the middle of a full moon ritual of theirs. The intrusion was not taken lightly, and they were rather aggressive at first contact. However, once it was cleared up that my arrival was a mistake, and I divulged by purpose in attempting to forge a connection with them, they were put much more at-ease. The Khal Rhup'a revere the concept of traveling and their religion follows the tenet of believing in the existence of multiple worlds - therefore, they are excited to bridge the gap and communicate with humankind. They have no prior connection to Earth, and they are quite separate from any of our mythologies.
When I first came upon the Khal Rhup'a, I randomly astral traveled into the middle of a full moon ritual of theirs. The intrusion was not taken lightly, and they were rather aggressive at first contact. However, once it was cleared up that my arrival was a mistake, and I divulged by purpose in attempting to forge a connection with them, they were put much more at-ease. The Khal Rhup'a revere the concept of traveling and their religion follows the tenet of believing in the existence of multiple worlds - therefore, they are excited to bridge the gap and communicate with humankind. They have no prior connection to Earth, and they are quite separate from any of our mythologies.
Biology
Khal Rhup'a are humanoid in shape, and are on average much taller than humans, although they tend to skew towards "short." They are reptilian, albeit warm-blooded, so they have no hair - instead, their skin is leathery with carapacian scales growing on portions of their body that require protection. Their skin texture is leathery, and tends to come in earthy and fiery tones, ranging from near-black browns to bright oranges and yellows. Their faces are flat and human-like, with forward-facing eyes and features varying in softness, with individually unique ridges running down their cheekbones and chin. Notably, they tend to have a great deal of large, plate-like scales on their face, which vary in size and tend to cluster around the browline. All Khal Rhup'a, regardless of gender, have large, ram-like horns that are ridged and covered in their leathery skin, varying in color, in some cases contrasting from their facial coloration. Their horns are erogenous zones, and it is considered extremely offensive to touch them without permission or a prior intimate relationship. The horns cover their ears, which are simply holes, similar to most reptiles. It's safe to say that Khal Rhup'a are not known for their hearing, which is quite poor. Traditionally, they paint their lips black daily with a charcoal paste, which is believed to provide grounding and provide ritual purity on a daily basis. Their sclera are black and their eyes range from dark brown in color to any bright, warm tone.
The scales present on their face continue down their neck and back, and there are none on their stomach or chest area, meaning they will frequently wear thick armor over these areas for protective purposes. Their body is fantastic at retaining water, given that they naturally live in a desert climate, so it is rare that you will see any six-pack abs on a Khal Rhub. However, do not mistake this for lack of physical strength - they are incredibly naturally strong and muscular beneath their soft-seeming exterior, and Khal Rhup'a who work on their physical training are a force to be reckoned with. Scales also grow on their arms and up their forearms, although not on their hands. They are also quite prominent on their digitigrade legs, on the tops of the thighs and along their calves, with clawed, reptilian feet. They rarely wear shoes or feet coverings, considering going barefoot to bring them closer to the earth - that, and their feet are appropriately built for walking on hot desert sand. Khal Rup'a do not have tails, the shape of their legs providing them plenty of balance, but much of their ancient artwork suggests that it only relatively recently was removed from the evolutionary line, and there may be populations with tails elsewhere.
Khal Rhup'a do reproduce sexually and give live birth, so you won't find any individuals laying eggs here. They are a rather fertile species and children are not considered rare - in fact, children are quite populous among the clan I work with, and are very curious about humans, although they will not be available for companionship under any circumstances until they come of age. Khal Rhup'a live for a very long time, becoming sexually mature at about the age of 120-150 years, and living for upwards of 3000 depending on various circumstances. They do struggle with some age-related illnesses and they are very careful in interacting with other civilizations for fear of catching disease. However, culturally it is very clear that they do not fear death in the least, and find it both sad and humorous that humans are so afraid of it as a concept.
Regarding their diet, they primarily eat tough lizard meats and cacti. Their food on an average day tends to be bland and holistic - think simple broths with meat - although they'll break out the rarer spices around religious festival days, and travel out a bit further for a wider variety of edible plants. Their diet is mostly liquid because they subsist primarily on staying hydrated - their bodies are naturally strong, and they do not live very active lifestyles if they can help it, spending a great deal of time in meditation or idle conversation with their counterparts. The amount of food humans eat can be shocking to them at first - their meals are small and infrequent.
