Humans and Pokemon are not the only living creatures to grace the face of the world. Many other species coexist with them. Here you'll find listed their varying components. Each race has a few required traits, such as physical dimensions and lifespan, and a few optional traits. Traits under the Dimensions and Basics headings are required on characters of that species, while Common Traits are ones that are normally or often included but not required.
The Myst-Touched were described above in the section about the Myst, so this description will be short. The Myst-Touched are more of a twist on another species than they are a species in and of themselves. Exposure to the Myst has changed a member of one of the normal races, granting them traits and body parts that are generally, but not always, part of a Pokemon. About half of Myst-Touched are rendered sterile by their mutations.
Any of the character races are eligible to be Myst-touched. It is an addition to the other races listed on this page, not a race in and of itself. In addition, while Myst-touched characters have acquired a variety of pokemon/animal traits, they are not Anthros or Gijinkas.
Common Myst-Touched Traits:
*Characters with Pokemon ears, tails, or horns can have them be any color or style you choose. In addition, patterns can be added if so desired. Think of them as having shiny and altered traits!
*Individual characters can only have up to five of these traits at once to avoid design clutter!*
While approximately half of Myst-Touched are sterile, there are rare cases of large groups of similarly changed Myst-Touched. Generally referred to as a Bloodline, these come about from a combination of factors. Firstly, the Bloodline's progenitor must be one of the lucky Myst-Touched capable of reproducing. Then, their progeny must re-expose themselves to the Myst every few generations. This re-exposure is exceedingly dangerous, as 2nd and further generation Myst-Touched are often resistant to the gaining of additional mutations, as well as more likely to simply never return. However, the re-exposure is often enough to restore traits to these later generation Myst-Touched. In about half of surviving cases, the gained traits are in line with traits held by, but not passed on by, their parents. This leads to large multi-generational groups of Myst-Touched, all of whom share 2 or 3 traits among them.
These Bloodlines are often found/created in places that suffer from chronic or constant Myststorms. Some tribes that include or consist of a Myst-Touched Bloodline will have Myst Re-exposure as a rite of passage, with a Myst-Touched child not considered an adult until they have spent a day within a Myststorm and returned alive.
The combination of low fertility rates among Myst-Touched and high mortality rate among Myst-Touched attempting re-exposure to Myst make Myst-Touched Bloodlines a very rare phenomenon indeed, generally not lasting more than a few short generations. Despite this there are a handful of Bloodlines that have lasted for centuries, and continue to this day.
Elves are an elegant people. They tend to live far longer lives than most humans, often living for hundreds of years. Most elves who expire of age will die in their late six hundreds, though legends speak of elves living up to a thousand years. Their long lifespans allow them to experience a wide variety of skills, and many of the most skilled masters of a number of disciplines are Elves who have devoted their lives to a single practice. They can generally be identified by their pointed ears, slim physique, and their eyes, which are a single solid color without pupil or iris. Beyond these traits, they are generally humanoid in appearance. Due to their natural elegance and extremely long life spans, some Elves look down on the less long-lived races. Elves tend towards either very pale or very dark skin, though most shades in between are possible.
While elves are capable of looking like relatively youthful adults in their later hundreds, they are also capable of spending hundreds of years old and decrepit. Generally an elf's apparent age is more or less visible based on the difficulty of experiences in their lives. Harder life experiences tend to result in older appearances.
Elven Dimensions & Basics:
Common Elven Traits:
Orcs are one of the larger races in Aetherium. They generally stand on average at six feet tall, ranging from 5 to 7 feet on the lowest and highest end. They are often bulkier than other races as well, both muscle and fat making them thick and stocky. Orcs are often seen as a savage race, an image not helped by their claw-like fingernails and the sharp fangs that tend to poke out from their lips, but they are no more inclined to violence than any other race. An Orc’s sheer size and strength comes at a cost, and they often need to focus more intently to manage fine fingerwork. Orcish skin color is generally a dull green, but skin colors have been seen ranging from a greyish white to a green dark enough to border on black. Old Orcish cultures recorded an individual’s family affiliations and personal accomplishments in ornate tattoos across the arms and body. While it has fallen out of favor, some families still create and bear these tattoos as a mark of pride. An Orc's teeth, particularly their enlarged canine fangs, are a point of pride and are always well cared for. Poor dental hygiene in an Orc is considered a sign of a lack of mental wellbeing, and is looked down upon. Orcs are agreed to have invented many methods of modern dental care. Strong fangs and well cared for teeth are generally considered attractive in Orcish culture. Orcs live almost exactly as long as humans do.
Orcish Dimensions & Basics:
Common Orc Traits:
Often bullheaded, Dwarves are the sturdiest race in Aetherium by far. Dwarves average around four feet in height, ranging anywhere from three to five and a half feet. Dwarves are far stockier than any other race, often nearly as thick as they are tall. They are difficult to move once they’ve placed themselves, and often make use of this in varying forms of manual labor. In addition, dwarves have a natural sense of and affinity for stones, earth, and metal. They are capable of withstanding great amounts of pressure and heat as well as bad air conditions, which makes them particularly suited for roles in forges and mines. Dwarves grow a lot of hair on their face and body, and the grooming of the hair on their face and head is very important to them. Often hair, both on the head and face, will be braided with small baubles and charms of both cultural and personal significance. The ornateness and expense of these objects is a symbol of status amongst Dwarves. Dwarves live slightly longer lifespans than humans, up to around a hundred and fifty years barring catastrophe.
Dwarven Dimensions & Basics:
Common Dwarf Traits:
Gnomes are a naturally inquisitive race of people. Standing at an average of three and a half feet tall, they are amongst the smaller races in Aetherium. They’re quick witted and nimble fingered, a group of traits that make them somewhat ideal for a variety of mechanical and engineering jobs. Much of the technological progress of recent times have been spearheaded by curious Gnomes. Their hand eye coordination and quick fingers also make them ideal for the creation of detail work on jewelry, electronics, and varying other items. That said, Gnomes are not particularly strong or tough, and they are easily engrossed in something they have become fascinated with. Many a gnome has begun a project only to realize that days have passed without food, water, or rest. Gnome workshops often employ a singular person, occasionally of a non-gnome race, whose entire job is to make certain that the gnomes working within remember to take care of themselves. Gnomes are capable of remarkably long lives, able to live past a century and nearly to two if they take care of themselves.
Gnomish Dimensions & Basics:
Common Gnome Traits:
Halflings are easily the smallest of the races in Aetherium. The often cheerful race reaches an average height of only three feet tall, varying only by about half a foot in either direction. Despite their lack of stature halflings are exceedingly quick in a sprint, easily able to keep up with their longer legged compatriots in short bursts. That said, their lack of endurance keeps them from keeping up over long periods of time. Halfling’s speed, light weight, and natural sense of balance lends itself to roles as acrobats or explorers. They don’t require as much food in a day as their larger brethren and are great climbers, easily capable of suspending their entire body’s weight on their fingertips for minutes at a time. All of these traits also mean halflings make amazing pickpockets and burglars. In fact, many of history's most notable, notorious, and successful thieves have been halflings, and that knowledge leads many to be suspicious of the race as a whole. Halflings tend to live slightly shorter lives than humans, though only by a decade or so.
Halfling Dimensions & Basics:
Common Halfling Traits: