Preternatural Origin Bases

## Preternaturals

There are 17 different origins for Preternaturals.

Every batch produced within each origin aren't exact and perfect clones of one base but more rather siblings to one another with minor differences varying with appearance, and sometimes the extent of each individuals ability.

Each origin has a period of 7 years where they remain in production before they stop using the origin base, with older first run batches often having more faults and flaws than the later batches, though these flaws often get fixed with software updates.  Any individuals who has an ID code with the year-prefix 7+ years after the origin production has ended, is usually a Transhuman.

## Purpose of *Origins*

 The original 8 bases were created as Cousin-origins, meaning that they have some similarities depending on if they come from a 'male' or 'female' originating base whilst being 'siblings' within their origin group.

Example:

* *DRACO & VIRGO*
* *LEO & CYGNUS*
* *CETUS & GEMINI*
* *ORION & LYRA*

This was mostly to create blood compatibility if transfusions were needed, but also to find the most functional traits for different origins.

#### Aesthetic Gender

The Male/Female differences are nearly purely *aesthetic*, meant to differentiate them in a similar way to Canids all being genetically alike but having different subtypes depending on functions such as Foxes, Coyotes, Dogs, etc. For this reason, the biological genders of Preternaturals (excluding Transhumans who come from humans) are null as ARCDA only produces Preternaturals synthetically and have never planned for them to be able to naturally have kids of their own and so they lack any sexual organs.

Because of this lack of gender limiting biology, it means that ARCDA can make recombinant forms of any bases mixed together even if they're the same 'gender'; ie: LYRA + VELA = VE-RA.

Any Preternaturals which don't immediately fit the gender-aesthetic are often referred to as **Thei** in pronoun, though their base takes president over their identity. Transhumans are excluded from this as they will often retain their organs.

## Origin Bases

There are 14 pure origin bases, with 3 recombinant bases that are formed of 2 different origins.

## "Male" Bases

#### DRACO

* One of the first origins produced, with its Cousin-origin being VIRGO. The genetics come from one individual prototype which was expanded upon to tidy up issues with additional traits being taken from Chiros to adjust endurance and sensitivity.
* All DRACO individuals have dark eyes and hair, but their skin has gold iridescence to it.
* J-O
	+ Pros: Muser, Diamond Skin, Low-Light vision, good endurance.
	+ Flaws: Limited muser range, outperformed by newer synths, highly sensitive to bright lights and loud sounds.

#### LEO

* LEO was an origin that utilised many traits usually found in pards, such as sensitive senses and quick reactions.
* As newer versions of Preters were made, LEO's were often relegated to teaching roles and handler roles rather than active duties.
* All members from LEO origins have shades of blond hair and hazel, yellow, or grey eyes. Their hair is often very thick and grows very fast.
* L-R
	+ Pros: Diamond Skin. Quick reactions, sensitive hearing, sight, and sense of smell.
	+ Flaws: Out performed by Pards and Canids across the board.

#### CETUS

* Produced 4 years after DRACO, it was the first origin to utilize camouflage skin with muser abilities. The cousin to GEMINI. As an origin it was very unstable and had a wide and extremely varied range with what the individual Preternaturals were capable of with their talents and abilities. No two CETUS had the same quality of abilities, with some having different upper limits of strength and endurance to others, or more adept colour changing abilities, or more sensitive muser abilities with one CETUS having a range of 20m which was unheard of across all Synths (excluding the Type-7 Avios)
* A lot of their energy being spent by changing skin colour and many exhibiting an extreme lack of empathy coupled with high risk behaviour creating some of the least cooperative Preternaturals to ever be made, but did lead to the advancements of the next generations of origins with what was learnt. Production on CETUS individuals was quickly halted after 4 years of preliminary use, with development being swiftly moved on to other origins and dedication to solving flaws in genetics.
* There are nearly no CETUS Preternaturals left in ARCDA as all CETUS Preternaturals that were not euthanized for their aggressive behaviour were given genetic updates to make them more sedate, which often lead to them loosing their memories and motor functions, which lead to them either being placed in Hrimfald or put down out of mercy.
* Their traits came from Reptiles, and a mixture of different aquatic based genetics. Because of this, they have reptile eyes with diamond shaped pupils, very freckled/mottled skin, and sometimes hair which is capable of changing colours in a similar way to fibreoptic threads can change colour.
* M-P
	+ Pros: Hard working, very adaptable camouflage skin, eager to engage with activities, strength rivalled other Synths.
	+ Flaws: Majority found to be mentally Unstable. Hard to control. Lack empathy, concepts of consequence, exhibit high risk behaviour. When together, they either fight one another or fight together against anyone they take a dislike to. High energy usage when changing skin colour - could not mimic green pigments - which interfere with healing; the more energy they used, the slower their healing rate was.