Magically, their world is quite rife with the unusual. While you won't find elementalists in this world, Khal Rhup'a are very magically potent, and it is often considered to be a significant area of study for them. For starters, the clan I work with are considered to be soul-bonded with a neighboring native race of draconic creatures known as Chyirans, and have a telepathic connection with them. Additionally, they have a knack for feeling the "next" realm, that is, what we would refer to on Earth as the "fourth dimension" or the magical, "spirit" realm overlaid on ours. This makes them rather talented when it comes to spirit companionship, as they are able to sense us when astral traveling very acutely, and it also means they are fantastic at assisting their human companions in magical endeavors. Their magic is primarily what we would consider "traditional" - it requires a great deal of ingredients, hands-on work, ancient chants, and ritualistic movement. Their techniques are passed down through family lines and apprenticeships, and only a small portion of their population studies magic in-depth. However, most Khal Rhup'a are capable of basic magic to a degree that we would consider advanced by our own standards - it is something they learn as children and perfect over time, and is treated similar to mathematics in our own society. Therefore, they are capable of performing influential magic, assisting with wards, sensing and discerning spirit intruders, banishing where they must, and using offensive magic in the astral if necessary.
Khal Rhup'a do reproduce sexually and give live birth, so you won't find any individuals laying eggs here. They are a rather fertile species and children are not considered rare - in fact, children are quite populous among the clan I work with, and are very curious about humans, although they will not be available for companionship under any circumstances until they come of age. Khal Rhup'a live for a very long time, becoming sexually mature at about the age of 120-150 years, and living for upwards of 3000 depending on various circumstances. They do struggle with some age-related illnesses and they are very careful in interacting with other civilizations for fear of catching disease. However, culturally it is very clear that they do not fear death in the least, and find it both sad and humorous that humans are so afraid of it as a concept.
Regarding their diet, they primarily eat tough lizard meats and cacti. Their food on an average day tends to be bland and holistic - think simple broths with meat - although they'll break out the rarer spices around religious festival days, and travel out a bit further for a wider variety of edible plants. Their diet is mostly liquid because they subsist primarily on staying hydrated - their bodies are naturally strong, and they do not live very active lifestyles if they can help it, spending a great deal of time in meditation or idle conversation with their counterparts. The amount of food humans eat can be shocking to them at first - their meals are small and infrequent.
Magically, their world is quite rife with the unusual. While you won't find elementalists in this world, Khal Rhup'a are very magically potent, and it is often considered to be a significant area of study for them. For starters, the clan I work with are considered to be soul-bonded with a neighboring native race of draconic creatures known as Chyirans, and have a telepathic connection with them. Additionally, they have a knack for feeling the "next" realm, that is, what we would refer to on Earth as the "fourth dimension" or the magical, "spirit" realm overlaid on ours. This makes them rather talented when it comes to spirit companionship, as they are able to sense us when astral traveling very acutely, and it also means they are fantastic at assisting their human companions in magical endeavors. Their magic is primarily what we would consider "traditional" - it requires a great deal of ingredients, hands-on work, ancient chants, and ritualistic movement. Their techniques are passed down through family lines and apprenticeships, and only a small portion of their population studies magic in-depth. However, most Khal Rhup'a are capable of basic magic to a degree that we would consider advanced by our own standards - it is something they learn as children and perfect over time, and is treated similar to mathematics in our own society. Therefore, they are capable of performing influential magic, assisting with wards, sensing and discerning spirit intruders, banishing where they must, and using offensive magic in the astral if necessary.
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Disposition & Manifestation
The Khal Rhup'a have a strong reverence for those who travel, physically or astrally. Their primary goddess is a hermit who carries all of the universes on her back in a net. They love and worship the very concept of many worlds, and are very excited to begin companionship with humans because of this - the very act of communing with us is considered direct proof of their own faith. They have intricate rituals dedicated to this goddess every Full Moon, but the details of the ritual are not to be revealed to those who are not initiated. Additionally, their culture reveres those who consider themselves travelers, and have specific offshoots of their cavern home created to lavishly house any travelers that come their way. They encourage travel amongst themselves, and have a coming-of-age pilgrimage ceremony that involves finding a place they have never heard of, and settling there for a time before bringing back a souvenir they have created, or bringing back a lover or family. Due to this pilgrimage, they also have a deep-seated love for the natural world, and love viewing new landscapes and locales. In particular, they are very intrigued by heavily forested or oceanic areas.
They are a very religious group of people. Their religion is extremely guarded, and it's been requested that humans not attempt to pry too much unto their religious endeavors until they are considered well-trusted. They do believe that some humans may eventually become intimate enough with their culture to marry within it, and perhaps to be initiated into the religion - but it would really take many years of patient learning and proving oneself. For reference, most individual Khal Rhub are not initiated into their own religion until they are past the age of 100 years, meaning they have spent that long (all of their childhood, in fact) learning, growing, and proving themselves as worthy of the gods they worship. There is nothing to fear, however, for the majority that they will not share with outsiders is directly related to their ritualistic practices, rather than the mythologies of their practice. They have an extensive pantheon of gods, and many Khal Rhup'a each have a handful of patron deities. Many Khal Rhup'a put aside times during the day for prayer or meditation, although they do not have formal daily prayer.
