Creature:Razoa

"Hear the song of the ocean's depths, echoing across the sea, let the serenade of the Razoa carry you across the waves."

- Razoan poet

The Razoa are a race native to Koldenwelt. As a whole, the Razoa are sufficiently advanced compared to the other races of Koldenwelt, having built great citadels underwater and a respectable naval force (though it is nowhere near the strength and power of Koldenwelt's other navies). They also have a great appreciation for the arts and culture. However, they are extremely territorial, reacting aggressively against anyone who crosses their borders. However, they are loyal to those who can gain their trust.

The Razoa are divided into two factions, the Oceanic Sovereignty of the Razoa and the Eastern Sovereignty of the Razoa. The Oceanic Razoa inhabit the Archipelago and the surrounding ocean, and is considered the more cultured of the two. The Eastern Razoa inhabit the Inland Sea of Razoa, neighboring the Inland Sea of Xa'in, and are considered the more militant of the two.

Biology
The Razoa are amphibious, meaning they can survive both on land and in water. It is known that they are more adapted to water, and too much time away from water is unhealthy for a Razoa. Razoa have both gills and lungs, allowing them to breathe in either environment. Like any amphibious species, however, Razoa cannot breathe in polluted air or water. Some point to this to explain the Razoas' territorial nature; they don't want their homes to be polluted by a hostile or careless rival.

Razoa are humanoid in anatomy, and they can stand upright on land. They have evolved fins and strong limbs, which makes them excellent swimmers. One would think this makes the Razoa physically strong; however, it has been shown that Razoa do not fare well in physical combat. Razoa also have webbed feet and hands for swimming.

Razoa have a sufficient mental capacity, and they do not have any supernatural psychological abilities. Razoa are, on average, statistically more intelligent than the average of Koldenwelt's sapient races, but such intelligence comparisons are known to be unreliable.

History
Coming soon

Society
The Razoa generally have a very cooperation-based society. Razoa are generally divided into city-states ruled by resident clans, which are usually made up of resident families working together for a common cause. It is not uncommon for there to be rival clans in one city-state; however, more often than not rival clans will work together, especially if they share a common goal involving a rival city-state.

The ultimate ruler of one of the two Razoa factions is called a Lord-King, and usually has a council of representatives from each city-state backing him. It is essentially a constitutional monarchy, but in recent years it has become more of a republican system as the Lord-King is slowly losing legislative powers to the council. Both the Oceanic Razoa and Eastern Razoa use the system, with a few minor edits to fit their respective philosophies.

Despite the amount of rivalry that occurs within or between city-states, civil unrest is not usually a problem thanks to strong cultural enforcement of brotherhood. Razoa are taught that while disagreements will happen amongst them, they should not be violent against each other as they are all the same species.

Culture
Razoan culture differs between the two major Razoa nations, but it is generally art-focused. The Oceanic Razoa are more artistic than their Eastern brethren. This is evident in the architecture of the submerged Razoa cities. This also makes them more peacefully-minded, which is supported by their coexistence with the Archipelagan Elves prior to the War of the Eye.

On the other hand, the Eastern Razoa focus more on military and keeping out intruders. Their navy and industry is arguably more advanced than the Oceanic Razoa, but this has made the Eastern Razoa more warlike and xenophobic. This likely originates from their border with the hidden race of Xa'in, which obligated them to grow their navy in fear that Xa'in might attack them.

But as a whole, Razoa are very artistic, incorporating art and architecture into many Razoan designs. This could explain the level of Razoan advancement, as some abstract concepts of the Razoa worked their way into Razoan technology, leading to the development of more advanced technology (it is still nowhere close to the scientific and militant races, such as the Klaxxa and Shiarchon).