RevelriE Field Guide[ anonymous ] This is a transcription of an anonymous field guide detailing the study of the species, RevelriE. The author hasn't been found, and the pages seem very old, perhaps dating back to before the Revolution. I'm recording this in hopes that it will become useful in the future. - 10.07.20XX, Lian |
Page Contents
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✦ Introduction ✦
In the Previous Era before ours, there were many gods that ruled the world, each with their individual domains and specialties.
They reigned over all other beings, and for a long time, there was nothing but peace and stability. But one day, a lone individual challenged them all. It was known as The Lone King. After a thousand days of battle, when the oceans were stained red with the remnants of the Ones Who Used to Be, the King stood upon the mountain created from the bodies of those who fell, his figure taunting those who dare challenge him. The ones who dared venture to the top returned without a scratch, but refused to budge on anything they say, save for the lonely silhouette of the King's back. But even after the King had disappeared, leaving the fate of the pitiful world in the hands of Darkness, there was a dim light at the bottom of the sea.
The fragments of these gods fell to the ocean depths, where the frigid waters locked them away for a millennia. But their power remained, festering inside the shards that used to represent their infinity. When the light from the sky had been extinguished, life under the waters were able to remain alive with the light from the god's spirits. Sometime between Darkness and the Current Era, the crystals of the gods slept on the ocean floor. The shattered fragments on the seabed piqued the interest of the serpents and marine life, and they tried their best to save the fading light within.
The spirits of those fragments offered them a chance to merge, at the cost of their entire being, to save the Affinity and create a successor to pass on the power. But you can't restrain a god's power without sacrifice. Some who failed the transformation became the hideous beasts, forced to live an extended life of suffering without any remnant of their former selves. The remaining survivors had not escaped unscathed either, for their memories and past selves had been wiped clean.
The RevelriE emerged from the muck of the ocean floor, with the shimmering scales of marine life and the fragment that was once a part of a greater power. But in true successors, their feathery soft wings revealed their true origin: a spirit that once belonged to the stars.
✦ Growth and Lifespan ✦
egg → feral form → adolescent hybrid form → human-esque form
RevelriE's eggshell is a hard material made from crystalization of gods' power. Many residents of the world used to mistake them for precious jewels or pearls. Many more parties tried to extract the power for themselves, but gods' powers are difficult to restrain, resulting in many casualties. Some events in history have been tied to malicious groups attempting to corrupt a RevelriE for themselves.
For the RevelriE itself though, the egg is a form of dormancy that allows them to recover lost energy and health. Some can go into dormancy for years before reemerging.
Adolescent RevelriE are still in the process of having a stable human form. For a timespan of a few weeks to a few months, they'll have trouble separating their wings from their arms during the transformation. This can make it seem like they have a rare "sub-wing" trait, but can be easily distinguished by observing the familiarity the RevelriE has with its wings.
Meanwhile, adult RevelriE can swap between feral and humanoid form at will. Some prefer one or the other, but they're often proficient with both forms and can easily swap in a moments notice.
[ Lifespan ]
The lifespan of an average RevelriE is between ~100-200 years. The length varies with the size and power of their affinity fragment, and how much damage they've taken in their lifetimes. Some can live up to a few hundred years.
The reason why it’s been so difficult to track them lies in their ability to “reincarnate.” It’s not quite the same, but similar. They would go into egg form, wipe their memories, and create a new life for themselves. And while I imagine it’s not too uncommon, its nature of such “reincarnations” makes it difficult to track individuals over years, not to mention the reclusive nature of the species.
But, while some choose the “reincarnation method”, others prefer to carry the burden of memories spanning hundreds of years.
I personally think both methods are quite sad. Between forgetting all of your loved ones and relinquishing your identity, to carrying guilt and regret spanning hundreds of years, I don’t think I can choose either.
[ End section. ]
✦ Main Traits ✦
- Affinity Mark (4-pointed star) of some kind with crystalization on the base of the ears and wings.
- Please make sure that the 4-pointed star is vertical, and not slanted so it looks like an "X" !
- Either animal-ear or vestigial tuft
- Feathery wings
- Real tail + aquatic bone tail on top, usually has feathers at the base.
Body Patterns - only shows up in hybrid form (the form with raptor legs, more feathers, can have hand claws/talons) ; not to be mistaken for the adolescent form where the wings are on the arm
- They can also have extra feathers around their joints. It seems to be a remnant from growing up.
- Oftentimes, the pattern will hint at the origins of the affinity fragment’s god.
Each RevelriE has its unique pattern that reflects the origins of the affinity fragment’s god. Usually, the ones that are more complex are symbols of greater power, but it’s not unheard of for stronger RevelriE to adopt a simple pattern to blend in better with the rest of the world. Affinity powers can be pretty much anything. Some are so weak that they aren’t much more than a fun party trick, but a few, like healing, levitation, and stronger elemental abilities are valued highly due to their usefulness.
[Note // Lian] It seems like powers were much stronger before the revolution and Crystalize... Perhaps generations of genetics and lack of usage have made them pretty tame over the last 150 years or so.
