Human Variations

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Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Abhumans

Abhumans make up around 10% of the world’s population. They are not reproductively isolated from mundane humans, and for the most part do not have distinct cultures or nations. They possess minor, if any, psychological differences. Their origin is unknown. Theories include engineering by the Archons before the fall of their empires, magic-driven adaption, and the fusion of minor spirits to human bodies.

The chance of inheriting abhumans traits varies depending on parentage. Humans can be divided into abhumans, carriers, and mundane/baselines. Two baselines have a zero percent chance of producing an abhuman child, of course, while two abhumans have a 100 percent chance. A baseline and a carrier have a 1 in 4 chance of producing another carrier. A baseline and an abhuman have a 1 in 4 chance of producing an abhuman, a 1 in 4 chance of producing a carrier, and a 1 in 2 chance of producing a baseline. Two carriers have a 1 in 2 chance of producing an abhuman and a 1 in 2 chance of producing a carrier.

Merrow

Merrow are aquatic abhumans whose body has natural alchemical and cosmourgic properties. They are capable of breathing underwater, and possess the ability to manipulate water to a minor degree. This is primarily used for propulsion underwater, though it is also occasionally used for defense, offense, and construction. It also functions to make them nearly immune to the risks of pressure changes underwater. They possess minor but noticeable physical divergences from mundane humans: they have slightly webbed hands, broader feet, green-tinted hair, and superior resistance to cold temperatures. Merrow tend to have lighter hair and skin tones. Merrow are also unusual among abhumans in that there is a significantly developed merrow culture/nation in the form of ocean-going drift cities. Prolonged exposure to dry climates makes merrow extremely uncomfortable, but is not otherwise dangerous. As a result, most merrow live in or near the ocean.

In society, the merrow are valued for their ability to perform tasks that would be difficult otherwise. In particular, there is virtually no market for baseline human divers, as merrow can perform the same tasks far easier and with less equipment. On the other hand, merrow have a bad reputation in some coastal areas, as they are associated with piracy and raiding. Merrow drift-cities contain millions of merrow, and still more reside in the coastal regions of all continents.

Skadi

Skadi are abhumans that have adapted to conditions of extreme cold—indeed, they are a mystery to those who study abhumans development because they are apparently overadapted. Skadi can tolerate temperature close to absolute zero with no absolutely ill-effect or discomfort directly related to the cold (the fact that the air has turned solid aside). In fact, to a limited degree they make their immediate vicinity colder (no more than a few degrees). Physically, skadi are mostly identical to the populations in which they reside. Their distinctive traits are white/silver hair and somewhat paler skin with a slightly blue tint. Skadi are sensitive to warm temperatures, similar to the merrow’s sensitivity to dry climates. Put in a climate any warmer than ‘temperate’, a skadi will be thoroughly miserable and at a drastically increased risk of heat-induced illness unless they have some way of cooling themselves.

Skadi have little distinctive role in society, as their resistance to cold temperatures has yet to provide large numbers of them with related specialized jobs. Their sensitivity to tropical climates confines them to the temperate and colder regions of the world, for the most part. In militaries they are valued for their increased ability to function as combat mages and cold weather troops. The majority of skadi reside in Arran (in independent Arran, as well as in the Althari and Tyrran controlled regions). Culturally, the skadi have not been distinct in over a thousand years. Any distinct skadi culture is a construction that encompasses only a tiny minority of the skadi population.

Shifters

Shifters are abhumans capable of limited shapeshifting and regeneration. They can reshape their bodies at will, though adding substantial amounts of mass is extremely exhausting (they can offset this to some degree by consuming large quantities of meat right before attempting a shift). Conversely, they can burn excess mass to fuel regeneration of injuries. Most limit themselves to human forms, as non-human shapeshifting is extremely painful and very energy intensive. Shifters possess no distinctive physical traits, being shapeshifters. However, they tend to be the most psychologically divergent of abhumans races, as their frequent changes in appearance and gender give them a much more mutable concept of identity. Nearly all Shifter are bisexual and transgendered to some degree (though asexuality is also quite high).

Shifters have the smallest population of any abhumans—it numbers in the low millions worldwide. While they are valued for their natural ability at espionage and infiltration, they are also widely hated and fear, both for their ability to impersonate others and because they are associated with criminals and con artists. These fears are wildly exaggerated but not unfounded—many shifters are con artists, and on a handful of occasions, shifters have been found to have killed and impersonated wealthy or famous individuals with the aid of psychonomy. The result of this is that many shifters assume a single identity and do their best to live quiet lives and not attract attention. Shifters tend to be isolated from each other, and as a result there has never been a significant shifter culture.

