Demihumans

*Demihuman is the colloquial terminology used when referring to any of the many peoples throughout the galaxy which are very closely related biologically to baseline Humans. The races whom descend from the peoples of the Old Empire are classified largely by the planet they inhabit. Some, which dwell on very mild planets (reminiscent of the Old World) can be reflected as any baseline human. However, those peoples that settled on much harsher planets were forced to evolve quite exceptional characteristics absent in other renditions of humanity across the galaxy and are classified as Demihumans. Most are close enough to the Human baseline to be considered a race or ethnic group of Humans, rather than a completely separate species. Similarly, some groups biologically classified as Humans, though differing from the Human mainstream virtually entirely in their cultures, are considered so distinct that they are sometimes referred to as Demihuman. However, the term "Demihuman" is most usually reserved for closely related peoples which have evolved significant physiological differences from baseline Humanity.*

*Many Baseline Human factions within Near Space share considerably close genealogical ties with specific groups of Demihuman races. Though many baseline Human factions and Demihuman factions especially are loathed to admit any such connections. With the majority choosing to deny the possibility out of prejudice and xenophobia. There does exist a wide spread belief in the inherent superiority of baseline Humans as the purest strain of Humanity to exist and thus the only one which truly matters. The Demihumans are seen as being corrupted by evil, with this taint made visible due to their inhuman forms and abilities. While among the various Demihuman peoples, baseline Humans are seen as frail weaklings only fit for slave labor and bloody sacrifice. Having adapted to numerous different environments, the Demihumans are highly diverse and exist in a wide variety of unique forms. Most Demihumans share close external similarities with Humanity, usually with small differences in skin and eye color or in bone structure. While other Demihumans might resemble baseline humans in appearance, however, with the notable exception of having developed distinctly stable mutations specific to that grouping.*

*Despite their wildly divergent appearances, all Demihumans are genetically human - that is, they do not diverge sufficiently from baseline humanity to be considered as a separate species, and can reproduce with "normal" humans. Biologically, there exist very few, if any, examples of Demihuman races which are not capable of interbreeding with baseline Humans. However, unlike baseline Humans, Demihumans are also capable of crossbreeding with Star Spawn. And in fact, a small portion of those peoples whom are classified as being Demihuman are those within the early stages of becoming a unique breed of Star Spawn. Due to their unique physiology, were a Demihuman to breed with a baseline human their genes will override human's racial traits for physical appearance and powers. Both sexes tend to possess rippling muscles, though males are more heavy-set than females. Their women are widely considered to be exceptionally beautiful, possessing breasts that continue to grow with age, a well toned musculature, and womanly curvy figures. They are a very tall and robust peoples, with the females standing roughly 6'6-7'2 ft all and the males averaging 6'11-7'9 ft tall. Females usually weigh at around 250-300 lbs. and the males are 320-400 lbs. on average.*

## Physical Appearance

Demihumans are renowned for being both taller and more powerful than normal humans. A handsome race, they tend to possess strong, attractive features, and small, swept-back ears that come to subtle points. They are a powerfully built race; invariably sporting broad shoulders, narrow waists, powerful thighs and thick arms. Both sexes tend to possess rippling muscles, though males are more heavy-set than females. Their women are widely considered to be exceptionally beautiful, possessing a well toned musculature and womanly curvy figures. They are a very robust peoples, with the females standing roughly 6'6-7'2 ft all and the males averaging 7'3-8'0 ft tall. Females usually weigh at around 250-300 lbs. and the males are 320-400 lbs. on average.

## ***Near Superhuman Physiology***

*Demihuman physiology is extremely resilient and able to keep functioning even after suffering substantial blood loss, multiple amputations, or other injuries that would easily kill a baseline human. This at least partially stems from a very robust metabolism and high levels of endurance that allows Demihumans to breathe in relatively low oxygen atmospheres and can typically go without food for weeks without suffering any ill effects. However, their unique biochemistry means that they suffer from a drastic psycho-chemical reaction when in a state of desperation. When pushed, the Demihumans will suffer sudden and extreme psychotic impulses accompanied by violent, homicidal rages. Though Demihumans reproductive organs are essentially similar to that of baseline humans, their internal anatomy is significantly different. Demihumans cannot interbreed with humans, as all attempts end in a deformed, stillborn monstrosity. While their full lifespan is not exactly known, the Demihumans can live extremely long lives if they do not die in battle or other causes. Living up to 800+ years while maintaining their good health and vitality for a long time, though very few die of old age. The rare Alpha Demihumans can live much longer, possessing the potential to live for well over 1,700+ years. Culturally, psionic ability is considered to be as a gift and a calling. By tradition, telepaths are freely trained, fed, clothed and otherwise provided for so that they are able to openly offer their services to those in need.*

