Chimera

Origin

As mortals discovered magic and experimented with its uses, they learned about its possibility to alter the form of others. Mages have since spent time working on changing people and things for various reasons. The collective name for heavily modified creatures is Chimeras.

Creation and Effects

Chimeras vary a lot given the nature of their creation, so very few things apply universally to them. Generally, though, they remain fertile assuming their reproductive system wasn't changed. Their changes generally won't be passed on, however. It has happened, but in those instances, the offspring has always been infertile.
The chimeras tend to require quite some time to get used to their changes. The chimera might feel despair regarding the changes. Though it's fairly rare for individuals who have the changes done willingly.
Infusing an element into a chimera has been written off and if the writing is to be believed, it was quite common at one point, but it is next to unheard of in modern times. Most of the changes are done, purely to the flesh. And generally only changing the shape of the body or the surface. This is because of the difficulty of creating the articulation of limbs. Without extensive knowledge of the anatomy of the limb, creating a functional version of it is bordering on impossible.
Rapid changes or frequent changes will have a detrimental effect on the Chimera, often leading to mental instability. Letting the Chimera rest between the changes is generally adviced so as to not break its mind. However, radical changes can also give rise to odd sensations. The removal of limbs has a risk to give rise to phantom feelings. It's safer to not add limbs that will later be removed. The worst-case leads to the Chimera to be in constant pain, without a source of said pain.

History

There have been several examples of Chimeras throughout history. Some of the more famous examples are:
A pair of young human females. They were both given wings, though in very different styles. One was given large white feathered wings on her back, while the other was given black bat-like wings with red details of equal size. The one with bat-like wings was also given large curved horns, spikes forming heels and a long hairless tail, ending in a point. The one with white wings, however, was given a soft glow and a crown of gold, which was fused into her head.
A male orc who was given massive bulk to his arms, giving him large enough arms to almost reach the ground. To help him deal with it, his back was also reinforced.
A male elf with a large number of tentacles on his back. Each tentacle has the equivalent strength of one of his arms.
A female dwarf who had several dozen eyes. She had eyes around her entire head, giving her 360 vision. She also had an additional 4 legs. All of her legs, including her original 2 was changed to make them useful.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical