Gethin

Shades in the form of Humanoid Creatures. They play the role of both antagonists and support in the series. Their society is very hive-minded and revolves around the decision of their Unatad, the leader of the Gethin race. The best known account of the Gethin history is a memoir recorded years ago and kept in the Ancient Keep titled "A Heart of Darkness" (Below).

## Lore

The Gethin are creatures born and bred by darkness. Unlike all other creatures, which are carried through the womb or fertilized by eggs, the Gethin reproduce only in specific areas deep in the world's core known as Enrovia. In these volcanic breeding grounds, female Gethin gather and exchange chemical components with male Gethin by merging in a process known as Enrovital (Gethic for Amalgamate). Since Gethin do not have any organs and are instead living shades of darkness, no reproductive glands meet nor is fluid exchanged in Enrovital. However, it is important to note that Male and Female Gethin are shades composed of slightly different chemical compounds. When these two compounds mix during the merging process of Enrovital, a fluid is released which drips over the shadow of the mixed Gethin. The fluid, generally saturated with one of the two chemical compositions, then is absorbed by the shadow of the amalgamated Gethin. The heat of the Enrovia permanently infuses the amalgamation excretion with the shadow, and the saturated chemical composition then decides the gender of the Gethin. Once created, the newborn Gethin retains all of the memories, knowledge, and capabilities of its parents. This entire process takes 3 months to yield a new Gethin.

Because of this sophisticated breed, Gethin are born into maturity, and do not go through a process of aging. They are born at their staple age, and do not measure by the number of years that have existed, but rather the number of Enrovitals that have preceded them. Those with higher number of Enrovitals tend to retain the memories, knowledge, and capabilities of generations of Gethin, and are as such wiser and better equipped to rule their society. The concept of age does not exist to the Gethin race.

However, that is not the only concept foreign to them. The notion of family is also incomprehensible to this shadowy race. Due to the immediate birth into maturity that Gethins undergo, there is not a period of dependency on parents. Rather, newborn Gethin tend to abandon their amalgamated predecessors in order to substantiate all they have inherited to eventually pass on to their own Enrovitals. This is made all the more important since the average lifespan of a Gethin ranges between 10-15 years. Once 9, most Gethin tend to remain in the Enrovia desperately trying to pass on all they have gained with other Gethin until their death. There is no concept of love within the Gethin race, as the diversification brought about by undergoing Enrovital with multiple Gethin is what enriches the next generation with diverse memories, knowledge, and capabilities.

Due to the unique ability to inherit memories, it is clear to the Gethin about how they first came about. Each retains the memories that their predecessors obtained on being told the story in the past. It was not only a legend, but a fact to them. They did not have the same existential crisis which plagued so many other creatures. Rather, they did not seek to understand nor mold the world around them. They understood it, and could mold it and live in its shadows. Instead, what the Gethin desired the most was the observe the natural beauty of nature take its course, just as Ishfa Detraza once did in the deep canyons of the Enrovia.

Society to the Gethin was simple. The Unatad (Gethic for Primarch) led the entire society and was the wisest, most knowledgeable, and most capable from amongst the Gethin. Unatad Deyanira Itzal (Gethic for devastating shadow), the current leader of the Gethin race, boasted the largest number of Enrovital of 1,739. This made her the single focal level of strength. Being the Unatad meant being the absolute controller of the Gethin. All orders were followed absolutely, and the strict discipline and strength of the race led them to follow their leader with all of their hearts. Being of the same memories and origin, none had the will or desire to deviate from this path. They would each lay down their lives for the Gethin, and for the Untanad which represented the largest chain of predecessors for their race. The Unatad was their pride. Their proof of history. Their culture. Their belief. The Unatad was their life.

When the Unatad reached the end of their life, they too participated in the Enrovital and would usually pass on their inheritance to over 15 Gethin. However, all of these Gethin then hold vying positions for the Unatad position. As such, they would then be taken to the Surface where they would be placed under the scorching suns of Beshlos' Erlorn Desert. The sun's rays released a specific beam which, if focused on a Gethin for too long, would undo the binding of the compound to the shadow and effectively kill the Gethin. All Unatad offspring were made to be put in this condition until the final Gethin remained. This Gethin would then become the next Untanad, and be the leader of the entire race.

Following the nature of Ishfa Detraza, the Gethin are nature-loving and are predominately docile until threatened. They view any threats towards nature as threats to their existence, since they thrive off of the balance of the world. As such, they have a very poor relationship with humans, that they view to be attacking the force of nature. They have gone to war countless times with the Durians, and have been unable to come to terms with many of the agreements signed by the humans. Humans viewed plots of lands as theirs, as opposed to natures. This view was disgusting to the Gethin, who sought to return the human to be subjugated to the world as opposed to the human's attempts to subjugate the world.

At times, there are promising signs of compromise to humans. But due to their poor structure and greedy nature, as well as their inability to retain the wills of their predecessors, the Gethin view them mistrustfully and are hesitant to make any agreements. This has not stopped them from attending the Pulpit of the Wise to try and reconcile with humans. However, Gethin are usually left in the perplexing position of attempting to work with the governing entities of humans while the followers of the human organization acted in contradiction to their own governance. As such, Gethin have assumed a hostile stance towards all humans, and only change this once they recognize abidance to nature in (some of) them.