*Due to this adversity, the Demihumans are much hardier than baseline humans, having been forced to adapt to the unforgiving climate and brutal landscape of their native land. Born survivors, these courageous peoples have endured millennia surviving in a world overrun with mutated prehistoric predators, degenerative savage mutant tribes and harsh environmental obstacles. Because of this, they represents the pinnacle of human physical prowess, all of which have naturally heightened their abilities to the highest levels of human potential. Displaying early levels of superhuman conditioning, they exhibit remarkable feats of strength and endurance even at a young age. Their muscles perform with more power than is seen in humans of athletic build, and they can even recover from injuries which would cripple or kill baseline humans.*

*Some of their near superhuman feats include dragging heavy weights of an excess of a couple thousand pounds while maintaining a relatively fast pace, a feat no baseline human can match. While biologically human, their physical capabilities are all at peak physical perfection resulting in nigh-superhuman physical prowess, far exceeding that of even Olympic-level athletes, making them immensely physically powerful by normal human standards. They can and do generate low level superhuman strength with their assaults. Even well into old age, their physical capabilities still far surpass even those of the most exceptionally fit humans. In battle, they can deliver strikes of exceptional force that can casually launch opponents flying several meters away, and sending them through walls, even while holding back so as not to kill. They are strong enough to punch or throw a full grown man several meters through the air.*

*The extent of the physical abilities of a Demihumans are unknown. They are able to hold their own against particularly difficult Savage Space predators; the Demihumans can also quickly reset a limb after it has been dislocated in the midst of battle. The Demihumans also possess the ability to dislocate and pop their own shoulders back in, to escape from being shackle. This showing that all Demihumans are in fact double-jointed. Demihumans have also been shown to be adroit and athletic, moving surprisingly fast for beings of their size and weight, being able to cover great distances and not tire as easily as normal humans; they can also leap impressive distances and can perform otherwise practically impossible physical feats that most humans would be hard-pressed to duplicate. The Demihumans can run and move at speeds beyond the peak of human potential. They can travel for much longer distances than humans, at greater speed.*

*Overall, the Demihumans have proven to be superhumanly stronger, faster, more agile, tougher, more resistant to damage and injury, possesses more acute senses, immense stamina, and superior healing when compared to most humans. In general, the Demihumans possesses an abnormally high threshold of pain and psychologically channels what pain they does feel into anger. Their ability to cope with toxins is also heightened, it usually taking multiple horse tranquilizers, just to make them stop running, while still remaining conscious. One major characteristic of the Demihumans is their indomitable will. Despite finding themselves in situations where the odds of survival and/or escape would seem insurmountable, the Demihumans always push forward and never give up.*

## Near Superhuman Abilities

***Near Superhuman strength:** Demihuman strength is beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. Possessing strength equivalent to that of 10-30 strong men, which allows them to physically overpower most combatants, including elite-trained humans, mutated monsters and prehistoric beasts. A Demihuman is capable of effortlessly lifting a fully grown man over its head and hurling them like ragdolls for 25 feet, knock out a human with a single punch while underwater, send enemies flying several meters with a single punch or kick, kick an assault rifle in half, slam through solid walls and reinforced glass, throw people into walls hard enough to break through them, and effortlessly dislocating limbs with a single twist. They are capable of punching people hard enough to send an enemy headfirst into floorboards and even smashing through plastered wood, brick walls and floors.*

*Possessing incredible strengh, a Demihuman is easily capable of outmatching a conditioned adult human male in unarmed combat and is able to land blows that can shatter solid concrete. The Demihumans are capable of ripping a man's head open by prying his jaws apart, rip apart a human male limb by limb with only bare hands, and tearing a human's head and spine from the body with little effort, while some larger specimens have even been seen to tear a human body in half using only their bare hands. A Demihuman is able to effortlessly lift a large human male above its head easily with one hand, and send people flying through the air several feet with their attacks, usually with enough force to crack stone, splinter wood and dent metal. They can bend metal bars with relative ease, pry open steel doors, flip a car on its side, and turn over an armored truck from a pinned down position(albeit with some effort).*

