Humans (Playable):

Humanity refers to two distinct halves that at one point were at great odds with one another. Homosapiens, and Awakened. Humans are known for being intelligent, resourceful and strong, especially when united against a common threat. While their lifespans are typically shorter than those of BeastKins and Viragos and they carry no innate magic, their desire for legacy fueled their innovations throughout history that they’d leave behind. These traits of ingenuity and the constant drive to improve themselves have allowed them to survive in a hostile world, constantly changing. However, their tendency to fight among themselves when divided presents a vital weakness, especially when faced against their more common enemies such as the Nightmare creature who embody the darkest corners of their psyche and feed off their negative influence.

Widely believed (yet occasionally argued against) to be this world’s first sentient inhabitants, humans have the highest social standing in modern society. They’re the heads of the technologies we utilize to shape our everyday lives as well as the primary figures of the political world. Their vast and diverse histories are recorded in books shared to the public, and their cultures remain intact through their traditions, music, and fashion. All of which continues to evolve throughout the times. Though despite this, no two humans are the same. They differ in gender, ideology, ethnicity, attraction, skillsets, origins, etc. While this differentiation amongst them is bound to cause division and strife, it is also a beauty amongst humanity that will continue to thrive. 

As living creatures born from light, humans possess what is best referred to as a soul. A pool of energy that collects all the things that makes them who they are. Their dreams, and their fears. Their aspirational selves, and their darkest reflections. However, the key ingredient that brews within this pool of self identity and limitless potential is that of the Genesis Gene. The natural manifestation of the soul which enhances the natural physical capabilities of a human and grants them supernatural abilities and powers. Unique expressions of these abilities are specific to individuals and are now widely known and regarded as a person's Gift. Those who are able to tap into and unlock their Genesis Gene claim the technical term of ‘Awakened’ but are more commonly referred to as Gifted.

Beastkin (Playable):

When humans couldn't match the trials of nature, nor match the tenacity of its beasts, man beseeched the spirits for aid- spirits called the Animi. For their worship, gifts, and reverence, humans were bestowed in kind an investment of potential. To grow claws like the wolves that stalk them, or deepen their wisdom like the owls who keep watchful eyes on the woods. Survival, if not at the cost of their human souls becoming crossing lines with the beasts within themselves.

Beastkin are a varied species with as many kinds of animal as there are in the ecosystem, not to mention their retained humanity, however diminished. There are three common variances among Beastkin: low, medium, and high Temperance. As your temperance rises you lose human features in favor of beastial ones. Starting from low-temperance a Beastkin is a majority human with minor traits: glowing eyes, thicker hair, and fangs for instance.

As their humanity recedes they adopt more and more animalistic traits before becoming unrecognizable as human.

Not all Beastkin have this affinity for nature as the beast in their blood has faded and what remains are traits passed down hereditarily as opposed to developed naturally. For the ones still carrying the embers of the Animi in their soul they have the blessing, or curse, of leaving humanity and embracing the beast. These are what grant the Beastkin their unique powers that surpass their animal counterparts or inherit strange magics and develop them as a gifted might. These powers are called Boons. Unlike gifts, Boons develop by entreating the ideals of the patron Animi responsible for these Boons. A lion Beastkin must display courage, leadership, and loyalty to his family to push his beast and develop the Booms further. A snake Beastkin is rewarded with mischief and trickery.

The path to becoming Beastkin is lost to the collective knowledge, but whether by a stray plea falling on the Animi's ears, a Beastkin eager to follow in the path of her ancestors and give offerings, or in some instances an Animi has chosen a human for any particular reason to be bestowed its boon. All are valid reasons a human might turn Beastkin.

Beyond indulging in the Boon invested in themselves, a Beastkin can go further and cannibalize other kin to consume their Boons and further his own. In doing so the Beastkin evolves into the Durano; an apex amongst his kin.

Viragos (Playable):

In the annals of history, whispered in hushed tones and etched into the very bones of the earth, there exists a lineage of warriors known as the Virago-women of unparalleled might, beings of flesh and legend. Some say they are the daughters of Eve, the first of their kind born from her defiance, imbued with strength to stand against the tyranny of men. Others believe their origin lies in a singular divine manifestation, a force birthed by the cosmos itself to shield the innocent from the world's unrelenting cruelty.

