THE WORLD AS THE LEMEA SEE IT
Lemea are a race of beings from a world in the not-far-off Kepler-62 system (about 1,200 light years away from Earth). The planet they live on is "Kepler-62f" according to humans, but for the Lemea, their home is lovingly called Efferia. Efferia is a lot like Earth is: there are mountains, a great ocean, some plains, and many many many waterfalls. The great ocean is a mostly inhospitable saltwater environment that takes up close to 88% of the world. The landmasses left are giant Pangaeas and have grown upward with mighty cliffs that contain freshwater springs that cascade down into the land and sea as magnificent waterfalls. The largest of these islands is VALE.
Some small cities of Vale find their homes within the cliffs, but the capital city on Vale is at the heart of the mountain spire, at the bottom afloat in a huge freshwater lake fed by waterfalls. This city is called Weir. Everything from magic to technology can be found in Weir as well some of Vale's greatest artisans. There is something for everyone in Weir! Most Lemea live here or make it a point to visit often.
The ocean is vast and simply called "the sea." Formidable creatures live in the deep, so Lemea (as a rule) stay out of the water unless they are on the beach or near shore fishing the smaller creatures from the waters.
SOCIETY AND PERSONALITY
Lemea are anthromagical (anthro + semi-magical) beings with a high intelligence and a wealth of natural curiosity! They aren't the most dependable if not given a role to play in society that aligns with their natural curiosities and desires, but for the Lemea that find their niche in society, life is great and fulfilling!
Lemea are not naturally inclined to violence or deviance, tho some are born with these inclinations (a military is present among other things like hunters as well as a system for imprisoning the deeply deviant). They earn money (called Crystans which are Lemea-made semi-precious crystals shaped into one of four different types of coins), use technology (no space tech yet, sorry), have limited magic (see Anthromagical excerpt), and strive for fun and excitement - the variations in personality and dreams are as vast and deep as they are for humans on Earth. They lack the inhibitions of humans though and have a strong sense of family and desire to form bonds beyond simple friendships - some Lemea have such a strong desire for this they form these bonds with many!
Lemea have some human and animal traits. Their legs, arms, and wings are strong to keep them safe when on the ledges/cliffs and safe while flying through the skies. Most Lemea have some fur on them; all Lemea have peach fuzz in a variety of colors. Lemea, as a rule, hate getting wet BUT there is always that one outlier who is weird... Fashion is as vast and confusing as it is for humans tho as a rule, since Lemea are a race of fliers, clothing that is too loose is not worn.
AGE AND GROWTH
Lemea are long lived, reaching maturity at about 30 years old and living well on to 500 or older if they take care of themselves (the oldest Lemea so far is 723 - and stay young-looking thru magic until their dying day). They celebrate their birth not by the day (they don't use calendars) but by the positioning of the sun or moons at the time of their birth. Children start schooling around 8-10 years old and graduate at 28-30 years old ("teenage" years from about 22-26 years old and young adult years from about 26-30 years old). Lemea are about average height (+5 inches or so) for a human, and are lighter weight than the average human...
SEX AND BREEDING
Lemea have "typical" gender parts (by human standards that is) and can be of any orientation/identity. They form bonds with and have families with anyone their heart desires (adoption exists for those who cannot have children the biological way). Lemea family units can consist of one parent and some children to 8 or 9 parents with some children. Homes are large with wide doors, tall ceilings, and room to spread out. Children are born alive and walk soon after - flight takes a little more time. All children go to school - education is very important to Lemea.
Getting pregnant is a difficult thing. Most Lemea do not give up their children because of this and those who cannot will adopt children from the Chryssara Temple in Weir (children could be here for any variety of reasons, the least is being dropped off by a living and able parent). Getting pregnant requires magic and the correct phase of the moon or sun. When the phase of the sun or moon is perfect (there is only 4 times a year a Lemea can breed), the Lemea who are breeding together place their magic from their core into the vessel (the one female who is going to support and grow the baby). A vessel can hold the magic of up to 3 Lemea (any gender!!), allowing her to have at most 3 children at once. This ceremony is called 'The Christening of the Vessel' and takes about 28 hours to perform and requires all parents present for the entire time. Lemea remain pregnant for 16 months and are treated like royalty for the duration of their pregnancy.
