Kolodrwynn
Physical Description
The Kolodrwynn are surprisingly similar to humans in their physical appearance. They are generally of the same stature, although average Kolodrwynn height is tall when compared to humans. Much of their facial and bodily features, indeed, are indistinguishable from that of humans, and most Kolodrwynn would be taken for tall, strong, healthy human individuals with more or less bronze colored skin.
There are, however, some subtle differences in appearance, and their internal biology also differs a great deal from the average human stock. Perhaps the two most noticeable outward traits would be that all Kolodrwynn have large, diamond shaped gold flecks mixed in with the normal striations of the irises of their eyes. These flecks, normal than larger iris striations, are actually magnetic sensory organs, though to the untutored observer they simply present themselves as extremely beautiful irises in the eyes of a proud and once powerful people.
One other interesting physical difference is the texture of their skin. To touch the skin of a Kolodrwynn is to immediately sense a feeling of extreme smoothness, but also feel a sort of texture that simple isn't to be found in the skin of human peoples. The flesh of a Kolodrwynn is exquisitely supple, but what's more, can act almost like an extremely fine textured and oiled Lycra, combining some properties of spandex and nylon clothing that exists in the modern period. Such a comparison can never do justice to the actual feel of a Kolodrwynn's skin, but it is the best analogy we have available to us, particularly now that the Kolodrwynn are nearly all but extinct today.
Those are the only two most immediately noticeable outward Kolodrwydd traits that set them apart from humanity. With respect to their underlying biology, however, there is a much greater deal of significant differences. Perhaps the most important of these, however, is the Kolodrwynn biology's natural resistance to hardship and physical stress. Their normal bone structure is augmented by a sort of tensor structure that is something of a cross between a muscle, tendon, and bone. These harder yet still malleable features attach themselves to the surface of the Kolodrwynn musculature and connect above with the overlaying fascia network.
This additional organ network, which is completely lacking in that of humans, creates in the Kolodrwynn a much greater ability to regulate body temperatures, to withstand extreme heat or cold. It also reinforces the existing skeletal structures, making it much more difficult to break a bone or pull muscles. The tensors also provide an added level of pathological immunity, as they also function as concentrated sites for the production of T-Cell and Antivirus antibodies.
Because of the Tensor organ structure, the Kolodrwynn are able to easily withstand blows that would otherwise decapitate a lion. They can fall from greater heights, and exist within environments of great heat and cold with little expenditure of effort. All of these qualities in the Kolodrwynn people make them a formidable race, but the Tensor structure is far from being a biological panacea. Indeed, far from being a biological panacea, the tensor structure is also their most critical weak-point.
Such impressive advantages as stated above are offset by various drawbacks, probably the most significant being the entire collapse of the health of any wounded Kolodrwydd person. Indeed, for most healthy Kolodrwynn, the Tensor structure provides such a level of protection that they need never worry about becoming wounded or seriously injured. But for any wound that is able to pierce below the Tensor network of organs, the situation becomes extremely critical, indeed. Even something as simple as a hairline fracture will cause serious health complications, resulting in infection, fever, shakes, swelling, seizures, and general horrible health conditions.
Beyond all this, the immune system suffers serious complications as well in such a state. Thus, only with extremely careful medical care will a wounded Koloddrwynn survive long enough to make a full recovery, and only in the most fortunate of circumstances, cleanest of environments, and slightest of wounds. This biological trait of the Kolodrwynn doesn't merely present a case of grave risk; it barres the Kolodrwynn peoples from a large majority of modern medical practices and treatments. Something simple like surgery, for example, would be entirely out of the question to a Kolodrwydd.
The Kolodrwynn have other significant traits beyond the Tensor organ system. They also have a widely developed faculty of direction, owing directly to the magnetic sensory organ located within their eyes as mentioned earlier. Indeed, the Kolodrwynn seem to have had an aptitude for several senses that remained forever cut off from human kind, most notably an aptitude for the magic of the old world, as well as an extremely advanced ability for navigation. The combination of these two sense impressions allowed the Kolodrwynn to perform feats that still mystify scholars even unto the modern era. Much debate has ensued on the supposed "magic" of the Kolodrwynn, with some in the scientific community insisting that those accounts still in existence are greatly exaggerated.
In either case, the Kolodrwynn peoples were a magnificent race, worthy of study and investigation. Furthermore, the question of their extinction itself is not entirely conclusive, given what is known of their extremely long lifespans. The Kolodrwynn were incredibly long lived, with the average Kolodrwynn individual not reach legal age for approximately 8000 years after their birth! Such claims seem outrageous, but the historical record and archaeological field work both support this assertion, as fantastic as it may seem to be. It is true that a great deal of Kolodrwynn died before the ending of the Ancient period, but as we discuss the history of this people next, it will become clear that the fact of their extinction is far more unclear than one might at first think.
