Chimaera (kai-may-rah)

Known History

Beginnings

Profane abominations created by the fetid Baarham Dominion, the chimaera were made from hateful science and unending malice. The baarham's then Sorcerer King, Ghown, despised nearly all other peoples on Veltrona and saw them unworthy of a place within the baarham's ideal world. He, however, was still an overly pragmatic man, to the ill of everyone else on the receiving end of said pragmatism. King Ghown secretly ordered several cadres of trusted baarham anktorlas—'mage-seers'—to begin research on a new project.   Their ostensible goal was to iterate on the research King Ghown himself once did, which had transformed his people from their ignoble and ill-remembered origins into the infamous baarham. His genetic research and modifications, while effective, ran into limitations and crippling issues with genetic decay and inheritance, and so was never ‘truly finished’ as he elected for using only the safest and most stable genomes at the time. His hope was that, by dissecting and studying every other sapient species on Veltrona, he could uncover the solutions to these roadblocks of baarham genetics. The ultimate goal of which would be a completed 'baarham', or even the advent of a 'new type' of baarham entirely, one that might eclipse dragonkind in all ways and soar even higher.   To such ends, as the Dominion grew in power and expanded from western Aerthen, those captured by its armies would see uniquely terrible fates awaiting them. Only those with what the Dominion saw as the most desirable genetic traits, or who possessed a perceived purity for certain traits, would be committed to the first part of the research project—the chimaera program. There, the prisoners would be experimented upon in all sorts of vile and forsaken means and methods, for the baarham's research sought answers no matter what it took to gain them. Thus, within a few decades, the first generation of chimaera—the 'stitched' generation—came into being.   The stitched chimaera were dubbed thus for the simple, brutal practice of vivisected people being stitched together while still alive—magically or otherwise. Understandably driven mad by the process, the stitched chimaera were rampaging abominations kept solely for their uses in genetic materials and biological study. Particularly promising candidates saw usage in breeding experiments, which produced the more iconic and well-known 'natural-born' chimaera of later generations. Unfortunately for them, their hardships were only just beginning.   One of the curious observations of the natural-born chimaera’s future offspring was their anatomies undergoing a type of transformation. To the surprise of the baarham, the many different bloods within such beings became harmonious and cohesive beyond their expectations. It opened entire new frontiers of genetic theory they hadn’t even imagined, creating ever more exciting possibilities. Lacking the trauma of their parental generation, the natural-born chimaera were far more amenable to the baarham's care, and their subsequent cruelties. For all the evils that went into their creation, they were born as babes, pure and unblemished as any other.    

Dominion's Rift

The baarham are a people who consider their creations as extensions of themselves; family in another form. It is a concept that follows everything they do, and so for those involved in the creation of the chimaera, it posed one of the deepest ethical dilemmas they ever faced. After a certain point, the chimaera were no longer made from prisoners of war and slaves of conquest, but profane methods in service of research. The anktorlas involved eventually divided among themselves as to what worthiness such a means held, or what it meant for them as a people to pursue. They never disagreed with their King's vision, only the roads to which it might be realized.   The seeds of this disagreement eventually led to an information leak, and so, the chimaera program was revealed to the Dominion at large. Outcry immediately followed, and the Dominion of the era was one already facing several internal divisions. The chimaera became a black stain on King Ghown's otherwise infallible legacy among the baarham, and even led to a tremendous fallout in the Dominion's political leadership. Amidst this upheaval, however, the Dominion would soon face another, more existential issue: their imminent ejection from Veltrona. Torn asunder by magical storms of an inexplicable nature, the core of the Dominion—and virtually all the baarham along with it—were removed from Veltrona and thrown to the realm known as Apoptosis.   The chimaera, however, weren't brought along with their vile mistresses. Some would be, if only due to incidental proximity, but the vast majority remained sequestered in laboratories and pens far from Dominion cities that'd been wiped off the face of maps. Curiously, those same facilities also suffered damage from the storms, almost entirely centered on where baarham themselves were. The chimaera, having little education or knowledge of anything beyond their cages, were left to rot and languish. Help, then, came in the form of another 'created' species, one respected by the baarham quite endearingly: puppetkin. Though the bulk of their number had been lost in the now-gone cities, the remaining puppetkin—so named baavoln—took on some semblance of responsibility for the destitute chimaera. They were both artificial species of a kind, despite their differing origins, and unlike the traditional baarham, the baavoln did not mind the legacy of the chimaera. To the baavoln, they were both baarham of a kind, and thus kinfolk.   For the first time in the history of their 'species', the chimaera set foot upon the veltron of the world, felt the wind through their assorted limbs and furs, and beheld the unbridled power of the sun. Like children locked in caves, they stumbled and meandered, stupefied by the world around them. The baavoln puppetkin, in turn, took the initiative for corralling the chimaera, gathering up the different enclaves and pooling their resources together. Amidst this, however, the disappearance of the Dominion hadn't gone unnoticed. Its enemies, vast and great as they were, spared no effort in scouting through the ravaged lands left behind by those inexplicable storms. The slaves of the Dominion, too, remained, and soon learned their oppressors were no more.   Thus, were the surviving puppetkin and chimaera eventually discovered.    

