Sophont Species

Most sapient species often build communities, communicating with each other and working together, often towards a common goal. They possess a basic understanding and perception of themself and the world around them, reacting to emotions and tackling problems with often clever solutions. All sapient creatures in Vazdimet possess a soul.
The most intelligent of creatures are also considered sophont, possessing a higher level of self-awareness and a capacity for philosophical and existential questions. They are able to look beyond the short term and their physical needs, instead planning for the future, often in pursuit of some intangible but personally fulfilling goal.
While the souls of most sapient species can be located with advanced Zokinesis, those of a sophont are only available to practitioners of Necromancy, and only the sophonts can be resurrected from death.

Life in Vazdimet

It is the sophonts of Vazdimet who experience most keenly the ebb and flow of the often-wrought political landscape of Vazdimet, living their lives in the shadow of pending conflict, and often shaping its path with their own actions - or inactions.
The details of daily life depend largely upon one's current faction.
The Sparnell Confederation and Hydell Order push their citizens toward their own definitions of greatness, indoctrinating youth in the most convenient and useful ideals from an early age. The Space Defense Legion and Mordena emphasize education, encouraging their citizens to form their own opinions on the current political landscapes of the universe while providing the means to inform that opinion.
Magic forms a strong foundation for life among the Mordena and Confederation, and is strongly encouraged within the Order, but discouraged within the Space Defense Legion in favor of more mechanical technologies.
The Vardan, Mordena, and Space Defense Legion encourage a collaborative and community-centric way of life, each with different emphasis but notable similarities, while the Confederation and Order prefer to pit their citizens against each other in a fight to gain recognition to earn a promised reward.
And through it all, The Freeholds cling to their own individuality, some retaining the values of a faction which claimed jurisdiction and governance over them in the past, others proudly forging their own path within the stars.
Life in Vazdimet remains truly as varied as its people.

Sophonts

Afterlife Intelligence

canid

dracoling

fae

human

katanoj

Further Reading

Sophont Species

While the below are the most notable of the sophonts of Vazdimet, this list is by no means all-inclusive. Due to the prevalence of Magic, there have been cases of an individual or several from a sapient species rising in sophonce and gaining a soul of their own, although these instances are fairly rare. Other species are limited to life on only one planet, due to biological needs or a limited access to Spacefaring Technology.
Still others may be hidden among the stars, lost in the sea of countless seemingly-uninhabited planets, not yet claimed by another, more active power within the universe.
It is a species' or individual's cognitive abilities which determine who is and is not sophont, not the factions and their political conveniences. A necromantic soul is considered definitive proof in most scientific circles, although governmental legislation often requires a lot more paperwork.

Bare-Skinned Sophonts

The bare-skinned sophonts, humans and dracoling, are genetically compatible and surprisingly closely related despite their significant differences in appearance. Some scientists believe they once shared a mutual ancestor from the early days of Fillimet. Others hypothesize the variance is a result of Zokinesis or an early form of Gene Therapy, although which species came first depends on who you ask.

Furred Sophonts

The furred sophonts, canids and katanoji, are considered an example of convergent evolution. Early historical records discovered in the Golding Library show a greater genetic variance between the two species, although time, genetic intermingling, and increasingly-popular gene therapies have since reduced those differences.

Other Sophonts

Often overlooked by the other sophonts due to their vast differences, fae and Afterlife Intelligences have nonetheless spread across the universe, leaving their mark on the societies they call home.