Cherufe

Habitat
 Range
 Aggression

Cherufe, commonly, but perhaps improperly, referred to as fire elementals, are a race of humanoids mostly unique to the Glowing Island (located west of the Sea of Night). They are widely renowned for their ability to manipulate fire, lightning, and (to a lesser degree) earth. They are also known for their ability to change the composition of their body between flesh and fire. While considered mammals, this categorization has been a subject of debate between scribes throughout Thrae. While cherufe are often referred to as elementals, they still give live birth and nurse their offspring. There is little doubt, however, that they have a number of things in common with true elementals, even if only magically.

There are three stages of maturity within the cherufe society. The first cycle of cherufe are known as lessers, and are akin to human infants. The greaters are similar to adults (both young and old). The last cycle of cherufe are known as elders and are similar to elderly humans. While these fiery humanoids are scarcely located throughout the world of Thrae, they are not considered endangered, nor are they at risk for becoming endangered.

## **Origins**

Thought to be originally human, the first cherufe were a result of rampant piracy centuries ago. At the time, an unnamed shanty port was located on the shores of the Glowing Island. Originally serving as a impromptu safe haven from the sea's vicious and sudden storms, it soon became a full fledged settlement of pirates seeking to escape the laws held in place by the mainland's many kingdoms. Though the name and founding date of this island remains unknown, it is common historical knowledge that it eventually became a prison for hostages and sacrifices alike.

At a time when the world was mostly unexplored and vastly misunderstood, a large number of seafaring communities were highly superstitious. The pirates in particular, thought that sacrificing villagers from the mainland would appease a number of deities they believed responsible for the sometimes random, chaotic weather conditions that plagued the Sea of Night. By sacrificing these villagers to the Glowing Island's then unnamed volcano, they believed they'd be granted safe passage through the chain of islands. The later generations of those sacrificed are thought to have become some of the first known cherufe.

While the exact extent of connections shared between those sacrificed and the cherufe is unknown, the magical energies of the volcano as well as the prisoners are often theorized to be responsible. The pirates were often keen on kidnapping magically adept villagers, as well as humans that were high within the social hierarchy (as these humans were often practitioners of the magical arts). Some believe that upon sacrifice, the magic released from the body mixed with the mystic energies located deep within the bowels of the volcano. If this theory is true, it would imply that magma, charged with an amalgamation of magic, would later bond with the bodies of later sacrifices. These bodies would've have been the first cherufe.

## **Anatomy**

### **Aging**

Having lifespans of up to two hundred and thirty years, cherufe tend to retain their youthful appearance for the majority of their life. Members of this race undergo three stages of grow throughout their natural lives. Each stage brings noticeable changes with it, with each altering a cherufe's appearance dramatically.

Lesser cherufe are closer to fire elementals than they are to any human. Ambiguous in shape and viscous in composition, they often resemble pools of magma or fire. While in this form, they are often confused for magma slimes. Feral in nature, they are driven by only basic needs and desires. Though rarely, there have been recorded incidents of lesser cherufe fusing with one another upon contact. If this phenomenon occurs, the resulting fusion has a small chance of becoming a greater cherufe. While all greater cherufe aren't necessarily created via this method, it is widely believed by their kind that this transformation led to the creation of the first greaters.

The first stage of a greater's life cycle lasts twenty years. While still considered greaters, these cherufe are often affectionately referred to as younglings. This span of time is comparable to a human's first twenty years in terms of both physical and mental development. Younglings are often mistaken for elves, and occasionally even for humans due to their pointed ears and skin complexion. During this stage, their skin will naturally take on a red, brown, or even a pale blue based on a number of variables (such as their line of work, the color of their hair's fire, or time spent with other cherufe). On average, younglings will stop growing around the age of twenty, and will only continue to grow once they've fully matured at a later date. A cherufe's height and weight vary greatly, much like humans, with the average height and weight being 5'07" and 195 lbs. respectively. The most notable feature shared by younglings are their hair (which almost always consists of fire).