Friend and Foe

Though often hard to believe considering the Dominion's infamy, the baavoln were full members as equal as any other baarham. In many ways, they not only agreed with, but participated in the same culture and values of the baarham. Thus, despite the baarham's portion of the Dominion vanishing, it yet remained alive in some form through the baavoln. Thusly, as the surviving members, the baavoln became targets for everyone else closing in on the Dominion's remains. In such days, the chimaera had but scant years with the baavoln before the Dominion's enemies arrived.   Naive and young, the chimaera didn't understand why such enemies assailed them, only that their nascent home was in danger. Even if physically powerful, they lacked martial training to stand against such overwhelming armies. The baavoln puppetkin wanted for ... everything; still, they resisted. For all the great evil and notoriety of the feared Baarham Dominion, its last embers whimpered and died in a pitiful flash of a struggle. As the baavoln were destroyed enmasse, chimaera died in the defense thereof; many more, however, fled.   With the destruction of their nascent homeland, and surrounded by enemies, the chimaera scattered in every direction. Those with flight capability were the most fortunate, taking to the winds and journeying to lands far, far away. The flightless chimaera risked more in contending with military patrols, adventurers, and any other armed force that prowled the lands. It is at this point that any effective record keeping about the chimaera becomes nearly zero.   To the world at large, the chimaera were incidental abominations, perhaps conjured in some profane baarham laboratory, but nothing more.    

Survival of the Fittest

As best scholars could piece together from myth, tall-tale, and word-of-mouth, the fleeing chimaera spread in every direction possible. Lacking coherent speech or learned knowledge, most are believed to have perished in the wilds or violent encounters with well-developed civilizations. Given the unique nature of the chimaera, descriptions pertaining to them are quite specific—or at least, consistent in their distinctive details. It's difficult to make hard claims about the majority of them at this time period, but there are some notable exceptions.   A few chimaera were definitively recorded in central Aerthen, having been captured by mercenary huntresses in the wilds. Since living abominations can fetch a novel price among scholars, these chimaera were eventually taken in as a form of exotic livestock. To the surprise of the scholars, however, the chimaera not only learned language, but eventually adopted the mannerisms of people. Four of these chimaera would go on to become important figures: Annabella, Grellatu, Halla, and Curte. Brought before the scholars and learned minds of the Kunnagar Queendom, great scrutiny and contemplation rendered a simple judgement: these strange people were a new type of monsterkind. As such, the chimaera earned citizenship of a kind, and so became regarded as a proper people.   Word of a new monsterkind species being discovered, however, stirred a great many interests. Dreams of a lost or hidden civilization, of a people with strange and exotic knowledge, of those with secrets yet to make a profit of, and more filled the minds of Kunnagar nobility. While most such ambitions crumbled immediately, the fact remained the chimaera were medical enigmas possessed of strange potential. Of the notable four, Annabella and Halla scoured Aerthen in search of lost kin, hoping to find their wayward fellows. Grellatu and Curte, however, became rather infamous socialites who capitalized on their perceived 'exotic nature'.    

For Want of a Home

Though incredibly novel as a species, the chimaera themselves remained, and still generally do, among the smallest populace indexes. Despite their unique reproductive quirk, actual conception remained incredibly difficult to achieve because of their very nature. A chimaera’s physiology is denoted by its ‘component species’, or the (mostly) visible parts of their anatomy that clearly belonged to a different species. Based on which component species was expressed, their overall physiology changed accordingly. One who had dragon-expressing characteristics, for example, would have the (nearly) same reproductive concerns as dragons themselves do. One closer to humanity would be more human-like in that respect. In most cases, a mixture of two or more reproductive concerns were likely, creating even more unique issues.   This hard fact, combined with their general lack of societal support, meant that in the following centuries after the Dominion's collapse, the chimaera remained on the brink of extinction. Time, effort, and love, however, yield unexpected results sometimes. By the time of nearly half a millennium since the Dominion's collapse, small tribes of chimaera began making their presence known. These chimaera tribes were normally adjoined with nomadic tribes or fringe-territory settlements of larger civilizations. Having seemingly found a home and peoples to integrate with, they learned the customs of their hosts, and so carved out their little corner of the world.   Generally speaking, the most successful (or, at least, known) chimaera tribes found homes in Aerthen, Etzli Cuauhtla, Nerzin, and Fauverngarz. Very incidental, one-off reports of chimaera (principally the flying kind) would eventually surface in places like Nemma, Lophern, and Temu, though it's not clear if any hidden tribes exist there or not. The last major movement of the chimaera implied migrants heading toward Dorvar and Fauverngarz, principally due to their own adaptations preferring much hotter or colder climates. For a species scarcely in the thousands by such a time period, they'd spread across Veltrona with impressive speed.   Given their population sizes, however, there simply isn't almost anything of unique note that scholars have uncovered by chimaera-specific history. Rather, studying the civilizations they integrated with would be more holistically accurate to do. As such, even to the modern day, there is not much specific history to the chimaera except tracking where their small populations are. Anthropologists have made some efforts into studying chimaera specific cultures, but much like the chimaera themselves, they're amalgamations of so many other influences that their outcomes are wholly unique as well.      