Whatever their true genesis, the Virago have walked among mortals since the dawn of time, revered as demigods and warrior queens, feared by kings and warlords alike. Their presence shapes the tides of history, their existence a testament to the boundless power of the feminine spirit

Virago is no ordinary woman. From the moment of her birth, she is bound to a destiny that sets her apart from mankind. Her body is a temple of power—an instrument forged in the crucible of something far greater than mere mortality. She can lift three times her own weight with ease, her sinews woven with the strength of the ancients. No beast can outpace her, no man can match her endurance, for her body does not tire like that of lesser beings. Fatigue is but a distant whisper to her, a fleeting thing that barely kisses her skin before vanishing into nothingness. Wounds that would slay an ordinary warrior are mere inconveniences to a Virago. Her flesh knits itself back together at an unnatural pace, her resilience akin to the great beasts of myth. Though she is not truly immortal, death itself must work harder to claim her.

But strength alone does not define a Virago. She is born with an innate understanding of battle, a hunger for the art of war. Even without training, she moves with a warrior's grace, her instincts honed as if by a thousand lifetimes of combat. Yet, when guided-when shaped by discipline and knowledge she becomes an unstoppable force, a harbinger of destruction against those who dare to stand against her.

More than just warriors, the Virago wield an even greater gift—a connection to a realm beyond the physical. With but a thought, they may call upon this hidden domain, summoning weapons crafted from the echoes of their very souls. Blades, axes, spears—each tool of war born from their essence.

Spirits (Non Playable):

Then there are the Spirits, the metaphysical guardians handcrafted by the living through collective belief and worship to protect themselves in response to the dangers of the world throughout history. The living in question could range from humans to animals to nature itself, as each inherits a soul and thus are capable of spawning their own spirit. 

First are the spirits of nature. Though you may question how nature itself can have a belief, the answer is relatively simple. No matter what, a living organism still feels pain, which of course includes plants. So when enough plants are in danger from overgrazing or deforestation, those plants will cry out, and in response, a class of spirits known as the Ketsinam will be created. Animalistic in nature they are as wild as the winds and as unpredictable as storms. The Force of Nature distinction is made up of lower spirits such as Yokai and other mythical creatures, as well as Cryptids. A lot of the malevolent spirits can be found here as they're caused by the destruction of their habitats. When this happens they become volatile and grotesque, becoming petty and spiteful until their habitat has been fixed. This sub-distinction is made up mostly of water and forest spirits.

Second is the primal cloud of dream the Animal Kingdom knows as the Animi; a class of Spirit whose sole conjurers are animals. They emerge in a variety of forms from small animals to sprawling landscapes that encapsulate a location. In general you can expect an Animi to don the form of a keystone in an ecosystem. In the savanna a watering hole becomes the focal point for the ecosystem and its importance spawns an Animi. Wolves, though they are predators, uphold the delicate balance and are nominal visages for Animi. Though their form is based on a location or animal, they are often strange and bizarrely deviant from the larger population with clear markers for the supernatural. Such creatures are not formed from the ideals of animals nor their fears, but rather the pure and concentrated emotion unclouded by higher thought. They are love, hunger, fear and bliss. They are simple with little regard for higher ambitions, though that’s not to say an Animi can’t have goals. Like Nightmares and their common appetite for torment, Animi simply wishes to meet its needs. The power Animi possess is largely dominion over their habitat and magic tied to the symbolic nature of the animal they represent: A spider Animi has many eyes and resigns her gaze to the ever spinning web that is the future. A butterfly creates merciless quakes and hammering winds with the flap of its wings at its whim. The ox presses his horns into the mountainside and moves it out of sight of the sunrise. Incredible powers symbolic of the animals they embody. Locational Animi, like watering holes, hold more power over their environment and can manipulate the forces most dominant there like a desert Animi focusing the sun's scorching rays on a mound of sand turned to glass.

