Changelings
Changelings, otherwise known as Aufs, are heavily shapeshifting reliant creatures with the ability to mimic any species, humanoid or not, while maintaining a humanoid form. Along with this they possess the ability to copy other people for a brief amount of time with magic spells, providing them an advantage over most with mental confusion and in some cases corruption.
Most Changelings have an animal they desire to make themselves look like (Like the example image), however they cannot give themselves the feature of said animal, I.E. a changeling in a goat form won’t have horns or hooves, but will still have a different hair colour and style, skin colour and eye type. This magical ability can make them especially stealthy among most, being capable of changing their appearance as soon as they will it as long as they have seen what they’re trying to become before and have an in depth mental image of the anatomy of said creature. Sometimes, a changeling’s shapeshifting can fail due to them not knowing enough about what they’re trying to become, and it can give them ridiculous and oftentimes funny or unique appearances.
Changelings with broken or Mysterio magic will instead turn into and sound like nightmarish beings from Limbo should they try to shapeshift (Refer to Limbo Walkers)
Although their most useful natural feature, shapeshifting is always a risky business when it comes to Changelings. Not only does their physical form change, but so does their organs, diet and even their general attributes. A changeling which becomes a mouse for example will be significantly weakened.
Outplayed entirely by the Holy Mimics of the High Order, jealousy is common between these two species. Many Changelings may also confuse a Holy Mimic for a fellow Changeling which can sometimes result in high levels of anger coming from the changeling, believing themselves to be inferior even to their own species until they realise it's not another changeling.
When a changeling attempts to become a species they've never seen before in person, or have only partially seen, then the results can be both frightening and comedic in every sense of the word. The mixture of their anatomy and the broken anatomy which their mind has stored of the animal they are trying to become can cause some extremely weird, almost disgusting looking hybrids, hardly recognisable as neither the animal 'nor the changeling.
Of course, this horrifying approach can also be used to their advantage and many changelings do it on purpose to intimidate their enemies. It mustn't be done too regularly, however, excessive broken transformation can bring about a severe searing pain in all of their body whenever they try to shapeshift in the future.
Gallery
