Chakuk

Chakuks are people who, long ago, used magic to become take on animal forms as a means of survival. These former metahumans slowly but surely became more and more animalistic until they began being born with small animal features and an extra piece that allows them to fully transform into a more fully anthropomorphic form. For example, a bird chakuk may be born with feathers on their body in one place but also a separable headpiece that is shaped like a bird's head. If they close this headpiece, they transform into a fully anthropomorphic figure.

Alpine Newt Chakuk: 3' tall anthropomorphic newts. They live in the montane woodlands, always near water. In their newt-person form, their bellies are orange with dark spots. Their backs are bright blue to dark grey. They have white crests and dark spots on their bodies. Their children are raised entirely in water. They have an innate sense of how objects and people around them connect, understanding it as a system. They are generally mistreated and exploited by imperials.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Swim 10 STR 5 AWA 10 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 9

Black Stork Chakuk: 5' tall anthropomorphic storks. In their stork-person form, they have white feathered bellies, long red bird legs, and black wings and heads. They have long orange bills. They innately know how to draw magic from their feathers, blood, and fat, which they use to help themselves fly; they are known to cultivate parasitic worms to store bodily fluids and materials for their magicks. They are nomads who have territories in different wetlands and waterways around the region. They are seen as pests and thieves by the imperials.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 11 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 8

Brook Lamprey Chakuk: 2' tall anthropomorphic lampreys. In their lamprey-person form, they are dark blue or greenish on their backs and heads, yellowish off-white on their sides, and pure white on their bellies. They have fins on the backs of their legs, and their jaws are circular and sucking. They live by and in shallow bodies of water such as brooks and streams within the region. They are known as fishers and prospectors, finding resources and using it to magically improve themselves and their small communities. They are often exploited by the imperials.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Swim 11 STR 6 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 7 STH 10

[Western] Capercaillie Chakuk: 4' tall anthropomorphic grouses. They have brown, grey, and black feathers on most of their bodies, with some having metallic green feathers on their chests and others having silver barring or yellow buff feathers elsewhere. All have a white spot on their wings, and a bright red spot above their eyes. Their legs are feathered. They can run on snow. They have magical resistance to any faith-based power or ability. Their culture is one that historically never had much spirituality, being focused on their mortal lives and concerns. They are seen as heretical by imperials.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 10 STR 6 AWA 9 WIL 10 PRS 8 STH 9

Cryptic Myotis Chakuk: 4' tall anthropomorphic bats. In their bat-person form, they have brown and white and black fur, with great bat wings, large mouse-like ears, and short snouts. They are skilled makers of small crafts and devices which they use, such as earhorns for hearing, thick spectacles for seeing, and strange launchers to help them fly. They live in family clusters in forests and hills, and they are seen as pests by imperials.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 11 STR 7 AWA 10 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 9

[Common] Cuttlefish Chakuk: 6' tall anthropomorphic cuttlefishes. In their cuttlefish-person form, they have the ability to change colors to camouflage themselves using light-reflecting features and shifting their muscles to change their skin texture. They have an internal shell in their backs called a cuttlebone, and they can release a jet of ink. They are tenatacles and finned, and they can use magic to change themselves slightly at will. They live in the seas and can come on land for long periods of time, but they always need to return to sea waters. Imperials often exploit them.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Swim 11 STR 8 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 10

Firebug Chakuk: 4' tall anthropomorphic firebugs. They are insects with red and black chitin with very distinctive designs in their firebug-person form. They live in small communities in which they all bond emotionally for survival. They have empathic senses via their antennae. They are usually a lower class species in imperial lands.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 7 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 9

[Common] Genet Chakuk: 4' tall anthropomorphic genets. In their genet-person form, they have grey fur with black spots and markings. They have long whiskers and tails, the latter being a little fluffy. Their faces are sharply pointed. They are originally from southern continents, but they have been in the region for millennia. They are still, however, ostracized as outsiders. They have innate magic that allows them special survival skills anywhere they choose to dwell. Their culture is one of survial and resistance to the harsh conditions of the world.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 7 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 7 STH 9

[Eurasian] Goshawk Chakuk: 5' tall anthropomorphic goshawks. In their goshawk-person form, their coloration varies depending on climate, ranging from pale to dark, with mostly brown and white feathers. They usually have a white stripe on their eyes. They have distinctive voices that they use for long-distance communication. They are extremely territorial; every family has their own region, which they guard fiercely. They draw magic from their territories and can move through them rapidly. They are often exploited by imperials and conscripted into their militaries.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Flight 11 STR 9 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 8 STH 8

[Western] Green Lizard Chakuk: 4' tall anthropomorphic lizards. They have green scaled bodies with blue-scaled throats in their lizard-person form. When younger, they might have yellow or brown scales. They have magicks that allow them to reduce their own size, slowly, over the course of hours. They regain their size when sleeping. They believe that the universe is decaying and that they can feel it. They live in small families throughout the region, keeping their strange beliefs to themselves.

