Shapeshifters

Shapeshifters are one of the 4 types of Soulbound Mages, and by far the most common type throughout Hysal. They have the ability to transform either partialy or completly into an animal. Which animal they can shift into is determined by their Ikshai, with which they have a permanent spiritual bond with.

Basic Information

Anatomy

As stated before, shapeshifters are mages with the ability to transform themselves into an animal form that is determined by their animal spirit, called an Ikshai in the common languages. The Ikshai is a powerfull spirit originating from The Ether that is bonded to the shapeshifter's body by a spiritual tether which allows them to transform into an animal. However, for most of them, transforming into a full fledged animal is actualy quite hard and exceptional, especialy for younger shifters. Instead, for the vast majority of the time, shifters can only transform into what is called an hybrid form, best described as a form that combines the general basic anatomy of a human, along with many animal characteristic

Humans Form

Most Shapeshifters in their human form are hard to distinguish from actual humans or other mages. Some do however have visible animal features that reveal their true nature, such as slited eyes, pointed ears or fangs. However, even in their humans forms, shifters are still suceptible to the effects of silver metal, just like other Soulbound Mages. As soulmages, they also have acess to abilities other than shape-shifting thanks to their naturaly strong spiritual tether to the Ether, caused by nessessity for their Ikshai to pass from the Ether to the physical world. These abilities, such as precongnition, in the form of visions or prophetic dreams, and much faster healing. Fast healing is fairly common for shapeshifter while precongnition is quite rarer

Hybrid Form

While in this form, various changes occur to their bodies. These changes include, but aren't limited to, the appearance of claws on their hands and feet, horns and antlers on their head, fur, scales and feather replacing human hair and skin as well as changes to their eyes, ears chaging shape and location, teeth becoming shaper like fangs or duller molars.
During a shift, the transformation first begins at the extremities of the body, mostly the hand, feet and head and converge towards the torso via the arms, legs and neck. The further away a body part is from the torso, the more it shifts. The feet and legs in particular generaly go through the most amount of change, as their muscle and skeletal structure fundamentaly shifts away from being human to become more animalistic in nature. Meanwhile, the lower torso changes the least, often only resulting in the appearance of some fur or scales and nothing deeper. Any aditional limbs or body part, such as wings, tails and antlers or horns appear in a fully animal form.
The internal organs remain largely unnafected, though like the rest of the body, they do become much more resilient to blows, cuts or other type of damage, such as poison. The Ikshai spirit inside their body, gives them the ability to heal any damage nearly instantaneously, while the second reason in the large amount of Mana energy that now flows inside their body, which feeds the Ikshai and enahnces the strenght and stamina of the shifter. They also have a much higher pain tolerance, stamina and strenght compared to when they were in a human form, and especialy compared to any non-mage human.
For most shifters, their Hybrid form is much easier to acheive than their animal form. It is also easier to keep the Ikshai's instincts at bay and remain in control while not fully becoming an animal. Because of this, and all the other advantages, such as the large increase of strenght and resiliance their aquire while also retaining their human dexterity and mental clarity, this form is the most used of the two by shifters. Sometimes, its even more used than their human form, especialy within Shapeshifter Clans. By contrast, In human society, they nearly never use their hybrid form, as they prefer to hide their nature, for fear of reprisal.
However, one major downside to both their Hybrid and Animal forms is that they share their body with the Iskhai spirit, which means that they are sucesptible to its influence. Since the Ikshai is the spirit of an animal, their instincts may be able to overpower the human mind of the shifter if they lacks training or the mental capabilities to control it, such as in a life or death scenario. This influence can also make it more difficult to use some other abilities, such as precongnition or soulsight, while also enhancing others, such as healing which in their human form, has to be performed consciously. Yet while in hybrid form, it tends to be faster done subconsciously.

