Caasi

The Caasi(Poezian word for Dragon Spawn:Kaa-see) or Cassi are a rare sub-human species that exist high in mountain tops across Val. Due to spending many years on top of mountains, they have adapted a natural process to recycle carbon dioxide into usable oxygen, and are more agile than the average human.

Biology
Caasi are a sub-species of human who have removed the need to constantly breathe. They have developed a larger lung capacity, and a thicker rib cage to adapt to the increased altitude. Caasi also have the ability to turn CO2 into O2 and CH4. However as a result, Caasi need to fart more often to expel the excess gases and intake a higher amount of water to make up the hydrogen used in methane production. To survive in the mountains, they have adapted a higher body temperature so they can directly drink snow and from cold mountain streams.

They also have the ability to reproduce with normal humans and other human sub-species. The traits of being a half breed tends to show close to adulthood, when regular breathing is disrupted or ceases altogether.

Outside Knowledge
The Caasi are mainly found in high up in mountain ranges, the most common ones known are the Poezeian Caasi; who are considered to be the most violent of the Caasi due to Tohovok explorers trying to humanize them. Other Caasi groups are often recruited as mountain guides for daring explorers looking to tackle the mountain ranges of Val. In the Vallum Empire, the Caasi are not considered people, and are often publicly executed by human soldiers in the Vallum army as a rite of passage. Any Caasian children that are captured are 'humanized' by the empire (such as teaching them to breath and removing their wings and or tails).

More recently in Tudourium and the other republics founded after the break up of the Knight's Republic, Caasi on Mt. Frost have become more accepting of humans.

History
The Caasi/Heaven-Walker have existed in Val since they split up from humanity, the ancestors of the Caasi grew discontented with being slaves or bodies to the SNDWVEs of the past and retreated to large mountain peaks to escape; as time went on, they began to evolve to better suit their environment, after the Ancient SNDWVE's civilization collapsed, they began to develop a closer tie to the mountain, becoming Heave-Walkers. The seventeen tribes each claimed their mountain for their own, being seen as guardians for the world below. They upheld this up until 5400 TIC where a few Tohovok speakers climbed up the Poeze - Vallum Empire border mountains, the St'ein-beck tribe and the speakers were peaceful at first until they attempted to humanize them which sparked the Poeze Massacre. This eventually caused the loyal Poeze to attack the Caasi (first granting them that name) and it ended in 5405 when the tribe lost all sense of reasoning, becoming feral in the process. Any children born were captured by humans and raised in Vallum regions. Since then, relations between Caasi and the rest of the humans on Val have been neutral; up until a young halfing known as Isaac Steinbeck became the official ambassador for the Royal Knights and established contact with the Heaven-walkers of Mt. Frost, since then, they have been allowed into court of Tudourium, under the rule of Queen Orange.

More recently, some feral Caasi have ended up settling the island region of the Orlean Islands, off the coast of Orcela.