PRO 8 ATH 9 STR 6 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 9

[Eurasian] Hobby Chakuk: 5' anthropomorphic falcons. In their falcon-person form, they have primarily grey feathers with a dark crown and mustache-stripes of black feathers on their faces. They have white throts, thighs, and tails. They have red feathered legs. They are powerful and magical hunters who live in nomadic bands throughout the region. Their people are widespread and oft exploited by imperials.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Flight 12 STR 8 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

[European] Hornet Chakuk: 6' tall anthropomorphic hornets. In their hornet-person form, they have reddish orange wings, brown and yellow bodies, and a c-shaped set of eyes. Their bodies are hairy, their wings translucent, and their stingers sharp. They are a warrior nation who build massive nest fortresses as their homes. They do not seek out combat, but any who fight them face formidable foes. They can sound magical alarms, cause intense pain with their stings, and are enormously strong. Imperials recruit them to their militaries, where they have reputations as bullies who steal food.

PRO 10 ATH 10 Flight 12 STR 12 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 8

Hummingbird Hawk-Moth Chakuk: 6' tall anthropomorphic moths. They are moths with a hummingbird-like appearance, and they have a lot of coloration similar to hummingbirds. They can hover like hummingbirds. They have long proboscises and bring luck to those around them. They have their own cultural rules and guidelines that they follow and gain magic from. They try to follow local mortal laws as well, but will follow their own first. Their culture focuses on these rules. They are often exploited in the imperial core.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 15 STR 9 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 7 STH 7

Humpback Whale Chakuk: 16' tall anthropomorphic humpback whales. In their whale-person form, they have the distinctive tubercles and humped back of their mundane animal counterparts. They have fins on their arms and legs, and they have a blowhole in their backs. They are beautiful singers, which they use to communicate over vast distances underwater. They are enormously strong, even for their size, and they gain magic from feats of strength. They live and near the ocean and seas, living as nomads in the waters, and they are often naval warriors recruited to any military.

PRO 9 ATH 5 Swim 12 STR 22 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 3

Little Owl Chakuk: 3' tall anthropomorphic owls. They have black, grey, brown, and white feathers that keep them camouflaged in the wilderness but less so in the cities. They have a distinctive "kiew" hoot that allows them to communicate magically with one another, and they have mild psionic powers. They live in small communities in the woods where they have small towns mingled with the forest; they are very studious and focused on education.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 11 STR 5 AWA 10 WIL 9 PRS 7 STH 9

Marginated Tortoise Chakuk: 4' tall anthropomorphic tortoises. In tortoise-person form, they have an oblong, bell-shaped shell, black with yellow markings. They are not swimmers but live in drier regions. They live in small groups, usually villages, and have a very spiritual culture. They believe that they can attune to their souls and see inwardly after much meditation, and this is a major part of their lives. They are oppressed by imperials and seen as slow and stupid.

PRO 7 ATH 6 STR 6 Shell +10 AWA 10 WIL 10 PRS 7 STH 9

Pacchero Chakuk: 2' tall anthropomorphic mantis shrimps. They have brown skin, eyespots of brown ringed in white, and spear-like appendanges in their pacchero-person form. They live in and near the seas. They live in muddy and sandy areas, scavenging for food, and working odd jobs for imperials. They are extremely oppressed, but they have a complex polytheistic faith that focuses on a deity or divine figure for every situation, and this part of their culture keeps them going.

PRO 7 ATH 8 Swim 10 STR 4 AWA 9 WIL 10 PRS 7 STH 10

[Dalmatian] Pelican Chakuk: 7' tall anthropomorphic pelicans. In pelican-person form, they have large, bright orange bills and white and grey feathers. Their legs are dark grey. They have a long cultural tradition of being traders and assessors, ones to go to to know the value of something. They have a knack for this. They also have the power to see souls once per year. Their blood, if they spill it themselves, has mild healing properties. They are oppressed in the imperial core and often used as sailors.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 10 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

[European] Polecat Chakuk: 4' tall anthropomorphic polecats. (Despite the name, they are mustelids, not felines.) In their polecat-person form, they have dark brown fur with a dark mask on their faces and white underbelly. They have a foul musk they can secrete as a defense. They have magic that allows them to be stealthy and to escape danger, and the poverty and oppression they face in imperial societies means they have used these often as means to commit crimes for survival. They are considered automatically criminal in some places.

PRO 9 ATH 10 STR 6 AWA 9 WIL 7 PRS 7 STH 10

[Arno] River Dog Chakuk: 5' tall anthropomorphic canines. They have golden brown fur and shorter snouts in their dog-person form. They are nomadic, travling long distances across the region and down the Island Bridge to other continents. They are skilled in languages and have magic that makes them fast and durant. They are oppressed and stereotyped as thieves and killers by the imperials.

PRO 9 ATH 11 Speed 12 STR 8 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 8

Snow Vole Chakuk: 3' tall anthropomorphic voles. They have light grey to white fur in their vole-person form. They have pointed little noses and long white tails. They live in the cold mountains and have magic to help them resist any aligned powers that might hurt them. They are considered pests by imperials and greatly oppressed.

PRO 8 ATH 10 STR 5 AWA 8 WIL 10 PRS 8 STH 10

Tethyshadros Chakuk: 13' tall anthropomorphic hadrosaurs. They do not have the distinctive headform of a hadrosaur, instead being more oval in shape with a distinctive domed head. They have a long back and tail that they often stoop to be parallel to the ground. They have a beak-like snout and long arms. They live in small groups that keep to themselves, living in sharply defined territories that they build great walls around. They have extremely high toughness. Culturally, they are focused on their histories and defense against imperials.

PRO 9 ATH 8 STR 15 Toughness 21 AWA 8 WIL 10 PRS 7 STH 6