Animal Form

In this form, shapeshifters are nearly indistinguishable from regular animals and will possess the same strenghts and abilities, but also weakenesses as a regular member of the species. However, for keen observers, there are ways to differenciate between a real wild animal and a shapeshifter. One of the most obvious ways to do that is their size. In fact, shifters become noticibly larger in their animal forms than a regular member of the species. Seeing an unusualy large animal in the wild may mean that it is not an animal at all, but a shapeshifter.
It is nonetheless rare to see a shifter constantly be in Animal form, much rarer in fact than them being in human form, even in the wild. The reason for this is because this form has some major disadvantages, such as being much more suceptible to their ikshai's influence, since it is much stronger in this form than while in Hybrid form. Depending on many factors, such as emotions, the time of day and month and the lenght of time passed while in animal form, the animalistic instincts of the ikshai may temporaly override logical thinking.
Another downside is the total loss of the ability to speak. Even in hybrid form, it can become hard to talk normaly for some shifters, but in animal form, they all lose that ability, as their vocal cords, mouth and tongue are no longer human and therefore cannot replicate human sounds effectively and form recongnisable speach. The rare shifters who had the ability to communicate telepathicaly to other shapeshifters and Soulmages also develop the same ability with animals of the same species.

Eye Colouration

Both in their Hybrid and Animal form, the irises of the shifter turns blue, regardless of their initial eye colour. The eyes also emit a faint blueish glow, which is an indication that their spiritual tether is being used to summon their Ikshai. Both of these things in a similar way to other Soulbound mages when they also use their tether to perform their abilities. The more they draw in energy from The Ether, the more their eyes glow brightly. Shapeshifters also do not just draw in mana energy from the Ether, but also their Ikshai, which are by themselves are very large source of energy. This explains why the eyes of the Shapeshifters's eyes tend to glow especialy bright, compared to other types of Soulbound Mages.

Transformation Process and Triggers

Spiritual Barrier

To innitiate a transformation, they first need to lower the subconscious barrier which normaly keeps the Ikshai and its influence at bay. Just like their tethered link, every Soulbound Mages is born with it, and in the case of shapeshifters, it is used to keep both the mana energy and the ikshai out of their body. Most becomes aware of it after it breacks down for the first time. This is considered normal and a valuable learning experience. After this happens, they are trained throughout their childhood years so they can learn how to reenforce that barrier as a means to have greater control over their Ikshai and other abilities.

Normal and Reverse Transformations

Once the barrier is lowered, the ikshai can use the Tether to enter the body of the mage. This triggers the transformation into a hybrid, which takes about 5 to 15 seconds, depending on the strenght of the mage's Ikshai, their age, training and what species they are shifting into. The transformation will naturaly settle into a Hybrid form, which is when both their Human soul and their ikshai are in equilibrium inside their body.
To reverse the transformation, the shifters have to put up the barrier again, which will push the Ikshai out of their body. This requires much more training to do reliably than innitiating the shift itself. If instead, they want to fully shift into an animal, they must release control of their body to the Ikshai for a couple of seconds. During this short time, the mage becomes surounded by a glowing blue mist, very similar to a teleporting Soulstrider.
However, instead of simply dissapearing in a single gust of wind, the cloud of mist takes on the shape of the animal around the mage before leaving, revealing them transformed into an animal. This form is the hardest to acheive for a Shapeshifter for the first time. The reason for this is largely unknown but most agree that it must be a mental issue related to having to relinquish control, which some have much difficulty with.
A similar thing happens in reverse when they shift back. A luminous blue cloud appears around them, taking a vaguely humanoid shape, which then dissapears to reveal the mage in Hybrid form. While in animal or human form, they cannot shift to the other without passing through their Hybrid form.

Subconscious transformation

They are caused by a variety of triggers, such as moments of heighted emotions or sensations and can happen to any shifter, regardless of age or training. It is however more common in younger shifters, particulary children and young teenagers, who's control of their barrier and tether isn't strong enough as for older teenagers and adults. This lack of controls means that these triggers can erode the barrier and allow the Ikshai's energy to seep into the body, which starts a shift.
Anger and fear are very powerful triggers, and are the cause of the vast majority of unwanted shifts, while sadness and happiness can on occasion also trigger shifts. Feeling of pain or pleasure can also trigger shifts if they are strong enough. Dreams are well known to be capable of triggering a shift, especialy if it is a bad dream or nightmare. For shifters, managing those unwanted transformation is critical in order to keep control over their Ikshai and is part of the training that they go through during childhood. A subconscious shift often results in smaller, more superficial changes and usualy stop short of a full hybrid shift.

Dietary Needs and Habits

While all Shapeshifters tend to be omnivores because they are in humans or hybrid forms for most of the time, most shifters tend to gravitate towards types of food that their Ikshai would eat. This is largely a subconscious choice, but some shifters may do it for cultural reasons also.

