Welcome to Hybridis

The Basics

Hybridis has no central overarching narrative that you must follow. However, if you want a narrative thread that covers most of the world, the appearance of the dragons can serve that role. These immortal shapeshifters were born from falling stars, and the world hasn't been the same ever since. In terms of mortals, there are five races that call Hybridis home, all of them can interbreed with each other and the dragons.

1. Humans, who should need no explanation.
2. The Lizal, a lizard like race.
3. Talpmans, a race with claws and instincts meant for digging.
4. The Cephal, a cephalopod like race.
5. Orcs, a strong horned race.

Regions and Cultures

There are different regions that Hybridis can be divided into. The definition of region here is a rather loose one, simply indicating areas with shared cultures. There is no 'orc culture' or 'human culture,' each culture has a mixture of races.
My intent is that it will be possible for you to pick and choose which regions you want to focus on. Obviously they are all connected and have influences on each other, but not every story needs to be a worldwide epic. To offer a quick description and pitch for each:

• Lunis: A kingdom that reveres the moon and has a history of civil conflict.
• Mondragnes: A desert completely encircled by mountains, home to several competing city states.
• Dravala: A kingdom with cities that reach underground.
• Esrena: Vast plains home to nomadic tribes who follow a set path, accompanied by various animal companions.
• The Revolving Sea: A sea where the seasons change on a monthly basis, and where the islands engage in warfare for half of the year and are at peace for the other half.
• Hirzen: A democracy that sees no need for literacy.
• The Xilaman Empire: A new empire based in the Xilaman Forest that seeks to prove itself.

Where to start

Now that you know all of your basic options on where to begin, it's time to narrow the scope. The article on dragons will introduce you to a major aspect of the world and offer glimpses into different subjects that you can investigate further. When more articles that serve as good starting points are written, they will be added here.

On Hybrids

Most of the time, it is impossible to identify a hybrid through looks alone. A vast majority of hybrids simply look like members of one of their parent races. This is reflected in the terminology for hybrids: a lizal with an orc parent is known as an orc-born lizal.
While they are rarely physical, hybrids do inherit traits from both parents. Cephal-born humans tend to be more comfortable underwater than other humans, and some can see polarized light like their cephal parent.

Real World Inspirations

No country or culture in Hybridis is a direct counterpart to one in our world. Inspiration has been taken from a variety of different places for each region, with each having at least two primary sources of inspiration.

A Quick Warning Regarding The Revolving Sea

The people of the Revolving Sea engage in slavery, it is deeply ingrained in their culture. If you don't wish to read about that subject then you should avoid content related to the Revolving Sea and read about one of the other regions instead.

Open Development and Feedback

Hybridis is in a state of open development, meaning that this is very much a work in progress and things are subject to change.
The reason I'm using a model of open development is so I can get feedback that will help me improve and further develop Hybridis. Pointing out something that's unclear or describing why exactly you liked something are both helpful forms of feedback that I'd love to receive.