From their twenty first year, a greater cherufe is considered an adult until they turn a hundred. Adult cherufe still retain their human form, though some may eventually begin to take on an ash or stone-like texture. Unlike younglings, adult cherufe can suppress their fiery hair. This leaves a mess of hair behind, and the action can inadvertently lead to exhaustion over long periods of time. For this reason, many adults simply prefer to keep their hair ablaze.

From their hundredth year all the way to their hundred and fiftieth year, greaters are considered fully matured. Peculiarly, most mature cherufe will continue to grow for another fifty years, often becoming two to three feet taller than most younglings, while also doubling in weight. These cherufe often lose the ability to suppress their fiery bodies, and are distinguishable by their flaming hands and heads.

Upon reaching their hundred and fiftieth year, cherufe will transform into their elder state. Commonly, these elders sprout horns and tails, causing many to mistake them for evil spirits. Referred to as infernos in the cherufe community, they are extremely tall and lithe (making them easy to pinpoint in a group). Oddly, their body's natural fires often put out no heat, nor do they burn to the touch. In fact, many people report an elder's body to have the textile sensation of hot brick or tightened silk. These cherufe are literal reservoirs of mana, and are often completely veiled in fire.

Once they reach their final days, an elder will return to Mt. Fayowa's forge. Upon dying, any magic they have remaining in their body will be released into the lava, aiding in the eventual creation of more lessers (often sharing the elder's appearance). For this reason, many cherufe believe in a more practical, refined form of reincarnation; though they believe each new cherufe formed through way of the forge is a new identity altogether. Still, greaters that come from the forge are widely respected by others in their community, as they continue to honor the physical appearance of those before them.

### **Misconceptions of sexual dimorphism**

Mature males' skin often take on a stone-like appearance and texture with age. Females, however, tend to take on a more fiery appearance. Many mainlanders mistake these characteristics as defining features to tell a male and female cherufe apart from one another. The composition of a mature cherufe's body, however, is often the result of his or her's line of work.

Males are often highly sought after as both fishermen and as warriors. This lifestyle often limits their exposure to the magical energies residing within the local volcano. Over time, the magic bestowed by the forge may begin to dwindle in these cherufe, causing their bodies to partially harden. Despite this, they often retain full use of their limbs and rarely suffer from this condition. Strangely, this often works in a male's favor, as they may gain the ability to manipulate magma and lava alike, while also using their hardened bodies to further adapt to harsher environments.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, females often become alchemists and blacksmiths. Constantly exposed to the energies put out by lessers, these cherufe absorb magic in its rawest form. As they continue to work deep within the forge, their bodies often begin overflowing with energy, making them much more fiery in appearance in comparison to their male counterparts.

As it is not considered taboo for a male to work in the forges or for a female to become a warrior, these differences have been officially recorded between male and female cherufe alike. The cherufe are a traditional people, however, and many cherufe continue to work where they're expected to. This longstanding way of life is the primary culprit in aiding in the confusion brought on by the various appearances possessed by the cherufe when viewed by a mainlander.

## **Physiology**

### **Pyromantic Physiology & Regulation**

The most notable feature of the cherufe, their ability to manipulate fire, lightning, and earth is known to most mainlanders. While it is widely known, however, it continues to be their most mysterious trait. Humans and cherufe alike have researched this power from the time their village was first discovered, yet their studies have yet to yield any progress. It is common knowledge that cherufe possess the power to change their body's composition between flesh, fire, lava, lightning, and (rarely) hardened magma. Each composition brings with it a host of new abilities that are relevant to that form. These forms are referred to as a state-of-being by native cherufe. Generally speaking, the more a cherufe possesses, the stronger they are.

