Species
“All are welcome,
This place diversified,
All for the experience.
Just one,
Might save us.”
The Weight of Multiculturalism, Species
There are close to a hundred species who live and intermingle in Cirrus Ethereal, and all of their hybrids and chimera. The scope of fantasy and science fiction offers the possibility of any creature imaginable when we work at setting embedding. Outsiders are rarely thought of with fear, though social castes do exist due to the histories of Ager Ethe and Oler Althe. Introduction of those species outside of official materials will rarely see prejudice unless your story guide or players build it into the backstory of such individuals.
The following overviews touch lightly on genetics and offspring. The lore kits for each species are found in later chapters. The segregations based on culture are deep divides for many different reasons and many storytimes are dedicated to the struggles of multiculturalisms.
Origin Species
The Origin Species are all Hominidae but each subspecies had an ancestral divergence from either isolation of tribes or necessity. Differences in day to day lives and pursuits caused traits from natural selection to cause great enough divides in the Origin genetics that each of the subspecies are nearly far enough apart they can no longer have offspring with each other without a great deal of luck or intervention.
Ulmfae Species
While not as rigorously divided as Origin Species, and intermingling does not have the same drawbacks, the wildly variant genetics of the offshoots of Ulmfae does not create a barrier in procreation. The most civilized, or at least, living amongst the others, Ulmfae are called the Aulrufae.
Their subspecies are for the most part only segregated by culture, spiritual connection, and elemental affinities. In many cases you can put each subspecies of Aulrufae in the same room and conclude they’re all variations of the same. To do so with the broader subspecies of Ulmfae, it is an easy conclusion to say they’re not related at all.
Gorerce Species
Also known as Origin - Ulmfae Hybrids. The Gorerce Species are the result of magical or possibly scientific chimerization of the two species. In most places Gorerce exist in a caste below the poverty line due to their social support structures being relatively undeveloped and disconnected from the other species’ societies rules and boundaries.
Luminiferous Species
The offspring of deities and mortals are Luminiferous, they inherit qualities of the bailiwick of the deity who sired or birthed their lineage. Luminiferous are extremely rare and many times incapable of having offspring. There are larger families of mixed Luminiferous, where the offspring of two or more different deities have come together.
Avarsc Species
The offspring of spirits or aspects and mortals are Avarsc. They are often biologically unstable and live relatively short lives. There are a few subspecies who are stable, and are often found to be tribal protectors of the spirits or aspects domains. Avarsc in their warped genetics often appear demonic, and they often cause the sense of the Uncanny Valley.
Scealkin Species
The Sceal are the great winged beasts, in the standard tongue they are called dragons. The Scealkin are the Sceal’s mixed offspring. As the Sceal’s magics allow them to transition into a natural hybrid of nearly any other creature and align their genetics in a way to be able to procreate with any species, the Sceal may proliferate their ancient genes through any mate. The Scealkin on the other hand are only able among their own subspecies or one or the other of the parent species.
Chimerakin Species
The magics of the Sceal have been replicated in labs. In the earlier Overzone Eras, Chimerakin Species are exceptionally rare, but near the end of the Molthern era, genetic alterations and transitions became popular and relatively inexpensive.
There are many Amcel subcultures dedicated entirely to a specific chimerization. In times before public knowledge of Chimerization, the species were often referred to as Beastkin. It is possible to gain minor alterations to improve natural abilities, but most Chimerakin are offspring of established popular transitions.
