An
alourian collection of studies on the nature and functions of
Changelings.
Article Content
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General Biology (Credit to Jun Karkatur)
The process through which changelings mold their form is a great and limited one. By observing the physical characteristics of a potential template, they can reshape their muscular and skeletal structure to near-perfectly replicate what their eyes can see.
The biological fluidity of the changeling body allows for a self-sufficient metabolism. In the specific case of the changelings, this allows a specimen to enter a prolonged hibernation. Should a specimen remain motionless and relaxed, they can enter a state of mind without thinking and feeling, and, most interestingly, live without food and water for as long as no extraneous activity is undertaken during the time they ’sleep’. Given the average lifespan of three-hundred years and their natural curiosity, something severe must occur before a changeling willingly enters such a long absence from the experiences of the world.
Visual stimulus is acquired and processed with unprecedented speed in comparison to human bioelectrical signals, and the information is stored in a dedicated section of the cerebral cortex. This stimulus remains indefinitely and updates of the stimulus are not acquired.
The older a changeling gets, the more fluid the rest of their existence becomes. Not just the body, but the mind, the senses, even memories. It is an evolutionary ability called “Extrasensory Touch”. It utilizes the unique magic inside changelings to mix with the magic, chemicals and/or nervous systems of other living things to impart and retrieve experiences, allowing complex ideas, memories, skills and knowledge to be absorbed in seconds.
Shapeshifting (Credit to Aestin Horrundus)
In an extensive study sponsored by the
Empire (Karkatur. J, A.B.S; 6,933; Marshal; 2nd Week; Tûrsday), Jun Karkatur of
Als Alour discovered that the ability of changelings to shapeshift differs in capability depending on apparent age.
A newborn changeling (more on changeling sexuality and reproduction in later chapters), has the ability to shapeshift immediately upon birth. This has, as one might expect, limited results. As far as a newborn can replicate shapes of any humanoid it sees, should it do so from the stimulus of an adult of a similarly shaped humanoid, regardless of species, the result is most humorous. As a personal witness, to see a full beard on an otherwise featureless, small entity is a disturbingly comical sight.
Later, as a changeling learn to control their shifting, by trial and error, instinct or at the hands of their parent or a teacher, they learn how to pick and choose characteristics from the species around them, creating entirely new shapes and figures.
As a changeling grow and age to around their sixth decade, they develop the ability to adapt characteristics of more than just humanoids; the wings of a bird, the horns of a deer, the claws of a crab. At this stage of their development, it is restricted to mere parts. This includes what is demonstrably clothing. However, after their one-hundred-twentieth decade, their forms have reached a level of adaptability and fluidity of form that allows for the full transformation into animals, beasts and monsters.
The most famous specimen of this incredible species named themselves
Form Fatour, with the capability to assume the shape of a
dragon.
There are some individual forms that changelings can not take, and the reason for this rare circumstance is an individual’s willpower, their force of will, their Charisma to change the world around them.
Community (Credit to Sansi Beira)
In the times when changelings socialized together in a larger context and for a longer period of time, they did so in closed-off communities in whatever environment they saw fit to settle down in. Except the majorly lethal environments, changelings have the capability to populate any environment on the planet, including within the sea and in the skies.
They care deeply for their offspring, even throughout their adulthood at the end of their third decade, becoming far more relaxed in their parental duties to the end of the first six decades. At this point, if the changeling has not yet learned how to survive, the changeling view remains consistent across the communities this scribe have read about; they lack the skills and therefore the right to live. A grim outlook, to be sure, but this is a biased opinion without the experience of the hardships of a changeling child.
Culture (Credit to Orry Vanast)
Changelings, also known outside their communities as harlequins or jokers, value creativity rather highly, expressed in the unique forms they create with inspiration from the people whose communities they have joined through clandestine means.
They similarly value the skills of a trade, such as blacksmithing, cooking and the like, as a means to show dedication, willingness to endure hard work and the assimilation of another species culture.
So-called ‘culture festivals’ would be held at regular intervals, where members of the community would compete for the most subjectively interesting and unique accumulation of characteristics into a uniform shape. It is subjective because there is never a prize to be won, but the presentation of their hard work to their fellows seems to be enough reward.
History (Credit to Richie Rayfold)
Before the
Rule of Madness, changeling culture was one of isolation, secrecy and close-knit groups of ideally twenty to thirty members, with those of one-hundred-twenty years leaving to gather experiences elsewhere. These groups would live within enclosed communities amongst those of other species in secret. Their very existence were held in question by the general populace, considered nothing but rumour and superstition. But after the rise of the
Truespoken Dynasty, they were hunted down and were, instead of joining the vast list of extinct races, captured whenever the
Truespoken’s
Righteous Raids could find them.