Biology

Anatomy and Physiology

Due to their unique nature, the anatomy of chimaera is highly variable. That said, there are consistent rules that guide their existence, and thus form points of commonality within the species. Generally speaking, all chimaera are humanoids with a head, a torso, two-to-six arms with hands that have three-to-five fingers, zero-to-four wings on the back, one-to-four tails emerging from the bottom of the spine, and two legs with four-to-six toed feed or a jointed-humanoid lower body, which itself may express even further deviation. Overall, they can be considered sexually dimorphic, as females are simply larger and more massive than males, have pronounced breasts, and wider hips. However, aside from general size and physical sex expressions, the chimaera are so variable that traits from either sex may manifest on their bodies.   A notable characteristic of the chimaera is their adaptive physiology. Older generations—those closer to the first 'progenitor generation'—exhibit greater randomness and asymmetry in their physiological composition. Such things may include: mismatched limbs of different species, fur growing on one side of the body and scales on the other, misaligned anatomical proportions, exhibiting contradictory facial features, etc. However, their successor generations would integrate this randomness better, resulting in much more symmetrical bodies. In other words, a very real adaptation of very different, competing physiologies into something resembling harmony. The mechanics by which this integration and adaptation occurs is still not fully understood, leading to many competing scholarly and religious theories. Some attribute this to the different mana-types interacting and seeking equilibrium, while others attribute it to an act of divine pity, or entirely unknown genetic mechanisms.   Later, or more 'modern', generations of chimaera are defined by this symmetry, such as certain lineages or populations of chimaera having pairs of arms of the same component species (e.g, two nebusah arms and two human arms). There are also cases of entire, specific functions of the body becoming defined by a component species (e.g, all the arms are nebusah, but the legs are human). Regardless of where, a component species' parts will only ever be found in one instance of the chimaera's body. In keeping with the theme, a chimaera with nebusah arms will not have their legs, tails, bodily fur (aside from the arms), etc. This means, depending on how many differing sections of the body there are, that is how many 'expressed' component species there will be. The remainder, so-called 'recessive' component species, are most likely relegated to internal biology concerns (if they have any effect at all).   In fact, the internal organs of the chimaera are noteworthy in their strange properties. Given the different—sometimes extremely so—natures of Veltrona's sapient peoples, their internal anatomy is critically important. How, then, do the chimaera not only meld together these differences, but do so in a way that is not biologically flawed or prohibitive? The resulting anatomy, while superficially similar in function, is so entirely unique there is no direct correlation to any known sapient species. Even the bieneren, a species considered mistresses of genetic engineering, are mystified at how chimaera internal organs work. Sadly, because chimaera composition is so unique, no two chimaera have enough similarities for common medical consensus to arise.   There is also a larger, more substantial issue with older generations of chimaera—especially those who survived the Baarham Dominion—having extreme aversions to medical science, doctors, etc. Their (justified) fears propagated into their successor generations, resulting in persistent cultural trauma that greatly hampers any potential study of their physiologies. Between their anatomy and cultural ways, each and every one of them must be handled on a case-by-case basis.    

Appearance

Because of the innate variability of the chimaera, aside from anatomical details, it's functionally impossible to meaningfully generalize their species' appearance characteristics. It's recommended to try and identify the various component species that that particular chimaera expresses and how they cohesively come together. The myriad qualities of these various component species are then the matter of scholarly interest, which other documentation and study is required for.   One consistent detail, however, is the differences in reproductive generations: older chimaera are less coherent and more 'patched together', up to the original 'stitched generation's' immediate successors, while newer ones appear much more organically harmonious. This can be a major detail in identifying what generation a chimera was born from, particularly immortal ones who've somehow survived. If these older generations of chimaera reproduce, they effectively 'restart' the incoherence severity for that bloodline, which has perpetuated their distinctive appearance.   Otherwise, the average chimaera component species expressions ranges from 6-to-12 species, which correspondingly alters their makeup. Those greater than 12 have been reported, but such chimaera are so physically inconsistent it's functionally impossible to accurately gauge what bloodlines are present. In theory, any number of species could express characteristics, but reality seems to suggest otherwise.    

Natural Abilities

Genetic Adapter — Chimaera uniquely integrate the various bloodlines of different species within themselves; an amalgamation of many parts into a new, distinctive whole. As a result, they inherit the physiological traits and natural abilities from their constituent bloodlines in ways that ordinary hybrids and anaxials do not. The most dominant bloodlines express the most traits, nominally reflected in the component species of their body. (e.g., a chimaera with dragon features (arms, etc) will most likely express natural abilities from dragonkind.)   Overclocked Regeneration — Chimaera have incredible regenerative power, even healing from fatal wounds within minutes. While this does place great strain on their metabolism and nutritional stores in the body, it also means they're remarkably difficult to harm permanently or even kill. It's considered one of the principle reasons their anatomy can even function, as the friction of misaligned anatomies is brute-forced into cohesion.   Engineered Weapon — Armed with physical might and durability far beyond just the sum of its parts, chimaera are one of the few species on Veltrona that can go blow-to-blow with adult dragons with just their natural body. Combined with their regeneration, they're formidable living weapons that make them legendarily fearsome to fight against. This is to say nothing about what their genetic adaptations may offer, potentially augmenting them even further.   Instinct-driven — Chimaera have powerful instincts, but also ones that war against themselves. The resulting mental strain places a heavy burden on them, yet also greatly informs their resulting personalities and behaviors.    

Diet

While chimaera palates vary based on their component species, and thus may be carnivores, omnivores, manavores, or herbivores, one consistent detail is their massive appetites. Their biology has incredible energy demands, and so they must consume mana rich and nutrient dense foods to fuel themselves. Personal preference, or actual dietary capability, gravitate around this requirement, and so chimaera are often in fierce competition for such premium delicacies. By necessity, most often become chefs of some manner, or secure the services of one, in order to meet their dietary needs.    

