Metahumans

Species that appear mostly human but have special powers.

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Andlit

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Fey
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare, though some variations may occur
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Polymorphic metahumans who change form as their character changes. Any change in stats, skills, powers, or motivations will alter their bodily form.

Most start out looking like their parents, but they very quickly begin to develop new features. Their features can range from hair or skin color, height, weight, number of limbs, extra eyes, to gaining features not common to humans such as wings, antennae, horns or antlers, hooves, claws, and so on. Others gain truly uncommon features, such as bone ridges, new organs, new layers of flesh, new kinds of bodily fluids, completely new formats or shapes to the body, and so on.

Andlits have no control over how their forms shift - there is no one-to-one correlation between character and form changes. They are never deleterious, however, and sometimes, they do reflect the character changes. Changes take effect sporadically as their character develops (mechanically, when the character sheet is updated or after eight hours of sleep, depending on when the GM and player can get to it).

Most andlits gain special powers as they grow due to gaining new sensory organs or other bodily features. Some common ones include the following:

• Sense fey energies (antennae)
• Sense emotions (heart changes)
• View fate (third eye)
• View dreams (third eye)
• Understand languages (third ear)
• Acidic spit (second stomach or new saliva glands)
• Mist breath (extra lung)
• Fairy light flesh
• Faeriefire hair
• Lucky finger
• Double voice (second larynx)

Other powers are possible. Consult with the GM. Not all bodily changes bring new powers - these happen about once every 10 changes or with a major change. Bonuses from magical objects do not count as a change to a stat or skill.

The most prominent nation of andlits were nomadic tribes in the west. They revered their witches, called voelva, as great leaders, and sought to live lives that upheld certain values. They were warriors, mystics, and farmers. Those who come to Endruin come for many reasons, but mostly as immigrants seeking different lives and opportunities away from that culture. They might keep certain rituals, cuisine, music, or stories, but they generally try to hide these or keep to themselves, maybe keeping to their families.

In Endruin, andlits are not specifically discriminated against, but they are generally discriminated against as immigrants. Some are more able to assimilate than others, if their forms remain more like a basic human.

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

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Caligian

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Energy
• Habitat: Underground or mountains
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class

Caligians are metahumans with shadows that move independently. They appear to be human with bright orange skin and golden hair. Their shadows do not react to light, but instead react to nearby souls. A strong soul will make the shadow shrink, a weak or new one will make it expand.

Caligians themselves have no powers or personalities. They are simply vessels for their shadows, which puppet them in order to blend in (often unsuccessfully, since their appearance is not common even among other metahumans).

Their shadows have three abilities: sense souls (AWA), consume souls (WIL), and entrap souls (STR). They do all of these by touching the vessel in which the soul resides (usually a body) via either their shadowy form or the body they puppet. They more souls they devour, the more power they gain.

They have a special means of communication when speaking to other shadows.

They do not need to eat souls to survive. Their bodies need the same kind of food humans eat, and their shadow selves do not need to eat anything so long as the body lives.

Caligians are believed to have begun as the shadows of demons who were somehow released and became their own species. They attached to various humans or metahumans to survive, and thus their new species began. Their nation is a small one that has never had a country of its own; instead, they live throughout eastern Ansulym amongst the empires there. Their culture is entirely fake, developed as a mimic of the cultures around them, and thus, they differ greatly depending on where they are at.

In Endruin, they enjoy power and prestige as a ruling class nation. Most of them are nobility or business owners, and all of them own slaves, which they use for souls. They are cruel, haughty, and generally emotionless. They often involve themselves in schemes for power within the political structues of the empire.

If a player chooses to be a caligian, they must be one who has fallen from their privilege to become a criminal.

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

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Dhanu

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Unaligned
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Dhanu are empathic metahumans who form deep magical bonds via social connections with others. They appear to be human except that they have irises of different colors than white.

Every dhanu has empathic senses - if they are within 20' of someone, they can know what they are feeling, though the more people within that range, the harder it is to understand individual feelings. They can dampen this sense by putting their hands over their heart.

