Simics

A simic noble, high ranking within their combine.

The **Simics**, also known as **Simic Hybrids**, are a strange race of sentient humanoids created using ancient magics from the First Era. Originally intended by the ancient kingdom of Bely to create shock troops, upon the nation falling into ruin, the simics took their fates into their own hands and created the Simic Combine. As they are unable to reproduce on their own, all simics must be created - typically, eladrin and vedalken make the most efficient candidates, however it has been proven that humans and elves can also act as simic templates.

## Description

The simic are a race of people created from genetic material using ancient magics long forgotten to the rest of Rosenwelt, held only now by the Simic Combine. This magic - a highly advanced form of fleshcraft - takes captured individuals and essentially wipes their minds before grafting their bodies with the material of animals, typically marine ones. This process is extremely painful, and essentially results in the identity death of the individual who undergoes it, as they arise as a new simic. As a result, many simics possess very "oceanic" features - gills, fins, sharp teeth, even claws and armor. However, the process of creating a simic is taxing on the body, resulting in drastically reduced lifespans. A simic hybrid is lucky to see their 50th year. As well, it sterilizes the individuals, preventing them from reproducing.

Despite their new identities and being created by the Simic Combine, not all simics are loyal to this organization. Many simics will eventually break away from the Simic Combine, either to learn more about their past lives, or to make more of their lives than what the Combine assigns them.

## Society

### The Simic Combine

By far the most important aspect of simic hybrid life is the Simic Combine. This strange and ancient organization is the home of most simics, and the creators of all of the species. Originally formed after the fall of Bely, the simics - now freed from their overlords - rallied under one banner and formed their own independent state. However, in the Third Era, the Combine has shown to be fairly malicious. As simics require already living beings to create more simic hybrids, as they cannot reproduce on their own, they regularly abduct eladrin and vedalken from nearby societies. To aid in this task, the Combine has established spies across the Bely Archipelago who keep an eye on potential candidates to be turned into simics - people that no one would miss if they disappeared - and to manipulate their opposition from the inside.

### In Their Place

Each simic is created with a specific role and caste in mind. In the Combine, there is no social advancement in the hierarchy - a simic who is built to work the fields will always work the fields, and a simic who is built to rule their society will always rule. To most simics, this is normal and even preferred - each simic has their place in the machine of the Combine. However, to other simics, this is uncomfortable and strange - these simics often will leave the Combine and travel to other lands in search of adventure, or just a better life.

### Echoes of a Past Life

As simic hybrids are created from still-living members of other races, they often maintain some semblance of their template's personality and ideals. Every now and then, a simic will experience "echoes" from their past life, seeing flashbacks and visions of their old selves - especially if that old self was someone notable, like an adventurer or ruler. These echoes often lead simic hybrids to seek out and learn more about their past selves, and sometimes even recognize people the simic themselves has never met, or recall knowledge that the simic did not know before.

### Disregard for Life

Many simics - especially their mages who create other simics, known as *grafters* - have a relative disregard for life as a whole. They tend to see living, non-simic beings not as individuals, but as useful genetic material. This especially applies to sea creatures, like eels, crabs, mantas, and fish, however also applies to other humanoids. Even a dead simic tends to be viewed less as an individual and more as genetic material that can be recycled and repurposed. While not all simics act like this, it certainly is not uncommon for them to hold a strange and materialistic view towards living creatures.

## Combat

The combat style of a simic largely depends on what kind of simic they were grafted to be. Simics built for menial labor are typically fairly berseker-esque with their attacks, as they lack the mental capacity to do much else. However, simics built to be foot soldiers often are grafted with powerful tools such as massive crab claws or dangerous acid, and are able to easily mow down their foes. Simics who were grafted to be mages or nobility often have access and training to an array of powerful spells that they can use to attack from a distance, as well as having adaptations that let them get out of sticky situations quickly, like sticky hands to crawl on walls or the ability to breathe underwater.

## History

Simics were first created by ancient Bely, a kingdom that spanned nearly all of the Bely Archipelago, in the First Era. Originally intended to act as shock troops, the Bely quickly realized that the simics could be used for any number of other purposes - including agriculture, crafting and general menial labor. Bely would assign prisoners to the punishment of becoming a simic for even the most petty of crimes, and the upper class of Bely would fire the farmers on their lands and instead purchase simics to farm instead.

This lead to a revolution amongst Bely, as its lower classes were now out of work. Whether this rebellion is what lead to the collapse of Bely or other governmental issues contributed is unknown, but inevitably, Bely fell as a nation and the simics were freed in the chaos. They went on to unify under one banner and form the Simic Combine, which for thousands of years since has ensured the survival of the simic race through abduction of nearby eladrin and vedalken to bolster their ranks.