Life Cycle

Infancy & Childhood

Chimaera pregnancies are mostly single offspring, and quite rarely two, due to the high energy needs of said pregnancy. The difficulties-or-ease thereof depends entirely on the expectant mother's physical composition, as certain combinations may simply have an easier time than others. Ones with especially powerful component species, such as dragons or tokyau, generally have an easier time. The composition of the offspring itself also has an impact in this process, but more advanced medical methods are needed to determine its composition and/or potential needs. Simple visual inspection and/or hereditary pedigree of the parents are insufficient because of the randomness of the offspring itself.   Chimaera infants are normally physically incapable and highly dependent on their mother/parents. Their complex minds and anatomy haven't fully synchronized, either, so different instinctual behaviors manifest randomly for the first year or two of life. For chimaera parents, every child being unique is a very literal fact and they must learn each child's behaviors and mannerisms with particular care. The infant's component species are important determinations for this, but there can always be more that goes on unseen.   Some universal behaviors do establish themselves among chimaera infants: they're dependent on their parents, loath to be far from them, and have a general fear of anything new or strange. When they feel safe, they can be rather noisy and troublesome, especially when seeking play or attention. As they grow older, they'll gain confidence and physical power, developing stronger responses to anything that frightens or excites them. It is around this period that the infant behavior of their component species may begin to affect their mannerisms greatly, resulting in the first distinctive emergence of their future personality types.   While there is no set rule for the growth period of chimaera, they do veer on the slower side of things, more in line with time tables similar to dragons, jiuweihu, or other immortal species. Thus, young chimaera may spend a decade or more at this stage of development before adolescence proper begins.    

Adolescence

Adolescence is a period of great turmoil for chimaera as the harmony of their childhood is disrupted by massive physical changes. It is around this period that the different physiology of their component species begins significantly expressing their unique characteristics. The end result is a wide degree of anatomical chaos, from anywhere being areas growing at different rates and intensities, to the emergence of puberty-specific traits like the molting or changing of hair, feathers, scales, etc. This period can be considered more turbulent for the chimaera than most other species, though it's difficult to determine if it's more or less problematic. Rather than physical pain or other symptoms, most seem to struggle with their bodies developing 'minds of their own' as the parts grow asynchronously from each other.   For most chimaera at this point, it's quite a struggle juggling their own daily needs and the expectations of whatever culture they're raised within. For those in civilizations used to greater power among the people, tutelage or communal programs help greatly in helping a chimaera navigate such changes. Those in civilizations with less physically powerful species, however, struggle to match their growing capabilities to the limitations of those around them. Since the chimaera themselves are a people with very little native history or cultural tradition, this presents issues such as a lack of ancestral medicine or folk technique that might otherwise alleviate their burdens.   Still, parents hate to see their children suffer, and so endeavor greatly to find ways to help them. Perhaps more than the child, who is growing and the issues thereof, chimaera parent(s) will frantically search for whatever solution they can. Woe be to the fools who dare abuse such desperation, for such chimaera do not think twice about vengeance.    

Adulthood

Given their physiological variability, adulthood among chimaera is difficult to determine exactly. However, their physiological maturity seems to settle anywhere around their 60th-to-100th year at the slowest known rates. Past a century, any and all chimaera are physically mature and fully capable adults, along with their bodies finally obtaining internal harmony again. At this stage, they're in their physical prime, and usually have some expertise if not mistressy over their unique abilities and skills. Because of their long maturation rates, they'll also generally be well-embedded within their parent cultures/civilizations if all things have gone well.   Since the chimaera species as a whole has an incredibly small population size, what bonds they do have with each other become that much more important. Familial responsibility, especially, is a steel rope that unites them no matter the time or distance. As chimaera age and gain more worldly experience, they may go on adventures both far and grand. But, their family is never far from their mind, or their tribe if they're part of a larger group. Despite whatever adventures they may go on, the chimaera regularly return, reuniting and contributing whatever they can to their family's future success.   In this way, if they had enough centuries of development, their species might truly grow to greatness.    

Old Age & Death

There's no common consensus if the chimaera are actual immortals or long-lived. As their species is scarcely over a millennium old, they would qualify as long-lived at the least. But, paradoxically, some members of the species do exhibit advanced age symptoms from their component species, with entire limbs or portions of their body even showing physical signs of degradation. However, these symptoms never progress past a 'moderate' severity, and within a few years to a few decades, will alleviate entirely. The affected region will even seemingly regenerate to its physical prime again, implying there is some kind of cyclical aging mechanism.   That said, for those with the means and know-how, investigating the chimaera's relationship with death itself is a more certain test. For immortals, their agelessness comes from the fact death's eyes are no longer upon them. The chimaera, however, have death's eyes upon them, yet not in a way any other species does. Such inscrutable motive puzzles even the wisest of learned minds, but in the end, none among the living know what death's thoughts are unless it tells them.    

Anaxials, Hybrids, and Variants

Anaxials

Chimaera anaxials are the front runners that push the concept of an anaxial existence to its limit. Like their chimaera sire, the chimaera anaxials are anatomically diverse and comprise many component species. Unlike them, these various anatomies mold much more closely to their human dame's physiology. In other words, whereas the chimaera sire may be of certain sizes, physical dimensions, and otherwise, the chimaera anaxial is 'smaller' and 'more anatomically tame'. This allows for the human parent to go through pregnancy more safely, though it may still be a much more wild one than typical ones.   A chimaera anaxial's most distinguishing characteristic is how their component species' parts grow closer to 'original nature' than the harmony of their sire. In other words, a chimaera anaxial with, for example, nebusah arms will look almost exactly like a nebusah. The sire, by extension, may have 'similar yet different' arms as a result of genetic harmony. This sort of distinction, however, is almost a purely academic one; only those trained in such matters can really make that meaningful identification. For the everyday person, a chimaera anaxial mostly comes off as a smaller, fiercer chimaera.    

