Arceniens

The Charmers of Arcein

The people of Arcein hold a peculiar prestige in the eyes of Central Nevians- not warriors, not scholars, and yet they provide casual luxuries that many cannot bear to go without. Cloth that shimmers, light that floats, candles that never go down- these casual feats of magic would be impossible without them.

Arceniens are a minor Nevian ethnicity, living mostly in their home city of Arcein and rarely travelling. If they aren't there, then they're probably living near an arena, forge, workshop, or any other place where their services are needed.

Appearance-

Arceniens have small, childlike builds, pale skin, and round faces, with wide eyes and hollow rings for pupils. Their hair is dense and fur-like, and they commonly assume a bipedal, mostly humanoid form.
Though they are capable of shape shifting, Arceniens cannot assume a fully human shape, and they will always keep their furred ears, legs, and tail, some even retaining fur markings on their skin. They have a few natural defenses- thin, brittle claws and needle-like teeth - but they are not very strong, and prefer to flee rather than fight.

Main Exports-

Charmed items are Arcien's main export, and they hold a monopoly on them, as only Arceniens can charm things. The most commonplace feat of magic, barely considered truly magical, charmed items are simply as a part of life for most in Nevia. Decently well-off families will have at least a handful of charmed objects, even if they aren't high-level charms, and they prove very useful for ordinary life. Any object that behaves even slightly out of place- cups that don't go cold, a trinket with patterns that seem to move- is likely to be charmed, and these items are usually passed down through generations, as they show a strange durability.

Shape-shifting-

Arceniens are decent at shape shifting, able to switch between two forms. One form is more humanoid, and one is more bestial- often resembling a large cat with long ears and a bushy tail. They cannot alter their appearance outside of this, however, and the two forms share many traits- tail, ears, and furred legs remain constant, and their hair always matches their fur. Because of this, their shape shifting is useless for camouflage, and is only used for convenience or combat. Usually, they stay in human form.
All Arceniens have different levels of 'bleed' in their appearance. This refers to how similar their two forms are, and is increased with constant shifting. Arceniens already have a high level of bleed, sharing tail, ears, and legs, as well as traits like hair and eye color, but some have even more, growing patches of fur, retaining fur markings, or even keeping paw pads on their hands when in human form.
Different groups have different opinions on this- to some, retaining distinction between forms is incredibly important, and children are taught to only shift when needed, and to view their bestial forms as a tool, not a part of them. To others, shifting constantly is encouraged, and so is high levels of bleed. These Arceniens grow capable of switching forms and back again in less than a second, but are compelled to shift regularly and become distressed if they cannot. They can also pick up habits offsetting to most Nevians, as bleed affects behavior as well as physical traits. They commonly find it difficult to remain fully human.

Charming-

However, an Arcenien's main ability is their charming. Each Arcenien has an affinity to a certain charm or craft, like illumination, or woodcarving. Within an affinity, they can choose a branch to specialize in- like charming lights to float on command, or making wood-carvings look alive. Most Arceniens have just one specialty, but work anywhere within their affinity. Those who specialize in two or more branches are highly respected.
Creative affinities are by far the most common, but others are possible. Rarely, an Arcenien is born with a defensive or offensive affinity- these Arceniens may be able to charm objects to be unbreakable, or to cause more damage. They often go into forging, as charms are more powerful if the charmer and the creator of an object is the same.
The rarest affinity is the ability to make Shimmers. Often used in arena fighting, they are small, incredibly valuable tokens that can be pre-loaded with offensive and defensive charms. They are difficult to create even for those with an affinity for them, as they need to be capable of holding more than one charm- a very rare trait. Charming Shimmers also requires some expertise, as placing charms on them becomes more difficult the more charms that the Shimmer has. Much arena strategy is centered on what charms to use.

Fashion and beauty standards-

An Arceniens eyes are considered their most striking feature, as well as the one they value the most. Makeup that enhances eyes is very common, and is worn casually by any gender. Because of the focus on clearly defined, high-contrast eyes as attractive, almost all Arceniens own some kind of coloured contact lenses, with particularly beauty-conscious Arceniens having half a dozen or more lenses to switch between for different situations and outfits.
Clothing-wise, ornate, jeweled clothing is popular, as it shows wealth and power. Purely aesthetically, Arceniens love complex designs, bright colours, and jewels/shiny add-ons, and though their clothes are an eyesore to some, other love it's uniqueness and creativity.