History
The history of the Kolodrwynn dates back to near the end of the Galadrian epoch, at which time most of the old continent of Mu was under the subjugation of that advanced civilization. The precise details are not entirely clear, but it seems that a great calamity spread over the surface of that continent in the early years of the collapse of the Galadrian civilization. As a result, there were three successive waves of migration out of the continent over the seas. The Kolodrwynn, then, were one of the three waves to abandon the continent in search of new homelands. It is thus at this point that we begin the history of the Kolodrwynn, at the end of the Galadrian epoch, and the beginning of a new age: The Ancient period.
The Kolodrwynn made landfall on a small island off the shore of the western edge of the Russieg peninsula: Near the ruins of Old Birschiglatte Port. From there, they made their way to the mainland of the peninsula, where they found a land of almost ideal climate and sustainability. They made their capital in what is now the modern day South Slavistadt. In fact, the name of the modern day Slavstadt capital, Kestrimini, comes from the old Kolodrwynn word 'Krystawyrmin', which meant "land of the narrow paths".
It is perhaps indicative of the difference between human and kolodrwynn culture that this land was known as such. Anyone visiting the region would hardly claim the land to be easily navigable. It splits open in countless small ravines, gulleys, twists, turns, and hills. Yet to the Kolodrwynn the place probably would not have presented nearly as much difficulty as it did to human settlers.
Of course, none should take this as a sign that humans found the land inhospitable or especially difficult either. It is simply odd that the Kolodrwynn should give those lands the name that they did, a culture misnomer that persists to this day. Having said all of this, it should be noted that humans would not truly enter the picture for many hundreds of years. Indeed, men were still scratching about in the outer rim of the Diegenstärck, east of the Rieghöllen mountains at the time of the landing at Birschiglatte.
Between the time of first landing and first contact, then, the Kolodrwynn peoples had undisputed ownership of the land. A civilized people far before men had made their first steps out of the stone age, the Kolodrwynn nevertheless did make first contact, as the centuries wound this way and that. At first there came reports from frontier settlements further to the east of an unusual discovery. Village huts had been found on the plains of modern day soporovotchil province: Human settlements.
From the perspective of the Kolodrwynn, we and our kind must have presented a sorry sight indeed. The Soporovotchil outlanders were part of the first wave of migrations out from the mountains. They were not the most savage amongst us, but even today the popular image of these brutes as savage cavemen remains etched in the public imagination. According to records taken by the Kolodrwynn, men were ugly, untutored, ignorant brutes who were filthy, unwashed, and easily hurt. Much was written about the utter incapacity for men to learn any form of magic. Yes, from that early meeting, not much was made of the human race. We were obviously an inferior species, but perhaps not fit for extermination.
Men at that time primarily fought with sticks, spears, and stone arrowheads. They could hardly expect to hold land in abundance and against the more organized Kolodrwynn cultures. Yet in those early days, there was no conflict. The kolodrwynn were somewhat appalled at the human appetite for land; They themselves hardly needed much for cultivation, being able to sustain themselves on far fewer calories than our own kind. All things considered, the westward migration of humanity was halted by the kolodrwynn settlements, who made it absolutely clear that human encroachment or insult towards the Kolodrwynn would not be tolerated.
And that, perhaps, was the one operating principle that would eventually bring devastation upon them. The first war between men and the Kolodrwynn could hardly be called a war at all. It was precipitated by the insolence of a young man, the name of whom has been lost to history. All we know is that the young man succeeded in killing another kolodrwynn. As a matter of fact, the circumstances of the case are well known outside of a few unusual details. Ostensibly, the magistrate of one of the northern prefects lured a human child onto the sands of the north coast, whereupon she was raped several times.
Such actions by the Kolodrwynn towards humans had become fairly common in the northern precincts, much to the embarrassment of the far western Kolodrwynn, who looked down on the practice. Indeed, it was common to make jokes about the degrading influence of men on their eastward brethren. But nevertheless, Kolodrwynn disunity over such a trifling matter could hardly require any sort of legal action. It was only after a relative of the girl, most likely an elder brother or father, succeeded in killing the child's assailant that alarms were raised. The Kolodrwynn who was killed was a minor functionary in an acquisitions post by the name of Anwyrdd, but that was all that was needed.
