:>>Lifecycle: Athiyken cannot "die" in the strictest sense of the word, at least not immediately. They can be killed and their bodies do wear out and die at the end of their Cycle, the lowest ranking individuals aren't any more powerful than the average dragon. Once they have passed on, whether by natural or unnatural causes, the spirit of the Athiyk is reassigned to a new body and begins a new Cycle. For every 100 life Cycles, a new set of wings is acquired and the Athiyk becomes more magically powerful. At first they retain nothing from their previous lives other than maybe a few faint, residual memories. As they experience more and more Cycles, they begin to keep more memories and magical strength from their previous lives. Eventually, in the final Cycle of their life, they regain the memory of all they have seen and done, as well the magical power they attained.

Once they have reached this final Cycle they will have experienced roughly 1,000 life Cycles and lived over 500,000 years. Only one Athiyk of each group can be at this final stage at a time, governing their respective group. When a new Athiyk ascends to their final Cycle, the old one will finally die and their soul reach a final rest with the other Athiyken who have attained their final Cycle. This makes way for a new Athiyken soul to be introduced into the Cycle.

:>>Breeding: Athiyken are considered sexually mature at 50 years old. They have no heat cycle and will breed among themselves whenever they wish, although no subgroup will interbreed with another. They can also breed with almost any other species within the Nexus, but Heaven Athiyken will never breed with evil creatures, and Hell Athiyken will never breed with good creatures. Any half-breed Athiyken soul will not enter the Cycle upon death.

Athiyken also have no naming conventions other than each individual will have a first and a surname, and surnames are passed down along the maternal line.

:>>Tattooing: It is a tradition that young Athiyken receive a tattoo almost immediately after their birth. It will be a blend of both parent's tattoos and will be embellished as they grow and come upon milestones in their lives (upon reaching maturity, their first "judgment", first born offspring, etc.). Most Athiyken also have piercings of some sort, Reapers especially have taken to them. Heaven Athiyken show a preference toward brightly colored feather adornments, and Hell Athiyken like spiked jewelry and over-embellishment of their tattoos, which can sometimes cover their entire bodies.

Tattoos are always abstract tribal designs, never actual images or lettering, though the artist may incorporate a tribal design that resembles an animal or other object. Tattooing itself is a highly ritualized process, and the tattoo artist is usually a member of the Athiyk's family. A parent will always give the very first tattoo, usually four or five hours after birth.

:>>Abilities: All Athiyken are capable of:

Verbal Speech: Athiyken can speak aloud.
Plane-Shifting: Athiyken can shift between the physical and spiritual planes as well as between different places within the Nexus.
Telepathy: Athiyken can speak mind to mind with any being capable of receiving, though this will be strongest between Athiyken of the same subgroup.
Size-Shifting: Athiyken have the ability to change their size to suit the environment or situation, from the size of a 747 jet down to that of a small pony. They have no default length or height, though each Athiyk might chose his or her own default.

Each subgroup also has specific abilities.

:>>Subgroups:

Heaven - the Heaven subgroup governs what is considered to be "Heaven", the final resting place for souls that have been judged as pure and good. The judging is not without bias, purity is based on what the Highest (the Heaven Athiyk that is in their final Cycle) considers to be pure. Thus, when the Highest position changes hands, souls that may have previously been judged as pure could become damned if the Highest Heaven believes they are not clean enough and be sent to Naubol, or a soul trapped in Naubol could be allowed into Heaven. Heaven Athiyken are usually light-complected, with golden, white or silver fur and white manes. Heaven Athiyken have the following abilities:

Light Magic: Bring light to dark places, and create moments of daylight-brightness in the middle of night.
Healing Magic: Heal even the most grievous wounds, though the more severe the wound, the less likely it will be completely healed.
Purification Magic: Purify corrupted souls and places for certain amounts of time, based on the amount of corruption. The less corrupted a place/soul, the longer it will remain pure, and vice versa. Very powerful Heaven Athiyken can even permanently consecrate large tracts of land so that only pure creatures may enter.
Illusion Magic: Make images and places from it's mind into a reality. Heaven Athiyken primarily use this ability to create individualized pockets of Heaven for specific souls.

