Demihumans are a subtype of humans that were first discovered 45 years after Roland, the first Rolander, appeared in the world. Five years earlier, the gods of the world had stopped responding to their priests, a fact not known to the common people who were to suddenly discover their pets vanishing one night, replaced with men and women carrying their features.
Rabbit burrows exploded into showers of dirt when masses of human bodies suddenly filled them, tree branches snapped where once ravens had nested, and farmers found large chunks of the population of their cattle and horse ranches missing, replaced by confused humans with similar features to the lost creatures.
People rushed to the streets, to the temples big and small, praying, begging, demanding an explanation at all costs. The priests, some of whom had not yet heard of the fate of their gods, sent messages out to the higher-ups in hopes of explanation, and the highest priests of the land stuck their heads together trying to figure out what to tell them.
After weeks of discussion during which even royal summons and demands by the emperor were ignored, the priests splintered into two factions, caused by different perspectives on demihumans. Some thought that their appearance ushered in an age where the gods no longer watched over the world and the demihumans had been created by some heretical force of anti-divinity (in those days the existence of demons was not yet known and would not be known until the arrival of Cassisus, the sixth Rolander, a man capable of channelling them), some thought demihumans were sent to replace humans as the gods' chosen ones.
Eventually, the two groups, led by two high priests, came to an agreement.
If the demihumans, as they had named them, were truly sent by the enemies of their gods, then they would need to suppress them and force them to submit until the gods returned to thank their children for keeping those monsters in check.
If the demihumans were the new chosen ones, then it was up to the humans to show them how to submit (to the gods of course), to work them hard (in the glory of the gods of course), keep them on a short leash (to keep them from straying away from the gods path or course) and to keep them away from weapons (to protect them from themselves of course)
Demihumans were forbidden from owning land and work animals, and selling them weapons was considered a crime among many other major and minor laws regarding them.
The meddling of Rolanders with the best intentions caused many lines to blur between what was acceptable and what was not, leading to a mess of a legal system in which individuals could not and can not hope to grasp what is and isn't expected, forbidden, or enforced upon them without being followed by a troupe of lawyers. As such, there are many, many opinions.
Some villages and towns see demihumans merely as other people or put them on the same step of the ladder as Semihumans such as elves, dwarves, or orcs.
Some consider them subhumans that need to be guided (read: controlled) and protected (read: prevented from fleeing) for their own good.
And some others feel as if being part animal makes them stupider and genuinely feel like they need to protect them as one would a wild animal that got too close to the city and was now just a common fixture.
The overall kingdom has no comprehensive stance anymore, as each time the crown changed hands, so did opinions, and nowadays each barony and up decided how they felt about demihumans on their own, ignoring what was official and what wasn't, splintering the whole system more and more even. These days, even within a single duch,y there may be dozens of interpretations, while the gods are still completely silent on the topic.
Types of Demihumans:
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Name
Bovids
also: Cowkin, Minotaurs
Not: Cattle, Leatherbacks
Body Description
Bovids usually stand between six and eight feet tall, with the average size being 7ft 3 inches. Their bodies are lean and well-formed, with them growing muscular even without exercise. They do not grow facial hair but often have thick fur on their backs and along their joints.
They possess horns and cow-like floppy ears. Some, but not all, possess tails, and it is currently unknown what causes a Bovid to be born with or without a tail.
Bovids tend to live till their mid-fifties, with the oldest known living to 66 years old. As he was a respected long-time guard and suspected lover of a member of the duchy of Audeno, he was given intense care by specialists, which may have contributed to his long life.
Personality
Bovids tend to be calm individuals who stand by their morals. They are considered quite blunt to the point of coming across as insulting. They mean no harm by it and appreciate others being the same way towards them. It is almost impossible to insult a Bovid.
Bovid culture values strong bodies and hard work, which gave them a rivalry with the Equida. They tend to be vegans and heavily salt their foods, yet ignore most other spices. They are slightly weirded out by others consuming milk products, but generally won't stop them from doing so, though other cases exist.
Stats
Power: 2
Agility: 0
Toughness: 4
Mental: 2
Perception: 1
Mana: N/A
Core
The Bovids' steel core is seated in their hips. It governs resilience and endurance. Bovids can use their Steel core to boost their innate toughness to shrug off blows that would shatter armor and fight off poisons that would melt the flesh of other beings.