If a dhanu forms a social connection with someone, they form a magical bond with them that allows them sense them at a greater range, to send them emotional messages, and/or to influence their feelings. The deeper the connection, the more they can do with their bond, and the further they can use it. Not all bonds are positive. Some examples include the following:

• Acquaintance: someone they know the name of and have talked to before; a very weak connection that they can barely use.
• Friend: friendships vary in strength based on closeness or intimacy, but most allow for fairly potent range and influence. Close friends are some of the most potent connections they can form.
• Lover: lovers can also vary in strength based on closeness or intimacy, but any long-term partner will bring extremely strong connections and great range.
• Parent/Child: the parental bond forms instantly upon birth; parents can sense their children anywhere in the world if they care for them and vice versa. Neglectful parents can sever their bonds, which can be very traumatic for their children. Abusive parents form a negative bond that only goes one way.
• Coworker/Comrade/Fellow student: people who work together on something often form a moderate bond.
• Mentor: a mentor can form a strong bond that is less than a loving parent but more than a coworker or sometimes more than friends.
• Boss: someone who exploits or controls a dhanu in a business setting may form a bond with a dhanu that allows the dhanu to defend themself - such as knowing when they are approaching or need to work harder, etc.
• Owner: if a dhanu is owned as a slave, their bond with their owner can become a defensive one.
• Enemy: if a dhanu has an enemy, their bond can become a defensive one.
• Victim: if a dhanu abuses or attacks someone, they form a bond equal to their harm they have done or the emotional content of their attack or the victim's feelings on the matter that can either be a warning system for the victim or something that allows the dhanu to seek their target.

Dhanu come from a southern continent originally, and their culture was one of communal support and complex connections. Their social structure was designed to empower each individual in different ways, forming a community that had reasonable boundaries but also special strength from their magical bonds.

Those who come to Endruin mostly come as slaves or desperate immigrants. Those who are free live in poverty, facing discrimination as "ungrateful" and "creepy". They work mostly as servants or in factory jobs, and they try to maintain some semblance of the cuisine, music, and traditions of their homeland if they can.

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

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Dongxue

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Unaligned
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Subterranean fare
• Habitat: Underground
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed or oppressed

Dòngxué are human-like beings with skin like smooth, flexible stone, in all the colors of stone possible. Their eyes are deep brown orbs with no iris or pupils. They are hairless.

Dòngxué are stronger than they appear. They are also able to endure for longer than average doing hard labor. They are resistant to extreme cold or heat. The skin of a dòngxué is as tough as the stone it resembles, but it remains flexible.

Every dòngxué who reaches maturity has the ability to smell menab'e and metal ore. Dòngxué have the ability to know their location in caves and tunnels through heightened awareness. They can see in the lowest light, and they have excellent hearing.

Dòngxué can breathe in stone dust. They have special sections in their lungs to hold it, and as they rest, they breathe it out in a fine mist. If they choose, while awake, they can breathe it out and cause organic matter to petrify.

The original dòngxué escaped war and strife by fleeing underground, and there they formed ad hoc societies that developed over generations into two major nations of subterranean humans. These first explorers of the wilderness of the subterra lived in desperate groups just trying to survive, but after they settled, they developed into tribes. Slowly but surely they built a complex society of circular stone temples with great spires in the middle, cities built along rivers and lakes, and beautiful tunnel-complexes. They are called the Hǎorén.

Hǎorén wear little clothing, preferring loincloths and little else. They engage in body-piercing, especially the ears, nose, lips, arms, legs, sides, backs, and even necks. Most piercings are ornamental, but a handful have special meaning: a neck-piercing along the left side is received when one comes of age, a piercing of the lower back is given as a reward for excellence and bravery in combat, a piercing of the septum is done when one has their first child, a piercing of the upper part of the right ear is done as a wedding gift. Different metals and jewels are used. None of these represent status, but rather, personal style. Some choose to ornament themselves only with one kind of jewel or metal, or with specific designs, or with special combinations of color and size, and so on. Often they have personal meaning.

