Phantin

Phantin, often referred to as Phantom-Folk, are humanoid creatures that resemble the phantom which they are named after. They were originally referred to as Falhin meaning torn in their native tongue. However foreign influence from early Rocthurim explorers brought to light the name used in modern day.

## Physiology

Phantins' skin range from pure white to deep lilac. They can have a variety of eye colors including, dark purple, yellow, silver, and various shades of green. Hair colors tend to align with humans but rarely a Phantin can be born with grey hair. Their most notable feature is their external secondary skeleton that wraps around their back and sides. This partial exoskeleton is made up of mostly cartilage and has thick cyan hide in-between the boney portions. Where the bone meets the skin, the hide flows over the flesh and drapes down. The overhanging hide called the cloak grows out further and tends to tear with age. Phantins are well adapted for humid environments as their hide stiffens when dry and makes movement difficult. They can survive with little oxygen as they can absorb it through their skin like an insect. It should be noted that this makes it impossible to choke a Phantin. They tend to live in climates of extreme elevation with snow and thin air. Their is also a subspecies of Phantin know as Relisen meaning soaked in their native tongue. Relisen can be identified by their typical darker skin tones and horn-like structures. Relisen tend to live closer to coastal regions and are able to digest water into oxygen within their bodies. However, this does not completely replace, atmospheric oxygen so they cannot survive completely submerged. Peak Phantins or Pure Phantins prefer their mountainous roots. Phantins also tend to weigh unnaturally light, having light muscle mass but extremely strong bones.

Phantins are theorized to have a common ancestor with Drow not too far ago. However the drastic difference in lifespans is the main argument against such a claim.

## Culture

### Naming

Phantin culture has a strong central focus on identity and the wind. The majority of Phantins believe a person is not born with an identity but must earn it. Phantins will first adopt their family name but then must earn their given name. Phantins are considered mature at 15 years but will only be deemed an adult once they earn their name. This process often takes several years as Phantins can only earn their name once the wind gifts them their name. Phantins will often go for long sea voyages to live with the wind. This will result in Phantins having very short and soft sounding names.

### Gender

Gender roles do have a subtle influence as well but doesn't pose too much of an impact. Females are regarded as having a closer connection to the deities. They are often but in leadership roles because female Phantins are thought to have some sort of foresight. Male Phantins are seen as the supporters of Phantin society and maintain and expand. This is a direct result of Recog and Hecult's genders and roles within the mythology. It should be noted that "og" and "ult" translate to "worse" and "better" respectively which infrequently will be a source of gender inequality. Wec was considered to be without gender so its not uncommon for Phantins to be nonbinary.

### Origin Myth

"At first there was nothing but The Great Empty where our world resides.  That was until the deities Wec, Recog, and Hecult traveled to The Great Empty and decided to make it their home.  Wec began their work by forging the earth.  Wec smelted the seafloor and mountain peaks which at this point were nothing but rock and soil.  Then Recog went down to the seafloor and filled it with the oceans.  He also built up the lower sky which contained the oceans from falling off the edges into The Great Empty.  Then Hecult went up to the mountain peaks and filled it with the clouds.  She also built the upper sky which contained the clouds from floating up into The Great Empty.  Wec, the eldest, would mold the world to their liking and forge all kinds of life for their younger siblings to play with.  Wec had the gift of fire and could use it to create life.  Recog and Hecult wanted to make their own life too because Wec’s life rarely visited the brother and sister.  So Wec created a ball of fire and casted it into the lower sky.  Recog was overjoyed and he began creating all kinds of sea life.  Wec told Recog that he would have to share the fire with his sister.  However, the two fought and bickered over the fire until eventually Hecult got her turn.  Hecult was angry that her brother used so much of the fire and very little was left for her.  So she kept the fire for a while and made small amounts of sky life overtime.  Eventually Recog got mad that his sister got a longer turn than him so he fought with Hecult until he could get a second small turn.  Then Wec got back their ball and worked through the night to fill it up again for their younger siblings.  And once they were done they threw the ball back into the lower sky.  While the brother and sibling had their petty bickering, Wec would sculpt the world and its inhabitants.  When the fighting got too rough, Wec would create a massive fire to tire the siblings with smoke.  And again the two younger siblings, wanting to be like their eldest sibling, begged Wec to teach the two about the winds.  So Wec showed Recog how to make breeze from the oceans and showed Hecult how to make gust from the clouds.  And then the brother and sister used their wind to speak.  They would take turns pointing at Wec’s creatures and using their new voice to name everything they saw."

### Language

Segments are separated by vowels and contain either consonants or digraphs. The first segment specifies the actor. The second segment specifies the target. The third segment specifies the action. Any additional segments and vowels are modifiers. Some proper nouns or terms of great significance break this grammatical structure by being actionless or having segments without meaning to act as a buffer.

* Actor:
	+ F - Being
	+ D - Animal
	+ Tw - Object
	+ W - Fire God
	+ R - Ocean God
	+ H - Cloud God
	+ Gh - World
	+ Ph - Wind
	+ P - Identity
	+ J - Place

* Target:
	+ Lh - Bond
	+ L - Hole
	+ S - Other
	+ V - Plant
	+ H - Wind
	+ G - World
	+ C - Self

* Actions:
	+ S - Give
	+ N - Break
	+ L - Know
	+ T - Give
	+ K - Hurt
	+ Ls - Move
	+ Y - Take
	+ Ll - Find
	+ Nn - Remove
	+ Ts - Make
	+ Mn - Fill
	+ B - Go
	+ M - Stay
	+ C - Eat
	+ Yt - Want
	+ Nt- Need

* Modifiers:
	+ En - Past
	+ Ols - Future
	+ Alk - Low
	+ Elst - High
	+ Og - Worse
	+ Ult - Better

## Location

### Peak Phantins

Peak Phantins can be found mainly within the Huirn Ranges. Their architecture mirrors that of Monasteries. They utilize many bridges and overhangs that work around the mountain rather than carving into the mountain. There is little protection from the elements as its almost seen as taboo to shield the frigid winds. Walls are used as infrequently as possible.

### Relisen

Relisen can be found on the northern coastlines of the Huirn region. They live in the more densely packed areas of the woods but cut down the trees excessively to make way for the ocean breeze. Their architecture utilizes thin wooden dividers to separate rooms, raised flooring with stilts, bridges to connect up higher platforms, and leaf roofing to allow for both warmth and wind. Exterior walls are almost never used and are instead replaced by balcony railings.