The Gefkani are a proud and noble race, only recently coming into their own as an accepted intelligence in Aurorea. Gefkani are a species of tall humanoids wit a regal bearing that would make them quite charismatic if not for the enormous, bat-like wings that spring from their back. These wings give the Gefkani a demonic visage that few civilized societies can view without suspicion. Indeed, with the checkered past of this race, they may have reason to.

    The Gefkani were originally the chosen people of Seeranus, the dark god of material persecution. Seeranus, and his equally vile brother Reave, wished to create their own cognizant species. Challenging the authority of the High and Low Lords, and attempting to establish dominance over the other gods by creating a race of dedicated followers, the dark brothers each took a drop of blood, placing it within the heart of Sul, the fiery mountain that dominates the island land of Moor. Within the molten core of Sul, the nascent race incubated for three-hundred years, emerging long after the dawn of the modern world.

    Reave and Seeranus were elated with their creation: a strong, hardy race, capable of covering distances at the speed of the swiftest birds. But the brothers were soon to be angered, for all they had wrought was not beyond the sight or power of the Lords.

    The Gefkani retained free will, as all races must, for it was decreed at the creation of Aurorea that there would be balance in the world. After a few short years, the Gefkani turned away from their dark masters, choosing instead to live a peaceful, shamanistic lifestyle. In anger, Seeranus struck them down. Never again would their wings support the strength to lift them into the air. But the Gefkani do not curse their fate. They still soar through the air, catching thermals in the volcanic peaks of their homeland; gliding on wings that cannot fly.

    It took many years after their break with their creator for the Gefkani to be seen by Aurorea’s populace as anything other that fiends. Their status in question, they were often hunted down for sport or trophy. Their voices, a melodic blending of sound created by three sets of vocal chords, were said to lead soldiers to their deaths. Persecution became so strong that many Gefkani parents cleaved the wings from their children’s backs in the hope that their young ones might live a normal life, one away from danger.

    Recently the Gefkani have enjoyed an upsurge in public awareness. Establishing a nation with open diplomatic ties to other countries, the Gefkani had begun to prosper. The amazing singing voices of the three octave Gefkani voice has created a demand for court singers of Gefkani heritage, and the Gefkani nation of Kivran has a strong steel export industry. Although the average education of Gefkani communities is significantly lower then other cultures, they have a zest for knowledge, knowledge that has been denied to them for so long.

    With time, the Gefkani may take their place among the races of Aurorea as a dominant force but, for now, the Gefkani take their first tentative steps in the world, wary of the hateful glances and hopeful for the future.

Racial Properties:

Gefkani are a race of tall humanoids with great bat-like wings springing from their shoulder blades. An average Gefkani stands between 6 and 7 ½ feet tall, with women noticeably shorter than men. They can weigh anywhere from 120 to 300 pounds, due to their dense musculature. Depending on height, Gefkani have wingspans between 20 and 35 feet. Hair and eye color run the gamut, but tend to stay in the darker shades, with wings colored black, brown, white or gray. Gefkani wear loose clothes with men customarily leaving their chests bare.

Gefkani have no body or facial hair, wearing the hair they do in intricate braids. Gefkani hair grows very slowly, and long hair length delineates not only age, but rank and social standing. They are a very honest people, with a strict code of honor enforced on most of the citizenry. When a member of Gefkani society is censured or exiled, their hair is often cut off or (in extreme cases) shaved to remind them of their loss of honor.

• Gefkani have a +2 to Strength and a +2 to Charisma. This represents their strong musculature and melodic triple octave voices.
• Gefkani are a medium sized race, gaining no special bonuses or penalties due to size.
• Gefkani have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Gefkani have a -2 to their Constitution score representing the hollow bones and other anatomical quirks that allow them to glide on the winds.
• Gefkani treat Fly as a class skill, even if their class would not normally provide this.
• Gefkani gain a +2 to Perform checks due to the melodic nature of their natural voices.
• Pyrrhic Surge: Once per day, when a Gefkani is reduced to 0 hit points or below, but not killed, the Gefkani may fight on for one more round as if disabled. In addition, the Gefkani may make additional actions at the cost of 4 hit points per action. At the end of his next turn, unless brought above 0 hit points, he immediately falls unconscious and begins dying. If the Gefkani uses enough actions in their surge to bring their hit points to negative their Constitution score, they die immediately following their final action.
• Gefkani may use their wings to glide at twice their movement speed per round. In order to glide, a Gefkani must have sufficient height and something to push off from. Gefkani are encumbered as normal while gliding. Example: A Gefkani with modified scale mail can only glide 40 feet per round.
• Gefkani begin plan knowing Common and Gefspeak, the musical language of the Gefkani, and may know other languages based on their Intelligence score.