*This strength also extends to their legs, easily allowing them to jump 6 meters into the air, as well as being capable of falling up to 21 meters and landing safely on their feet. They can also easily tear apart armored suits with their bare hands and destroy an armored helm with a single stomp. An attack from them could greatly injure a person, almost like being struck by a vehicle, to the point where it may be fatal. Someone sent flying into a structure by a Demihuman assault would impact it with enough force to damage it, even if it where dense stone. Demihumans are able to smash through stone and solid wooden structures with one punch. This causes their attacks to be heavily weakening and debilitating to anyone they fight, including those with similar strength and physical prowess to themselves, robot sentries, and heavily armored opponents.*

***Near Superhuman Durability:** Demihumans are also exceptionally durable by human standards, their muscles and bones being vastly denser and far more resilient than an average human. They will remain unfazed after an immense beating at the hands of dozens of baseline human troops, it requiring a superhumanly strong blow from an opponent of equal or greater power to knock them out. Their near superhuman durability allows them to survive crashing through a forest whilst falling from an approximate 200 feet drop. Though they are not bulletproof, their skin and muscular tissue has similar toughness to kevlar, as well as possessing bones which are tougher than concrete. This allows the Demihumans to survive extreme blunt force trauma, being barely phased when struck by weaker opponents, as if feeling no pain at all. Even the most grievous of injuries will not impair their ability to perform. Demihumans are highly resilient to physical damage, capable of recovering from multiple gunshot wounds with minimal or even no medical attention and surviving radiation doses which would be fatal to humans. Demihumans are extremely durable, being able to remain standing and continue fighting even after having several dozen rounds from a pair of FN P90 Personal Defense Weapons emptied into their chest, although such massive injuries will eventually killed them. However, they are unable to withstand higher caliber weaponry such as light machine guns. Their thick skin is extremely tough, and is virtually impervious to cuts, scrapes or contusions. A Demihuman can continue fighting even after having survived several gunshot wounds, lacerations, being hit by moving vehicles, and even high jolts of electricity. They are also highly resilient to most bacteria and viruses.*

***Near Superhuman Speed:** The Demihumans move with incredible speed. They are able to move across short distances, appearing nearly as a blur, and attack opponents almost instantly. A Demihuman warrior is able to take down half a dozen armed human men before they have a chance to reload their weapons.*

**Peak human agility:**  Their athletic prowess grants them exceptional agility, coordination, and balance while fighting and evading others. *Demihumans* are incredibly nimble and agile, possessing high levels of agility and dexterity. They are able to move with greater agility, celerity, and flexibility than any baseline human. Demihumans can leap several feet into the air and are able to move, jump, climb, flip, and run at incredibly fast speeds without difficulty or exhaustion. *Demihumans* can also perform above-human parkour feats and virtually always land on their feet.

They are able to perch in trees to avoid outsider mercenaries, followed by quickly moving through the thick foliage with almost ape-like acrobatics, dodging point-blank gunfire effortlessly, with the mercs unable to get a glimpse of them, as the *Demihuman* 's speed and agility makes them appear as blurs of motion. This mobility allows them to move away from the sight of others and stalk enemies from the shadows or higher vantage points.  They are skilled climbers, and in fact prefer moving at height through trees or across rooftops in pursuit of prey, typically jumping from one vantage point to the next.

**Near Superhuman Senses:** *Demihuman* senses are sharper than those of a human, being at the peak of human potential if not greater. They can see, hear, smell, feel, and taste things imperceptible to the normal humans. This allows them to see further, hear with amazing clarity, detect specific persons, objects, substances with his smell, etc. They are capable of seeing objects with perfect clarity at much greater distances than an ordinary human and retain this same level of clarity even in near-total darkness. A keen sensitivity to movement and light allows the *Demihuman* to easily read the body language of any species, making it almost impossible to lie to them. *Demihuman* hearing is similarly enhanced, allowing them to detect sounds that an ordinary human cannot and to be able to hear sounds an ordinary human can, but at greater distances. *Demihuman* sense of smell is as acute as a wolf's or a dog’s, enabling them to track prey for miles by the scent of the victim’s blood alone. Overall, *Demihuman*'s keen senses give them several advantages when hunting or eluding enemies.