They often wear very little clothing and engage in many body piercings. Music is very popular among the Hǎorén, and they prefer to play in the tunnels to incorporate echoes into their songs. Every year, communities near to each other gather for special performances to mark the turning of the year and remembrance of their times above. (They mark time based on the surface-calendars using a counting system.) They also engage in numerous sports, mostly revolving around endurance, strength, and precision.

Some among them sought a different way. These were the the Lǎobǎnrén. They were more war-like at first, but quickly, they discovered the magical forms of exploitation, which converted the energies within them into something that gave them power more quickly. They began to enslave and exploit weaker or less resourceful dòngxué and mortals of other species, including the living metal beings from lower layers and more. They began using others to work their mines, gather their food, fight in their armies, all while they reaped the benefits. Their nation, though small, gained enormous esoteric power and wealth, which they used to entice others to serve them.

Lǎobǎnrén have few customs they have not appropriated from those they exploit. They live in lavish buildings with gilded splendor, engage only in sports and games that bring them prestige among their peers (this changes with the fashions of the times), and eat vast feasts on a regular basis. Their food is always the rarest and most expensive; it is always about what they must spend on it, not the actual taste or nutritional value.

Lǎobǎnrén rule an empire below ground that is allied with Endruin. They are the elite ruling nation, but other species and beings live there as subjects, including the living iron peoples. It is a massive feudal empire with a powerful landlord class, massive armies, and violent patriarchal customs.

Those who come to Endruin are either Hǎorén, who are enslaved or low-ranking laborers, or Lǎobǎnrén, who come and live in luxury.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 10 Toughness 12 AWA 8 Underground senses 9 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 8

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Ender

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Normal mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class

Enders appear to be human in every respect, save for their eyes, which are solid white or red with no iris or pupil. They can still see, however. All enders have seminal genitalia and are almost always male-assigned at birth. Culturally, they favor visible muscles and close cropped hair. Intersex enders are possible, but usually killed.

Enders can turn fear resonance into strength bonuses during times of heightened adrenaline. They are generally resistant (but not immune) to disease and poison.

Enders have a sadistic form of empathy that allows them to feel the emotions of others and take physical pleasure in emotions indicating distress (fear, sorrow, and pain especially). Intense fear, sorrow, or pain encourages healing in the ender if they are injured or ill.

Enders can cause wounds with the touch of their hands. They can do this through a thin layer of cloth, but direct skin contact is best. Anything more than a thin layer of mundane cloth will impede their attach. The wounding is nearly instantaneous, but the longer they hold it, the larger the wound will be. The scale is as follows, based on wounding in a non-critical area (neck wounds are almost always mortal, for instance):

• Instant - flesh wound
• 1 turn - normal wound, 3 inches
• 2 turns - normal wound, 6 inches
• 3 turns - special wound, 9 inches
• 4 turns - special wound, 1 foot
• 5 turns - mortal wound, 18 inches
• 6 turns - mortal wound, 2 feet

This is the measure of the length of the wound. This can be adjusted for width or depth by halving the size (for width) or sixthing it (for depth).

Their wounding power can affect flesh, muscle, organs, but not bone. Shells, wood, and other hard biological substances are similar to bone, but softer tissues and substances can be wounded on plants, fungi, etc.

Many enders study different wounding techniques that allow them to more quickly perform certain attacks. The most horrifying is called zdyrannya ("flaying"), in which they make three long wounds and are able to remove most of the skin from a human(ish) body.

The wounds caused by an ender leave a white mark on those who survive and heal from them. These marks are only skindeep and are similar to scars, but they are oily to the touch (though they cannot be washed away with mundane substances). This tainted skin allows any ender to instantly recognize those with the taint, giving the ender insight into the person bearing it. This translates into a bonus to Read People stat above the sadistic empathy. It also tells the ender when and who wounded the individual. If the wound is special or mortal, the taint will poison the victim (power 13+); if the person recovers, they will have permanent weakness in the part of their body where the taint is.

