Changeling

Changelings are a humanoid race that an entity known as, The Game Master of Q, created with shapeshifting qualities. Their shapeshifting abilities has led to them being used as spies and assassins which has, in turn, led to them being mistrusted among many people. A changelings' shapeshifting abilities allow them to mimic almost any creatures, humanoid or not. In addition, their ability can also allow them to camouflage according to their surroundings, even shift organs into other areas, and healing wounds. Changelings are extremely convincing in their new form, however there is a limit on how long they can hold their disguise. That said, Changelings do revert to their true forms upon death, and certain magics can detect a changelings' true form.

Basic Information

Anatomy

While changelings can look like anyone at any given time, they do have a true form. Their natural look can be scary to some due to their lack of detail and distinctive features. Their skin tone is always pale, either white or light gray, and they tend to have slender bodies with limbs slightly longer in proportion to other humanoids. They have large colorless eyes circled by thick black rings. Their hair color is most commonly a light shade of silver followed by platinum and blonde. In rarer cases, their hair can be pale shades of green, pink, and blue. Similar to elves, changelings lack body and facial hair. However, most changelings are rarely seen in their true form and prefer to adopt all kinds of humanoid shapes, treating their appearance like others treat clothes. This includes gender.

Growth Rate & Stages

Changelings reach maturity slightly faster than humans and live a bit longer than humans do; typically about 150 years, but there are ones that have lived up to 300 years.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Blessed by FaeQ, Changelings have an increased sense of hearing and sight allowing them to collect more information from the environment around them to aid them in their camouflage.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

All changeling names are unisex and are very short, usually one syllable.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

In general, changelings are prudent and cautious, preferring to take risks only when they feel that their chances are good or the payoff is worth it. They appreciate the finer things in life and take great pleasure in the comforts of a wealthy lifestyle when they can obtain it. They avoid direct confrontation, preferring stealthy strikes and hasty retreats whenever possible. In conversation, they are soft-spoken but have a gift for drawing out more information than the other party usually plans to reveal.
Having no culture of their own, changelings slip into other's societies and blend in. Rather than creating their own art and achievements, changelings are happy with claiming other societies' as their own. This nomadic lifestyle has led changelings to become exceptionally adaptable people. Changelings will not simply shapeshift into a new person but rather create a new whole one. Most changelings will set up a handful of personas so if one is compromised they can disappear and switch to one of their others. Their personas are incredibly realistic and have their own personality traits, backgrounds, and a network of friends. Changelings can be evasive and will often try to avoid confrontation or anything that will draw attention to themselves.
Naturally Deceptive Changelings' inborn abilities leave them uniquely suited to professions that rely on subterfuge or disguise.

• Assassins Changeling assassins, thieves, and spies avoid detection by adopting the form of an unassuming commoner or trusted ally to get close to a target.
• Performers Due to the persecution and mistrust of their race, many famous changeling performers (such as actors and acrobats) keep their true form hidden from their audience at all times.
• Diplomats Changelings have a gift for languages and are quick to pick up the social cues and manners of other cultures.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Many changelings take up one of three philosophical beliefs when it comes to their mutable forms and these philosophies guide many aspects of a changeling's day-to-day life.

• Passers are changelings who wish to fit in with conventional society and live life in only one form or at the least suppress their shape-changing abilities to better fit in with those around them. Other changelings will often view passers with contempt and use slang words such as "pretender" or "actor" to mock them.
• Becomers believe that to be a changeling is to possess many different shapes and often different identities and lives altogether. A becomer takes the concept of a dual life to a whole new degree and some will successfully live as several "different people" for many years.
• Seekers or "reality seekers" are convinced that a great truth exists which only the changelings can discover; they suppress their shapechanging abilities even more than passers and prefer to live or socialize with other changelings.

History

Due to their nature, changelings do not have much recorded history. It is thought that they are the result of interbreeding between humans and doppelgangers. However, it is also claimed that changelings were first created by an powerful entity known as, The Game Master of Q, to be used as "pawns" for game strategy. As a race changelings don't have their own history but are members of other civilizations' history, whether it be in secret or publicly.

Common Myths and Legends

One of the myths about Changelings that are told around campfires is that FaeQ assisted in the creation of the race by extracting some of his shapeshifting powers and gave the power physical form and life. This myth also explains the trickery nature of Changelings by saying that the spark and power originated from FaeQ.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Changelings have long been persecuted by other races, seen at best as tricksters and con-artists, at worst as thieves and assassins. Many people find it hard to trust changelings, and while their talents make them natural spies and criminals, in reality, a changeling is just as likely as any creature to turn to good or evil. Some changelings work hard to remove this stigma, but each time a changeling is caught robbing from a wealthy merchant or sneaking about where they are not welcome, it only perpetuates the stereotype.

Lifespan

150 Years