Hybrids

One might argue that chimaera are, themselves, a naturally hybridized species. As it stands, there's literally no way to distinguish a chimaera hybrid because all genetic contributions are adapted by their physiology. No one really even knows if the species has a 'single blood' (or unmodified) chimaera in the first place because of how they were initially created. This has led to the rise of some particular euphemisms, such as 'finding a chimaera's father', indicating the impossibility of a given task due to its absurdity.    

Variants

There are no variants that exist for this species, though there is speculation their rampant genetic adaptation will lead to some arising eventually.      

Sociology

Cultural Universals

Building and learning a place in their given parent culture is a challenge for every chimaera. Among their own, jockeying for position and social clout means intertribal feuding, duels, and otherwise. Given their incredible might and regenerative power, the results of such fighting is not nearly as destructive as others might imagine. Violent and bloody, certainly, and there will be destroyed houses in the worst cases, but one might find such mannerisms similar to dragonkind's habits. Between the two, whether by nature or nurture, the chimaera have far less restraint and a greater embrace of belligerency. Unlike dragons, who’s usage of conveyance means physical contact can be ‘speech’, chimaera are much closer to simply using violence for violence’s sake.   Because of their unique physiology, chimaera often need to secure the services of a capable doctor, or learn medicine themselves. When combined with a strong and nearly universal apprehension of medical science as a whole, however, they’re greatly challenged with securing effective medical care. Larger groups of chimaera foster an internal, spiritual and folkloric approach to medicine as a result, trusting doctors of their own species far more than any other. For civilizations with more sophisticated medicine and social outreach, however, the chimaera may warm up to such services instead. Still, when neither side has any real idea of what medical needs a chimaera may have, or how to resolve them, it is a volatile issue.    

Lingual Characteristics

Chimaera vocalization usually falls within human norms, though it's often demonstrably louder and with far greater presence. One can easily hear a chimaera long before seeing them, and they're not shy at all about making themselves known. Some specific vocal behaviors may be inherited from their component species, such as the nuhara 'hiss' speech, if their head/throat region correspond to that species.    

Arts and Beauty

The varied lifestyles and anatomies of the chimaera reflect just as much in their artistic tastes, demonstrating no singular approach or attitude beyond cultural norms. If one was to pick something, however, the chimaera enjoy musical and theatrical performances with powerful or moving energy. It is something that meshes well with their own lifestyle habits, but it can also over excite them and lead to ... public incidents. Drums, bass, percussive instrumentation, magically-amplified arrangements, reenactments of famous battles and duels; such paints the broad spectrum of chimaera (guilty) pleasures.   That said, they also greatly enjoy things of historical meaning: monuments, statues, ancestral stories, etc. For a people with minimal cultural history unique to themselves, the world is a broad and unexplored place to which they have an uncertain place within. Most chimaera adopt into their parent cultures, but many more develop preference for ones that match certain component species. A chimaera that favors their muurun and nebusah 'heritage', for example, will seek out culture of those two species. Whether or not they integrate into those, retrieve parts for themselves, or otherwise, it is a personal and unique form of expression.   Similarly, the chimaera innate sense of beauty varies along their component species as well. It can be an overt or subtle distinction, such as chimaera with helunae parts favoring beauty with pronounced horns/antlers and shy, yet mysterious allure. A draconic chimaera might fancy physical bulk, strength, and impressive scales. A human chimaera might seek out more comfortable and sensual forms of beauty. In this sense, in addition to whatever cultural norms a chimaera may adopt, their instinctual response to species that match (or disagree) with their components is an important consideration. This has been a subject of great interest among scholars, as some use it as evidence of certain species having innate preferences, though consensus is mixed. Even if technically true, it carries dubious ethical and moral concerns no one has found a resolution to.    

Magic and Technology

The chimaera's great variability monumentally impacts their approach to magic, technology, and the conceptualization thereof. Since each of them can have very different needs or finer points of concern from each other, their approach to these ideas ends up diverging greatly. At the same time, they have so many different potential approaches to take in the first place that some very unique and never-before-conceived solutions arise. This is far more evident in magical arts itself where individual chimaera can craft, refine, and utilize their specific approaches better.   Though there are many examples, some of the more notable ones rely on multi-species utilization. In one example, a chimaera with nuhara vibrational senses with the preternatural perception of the helunae, creating a type of telescopic awareness that delved down into the microscopic realms. By doing so, their veltron magic obtained a sophisticated understanding of material composition and interplay, resulting in profound improvements to mana usage, design efficiency, and inventive applications. The problem became that anyone without that unique combination couldn't actually utilize the magic nearly as effectively themselves, as they lacked the fundamental perspective needed. Nonetheless, such knowledge paved the way for newer studies to consider.   In fact, the chimaera as a whole tend to represent a breath of fresh air in fields of study otherwise somewhat stagnant. Even if other species cannot directly reproduce their magical arts, the perspective alone can result in paradigm shifts. The resulting technologies that may spawn from these new directions also garner great attention from inventive minds. For those who embrace the chimaera as a people, many learned institutions and scholars are eager to recruit them for their potential contributions to their fields of study. At least, until they encounter the chimaera and their overbearing personalities directly; a brave sort is needed to handle such egos.    

