Beastmen

A new subset of humanity which occurred during the Quintesson Invasion, Beast Men (Homo Bestia) were the product of genetic experimentations on humans and animals alike by Quintesson scientists in the early days of the invasion.
The exact nature or reason behind these grotesque experiments have yet to be fully understood but from what little has been translated from salvaged texts, it is believed that they were conducted to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of earth’s indigenous lifeforms and to create a robust ‘working animal’ for strip-mining and slave labour purposes by combining traits between them.
However much of the early experimentation yielded less than satisfactory results; The Beast Men despite their enhanced strength were often wilder in nature and even more defiant than standard humans, with some unable to adapt to their heightened senses causing them to lash out at all stimuli.
Many were terminated as failed experiments while others were kept incarcerated as stock to continue Quintesson research to fine-tune the process.
However, many still managed to escape through concerted combined efforts between themselves or were liberated by rebels later on between 1930 and 1945.
They took part in the Second Quintesson War under the leadership of Owais Naseem, one of the thirteen heroes of the war and a Horse-Man (Centaur).
The most populous subset of Beast Men comprises of Canids, which make up 20% of their entire demographic due to their purported usefulness as huntsmen, guardsmen and even ‘pets’ to the Quintessons.
This is followed by felid (15%), ruminant (15%), avian (10%), rodentia (10%), oceanic (10%) and others (17%).
The rarest type of Beast Men are Insectoid (3%)
They usually feel a strong affinity for nature and most commonly reside in South America, Africa, Asia and their established ‘homeland’ of Eukaris. They are least found (outside of government-commissioned Cold Constructs) in the USA, France and the UK.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF BEAST MEN

Beast Men are classified into three categories according to a worldwide government census, mostly based on the level of visible mutation.

Class A (‘Humanoid’)

• Accounts for 15% of Beast Men.
• Mutations are recessive/subtle, mostly centered around eyes, ears. Occasionally will sport claws.
• Due to their mostly human appearance, they are better accepted by society with some reaching fame due to their perceived safe but ‘exotic’ looks.
• Little to no limitations on personal rights. Mixed marriages with standard humans are allowed but heavily frowned upon due to presiding fear that, as they are still carriers of the animal gene, their mutations will pass down and could become more dominant in their children.
• Little to no animal instincts.

Class B (‘Mix’)

• The most common class accounting for 50% of all Beast Men.
• General public perception tends to vary from mild distaste to full on disdain.
• Their physiology tends to be animal-like wrapped around a human frame. Anatomy remains mostly human (eg: Having paws or claws, but relegated to human-size and shaped hands or feet).
• Allowances made for public transport/spaces with conditions. Mixed marriages with standard humans banned in most countries.
• Overlaps can occur with Class C.
• Mild animal instincts.

Class C (‘Feral’)

• Accounts for 30% of Beast Men.
• The class facing heaviest persecution due to their completely non-human appearance. Human traffickers have been documented selling them to hunting parties and reserves.
• Full animal traits, including major to full coverage of fur/feathers/scales, tails, teeth, digitigrade legs, etc. Will occasionally sport ‘distorted’ anatomy (like elongated arms for flight or running on all fours) or missing anatomy altogether (legs for snake-men) to better support animal physiology.
• Not allowed in public transport and spaces unless clearly designated. Mixed marriages with standard humans banned in most countries.
• Strong animal instincts, however level of intelligence/emotional empathy remains the same as standard humans.

Class D (‘Shifters’)

• The rarest class, accounts for 5% of Beast Men
• Are an offshoot of Class B and C individuals who have the ability to fully shapeshift into animals.
• The phenomenon is still being studied.

BEAST MEN IN SOCIETY

by Oniwanbashu

Despite their role in helping to win the war, the relationship between Beast Men and modern society is shaky, with a majority of them suffering some form of discrimination from governments and people unwilling to make concessions for them in modern living and personal engagements. Like Cold Constructs, many of them are seen as second-class citizens who find it hard to rent property due to landlords who insist on a ‘no animals’ rule being applied to them (thus pushing most of them into redlined districts and neighborhoods). Most forms of public transport also bar them entry due to the ‘hassle’ that accommodating all subsets of them would invoke.

