Dustwalkers

A Dustwalker tribal, escaped from a mega factory in Earth-87. Note the distinct cultural clothing; the face is covered to protect their bright, smog-piercing eyes from acid.

### Genders

Male and female; however, a high percentage of Dustwalkers are born sterile due to heavy metal radiation

### Magic-Sensitivity

Unknown; presumed to be the same as standard Homo Sapiens

**Dustwalkers**, or *Homo Praefocabilis*, are a subspecies of *Homo Sapiens* native to (and only found on) Earth-87. Dustwalkers are humans who, after centuries under the highly toxic atmosphere of Earth-87, have adapted to their harsh surroundings in order to better survive. Because of these biological adaptations, Dustwalkers have become dominant over pureblood *Homo Sapiens* in their native land of Earth-87 by a wide margin. Dustwalkers live shorter lives on average than *Homo Sapiens*-- whether this is due to the polluted environment of Earth-87 or a genetic eccentricity is currently unknown. As Dustwalkers are present exclusively on Earth-87, they are exceedingly rare within the multiverse.

## Biological Adaptations

The most prominent mutation present on a Dustwalker are their eyes. In response to the dense smog that covers Earth-87's land, the eyes of the *Homo Praefocabilis* have evolved to become larger and more sensitive to changes in light. Their eyes emit a small amount of light; enough to pierce through thick fog and gaseous pollution. Much like a standard human, their eyes come in many different colours; however, the most common is green. Dustwalkers have long, thick eyelashes to protect their eyes from poisonous dust particles. A blind Dustwalker is seen as invalid and often left to die-- even if a Dustwalker's eyesight is mildly impaired, they are essentially blind.

As well as mutated eyes, the skin of the *Homo Praefocabilis* is extremely thick and hardy. Dustwalkers have several more layers of skin cells than a *Homo Sapien*; as a result, their skin is less pigmented and much greyer. This is a necessity on Earth-87; the more layers of separation between internals and acid rain, the better.

Internally, the Dustwalker has several adaptations to survive on Earth-87. Larger lungs to better process the carcinogens and poisons they inhale on a daily bases, an enlarged liver to facilitate the cleansing of these same toxins, notably smaller kidneys (water intake is severely low in a Dustwalker; most toxins are expelled through sweat regardless) and constantly enflamed lymph nodes to encourage extra antibody production. A Dustwalker's immune system is unparalleled; few illnesses could effect even a young member of the species.

Much like a desert animal, the *Homo Praefocabilis* has adapted to require less food than a human. Food on Earth-87 is scarce and small; most meals are made up of small, highly toxic weeds growing in the cracks of the bone-dry ground. These weeds would be a deathly poison to almost any other race, thanks to the toxic sludge and dangerous particles they absorb through their roots-- for a member of *Homo Praefocabilis*, they are harmless.

## Culture

The culture of a Dustwalker depends entirely on where they were born. For those living within a mega factory (the vast majority of all life on Earth-87), there is little culture to speak of. 'Work is survival' is the motto instilled in each and every Dustwalker working within a mega factory-- although these words are, strictly speaking, *true*, the conditions and hours endured by those working in the mega factories of Eurasia are deplorable and condemned by most outside of Earth-87 itself. The average inhabitant of Earth-87 will be born and die within the same mega factory; those who try to rise up against this system are generally killed by guards hired by the factory's chief. The vast majority of mega factory workers, however, accept this way as life as a sort of religion; nobody could disagree that it is certainly some form of martyrdom. Food is provided by trucks driven from dome farms and rationed between every inhabitant. Water is provided in much the same way.

For those outside of the factories (either having escaped themselves or being born within a tribe), life is very different. Their lifestyle is nomadic and based on large, motorised caravans; these caravans vary wildly in size, from the size of a cart to the size of a large truck depending on how many Dustwalkers are in a tribe. Their clothing is suited to the environment they live in and they rarely take off their face coverings. Dustwalkers are an areligious people; they do not subscribe to the faith of the Church of Clearbreath, nor the God of Breath itself. Their nature is a nihilistic one-- they are quite aware their world is soon to rot, and their main goal is to get away from it. Tribal Dustwalkers are some of the few beings on Earth-87 who practise and learn magic, all in an effort to get off of their world.