The orders were given to exterminate all men, women, and children from the lands. It was a genocide in the most clinical sense, performed without any malice, without any cruelty or delay, but with the same calm detachment as a hunter who puts down a dog that bites him. There was little resistance that could have been put up by early humanity, and so the only other option was to flee back east, into the mountains. It should be noted here that fleeing south was not an option, despite the current day location of the modern Russtadt on our maps. It would be millennia before the Opferdt pass would be discovered into the polniegseule basin at the conclusion of the 3rd war. No, moving back east was the only option.
The Kolodrwynn did not pursue them, however, for these peoples have never truly been fond of mountains. The mountains thus protected men and women who fled to them, while the Kolodrwynn let the leave with the understanding that they would never return. The Kolodrwynn then continued on as before, content now to have completed mastery over the peninsula. 8000 years had passed since the first wave of refugees left the old continent, Mu, to the first human Genocide perpetrated by the Kolodrwynn. 600 years would pass once more, between the first contact with men, and the second.
But things would prove to be different the second time around. Men had come to believe that the Kolodrwynn were tyrannical demons, of a sort. Years upon years of keeping alive the memories of the Genocide had transmuted the Kolodrwynn from a mostly negligent race to one told to children so as to frighten them. When men then did dare to enter the peninsula, they did so with a grim determination of expecting active hostilities. The very act of setting foot on the peninsula was their declaration of war, and they were determined to use the advantage of surprise most efficiently.
600 years had changed humanity almost beyond recognition.
Early reports coming from the eastern settlements painted a dismal picture. Kolodrwynn magic put up fierce resistance, as did the finest of Kolodrwynn soldiers, but the playing field was far more evenly matched this time around. The Kolodrwynn were unprepared for canons and rifles. Magic designed to confuse navigation was countered by the simple compass, and spells which were effective up close were completely useless at a distance. And when close combat was encountered, the Kolodrwynn quickly found themselves outnumbered.
What's more, the Kolodrwynn were not prepared to feed themselves in time of war, nor were they able to replenish the loss of life with new. We must now recall that for a Kolodrwynn, to be wounded is to be killed, and there were a great many wounded besides those who were killed. The Kolodrwynn population collapsed overnight. The various peoples were scattered like chaff to the wind under the relentless march of soldiers towards the Kolodrwynn capital.
Oddly enough, the royal family was never captured. The Kolodrwynn went from a proud life of mastery of the peninsula to one of hiding and shifting with the winds for survival. The war ended without any sort of treaty, what's more, the intensity of the onslaught diminished too quickly for the Kolodrwynn to be completely eliminated as a species, though it would never be able to recover, and was doomed to extinction.
But before that extinction, the attitudes of men towards the Kolodrwynn changed considerably. In the mountains, the Kolodrwynn were taught to the young as horrifying demons of insatiable power and blood-lust. But seeing the weak collapse of this once proud people, men could scarcely maintain their rage. Anger and fear turned to disappointment and scorn, and disappointment and scorn turned to pity, and regret.
The Kolodrwynn, for their part, were utterly humbled, and did attempt to venture towards a more amicable relationship. But we must not kid ourselves, here. The Kolodrwynn were still hunted down and killed for many years after their collapse, and it was only due to their ease of navigation and ability to use magic that the Kolodrwynn were able to survive, and indeed, even create positive relations with other men.
This happened in particular for Kolodrwynn women. A Kolodrwynn female was seen as a particularly tasty prize amongst men, as they were generally seen as being superior in beauty and had even less rights than human women at the time. Faced with horrible sexual consequences, many Kolodrwynn women found salvation and protection in becoming concubines of powerful or good-natured men. As a result, a great deal of interbreeding did occur in the final days of the Kolodrwynn. The result was that, though the Kolodrwynn ultimately would become extinct, their genetic heritage lives on somewhat in our own bloodlines. Throughout the ages there have been men and women with unusual and extraordinary lives, with abilities and temperaments closer to something else than to something human, and who almost always left a mark on history.
Of course, a full discussion of these people is beyond the scope of this article. With the dwindling of the Kolodrwynn, the Ancient period came to a close, giving rise to the common period in it's place. But before we also end this article as well, some words should be spoken to the presumed "extinction" of the Kolodrwynn. It is true that the Kolodrwynn dwindled further and further into obscurity, but given what we know about them, it is perfectly possible that some survive even to this day. The latest generation at the time of the collapse would now actually be coming into it's prime, given that hardly 300 years have passed since the ending of the Ancient period, and there is much speculation as to whether some Kolodrwynn did actually survive.
And whether or not they, hidden perhaps, yet nevertheless still walk amongst us.