The original culture of enders is a fascistic one to the west. They rule a powerful empire. Those who come to Endruin do so either as political exiles, seeking business opportunities, as mercenaries, or for some other opportunity.

Enders culturally hate women, and thus, they do not like the dreorcwenns ruling Endruin. However, those who come to Endruin often put up with it quietly because they came for wealth or power, and thus, they try to hide their prejudices.

They hold onto their original culture, a militaristic one of propaganda, martial music, nationalistic art, and fascistic philosophies.

If a player chooses to be an ender, they would need to be one who rejected their culture and past to become a criminal.

PRO 12 ATH 9 STR 13 AWA 9 Empathy 14 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

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Ispilu

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Ispilu have the same range of appearance as humans do, but they always come in pairs of twins whose appearances complement one another. While height and frame will be roughly the same (though one might eat more or have an accident that leaves their bodies altered), eye color, hair color, and skin color will always differ. They will be otherwise identical. Habits, especially in appearance, might also be complementary. For instance, one might wear their hair long while the other keeps it short, or one might be more athletic than the other. On rare occasion, instead of being born as twins, they are born as one intersex individual.

Ispilu have the ability to trade places with their twin every three years, magically swapping via teleportation.

Each pair of ispilu has an emotional bond such that they know what the other is feeling at almost all times if they are closer than 2,000 miles apart. They can always understand one another, even if both don't speak the same language (which is very rare). They can also act in concerted effort, moving as one or in complementary fashion. Ispilu warriors often use this in combat, but any ispilu pair can do this in any circumstances, whether taking a test, washing the dishes, or casting a spell. As long as it is an action and not a mere thought or feeling or biological process, they can act together. Metaphysically, they share a True Name but not souls.

Ispilu across central Ansulym are members of the Gysylltiad, a nation enslaved mostly in kingdoms to the west, but also in Endruin. In order to survive, they have turned to wielding generational bonds to preserve memory in spite of their enslavement and oppression. As such, each generation of the Gysylltiad bears ancestral memories of the previous generation in their line, which leads them to be powerful in their resistance to their oppression.

Ispilu are greatly demonized by powerful countries. Prejudices and stereotyping of twins in general are rooted in hatred of ispilu. They are accused of mind-reading, identity stealing, and terrorism.

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

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Macpion

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Macpions are metahumans who appear to be human except for the sapphire glow coming from their hearts.

Macpions are empathic; they can sense the emotions of anyone within 20' of them, though crowds make this harder. If they are feeling passionate about something or someone within 20' of them is, their hearts glow with sapphire blue light, and they gain special abilities:

• Hyperfocus: they can themselves hyperfocus on their passion or offer hyperfocus to someone within 20'.
• Improve skill: they can improve the relevant skill in a target to the passion the other is feeling if they touch them.
• Redirect: they can redirect their own passion to help someone else's, giving them temporary skill in relevant skills.

There are many nations of macpions around the world, but the largest and original is from the west. In their home nation, these macpions live in a communities focused on allowing them to pursue their interests and passions. They have a communal culture that allows them to share all basic needs, but they take turns doing the important labor of coordination and meeting those basic needs, including community cooking, caretaking, medicine, building, cleaning, farming, and maintenance. They try to keep this rotation steady and fair, meaning everyone has at least four days for every seven to focus on their passions.

Their culture therefore produces much art, science, technology, and crafts that are very deeply personalized, but shared communally. This leads to a greater understanding of one another, which in turns allow them to be more supportive and connected.

Those macpions who end up in Endruin are usually taken there as slaves. They are forced to serve the powerful with their abilities, which often breaks them emotionally and mentally. Those few who live there as free people are usually severely traumatized.

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

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Nitotem

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Nitotems are indistinguishable from humans.

