Grievous belongs to @ladyofthefanart

Bby Grievous giving his daddy a hug.

Grievous is maybe six years old in this picture, and Luçien (pronounced Luchien if you’re a human) is in his flying form, known as Uçan, which literally just means ‘flying’. This form is a longer, lankier and semi-quadrupedal version of their normal upright humanoid forms, evolved specifically for combat flight. Most other races with a military or army presence (the Monarchy, the Lights, and divers others) have airships, and so do the Vashaens, but those are almost exclusively for transport and almost never see use in war. Why? Because the Vashaens have themselves as the air-based attack force. As a result, every Vashaen who goes through the royal military, or studies under a savaşçı or şaman, will learn the ability to transform to Uçan. It is a form specifically designed for more agility, maneuverability and staying power in flight, and is particularly devastating. Enemy armies will tell you, if you buy them enough alcohol, that if you think there’s nothing more terrifying than an oncoming army of Vashaens charging you on horseback, you’ve never seen an incoming army of Vashaens diving out of the sky. The Uçan form is more personal than any of the Monarchy’s small single-pilot fighter ships or the Light’s anbarqs could be, and significantly faster, more agile and more precise than both, and allows a Vashaen to zoom in from afar and employ all manner of lethal attacks, from the wicked curved spurs on their heels that swing down like a sixth toe, to their expansive and deadly magic.

Unlike the Vashaen’s natural ability to hide their wings, however, this is not something all of them can do. All Vashaens naturally develop the ability to magically displace or ‘retract’ their wings, usually around puberty, as this ability is a holdover from their Eridanus ancestors. This is a part of their personal magic and as naturally a part of their pubescence as growing more body hair is for us humans. Some have explored this magical pocket enough to conceal weapons and other things in there, though at some degree of risk to their wings. Uçan, however, is not easily achieved and takes many, many years of training and a large, complex web of spellwork and magical energies to achieve. Some are naturally better at learning it than others, and some have more of a talent for the transformation itself. These are known as Narsal, a term given to those who have enough mastery to make almost elegant a less-than-pleasant-to-witness process.

For the most part, transforming between normal form and Uçan requires several minutes of meditation before the Vashaen slowly begins to develop minor changes in physiology, such as their spine lengthening and their wings growing larger. There might be a moment where they maintain this (or they might skip this step entirely) before the explosion, which is exactly that; an explosion. Their form bursts outwards from their magical core into ribbons and tendrils of flesh (exposing muscles, ligaments, bones and organs, now in unraveled slices) before sucking back inwards into the new Uçan shape. While it isn’t painful for the Vashaen if done correctly, it’s not at all pleasant to watch. The transformation back to normal, bipedal form is lumpy and bubbly and disturbing, but does not involve exploding skin ribbons.

Some Narsal have exquisite degrees of control over the transformation process; for example, Sanar Saranova del'Ryelle was one of the most talented Narsal around. She was able to remove the explosion aspect of the transformation entirely and simply shift fluidly and almost beautifully from one form to another, even in mid-run, which was immensely impressive and very difficult. She had previously trained under one of the greatest Vashaen şamans, which was partly how she learned such mastery of the process. Luçien, being the product of generations of royals who were required to surpass their parents and predecessors by a wide margin, retained the exploding, but his explosions were more constrained, elegant, and artistic, and generated an almost lightning-like effect which he eventually learned to utilize as an attack, making his transformation just as dangerous to nearby enemies as the final form. Griezra, as their son, had a mastery of Uçan never seen since, developed from years of practice under the oldest and strongest şaman alive, and from his heritage. He was able to localize the transformation in such a way that it would start wherever he chose it to and pass over his body, bypassing the first step of meditation and minor changes completely and going straight into a mixture of both parents’ unique techniques. He was able to execute the transformation in a matter of seconds, and continue to switch back and forth rapid-fire, something that neither parent could do, which lead to him appearing to change shape in a flash of light repeatedly. He also eventually learned to pull off the transformation in mid-flight, which was unheard of.