✦ Unstable RevelriE ✦
Also known as corrupted or “failed” RevelriE. They seem to be the result of incompatibility with the God's power. While they are considered lucky enough to not have devolved into...these, it is still an unfortunate fate. The traits listed below seem common, although some may have less and others may have more of a trait. Perhaps this is linked to how unstable they are?
- Fragment shards float around
- Wing branches disconnected, wings aren’t large enough to fly
- Body horror elements
- Eyes and mouths: common
- extra limbs (arms, legs, tail, wings, etc): rare
- No body feathers – scattered scales optional
- Fragments can crystalize into more solid bone pieces when using powers (like half of a bird skull, spine, claws, etc)
Originally, Unstable RevelriE were born when those who tried to absorb the power of the gods lacked compatibility with the gods' essence. The Affinity rejected the host, and the energy, with nowhere to go, manifested in unnatural ways, warping the appearance and powers of the user.
The more birdlike and “neat” they are, the more control they have over their Affinity; the more scaley/less bird-like, their skills are either weaker or more chaotic. The more unstable a RevelriE is, the more crystal bone will be fragmented/floating as they are unable to hold the continuously conflicting power in a solid state. The original failed RevelriE suffered unimaginable pain from the forces of the gods' affinities reacting in destructive ways. The ones who survived were either weakened greatly or had extreme difficulty controlling their powers.
It seems generations have passed since the first few Unstables were created and most RevelriE don't have Affinity powers strong enough to trigger anything more than a mild reaction. Headaches and allergies seem to be the most common symptom these days.
[Note // Lian] Huh. No wonder everyone only need some over-the-counter painkillers to combat it... It seems to have been a lot more serious before.
*Not a trait, just a type applicable to any rarity. All Unstable “traits” are usable in any RevelriE. You may not have body horror on a non-unstable RevelriE.
✦ Rarity ✦
✦ Common Traits
- Affinity Mark is a 4-pointed star
- Wingspan between 50-200% of body size (normal size), fully feather
- Tail: scaly tail with fluff/feathers at the end
- Bone Tail is clearly a spine with an aquatic animal bone tip, must have at least 3 vertebrate/connectors before the tip. The tip shape can only be modeled after vertebrates or crustaceans. The material must be natural bone or natural minerals/metals. No gemstone/super sparkly material.
- Animal ears or tuft are not bigger than their head in size
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✦ Rare Traits
fall into 2 categories:
- Give them a natural evolutionary disadvantage
- ex: two pairs of wings, sub-wings, albino
- traits that alter the species' fundamental look
- ex: non-feather wings, unnatural tail tips, six-pointed star
- ex: puffball tail
- ex: no affinity bone fragment/crystals on head
- sparkly gemstone material on bone fragments
✦ Special Traits
Usually caused by mutations or a really rare combination of genes. Only 0.5% of original RevelriE had these, so current-day Special RevelriE are direct descendants of those originals.
Classified into 3 groups:
- non-animal material as a part of their bodies
- Ex: metal, glass, plastic, plants
- Traits that would normally kill them in the wild
- ultra wings, ultra-large anything...
- traits that completely change/remove the fundamental look
- Ex: replacing aquatic bone tail tip w/ not bone, flower affinity mark, replace scaled tail with full feather bird tail (flare feather tail)
- Ex: unnatural non-bone tail types (all feather, scaleless, twin tail, furry tail, etc)
- Ex: replacing feathers on wings with full non-feathered wings
**In the case of Unstable RevelriE, the flare feather tail’s feathers are more choppy and less neat.
✦ Affinity and Abilities
An Affinity is linked to the fragment of the God that created the RevelriE.Yet, it's in a way that's not a linear relationship. If a RevelriE inherited the Affinity of a god that controlled a volcano, one of the affinities could be the power to make a small fire, or tiny explosions. It could also express itself in other means: the power to create a small warm air current, a smokescreen power, a power related to pressure, etc. The way an Affinity is used also seems very versatile. For example, if you took the pressure ability from the volcano god, the RevelriE can use it in many ways aside from pure compression due to pressure.
Hypothetically, if one has the ability to manipulate pressure (different from the ability to apply pressure), one can inverse it to create a low-pressure environment. Alternatively, if one can increase the pressure of certain things, wouldn't it also be possible to create a nuclear explosion (manipulating atoms and certain materials in the world)?
I have also seen Affinity that affects a RevelriE's physical appearance. Ones that make blood color unnatural, or those that manifest as a RevelriE covered in sparkling gemstones. I've also encountered one other variant, but the aura it gave off left me unable to move. A pure white RevelriE that looks like the descent of a god unto this earth. Yet as I got close, it felt like I may be vanished from this plane of existence. Therefore, I could only observe it from a distance.
Affinities are very complex, and my research here is nowhere near complete.
[Note // Lian] Is this...the null trait? ...I believe that's the power of "Null." I'll have to ask Nycti later.
[ End Transcription...? ]
[Note//Lian] Hm... That's good enough for now. I'll pick up transcription another day. Let's see what Fui and Rose are up for now!