Adin (Aldjin)

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Adin are a sibling species to humanity with magical quirks in their genetics. While they are fundamentally human in anatomy and morphology, they have polychromatic pigmentation in their follicles and eyes, and they possess gifts connected to the mystical side of the universe.
Aldjin Adin have a low percentage of Homo sapiens genetic material in their ancestry, and exhibit more of the natural magical traits of their species than their merçin kin. The most notable of these are a near arrest to the aging process in adulthood, the ability to shapeshift within their general form and mass, and additional psychic abilities beyond the level of merçin telempathy.

Genetics and Reproduction

Adin reproduce as humans, exactly. When reproducing with mundane humans (Homo sapiens) the offspring will be Homo medeis sapiens or Homo sapiens medeis and will match the species of their mother. Most modern adin are Homo medeis sapiens. The offspring of a half-Adin will phenotypically match their species, though in rare cases (below 5%) the offspring of Homo medeis sapiens will inherit sufficient Homo medeis genetic material to be born as Aldjin. The exact genetic proportion or sequences is not fully understood for this to occur.

Growth Rate & Stages

Adin age as humans to adulthood, but the Aldjin experience an arrest to their physiological aging process between the ages of 18 and 40. After this time, they can live 5,000 Gaean years or longer.

Ecology and Habitats

The Adin are as adaptable as humanity, but they thrive at their best in warm temperate climates.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Adin are primarily herbivorous omnivores. Most Adin grow, raise, or hunt for suitable food at some point in their life, and their diet focuses most heavily on fresh fruits, vegetables, and lightly processed grains, with only a small amount of meat.

Biological Cycle

Aldjin naturally remain as fertile as they are at the time of their arrest in aging for the remainder of their natural life, though some diseases or interventions can alter this. Aldjin adults have a greatly reduce reproductive drive, and adult Aldjin females ovulate less frequently than humans. Aldjin can learn to use their shapeshifting abilities to influence their hormones and manipulate (though not fully control) ovulation and fertility.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

I.Q. 105 (by human standards)

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

All Adin have the standard array and range of human sensory perception, though most remain slightly more aware of high-pitched sounds in adulthood than a comparably aged human. In addition to this, all Adin possess some psychic abilities based on telempathy -- the perception and sharing of emotional and mental states or information.
Telempathy. All Adin possess a degree of telempathy. This allows them to be aware of emotional states within roughly 50 meters of them, and of general moods within roughly 100 meters. They are also capable of hearing the surface thoughts of individuals within 5 meters without training or effort, though only if they are focused on an individual or group, or the subject has very loud thoughts. Without training, only 10% of Adin have the ability to broadcast their emotions or thoughts to others. With training, the ranges and capabilities of this telempathic gift can be extended. Like many senses, powerful emotions and thoughts can mask others, effectively deafening the telempathic sense of the Adin.
Aura Sense. Aldjin possess an intuitive sense of magical and psychic auras within about 10 meters of themselves. With training or experience, they can learn to read these auras without ever using magic themselves. Powerful auras can overwhelm lesser auras, effectively blinding the aura sense of Aldjin.
Natural Magic. All Adin have an innate connection to the mystical side of the universe, and most Adin develop (with no formal training) one or two small ways to harness magic which suit their individual personality. They are capable students of magic, and have the most rigorous, formal, and scientific understanding of magic in the known Shattered Verse.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The Adin on and around Atrusius all consider themselves to be part of a single state, even though they form separate distinct towns, villages, and cities. This identity is the Holy Adin Empire, headed by Emperor-President Jenesis Sonhir and governed by a council of representatives from the noble houses and the leaders of the rented lands on Atrusius.
The Scarlet Blade is a revolutionary secret society which wants to overthrow the imperial state. They are known for their assassinations of the former emperor and several other leaders from the so-called old blood, but it is difficult to identify their members.
The Adin Emissary Division is currently operating on the Adin homeworld of New Gaea after returning from Atrusius, and safeguarding the Emperor-President from assassination attempts as he conducts diplomatic missions with the humans and other sapient species of New Gaea.

Average Technological Level

The adin blend magic and technology in a nearly seamless manner, with many of their technological advances being magitech. They possess computer technology, interstellar relativistic flight, long term life support, and even spacetime warping technologies that all utilize magic in some manner.
In the past, they had a pre-magitech industrial society and after observing the damages it caused to their home, they abandoned the use of all technologies which caused overt harm, quickly or slowly. Most of their magitech is designed to impact the nevironment in negligible or positive ways, and tested to those ends.
The greatest advance of Adin magitech is the life-seed project, a magically engineered life form that can simulate millions of years of evolution in months. The life-seed project is capable of converting a geosystem into a thriving ecosystem within 400 days, and is engineered to slow down and lose its rapid mutations late in its operation cycle. The basic ecosystem of Gurion, the Imperial Blue Moon of Atrusius, was created from a viable but lifeless state before the Adin approached the surface of Atrusius.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The Adin descended from a small population that was forced into unity -- their former language dialects were merged together in this political process. The modern Adin have three dialects of the same language (Adinjo) -- Standard Adinjo is used in most writings and Adin dominated communities, Legal Adinjo is used in the Imperial court, and Landfall Adinjo is used by Adin dwelling on the surface among other cultures.

Scientific Name

Homo medeis medeis

Origin/Ancestry

Atlantean

Lifespan

160 Gaean years to Functionally Infinite

Average Height

1.6 to 2.1 meter

Average Weight

60 - 100 kg

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Aldjin have the normal range of natural body tints and markings of humans, as well as an extended polychromatic pigmentation in their hair and eye pigments. When using their ability to shapeshfit, they may take on a wider range of colours and patterns than is found naturally.