Inexperienced Vashaens first venturing into learning Uçan were advised to start naked or in tight clothing they didn’t care about, as any outfits they wore could be destroyed or, worst case scenario, catch on their exploding self and wind up integrated in their skin, though this only happened once in all of Uçan history. Experienced Vashaen would eventually learn to integrate their armor or clothing into the transformation without destroying it, hence Luçien wearing armor in this picture. And in fact plenty of armor and military gear was built and enchanted to easily shift with the wearer. Sanar preferred to go naked in Uçan form, as Vashaens lack most of the scruples humans have about nudity; in the Uçan form the extremely fine hairs on the body of a Vashaen thicken until they are more akin to extremely fine fur, and they develop manes on their elongated necks that are more obvious in females, and serve much the same purpose as feathers in birds. In Uçan the breasts are also significantly reduced in size (they’d just get in the way and reduce aerodynamics) and subsequently covered in both mane and fur, as are the genitals in males and females alike. Luçien and Griezra both preferred to transform with their armor, even though it took more concentration, although for very different reasons.

Desert Vashaen:

Live in the central deserts of Vashaena, including in canyons as well as on the open sands.

Long High Lift Wings for circling over the desert searching prey, and riding the currents above sandstorms

Average height: 6-7 ft

Mostly dark browns and red browns with low saturation and monochromatic, low-saturation wing colors. Silvery-amber is the most common eye color, with muted reds following closely.

Mesocarnivores: eat small rodents, desert birds, desert rocs, and tha’al, and the occasional sparse desert vegetation. Most of their meat comes almost entirely from livestock such as chickens, cows, horses, and pigs.

Slender and lanky in stature, lithe and muscular with high endurance and speed. Slightly shorter feet spurs. Longer profiles similar to wolves, with narrower noses and rounder features, and sparse, barely visible hair on their bodies. Longer, narrower ears, and a tendency to grow sideburns. They have many hairstyles that involve braids as well as shaving or partially shaving their head, but leaving the cheek hairs, and they have a faint sheen to their skin/hair due to the least amount of body hair* in the variations of the Vashaen species. (*note--Vashaens have body hair like horses have ‘hair’, not ‘fur’. Very fine, thin, short strands, no shedding, no undercoat. All Vashaens, especially thos in paler colors, may have a faint sheen, but Desert are particularly iridescent/metallic)

Mountain Vashaen:

Live in the northern and eastern mountains of Vashaena, in non-volcanic areas

High Speed Wings for diving and maneuverability

Average height: 6-7 ft

Mostly dull browns, with muted analogous color schemes in the wings that usually involve greens and browns. Muted reds, silvery ambers, hazels, greens and browns are the most common eye colors.

Mesocarnivores: eat mostly large mountain birds and serpents (not snakes) and rocs, as well as fruits and various mountain grasses and vegetables. Livestock consists mostly of yaks and chickens, and bears are most commonly and easily hunted.

Claws and spurs are thicker and more curved for gripping onto rocks, bodies hardier and sturdier, more compact. Wider, more batlike ears, generally their hair doesn't grow very long before it starts to break and is coarse and tends towards curly. They have an actual fur coat, somewhat coarse, tend to look most like bats/humans. It's very common for their profiles to slant downward from the eyes and be flatter, while pointed nose points are also common. Heavy brow ridges are common.

Jungle Vashaen:

Live in the jungles near the interior plains and steppes

Elliptical Wings for high maneuverability in confined jungle spaces

Average height: 6-8 ft

Mostly brighter and warmer browns, red-browns and golds, with bright green monochromatic or dual color schemes in the wing feathers for blending in to jungle foliage. Bright greens, blues, browns and hazels, along with ambers, are the most common eye colors. 

Mesocarnivores: Eat the most omnivorous diet of all Vashaens due to ample access to both plants and meat. Fruits, vegetables, flowers, birds, monkeys, small felines, bottom-dwelling animals, even Sha’ir. Most do not have livestock and rely on hunting and trade.