All Heaven Athiyken will be of a kind, generous, gentle, or otherwise nice temperament. They can be nice and mean or strict, however. Heaven Athiyken cannot or will not enter corrupted places as this causes them a great deal of physical discomfort and pain.

(example of a draconic Heaven Athiyk)

Hell - as the name implies, these Athiyken govern "Hell", a place of torture for those souls that have been deemed corrupt and foul. And, as with the Heaven Athiyken, the judgment of corrupt or not is left up to the Highest Hell Athiyk's own personal opinion. There is a similar shift when a new Highest comes to power in Hell, souls could be allowed into or Damned out of Naubol if the Highest decides they are or are not corrupt. Hell Athiyken are darker colored, with red, black or dark grey fur and black manes. Hell Athiyken have the following abilities:

Pain Magic: Cause intense, agonizing pain in a target for short bursts of time.
Fire Magic: Create, control, and dispel fire.
Corruption Magic: Cause anything or anyone within a specific radius to become fouled and evil for varying amounts of time. Certain holy places will only be able to be corrupted for a very short time. Very powerful Hell Athiyken can permanently corrupt whole areas and even weak-willed beings.
Illusion Magic: Make images and places from it's mind into a reality. Hell Athiyken use this ability to create individualized pockets of Hell for specific souls.

All Hell Athiyken will be evil, malicious, and most particularly sadistic, though to varying degrees. As with Heaven Athiyken, Hell Athiyken do not like entering especially holy or pure places if they can avoid it because it will cause them physical discomfort.

(example of a canine Hell Athiyk)

Reaper - as the final subgroup, Reapers are those that exist primarily in the physical realm and are responsible for reaping the souls of the departed, and are the only ones capable of passing between the physical and spirit realms from their first Cycle. They are not malicious, nor are they forgiving. Most have an "it's my job" attitude and cannot be swayed by the pleading, bargaining or anger of the souls they collect and send to be judged. They are found in almost every shade and hue of color, with the exception of those of the other two subgroups, and are believed to be the product of a long ago mixing of Heaven and Hell Athiyken blood. The Highest Reaper Athiyk is in charge of a place they call Naubol, but is more commonly known as Limbo or Purgatory. In the shift of power between Highest Heaven and Highest Hell, and the souls that are moved between the two, some are not accepted by either. They end up in Naubol, a place of neither ecstasy nor punishment. It is simply a grey place where the souls do nothing but wait until it is decided whether they are accepted into Heaven or Damned to Hell. Reaper Athiyken have the following abilities:

Shadow Magic: Create localized areas of darkness even in the brightest light, so that they may move about unseen.
Sapping Magic: Drain the magical and physical strength from any creature and turn it to their own use, be it spirit or living being. The more powerful the Reaper, the more energy it can sap.
Binding Magic: Temporarily bind a spirit to the Athiyken so that it cannot flee. Reapers use this to carry (or drag, depending on willingness) harvested souls to be judged.

Reaper Athiyken are neutrally aligned, neither good nor evil. Reapers can also move freely between corrupt and pure locations, regardless of the degree. They will go wherever there is a soul that must be reaped and will let nothing stop them on their way.

(example of a feline Reaper Athiyk)

:>>Training: The first two or three Cycles of an Athiyk are devoted to training within each subgroup. These lower ranking Athiyken are not allowed to leave their specific realms, with the exception of the Reapers who must be trained within the physical plane. During the first Cycle, they attend a training school where they learn the basics of blessing/torturing/reaping and hone their abilities. They are usually instructed by the most senior members of their group. After they graduate from this, each Athiyk will be apprenticed to a higher ranking individual of their subgroup for hands-on training, usually a parent or other close family member.