Phoenix Society

Many millennia ago, the species known as Phoenix had a thriving society and were the dominant species on the globe. However, once the Fae evolved, they slowly declined until the modern day where they are now nearly extinct.

History
Untold millenia ago, before humans and fae evolved from various ancient primates and other creatures, the Phoenix were at the top of the proverbial food-chain on Earth. They were the most sentient and civilized beings on the planet and used their peaceful ways and vitalizing powers to cultivate all forms of life and goodness. This lead to many things, namely their ability to form bonds with other lifeforms quickly and easily, culminating in the ultimate heartbond, and becoming known both as the Guardians of Life or Creators of Life.

However, their overwhelming goodness and strong connection to other lifeforms also lead to many of them being blindly optimistic and naively peaceful. When a new form of humanoid, the Fae, eveolved, the eventually came to hunt the Phoenix, harvesting their bodyparts for the magical properties they possessed. Healing tears, invigorating skin, feathers that always glowed with light even after removal, hearts that could add up to a millennium of healthy life, and soul fires that, when harvested correctly, could grant one awesome power.

For many centuries, the Phoenix tried to reason with the Fae and find ways of lessening the murders of their kind, but their foolishness led to the deaths of tens of thousands of their kind. Fortunately, they realized the effort was hopeless and retreated to the skies where they rebuilt their civilization in the clouds and watched over the life of the world below them.

However, as the Fae continued to evolve, they eventually followed the Phoenix into the clouds, seeking to hunt the creatures that had long since been regarded as legend. Still reluctant to fight, many Phoenix perished as they fled back to the ground, scattered and hunted by the Fae and even the humans who had recently evolved to sentience. During this time of constant persecution, the Phoenix developed the ability to give Birth by Fire.

Slowly over the centuries their vast numbers dwindled to a few thousand, until a few centuries before Classical Antiquity in Europe. A phoenix known as Plammot morphed into what would become known as the Dark Phoenix. He abandonded everything in which his kind believed and started masacring humans, fae, and any Phoenix that came in his way. The Matriarch of the time, Pirmetira, took it upon herself to undertake the unimaginable task of destroying Plammot.

After the deed was done, she advised her kind to retreat into deepest hiding because Plammot's deeds had opened an opportunity. Because of the apparent infighting between him and the rest of his kind, the Fae and humans could easily be led to believe that the Phoenix had wiped themselves out. With the Matriarch watching over her kind and carefully working to maintain their secret, they eventually managed to disappear.

However, it took some time for the Phoenix to fade into legend, and in the process, many lives were lost. Even once they had succeeded, there were still whispers and rumours. A select few mortals still knew of them and were very adept at avoiding Pirmetira's senses and the Phoenix dwindled to a few hundred.

Since the end of the Great Fae War, the Phoenix have been able to find security and safety in allegiances with the Light Fae, though many were still distrustful. Even those few who did risk integrating into fae society still remained on the fringes because Faedom legally regarded the Phoenix as Underfae, a practice that continues to this day.

It eventually came to the point where there was only one hunter left who sought the Phoenix, Dorian Gray. He was the most efficient and clever of his trade and eluded the Matriarch for over a millennia, despite the fact that he was a mere human. For years, he had gone without prey, until Blaine Anderson came out from hiding. Unfortunately for Dorian, his efforts to mutilate the child were cut short by a sheytan, Onyx Olivera, aided by a blood sage. However, the price of his death was the death of all the other Phoenixes on the planet.

The only ones spared were Blaine, for whom the blood passage was written, and Pirmetira, who still remained in the clouds. When the Matriarch learned of this development, she decended from the skies to help her last child continue their race. With all trace of their previous society erradicated from existence and history, the time would come for the Phoenix to blaze a new trail, and hopefully, in time, they would return to their former glory.

Cultural Practices
Having risen to power long before the rise of the Fae or even the humans, the cultural practices of the Phoenix differ greatly from those of mortals, though many of them reflect various mortal cultures across the world.

Gender and Sexual Structures

 * For the entirety of their existence, the Phoenix existed in a largely egalitarian society. Females, males, and even the rare intersex held the about the same amount of societal power, and fluid gender expression was not only accepted, but encouraged.