Mastery over their core makes them borderline invulnerable to outside forces, allowing them to charge headfirst into anything life might throw at them.
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Names
Canid
also: Wolfkin
not: Mutt, Dog/derivatives of dog
Body Description
A Canid's size and body composition are highly varied as their natural affinity to the water core allows them to subconsciously create the body they wish for while they grow up.
Their hair is, with very rare exception, pitch black, as are their ears and tails. Apart from the wolf-like ears, Canids possess a second set of human ears located where humans have their ears, though most keep them underneath their hair, and some even cut them off.
They have a very large range for sizes, between the smallest at five feet and the tallest at over fifteen feet, even without taking their ears into account.
Canids tend to live till their seventies, with the oldest known reaching the age of 86. Their lover, the Felid Archmage Purrcy, is often cited as a reason for this, but all questions on the topic have been ignored by Purrcy themselves.
Personality
Canids tend to be both free-spirited individuals and people who form tight-knit groups. They are loyal and somewhat territorial in regards to people they associate with. A Canid spouse would never cheat on their partner, but even being close friends with a Canid might mean that they could try intimidate new friends to keep “their” friend for their group. So it is suggested to already possess a friend group before befriending a Canid unless one wishes to be inducted into their existing group.
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Canids' desire for freedom has led to them being the only type of Demihuman with their own territory and leadership, located north of the human kingdoms.
Culture Values
Canids are highly group-oriented, especially in regard to their family.
Canid families tend to sleep in a pile together, no matter the size of the family, the individual members, or the sleeping arrangement provided to them.
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In fact, a family member only leaves the “pile” once they start their own family. Most Canids are unable to sleep alone due to missing the close presence of someone nearby. Even two Canids that never met will, if no one they would prefer is available, sleep huddled together. Choosing to abuse the vulnerability of someone sleeping nearby in any form is considered a crime on a similar level to the murder of one′s sibling or parent.
If no other Canids are available, a non-Canid may become a Canid's sleep partner. A non-Canid that a Canid has grown close with may be allowed to join the family pile when possible.
Within the Canid clans, only the leaders and their direct descendants possess last names, carrying the names of their clans. These clans are Argos, Fenris, Sarama, Adhnúall, and Aralez.
Their high group orientation and unwillingness to be subsumed by the human kingdom have made Canids into exemplary warriors that learn to fight at a very young age and value combat ability and assertiveness.
Stats
Power: 2
Agility: 1
Toughness: 2
Mental: 0
Perception: 4
Mana: N/A
Core
Canids possess the water core, which governs change and flexibility. It is seated within their heads. Boosting it allows them to increase their agility and change their bodies in order to use more bestial features, such as their strong claws and powerful jaws, in combat. Mastery of the core allows them to take the prefix “Great” before their name, as they are now able to take their full bestial form, which is comparable to a living tank.
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Names
Corvids
also: Harpies
Not: Chickens, Birdbrains
Body Description
Corvids usually stand around 4 feet, only the very tallest of them reaching anywhere close to five feet. Apart from hair on the very top of their heads, which both men and women keep short, Corvids possess no body hair. In places where other races might possess any, they instead grow thin white down, though their faces are always clean. Their bodies are very wiry, seeming close to starvation even when well fed.
From below their shoulders, their arms form into perfectly black wings, each approximately their own body size. Corvids do claim that their wings are not in fact black, which is assumed to be a feature of their eyes, allowing them to see color where others can't. While they can grasp and perform simple actions, their dexterity with their wings is incredibly low. Corvids that reached lvl 25 in their power stat are capable of flight.
From below their knees, their legs and feet are quite thin, covered in hardened, rough skin. Their four-toed feet are structured like birds' feet. With their claws, three front, one back, they show a surprising dexterity for what they are, though still less than one would expect of a hand.
They generally live to their fifties, with the oldest known Corvid living till seventy. When she was asked at her 68th birthday how she felt she accomplished this, she stated: “The guy who kept harassing me lived till 69, I'm gonna make it to 70 just to spite him.” She indeed died with a triumphant squeak minutes after midnight on her 70th birthday.