The primary time for worship is the Full Moon on the Khal Rhup'a realm. Notably, their Full Moon happens once for every three of ours, and their day-night cycle is significantly longer - their day is about three times the length of our own, meaning it may be a different time of day in our realm than it is in theirs about half of the time. Although Full Moons are rarer, and do not line up with our own Full Moons, they are very concrete and important calendar events for a Khal Rhub. The details of their rituals are unknown, but they have specific cloaks they wear for the ritual, and nearly everyone in the society who is old enough or healthy enough to participate will do so. Outside of their ritual practices, they participate in joyful festivities for the days surrounding the Full Moon, and have invited their human companions to come along and join them during the festival if they so wish.
As mentioned above, the Khal Rhup'a have a significant relationship with a locally native draconic animal known as Chyirans (pronounced kyee-YAN). The Chyirans are sacred to the Khal Rhup'a, so although they are considered to be intelligent and sentient, they will not be included in bindings due to their protected status. The relationship had with them is intimate - they are able to mind-meld with the Chyirans and feel their thoughts. They bond with specific dragons, but the bond is also somewhat communal, as the dragons are all able to mind-meld with each other, too. Bonding with a Chyiran is not something all Khal Rhup'a do, but it's very common, similar to buying a car in our own society. Some individuals will bond with several over their lifetimes, or even at the same time, depending on the individual circumstances. Often, the first bonding is completed before a Khal Rhub reaches mature age, while the draconic creatures are still young and have not fully come into the hivemind of the rest of the Chyiran population. They are the Khal Rhup'a's primary form of transportation, and they are considered by the society to be specifically placed in their world for the use of the Khal Rhup'a, an extension of that specific god's will.
They are a very religious group of people. Their religion is extremely guarded, and it's been requested that humans not attempt to pry too much unto their religious endeavors until they are considered well-trusted. They do believe that some humans may eventually become intimate enough with their culture to marry within it, and perhaps to be initiated into the religion - but it would really take many years of patient learning and proving oneself. For reference, most individual Khal Rhub are not initiated into their own religion until they are past the age of 100 years, meaning they have spent that long (all of their childhood, in fact) learning, growing, and proving themselves as worthy of the gods they worship. There is nothing to fear, however, for the majority that they will not share with outsiders is directly related to their ritualistic practices, rather than the mythologies of their practice. They have an extensive pantheon of gods, and many Khal Rhup'a each have a handful of patron deities. Many Khal Rhup'a put aside times during the day for prayer or meditation, although they do not have formal daily prayer.
The primary time for worship is the Full Moon on the Khal Rhup'a realm. Notably, their Full Moon happens once for every three of ours, and their day-night cycle is significantly longer - their day is about three times the length of our own, meaning it may be a different time of day in our realm than it is in theirs about half of the time. Although Full Moons are rarer, and do not line up with our own Full Moons, they are very concrete and important calendar events for a Khal Rhub. The details of their rituals are unknown, but they have specific cloaks they wear for the ritual, and nearly everyone in the society who is old enough or healthy enough to participate will do so. Outside of their ritual practices, they participate in joyful festivities for the days surrounding the Full Moon, and have invited their human companions to come along and join them during the festival if they so wish.
As mentioned above, the Khal Rhup'a have a significant relationship with a locally native draconic animal known as Chyirans (pronounced kyee-YAN). The Chyirans are sacred to the Khal Rhup'a, so although they are considered to be intelligent and sentient, they will not be included in bindings due to their protected status. The relationship had with them is intimate - they are able to mind-meld with the Chyirans and feel their thoughts. They bond with specific dragons, but the bond is also somewhat communal, as the dragons are all able to mind-meld with each other, too. Bonding with a Chyiran is not something all Khal Rhup'a do, but it's very common, similar to buying a car in our own society. Some individuals will bond with several over their lifetimes, or even at the same time, depending on the individual circumstances. Often, the first bonding is completed before a Khal Rhub reaches mature age, while the draconic creatures are still young and have not fully come into the hivemind of the rest of the Chyiran population. They are the Khal Rhup'a's primary form of transportation, and they are considered by the society to be specifically placed in their world for the use of the Khal Rhup'a, an extension of that specific god's will.
