Celastraceae (Alatus)

The archipelago of Celastraceae is home to the reclusive, bird-like Alatus.

The Alatus
The Alatus are a slender race of humanoids with bird-like features. They have feathered wings, feathers growing through their hair, and beak like facial features. Their average life span is 30 years (though some have been known to live up to 35). They are proud and innately magical with their magical ability and spirit said to reside in their feathers. As such they are fiercely protective of their feathers and will burn any that they shed to prevent their theft. If a feather is taken unwillingly, it is said that the keeper of the feather will have “unnatural power” over that Alatus until the feather is destroyed or reclaimed. It is therefore a serious crime to take another's feathers and considered a violation to even touch them without permission.

Alatus are born from eggs, which are cared for in the family home by keeping them near the fire. Either parent can assume primary responsibility for raising a child but due to their polygamous nature it is rare for both parents to be involved in a child's life.

Law & Order
Magic is strictly controlled due to it’s potential danger (see The Age of Sorcery) and Sorcery is strictly prohibited. A permit to perform magic can only be obtained by completing the final exam at the Magic College on Euonymus which was traditionally run by the Celastrus Clan, once lead by Archmage Nesasio and more recently Archmage Corvix. Any Mage, Wizard or Bard who has graduated from the college is held in very high esteem and respect. Any non-authorised use of magic is met with severe consequences.

Guests to Celestraceae are expected to adhere to this law - visiting magic users are however invited to prove their ability at the college to gain the right to conduct their magic.

Faith and Religion
The primary faith following in Celastraceae is that of Al'akir, the Elemental Lord of Air. However all Gods are respected and thanked for the balance that they bring to life. Feathers play a large part in the Alatus’s worship as a symbol of the individuals soul. Alatus often burn one of their feathers in prayer as a sign of sacrifice and sharing a part of their soul with a God.

Politics
Celastraceae is governed by the High Council, which is made up of the two highest ranking members of each main clan. The council meet at the High Hall on Euonymus.

Notable Clans of the Alatus
Other small clans rise from time to time, and are not discouraged. Only if a Clan has recognition from the other Main Clans will they be invited to join the High Council.
 * Maytenus - A clan of farmers and tree keepers primarily found on Canotia.
 * Tontelea - Merchants make up the majority of this clan, their main focus being on financial stability. They are most open to integration with other races and welcome visitors. They are primarily based on Euonymus.
 * Brexia - A mistrustful and isolationist clan who have total control of Brexiella. They often feud with other clans, though this rarely comes to anything more than heated debate in the High Hall.
 * Celastrus - A clan of Magic and Learning with strongest presence on Euonymus.
 * Moya - A clan of spirituality and peace which has a presence on all of Celastraceae bar Brexiella.

Place in the World
Although winged, the Alatus only very occasionally venture far from Celastraceae. They take no role in world events if they can help it and prefer to allow outsiders to come to them. They generally look down on creatures who are unable to fly. They let the Realm fight their “petty” squabbles and feel it would be beneath them to become involved in such matters. In a recent plea from the Realm for help in the battle against Arzosah, the Council were divided, some clans agreeing to send aid, and some refusing.

Unknown to -150 RR
Evidence of Alatus civilization before the Netheril withdrew from Malador is non-existent, though historians believe that the Alatus did exist before this time, and that all evidence was washed away or submerged. Underwater ruins show that the Netheril Empire did have a presence in Celastraceae, and suggests that the area was not underwater before the withdrawal.

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-150 RR to 60 RR
The Age of Birth refers to the time when many Alatus believe that their race became “civilised”, and also when their population began to rise. The war that ravaged the Realm at this time seems to have left Celastraceae untouched and gave it’s inhabitants a chance to develop. The earliest scrolls and texts of the Alatus are from this Age and tell of the huge potential being discovered in their innate magical abilities, the forming of the Clans, and the rivalry between them.

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60 RR to 100 RR
Now that the population was reaching larger numbers than ever, leadership became an issue. Each Clan seems to have vied for power; the Brexia seeming particularly keen on laying claim to territories in Celastraceae. Within the first 15 years of the Age, war had erupted between the clans. This instability gave an opening for much darker evil to take control.

In the 18th Year of the Age of Sorcery the war came to an abrupt end. Shrike, the leader of the Celastrus clan, claimed dominion over all of Celastraceae. His innate magic was powerful and untamed and he used it to raise obedience from all. Initially, his ruling was fair and a welcome solution. However, over the coming years his magic became wild, his temper erratic. Severe punishment was handed out for minor crimes, countless Alatus were impaled and displayed as an example for all. It is said that Shrike often showed great pride in his display of impaled bodies, even taking close advisors and female companions on tours to see them.

However as Shrike aged, his untamed magic took it’s toll. Seeing him grow weak, the clans (including his own) rose against him and he was easily overthrown in the 35th Year of the Age.

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100 RR to 200 RR
The events of the previous Age shaped the future of the Alatus. Knowing that more feuding would open the doors to another dictator, the Clans reached an uneasy truce. Each Clan was ruled by their own leaders and territories were divided amongst each of them. Although not entirely peaceful, the truce did prevent any further open war. Magic was deeply distrusted during this time and became all but illegalcompletely. The Celastrus Clan are said to have practised some very minimal magic and scholars studied it’s mechanics and theory, but open use of it was rare.

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200 RR to 300 RR
As time passed from Shrike's terrible rule, the Clans unified more and more, each coming together and working with each other in harmony. It was during this Age that the High Council was founded as an overarching body of rulership, law and order. The Alatus prospered, each Clan contributing to and benefiting from each other overseen by the wise leadership of their council. In many ways, the Alatus developed faster then the Realm, making discoveries and developing technologies that the humans would not make until many years later.

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300 RR to 400 RR
This age heralded a dark time for the Alatus as their race were suddenly subjected to predatory raids by a race of psionic beings known as the Githyanki. Appearing from the Astral Plane, they would devastate whole villages and towns before being driven away or simply leaving. Their attacks seemed motivated by a lust for the Alatus feathers, hacking down innocents only to strip them of their very soul. Tales tell of how the Githyanki wore the feathers as trophies, a abhorrent act of pure evil to the Alatus.

The attacks were random in frequency and allowed little counter-attack, for the Githyanki would simply return to the Astal Plane if ever threatened. The Alatus began to turn to magic out of desperation and it was used to defend the towns and cities as much as possible. Even so, over the years, the attacks took their toll upon the Alatus and the promising progress their race had been making stalled and even began to reverse.

Then, suddenly and without warning, the attacks stopped. At first it was presumed to just be a tactic to allow the Alatus to fall into complacency but as the years went by it became clear the attacks had truely stopped for reasons unknown to the Alatus. Whatever the reason, the Alatus were spared a slow decline into oblivion and began to recover.

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400 RR to 527 RR, Present Day
In order to defend against the Githyanki, the Alatus had been forced to begin practicing magic again. Learning the lessons of the past, laws were introduced to strictly control who was allowed to carry out magic. The license system was brought in and the Magic College was built on Euonymus to facilitate education and licensing.

The Alatus were able to re-build and recover from the many years they suffered at the hands of the Githyanki and once again began to prosper, ably led by their High Council. They continued with their isolationist policy however and only engaged in limited trade with the Realm.