Nitotems are empathic, but their range is smaller than most empathic species - only 5' radius. However, they gain greater range if they are near to anyone they trust - these people they can sense within 40'.

If they form a deep trust with someone, they may link hands and form a magical bond that allows them to sense each other at any distance. The deeper the trust, the deeper the bond, the more power they can share. Those they trust implicitly and completely they can empower in any creative endeavor or social experience. In the most potent bonds (often between family members or lovers), they can take physical damage for one another. If their trust is betrayed, the bond is broken, and they suffer physical harm.

Because they can sense emotions, their trust is influenced by what they sense in others. They cannot form a perfect bond with someone they just met, even if it is justified. They can form a bond after two interactions or four hours of engagement, assuming trust is established, and after that, they must maintain trust for either 25 interactions or 100 hours of engagement to be able to achieve a perfect bond. That bond is still only possible if the feeling is actually there.

Nitotems live in small communities in the far west. In these communities, they use their deep bonds to protect and care for one another, know each other's needs, and support one another. These matriarchal, egalitarian communities are often under attack by those who wish to steal their land, resources, or people, and they have learned to create complex defenses.

Those that end up in Endruin are usually there as slaves. They mostly do basic labor and service work, and they are usually deeply traumatized by their experiences.

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

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Pesperian

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Fey
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Pesperians are humans with purple or blue hair and skin that changes hues over the course of their life, ranging through the entire color spectrum, ending in deep purple at their oldest. Their average height is 5' instead of 6.

Pesperians can sense the winds of fortune. They know which way they are blowing, and thus, they know when to take risks. They are affected by shifts in fortune, and they can grant shifts in fortune to others with a wink.

The winds of fortunes blow in these directions:

• Critically bad fortune - GM simply narrates failures on all rolls
• Exceptionally bad fortune - low die-3
• Specially bad fortune - take low die
• Normally bad fortune - -1 to all rolls
• Neutral - take middle die
• Normally good fortune - +1 to all rolls
• Specially good fortune - take high die
• Exceptionally good fortune - high die+3
• Critically good fortune - player simply narrates successes on all rolls

Fortunes shift on various dice rolls:

• 111: critically bad fortune
• 123: reverse fortune down one level
• 222: specially bad fortune
• 234: opposite fortune
• 235: roll d12s instead of d10s
• 248: reverse fortune down two levels
• 333: normal good fortune
• 345: improve fortune up four levels
• 357: roll d20s instead of d10s
• 369: improve fortune up two levels
• 444: normal bad fortune
• 456: expand neutrality (add two more die to rolls)
• 468: roll d8s instead of d10s
• 555: reset to neutral
• 567: reverse fortune down four levels
• 666: improve fortune up one level
• 678: reverse fortune down three levels
• 680: roll d6s instead of d10s
• 777: critcally good fortune
• 789: improve fortune up three levels
• 888: exceptionally bad fortune
• 890: expand randomness (only roll one d10 on rolls)
• 999: specially good fortune
• 000: exceptionally good fortune

The wink of a pesperian shifts fortune based on the pesperian's fortune. Their fortune is determined by the winds blowing around them (or supernatural effects from others). If their fortune is bad, they cannot wink and give someone good fortune. If their fortune is good, how much they can give is determined by the level of fortune (improve by 1 level - normal luck, improve by 2 - special luck, improve by 3 - exceptional luck, improve by 4 - critical luck).

Pesperians live on sky islands and engage in games of incredible risk. Their culture is one of adventure and stories, which they share regularly, of games of chance, of strange sports, and of many, many forms of flight.

Their obsession with risk means they have a very odd society. Those with the best luck are the default leaders, and they follow the decisions of these people no matter what.

Pesperians make terrible slaves unless their luck is bad, which is the status of most pesperians who end up as slaves. Those who end up free in Endruin sometimes stay because the winds of fortune pointed them that way.

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

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Specularo

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Cloud islands
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class

Speculari are physically indistinguishable from humans.