Ashken

Ashken are abhumans of unknown purpose, beyond the fact that they possess greater strength, endurance, and health than baselines or other kinds of abhumans. They require more energy than an ordinary human, but a weak ashken is about as strong as an above average human, and the strongest of them far exceed the durability and strength of unaugmented humans. Their immune systems are virtually impervious, and can beat off all but the nastiest of engineered diseases. Ashken stand out significantly from baseline humans: they are very tall (5’6” is almost a midget, while 7’ is above average but not uncommon), their skin tone ranges from light grey to dark grey, while their hair color has an improbable range, encompassing nearly every possible normal human hair color.

Ashken were valued at one time as slave laborers (and still are in a few places), and remain valued for occupations that require a great deal of physical strength and endurance. This history has contributed significantly to the stereotype that ashken are less intelligence than other subspecies of humanity. Ashken can frequently be found in the military, where their significantly superior strength and large size means that they often become special operations or heavy weapons experts. There is a small but noticeable ashken culture that has sprung up among communities of former slaves. The ashken population has spread out to most regions of the world.

Ratri

Ratri seem to be humans adapted to function primarily at night or underground. There has been some speculation (based on their appearance) that they are related in some way to the ashken. They are slightly smaller, faster, and more agile than baselines, and their skin is almost pure black. More distinctly, they possess natural low-light vision that functions to a degree that has yet to be replicated by starlight spells or equipment. They can see clearly even in total darkness, thanks to their eyes being very slightly luminescent (thus providing enough light for their eyes to function). For distinctive features, ratri have the aforementioned black to dark grey skin and smaller size. In addition to that, they have black-grey hair that matches the tone of their skin.

In society, Ratri can be found in occupations where small size and increased agility, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time in a benefit. Like the skadi, they have largely avoided negative stereotyping and discrimination. Ratri can be found as gunship and fastship pilots in many militaries and mercenary units. While at one point in pre-history there was a substantial subterranean ratri civilization and culture, it has been abandon and ratri have entirely integrated into the baseline population.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

My favorite are the Merrow. Man, they're like otters. Sexy otters!

You need a Skadi-Ashken crossbreed who's like an Inuit. With a minigun. ;)

Also, somehow I imagine the Ratri as a race of Nightcrawlers, like that X-Men guy. For some reason.
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Abhuman cross-breeding doesn't work. You have one set of abhuman traits or another.
Also, somehow I imagine the Ratri as a race of Nightcrawlers, like that X-Men guy. For some reason.
I suppose one of them could learn how to teleport.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Soul-forged

Soul-forged are organisms that have been permanently modified through the use of magic. This includes grafting extraneous parts onto the organism, imbuing it with arcane qualities, or reshaping it in some way. The most prominent fields of magic used in soul-forging are technomagy and bioccultics. Bioccultics is crucial for integrating any augmentations into the organism in a stable way, while technomagy is most commonly used in the construction of augmentations. Other schools of magic also see use, though in much more limited applications.

Human soul-forged are relatively small in number, accounting for less than one percent of the population (this discounts people who have undergone flesh-sculpting). There is no standard for augmentation and many soul-forged are simply people who have replaced lost limbs with prostheses rather than pay for an expensive regenerated graft-limb. The majority of soul-forged possess either grafts or sub-dermal implants of a mechanical/technomagical nature. Bioccultic soul-forging requires considerably more work to integrate properly, and as such is reserve for the wealthy and others with access to extensive resources. A very small minority of soul-forged are humans that have had their soul/consciousness transplanted into an artificial body (i.e. a golem or clockwork). Doing this safely is very difficult, and consequently very expensive.

Animal soul-forged have been widely used to some degree for centuries in nearly every field of human endeavor. Engineering a new soul-forged species is a quick path to fame and wealth, if it can be accomplished. The most common application of soul-forged animals is in agriculture, followed by military and transportation. The metaurochs is an example of an agricultural soul-forged species—it is used both as a draft animal (it can pull burdens comparable to most trucks, and is considerably lower maintenance) and as a source of food (it significantly larger than mundane cattle). Military species include the now feral drakes and the still in-use behemoth (the behemoth was created from an elephant, but has had several tentacles added and produces a pyrophoric liquid in an alchemical gland). Load-bearing flyers are still used in areas where the infrastructure is unable to support airships, and for recreation. More commonly, mundane animals have golemetric/metaclockwork grafts added to them to enhance their regular abilities.

