While humanity makes up about eighty percent of the population on earth, there are different species that live within human society. Many of these species can trace their origins to myth, and have differing relationships with society as a whole. In play, this typically translates to humans being the center of attention in stories written in OM.
Humans are majority species of the Occultus Magica and normally the most represented in society. Humans normally do not need to expend a lot of effort to hide themselves in non-magical society to get around, depending on their school of magic or their lifestyles. Unlike most other species, Humans have the ability to be mundane, and can live lives completely ignorant of magic. Their relationship with magic is also flexible, and a determined human can go from possessing no magical ability to great magical ability through their lifetime.
Humanoids are species that possess human-like characteristics and have an easier time as passing off as humans in mundane society. Most of the following species have an inherent level of magic within them that enables them to hide in mundane society to some degree.
Orcs are typically large and muscular, and can be identified by their pronounced tusks and green skin tone. While orc mages are rare, they tend to have a connection with the natural world around them, and are naturally adept at identifying plants and animals.
Tall and slender, Elves tend to stay at the back-end of societies. They are long-lived and often find it hard to live among other species who don't share the same life-span. They tend to have a very far-reaching view of things, and find it difficult to invest themselves in short-term issues.
The dwarves of the Occultus are a broad and stocky species who are rarely seen above ground in society. Their size and shape make it difficult for them to disguise themselves among humans, and so they primarily interact with mage-only communities. Dwarven mages have a unique ability to grow their power through their hair. Male dwarves can enhance their abilities by growing their beards, while female dwarves can grow their power by growing their hair into long, bound plaits. As such, a gift of a lock of beard or mane-hair from a dwarf is considered a special thing.
See article: Triclops
Triclopes are three-eyed spell-casters with slender, fragile bodies and inherently high spell-casting abilities. They come in two forms, Deorsum and Sitas, the former being physically hardier and the other being more magically potent. In greater Occultus society, triclopes possess a poor reputation due to a racial association to the Library of Cardiff, an organization of primarily triclopsi mages well-known for their forbidden pursuits.
Sapient Fae represent the intelligent beings that make of the fae-world, and are typically from or on the fringes of the lands that faeries inhabit.
Viney lines encircled the open glade, as if gathering eyes around the crater that was their little war with the gods. That is, until actual eyes began to form at the edge, small creatures, hewn from wood, stone, and dirt, began to emerge. They were the size of gnomes, with stout proportions, mouthless faces, glowing orbs to see from, and wisping hair made from leaves. These creatures were cautious, not daring to approach too closely to the ones that had slayed the Gods. Yet, where there were ten, there came twenty, and then thirty, slowly crowding around until the mages were surrounded in a wide berth. One of them held up white feathers in its small three-fingered hands, the glow of its eyes hissing an aura of tears down its face. |