See Also: Xavier

#### ORION

* The last of the primary bases, ORION's had traits that came largely from Chiros and Canids. These had a lot more design input from Risio and were the most sociable and obedient Preternatural to have been made, as well as were more aesthetically pleasing and varied. They were meant to fix all of the errors they had had with the CETUS Preternaturals.
* Their hair is usually white, silver, grey, or black, with grey eyes and tanned skin, which can change colour.
* O-U
	+ Pros: Heightened Senses, Claws added an extra level of defence, their camouflage skin was very useful though not as developed or varied as the CETUS Preternaturals.
	+ Flaws: Older ORIONs became very hairy and more Canid-like as they got older and became ill from overheating. Telken use was limited and if it wasn't practiced every day then they would struggle to use it to the point they lost all function.

#### RIGEL

* The first male based non-paired base. They were made to quickly replace the LEO and CETUS Preternaturals which were being phased out of use and are somewhat fragile compared to older bases. Because they were so easy to produce and grew quickly, a lot were made in a short space of time, however they only had a lifespan of about 7-10 years making them a standard staple Preternatural that is used to bolster the numbers of porters and maintenance staff in ARCDA over functional soldiers.
* All RIGELS have black hair and blue eyes. They are the most identical looking of Preternaturals.
* R-X
	+ Pros: Quick reactions, hard working, enduring, muser abilities, grow quickly.
	+ Flaws: Can easily become withdrawn and only use muser abilities to communicate, very easily assimilate the behaviours and personalities of others into their own psyche, very short life spans.

#### SIRIUS

* SIRIUS is the successor to both the CETUS and the LEO. Where as the RIGEL was a quick fix to falling numbers, SIRIUS is the workdog preternatural. As per their namesake they are more closely related to Canids than any other Preternatural base, having claws and more fur-like hair. Their camouflage skin has a broader range of capabilities and patterns to it and it is highly adaptable, however they can become stuck in one pattern if holding too long.
* All have yellow eyes, but hair and skin colour vary between batches.
* S-Y
	+ Pros: Claws, Rapid healing, camouflage skin is highly adaptable to surroundings, wide muser range.
	+ Flaws: Camouflage can stick for several days if they remain too tense for too long, highly sensitive to the mental fields of other people, sensitive to loud noises.

#### TIANYI

* The TIANYI is a newer version of the DRACO, though updated to have less of the fur. They look so human that they're often mistaken for Transhumans.
* Brown to Ginger hair, Orange to brown eyes. Skin tones vary widely which is what makes them almost
* T-Z
	+ Pros: Updated and easy to produce.
	+ Flaws: They are a little more delicate than other Preternaturals, and although they are quick to react and have diamond skin, their bones are exceedingly fragile and prone to fractures

#### ZHANG

* The ZHANG is the newest 'Male base' Preternatural to date.
* Z-ongoing
	+ Pros:
	+ Flaws: Only live for 2-4 years due to production flaws.

### *Recombinant Bases*

#### DRAC-US

* A recombination of DRACO and CETUS origins.
* Their skin often has an iridecent quality to it, which can appear like shiny beaded/crystaline effect of cuttlefish skin eventhough they do not have camouflage skin traits.
* They have the "dragon/gecko eyes" of a Cetus with a diamond shape pupil and a wide range of colourations with often a "two-tone" effect to their eyes and hair.
* V - ongoing
	+ Pros: Hard working, engages well, cooperative,
	+ Flaws: aggressive, Risk taking behaviour, 'pack orientated'.

## "Female" Bases

#### VIRGO

* VIRGO is the first female origin to be produced. It takes almost directly from the prototype, however it has some alterations to make it more stable and viable. Like DRACO it has elements taken from Chiros but also from Canids.
* Their musing is very stable and often is able to be broadcast to multipul individuals at once.
* Dark eyes and dark hair, tanned skin.
* J-O
	+ Pros: They were pretty stable as a base with very few defects.
	+ Flaws: Extremely volatile personalities, If they did get a break in their skin then rough calloused crystalline structures form around the wound rather than scabbing over.