Speculari can thrive at low temperatures and low air pressures (but not with no air pressure or no air). They have an inherent aura that reduces the impact of strong winds, and when there are many speculari together, winds completely die down around them. They can control the emotions of those who are caught in their gaze.

Speculari can walk on clouds if they are at least 500 feet above the ground or the sea. They cannot walk on mist or fog. They can, at will, lower themselves into the clouds while walking forward (this often looks like they are descending stairs), exploring inside them, but they must leave the clouds after a few minutes and stand atop them.

Speculari can bond with others via emotional resonance. If they cause an emotion in another, this allows them to access that person's soul, which they can then bond with. If the person is willing, speculari can have a bond that is mutually beneficial. This happens often in friendships. If the person is not willing, the specularo can force it and control the person. This happens often with the enslaved and in marriages.

Speculari began as a colony of beings whose power allowed them to walk on clouds. Any child born without the ability to walk on clouds was first returned to the solid world, but soon superstitions arose that demanded the children be cast into the winds and killed as a sacrifice. In order to enforce this custom, men in the colony seized control. This began their evolution into a slaving empire and into the speculari.

Their empire in the sky is ruled by families from the original colony who call themselves the patricians. They are a heavily patriarchal slaving class who rigidly control the female-assigned members of their class, quash any gender or sexual variation, and treat those of other nations as inferiors. They use slaves to breed with, but claim to be "pure." Slave-trading is the primary source of their wealth, and they use chattel enslavement. There is a powerful mechant class who facilitate the slave trade. These are mostly men, but some women(-assigned) people engage in it as well. There is often conflict between these two classes as they struggle for control.

The underclasses are split between free folk, who are very few, who do tasks not trusted to the enslaved. The enslaved do most of the work, however. Very rarely, an enslaved person can achieve freedom by service or self-purchase. These become free folk, but are forbidden to leave the empire. Subject nations within the empire are always enslaved, save for some members of the former ruling class, who are allowed to be free folk in exchange for betraying their people.

Rarely, some speculari reject their national culture and escape to the rest of the world. These speculari often hide what they really are and try to assimilate into other cultures.

Those who come to Endruin usually come as slave traders, and therefore, they live in wealth and luxury, where they recreate their home culture.

If a player chooses to be a specularo, they must be one who has lost their privilege and power to end up a criminal.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 7 Toughness 4 AWA 8 WIL 9 PRS 7 STH 8

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Tanagata

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Tangatas are empathic metahumans from the distant south who are empowered by compassion. They are indistinguishable from humans.

Tangatas can sense the emotions of others within 20' of themselves, though this can be difficult to distinguish clearly when there are crowds.

If anyone within that range is experiencing compassion (feeling, giving, or receiving), the tangata will feel the same compassion, though at a greater intensity. If they then assist those engaged in compassion, the feeling within them can be transmuted into usable energy.

This energy can be used to help others with no loss, or to help the tangata at a rate of a third of the points. Things they can do with the energy include the following:

• Strength of heart: the emotional energy is converted into physical strength
• Aura of compassion: the compassion becomes a visible aura that makes others see it, feel it, and like the bearer of the aura
• Emotional shielding: the energy becomes a shell that protects from any emotional magic or infernal power
• Warmth of heart: comfort, soothing, and warmth fills the target
• Soul embedding: the energy marks the soul of the target, giving them a permanent new power
• Increase empathy: any empathic senses gain a temporary or permanent bonus, depending on how much energy is used

Other powers may be possible. Consult with GM.

Tangatas live on small islands in the vast ocean. They have a culture of mutual support and care, egalitarian social structures, and foraging and farming. In general, they are vegetarian, though this is not biologically or magically necessary. Those who leave their secluded nation often end up adapting rapidly to other cultures because of their powers, though they tend to remain amongst the oppressed or exploited classes.

Those in Endruin are mostly there as slaves, and many of them remain even if they are freed because of a desire to help others. Though their powers do not necessitate it, they make a generous and principled personality more likely.