***Near Superhuman*** **Stamina:** The *Demihuman*'s highly trained and developed body generates far fewer fatigue toxins than an ordinary human, superior in that regard to the finest Olympian athlete, able to exert themselves at peak capacity for several hours without tiring or slowing down. The *Demihuman* body more effectively eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-inducing lactic acid in the muscles and musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human, granting them exceptional endurance and lung capacity.

***Near Superhuman M*etabolism:** Their metabolism runs several times faster than an average human's due to their incredible physiology, this allows them to have a near inhuman metabolism, healing, immune system, and longevity. They are able to heal with extraordinary speed and efficiency, at a rate well beyond that of a regular human being, however they are unable to regenerate missing limbs. They are immune to earthly infections, diseases, and disorders; also cannot become intoxicated by alcohol, drugs, toxins, or impurities. *Demihumans* are capable of healing large cuts and bruises within hours and fatal gunshot wounds and fractures within several days. Their injuries heal rapidly without leaving a trace of injury.

## Alpha Demihumans

While all *Demihumans* are generally stronger and more deadly than the average human, the tallest and most powerful of them are the Alpha Demihumans. They are primal leaders of the Demihumans who possess powers far superior to those of normal members of their race, even from infancy. Alphas are to the *Demihumans* what they are to normal humans, the absolute peak of their race. Their abilities, including superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, endurance/stamina, senses, healing, adaptation and durability are far superior to normal *Demihumans* . They have the ability to survive without oxygen for prolonged time, possessing a greatly enhanced lung capacity. This also enabled them to run for days without rest, while also being as fast as horses. Even when compared to other *Demihumans*, the Alphas possess an abnormal amount of physical strength and endurance, effortlessly crushing a human skull with their bare hands and dual-wielding two shotguns with no signs of fatigue. They are strong enough to overpower the equally-imposing Homunculus.

An Alpha's body tissue is much hardier and more resistant to conventional forms of physical injury than the body of a human. They can withstand falls from great heights, exposure to extremes in both temperature and pressure, high caliber bullets, and tremendous impact forces without sustaining injury. Like other *Demihumans*, punching them is like hitting a concrete wall. However, despite this great durability, an Alpha's skin is not invulnerable. While bullets can just barely pierce their armor-like flesh, becoming embedded in their skin, they can't pierce the muscles beneath. Their muscles are dense enough to repel close-range shotgun blasts and thrusts from bladed weapons wielded by common *Demihumans*. They are either completely immune to pain, or have developed a great tolerance for it, as they do not react when severely burned or when shot at point blank. Alphas possess immense striking power, their punches are so strong that they often cave in the chest of an enemy, killing them instantly. They are also capable of knocking out a fully grown baseline human adult male with as little as a tap on the head. An enraged Alpha can rip a man's heart out with his bare hands, fling a full-grown man by the arm with enough force to tear the limb from its socket while the body is sent flying, punch through a human torso or knock a human head off with a single punch.

Alphas possess high levels of physical strength, they can easily punch through concrete, effortlessly rip people to pieces, bend steel with extreme ease, and lift a motorcycle using only one hand. They are strong enough to bend steel bars and shatter limbs with a single kick. They are also capable of dodging a bullet at close range or catching an arrow in mid-air. They are strong enough to punch or throw a full grown man several meters through the air, as well as tear a man vertically in half with no visible effort. Alphas have been seen to bench press a pickup truck and throw a human into a second-story window from half a block away. This incredible strength extends to their feet as well, allowing them to jump great heights without much effort. Despite their body's great resistance, Alphas can sustain physical injury. If injured, their metabolism enables them to rapidly regenerate damaged bodily tissue faster and more extensive than an ordinary human being is capable of. The Alphas are known to have an innate savagery, exhibiting bouts of uncontrollable murderous rage and revel in the brutality of combat. Alphas have short yet sharp claws at the end of each of their fingers, which they can sink into enemy flesh. The birth of an Alpha is a one in ten thousand occurrence among the demihuman populations. As one in ten thousand births is an Alpha.

## Known Demihumans

Ghanishkaar

Dathrasi

Shokai

Jaffar

Dushkaari

Qhorians

Gothmirians

Haasti

Straga

Irguns

Barbarosi

Asurians

Lodossi

Imekari

Giscari