Religion and Philosophy

A great divide sets within the chimaera by those who know of their species' true origins and those who do not. While there is no denying their unique nature, for those unaware, it is a subject of great mystery and intrigue, yet without religious aid whatsoever. The myriad faiths and divinities of Veltrona do not exactly have a perfect answer for the chimaera, either. But, those more encompassing and accepting of monsterkind's diversity ultimately do not treat them all that differently from other peoples.   The chimaera who do know of their true origins, however, face great uncertainty and anguish. As none of the stitched-generation remain after the Dominion’s downfall, and with the subsequent destruction of the baavoln, these curious chimaera uncovered their origins through great effort, arduous record searching, and making sense of their foremothers’ incomplete recollections. Yet, finding the truth meant learning they are a species that can definitively claim their unnatural creation came about from forsaken and evil methods, raising poignant questions about themselves in the process. Worse, knowing how ill-regarded they can be, it's difficult to reconcile their own existence and what is 'normal' for Veltrona at large.   The great thinkers and philosophers of other civilizations do not find easy answers to such a dilemma, either. There is no doubting the cruelty which made the chimaera, but do those born of it deserve scorn and death? The emergence of a new monsterkind species isn’t unexpected, for manifestation itself means sometimes one can simply appear randomly out of nowhere. For some, it became a matter of regarding the chimaera as one of the most extreme forms of hybridization (or anaxials) to ever exist. For others, the minutiae of chimaera existence became a thorny quagmire.   Dragonkind, for instance, found their people not only desecrated by Dominion science, but some more xenophobic lineages felt that their bloodlines themselves had possibly been contaminated. Yet the draconic lineages also accepted anaxials as dragons proper, who themselves were once argued over if they should be considered dragons at all. Whether or not the chimaera deserved similar regard became a philosophical football among dragonkind for several centuries. The consensus on the topic eventually became that, since the chimaera did not have an innate sense of conveyance the same way dragon-anaxials did, they didn’t qualify as part of dragonkind proper. This eventually shuffled them into the same vague notions of distantly-related kin as ‘dragon-anaxials reproducing with other species and passing on vestigial dragon traits’ and ‘male dragons having non-dragon offspring’. What became of such people was left to each lineage to decide about, but for the purposes of a government like Votyoger, this consensus ultimately meant that the chimaera wouldn’t receive the same legal representation as dragons proper.   These situations and more, even over a thousand years later, remain a contentious subject to which common consensus struggles to settle upon. Many civilizations would gravitate around the idea of considering chimaera ‘very advanced’ hybrids of a kind, and so most legal or philosophical frameworks integrated them thusly. While the chimaera themselves aren’t entirely sure of such accuracy, the concept of conjoinment and ‘being part of the many’ would eventually form a more meaningful philosophy. In other words, rather than agonize over who or what they belonged to individually, they would belong to everyone equally—the whole of their existence being more than the sum of its parts. The chimaera that yet live will not bow down nor erase themselves from the world; they would have their own place in it.   Whether that is as friends or enemies depends entirely on their neighbors.    

Science and Spirituality

Chimaera know-how trends toward very pragmatic concerns, though it is primarily transmitted in their smaller cultures through oral traditions and direct apprenticeship. For them, learning their place in the world is more than just studying books or the ways of nature, but understanding their very existence. Every chimaera is born unique, and so the impetus to learn themselves first and foremost is often expressed through exploring the world, and its peoples, around them.   In another sense, their approach is more emotionally-oriented than purely logical, per se. Their instincts are greatly important in this matter as they easily influence a chimaera's preferences or desires. Thus, while they may struggle with most forms of structured academia, their exploratory and adventurous spirits more than make up for it. Such views are captured the best in their audacious bravery and unflinching confrontation with the unknown, for the chimaera consider violence a valid answer to many of life's problems.   Strangely, the likes of spiritual entities/beings tend to flock around the chimaera. And, unlike many other forms of existence, such beings usually do not trigger a chimaera's territorial instincts. From the chimaera perspective, such entities are not only non-threatening, they're somewhat entertaining. The spirits, in kind, seem to deal with the chimaera in rather straight-forward and honest ways, building bridges of trust between them. Such curious relationships and inexplicable compatibility has ever been a source of intrigue, but no one has a clear idea of the hows and whys at all.      

Psychology

Rest and Sleep

For a being that can often have a diverse set of senses and information thereof, rest and sleep can be a hard thing to come by. Each and every chimaera has to learn the specific circumstances of their own biology and what 'rest' might truly entail for them. Some may prefer hard, isolated surfaces with minimal sound, while others need soft and cushiony set to the backdrop of wilderness or industry. A special scent-based sensitivity means the ambient aromas are going to matter that much more, making them vulnerable to things other species may be 'nose blind' to.   On top of all that, because each chimaera is born so uniquely, their parents' own compositions may not be at all relevant to how their own family rests or sleeps. Because of these difficulties, the chimaera prize their sleep greatly, and doubly resent those who disturb it. Perhaps as a reflection of themselves, every chimaera home ends up building around the specific sleeping habits of its denizens. These can vary between sprawling, spacious complexes to tightly knit and compact houses, with insulating material a common feature regardless. Bedrooms, by extension, are customized heavily to ensure a high degree of comfort to a chimaera’s unique needs, so one doesn’t truly know what they have until they meet the chimaera who sleeps there.   That said, for those with the means or availability, various alchemical and traditional medicines can help greatly. In particularly troublesome times, certain teas, tonics, aromatic items, and otherwise may help to dull or ease a chimaera's various senses into something more relaxed. This tends to be a greater requirement for those in more densely populated locales, especially those without sensory-appeasing civic or structural design.    

