Almazyn

The Almazyn were once the most advanced and sophisticated species on Castores. Little remains of them today beyond being known as the race that occupied the land that became the Broken Sea.

Physical Description
The Almazyn were quite unlike the other races of Castores. They shared a closer kinship with Almaz crystals than they did their neighbors. Crystaline in nature, they shared many properties with Almaz crystals, able to harness the sun's light as a powerful energy source and weapon.

Comfort not being a concern, they commonly grafted armor and ornamentation into their body. They would also incorporate crystals into their form that were not inhrently part of them, making it difficult to tell where the Amlazyn ended and their clothing began.

The Almazyn appeared to have a sophisticated caste system that was reflected in one's shape.

History
Little is known of the origins of the Almazyn. They have no clear creator deity, with only common conclusions to either be Iku-Turso or some now-dead god. Xhali and even Elven scholars like to debate possible Primordial origins, or even being servants of the Demiurge.

Their alien physiology and mentality lead them to be largely isolated from the other races. Most ancient cultures gave them a wide birth. Their seemingly only friends were Kinnara, another lost race. They also seemed to have some relation to Thanh and the Sky Dragons.

Further isolating them, the Almazyn lived in cities that floated among the clouds, their surface territories being effectively large crystalline fields they used to grow more Almaz as well as seemingly propagate their own race.

When the Invaders arrived, they hit the Almazyn and the Kinnara first. The crystaline warriors and floating fortresses, along with their dragon allies, proved the greatest threat to Invaders. The dark floating citadels eventually laid waste to their lands however, shattering their soaring cities and dooming their race. Their sacrifice however bought the other races time as well as struck a blow to the Invaders' numbers and morale.

Culture
Little is known of Almazyn culture as little survives to this day, and the crystal men were always reclusive and alien. They are believed to have had a complicated caste-based society, with some speculating they might even have operated as a hive mind.