The Christening of the Vessel is open for any to come watch - but once there, you must stay so as to not interrupt or disturb anything. The vessel and her chosen mates must mate (she needs their DNA inside her - however they choose to do this is up to them). Once they have effectively mated and the seed placed in her womb, the next part of the ceremony begins where a surgical cut is made in the core nearest the Vessel's womb and in the most easily accessible parts of her mate's core. A bit of core from her mates is placed within the incision by her womb. The magic of her core and the core of her mate(s) combines with the seed(s). The final part of the ceremony is a dance by the Vessel. The Vessel dances rhythmically and rushed to ignite the spark within her - to start the catalyst that will let life grow within her. Then the Vessel and her mate(s) sleep it off - healing and further bonding. The Christening of the Vessel takes place four times a year. There can be as many as a single vessel present or up to 20+ Vessels. And if there are more than one Vessel and their chosen mate(s), the group of them will sleep together and bond since they will be together in this pregnancy the next 16 months.
RELIGION AND TRADITIONS
The Chryssara Temple in Weir is the largest temple to the Goddess Pellucian. a goddess known for her powers over life. The most sacred time is the night of a full moon and anytime there is a Christening of the Vessel. This goddess is representative of new life, birth, patience, and reflection. The Goddess Lucia is lesser known tho still fervently worshiped, and is the goddess known for her powers over magic. Her influence is often under the waxing and waning moons. She is prayed to for education needs, the gift of energy and stamina, and for aid in for future actions/activities. Another lesser known goddess, the Goddess Cryst, is mostly known for her powers over time. Her influence is often under the new moon. She helps with making plans, putting together new projects, death, and soothing the soul with quiet and solitude.
Common traditions the Lemea have revolve around family - usually through a few generations of extended family - and religion. While not all Lemea are religious, because of the birthing process and ceremony, most at least acknowledge Pellucian and attend one ceremony a year. Most celebrations revolve around the cycles of the moon and the seasons, and depending on where you live, you will celebrate differently (ie Lemea in a farming village will have a huge harvest festival whereas the citygoers in Weir are more likely to have a larger Christening celebration.).
DIET
Lemea have a diet consisting of mostly fruits, veggies, and meats they can collect from the land and shallow waters. There isn't quite enough space for farming, so science has taken some of the guesswork out of it and started creating organic produce for the population at a lower cost than what foraging/gathering cost. Lumea also typically eat their meat rare to semi-rare, preferring the tang of copper on their palette...
ANTHROMAGICAL
Lemea have evolved with both human and animal traits and are filled with magic. Their core (skeleton) is made of a magical substance that is crystalline in appearance BUT is very flexible to the touch. Their magic can peek out on some parts of the body (their markings) where their magic auras are highly visible to everyone. These areas can be any shape and size (as unique as a birthmark), and serve as a reminder of one's magical awareness and ability in the world. These areas of their fur that are discolored from the magic in their core sparkle a little as they reflect light since they are partially crystalline tho still soft to the touch.
Lemea can learn magical spells to use and get crystals for doing so... Once a Lemea learns a magical talent, a crystal grows on their body close to part of their core (head/face, chest/spine, hands/elbows/shoulders, feet/knees/hips) - the more talents a Lemea knows, the more crystals it will have. Crystals can be any shape, color, or size and vary as widely as a Lemea's markings. To learn a new talent, a Lemea must simply see it being used (if it already exists) or spend countless hours visualizing the spell before they can use it (for completely unknown talents). Then, they must actually use it the first time to gain their crystal for it - simply knowing it isn't enough. Once they have their crystal, that slot is used and they cannot imbue a new talent for that crystal. Crystals are also very hard and cannot be damaged or removed.
Markings, eyes, crystals, and horns all form as part of the core and are therefore the same color combination as the core (artist gets to choose their core/aura color(s))...