Shifter

One of the eldest races of the world of Ember, True Shifters are a race of humanoids that are solitary, long lived and incredibly rare. It is unusual to see a Shifter near other races, and less common that anyone can recognize such creatures as non-human. They posses the unique ability of shifting into an animal at will without the use of magic. Indeed, scholars disagree on which form is a Shifters true form, or if they have one at all. It is because of this ability that Shifters are often mislabeled as Lycanthropes, a misunderstanding that can be fatal in the Little Kingdom where such creatures are feared and reviled. Shifters usually live lives of seclusion, finding places of natural beauty that they can inhabit and protect, contemplating the mysteries of the world through the unending years of their lives.

Basic Information

Anatomy

While humanoid in nature and very closely resembling the humans of Ember, Shifters have a number of traits that can be used to tell them apart. The eyes of a shifter are unique to their race. A newborn shifter will posses irises of pure silver, and as they age their irises will develop new layers with different colors. While being the easiest way to recognize a shifter, their layered eyes are also the most reliable way to determine their age. The older a shifter, the more complex their irises are. More subtle difference in the physique of a Shifter exist, often related to their animal form. A shifter with the form of a wolf may posses unusually long canines, while a Shifter with the form of a cat may have cat-like pupils.

Growth Rate & Stages

Shifters will grow slowly for the first 30 years of their lives, reaching adolescents around the age of 16, and maturing fully at 30. Once they reach 30, they stop aging altogether, though their eyes continue to develop. Some Shifters hold that their bodies continue to age with experience, though they will never die of old age.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Shifters are incredibly seclusive, very rarely gathering in groups, even with their own kind. It is not uncommon for young Shifters to travel the world and make friends with other races, though it is rare to see a Shifter older than 500 years old partaking in such socializing. Shifter couples will usually only live together for long enough to raise a child, before parting ways to wander the wilds or return to their homes. Though incredibly rare, there are legends among the older races of Ember of ancient gathering places for the Shifters, sacred temples that hundreds of the reclusive race would gather to. Such locations may just be legends, however.

Facial characteristics

Complex, layered eyes of multiple colored irises.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Shifters will posses the abilities of their animal forms when possessing that form. They also will often choose to hunt and eat in animal form, finding it easier. Shifters also happen to be repelled by alcohol, as it burns them upon contact.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Despite their secretive personalities, Shifters find humor in giving their children names that hint at their true nature. As such, an owl shifter might be named feather, or nocturn, and so on. Shifters have little in the way of familial bonds, and have no family names. Many Shifters will choose a last name or title in their first 200 years or so.

Relationship Ideals

Relationships between Shifters usually last only so long as it takes to raise a child, before they go their own ways, returning to their homes or their lives of wandering. Relationships between Shifters and other races are rare, but not unheard of. Some believe that the origin of Lycanthrope occurred when a human and True Shifter produced a child, though such legends are only speculation.

Common Dress Code

Shifters prefer simple clothing without much adornment, though they will form sentimental bonds with things that they have had in their possession for long periods of time, be it an acorn or a diamond ring.

History

Shifters are an ancient race, one of the last native races to the world of Ember. After the breaking of the Imperium and the fall of the Dragon empires, the Shifters of Ember all but disappeared. Their past is shrouded in mystery, as few records survived the great wars and cataclysmic events that ushered in the age of awakening. Evidence suggests that Shifters had a special position within the society of the Dragon Empires, and held a certain, almost religious prestige. Draconic tombs often contained Shifter warriors buried with the same honor as the dragons themselves. Shifters have had little to do with the history of the Little Kingdom, though stories from the first years of human exitance on Ember tell of humanoids with multicolored eyes that aided them against the dangers of the newly shattered world.

Lifespan

Immortal

Average Height

Average 4"10 to 6"4, though Shifters can be much taller or much shorter.

Average Weight

Pretty much any weight

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Shifters can have any skin coloring, and will sometimes take skin tones and patterns of their animal form.