Duskin

There are peoples of the Realm of Racedis that inspire fear in others by their unique Fable - some who may be innocent of such suspicion, and some who cultivate it for their own protection or power. Vampires, Lycan, and Ghosts are the most notable and populous Duskin, and their presence in the Towers and in the Frontier have a subtle but significant impact on both societies.

Living as a Duskin
Duskin are subjected to prejudice, beholden to celestial bodies (especially the moons), and victim to dire urges and instincts. Each has cultures and subcultures, but each Duskin must come to terms with a unique lonesomeness. They are changed, no longer entirely what they once were. Yet they have a history, a background and a life that came before they were changed, and their past will differ from any other Duskin they choose to join. Different from the old family, different from the new... It is no mystery that many choose to embrace the solitary life.

The moons are tyrants to a Duskin. Certain moons preside over certain bloods, and this complicated schedule rules many Duskin lives. With the severe urges and instincts of a Duskin, a lone individual may never fully grasp the tempo of their affliction. When they change, it will surprise even themselves. With a mentor, a Duskin may come to understand their moons and predict their changes.

In The Towers
Prejudice and fear push many Duskin out of the Towers altogether. The ones who stay generally attempt to blend in, hunting or hiding in the shadows or very small groups. Though few Districts have explicit laws banning Duskin, known Duskin live difficult lives in the Towers. There are even rumors of entire Duskin Districts in the towers, but anyone in their right mind would deny such an idea.

In The Frontier
The Frontier can offer a different life for Duskin. It's said that nearly 20% of Frontierfolk are Duskin, seeking opportunity, peace, or simply more fertile hunting grounds. Of all Frontier Duskin, less than 10% live in openly-Duskin communities. For many, it keeps life simpler and quieter to conceal their Duskin demographics. The Duskin communities that do live openly may grow large over time, collecting more refugees of the Towers or absorbing smaller communities, until they are self-sufficient and even vie for power by ___. These large communities are called Estates, and they are very exclusive; usually one must belong to the same Dynasty to find a home there.

Dynasties
When someone becomes a vampire, lycan, or ghost, their Fable changes - their legacy is no longer tied exclusively to their personal or cultural heritage, but even moreso to their new Duskin Fable. Vampires are tied directly by blood, and any diligent vampire can trace their new infused bloodline back deep into history to a shared vampire primogenitor. Vampire Dynasties are often named for this "ancestor". Similarly, lycan share deep ancestral instinct and bloodlines. Ghosts are interlinked not by blood but by the thing that keeps them from passing on: the part of their legacy that remains unresolved.

These bonds are strong. Duskin are stronger with their Dynasty -- so are their bloodlust, instincts, or resolve. Lone Duskin don't enjoy the same degree of power granted by their Duskin form, but some choose to live this way because it reduces their innate drives. A growing group of Duskin sharing a Dynasty may attempt to establish a community to further their goals, and they may eventually grow into an Estate.

Vampires
Vampires are created by vampires. A vampire biting a person can choose not to simply feed, but to perform the longer and more intricate process of transforming them. Willing subjects are much easier to transform, but victims can be transformed nonetheless.

Lone vampires, such as those in the Towers, may care little for the Dynasty to which they belong, possibly never bothering to investigate it. With such a bounty of flesh as the Towers present, city-dwelling vampires are subject to strong and constant thirst. Some may quietly seek aid from sympathetic individuals to help suppress their vampirism; others may quietly reap the fertile hunting ground of an unsuspecting District.

Vampires on estates take their Dynasty very seriously. Complicated hierarchies arise under the Lord, Lady, or Liege of the estate, with intricate courts of attendants that revel in their myriad titles. As vampires flourish out of the sun, many vampire estates will control mining operations and develop trade infrastructure with factions in the Towers when they've grown enough. The actual laborers on a vampire estate are generally new, low-ranking vampires or vampires that have offended the gentry of the estate.