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

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Venomir

• Taxonomic Order: Insubstantiate / Metahuman / Construct
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 10 years (metahuman) / 160 years (insubstantiate)
• Diet: Health
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class / oppressed

Venomirs are people infected a sentient disease called the contagion. They experience an intense version of the disease the individual contagion represents. If they die, their body becomes a vessel for the contagion, gaining an eerie green tinge to their flesh. If the disease they died of caused disfiguration, that disfiguration remains, but they otherwise appear healthy.

Each contagion represents a different disease. Disease can be a bacterial infection, a viral infection, or some other physical malady that afflicts mortals, but it has to be understood as a disease. It cannot be a symptom - fever, headache, etc. - nor is it a mental illness like depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder. But cancer, HIV, flu, tuberculosis, COVID, syphilis, and so on are all possible.

Each individual contagion represents a specific disease, but they do not infect people in the same manner as the disease they represent. Instead, they operate as a miasma, a disease elemental that is airborne and can infect a mortal via any form of contact. They succeed in infection based on fighting different aspects of a mortal’s Name, depending on the contagion’s type. There are four types of contagion:

• Vile-crawler: a contagion that floats close to the ground and infects people through an assault on their physical form (they roll their power vs. STR).
• Vile-diver: a contagion that floats high up in the sky and dives at mortals, infecting people through an assault on their metaphysical form (they roll their power vs. WIL+STR).
• Vile-flier: a contagion that floats around head-height to most mortals and infects people through an assault on their mental form (they roll their power vs. WIL).
• Vile-spinner: a contagion that floats around chest-height to most mortals and infects people through an assault on their emotional form (they roll their power vs. PRS).

The contagion will then subject their target to the disease they represent at an amplified level, continually fighting the stat they challenge, until the target has failed exceptionally six times, specially 12 times, or normally 24 times. They re-roll every day. If the reverse is true (if the target succeeds at the same rate), the contagion is weakened and expelled.

A mortal who dies by the contagion becomes a vessel for the contagion in a physical form. The body of that mortal becomes their body and their invisible form takes the place of the soul. These infected beings are often called “venomirs”. Their touch infuses any targeted living thing with a powerful toxin (always roll vs. STR), but the contagion themself does not get transferred unless they intend to. If they transfer themself over (fully infecting the target, roll vs. the stats of their type), their previous vessel becomes an empty corpse and begins to rot.

All contagion prefer not to be known by other mortals. If they take a body, they pretend to be a being of that species who has suffered an illness and lost most of their powers. They will sometimes use the names of the mortal whose body they have taken, and sometimes, they will take a new name at random, based on their skewed perception of mortal society. Their own names are always in reference to the disease they represent, but in their own language.

The original nation of the contagion is the Envish in Fennvell. Unlike their cousins in Vendale, they prefer to remain invisible. They take bodies, then release them on death. They are more interested in studying esoteric arts, creating new diseases, and plotting to spread disease for the sake of spawning new contagions. The people of Fennvell who are not infected and not contagions have a twisted view of disease, believing that being sick is a sign of weakness and surviving illness is a sign of strength. Those who come close to death in illness but recover are seen as sages, prophets, and mystics. Those who survive disease easily are considered warriors.

Fennvell is ruled by a council of the contagion who gather invisibly and consider how they will influence the other mortals who believe they are the rulers of the country. The ostensible rulers are kings and queens of a feudal society. The contagion manipulate and control them, encouraging them in both external and internal warfare, horrific health practices, and general misinformation to keep the population seriously ill but still producing new victims. They view the non-contagion mortals in Fennvell as a form of very clever livestock.

If not for the fact that the contagion are constantly struggling with one another for more “livestock”, they would have conquered the world. Instead, they war with one another.

The contagion of Vendale prefer to infect mortals and use their bodies, and thus, the ruling class of Vendale is made up of venomirs. Their culture is a machiavellian nightmare of backstabbing, political machinations, evil schemes, and treacherous plots.