While the use of animal soul-forged is widely accepted, human soul-forged frequently face social and sometimes legal sanction for their augmentations. This is less prevalent in more modern nations like Tyrre and Altar, but is still far from unheard of.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

Outstanding. I love how you can magick domestication to create awesome animals.

What are the restriction on soul-forging in these less developed nations? And are there military applications for these, soul-forged super soldiers with gatling guns for arms or something?

It would be awesome for them to have their forged animals, in the military, with all sorts of ridiculous names. Mk. 5 AN/WD-40 Incendiary Elephant Platform!

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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Shroom Man 777 wrote: What are the restriction on soul-forging in these less developed nations? And are there military applications for these, soul-forged super soldiers with gatling guns for arms or something?
Cost and access, largely. Soul-forging is expensive, and requires decent medical facilities to perform. Beyond that, it may simply be banned for civilians, or soul-forged may be forced to register and submit to surveillance and occupational restriction in the name of 'security'.
As far as military uses go, soul-forged troops are used in limited applications (they cost too much for general use), such as SpecOps or shock troops. The Aurian Church has a unit of soul-forged Templars, for example, who are capable of wielding over sized weaponry with ease.
It would be awesome for them to have their forged animals, in the military, with all sorts of ridiculous names. Mk. 5 AN/WD-40 Incendiary Elephant Platform!
Hey man, this is serious business! :mrgreen:
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Siege »

I like how you describe the Shifters, what strikes me is the similarity to Gypsies (although obviously no Gypsy can shapeshift... That I know of ;). Both seem to suffer from the same vicious circle: they're socially unaccepted outcasts because they're believed to be thieves and con-men, and they're con-men and thieves because they're socially unaccepted outcasts. Although of course, the Shifters have the advantage that they can pass for anyone as long as no-one discovers their true nature, which might be quite difficult to do.
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Homunculi

Homunculi are artificially designed humans. They are considered distinct from soul-forged, who are humans altered after birth. A homunculus is made from a synthetically generated embryo and undergoes significant modification before birth. Because of the synthetic and undeveloped nature of the embryo, it is much easier to use bioccultics to infuse enchantments and augmentations into the homunculus than a mundane human embryo or post-birth human. In fact, nearly all homunculi are significantly augmented in some way or another, as creating a homunculus without doing so is typically regarded as waste of money.

Homunculi are extremely expensive to create, as each is essentially hand-crafted by a team of master bioccultists. The result is that they are both low in number and limited almost entirely to the families of millionaires and billionaires who want designer children. First generation homunculi (mostly in their thirties) number only a few dozen, while the significantly cheaper second generation number a little over a thousand.

The exact abilities of homunculi vary wildly, thanks to their unique nature. They do possess certain common traits that are near-universally seen as desirable. Most prevalent are longevity (a mature homunculi will look to be somewhere between 16 and 30, and will live for several centuries), beauty (by whatever metric their culture of origin measures it), and health (a homunculi can expect to been immune to virtually all mundane diseases, and even mage-crafted illnesses will find overcoming their immune system a challenge. On top of that, most homunculi recover from injuries at a superhuman rate). These traits are fairly easy to give to homunculi, and in a few nations and sovereigns (most prominently Tyrre and the Saevenok Clan) there have been suggestions of making these augmentations universally available. Beyond these basic augmentations, homunculi will often have augmented physical attributed, enhanced senses, and more exotic things like bioccultic organs (i.e. a biovox, crucible organs, etc…).

Much like soul-forged, homunculi are despised and discriminated against in many cultures and countries. They are somewhat more protected by their scarcity preventing them from being common knowledge, and by the fact that normally the only outward sign of their augmentations is being unusually attractive. Most homunculi are employed in comparatively mundane occupations, but a disproportionate number of them work as freelance mercenaries, assassins, or spies.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

These are magically made, gene engineered designer babies then? For rich families that want to buy a perfect kid? So they basically live as normal, if artificial, people with human lives?