Despite the multitude of forms possessed by the cherufe, they have adapted well to living with others. Cherufe automatically and subconsciously regulate the temperature of their body via a thin invisible layer of magic known as a cold zone. This aura negates most of the heat drifting from a cherufe's body. Cold zones also null their fiery properties, allowing others to come into contact with a cherufe without severely burning themselves. These cold zones get weaker with time, however, elder cherufe make up for this by being able to adjust and control their flames to a large degree. Their precision of fire manipulation is so great, that they can create fire that is entirely unable to burn anything or anyone that comes in contact with it.

### **Hydrophobic conditioning**

Because cherufe have spent the entirety of their life accustomed to a certain level of both heat and humidity, having their flames extinguished entirely can cause a cherufe to suffer from hypothermic shock. Similarly, being exposed to cold temperatures without the proper attire can potentially get the same physical reaction. Centuries of mental conditioning has become hard coded to a Cherufe's make. Even newborn younglings instinctively avoid water and the cold (Similarly to felines) without needing to be instructed. Fortunately, some cherufe have been able to overcome this evolutionary conditioning, allowing them to explore the world. This genetic fear, however, has forced many cherufe to continue living their lives on the Glowing Island.

## **Behavior**

Perhaps due in part to their origins, cherufe are not unlike humans in how they socialize with one another. Curious and sociable by nature, they often find great joy in pursuing foreign (or otherwise exotic) culture in an attempt to further understand the world around them. Quick to learn, and even quicker to adapt; a cherufe's personality is often unique to themselves. Aside from a seemingly innate curiosity shared among their kind, each are just as unique as any human individual.

Unlike mainlanders, cherufe don't seem to possess a strong sense of family. They are, however, fiercely loyal to one another. Since they're all born from the forge (to some extent) and eventually return to it, cherufe tend to see one another as close friends instead of relatives (even if they come from the same mother). While it is not considered taboo for a siblings to court one another, outsiders often misconstrue the cherufe to be creatures of passionate debauchery.

Due to the bond shared by all cherufe, it is not uncommon for younglings to switch households from time to time while maturing. Homes, for this reason, rarely consist of their original inhabitants. Houses are often sorted by age differences. It is unlikely that an elder would live with a youngling (and vice versa). Upon reaching adulthood, many cherufe will finally settle down.

The familiarity shared between cherufe also creates an interesting lack of a proper social hierarchy. Many cherufe refuse to accept a position of power, even if it's over their own household. Instead, most political and militaristic decisions are decided between a council comprised of each's family's eldest cherufe, who in turn, makes a decision based on their household's beliefs.

### **Reproduction**

Two methods of reproduction for the greater cherufe are asexual. The least common method of reproduction was also the first to be discovered. When two lesser cherufe fuse together, they can rarely transform into a greater cherufe. This greater cherufe's appearance depends on the types of magic contained within the two lesser forms. Unfortunately, this originally resulted in the deaths of hundreds of humans. Fortunately, this method is only now used through the second form of reproduction.

The second type of reproduction is similar in principle to reincarnation. Since the first greater cherufe were born, they have passed down the tradition of placing a deceased cherufe to rest deep within their native volcano. Once placed in the volcano, their magic is released back into the lava, which can potentially create more lesser cherufe that can potentially fuse, resulting in a greater cherufe.

The most common form of reproduction, however, is similar to most creatures. Notably, the cherufe's form of sexual intercourse closely relates to the human method. This includes courting, conception, and even the gestation period. The most notable difference between human and cherufe reproduction is that a male cherufe's semen are black in color, and thicker in viscosity. The conception process is similar, but differentiates drastically upon fertilization. Upon entering a female cherufe, the heat put off by the female's vaginal passage aids in an important process. First, the semen fertilizes the egg, then the excess is ignited. This fire coats the egg and will continue to do so until the fetus starts to form. The fetus then absorbs the fire. This later manifests itself as the child's first source of heat after birth, allowing the offspring to catch fire on his or her own.