More so, the ‘non-domestic’ variants of them are often seen as dangerous or unpredictable due to their enhanced sensitivity to stimuli which would otherwise not affect a ‘normal’ person (and there have been cases of people deliberately overloading their senses to force them to react in a violent manner), and this limits the job market for them as well.
Metropolitan cities, particularly in western countries, place heavy restrictions on their movements in public; Establishments and businesses are allowed to refuse them service or bar them entry if they are seen to be a threat or if the facilities are (often deliberately) not built to accommodate them.
Violence against them is a regular occurrence despite laws being passed to combat the issue and most Beast-Men will only go out in public with a chaperone or in groups for protection from harassment.
Worse yet are the cases of illegal hunting of Beast Men, whether for game or their body parts, which sees a steady demand in the black market.
However, the case isn’t the same in all countries; In many areas of Africa and Asia, certain subsets of Beast Men are mostly accepted as members of modern society. Snake-Men are a welcomed group in Thailand due to their resemblance to mythical Naga, while Tiger-Men are seen as protectors and a symbol of courage in Malaysia. Bird-Men receive adulation in most South and South-East Asian countries due to their resemblance to the Garuda, while the same can be said for Japan which sees them as Tengu.
Lion, Leopard and Panther-Men find similar acceptance in African nations, which sees Lion-Men in particular to have been royalty in a past life.
Scotland stands out among western nations due to its granting of full-class citizen status to Wolf-men, affectionately known as ‘Wulvers’, particularly in the Shetland Islands which in turn sees a high population of them compared to other European nations.
That said, as not all Beast Men subsets are accepted to the same level even in countries that accept certain types, a Beast Men-centric state that levies the same rights and acceptance for all subsets, Eukaris, was established in 2004 via extensive terraforming on Queen Maud Land in Antartica.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Most Beastmen come in the 'Satyr' configuration, that is to say animal features on the head and digitigrate hind legs, ears, tails and claws, paws, hoof-shaped nails or webbed hands.   Much more rare are 'multi-limbed' Beastmen, who sport an extra set of arms that either serve as wings over their shoulders, or 'centaurs' possessing six limbs in total; two arms and four legs. In fetu, they can pose a risk to expectant mothers or carriers who do not share their body type. 

Genetics and Reproduction

As Beastmen are essentially humans who carry animal-based genetic mutations, they are compatible with standard humans, with children displaying mutations of varying degrees or in some cases, becoming dormant carriers of the mutation gene with standard appearances.   The union of Beastmen to Beastmen however can be fraught depending on the mutations they carry, which can often lead to sometimes deadly 'instinct failure' in their children, such as the sire of a fish-based Beastman with gills and a land-based Beastman who can die if their bodies confuse or do not recognise their method of breathing.  As such, relationships between Beastmen of different subsets are often discouraged to avoid these issues.  Gestation type and length is dependent on the mother or carrier.

• Lizard, Insect Monotreme and Bird-based Beastmen will lay an egg between 10 to 12 inches in their fifth or sixth month of gestation, which will be incubated for the remaining three months until the baby hatches. The baby, which will be undersized compared with standard human babies, will require a month of intensive care, where it will go through a rapid growth process to finally reach the size of a healthy infant and is ready to be brought out to meet the world. Lizard and Insect Beastmen babies are ready to fight god the moment they leave the 'nest', while Bird Beastmen babies required the same attention a mammalian infant would. 
• Fish and Octopi-based Beastmen produce a shell-less egg protected by a thick coat of gel or aspic-like material which nourishes the the fetus; The gel/aspic layer grows smaller as the fetus reaches nine months. On 'birth', the parents will free their baby from the aspic/gel membrane, and the baby is 'born' with eyes open, fully aware of their surroundings and capable of swimming with their parents, albeit with no self-preservation skills. 

Dietary Needs and Habits

While Beastmen are able to eat as standard humans do, many have allergies or 'blind spots' when it comes to taste; A Dog-based Beastmen as an example would get ill were they to consume a large amount of onions, and a Cat-based Beastman would find to gage or appreciate the taste of sweet foods.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Flight, augmented strength, heightened senses of varying degrees based on animal mutation. 

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Early on post-war, many of them claimed to the same beauty standards as society did back then, with Class A Beastmen (who showed the least amount of mutation) being desirable. However, as time passed, many saw this as being prejudicial to who now they were (they saw it as looking back to a past that they could no longer claim instead of to the future which they still had to build) and the ideals began to shift to embrace the 'wilder' look of Class C Beastmen.  These days, the 'fierce and unbroken' beauty of Class C Beastmen, who show the highest degree of mutation are often a source of pride for those who live in Eukaris' society, while Class A Beastmen continue to find some measure of acceptance from the general standard public due to their perceived exotic but 'safe' looks.

Scientific Name

Homo Bestia

Conservation Status

Vulnerable to threatened. Already a minority among humans, decades of violent ostracization, trafficking due to their dehumanization and sterlization in some cases have slashed their numbers, particularly in the Western hemisphere. Outside of Eukaris, their demographics these days centre around African and Asian countries as well as the South Americas.

Average Height

Massive variation. Depending on their level of mutation, they can vary between 4'5 (rodent-based) to 10'0 (Megafauna-based)