Biological Cycle

Just like other Soulbound Mages, Shapeshifters are deeply affected by Veos, and specificaly its light, which when exposed to it, hardens the spiritual tether linking them to The Ether. This makes it harder to manipulate and thus harder to control their abilities, including keeping the Ikshai's influence outside of their bodies. This makes most shifters unable to stay in human form during the nights about a week every month, while Veos is brightest in the night sky. Around two weeks later, when Veos dissapears from the sky for 2-4 days during its new moon faze, the reverse effects happens. Their spiritual tether becomes weak and unstable, thus making their abilities weaker and less reliable, meaning that they have a hard time to properly shift into a Hybrid form, while their Animal form becomes unattainable.

Behaviour

While in their Human form, shifters act similary to any other human. They may be more sensitive to sounds and smells around them, but not much else. This changes while in their hybrid and especialy Animal forms, where they can exibit behavior more akin to an animal. In many cases, it may be hard for them to refrain from doing so as the more their shift away from their human form, the more they are affected by their Ikshai's influence, even while remaining largely in control over it. These animalistic instincts can be unpredictable and may affect the shifter in many ways, depending on the species and the shifter themselves. In some cases, they may even temporarely forcefully surplent the shifter's mind, making them lose control for a time, in what is called an Ikshai possession.

Ikshai Possession and Triggers

Ikshai possession are triggered by a variety of things, but intense fear is the most common trigger. It is also more common when Veos is full or any other night when Veos's light is abundant. The moon's light not only strenghtens their spiritual tether, but it also makes their Ikshai more powerful. While possessed, their bodies may start to shift or shift further during this time, much like during an subconscious transformation and their eyes will become completly filled by blue light, glowing brighter than in a normal shift.
If they do, they will find themselves locked on the other side of the barrier, as if they had switch places with their Ikshai. To regain control of themselves, they need to push that barrier down and take the place of the Ikshai. This may take up to a minute, but generaly only lasts for 10-15 seconds. During this time, they will remain conscious and will be able to see what the Ikshai sees and be fully aware of what is going on.

Prevention and treatement

To prevent an Ikshai possession and in fact, any other unwanted transformations or intrusion cuased by the Ikshai from happening, most shifters who can afford them wear a Talismans, which will help regulate their abilities and moderate the strenght of the Ikshai. A Soulweaver may also be able to sooth a possessed Shapeshifter and help them regain control, or even stop an ikshai possession from happening in the first place.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Similar to other soulmages, the abilities of shapeshifters don't limit themselves to a single aspect as their names may imply. In fact, most shapeshifters have a total of three abilities, which are shapeshifting, unique to them, as well as healing and precongnition.
Healing:
Mana energy is used by all 4 types of Soulmages to heal themselves. Shapeshifters have acess to much more of that energy thanks to their Ikshai, which is largely composed of Mana energy. While in Hybrid or Animal form, their ability to heal becomes even faster, to the point that its nearly instant. For those reasons, their healing abilites are by far the best out of all 4 types of soulmages.
Precongnition:
Because the Tether linking them to the Etherial plane is naturaly stronger to allow the Ikshai to use it, it means that they also experiance visions or dreams that are prophetic in nature. While these tend to be a bit stronger than in Soulweavers and soulstriders, it is still much weaker than in Necromancers. This ability also tends to get muffled by the Ikshai's influence when in Hybrid or animal form. On the flip side, a vision or prophetic dream can also trigger an unwanted shift if troubling enough.
Telepathy:
Some particulary strong Shapeshifter are capable of telepathy with other Soulmages. It is unclear how it works, but it is known that some Talismans can enhance this ability, while others can supress it. While in animal form, this ability can mutate to work with animals of the same species as with human.

Civilization and Culture

Major Language Groups and Dialects

In Arros, most Shapeshifters speak an already established language as opposed to their own, though some do, like in the Vechor Islands. However, because of their historic isolations, most clans have developed a distinct accent or dialect, which is usualy understandable by neighbouring populations of either shapeshifters or humans. In Osian and Mahador, shifter communities tend to be much more intergrated within humans cultures, meaning that they most often speak the same language as everybody else with similar accents. Distinct shapeshifter clan dialects are rare in both continents.

