#simien

Got a little interest on that worldbuilding poll I did the other week (about the different races of a particular country and the armor they wear in their army), and I'll admit, it was more interest than I'd expected! :D So I did a (more accurate) drawing of said races and thought i might give them all a brief description here. :) Sorry for the poor quality; I can usually edit my colors to look decent but the computer was not cooperating. ;)

Left-to-right, the races of the Merfaen tiz Ornaru! Simi, Fi, Kubli, Noki, and Sor.

Simien are the smallest out of everyone. They have piggy snouts and large, batty ears. They may be small, but they're known for their larger-than-life personalities! In their original design they had six eyes that went all the way around their heads, giving them a 360 degree view of their surroundings. But also they were kinda creepy so I deleted that feature in later versions. :)

Fien are the most human-looking of the bunch - except of course for their wings, and their colorful hair, which ranges from pink to blue but is normally some shade of purple. Most of my main characters (from this country anyway) are fien, including Vellatra. (Well, sort of. But that's another story.)

Kublien are small, but not quite as short as the simien. They're a little more spindly, and have very long, narrow ears and noses. They generally have keener senses than the other races, and excel at tracking and hunting.

Nokien are just a touch shorter and stockier than humans (the average male noki stands at about 5 feet tall). They have black hair, dark green skin, and brown spots that come in during puberty. (Although there are rare instances of nokien - "clearskins" - who never gain their spots, and are renowned for their youthful beauty.) They are generally quiet and stoic people, who put a lot of emphasis on duty, tradition, and familial ties.

Soren are the gentle giants out of everyone. While they are, naturally, the strongest, they often tend toward peaceful occupations, like blacksmiths or miners. Maiga, the sora pictured, is a medic in the army.

Geladas

Aren’t these the cutest grass chomping furballs? They’re apparently the primates with the most complex social structure after humans. This group we’re sitting with here is of a type called a “bachelor group” meaning that it’s only males. You can hear this kind of empathetic moaning-groaning sound at the beginning. One of them starts making that and the others reply. It’s kind of like an “Are you here? Are you feeling ok? Do we still belong?” sound: it’s super cute and it was an amazing experience to sit among them and watch them go about their business. Which is basically just munching on grass.