Paradoxical Species

Species derived from paradox.

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Cephalans

These nations formed later, focusing on sciences. Their insinsi traditions became less mystic, but they are still considered insinsi nations because of their shared culture and history.

• Cephalan (science)

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Gnomes

In the beginning, gnomes and dwarfs were dvergars, tricksters living deep beneath the earth. Some bonded to the stones and earth itself and became dwarfs, or earth elementals, and others took up the crafts and skills of their people and developed an almost obsessive devotion to the rules and systems they created. These became gnomes.

All gnomes have to follow a set of rules, thought those rules might not make sense. A rogue gnome is one that has lost their set of rules. To most people, including most gnomes, any gnomes is just a gnome. Their specific nation is really only relevant to them and the rules they follow.

Gnomes are universally subject to major discrimination around the world for their wild and unstable inventions, which are in part a result of the fact that they do not suffer harm from failed inventions, which pushes them to certain risks.

They once were categorized more speciically, but on Third Shem, they have become classified by the colors they prefer for their hats. Gnomes can change nations by changing their engineering specialty and their hat color (and often do). They all speak the same language, or at least, dialects thereof.

Gnome Template

Black Gnome (science) - used to be chemical gnome - chemical engineers
Blue Gnome (sound) - audio engineers
Brown Gnomes (earth) - used to be spelunker gnome - geotechnical engineers
Green Gnome (wood) - environmental engineers
Grey Gnome (metal) - mining engineers
Pink Gnome (structure) - structural engineers
Purple Gnome (creation) - used to be maker gnome - construction, mechanical, and architectural engineers
Red Gnome (systems) - used to be integral gnome - systems engineers
White Gnome (void) - used to be irritonic gnome - void engineers
Yellow Gnome (storm) - used to be circuit gnome - electrical engineers

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Lemniscates

Lemniscates are insinsi who split off from cephalans late on Second Shem. They took their subculture of the study of math so far it became a whole new national culture. Lemniscates developed new powers, features, and ways of being.

• Lemniscate (infinity) - infinite capacity for mathematics

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Manifestations

Manifestations are the beings that occur when the Law is violated.

Manifestation (contradiction)

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Mutumwa

Mutumwa

Metahumans who move with inmortal speed.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Metahumans

• Taxonomic Family: Polymorphics

• Alignment: Paradoxical

• Energy: Momentum

• Lifespan: 60-90 years

• Diet: High-carb mortal fare

• Habitat: Savanna and arid plateaus

Origins

Humans who evolved greater and greater speed, building momentum, as they dwelled in places where speed was essential to survival.

Description

Mutumwa appear to be taller than the average human with features that they can change if they build up enough energy through movement.

Procreation

Mutumwa reproduce sexually as humans do. They can reproduce with other metahumans and humans, and the offspring’s species will follow that of the mother.

Powers

Mutumwa are very fast and very athletic. Their bodies are very agile and lithe.

Momentum

Every movement a mutumwa makes sparks the momentum within them, generating more. The more they move, the faster they move, the more momentum builds up, and the more they can draw from. If they use momentum in any way, it does not build more momentum - only natural movement generates it - but it allows them to do one of three things: alter their own physical forms, move with incredible speed, or draw matter toward them.

Shapeshifting is limited to stretching, elongating, or altering their bodies to be taller, shorter, or otherwise distorted. They cannot generate new organs, heal, or alter themselves with the complexity that shapehisfters do; their shifting is a reaction to movement.

Speed is the most potent and common use of their momentum. They can use their energy to increase their speed in small amounts for small movements, or for massive bursts. The more energy used, the faster they go. The fastest a mutumwa has ever achieved is ten times the speed of sound; this killed the mutumwa in question. Usually they stop short of the speed of sound, but they go much faster than any other mortal outside of dragons or energy beings.

Drawing matter towards them is rarer, and this is done by spinning. Some say they are creating their own gravity, but this is not the case. It’s just magic. The amount of matter they can draw is equal to the amount of energy they expend.