Thirdly are the Deital Spirits who have a bit more sub distinctions, as this class can be separated into belief sizes to explain their power, whether that be towns, territories, countries, churches, or familial/household deities. You might recognize them more under the name of Gods, as they get their power purely from how much their people believe in them. But under every circumstance, Deital Spirits are powerful beings. Dating back as far as the first cave people who prayed to spirits in the promise of good hunts and safe labors, they've practically watched the growth of the species and how they've set their footprint on the world. For example there exist Amaterasu, and Zeus, the Tezcatlipocas. The main difference is that they don't usually have ties specifically to controlling land, but instead people. Household/Familial, a subclass of Deital spirits, are as old and as widespread of an ideology as mankind itself. These spirits are a smaller class that stick to distinct families whether they still believe in them or not. Familiar Spirits protect specific families or homes. Familial Spirits, also known as the Ancestors in the East, make their contract with the head of the family, and whenever someone in the family dies they gain an aspect of said person. Though while that happens their main purpose is to give the head of the family a contract boon so that they can use their power to protect the family more physically even after their physical vessel is laid to rest. Household Spirits, while being very similar, don't usually make contracts and more so protect the family through the use of making the home more comfortable. They make the food taste better, keep your bedsheets warm, and can make you feel as if you belong like a loving hug from the home itself. They work as a sort of ward, so evil entities have a hard or impossible time entering their very small territory.

Nightmares (Non Playable):

The 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬; creatures of hollow void whom seek the light in humanity. They are the altar of all the worst aspects of the sentient experience and sustain themselves off 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟, and 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲. These are 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬, though they’ve been known by other names all throughout human history.

But, if they hail from the land of dreams, why do they prefer the company of mortals? Such creatures yearn for the material plane, finding the potential and growth of [Redacted] a poor substitute for the light of man. But whatever their true origin, be it shadows or corruption, it is undeniable: they are 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. Creatures of 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐲… And 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. 

Nightmares escape from [Redacted] and operate in The Waking as 𝐌𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. These are creatures new to the shallow experience of animation, not yet given full solidification. To anchor themselves to the material they must take 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 of an object— a medallion, a street lamp, a book, etc. They feed on negative energy through harm and terror. However, it isn’t until they grow to Jinn that Nightmares can possess greater targets. 

𝐉𝐢𝐧𝐧 may possess 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. In the case of the latter, they expand their dominion over a home, a school, a hospital, etc. In this state they can manifest forms, albeit flimsy and amorphous. Nightmares of this status attain 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 and the 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 to achieve an aspect. 

Once a Jinn acquires an aspect, whether through 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 enough nightmares or gathering enough souls to possess a concept, they become 𝐆𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬: creatures whose influence on the waking world is likened to poltergeists. Geists build themselves around their aspect, be it changing their forms to something fitting such as an aspect of doctors dressing as one or of fire to manifest as an inferno. To compare any two nightmares is a tall task for even the most educated in the matter.

Connection to an aspect can alter and change certain behaviors and attitude dependent on whether they derive a majority of emotion from fear, anger, grief, disgust, etc. The psyche of the nightmare and how they engage mortals hinges on the interpretation of how negative emotions influences a nightmare, but generally an aspect can both simmer hatred or curiosity and sympathy with mortals.

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 inhabit Nightmares as much as nightmares do aspects— resulting in shifting ideologies, perceptions, and appearance as humanity’s image of their aspect grow or recontextualize in new ways. A nightmare of technology will constantly evolve and change face as fast as humanity innovates. At first their abilities may have been limited to hardware, but overtime it later expands into the internet, weapons of destruction, etc. 

Aspects 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 with the negative emotions humanity projects onto them. The dark is feared, celebrities are envied, loss is grieved, and so on. These emotions define a large part of how nightmares engage mortals and the waking world. 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 can change a nightmare into a monster just as much as it can a protector. 𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐞 can brew into disdain and malice for humanity, just as much as it can ambition and energy.

Nightmares, despite their origins as creatures lacking soul, are no less capable of dreaming and emotion as the mortals they surround themselves with. Many are passive; content with the sustenance they find from those around them, and others may even seek good intentions(albeit they still cause harm in some manner). As colorful as human perception is, so too are nightmares and their capacity to exist. Their engagement with mortals lends to their curiosity, whether choosing to live as a ‘mortal’ or watching affairs transpire from far away. This curiosity goes both ways and inspires mortals to 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧, 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, and seek 𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, resulting in contracts. Though just as many see humans as livestock, some see kindred dreamers. What each nightmare dreams of is wholly unique to them, and thus are in many ways incarnations of humanity's darkest emotions… For fear can just as well make monsters as it can inspire protectors.