#### CYGNUS

* A cousin base to LEO, which utilised both Avio genetics to create light but dense bones, as well as minor genetics from Mustelid-type synths that gives them flexibility and an immunity to venom and poisons.
* CYGNUS Preternaturals are often very calm and reserved, but ended up developing anxiety very quickly if they were
* Nearly all CYGNUS origin Preternaturals have tanned skin, yellow eyes with a third eyelid but also are far smaller than all other Preternaturals, only growing up to 5'0''ft tall.
* L-R
	+ Pros: Fast and very durable, incredibly flexible too. Almost no defects or mutations occurred.
	+ Flaws: Sound sensitive, very anxious, also one of the smallest produced Preters as they never grew more than 5 foot tall.

#### GEMINI

* Created along with CETUS, GEMINI origins and were produced in larger batches with more variation in them allowing for different mutations that could lead to further development.
* Like CETUS, reptile and aquatic genetics were used to enhance them. All GEMINI naturally have darker skin tones however they also have permanent striping and spotting markings along the spine, hips, and shoulders. Even so, they can still very easily camouflage.
* They are known to have mottled hazel-green eyes with reptile-like pupils.
* Unlike CETUS however, they were generally more stable, making them one of the more reliable Preternatural origins.
* M-R
	+ Pros: The most stealthy of combinations, very biologically stable with a lot of variation in appearance.
	+ Flaws: Highly sensitive to bright lights and struggled to work in daylight or bright conditions.

#### LYRA

* The genetics for LYRAs come more from Chiros and Canid based synths. They were designed to be the ultimate form of a Preternatural with the technology they had at the time, and those that survived were indeed, the best Preternaturals. However they were very hard to produce with 75% of embryos dying within the first few weeks of production, and though they could produce many batches of them, it was extremely expensive, as was raising and housing them as they grew slowly and needed to eat a lot.
* LYRA Preternaturals are among the most sought after and expensive Preternaturals in ARCDA, leading to cheaper options being made such as the VE-RA, though Atlas did toy with the idea of combining them with ORION Preternaturals.
* Eyes varied between black, brown, orange, and red, with black hair.
* O-S
	+ Pros: Their telkens are the best to have ever existed, coupled with the diamond skin, strength, and endurance traits makes them extremely hardy.
	+ Flaws: Require a huge amount of energy each day. Grow slowly, on a comparable level with humans.

#### VELA

* As LYRA Preters were incredibly hard to produce and expensive to maintain, the VELA was very much like what the RIGEL became. A quickly produced, quickly and cheaply grown, preternatural that was useful out in the field within a matter of months. Because their growth rate far outpaced the LYRA, it often lead to the mistake that the LYRA was the newer model over the VELA.
* Usually they had blonde hair and pale grey eyes, however skin tones vary.
* P-U
	+ Pros: Quick growth rate, quick healing ability, camouflage skin.
	+ Flaws: Healing wasn't perfect and lead to some deformities as cells overgrew or their own immune systems began to attack perfectly healthy cells in their bodies after damage.

#### LYNX

* LYNX Preternaturals weren't fully developed and the producers given knowledge as to what they could do before their production was stopped, but they are almost a direct copy of the Lynx Pard.
* There was a real fear of LYNX Preters being as close to a Feral Preternatural as they could get. LYNX Preters were ferocious in a fight, often striking first with a muser barrage of perception alteration to disorientate their target before leaping upon them with claws. It was a highly effective tactic but meant that the Preter would be in direct danger.
* Grey-green eyes usually flecked with yellow. Ashy coloured hair.
* V-AB
	+ Pros: Camouflage skin works really fast in LYNX on a par with CETUS Preternaturals. They heal very fast. They could land easily from a 4 storey fall.
	+ Flaws: Their muser abilities can cause sudden and intense bursts of rage in the person they are musing upon. Their tempers were very varied meaning that whilst one LYNX could be calm and relaxed, another might have explosive rage and lash out.

### *Recombinant Bases*

#### VE-RA

* A recombining of VELA and LYRA origins, utilising the strength, endurance, telkens and diamond skin of the LYRA and the stability, healing and reactivity of a VELA. As the LYRA was a very expensive Preternatural to produce, the VE-RA was a cheaper and more easily producible alternative that was capable of doing everything a LYRA could but with the stability of a VELA.
* They are often refered to as VE-RA clones rather than Preters by those in ARCDA because it is known that all VE-RA's are genetically identical and grown from the same base, where as other Preternaturals have a more diverse range of genetics and are individually produced.
* Often VE-RA's have pale blonde hair and blue-grey eyes making them visually similar to VELA, however they are all pale-skinned.
* R-AA Generations
	+ Pros: Easily produced and replicable. Effective in their use of Telkens.
	+ Flaws: Overly Emotional. They would get very easily attached to people. Blindness often occurred if their telken ability was pushed too far or if they sustained any major head injuries.

