Armora

Armora are a major race of Jerako as a playable race in Ruby and an Outsider race in Jerako: The World That Is.

Traits
Armora appear as empty suits of armor featuring one or more gems. These gems function as cores which support an Armora's life and, in cases or more powerful individuals, allow them to cast magic.

Armora can be worn by other races, male by male and female by female, and doing so makes the combination stronger than the sum of the individuals as a bond forms between them. Ancient epics tell of heroic feats performed by bonded individuals, but the practice has fallen out of use due to differences in belief between Armora and other races over time which hinder such bonds from forming.

This has impacted the Armora population. While Armora are biologically immortal, they can still be physically killed. Normal Armora reproduction occurs when a man and woman who have bonded with Armora have children. When the child is born, a baby Armora is likewise born from the earth. In absence of these specific unions, few Armora after a certain age can claim to be a mother or father.

To boulster their numbers, Nature has since begun to replenish their numbers as needed by creating them without the use of these bonds, but such Armora, although born into adulthood, are much weaker, especially magically.

Society
Armora society has evolved over time. This section reflects their position in both Jerako's history and in modern times.

Ruby
Armora most often live alongside other races, notably Humans. While they no longer share the same bonds legends speak of, Human society welcomes them and shares many of the same traditions and values.

Jerako: The World That Is
The Armora have broken ties with Humans and their allies, siding with Nature, their mother, against the actions Humans have taken. While they realize the Mecha are not at fault for their own creation, they resent Humans for having attempted to replace them, especially in their attempt to emulate the synergy of the bonds shared in myths and legends, an especial point of disgust. The Armora have taken to living in barracks and fortifications, eschewing living amidst other races.

Abilities
Armora are generally weak in magic and rarely pursue it, but are highly strong and durable. They quite often wield weaponry in one hand that other races wield in two and can supplement their bodies with the heaviest of additional protection.

Development
The Armora were developed specifically for Ruby to maintain the more traditional fantasy feel of Jerako's history. Originally, the Mecha were planned to be included under the name "Automata" to reflect a more crude take on the concept of a mechanical being and were designed to look more like clockwork dolls. However, with the 6-character size limit on the name fields, a shorter name was desirable. "Armora" was chosen to fit into the limit and the graphics were completely redone to appear more like a suit of armor with tassets. The field graphics, however, were not made with tassets included, and eventually the character screen graphics were changed to better reflect them, providing the easier conversion, with the previous version being preserved for future use.