Consciousness and Thought

There is some great difficulty in measuring the exact cognition of the chimaera. While they seem to be largely within human-relative values, they also demonstrate remarkable sensory adaptation based around their component species. This in turn affects their cognition in unexpected ways, such as proclivities for certain forms of magic, analytical thinking, emotional processing, perception of the physical universe, etc. Whether or not this results in unique thinking potential, or are simply cognitive deviations, isn't clear. Given the impact and importance of chimaera instincts, however, there is more cognitive complexity going on than is readily apparent or easily discernible.    

Motivation and Emotion

The intrinsic drive of the chimaera is a battleground of several different compulsions, ebbing and flowing every hour of every day. This further changes as a chimaera goes through life, posing unique challenges as a child, adolescent, and adult. Learning to live with these compulsions and modulate them appropriately is a skill every chimaera hones, whether they want to or not. For other species, their nearest understandings of this inner conflict are some similarities to anxiety disorders, hyperactivity, or certain forms of mania.   But, it's important to understand these driving forces are not inherently destructive or negative to the chimaera themself. When the internal stress response rises too greatly, the chimaera will experience different drivers altogether. In a broad sense, they have a vast emotional landscape comprised of very different forms of instincts colliding together as much as harmonizing. Scholars believe part of the reason why the chimaera enjoy loud, large, or heavy forms of sensory input as it helps to bludgeon these emotional drivers into a semblance of order by, quite literally, drowning them out.    

Sexuality and Love

Where the chimaera feel, they feel intensely, and love is one of the most intense forces in the universe. For their family and closest friends, a chimaera will tear down the queen of an entire nation if they must. For their children, they will suffer any indignity and pain imaginable as long as it means they're healthy and happy. There are no lengths they will not go to, for those they love are the most important thing in the universe to them. To some, it veers straight into the realms of obsession, but where 'obsession' and 'intensity' diverge is something of a scholarly argument.   The core concept of chimaera sexuality across their different populations can be generally described as 'pansexual'. Given their own anatomical variability, the chimaera do not place as much value strictly on physical characteristics nearly as much as other species. Instead, they're much more concerned with finding someone who fits with their own sensibilities, family units, and communities. Where instinct, desire, and personality collide, the chimaera must find those who satisfy such often conflicting notions, or at least an existence that isn’t more disruptive to their lifestyle.   Children itself is a topic they must all figure out an answer to in some form or another, for there are considerations that demand hard answers. For chimaera mothers, the question of social and physical compatibility is that much more important, particularly as every chimaera knows how difficult childhood can be. For chimaera fathers, there is a grave concern over what may happen to non-chimaera mothers bearing the resulting anaxial/hybrid offspring. There’s even greater division among the intellectual or knowledgeable chimaera over if they should focus on fruitful matchmaking to whether or not their species should continue on at all. The quagmire of these particular issues compounds the fact chimaera do not ‘accidentally’ procreate all that often, either. It takes effort, and as a result, there is constant uncertainty.   Some, though, wish to have legacy, community, and family, and so they smash through these problems one way or another.      

Society

Social Mannerisms

Chimaera are described as varying anywhere from domineering to outright aggressive across their different populations and cultures. Their main concepts of social etiquette center on being ‘large and in charge’ and, combined with their heavy instinctual responses, is where most foreign cultures get the idea of chimaeran ‘unruliness’ from. When viewed with the understanding of chimaera often trying to integrate into a prior established culture, this friction can become quite destructive.   The key concept behind most chimaeran social systems essentially revolves around a combination of an individual not threatening the position of others within the community (perceived or otherwise) while at the same time striving to establish a repertoire of respect. Unfortunately for most other species, most chimeran cultures’ concept of respect is predominantly martial in nature—unless one just so happens to be a mistress of a craft a chimaera is interested in. This is most noticeable among chimaera who live nomadic or wilderness lifestyles, while those within urbanized or sedentary cultures generally restrain or change the context of their notions of respect. However, being in the constant presence of strangers can be inordinately stressful as these ‘unknowns’ are usually perceived as threats, further complicating matters.   When chimaera feel their territory, or those under their (proverbial or literal) wings are in danger, their natural response is one of overwhelming aggression, if not immediate retaliation. Chimaera warriors, thusly, are some of the most feared combatants a person on Veltrona can ever hope to contend with, if not for their ridiculous strength, then because most are raised by their mothers with malicious concepts of excessive violence. For ones who were often on the receiving end of the worst from people, the chimaera have personally learned what can happen if one fails to act quickly and decisively in the face of potential danger. As such, diplomacy is rarely employed after certain boundaries have been crossed, with most chimaera instead choosing (or, at least, are expected by their communities to choose) to return any ill-will they receive a thousand fold in return.    

Gender

For a monsterkind species, the chimaera are largely indifferent to the idea of gender roles. That said, since women are physically larger and more powerful, they’re much more likely to bully the smaller males into submission. This sentiment extends to pretty much anything smaller than themselves, really. Rather than be submissive in kind to that which is larger than them, chimaera women are more likely to become angry or enraged if such beings are perceived as threatening. Once this nascent hierarchy is established, labor is usually divided up among the parents within a given family.   While on the surface such an arrangement is similar to many other monsterkind species, they also do not follow the exact same outcomes. Men, in fact, act much the same as women in this respect, bullying those weaker or smaller than themselves in order to establish hierarchy. Once everyone is presumed to have a place, the chimaera often fall into very pragmatic ideas, like the correct person for the proper job (e.g, most skilled fighter leading the warriors, best weaver handling clothes and textiles, etc). If one instead viewed this behavior as ‘the strong and the weak’, it's almost entirely gender-agnostic.   The simple reality is that chimaera women are naturally stronger than chimaera men, hence the very gendered outcome of their hierarchy. A man who achieves greater strength, however, can secure a higher place in the pecking order. Whether or not that paints a bigger target on him is another problem entirely, especially if it happens to enhance his desirability as well. Among chimaera cultures that have little cross-culture contact or exchange, such behavior is the norm as martial strength is generally valued. Chimaera with other cultural values, however, may or may not view men as being gender transgressors. In the latter case, it really does depend on what parent culture the chimaera are taking after.   There are, however, more nuances to this hierarchy than pure strength alone. The most important aspect is how much the chimaera respect each other and do not feel threatened by one another. There are situations where fairly powerful chimaera are ‘low’ in the hierarchy because they do not fight for, nor disrupt, the community to obtain higher position. In such cultures, there are often almost no hierarchical structures in the first place, since cooperation tends to be a more prevalent value instead.    