Vendalian contagions run a brutal society that is a mixture of feudal power and early capitalist power. Their rural regions are very feudal, and their cities are run by powerful guilds and quasi-capitalist enterprises. Both vie for complete control via two political entities: the crown and the sceptre. The crown is the king and their court, and the sceptre is the high guildmaster who runs the council of guildmasters. The former is hereditary, the latter is bought.

The contagion keep up a constant ruse of “families” within their society, but they have no concept of being related to one another. They define “family” as a group of contagion with a preference for the same kinds of bodies. They maintain a set of mortal bodies to use by breeding these mortals, and thus, the outside world thinks the Vendalian aristocracy is made up of families of a handful of different incestuous species with a weakness to certain illnesses. As contagions don’t really recognize relationships between each other, a contagion may switch families by taking on a new body and proving their loyalty to the family by some task set by the family.

Amongst the guilds, there is a preference for bodies that make them good at the various crafts they represent or the roles they take within the guild, which makes Vendalian guilds very confusing to outsiders. It seems that deaths happen often and new people take up roles, and that names are based on roles and refer to diseases.

In Endruin, they hide the fact that they are the contagion, existing as venomirs with wealth and power, living among the elite but spreading their diseases among the enslaved and oppressed.

PRO 9 ATH 11 STR 6 AWA 11 WIL 14 PRS 10 STH 9

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Ysian

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Underwater mortal fare
• Habitat: Underwater
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Ysians are hominids with bluish skin, silver eyes, retractable webbing on their feet and hands, gill slits on their necks, and hair of many different colors. They can alter their own forms considerably.

Ysians are constantly changing. Their abilities are directly related to their self-perception and esteem. All ysians have the power to glamour while underwater, and if they like their glamour, they can make it permanent. They gain new powers as their self-esteem and self-perception change, but they always derive from the flow of energies, reflections, and emotions.

Some potential powers include the following:

• Reflect self: reverse themselves physically and mentally so that their stats switch (ATH and STR with AWA and WIL).
• Flowing dance: move with the energies around them to redirect them.
• Heart mosaic: their emotions become palpable light around them.

Consult with the GM for other powers.

They can breathe on land, but they prefer to live in saltwater. They are slower on land.

Ysians live under the sea in a great city-state. They have a democratic government led by an elected council, and their economy is led by the people. Their customs revolve around a reverence for self-actualization, and they provide as many resources within their society to people to make that possible, including free and varied education, access to food and healthcare, and adequate housing.

Their city is lined with mirrors. The exteriors of many buildings are mirrored, and those that aren't are covered in murals. The streets are mosaics, and art is everywhere. They have a magical bubble over their main city that protects it from attack, and they have a force that volunteers to support it.

Most who end up in Endruin are taken as slaves. Those few who are freed strive to return home more so than many other species, but most are stuck in Endruin due to economic circumstances.

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

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Zasagina

• Taxonomic Order: Metahuman
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Zasaginas are humans with jewels in their chests, just above their hearts. These blue jewels shine with emotion when the zasagina has a full heart.

Zasaginas are empathic. When they sense positive emotions or negative emotions fueled by something good (i.e., grief fueled by love, righteous anger, etc.), they are stronger and faster and more aware. When they sense negative emotions or positive emotions fueled by something bad (i.e., pleasure formed by exploitation), they grow weaker.

A full heart is defined by a heart empowered by nine different positive emotions at once (felt by people other than the zasagina). In this state, the zasagina can provide magical protections, empowerment to base stats, empathic senses, and celestial light to those who are fueling their power.

Zasaginas are from a country in the west where their nation is also oppressed. They fight for their independence there, but it has been a long struggle. They have an ancient culture of deep faith in each other, music and dance, forming strange statues, and holidays based around emotions.

Those in Endruin are usually there as slaves or descendants of slaves. They are usually very traumatized, but they are also defiant and often join resistance movements.

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