Tend to weave feathers into their hair in elaborate headdresses to show rank and status, known for the most extravagant hairstyles in the species. This has carried over to show ranks and status symbols among the nobility in Syraene. They have the same sort of longer, narrower faces as Desert Vashaen. They also tend to grow hair down the sides of the face, and often under the chin as well; unlike Desert Vashaens, this happens almost exclusively in males rather than equally in both sexes, likely as the remnant of some secondary sex characteristic. Blue eyes began in the jungle Vashaens, for reasons unknown.

 Plains Vashaens:

Live in the one open plain and the steppes at the base of the mountain ranges

High Lift Wings for flying over land currents.

Average height: 7-9 ft

Mostly lighter browns and tans, more color variety in wings. This is where the blue feathers come into Vashaen genetics outside of the jungle.

Mesocarnivores: eat fair-sized plains animals like plains Sha’ir, kurrok, and mowls, as well as livestock such as bison, chicken, and yaks. Also sometimes elk and deer, as well as wolves and bears and big cats. They often hunt in parties.

Bigger and more robust, tough and hardy, strong, have a slightly more equine appearance. Broader nose points are a common trait, along with squarer jaws and a blockier head shape. They are known for their long, thick hair and males often grow fancy beards. Males also may, rarely, grow something not unlike a mane. This is a rare trait from ancient ancestors that is quite rare but highly prized.

Coastal Vashaens:

Due to the establishment of most of the cities on the coast, especially the capital, coastal Vashaen refers to two things; the originating tribes that first settled in the area, referred to also as Tropical Vashaen, (normally, only if they live in the volcanic parts of the coast) or Pure Coastal Vashaen, and the melting pot of Vashaens who live on the coast in present day and have all sorts of mixed blood. Interbreeding among regions is more than common, but most prevalent in Coastal Vashaens, and as such few remain who can claim to be purely descended from the original Coastals.

True Coastal Vashaens have Long Soaring Wings, for high speed and dynamic soaring over water. Modern Coastal Vashaens most commonly have variations of High Lift/Broad Soaring Wings, usually with more length to them than their standard inland cousins.

Average height: 6-9ft

The most color diversity in the species, true Coastal Vashaens vary from shades of warm grey, ashy pinks, light reds and oranges and muted browns to brighter shades of the same colors, and Modern Coastal Vashaens, being a wide range of different hybrids, come in any color possible in the Vashaen species, including some new ones such as bluish greys, bright oranges and reds, sable and champagne colors, and most notably, three members of the royal family with strange and unique colors: Queen Aesma, with a pale mottled reddish-grey color that turned to a sable fawn color in the front (likely a form of chimerism or vitiligo); her daughter Queen Arantha, who was one of only ten albinos ever recorded in the species, and Arantha’s grandson, the famous King Griezra Visre, who was a leucistic Vashaen who still retained pigment in his wings and certain parts of his limbs, where his true dark golden champagne coloring could be seen. Wings come in all possible Vashaen colors, with the introduction of white feathers from the true coastal Vashaens. Eye colors include purplish blues, reds and greens, and ambers and hazels as well as silvers.

Mesocarnivores: they eat fish, fruits, starches, vegetables, and all manner of livestock and hunted animals, including tha’al and Sha’ir. 

True coastal Vashaens have flatter and more humanoid faces, with very clearly defined humanoid nostrils. These noses have carried through to almost all other Coastal Vashaen in modern times, despite the variations in facial structure from the introduction of other bloods. Coastal Vashaens are the source of the Vashaen cheekbones that become known as the Royal Cheekbones due to their prevalence in the royal bloodline, which originated in the desert and quickly mixed with plains, becoming about half of each before joining with true Coastal, developing the very unique profile that came to mean royalty to the Vashaen populace.

General Vashaen information:

Carry very similar coat color genetics to horses, such as Agouti, black carrier, red carrier, silver dilution, and even roaning.

Females sometimes grow sideburns. Initially this was less common in males, but now can be seen in many places and tribes.

The eye color bright yellow is not possible.

All Vashaens have iridescent muscles in their irises that can catch light; they also have tapetum lucidum, or eyeshine. All Vashaens have sclera that matches their iris color, but is less iridescent.