## Distinctive Characteristics

* Control of Shadows. They have the ability to literally 'sink' into the shadows, thus losing their 3D form and taking a 2D form on flat surfaces.
* Extremely weak against fire and energy.
* Extreme speed in 2D form

## A Heart of Darkness: Memoir

> I remained in my shadowy muck, staying in a 2D form instinctively. I knew how to because I inherited all of my memories from my predecessors. I was the 1,242nd Enrovital. All of the memories flooded into me, but one particular memory flooded into me the most.
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> One of my predecessors was told that over 20,000 years ago, in the depths of the Enrovia Merise, which was now the Capitol of the Gethin Race, our entire race was born. At that time, a chemical reaction created a new gaseous element. Over time, more of this gas was released and began to fill the Enrovia until finally it began to excrete a thick liquid. This liquid was of the same properties which compose us Gethin, and merged with the shadows of the rocks and canyons in the Enrovia to form the very first Gethin- a dumb, inexperienced Gethin known as Ishfa Ditraza (Gethic for 'Of the Rocks')
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> "Ishfa Ditraza kon za dol ingarnalo iy un Parnal," Untanad Ironio, of the 231st Enrovital explained to my predecessor. (Translated as: Ishfa Ditraza bid his time admiring the nature) "Ishfa Ditraza un Parnal-eyuner" (Ishfa Ditraza the Nature Lover) T
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> he legend of Ishfa continued that with the changing of nature, a new liquid with similar chemical properties was excreted in the gaseous chamber. Coincidentally, this liquid merged with the shadows of the rocks and canyons in the Enrovia to form the very first female Gethin- a quiet Gethin known as Entra Due (Gethic for 'Second One' [Named by Ishfa Ditraza])
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> Entra Due, born 22 years after Ishfa Ditraza, shared the love of nature of the Enrovia.
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> "Con ai un Gethin ingarnalo un Parnal son es Ishfa Ditraza o Entra Due." (All of the Gethin admire the nature because of Ishfa Ditraza and Entra Due)
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> And so began our history of the Gethin. Ishfa Ditraza and Entra Due, captivated by the simplistic waves and movements of the lava sought to imitate it by taking their 3D forms and amalgamating together. Through that, the next Gethin was born, and they multiplied. And multiplied. And multiplied. After 19 Enrovitals, the generation of Gethin then sought to discover if other beautiful forms of nature similar to the Enrovia existed. They maneuvered through the cracks and holes of the deep underground until they reached underground water pockets. They discovered other Enrovia (curiously with no other Gethin but similar gaseous material.) They admired the nature, the rocks, and the perfect craft of their world. They lived in harmony, without need of nourishment and instead thrived off of the gasses in the Enrovia. Then one day, they made it to the surface. And they found other living creatures. Animals.
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> At first, my predecessors were taken by horror as they watched these animals 'eat.' Such a destructive thing towards nature enraged my predecessors, who sought to protect the trees and the waters. They killed the animals by strangling them in their 3D forms. They did not feel pity, nor did they feel regret. They felt relief. They had saved the nature from the savage. But soon my predecessors discovered there were so many more animals. Too many of them. Insects which sucked the honey. Animals which scratched the trees. Fish which contaminated the waters. And it was all beautiful. They lived with the nature, and were taken care by nature. The flowers opened to the bees. The grasses swayed under the cows mouth. Even the tides pushed the fish. We then understood that these creatures did not harm nature, but were a part of it. Even those that ate each other, the predators, were not of harm but of good. We watched for countless Enrovitals and learned and learned of the sounds of the animals, the swayings of the winds. Everything with nature in all of its lands were encaved into our inherited memories. And we loved it all.  Except for them.
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> The ones that cut the trees. Uprooted the plants. Polluted the air. The humans.
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> My predecessors watched them too, in the Gethin 2D form from the shadows, as they raped nature. Even though they shared aspects of predators, their technology left an unhealing scar on the lands. And they were growing. They resembled animals, but had intellect like us. So why could they not see how destructive they were?
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> Untanad Ranli was the first to declare war on the humans. We attacked them in the night and slaughtered them in their camps. They were terrified of us. Their steel could not cut us. Their arrows could not pierce us. Their weapons could do nothing to us. We were made of shadows, so how could we be fought? It was a massacre. We cleansed the land of one group of humans. But another arose like parasites, sucking the rivers dry and destroying the forests. Untanad Ranli expanded the efforts and declared war on these humans. Again, they could not hurt us with their weapons. But their fire did burn us. And in some cases, their magic did pain us. We retreated, but have been at war with them ever since. I could feel my predecessors hate towards the human, and I felt my own hate towards them to as I recollected their memories. I knew one thing- I would follow Unatad Deyanira Itzal in all of her decisions. Be that cleansing the lands of the humans, or working with them to try and balance nature. Unatad Deyanira depended on me. I slowly began to restructure my chemicals to remove myself from the shadows of the Enrovia. I was now a 3D figure, able to walk with leg-like limbs. Even if they were cut though, they would flow back together. Only the light could hurt me. And I would make sure to stay in the shadows. I slid out of the Enrovia I was in, which I inherited to know it was Enrovia Deptim, and began navigating through the cracks of the underground and the holes and tunnels my ancestors crafted towards our capitol: Enrovia Merise. I knew that there, I would get the instructions by Unatad Deyanira on what to do next.
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> My adventure was beginning.
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