But this makes me wonder of homonculi rights and applications. Like any other artificial organism. Do you see corporations make their own homonculi that are treated as "property"? They could be used as living weapons, or for cheap and superhumanly strong labor, or for all sorts of designed applications if they are classified as "non-human" and as "objects". Are homonculis used in all sorts of amoral and immoral purposes as well? I imagine those Faust Cartels would have a field day with them.
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Shroom Man 777 wrote:These are magically made, gene engineered designer babies then? For rich families that want to buy a perfect kid? So they basically live as normal, if artificial, people with human lives?
The majority of them, yes. Their hobbies may be a bit more extreme (sky diving is for pussies. Real badasses do orbit diving!), but most homunculi aren't assassins trained from birth.
But this makes me wonder of homonculi rights and applications. Like any other artificial organism. Do you see corporations make their own homonculi that are treated as "property"?
There are a few governments and corporations that do so, but the cost of homunculi is such that there aren't very many like that. Right now, the number of homunculi is so small, and the number of poorly-treated homunculi even smaller, that their rights haven't really become an issue. It will probably become so when they start to become relatively common (wait for the unit price to drop another order of magnitude).
They could be used as living weapons, or for cheap and superhumanly strong labor, or for all sorts of designed applications if they are classified as "non-human" and as "objects".
Nothing about homunculi is cheap--at least, not yet. To draw a comparison to real world money, a basic homunculi would cost tens of millions of USD and would still take a normal amount of time (approx. 20 years) to really be usable. To the extent that there are slave homunculi, they tend to be saved for very special tasks, i.e. super-spies, space marines, etc... that just can't be performed by baseline humans.
Are homonculis used in all sorts of amoral and immoral purposes as well? I imagine those Faust Cartels would have a field day with them.
You could (and the Cartels have) create homunculi specifically to be used as a faust's host. Again, for now, they're mostly too expensive to see significant use in criminal enterprise.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

I see, since these homonculi seem biomagicked it's not like a conveyor belt system can be made. They're more like those hand-crafted sportscars or something.

But since these homonculi DO exist and have existed for a while, has the public made any outcry? There are those poor places, as the article mentioned, that discriminate against them? I mean, today we've already got people discussing the ethics of genetics technology when we're still a long way from commercially-available designer babies or Gattaca.

Thinking about it, yeah. With this weirdo setting, what IS the media's perception on homonculi, and other issues?

Hey, why not delving into the culture of the various societies of Arcane Steel? Sports, games, TV shows, religions, stuff. Less technical and more silly, or SRS, stuff.
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Shroom Man 777 wrote: But since these homonculi DO exist and have existed for a while, has the public made any outcry? There are those poor places, as the article mentioned, that discriminate against them? I mean, today we've already got people discussing the ethics of genetics technology when we're still a long way from commercially-available designer babies or Gattaca.
Your average person is probably a little creeped out/resentful of your average homunculi. After all, they're probably wealthier, healthier, stronger, smarter, and prettier than you--and they have superpowers. There are a number of groups that want the creation of homunculi banned and restrictions placed on existing ones--after all, they're dangerous and not really human! And there are definitely places where letting on that you're a homunculi will get the shit kicked out of you. Anti-homunculi/augmentation sentiment hasn't really caught on in technophilic places like Outremer or Tyrre, but there are quite a few "developed countries" where being an unregistered homunculi would get you arrested.
Hey, why not delving into the culture of the various societies of Arcane Steel? Sports, games, TV shows, religions, stuff. Less technical and more silly, or SRS, stuff.
I plan to at some point. I'll probably make a major religion thread and a random pop-culture thread.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

But it's kind of strange, isn't it? Unlike most minorities who get oppressed or whose presence are objected to, the homonculi, by virtue of their nature, will almost invariably belong to the wealthy and powerful - as opposed to the poorer majority masses. Usually the oppressed minorities happen to be poor and weak. The homonculi are probably neither.
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Shroom Man 777 wrote:But it's kind of strange, isn't it? Unlike most minorities who get oppressed or whose presence are objected to, the homonculi, by virtue of their nature, will almost invariably belong to the wealthy and powerful - as opposed to the poorer majority masses. Usually the oppressed minorities happen to be poor and weak. The homonculi are probably neither.
Well, if you think about, the first-gen transhumans are probably going to be the same way. They're almost certainly going to be upper-class, and they're almost certainly going to attract hate and resentment.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

But they won't get oppressed, precisely because the discriminated minority does NOT originate from the poor miserable people, but because they come from the rich and powerful. Unless, like, the normals end up overpowering the government or turning it on its head and installing short people with funny moustaches and recessive genes.
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