Kinship and Ethnicities

Chimaera families are the greatest social unit that exist for their species given their incredibly low population sizes across Veltrona. The family unit itself usually has one parent, or pair of parents, who act as the heads of the family. In some cases, several branching or unrelated families may come together into a very small tribe, but such instances of strictly chimaera societies are fairly rare. Instead, the norm for the majority of chimaeras is that their individual clan or family unit will usually integrate into the larger social groups of other species, with the chimaera then adopting that groups’ customs thereafter. In this respect, chimaeran families can be found as minorities in various other nations.    

Governments and Politics

Chimaera 'governance', such as it is with such a small population existing independently of other species’ societies, is usually an ensemble of dictatorship and cult of personality, set against a somewhat meritocratic 'survival of the fittest' mentality. The closest thing to chimaera civilization is their extremely small tribes, where ultimate leadership is determined by a leader's charisma as much raw prowess rather than any real or perceived seniority. Contests for power are frequent—expected, even—and it's seen as a way to keep oneself at the top of their game.   These notions, however, do not survive well in the civilizations of other species where ideas like the rule of codified law are important qualifiers. For most chimaera who find themselves living within or adjacent to such civilizations, their leaders’ future is to carve out a powerful niche that accrues political power, or earn the patronage of those with said power. Mortal civilizations tend to be where they can most likely rise to positions of prominence, but they must contend with mortals' distrust of immortal existence. For immortal civilizations, they're essentially opaque walls against which only time and effort can earn the chimaera a place among their lofty elite; even then, however, not always.    

Trade and Economics

Given the small size of their tribal populations, the chimaera simply have no need for large-scale trade or highly organized economies. The few chimaera tribes that exist are largely concerned with subsistence living, either occupying high value but dangerous wildernesses or migrating as nomads. Aside from this, the tribal chimaera make do with whatever they can source from their local environments, or with whatever they acquire or learn from neighbouring civilizations.   In general, the chimaera often barter their physical labour, and most become huntresses of great and terrible beasts which other species cannot pursue easily. In that way they find themselves challenged and the thrill of battle often becomes an addicting career. The beasts they fell become their greatest prizes, with the most exotic and rare of the beasts commanding incredible prices from other civilizations. Similarly, chimaera mercenaries and soldiers can become pivotal powerhouses in many kinds of armies, ensuring they secure a comfortable position in whatever martial hierarchy they agree to be a part of.   Chimaera mages, and/or those in the business of magic as a whole, face rather distinctive opportunities. Thanks their unusual physiology and mental composition, chimaera have a lot of fungibility between various magical disciplines. In other words, they can learn and adapt to a number of magical arts far greater than most other species ever could. By going a step further and developing their own unique magical arts, this same composition results in the creation of magic other species cannot easily (if at all) recreate themselves. Leveraging these talents can make for a tantalizing and valuable opportunity, but few are willing to brave the challenges of the chimaera herself.   That is, it is a remarkable feat of self-control for a chimaera to not simply kill someone for mouthing off about their thesis being incorrect. A little rough retaliation, however, can usually be expected. While many scholars may object to such a working environment, many more find the need to physically defend one’s theses in hand-to-hand combat to be invigorating.    

Interspecies Relations

As beings of myth and legend, perhaps even moreso than dragonkind itself, everyone has an idea about the chimaera, but rarely experience the reality of having met one in person. For most, tales of old monstrosities and abominations crafted under the bloody regime of the Dominion are usually the first thing that come to mind. These horrors, made from flesh of many peoples, wreaked terrible devastation, though the exact form always varied. Modern scholars would equate these rumors closer to types of raveners, but the vagueness of folklore and myth has just as easily applied such fears and prejudice upon the chimaera.   Of all peoples, however, it is the baarham and baatari with the most complex relationship of all with the chimaera. As their imminent creators, and to some chimaera even regarded as goddesses-in-the-flesh, the baarham in turn oft view the chimaera as living proof of their late King's greatest mistake, and of the Dominion's highest folly. Whether or not they deserved recognition as kinfolk, as baarham-made puppetkin are, is a divisive topic even to the modern day.   The baatari, in kind, see the chimaera as victims of the late King's vile ambitions. They would eventually adopt policies of their own to integrate the chimaera into their civilizations, owning some responsibility for their unfortunate creation. As a parent would see a child, the baatari hope to safeguard, educate, and uplift the chimaera to stand on their own feet in a world that may not readily accept them. In this way, many chimaera find themselves with a homeland of sorts that perhaps hasn't fully accepted their place in the world, but both sides are growing along one another all the same.        

Associated Articles

Notable Civilizations

     

Notable Characters

Kos, Of the Devouring Light

   

Design Notes