Afterwards, the aggressors would brainwash and train the captured changelings into unprecedented assassins to serve their purposes of continued domination. This was, to the detriment of many high ranking members of the
Defiance, a very successful venture, well worth the many casualties they suffered during such capturing operations.
Reproduction (Credit to Kelliandri Sira)
Changelings can engage is sexual intercourse with other species while in the form of a humanoid with the appropriate reproductive organs, but contrary to popular belief, this does not conceive a child in any way connected, by blood or by magic, to the true owner of form the changeling is utilizing for the creation or birthing of a child. The child will inherit aspects of the physical appearance the changeling is in the form of, but that is the extent of the connection. They do, however, inherit the inherent physical aversion to lightning and electricity, their skin rippling as that of their changeling parent, but to a lesser degree.
This particular discovery thwarted any future attempts by entrepreneuring changelings who took the form of royals and conceived a "bastard child", which, while classicaly not a major problem, has shifted the directions of countries in the past.
While in a female form and pregnant, the changeling is unable to shapeshift, the pregnancy grounding their form and locking in the future appearance of their child. This is one of the reasons why changelings are so discerning and critical of potential childbearing forms, seeking the optimal strength and astounding beauty in unwitting candidates.
This method does not produce a changeling, however.
Changelings reproduce by pulling new changelings out of the Pools of Reflection, the most sacred locations of the species where they first originated, after pouring their love and affection into it, letting it seep from them and into the waters where it coalesces into a newborn child. This process can be done by any number of changelings at a time, sometimes creating rather large families.
The Pools of Reflection in which a changeling is born due to the actions of one or more parents can sometimes spontaneously birth a changeling. Research remains unconclusive, but theories have been made with reasoning ranging from how the lingering essence of a regular birth has grown into a life of its own or that it is a reincarnation of a deceased changelings. The answer continues to elude
arcanists on the job.
A most interesting metaphysical aspect of the changelings is that the fewer changelings there are in the world, the higher the urge for each changeling to reproduce. This makes it difficult for more than two changelings to be in one place at the same time unless it is a large grouping. As long as there are two changelings near each other, the urge is stronger the fewer there are in their vicinity, so if there are many nearby, such as in a settlement or a clan or similar, this urge is diluted.
Shapers (Credit to Jun Karkatur & Aestin Horrundus)
Shape of Deception
They are creatures of deception on a fundamental level. Lies are their tool and ignorance is their food. Every time a creature looks upon them in a taken form, they are fed a little. Every time a creature believes a lie they tell, they are fed much. Every time a grand deception rings true in the ears of numerous ignorants, they are fed plenty. It is in the nature of a changeling to lie, for it is their power.
An experienced, highly evolved changeling inevitably realizes a fundamental fact about truth and deception: The greatest lies ever told were comprised of far more truth than deceit.
Changelings of the Shape of Deception eventually evolve into a new level of lying, to have the deceit they seek to spread infuse itself into their words, honeying their intent with fabricated truth that seems true.
Evolving further, they acquire the capability of wielding their own created illusions when their deceptions reach a monumental level.
Shape of Connection
While it is true that changelings are creatures of deception on a fundamental level, they stand apart from Doppelgangers in that they also are creatures of connection. To live life as multiple people grants a higher level of understanding of other people and grows a sense of empathy that is simply unmatched by other species. Every time they become and then understand another creature, they are fed a little. Every time they establish a connection with the people of a civilization, they are fed much. Every time they achieve an empathetic comprehension of a culture, they are fed plenty.
An experienced, highly evolved changeling inevitably realizes a fundamental fact about empathy and connection: To truly understand others, one must open their mind to the comprehensions that others have achieved and to accept that the experiences and lessons of others are real and lived.
Changelings of the Shape of Connection eventually evolve into the capability of copying memories of the forms they see and empathetic telepathy with those who they have come to understand.
Shape of Matter
Beyond the Shapes of Deception and Connection, the Shape of Matter, the tradition and power of the physical, are practiced by a rare few Changelings amongst the rare species they are. They attempt to learn the power of Mimics using their own malleable forms. Every time they incorporate non-living material into their form, they are fed a little. Every time they succeed in turning themselves into matter, they are fed much. Every time they succeed in turning matter into themselves, they are fed plenty.”
An experienced, highly evolved changeling inevitably realizes a fundamental fact about empathy and connection: To truly understand others, one must open their mind to the comprehensions that others have achieved and to accept that the experiences and lessons of others are real and lived.
Changelings of the Shape of Matter eventually evolve their shapeshifting into accessing the shapes of non-humanoids.
Evolving further, they acquire the capability of manipulating matter upon touch to absorb it into their body.
Reaching their true potential, they can merge their body with matter which they can then control.