Personality
Corvids are tense individuals. They spend a lot of their time in self-improvement of any kind. Their inability to wield weaponry properly led them to create martial arts to allow themselves to bridge the gap to other groups. Corvids commonly have up to four pearls formed around their core before they can walk. A Corvid will not allow anybody to underestimate them or talk down to them and will retaliate violently if treated in such a manner.
Most Corvids can but choose not speak the common tongue until they are around 25 years old. What very few know is that this is an act of rebellion. When an elvish prince kidnapped 30 young Corvids and set them free to be hunted for sport, only five survivors remained. Their vow of silence, a year for each victim, is broken in a ritual as a sort of midlife ceremony. Many choose not speak the common tongue afterwards, regardless, and some will not uphold the vow of not speaking at all.
After the Corvids demanded to be granted justice for the attack, money exchanged hands between kingdoms, and instead of being granted justice, the first large-scale wave of human on demihuman violence swept the country, which was only stopped by the third Rolander. At one point, only 60 living Corvids remained, which would have been wiped out if not for the Canids who took them in, the first known example of outsiders being allowed within the Clans' territory. This led to the Corvids swearing fealty to the Canids, which they practice to this day.
Stats
Power: 1
Agility: 4
Toughness: -2
Mental: 2
Perception: 2
Mana: N/A
Core
Corvids possess the basic core, which has no centralised seat. Some consider it not be a core at all but instead a result of the Corvid dedication to training. As such, some count five cores while some count six. The basic core allows Corvids to increase any of their stats temporarily, though not to the same power as one of the dedicated cores could. It can also not boost the fire core.
Their mastery of the basic core allows them greater ease in learning other core techniques, and most Corvids have mastered four cores before their fifteenth birthday.
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Names
Felid
also: Cat, Catman/Catwoman, Catboy/Catgirl
Not: -
Body Description
Felid body sizes hover around the five foot ranges, with only rare cases being much taller or smaller. Their body hair is comparable to humans, though the coloration includes calico patterns, blood red, white, and some green or blue tones as well. It is suspected that these unnatural colors stem from their inherent fire core. Felids possess two pairs of ears, one pair on the sides of their head and one pair on top of their heads, comparable to cats. They possess tails in the same coloration as their ears and heads, which are fully prehensile.
Felids have no known upper age limit, with Felids aged twenty and up capable of mostly appearing as old or as young as they please afterwards, though they cannot appear younger than 20, and thorough inspection can reveal attempts to seem much older or younger than they actually are. Any Felid death in recorded history is by outside circumstances. It is suspected that, were they supplied with food and water in a safe environment, Felids could live indefinitely.
Personality
Felids are commonly considered aloof, focused on their own interests first and everything else second. They can go for days forgetting about food, water, or sleep, and in fact, some have given themselves magical tattoos to remind them to eat or created constructs to eat and sleep for them. Some are the complete opposite and do barely anything but eat and sleep, though those are rarer.
They are considered anti-social, though the truth of the matter is that while Felids enjoy others' presence, they prefer just being in the same room with them over actively interacting with them.
Felids are very playful and rarely serious, enjoying all types of humor from the slightest puns to the darkest of dark humor. Seba the whirlwind, one of the most brutal serial killers in the country, made his executioner trip and fall off the platform before putting the noose around his own neck and pulling his own gallows lever with the words: “Typical servant of the state, makes me do it my own bloody self.” Even while gasping for air, he did not lose his grin at this piece of (pun intended) gallows humor.
Stats
Power: 1
Agility: 2
Toughness: 0
Mental: 1
Perception: 2
Mana: 4
Core
Felids possess the Fire core, seated in the heart, governing magical power. As such, even young Felids possess a small amount of magical ability by birth, which tends to only grow throughout their lives. As such, they are the only humanoids that are not required to awaken to learn magic. Boosting it allows them to gain higher proficiency in magic.
According to Felids, it is also the reason for their high body heat. Non-Felids that can use their fire core do not have a higher body temperature than before, though they will claim the same even if they haven't heard about it before. Since higher levels of the fire core also increase life expecntancy it is assumed that the natural affinity Felids have is the reason behind their agelessness.