Notable Vampire Dynasties


 * House Dahlia

Lycan
A lycan is a person and beast sharing one body. They come about when a person is bit (but not killed) by a lycan, and the new lycan will be of the "same blood" as the other - sharing body with the same beast, subject to the same moons, and imbued with the same instincts.

Lycan are more likely to disregard their Dynasty altogether, and those lycan dynasties that do exist will often fracture and shift. They unite by instinct, and their leaders will embody those instincts or be overthrown. Splinter packs and mutiny are never from lack of loyalty, rather from a stronger loyalty to a particular ideal; whether a lycan is independent or packed, they will defend their independence or their pack fiercely.

Lycan estates frequently turn to agriculture for capital. Their sprawling plantations may benefit from some of the natural instincts of the beast whose blood they share. Werewolves may keep livestock; wereboars may cultivate root vegetables; werebears may keep bees; werehares may grow wheat. The social structure of lycan estates are generally more straightforward than vampire estates, with all the lycan of the estate answering directly to the pack leader. Ultimately, the structure will almost always imitate their blood.

Notable Lycan Dynasties:


 * Myrddin

Ghosts
When a person dies, their spirit goes on to the Realm of Death. Their legacy becomes some small part of the Grand Fable, and their time in the mortal world is over. Unless... that legacy is unclear. The Grand Fable is written by the aggregated belief of the peoples of Racedis - what happens if there is great conflict or uncertainty in the hearts of the people regarding a departed person? A ghost. Rather than passing on, the spirit of the deceased remains in the mortal world, tethered by legacy. Ghosts don't die; they are dispelled. When the legacy of the deceased is clear, it becomes part of the Great Fable and the spirit passes on to the Realm of Death.

Newer ghosts are the most recognizable as the persons they once were. Old ghosts, as their unresolved legacy fades further and further (and more of the living experience the ghost's influence), lose dimension and complexity even as their desperation increases. They may become single-minded and volatile, even falling into loops they will never break. Such ghosts may develop even more of a legacy as a ghost than they did in life; dispelling one of these is harrowing.

Lone ghosts are are bound tightly to something, someone, or somewhere in the mortal world, something instrumental to their legacy. Restless ghosts constitute a haunting, prompting endless trouble (or even violence) for anyone caught in the ghost's path. A calm ghost bound to an object, with that object placed on their grave, might become a place where friends and relatives can go to meet with a shade of the deceased.

Although "Dynasty" is a misnomer, it is useful to describe certain ghost cultures. Ghosts do not choose whether they will proceed alone or join a dynasty. For those who lived their life by a single burning purpose, but were unable to turn that purpose into their legacy, their ghost will go off to join a dynasty of kindred spirits. Groups of ghosts that qualify as Ghost Dynasties are few and far between, but each is united under their single purpose. Defeated conquerors, corrupt leaders, or unknown urchins may find themselves coming together with other ghosts sharing the same drive to get their legacy written in the Grand Fable.

Ghost culture is stranger than other Duskin cultures; many souls bound together after death by something unresolved in their lives. They interact with the mortal world in inconsistent and unexpected ways. Their ranks may gain or lose members without notice. Some are unable to understand they've died. Some may spend years among their kindred spirits, never understanding what brought them together.

Notable Ghost Dynasties:


 * Mourn
 * Sonder

In addition to the dynasties, there is another important type of ghost settlement: a Ghost Town. True Ghost Towns were once living towns in the Frontier, but some terrible conflict or calamity claimed them and all their inhabitants. An aurora paints the sky above a ghost town, artifact of the restless spirits below. Drought, feud, or more sinister troubles may claim a town, and draw the nearly departed souls of its inhabitants back to their homes to "live" restless, repetitive existences until the calamity is resolved in some way. The resolution may be different for each: a town that suffered death by bandits may require hunting down the bandits; a town destroyed by feud may require reconciliation between the remaining relatives; a town that suffered drought may just need a new well. Once resolved, the spirits will quickly fade and the aurora disappears.