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GYELS
MAGICAL ALIGNMENT: Dark, sin following.
LIFESPAN: Though not as exaggerated as some other species, gyels* do have an extended lifespan, as external pathogens are unable to affect them. Living an average of 300 years, these beings are mainly vulnerable to
non-communicable diseases and degenerative conditions, decaying slowly over the centuries. With advanced age, a gyel may lost the ability to hold their gelatinous form together.
APPEARANCE: Coming in a wide range of vivid colours (most commonly greens and purples), gyels are mainly humanoid, though their free floating bones allow for an unnatural range of mobility, and pieces of their gooey form may be removed and replaced at will.
Though most are one solid, translucent
colour, some feature swirls of other
hues, or even a gradual fade.
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All gyels sport long, dripping ears,
oozing irises and shimmering, pearly
eyelashes. Most do not have a nose, and,
when closed, their 'mouths' are almost
invisible.
As for their hair, these beings grow thick, viscoelastic strands, coloured similarly to their bodies. It's fairly difficult to cut through or to style.
Due to their see-through soft tissues,
the bones and internal organs of a gyel
are visible without being consciously cloaked. In order to be more aesthetically pleasing, most choose to hide their biology
from prying eyes.
*Also known as slimes, though this is an informal nickname.
ABILITIES:
Though not all gyels have unnatural abilities, those who do tend to have powers that revolve around the creation or duplication of a particular thing.
This can range anywhere from producing a toxic liquid, reproducing metal, or something far more niche, for example the ability to duplicate one variant of crystal. While this kind of magic may seem oddly specific, almost every object and substance has a practical use, especially in a settlement with limited resources.* In all cases, this usually means that the gyel will 'spawn' the object within their stomach, and regurgitate it. Gross.
OVERALL BIOLOGY:
The overall biology of a gyel is impressively unremarkable. Despite being fully visible when uncloaked, and ever-so-slightly translucent, their cardiovascular and respiratory systems are almost synonymous with that of a human's. The main difference is that they lack any kind of musculature, or even joints, and lack any visible digestive organs. Even their blood is seemingly invisible, blending in perfectly with their soft tissues.
DIET: The manner in which a gyel takes in nutrition is rather peculiar. They not only have no teeth, but swallow their food whole, allowing it to nestle in their upper abdomen until absorbed entirely. From an outside perspective, it can be a little jarring to see exactly what your friend has had for lunch.
Some even forego using their mouths entirely, simply depositing food directly into their stomachs through the abdominal wall.
Gyels are opportunistic omnivores - you name it, they'll happily eat it.
SLEEP/REST: Sleep isn't necessarily a
required function for a gyel, though it
does have a few benefits. After a large meal, a good night's rest may speed up their metabolism, allowing for faster and smoother digestion. The same goes for an internal injury, as sleeping greatly boosts cellular regeneration and can drastically shorten recovery time.
REPRODUCTION: The most notable feature of a gyel's reproductive process is their extended ovulation cycle. A modern-day gyel is only fertile for 2-3 weeks in a calendar year, and as such, back-to-back pregnancies are nigh-on
impossible. Once pregnant, their gestation period lasts for around 7 months, and though single births are ordinary, twins and triplets are also fairly frequent.
The strangest aspect of a gyel's pregnancy is that, due to their transparent internal structure, the foetus is visible from the
first 10 weeks up until birth. No ultrasound needed.
*Many gyels find work in production lines, supermarkets and apothecaries, making herbal medicine. It is, however, illegal to sell unlicensed duplicated food.
HYBRIDISATION:
Gyels aren't known to hybridise often, though when they do, there are four species with which they may blend.
- A werebeast and a gyel will often produce offspring with dripping, animalistic features.
- A gyel and an animalfolk combination will produce a gyel-werebeast hybrid, with dark mana.
- A gyel and a harpie have a far smaller chance of baring offspring, but it is possible. These offspring rarely have feathers, and are not capable of flight.
- Gyels regularly hybridise with magmar, producing a volatile hybrid with unpredictable powers.
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SEXUAL DIMORPHISM: At their core, gyels have no real 'sex' - rather, their body types range exponentially, and in order to reproduce, they simply 'shift' the necessary appendages. The majority of gyels reject traditional gender roles, choosing to wear or go by whatever is most comfortable.
CHILDHOOD AND DEVELOPMENT:
Affectionately nicknamed 'puddles', a young gyel often finds it difficult to hold a corporeal form. They are born with a good bit of extra 'pudge', allowing them to cushion practically any fall and protect themselves from injury. Their first few months are spent discerning what is and isn't digestable, often absorbing toys, plushies and silverware. Aside from this exploratory stage, a puddle does not yet know how to cloak internal structures. As such, even their skulls are almost fully visible.
ORIGIN:
To understand the full origins of gyels as a species, one must understand the origins of silicans, their light counterpart. In order to more efficiently transport a large volume of a potion, a human spellcaster decided to enchant a potion bottle. From then, silicans became somewhat of a slave race, existing purely to aid their wizard masters.
Frustrated by their lack of freedom and lack of value, some silicans fought back - cracking their glass, and clambering out with a new resolve.* These 'freeform silicans' became known as gyels, turning their attention to the path of darkness.
Or, at least, that's how medieval mythology tells the tale.
CULTURE: As with most magical fauna, a gyel's culture depends entirely on ethnicity and where they were raised. They do not follow any particular spiritual beliefs, and in fact, most reject it. Regarding naming traditions, simple, one-to-two syllable names are most common, with the letter 'G' being used remarkably frequently.
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*These are not the same as cracked silicans, an undead form of silican.
A gyel's blood is highly toxic (if ingested) and even slightly corrosive, as is the slime that coats their skin.
In order to boost their magical abilities or even ultilise a specific power, a gyel may intentionally ingest a magical artifact.