Weaknesses

Being bound in one place will traumatize a mutumwa.

Nations

The mutumwa nations are the Kutsanya, the original nation in Taggarus, and the Doorasth, a separate nation in subcontinental Dabusen.

Culture

The Kutsanya are nomadic mutumwa in the arid, eastern regions of Taggarus. They live in large tribes made up of 30-40 families. Each family has a patriarch, called a sekuru (great-grandfather), who is part of a council that leads the tribe. The sekuru of each family is in charge of the family's herds, warriors, and other resources, determining how much is shared with whom. Warriors and lead-herders usually get the most, and then healers and nziraziva (wielders of momentum who open portals), then wagon-leaders, then the others.

Tribes mostly herd (Taggaran) buffalo and sheep. Herders are the most common role in the tribe. Every herd is protected by four or five herders, including the mutungamiri (lead-herder) plus one to three warriors (kubaya).

Warriors use assegai, mostly, and wear protective clothing made of buffalo hide. They double as hunters for the tribe, but hunting is only done in order to kill predators that have been attacking the herds. If a warrior kills a particularly dangerous predator, they are granted its skin as a reward, and they wear them as symbols of status. In order of prestige, they are cheetah, lion, hyena, wild dog, and jackal.

Every tribe has wagons equal to triple the number of families. Wagon teams are led by a vhiri musoro, or head wagoneer. For every three wagons, there is a warrior who protects them, walking alongside. There are two kinds of wagons: ones for carrying people and ones for carrying materials. The latter are large, long wagons covered in buffalo-hide tarps. The former are shorter in length, but taller, and they have special compartments for sleeping. Most of the tribe walks, but children, the infirm, elderly, and those necessary to watch over the children ride in the wagons. There are also spaces on the wagons for those who simply need to rest for part of the journey; however, the Kutsanya take pride in their ability to walk for miles and miles.

Children are taught by their elders, and their role within the family is determined when they are in their early teens. The elders will begin focusing their education on the specific role they expect of the child. If the child eventually rejects the role, they must train themselves in a new one or be outcast from the family. By the age of 22, they should have taken on their role in the tribe fully, and at this time, they undertake a ceremony of adulthood called achisimuka, or “rising”. The ceremony requires that they run ahead of the tribe for seven days, resting only when they physically cannot continue. Moments of rest are not counted toward the time running, and thus, it usually takes most people around a month to complete. Once they have run for a full seven days' worth, they are given a special drink made of buffalo milk and fermented fruit. This drink usually causes them to vomit, and that vomit is divined by the sekuru to tell the new adult their fate. If they do not vomit, this indicates a life of good fortune. There is then a feast held by their family.

When a Kutsanya dies, they are mourned for seven days, and then their body is placed on a special buffalo-hide canopy and left for an air burial. The spot where they are left is marked with seven stones, and when the tribe passes by next, they stop to honor the fallen. They do this every time they pass for seven years after death. After that, they scatter the stones (assuming no one else has). They call death akamira, or "when we are stopped."

National Cultures

The Doorasth culture exists within the complex cultures of the Vimalan region; they are a nomadic people with their own peculiar customs involving wagons, animal hides, and running, which they keep from the Kutsanya, but they are otherwise just another nation amongst the hundreds of nations there.

Esoterica

Mutumwa are beings of momentum, the energy of movement itself, and they wield it expertly. Flux, possibility, and complexity are their next most commonly wielded (vonzot is also wielded at times, but they are not enthusiastic about it). They also commonly wield tahalana, ayase, kutsegula, ethereal essence, and poioumenon. Nzwara murazvo, prasinofos, hamasat al-sahra, livadi, and kiiric yihi are sometimes wielded, and sterisis and tenyocan are appreciated. B’qar, fuinneamh, and menab’e are also respected among them.