Social Structure
Khal Rhup'a society is well-structured. Although the clan of Khal Rhup'a I work with is only one civilization, it is very large and they have an incredibly intricate society that would be considered modern by our standards, with formal education and government. They have a combination of a democracy and a theocracy, with general rule deferring to the religious side of things only on and around religious holidays. They do have one figurehead, an elected clan leader, who oversees diplomatic matters and speaks on behalf of his people. Around him is a large elected council, made up of very qualified political leaders who oversee specific matters of the community as they have been elected to do so (i.e., education, religion, law enforcement, family matters, etc.). These individual council members oversee smaller governmental committees, and they regularly meet to vote on large legal matters or to make significant decisions.
The majority of the society lives within an intricate cave system in the wall of a desert cliff. Some of these caves are naturally formed, while others have been carved out specifically for the purpose of living within them. They tend to spend evenings gathered around bonfires in communal exchange, where they share stories and food with their neighbors. Their lives seem to be centered around the idea that you support your neighbor, and anyone who shows up at your door is only a new friend to be had. Despite this, they are very protective of their own kind, and of those who appear to need protection. They are highly capable of doing so, after all, with a great deal of physical and magical prowess.
In their romantic lives, Khal Rhup'a often take several life partners, and they are quite polyamorous as well as quite openly sexual in nature. Keep in mind, though, that this does not mean they are inherently sexual beings - they simply enjoy a good time, and do not judge others for their preferences or needs. They also have no reservations regarding sexuality, and conform to the idea that each of a person's partners serves a different purpose in their life. Multiple marriages, for lack of a more specific term, are common among adults, especially as they age. In regards to children, they absolutely believe "it takes a village," with most members of the community participating in the parenting of the youth as a whole, and it is not unusual for a child to have 4-5 members of a parental group. The general consensus of how a child should be raised and where they should lie in the community is actually quite similar to that of our own current society, with children being educated until they are considered old enough to choose their own career path, and then receiving additional schooling for it if they wish. They do have formal higher education and trade apprenticeships for more specific career paths.
The majority of the society lives within an intricate cave system in the wall of a desert cliff. Some of these caves are naturally formed, while others have been carved out specifically for the purpose of living within them. They tend to spend evenings gathered around bonfires in communal exchange, where they share stories and food with their neighbors. Their lives seem to be centered around the idea that you support your neighbor, and anyone who shows up at your door is only a new friend to be had. Despite this, they are very protective of their own kind, and of those who appear to need protection. They are highly capable of doing so, after all, with a great deal of physical and magical prowess.
In their romantic lives, Khal Rhup'a often take several life partners, and they are quite polyamorous as well as quite openly sexual in nature. Keep in mind, though, that this does not mean they are inherently sexual beings - they simply enjoy a good time, and do not judge others for their preferences or needs. They also have no reservations regarding sexuality, and conform to the idea that each of a person's partners serves a different purpose in their life. Multiple marriages, for lack of a more specific term, are common among adults, especially as they age. In regards to children, they absolutely believe "it takes a village," with most members of the community participating in the parenting of the youth as a whole, and it is not unusual for a child to have 4-5 members of a parental group. The general consensus of how a child should be raised and where they should lie in the community is actually quite similar to that of our own current society, with children being educated until they are considered old enough to choose their own career path, and then receiving additional schooling for it if they wish. They do have formal higher education and trade apprenticeships for more specific career paths.
In Companionship
Although the Khal Rhup'a have several aspects of their society that might seem stifling or formal, they are a very warm people overall. They have been nothing less than accepting to me as a human exploring their society. They love to share their art, which is plentiful and includes everything from poetry to pottery, and their music. They are fond of outsiders, and although there are some aspects they keep close to their hearts, they are open about all other aspects. Companionship with a Khal Rhub should feel as though you've been welcomed with open arms into a large, accepting family. They are just as happy to show you their world and life as you should be to show them yours - and, in fact, they are extremely excited to do so.
For relationships, you can expect a Khal Rhub companion to be looking for anything from friendship, to romantic partnership, to magical partnership. Even those individuals who are involved in the religious aspects of their culture are still willing to share their magical know-how with a human partner. While the specifics of the proposed companionship will vary from individual to individual, including the type of person they would prefer, they do share one thing: a deep enthusiasm and joy for companionship.
For relationships, you can expect a Khal Rhub companion to be looking for anything from friendship, to romantic partnership, to magical partnership. Even those individuals who are involved in the religious aspects of their culture are still willing to share their magical know-how with a human partner. While the specifics of the proposed companionship will vary from individual to individual, including the type of person they would prefer, they do share one thing: a deep enthusiasm and joy for companionship.
Please note that all The Dragon's Library Encyclopedia entries are based on my own personal UPG and may not reflect yours.
Khal Rhup'a, in this incarnation, are exclusive to The Dragon's Library.
Khal Rhup'a, in this incarnation, are exclusive to The Dragon's Library.