Changeling

Changelings are rare beings with the ability to alter their forms at will.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Changelings have ever-changing bodies. In their natural form, they tend to be silverily skinned with white hairs. But seldom they take their form, rather changing themselves to appear into whatever another sort of humanoid they want to appear. The only thing that they can't change much is their relative sized, and their proportions are very similar to humans.

Biological Traits

Changelings are about the same size and weight as elves, but they have the ability to change their bodies to look however they want.

Genetics and Reproduction

Changelings reproduce at the same rate as humans.

Growth Rate & Stages

Changelings attain maturity at 17 years of age. They live slightly less than humans, and few of them live to their 100 years.

Ecology and Habitats

Changelings live among human cities, where the diversity is favorable to them as they can appear as a member of any race they want to.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They eat the same as their host race do.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Changelings, as far as it is known, do not have a society of their own, but rather live, most of the time without revealing their real identity and instead adopting one or more personas, within cities ruled by other races, especially humans.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Work. Changelings have a difficult reputation, for they have been used frequently in missions of assassination or as spies or thieves. As such, many of the chagelings spend their whole life disguised as a persona and working without revealing their true identity. Should people suspect, they move. Still, many changelings go into the underword in search of money and a better life, albeit a criminal one.
Slavery. Since changelings can disguise anyone, they are very difficult to hold in captivity, and it's within their best interests always to stay disguised.

Facial characteristics

Their natural faces are grayish and bland, with white hair.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Changelings usually live within human towns.

Average Intelligence

They have intelligence comparable to the elves, and some of them take an interest in the study of magic.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Changelings can be extremely perceptive, noticing things others can not.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Changelings use names common in the societies they live in, as in, a changeling living on an elvish society will adapt an elvish name.

Major Organizations

None known.

Beauty Ideals

Their values of beauty tend to mix with the values held by the society they live into. Some changelings were known to view their own natural forms as ugly, preferring to keep an appearance of the society they lived into not because they needed to, but because they loathed their natural form.

Courtship Ideals

When courting other changelings openly, it is not expected from changelings to show their true form, as they can be ashamed for it. Changelings courting other changelings try to appear as beautiful as they can to attract the person they are trying to court. Changelings can also change form constantly before settling in the one their partner likes the most.

Relationship Ideals

Changelings trust others seldom and prefer to keep secrets to themselves. Some changelings avoid trusting entirely even their own family. Trust is very slowly gained and easily lost.
Most changelings also see trust in a relationship in a different way than most of the other races: for them, it's normal to lie and adopt a persona in front of others. This is not considered a break of trust or something reproachable, but rather a normal occurrence in changeling relationships.

Average Technological Level

Corresponding to their host race. Normally medieval.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

They do not have their own language, but rather tend to speak two or three languages from the places they were before. Most of the changelings have Common as their main language.

Common Etiquette Rules

Forcing a changeling to show their true form is considered a great insult by many of them, or even as something very intimate to others.

Common Dress Code

Changelings use whatever is appropriate to the disguise they are trying to portray, but in general, they prefer clothing that is large and practical, as they may need to change their appearance when using it, it's important to choose clothes that could work with whatever appearance the changeling intends to assume.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Not significant. The number of changelings is too small to have a big cultural impact. Some of them have found success as bards, and some songs composed by changeling bards are known throughout Elmincia.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Changelings put a high value on family, and families remain much closer than what is usual for humans even after some members of family marry. People from other races that a member of the family marries into is often accepted as part of the family as well, but only if the changeling has revealed their true identity to their partner.

History

The changelings have always been a seldom-seen species, who tend to live disguised, so their actual story is difficult to fathom. Most scholars believe they have evolved from the elves, but their short lifespan has so far contradicted this theory.
The first recorded sight of a changeling was in a small town called Coursir. A changeling was in charge of an orphanage in the region, disguised as the orphanage former caretaker. The townspeople found the body of the original caretaker, putting an end in the disguise, and the changeling was apprehended. At first, scholars believed that the new species was some kind of Doppelganger, but eventually, the new beings were classified as an entirely new species.
Further sightings of changelings have always been sporadic. Some of them are fine with who they are and reveal themselves, but most of them prefer to stay hidden. As there is no reliable way to tell who is changeling or not, it is believed that most of the changelings spend their lives disguised as humans, never letting their neighbors and friends learn of their true identity.

Common Myths and Legends

Changelings are not particularly religious, and most of their own myths and legends have now be lost to time, and they instead adapted to the customs of each of their host races.
They do in general hold one belief, however, that a time of great transformation is coming, and when it arrives the whole world will change. Changelings believe that while the world will survive, the last changeling will die during this time, and then the race will be no more. Given their current numbers, changelings believe that this time is near. How this myth is prevalent even between members of changelings who live in very isolated societies from others is a mystery.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Changelings mix well with humans, elves, dwarves and any other medium-sized race. They do avoid living among small-sized races like the gnomes and moogles as this makes it difficult for them to disguise themselves as members of the populace.

Lifespan

60 years, they rarely make past the 100 year mark.

Conservation Status

Changelings are very rare, and due to their nature, it is impossible to verify how many still exist in the world. It is believed that there are not many of them though, and the species might be at risk of extinction.

Average Height

1.5m - 1.8m

Average Weight

40 - 80 kg

Average Physique

Although they can appear very muscular if they want to, in general, Changelings are not very strong or resilient. Some of them can be very agile.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Their natural coloring is silvery.