 * However, females were often regarded as slightly superior because they were able to carry children and create life, though the males' role in conception was never downplayed and thus their opinions were never invalidated. Even after the evolution of Birth by Fire, females still held more reverence because they were able to carry children two ways instead of one.


 * Intersex individuals, too, held dominance over males because they were seen as a sacred fusion of the two physical sexes. They were often elevated to positions of revered wisdom and advice. However, they were not as elevated as females because most intersex persons were unable to conceive physically.


 * Sexuality was also very fluid in Phoenix society, especially after the development of metaphysical pregnancies. All forms of love were regarded as beautiful and sacred and encouraging to life.

Government

 * Phoenix government could be argued as being a matriarchal, gerontocratic anarchy, with females in power and older members seen as sagely elders, but none of their edicts enforced on the people.


 * Because females could carry children two ways, they were regarded as the ultimate vessels of life and thus held positions of power. However, Phoenix lived primarily in a state of peaceful anarchy even though the eldest female held the title of Phoenix Matriarch no matter what their identity was, though they were typically women. All the decision the Matriarch made were not done without significant advising of other members of society, typically older members because age was regarded as bearing wisdom. However, there was little obligation for anyone to obey her if one disagreed. There was also never any danger of one person staying in power for an undeterminable amount of time, even though all Phoenix are immortal, because there has always been a point in a phoenix's life where they realize their time on Earth is over and they should leave its fate to the younger generations.


 * Age was the only significantly unequal structure among the Phoenix, with those who had not yet rebirthed or had only rebirthed once often being invalidated.


 * Law was also very loose in Phoenix society, the only rule-of-thumb being that ending any form of life for any reason is seen as an offense. However, it only came to punishment in the case of malicious intent, and only one such case has been known. In the case of Plammot, the first Dark Phoenix, his genocidal crusade against Humanity and Fae was deemed punishable by death.

Marriage

 * In Phoenix culture, ritualized marriage is deemed highly sacred. While it was commonly accepted for Phoneix to form lifelong heartbonds with any other creature, regardless of gender, marriage was strictly between two (or more) phoenixes. Heartbonds were regarded as being equal to the bonds formed in mortal wedlock, thus anything more was seen as beyond the capacity of mortal understanding.


 * In the times of Fae and Humans, some would participate in mortal wedding ceremonies for the sake of legal technicalities in the respective society, but these rarely incorporated the practices of Phoenix ceremonies.


 * A typical Phoenix wedding was resided over either by the Matriarch, the eldest family member of involved phoenixes, or the eldest phoenix available at the time. The elder would stand in the center of a circular space, whether it be a clearing, a building, or something else, typically with a dais, and those to be wed would enter this space at equal distances and approach the center at the same time. The circle and the simultaneous entries represented the most basic philosophy of the Phoenix: all forms of life are equal in worth and as such, the truest love must also be equal. They believed the strongest bond of love must be entered unconditionally and as equals.


 * When the involved parties reached the center, the elder would present a harmless, white flame, around which the martial parties would all clasp their left hands. Then, the bride(s) and/or groom(s) would usually profess their love in whatever form they wished, whether it be words, poetry, or song. Rarely, the elder would recite vows for them if they so chose. As the ceremony progressed, the white flame would creep out from their palms and wrap around their hands, wrists, and forearms. The longer the duration and the stronger the bond, the further it would spread and the more intricate patterns it would take (It is believed this led to the mortal practices of handfasting and henna). The exchange of rings was often looked down upon because many believed it reflected the idea of possession.


 * At the end of the ceremony, the involved parties would display their affection however they deemed fitting, usually with a kiss. If it was a polygamous marriage, it would either be as a simultaneous group or in a round. They would then release the flame from their hands and it would explode between them in a brilliant display of color and light, reaching up and across the sky similar to the polar aurorae.


 * After the ceremony, there was often a celebration of close friends after which the phoenixes would fly away together. However, the only required practice was the involved parties singing a song together, cycling leads and harmonies. It was also very common for one or more of the phoenixes to conceive a child during or shortly after the wedding, either through physical intercourse or by fire.