The Ap'kallu, meaning "Wise Ones," are an incredibly ancient Reshat people. Very little is known about them besides their appearance and that many subsequent peoples worshipped them as gods. They are the secondmost ancient race known to have existed on El-Bayir, only being preceded by the L'panim.
Appearance-wise the Ap'kallu vaguely resembled many modern humanoid races. They had four arms but no legs, instead levitating above the ground. One pair of arms was larger than the other, and typically one pair of arms would be hidden within the large flowing robes they wore. They were incredibly lithe and thin. Ap'kallu had large eyes, which glowed a single color, and thick wiry hairs which grew from their heads, usually growing vertically. Their most striking visual characteristic was their luminescence. Ap'kallu glowed, usually a soft white color, but the color could shift with mood and health. Unknowns have noted that the Ap’kallu preference for hiding their lack of legs under long flowing robes implies a degree of understanding of the concept of legs. Theories abound from them having once had legs to them being in frequent contact with “legged” races, causing them to be self-conscious due to this apparent lack, to this even being one giant coincidence.
The Ap'kallu had a thriving civilization, presumably for many millennia. They were immortal, and became incredibly powerful in magic, sorcery, and the natural arts. They were apparently great astronomers, studying the primordial sky with religious conviction.
The Ap'kallu were renowned for their wisdom, calmness, and patience. Based on ancient archeological finds, it is believed that many Reshat peoples worshipped them as deities. Even today, some scholars and theologians theorize that the Elohim may in fact be incredibly powerful Ap'kallu mystics.
Incredibly ancient inscriptions depict the Ap'kallu sailing off the edge of the world. This has been interpreted in three main ways:
- It is purely metaphor, and they in fact simply disappeared or otherwise died out
- It is partially metaphor, depicting them leaving the world for another
- It is purely literal, depicting them sailing into the Sea of the Rising Sun and whatever lands lie beyond the World's Eye
Archmagus Qoren speculated in his text The Ap'kallu, that they may have settled El-Asil.
