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SILICANS
MAGICAL ALIGNMENT: Light and virtue following, although silicans' mana usage is incredibly limited.
LIFESPAN: Technically speaking, a silican could live for over 2000 years, as they are unaffected by communicable disease and poisoning. They are, however, very susceptible to physical injury, and certain forms of cancer, so rarely exceed 200.
APPEARANCE AND OVERALL BIOLOGY:
Silicans are also colloquially known as glassfolk, and it is fairly obvious why they have earned such a namesake. Humanoid in shape and shape only, these beings feature large sections of transparent, hardened
skin - a biological
form of glass.
Ranging from a single glass forearm to an almost entirely 'hollow' body, this transparent outer shell is far less flexible than human skin, and as such rarely appears on the face*. Silicans almost never feature 'glass' joints - this is an infinitesimally rare and incredibly disabling genetic mutation if it occurs.
Visible through this clear (or, rarely, translucent and coloured) tissue is their internal structure, guaranteed to be filled with a viscous and colourful fluid.*
Their internals range in appearance from neon to glimmering to hue-shifting, and often coincide with their eye colour. Along with functioning similarly to blood, the ‘hydraulic’ fluid of the body, this liquid may include glitter-like shards floating within, or even small charms. These decorations, swirling and swimming around their organs, can be removed or replaced via a minor surgical procedure, and are often an aesthetic decision.
*If this outer shell does appear around the face, it typically appears jutting-out ever so slightly, like a muzzle. There is a gap for the silican's lips.
*Although it replenishes quite quickly, losing more than half of this fluid is enough to kill a silican.
Speaking of eyes and vision, glassfolk possess translucent and doll-like eyeballs, filled to the brim with the same unusual liquid. As a result, their vision tends to be entirely monochrome and sensitive to the glare of bright lights.
As silicans were crafted with humanity in mind, they do share a handful of traits with humanity, like their digestive systems and skeletal structure. Around half of glassfolk even have humanoid complexions, though any shade of the rainbow is equally common. The main disparity is a distinct lack of skeletal muscle, replaced by accordion-structured, rubbery joints, in the transparent segments of their bodies.
Though these beings are unable to cloak their crystalline limbs, they do possess the ability to cloak their internal organs and skeleton from view. With a clear window into their interior workings proving to be quite a gory sight, it is extremely unlikely that a silican will choose to remain uncloaked.
ABILITIES: Although not predisposed to the use of magic in the traditional sense, silicans possess one innate biological ability that other magical species do not. Upon ingesting certain herbs, crystals, or even animal products, their 'blood' may gain specific magical properties. With this fluid being relatively easily drained and replenished, a silican is a tried and tested source for tailor-made potions and elixirs.
DIET: As glassfolk were originally intended to survive on scraps, they, as a whole, have adapted extremely resilient digestive tracts. They are indiscriminate eaters, and can obtain appropriate nutrition from practically anything, from your standard fast-food burger to a handful of garden soil. Due to social norms, though, the majority of silicans eat a mundane and average diet: three square meals a day.
SLEEP/REST: Although a regular sleep-wake cycle is not necessarily required for a silican, it is a good practice to develop. This is because, with their particularly brittle and fragile physiology, a good night's sleep can do wonders to aid in recovery. Sleep causes the rapid regeneration of wounds, the repair of their hyaline skin, and the swift replenishment of their glittering internal fluid. Upon a major physical trauma, such as a smashed limb, the go-to medical treatment is often an induced coma.
REPRODUCTION: From conception to gestation, there is little to note about the reproduction of silicans, as all aspects of their procreation mimic that of a human's. A female silican ovulates and menstruates monthly, and, upon successful conception, the fetus develops over the next nine months.
HYBRIDISATION: Due to their biology being so reminiscent of a humans, a silican is a hybridisation machine. They may produce interspecies offspring with almost all other species, light and dark*, with the exception of:
- The Fae
- Seers
- Stuffins
- Surprisingly, silicans cannot reproduce with gyels, despite sharing so much of their genetic makeup.
They are one of two species able to hybridise with lithans, without producing a magman.
It is incredibly common for silicans to hybridise with animalfolk of all shapes and sizes, and resultingly, many terms exist in reference to these beings. Typically, the names of each species will be combined, for example, a silibun (silican-bunfolk).
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM: Aside from the usual variations in size, body shape and other secondary sex characteristics, there is no striking difference between a 'male' and 'female' silican. If the chest wall is translucent, even in 'female' silicans, no breasts will develop.
CHILDHOOD AND DEVELOPMENT:
A young silican, also known as an 'ampule' or 'amp', is practically just a smaller adult. The only minor visual difference is that there is no air within their crystalline limbs - they are entirely fluid-filled. Developmentally, an ampule hits all of the major milestones at around the same time as a human infant, aside from eating (softened) solid food from practically day one. Alongside the usual milestones, the act of cloaking one's organs is a skill mastered with age.
ORIGIN:
The origin of silicans is an incredibly well-documented tale. It is the type of fantastical myth passed on generationally, a go-to bedtime story. It dates back to medieval times, and, whether fact or fiction, this legend is taken at face-value in present day. Mankind, as it has always and seemingly will always do, yearned to harness some of The Overworld's mana for themselves. With careful calculation (and an abundance of trial and error), a simple yet effective way of doing so became commonplace - potions. There was, however, one downside. Transporting large jars of volatile, enchanted liquid by horseback was a treacherous affair.
In order to more efficiently and safely transport a large volume of a potion, a single human spellcaster concocted a preposterous idea: The enchantment of a potion bottle, breathing life into it. This is how silicans came to be. A great success, but one frowned upon by the general population, believing such 'freakish' beings to be an affront to nature.
CULTURE: Broadly speaking, there are no set traditions or spiritual values that a silican is likely to follow. They are an extremely ethnically diverse group, and have assimilated into thousands of cultural sectors. Each and every religion, commonplace or ancient, likely has at least one glass-coated follower.
Whilst not common enough to be dubbed their own subspecies, there are a few silicans who feature blue-and-white 'ceramic' in place of 'glass'. This is sometimes, but not always, the result of either parent being a tengoku kitsune.
Similarly to dragonborns, silicans/glassfolk have surprisingly pleasant -tasting blood. They often donate to vampire-focused blood blanks.
Damaged silican limbs can often be easily repaired with flexible glue, sometimes even coloured glue - like the ancient art of kintsugi.