Common Dress Code

Most Shapeshifter species have less the need for clothing as humans, especialy in their Hybrid form, because of the fur, scales or feathers they aquire. It is not uncommon for individuals within clans to only wear short pants. Very few shapeshifters wear shoes or hats while shirts arent well liked either. In colder regions, some wear a cape over their shoulders. When going to human settlements, they dress according to local expectations and wear a Talismans to hide their abilities.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Shifter-Other Soulbound mages
Relations between all Soulbound mages are largely amicable. Shapeshifters and Soulweaver in particular have a long history of helping each other. In fact, Soulweavers are regulary accepted into shifter clans and are known to sometimes live in clan territory for long periods of time to help people. Soulweavers also often act as a liason between human and shifter communities as humans also usualy appreciate them. A shifter coupling with another soulmage is seen a good thing and most clans do not have a problem with it.
Shifter-Elemental Mages
Just like for the other types of Soulmages, a love-hate relationship lingers between Shapeshifters and Elemental Mages. At times, both groups helped each other fight against human agression, while in other, more recent times, some elemental mages helped humans track down and capture shifters. For this reason, shifters are very picky with which elemental mage they trust. Most know their history very well, and so tend to see Elemental mages as potential treats, even if the bad ones are in the minority. Most shifter clan would not accept one of their own being in a relationship with an elemental mage very well.
Shifter-Human
Most shapeshifters make sure to steer clear of humans or try to not reveal their true nature around them. In some regions, doing so may save their lives. If a unknown human comes into their territory, most shifter will be extremly xenophobic towards them, to the point where they may attack the person on sight. There are exception, such as religious leaders and well-known merchants, which are regulary able to visit clan territory. Likewise, some shifter regulary visit trusted human settlements, mostly for trade. If a clan member decides to couples with a human, there is a chance within some clans that they may be expulsed, or at the very least shunned, since the community may see it as an insult to the clans. However, other clans may instead accept the relationship and addopt the human as an unnoficial clan member.

Lifespan

Around 100 to 120 years

Related Organizations

• Shapeshifter Clans

Average Physique
Most Shapeshifters, especialy those well versed in combat are generaly quite fit and strong, though not unhumanly so. That of course changes in Hybrid form, where they become much stronger and resisilant than most other humans.
Average Inteligence
Shapeshifters have an average human inteligence while in human or Hybrid form. However, their intellect may be suppressed by animalistic instincts while in Full form and especialy under an Ikshai possession.
Uses, Byproducts and Explotation
Some shapeshifters sell some of their extra body parts that they develop while in Hybrid form to Alchemists for money. This is most evident in the case of Jakalope shapeshifters, who sell their antlers when it falls in the spring to eager alchemists who go on to make various potions with it.
Genetics and Reproduction
Shapeshifters are made when the soul of a baby from at least one Soulbound Mages parent bonds with an Ikshai while inside the womb of the mother. For the bonding to happen, the baby must have first developed an spiritual tether to the Ether, which the Ikshai will then use to bond with the child. Both parents being Soulmages automaticaly makes the baby a soulmage, which greatly increases the chances for the baby to then become a Shapeshifter, while a baby born from two shapeshifter will always become one. What species of Shapeshifter they become will be the same as one of their parents. What decides this is chance, yet it seems predator type species tend to win out over prey type species.
Culture
While it is possible to find Shapeshifter from pretty much every culture in Hysal, they tend to be slightly different from their human counterpart of the same region and that is because of their relative isolation.Some countries continue to persecute them to this day, exiling shifters when they reach their teens, while other countries actively encourages them to settle on their lands.
Geographic Distribution
In general, most shapeshifters live near or in a natural environment, such as forests or mountains, rather than in big bustling cities. This is mostly done by choice, but the historic percecution they suffered at the hands of humans and other mages have also contributed to their displacement away from cities. Depending on their species, they may naturaly prefer some regions over others, either because of the climate or the local fauna or flora. They are present on every continent, yet are far from being equaly distributed. In general, the continents of Arros and Osian contain the largest populations and biggest diversity of shifters, while Enaskia and Samaria contain the least amount. This again is largely the result of violent persecutions and wars, but also the need for some of them to migrate to a place more suited to their needs, or more specificaly, more suited to the needs of their ikshai. This is how over the course of the last 2000 years, pretty much all surviving shapeshifter species or group of species have migrated to specific regions and managed to carve themselves their own territories.
Social Structure
Shifters tend to live together in large, tight-knit communities, called Shapeshifter Clans. Some of these clans group together members of the same species, like is often the case with Wolfkin or Dragonkin shifters, while others are made of many different, but similar species, such as the Catfolks Shifters of Mahador and Osian. Historicaly, these clans also often received new members from vastly different regions, who came to them seeking refuge and kinship, but who spoke different languages and have different cultures. This lead many of them to develop hybrid cultures and languages. The vast majority of these clans tend to be isolated, far away from human settlements and often in hard to reach environments, such as dense forests, isolated islands, marshlands and swamps and even in mountains ranges. However, as with everything, there are exceptions. The city of Hersa, in the Kingdom of Alvaros is shared by both Shifters and Humans, who don't really live in the same neighbourhoods, but share in governing the city.