Religion

The Kutsanya worship Mufambi Shamwari, a wandering god who is part of many, many stories. Mufambi Shamwari takes many forms in the stories, always something fast, especially a cheetah or gazelle. They are always "they," for they are considered to be many in one. They are partly a trickster, partly an ancestral guide, and partly a warrior leader. They provide wisdom through practical lessons, and they often send messages in the form of birds (and they never take the form of a bird themself). They also never take the form of a Kutsanya, though they are considered one of the Kutsanya ancestors. It is said the first Kutsanya sprang from their blood and tears.

Each tribe has a vatumwa, or messenger, who is the spiritual leader of the tribe. The vatumwa gives up their family in order to be part of all families in the tribe. They lose their gender, they lose their rank, and they become equal to all members of the tribe, interpreter of messages from the birds, and adviser to the sekuru. They lead the seven ceremonies honoring Mufambi Shamwari, all of which are special races.

A vatumwa carries a staff adorned with feathers from many different birds. This staff is passed from vatumwa to vatumwa, gaining more and more feathers as time goes on, losing some occasionally. The staff allows the vatumwa to fly when necessary, though this is used only in the most sacred races or during times of war.

Gender

Kutsanya do not equate biology with gender. Gender roles are fluid and have more to do with social interactions than work. Work is determined by what one can do. Social interactions are determined by gender and status. Men are considered superior to women, who are superior to other genders, but since gender is fluid, people's positions change. Status trumps gender as well; a female sekuru outranks a male warrior. A nonbinary lion-warrior outranks a female hyena-warrior, but a female hyena-warrior is equal to a male wild dog-warrior. The complex web of rank determined by status and gender is understood culturally by the Kutsanya, but outsiders often become confused by it.

There is no such thing as marriage among the Kutsanya. Instead, they have tichifamba pamwe chete, or "walking together." This is understood to be temporary; those who remain walking together for the rest of their lives are rare and considered odd. While two people are walking together, they are considered part of both families. Their children are only part of the family of the birthing parent, however. Children are raised by their families, which include all generations, and by the non-birthing parent (if known). When the walking together ends, however, the non-birthing parent has no say or rights to the child. They may still maintain a positive relationship with them, but they will not be considered family at that time.

Economy

The Kutsanya have a basic tribal slave-based economy that is newly not matriarchal.

Military

Every tribe has their own warrior-hunters who are among the fastest warriors in the world, but they have no wider organized military.

Language

Their language is based on the Shona language.

Trade

The Kutsanya trade with other nearby nations when they travel.

Occupations

• Sekuru: patriarch

• Kubaya: warrior

• Nziraziva: wayfinder

• Mutungamiri: lead-herder

• Murapi: healer

• Vhiri Musoro: head wagoneer

• Vatumwa: religious messenger

Outside View

The Kutsanya are usually assumed to be the only nation of mutumwa, though this is untrue. Regardless, they are seen by those who know them as strange nomads with odd customs. They are looked down upon often, with the common stereotype being that they are always running from something, thus they are cowards. If they join other cultures or societies, they are usually an oppressed nation, discriminated against heavily and considered uncivilized or uncouth. They are often exploited as slaves or workers where swiftness or endurance is a benefit, including as athletes. They find the latter especially offensive, as running competitions are part of their religion, not entertainment.

Notables

• Kumhanya, Mutumwa Manifest, Aeonian

Estimated Populations

• Doorasth: 222,222

• Kutsanya: 333,333

• Other: 222,222

Sample Stats

PRO 9
ATH 14
STR 8
AWA 9
WIL 8
PRS 7
STH 9

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Shapeshifters

Shapechanging metahumans with no animal connection, parasitic behavior, or movement-based changes. These are more recent nations, as their shapechanging traditions are less connected to some kind of totem, ancestral figure, or curse. They simply are nations whose use of flux became a rote thing, a kind of passtime, and their bodies and physical or metaphysical identities became less static.

• Nameshifter (truth) - used to be Namer; this nation is rare and powerful
• Shapeshifter (change) - body shifter
• Soulshaper (soul) - soul shifter