Beastfolk

Beastfolk are race of people who are connected to a unique form of magic: Wild Magic. These individuals come in many shapes, sizes, and offshoots, but they all share the Wild Magic connection. They are native to The Isles, and were created by the Crowned Isle God Ultimus.

## Biology

Beastfolk are one of the most physically diverse races after the Variants, as their subraces are the most drastically different in comparison to any other race. The main cause behind this is that they aren't really a singular race, they're all separate but put under the blanket term of Beastfolk for simplicity. They all share one thing in common, however, and that is their innate connection to Wild Magic. Instead of being born with a soul that bears connections to Elemental Magic, they instead have a soul tied to a unique type of magic believed to be the first Magic to ever be created in the Isles' history.

Beastfolk are very simple in genetics, as their genes are dominant. If a Beastfolk has a child with another race, the child will always be a Beastfolk of the same subrace as the Beastfolk parent. There are no circumstances where this changes.

## History

The first Beastfolk were created by the God Ultimus--the Crowned Isle God of Darkness and The Hunt--after he gave birth to his first two children: Blaze and Keimau, who became the first Nightcloak and Lycanthrope Beastfolk respectively. After this, the two children went on to have demigod children with an ancient humanoid race native to the Isles known as the Precursors, who have descended into the Lycanthrope and Nightcloak Beastfolk of today.

Further subraces have been created as well, and they are still made by Ultimus, however they all are in affiliation with other Crowned Isle Gods. The Seaspoke were made by Ultimus and Sairyn, the Changelings were made by Ultimus and Deimyao, the Bovidae were made by Ultimus and Seraphina, and the Isopoda were made by Ultimus and Xandakainen. These subraces have no specific Godly patron, all belonging to Ultimus.

## Subraces

### Lycanthrope

Lycanthrope Beastfolk are the Crowned Isle version of werecreatures from Earthen folktales. They bear the ability to shapeshift entirely into an animal or into a humanoid adaptation of said animal, and in some cases both. They are considered the exact opposite of the Bovidae, as Lycanthropes can only take the aspect of predators and Bovidae can only only take the aspect of non-predatory animals. Lycanthropes have small things that relate to their beast form while in their humanoid form, such as tufts of fur or small patches of scales.

### Nightcloak

Nightcloak Beastfolk are the Crowned Isle version of vampires from Earthen folktales. With an aversion to the sun and a fondness for the night, the only thing that sets them apart from traditional vampires is the fact they don't require blood to live and eat. Most Nightcloaks find themselves as introverted recluses by nature due to the fact that they can't be in the sun, but many still find themselves going outside with their skin fully covered. Nightcloaks have elongated canine teeth, giving the appearance of vampire-like fangs.

### Seaspoke

Seaspoke Beastfolk are the Crowned Isle version of merfolk from Earthen folktales. They live in underwater cities off the coast of the Crowned Isles, as well as in harbor towns and canal or waterfront districts of large cities above the water. The Seaspoke are one of the few races that don't have a set time as to when they were originally created, as they were created in the ocean and only came up to surface years after they were created. A Seaspoke’s hair always flows and floats like it’s in water, except when it’s in water, where it acts like natural hair.

### Changeling

Changeling Beastfolk are some of the most shunned of their race, as they're a tricky race. They live among the other races seamlessly, able to infiltrate even the most secure of cities, due to the fact that they can change their bodies on a genetic level to shapeshift into another individual. For this reason, most cities begin witch hunts when they hear a Changeling is among them, as the superstition that the Changeling may kill and replace their loved ones is rampant. When they aren't appearing as someone else, they appear as humanoid figures with sparkling silver skin, snow white hair, and sapphire blue eyes.

### Litatiothrope

Litatiothrope Beastfolk are the Crowned Isle version of satyrs, centaur, and other nature spirits from Earthen folktales. They bear the ability to shapeshift entirely into an animal or into a humanoid adaptation of said animal, and in some cases both. They are considered the exact opposite of the Lycanthropes, as Litatiothropes can only take the aspect of non-predatory animals and Lycanthropes can only only take the aspect of predators. Litatiothropes have small things that relate to their beast form while in their humanoid form, such as tufts of fur or small horns.

### Isopoda

Isopoda Beastfolk are a group of Beastfolk that have hard shell-like exoskeletons on parts of their body. They find their homes in hot places such as deserts or volcanos, and they fall into a meditative hibernation when in cold terrain. These can be as simple as a few segments of rigid exoskeleton to large intricate arrays of exoskeleton covering their entire back. They also frequently possess extra sets of arms, some having up to 8 arms.

## Racial Traits

* Beastfolk are the only race that can truly access the full potential of their unique type of magic; Wild Magic.

## Trivia

* The Beastfolk are mostly inspired by creatures from real-world folklore and mythology.
* All Beastfolk have some capacity to shapeshift.
* Beastfolk were originally created as only Lycanthropes and Nightcloaks to mimic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Vampire/Werewolf duality.
* Isopoda were made out of impulse after Winifred put the idea in Karma's head.