#### CY-NX

* A recombination of CYGNUS and LYNX bases, and the newest produced base in Core. They liked the ferocity of the LYNX base but the control and command of the CYGNUS.
* Highly flexible with a great sense of balance.
* Green, Orange, and Yellow eyes of various shades are reported, often having a diamond-like pupil that can dilate like a cat's eye from small slits to a large oval.
* AA-ongoing
	+ Pros: The widest range of different abilities of any Preternatural. Telkens, Diamond Skin, Reactivity, Toxin Immunity, Heightened Senses, Claws
	+ Flaws: Unknown

## Other Bases

#### Thei

Thei (pronounced They) is a term more associated with Risio Avios and Reptiles, to mean 'created as one gender but emulates another'. Thei is not an uncommon occurrence, particularly among more widley produced Preternaturals and can either be present from birth or may develop and change over time due to ARCDA working with synthetic genetics that are not reliant on sex chromosomes.

GEMINI, ORION, RIGEL, VELA, and TIANYI have the most Thei variant Preternaturals, but all bases have the possibility.

As they are created more for their abilities and variation rather than their gender, Thei are treat no differently as within ARCDA it is regarded with the same superficiality as hair colour or decoration rather than genderised stereotypes. To the majority of Preters, the origin base matters more than the identity of the person.

#### Experimental Bases

##### "The Seven Sisters"

The name given to some of the first trial Preternaturals ever used and are the original prototypes made by Atlas and Amelia Samodiva. These were original unique creations, not technically sisters or even female in gender or aesthetic even if they began that way, they were just created around the same time with different extreme variations and traits to them. Due to only 7 existing they are highly protected, highly valued, and constantly fought over.

Two known "Seven Sisters" are Roux and Maira.

#### Transhumans

Transhuman Preternaturals often are given 'outdated' bases which have been given time to be worked upon and stabilised. Current Transhuman bases include, DRACO, LEO, ORION, CYGNUS, RIGEL, SIRIUS. Mainly 'male' bases are used, and although this rarely affects how their physical appearance is, it will always cause eyeshine and is one of the strongest indicators of whether or not a person is a transhuman-Preter.

In Silverbird, it is revealed that a side effect of a human becoming a transhuman Preternatural is a colour change of their eyes from their original colour to grey.

Examples of Transhuman Preternaturals are.

* Fury - DRACO based: Muser, Diamond Skin.
* Swann - Unknown base: Camouflage Skin, enhanced strength and abilities. Grey eyes.
* Rex Brisbane - Unknown Base; Enhanced strength and abilities, resiliance. Grey eyes. Possibly LEO
* Owen Blackburn - Unknown Base; grey eyes. Possibly LEO

## See Also

* Preternaturals
* Canids
* Chiros
* Synths
* Elites

## Trivia

* All of the Bases have a star relation apart from the recombinant bases.
	+ TIANYI is also called Draconis 7 and is part of the constellation Draco. Since the TIANYI (天乙) are the "newer" versions of the DRACO Preter, the name is derived from the constellation.
	+ ZHANG ( 張 ) is also a named star (Upsilon1 Hydrae) that is part of the Hydra constellation and part of the Vermillion Bird mansions constellation. ZHANG preters have genetics from Avios and Reptiles and are musers in "many heads" much like a hydra in mythology.
	+ The Seven Sisters is a reference to the stars of the Pleiades. In the mythology of ancient Greece Pleiades were the 7 beautiful daughters of the Titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione. Turned into 7 birds by Zeus they later became 7 bright stars, which formed the constellation
* Because the genders are Aesthetic over biologically functional, many Preternaturals disregard gendered pronouns to stick to being referred to as Thei/They/Them even if their aesthetic appearance may suggest otherwise.
* Transhuman Preternaturals are the only form of Preternatural able to have children.
* VE-RAs are almost always referred to as VE-RA clones.

## References

1. ↑ *Table created by T.Hearts from her notes.*
2. ↑ Note: The majority of Preternaturals are asexual, however because of how individual Preternaturals identify themselves (He, Thei, She, etc) they have a huge spectrum of romantic and aesthetic attractions.
3. ↑ Note: Although they haven't planned to make Preternaturals be able to have children of their own, this doesn't mean that they haven't made some allowances with specific projects that might meddle with this, or the possibilities with transhumans, Chiros, and Canids which are close relatives to Preternaturals.