Spectren

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### Distinctons

Varying half-animal half-human appearances. Various blood colours of red, black, silver, white, pink and yellow

### Place of Origin

A small(ish) hidden island away from Aramoor. Anyone who leaves will never utter the name to someone whose roots do not come from there.

### Rarity

Common in Aramoor, extremely common in their own home.

### General Overview

Essentially, they are people with animal halves that can either allow them to partially shift, or fully shift into an animal. While mythological is not common, it’s not impossible either (aside from dragons, which is impossible). However 96% of Spectrens take after normal creatures such as wolves, birds, and rodents. The mythological are incredibly limited and are always those without magical abilities, such as a Pegasus, peryton, or owlcat.

Their feral sides have nothing to do with their parents, unless both happened to be the same animal. They are not anthro. That would be an entirely different race in itself. Spectrens are the sub-species that branched off from Sulindures, the ancient powerful race told to have blood with incredibly strong properties (in which only one or two full-blooded remain). While Spectrens cannot fully harness the ability of blood that their ancestors did, some can study Blood Runes to a certain extent.

Their feral sides have also made it easier to get along with various creatures, which is why they’ve been able to forge such a strong bond with them. It’s very rare to see a Spectren without any sort of pets or companions, as there’s usually a void in their hearts without one. Those who wish to hide from the world often remain in their feral forms, joining the natural animals like them. It’s very, very difficult to tell an experienced Spectren apart from a normal animal, as they would copy behavioural traits to remain hidden. This practice, however, is quite rare.

By the time they reach adulthood, Spectrens usually have at least three abilities unless underdeveloped or the first few are stronger than what is normal. A Sulindure’s blood was strong enough to carry several abilities the longer they lived, but a Spectren can only generate three to five by the time they reach adulthood. As three is the average number, any less is considered to be weaker than usual. Powerful abilities or overuse will require them to consume a specific medicine at least once a week depending on the usage. Not doing so can either cause loss of powers, or in worst cases, death. Spectrens are considered ‘weak-blooded’, and will die at 50 without the added help from an ability.

#### Blood

To Spectrens, color holds meaning. Their blood comes in various colors, and some believe that it will foretell what drives a person. Red stands for positivity, black is war, silver is sadness, white is purity, pink is love, yellow/gold is wealth, and blue is strength. Usually their fathers will make a braided cord with the colors of their child’s blood, the mother’s, and their own. These are given to the child once they develop their first ability, and usually are not taken off until death.

#### Culture and Beliefs

Festivals are also a large part of their culture. Those who have the opportunity to see what an authentic, original Spectren festival will often come to see how large and extravagant their celebrations are. While there are quite a lot, quite possibly one of the most important to them is the Night of the Dancing Dragons. It takes place in the middle of Autumn, connecting to one of their most sacred myths, where a great dragon of fire and one of ice set aside their differences to make something all could enjoy. This is what Spectrens believe to be the origins of Autumn, with the proper mix of both hot and cold--a middle ground. They’ll throw parties in their streets, which includes quite a lot of dancing and the selling of food. Those with wings will often paint themselves white or red, performing a sacred dance before sunset. During this day, Spectrens are often the most hospitable to others and easier to get along with. Some even set out food offerings for any dragons that might wander by, though far enough away from their villages. This festival has also been told to explain why the Spectrens hold no hatred towards them, going so far as to set scouts in feral forms to keep track of any known nesting sites in the hopes of keeping would-be trespassers away. The Dragon Guard are also well-respected by most of the Spectrens in Aramoor.

The Spectrens are highly superstitious (such as their extreme hatred towards black cats and their tendency to stay away from dark magic), and often practice things that are seen to be strange outside of their own race. Many of these practices are absolute rubbish, especially their belief in prophecy. While their leaders are no longer as corrupt and controlling as they used to be, Spectrens are quick to believe most, if not everything, that they’re told. They believe their home was built from pure energy, which built its core and gave life to the ancient races and beasts, which would eventually lead to the current. This belief only applies to their island, not the rest of Aether. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s uncommon to find one that believes something entirely different, as they’re usually raised only around their own kind.

### Race Alignment

Neutral Good and True Neutral are the most common

### Natural Race Abilities/Affinities

While their ancestors were considered to be animals with a humanoid form, Spectrens are quite the opposite. While they look human at birth, each Spectren has one specific animal they can shift into (although rare, some gain the ability to shift into another at some point during life). At about a few months old, their feral forms are revealed by some sort of appendage appearing. Most often this is the ears or tail, though some have been known for their legs to shift instead. It isn’t until around a year old that they’ll be able to fully shift, and each child will learn to control it at different paces.

Partial shifting will allow them access to minor heightened senses, depending on their feral form. Meaning they can see, smell, hear just slightly better than the average human. A full shift will allow them 100% access to any advantages taken on by the natural animal their feral side takes after. While shifting can be instantaneous, they usually take about a minute (1 post to start it, finished by the next) to shift as not to cause backlash. Shifting instantly will mess with their senses. Whether that be sight, sound, or scent--one or multiple will be affected in some way. Usually it means losing a sense for several minutes (4 posts).

Unlike werewolves, their mental state will remain unchanged in both forms. In other words, if they’re crazy, that’s just their personality. While shifting between forms is fluid, there are several things to be aware of. Both energy and injuries are carried between the forms. While it doesn’t usually take energy to shift, shifting with injuries will cause quite the amount of pain. Staying in one form for several days at a time is also discouraged, as the shift will cause some pain, as well as discomfort from suddenly going from bi-pedal to all fours (or vise versa). The sudden change in heightened senses will also cause headaches depending on how big of a difference it causes. For skilled and focused ones, partial shifting (such as an arm or leg) is also possible.

