The Eldraziin are an ancient group of animals that in modern times are almost entirely extinct. They all possessed a power known as Virrroug or “Air-Tongue,” which allowed them to speak by manipulating the air in their lungs. There were many different species of Eldraziin and all of them possessed both soul and spirit, unlike normal animals which possess only primes. The general view that most of these creatures hold is that all non-Eldrazii beasts are inferior; they also view therianthropes as cheap imitations of themselves. Despite this there was at one point a general respect for human-kind but that has all but disappeared now. The following texts will reveal the known details about most of the remaining Eldraziin.

The Shere’Khan –

The Shere’Khan were tigers of immense size and strength reaching lengths of up to 18 feet when full-grown. In times past they most densely populated the Marshfoil region of Araeth. Only a very few of them remain alive, and those that do have always attempted to stay hidden, and forgotten. Their culture was largely solitary and it was extremely rare to find groups larger than three at a time. When multiple groups lived reasonably close to each other, they usually made pacts with each other to share territories and protect them with their lives, these were called Pride-Regions. This was done because the Shere’Khan had many enemies and were in fact never very great in number. They are fiercely loyal to those they trust and deadly enemies for those who cross them. Depending on their environment the Shere’Khan had coat colors varying from orange, to white, or even a bluish-gray. Occasionally they also had spots rather than stripes lending quite a wide variety to their appearance.

The Ulse’Mordan –

Enormous but light framed, the Ulse’Mordran were bears that often possessed a distinctly deep grey colored coat. When standing erect they often towered up to 20 feet in height. Strangely enough these creatures have never been particularly hostile toward others, preferring seclusion over anything else. They were largely vegetarian, even more so than normal bears. In modern times it is not known whether any of the Ulse’Mordran have survived. At one point they inhabited the eastern-central and south-eastern regions of Araeth but are now seemingly extinct. Their political structures of these creatures consisted of clans which similarly to the Shere’Khan lacked any real unity and were simply territories shared by individuals or small groups. The Clans indentified themselves by painting symbols on their upper left shoulders using permanent berry juices, though these eventually did wear out if they were not restored from time to time. A task which on many occasions, most of the bears were rather too lazy to perform.





The Pytheros’Vampiris –

These are a race of serpents that lived in the colder regions of Araeth, The Alesian Deserts and Northfall both. They also extended a ways into the regions below, but not far. Because they are both cold blooded and live in cold regions they rely a killing and drinking the bloods of mammal in order to maintain their own body temperature. They are often up to 18 feet in length and possess a poison that can stop the heart within 10 seconds of biting. They also possess a layer of insulating hair-like follicles beneath the scales and are lightly covered in a fur-like substance which concentrates most behind the head. These hairs are actually hollow and are often filled with blood, making it appear as though the serpents have a red mane. Their scales are usually white or blue and sometimes pink. The snakes are completely solitary and deeply distrustful of any intelligent creatures including their own kind. Despite this they will avoid preying on any intelligent creatures as they recognize this as murder.

The Lycans -

Perhaps the rarest of all the Eldraziin, the Lycans were once known as the Moon Wolves. They are the largest wolves in existence reaching length between 10 and 12 feet when full-grown. They possessed a silvery-blue fur and deep white eyes. They traveled in tight knit families and usually tried to avoid others of their kind. They were brave, loyal, and extremely ferocious when provoked. Their voices were often deep and mysterious, yet had a rough tinge to them. Somehow it almost sounded like music when they spoke. Perhaps no other creature on Tira could match the beauty or nobility with which these wolves carried themselves. Sadly all of them were murdered during the first Elder Crusade. It is not known whether any still live today, but no mortal has laid eyes on them for the last 1000 years.

I like. This is a really good, non-cliche twist on the traditional "talking animals" theme.

The "Air-Tongue" concept intrigues me--can you explain how exactly that works? Would it work differently in a wolf or tiger than, say, a snake, which generally has only one functional lung?
Also, how are the Eldraziin connected? These species of animals are all very diverse--what links all of them together into one group?

Oh. And the names are awesome.

There certainly would be differences in tone, pace, volume and the overall sound of the words spoken depending on the lung structure of the animals speaking, I would imagine that an animal such as a snake would have a quiet wispy voice as a result of having smaller a smaller lung. As for how the "Air-Tongue" actually works, they can only speak when they have air in their lungs and they must rely on the supply that they store there. Other than that I'm not sure how to explain it... Could you give me a more specific question? That might help dislodge the gears and gyros in my brain.

As for how they are connected, they are a specific class of being made at the beginning of time, what "connects" them is that they are the only animals who possess spirits and are able to talk. The term Eldraziin actually encompasses many other creatures including Dragons and Phoenixes.

This actually makes sense to me. See, cats, for example, have... a ton of vocal pitches. Like, in the 100s. However, they only use around 10, I think. So an animal learning to manipulate those other vocals is really cool and makes perfect sense.

In fact, did you know that cats have a vocal that sounds like they are saying hi? Most cats do not use this vocal.

O.O They do?

Yes, they do. But like I said, very few cats actually use this vocal cord.

Well that's interesting. Makes you wonder if they could talk before the fall.

I don't believe so. The ability of coherent speech is tied to our humanity.

Really? Well the Serpent spoke in the garden... Eve was not at all surprised when the serpent spoke, indicating that it might not have been all that unusual. And there was Balaam's Donkey... Further more, though it can be debated as non-literal, there was a talking eagle in Revelation. And I could go on.

Oh I know the support for talking animals before the fall. I have done plenty of research. However, no scholar has been able to convince me that animals did talk, though I find it an interesting theory.

The donkey and eagles are not the same.

XD I would guess I'm not even remotely prepared to argue any point in a place like this, you probably know a lot more than I do.

*chuckles * Well, the thing about this topic is that I don't believe anyone can be sure, one way or the other. The bible doesn't say. It's not definitive on the subject. I lean towards them not talking, but I can't say they didn't. It's one of those things we get to find out about when we get to heaven.