Oh, I'm not disputing the point that they won't be oppressed (if they are at all, it will probably be terribly ineffectual), merely pointing out that the first wave of transhumans we see in the real world will be almost entirely upper-class and probably resented/hated/envied.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Kingmaker »

What I wrote instead of studying for midsems.
Hivers

Hivers are humans that live in a symbiotic relationship with a one of a particular subspecies of arcane insects. These subspecies are usually related to some mundane group of insect species. The creation of a hiver is almost always involuntary, beginning with a colony the insect parasites infesting the host over the course of several hours. The early stages of infestation (the first two hours or so) are the only point at which the process can be reversed. Afterwards, the new hiver will have very noticeable stigmata (unhealing wounds caused by certain kinds of contact with the arcane), ranging from simple holes in the flesh to missing eyes or gaping wounds or deformities similar to parts of the parasite insect. These serve to give the colony of insects a way of entering and exiting the hiver’s body, where they will make nests. There are other physical and mental changes as well, although they vary from hiver to hiver and colony to colony. The numerical size of the colony ranges from less than a dozen for the larger varieties, to several hundred or thousand for the smallest. Hivers are capable of exerting control over colony members and utilizing their senses.

Thanks to their stigmata and the danger of spreading their condition (which is much lower than is commonly supposed), hivers tend to be social outcastes even in the most accepting of societies. Their unnatural abilities tend to draw them to groups and cultures where their skills are valued more than their appearance. This can include criminal enterprises like the Faust Cartels, military or intelligence service, or religious cults. The hiver population is small, numbering in the low millions, and is scattered across the world, with concentrations near the sunken lands and in several Aurian enclaves. The number of unique hiver variations is unknown, but a few are significantly more prominent than others.

Sarkon Wasp/Aculete: hivers of this variety are home to several hundred sarkon wasps. Aculetes tend to develop territorial tendencies, and are most prominently hostile towards other Aculetes. Most Aculetes develop barbed stingers capable of delivering an agonizing poison as well as the capacity for limited flight thanks to the alterations they undergo during the infestation process.

Assassin Fly/Triatomi: home to several dozen assassin flies, a comparatively large species of insect. Triatomi have a number of alterations, most obviously their tongue. A triatomi subsists off blood and liquefied meat ingested through an altered tongue. A mixture of paralytics and acids are injected through the tongue, keeping the target docile while the triatomi extracts the rapidly liquefying insides. Triatomi also have limited regeneration capabilities that are greatly enhanced after feeding.

Murmex/Myrmekin: thousands of murmex ants live within the heavily altered body of a myrmekin hiver. They tend to have bulges on their body where the murmex ants have built main colonies. Myrmekin have highly augmented strength, being capable of lifting about six-seven times their bodyweight. They are also somewhat telepathic (the connection is one-way unless the listener is also a telepath), and highly resistant to pain. Myrmekin have a tendency to form hiver communities.

Grave beetle/Adephage: Adephage hivers typically have less than a dozen of the omnivorous grave beetle. They tend to have chitinous growths scattered across their body randomly. Like the grave beetles they host, Adephages have minimal physical needs. They can go for hours without breathing, a week or so without drinking, and two or three months without eating if necessary (afterwards they will usually binge on whatever they’ve been abstaining from). They can also digest nearly anything that isn’t outright acidic, and are virtually immune to poison. Adephages are also notoriously durable. A few extreme examples of Adephage durability include surving and recovering from multiple gunshots to the head, and surviving an unbroken fall from a high-altitude airship.

Godfly/Theomuscan: Theomuscan hivers host a handful of godflies, who prefer to nest in the hiver’s eyeballs, making Theomuscans reliant on the godflies for flight. Theomuscans have superhuman reflexes and senses. Theomuscans can identify individuals from the feel of their footsteps, and near-360 degree vision. Like Aculetes, they have limited flight capabilities.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
-Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Human Variations

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

Very nasty, and very nice, concept. Yet, despite being inhabited by a whole lot of these critters, the Hivers retain their selves and personalities and can control these crazy arcane creatures in them? Are these weirdo arcane insects naturally occuring, or created by freaky mad bioccultics?

I'd imagiine Lysmer would have a whole bunch of corpse-maggot Hivers, with freaky-deaky dispersed egg dispensers and all sorts of toxins for the maggots to spread.
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