Newer partial shifters will find a lot of discomfort and pain while trying to do this, but over time it’ll just take a lot of focus without pain. However, claws are accessible to anyone whose feral from posses them. The ears and tail are also almost always visible in their humanoid forms, aside from some insects and birds (in these cases, wings are usually visible but they’re grouped in with partial shifting). Taking them away, however, is discouraged as it’s always incredibly painful no matter the skill, as it goes against their natural biology. Partial shifting only heightens their senses to be just slightly over-average than a human, no matter the part they shift into. Unless of course they’re using wings, than that would serve as a flight advantage. They would not be able to see in the dark without fully shifting, regardless of the animal-type.

The Sulindure possessed blood properties that were not normal. On its own, their blood was quite explosive and could be used to perform Blood Runes. While not as strong, Spectrens have inherited these properties. However, it is also noteworthy that illnesses or tampering with a Spectren’s blood will almost always lead to instant removal of both their abilities and their feral form. So long as the blood remains tainted, the abilities will be gone. However the feral forms very rarely come back, depending on the situation that caused it all. With a destroyed feral form, Spectrens are on ‘borrowed time’, often only living two or three years afterwards before dying--those years filled with pain. Though it isn’t quite explosive, a Spectren’s blood can hold a flame, much like a candle. The color of the flame will match the color of the blood, so often they’ll use it to light lanterns during festivals. While the blood won’t dry up due to the fire’s warmth, it’ll go out after around three hours no matter how much blood the flames are provided. These flames cannot be controlled, unless of course there’s pyromancy involved (however, Spectrens very rarely can control the main elements).

In the case of the Blood Runes, somewhere along the line it was considered to be a darker practice since it was at the expense of their own, or someone else’s necessity to life. Because of this, Blood Runes have mostly been tabooed in the Spectren culture, and majority of the books containing the Blood Runes have been burned. However, several families still pass the knowledge from generation to generation. The uses of the Blood Runes is extensive, but with a Spectren’s weaker blood they’re only able to perform a few if they even have the ability to write them at all. Most are incredibly hard to master, and can be fatal if done incorrectly.

### History

In relevance to Aramoor, Spectrens only left their original home in search of new land around three hundred years ago. By then, the Sulindure were already thought to have been wiped out and the Spectren were left as the majority. There wasn’t exactly much of a reason for them to leave their hidden home, other than the calling of adventure and knowing what else was out there. As the adventurous younglings were often the ones getting into the most trouble, their leaders had no issue with them leaving to discover their own path. That did, however, come with a condition--they were never to disclose any information about the home in which they came from, not even the name. Once the terms were agreed upon, the six selected for the first exploration set out on a pack of domesticated Droxes, a quardrupedal bat monster known for their fast flight speeds.

However, their journey did not go as expected. Their entire lives had been spent sheltered from the outside world, giving them a false sense of safety thinking they knew everything there was. Between poisonous plants and hostile creatures, the group was diminished to two within a matter of weeks. Fearing what was to become of them, they returned back to the safety of their island, barely making it back alive. As Spectrens were the only humanoid species on the island that didn’t travel, there were no diseases brought back that hadn’t been there before. There were at least two other races that traveled quite often, and it wasn’t uncommon for their ancestors to wander either.

It was not for another fifteen years that another group was brave enough to journey out again, led by one of the two remaining survivors of the first group.

With the experiences from the first group on their side, they set out once more. This time it was a group of twenty, all which had developed at least two abilities and some sort of strong creature on their side. These new precautions would prove to be more than necessary, as they would eventually wander upon Aramoor without having lost a single member. The original explorer was sent out to study the town for a few weeks, surveying the types of people who lived within it and how they reacted to seeing them. At first, Aramoor didn’t meet all of the requirements of the type of area they wanted to settle into. That was, of course, until they met the Dragon Guard. As the Night of the Dancing Dragons is such an important piece of Spectren culture, the impact of seeing humanoids and dragons flying and working together shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. That, as well as the protection Aramoor naturally provides, is what made the Spectrens decide to stay.

Over the many years after, the group of twenty would become many more. While some continued on in their journey, many decided to stay. The ones that remained worked hard until they were able to purchase a piece of land to call their own. Here, a small village was made, a place they could freely express themselves with their customs without being too much of an annoyance to the rest of Aramoor. In reality it’s just a singular street (they own the homes on both sides), but they’ve decided to call it a village despite that.  This small village was to be named Izeran, after the one from the first group who led them. This village still stands in the present days, though a little larger. While it is predominantly made of Spectren, they are more than happy to accept those of other races.

Currently, the majority of them have either chosen to be farmers or working in the food industry. Though there are some that have chosen other ways to live their lives, such as in the Dragon Guard or blacksmithing. Their present ‘leader’ is Itari, related not to Izeran but the other Spectren who’d survived from the first group. As Spectrens do not normally have last names, they now choose their own once they turn 18 to fit into Aramoor better. This does, however, make it harder to keep track of who is related to who-- if the person trying to keep tabs isn’t part of their inner circle, anyways. They happily live to Aramoor’s laws, not really wanting to do anything other than live in peace anyhow. They’re usually pretty cooperative with the authorities as well, unless there’s unprovoked ill-will towards them Their healers are also more than happy to assist anyone who might need help.

They’re not aware of any remaining Sulindure, which isn’t surprising granted the only one left is unaware of their own origins.

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**Created by Kyo**

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