Azoimorph

Azoimorphs are a sapient species native to Jitua. Aesthetically indistinguishable from humans, their most distinctive feature is their ability to shapeshift into inanimate objects. They are often confused with the species polymorph (different from the condition polymorphism), who can shapeshift into other living bipedals of roughly similar size. Differences in their magical abilities aside, the two species are almost identical and often lumped together as simply "morphs".
Both azoimorphs and polymorphs are categorised as Restricted from birth in Jitua's current regime. This is the lowest caste, and impossible to move up from. Any Restricted person is forbidden from certain areas even in the Undercity, has almost no legal rights, and subject to be seconded for compulsory work by the Order at any time. Azoimorphs, like polymorphs, while looked down on by society, are also seem as useful tools for spying on other civilians.
The ability of an azoimorph has severe drawbacks. Unlike polymorphs, they can shrink or grow significantly when they morph, so they can shapeshift into something far more discreet than a person-sized object, such as a book or an ornament. An object their own size comes with a limit of twelve hours; the bigger the difference in size, the smaller the limit. Shapeshifting into something as small as a pen, for instance, would make the limit in minutes rather than hours. While exceeding the limit through force of will is entirely possible, it's also dangerous, and frequent practise of this has a devastating irreversible effect on the azoimorph: they begin turning, permanently, into inanimate form--i.e. a statue.
Being seconded for work by the Order for an azoimorph is a guaranteed death sentence, as they will be worked for as long as their bodies can do as they are asked. Once morphing into the specified objects is no longer physically possible, by which time the azoimorph is already partly made of stone, they are discarded to spend the rest of their breathing days, if they're lucky, being cared for at an overcrowded community hospital in the Undercity, before their completely stone corpse is retrieved by the Order and placed on grotesque display.
Azoimorphs are sometimes compared with gargoyles, which have a similar ability to become inanimate. However that's pretty much as far as the similarity goes: gargoyles are not sapient, despite persistent tales of them using speech, and they can change back and forth between their default state of stone, and flesh. While variations on their form is mimicked in genuine statuary all over, to the point that it becomes very difficult to tell the difference between a real living gargoyle and a gargoyle-inspired statue (confusingly called the same thing by laypeople and architects), they are most definitely living creatures and can be identified as such by an expert eye even in their stone form. Unlike azoimorphs, which are indistinguishable from actual objects without the use of a magic detector when in morph.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

There is only one organisation run by azoimorphs, since Restricted cannot own their own businesses, and that is a charitable one called What Do You Need where the members, all azoimorphs, lend themselves out to community hospitals as much-needed medical equipment. While the Restricted are only entitled to a limited education, occasionally educated people fall from grace, and once relegated to the Undercity are able to share their knowledge through private tutoring or in community schools. What Do You Need's members began by shapeshifting into simple devices they were able to understand, but with gradual increase in understanding of medicine and medical equipment, are able to stand in for more and more advanced technology (their efforts tested before being used on patients, obviously). Of course the time limits apply, so they focus their efforts on the most practical items to make the most effective impact.

Courtship Ideals

It is far from uncommon for azoimorphs and polymorphs to court or wed. In fact many think of them as the same species, which they are not--it would be more accurate to say they are cousin species, like the Ishinnhe and Ithonnhe. Children with one azoimoph parent and one polymorph parent may be genetically hybrids, but their ability would be of one or the other, there is never a mix of the two. But the connection between the species is great enough that each is very much aware of each others' traditions and rituals and the lines between them can often be very blurred.
Courtship is taken very seriously in Ishtor, the official religion of Jitua. To agree to enter courtship with someone is tantamount to signing an agreement to marry them unless something goes horribly wrong with the courtship. (Such as one of them goes to prison, or there's a serious scandal, or one of them falls very ill.) Because of this, most Jituans prefer to form friendships with those they are romantically interested in before going into official courtship. Like other Jituan species, azoimorphs have their own courtship customs.
When a male azoimorph first approaches a female azoimorph with the intention of courting her, it is custom for him to knock on her door and then morph into an ornate jug on her doorstep. Nobody knows exactly where this ritual came from, or to be more precise who the person was that first decided to woo a lady by turning into a jug, but it's the first step in courtship and probably considered the most important until the wedding itself. When a woman opens the door to find a jug on it, she has to choose how to react. If she brings it inside, fills it with water, and returns it to the doorstep, it indicates her acceptance of his courtship.
While the man in question will effort to dazzle her with the most beautiful jug his imagination can summon up, and that may have been how the tradition started, in reality, azoimorphs can tell each other apart in morph form if the one morphing allows it, and assuming they have already met, she will base her decision on previous interactions rather than how pretty the jug is. Should a jug not be willing for the recipient to not know who it is, that understandably rings alarm bells. As for non-azoimorph recipients, the jug-morpher will usually make sure their name or another identifying feature is on the jug, to indicate who he is. Of course this approach can technically be taken advantage of by azoimorphs who want to trick a non-azoimorph into agreeing to court him, but should such an occasion occur, the woman in question can appeal to the local temple, who take a dim view of such trickery.

History

As long as the Ishinnhe have ruled over Jitua, both morph species have been oppressed in the societal system. The hierarchy was designed this way by the Lord Elder to limit any threat to his reign; magic in Jitua is very heavily regulated and restricted, and those who have innate abilities of one sort or other are placed in a position where they can be used but cannot fight back.
Little has changed in this regard in centuries. The only significant event was when a group of Unregistered, which included a couple of azoimorphs, made an attack on the city of Jangir--an unheard of incident which was quickly hushed up. The azoimorphs were smuggled into the city on the miners' train, but the group hadn't banked on a secret technology used by the Order which allowed them to detect whether an object or person was a morph in disguise. The whole group was rounded up and executed in secret.

Common Myths and Legends

There are many conflicting legends about the genesis of the azoimorphs. One, notable for its distinction from the genesis of the polymorphs, says they were originally statues that the Great Dragon breathed life into. (In that version, polymorphs were created by the Titan Jitu to spy on his siblings.) In most other tales, the two species share a similar or connected origin. The stories vary from them originally being humans who were cursed (which doesn't pan out genetically) to being created by the original xarthi, back when they were immortal, as slave labour. One forbidden story that has nevertheless prevaled orally, is that the first azoimorph and the first polymorph were twins born to a xarthi who had an illicit relationship with a Ithonnhe. While unlikely to be true, the Order have nevertheless striven to suppress this story, as it depicts a fallible xarthi blatantly breaking Ishtor law. In reality xarthi are held to Ishtor law even more rigidly than anyone, as they cannot ever be seen by those they oppress to have a weakness.