History

Shapeshifters, like other soulbound mages, did not yet exist during the first age. When the First age abruptly ended and the world plunged into the The long Winter, scatered reports of shapeshifters and other strange mages with otherworldly abilities began to circulate. It is unclear when and how Soul Mages first appeared, but by the start of the Second Age, Shapeshifter had become its largest sub-group and many regions of Hysal already had a sizable population of them.
Since the very behining, they have been persecuted for being different. People were afraid and many treated them like monsters. Frustrated, some shapeshifters trued to fight back on some occasions, but it only brought more wrath from humans and mages alike. Because of this, many subspecies of shifters, mainly prey-type, who were weaker and less able to fight back, were driven to extinction. Predator-types, such as the Wolfkin Shapeshifters, put up quite a bit of resistance, but eventualy, they too were driven out of many regions as well, mainly in southern Enaskia and most of Samaria Samaria as a result of forceful expulsion and genocide.
This series of acts, which happened over many centuries was described by its perpetrators as an act of nessessary cleansing and purification, while it is considered today as acts of senseless murder by most. Following these massacres most surviving shifters types had, by the middle of the Second Age, established themselves in remote regions, far away from humans populations. Some migrated across entire oceans to reach other continents, namely, Arros and Osian, where they could be safe. In that time, Choranism, a new religion which placed great importance in Soulmages, including Shifters, began to spread rapidly in northern Enask. This stopped further shifter depopulation of that region, yet it was mostly too late as by this time, only a couple thousand shifters were left in the vast territory. Other regions, further south in Enask and most of Samaria became virtuly devoid of any kind of Soulmages, as a direct result of their systemic expulsion and murder.
Far from trouble caused by humans and mages, Shapeshifters in Eastern Arros and on the continent of Osian began to prosper as they either intergrated themselves within more welcoming countries or made their own political organisation, ruling themselves and helping defend each other's territory from expanding human settlements. Their population began to grow rapidly in these regions, so much so that by the end of the Second Age, some Shapeshifter clans in Eastern Arros had become as big as small cities and some modern population estimates put their total worldwide population as high as 3-5 million. 
However, the advent of The Blight during the last decades of the Second Age soon plunged the world into an even further chaotic time. Indeed, troubles had begun in the west about a century prior, with the rise of the cult of Sokral, which not only thretened the few remaining Shifters in Enask, where it was born, but also all mages around the world, whether they be Elemental mages or Soulbound Mages. While the cult did numerous massacres that greatly impacted mage population in both Enask and Arros, the loss for shapeshifters was relatively low compared to other types of mages, since most of their population lived away from the cult's area of influence. Nonetheless, thousands of them were still killed and most clans still remember and commemorate their loss.
While the cult eventualy died out, the blight infection only grew, and now these mages were called upon to push back the growing hordes of Blight Spawns, who grew by infecting humans and mages. Many shifters volonteered to help as they discovered that they and other soulmages were largely immune to the blight, but the battles against those monsters still took many lives. By the end, the lands and populations of the continents of Arros and Enask were devastated. The huge population of shapeshfiters living in eastern Arros had been reduced quite a bit, yet remained an important group in the region. 
It was too big and organised for the humans to ignore and roll over or push away like they had done in most other regions. Instead, humans collaborated with them and established their own countries while respecting the boundaries imposed by the shapeshfiter population. Though nowdays, both groups are no longer in constant war against the other, animosity still exists between them, and flair ups of violence aren't entirely uncommon in regions where shifters are more numerous. Abuse and persecution against them and other soulmages is still rampant, particulary in Enask and Samaria, where their population remains extremly low to this day.