Thalorans are a humanoid species native to the Arofea continent. They are known to be elusive and not many are seen outside of their homeland Fiyo Thalore.
The reason as to why they’re so reclusive lies in their natural proximity to a structure named Mana Spool, which is tied to the thaloran people’s creation. It is believed that every thaloran soul dwells in the Spool, being drawn from it when a thaloran is born, and returning to it when they die. As such, every thaloran born too far away from it will be stillborn.
Despite having such a strong spiritual connection to the world, thalorans are also very scientific minded. Their advancements in technology often surpasses those of the other nations of Odiem. This had led to many outsiders to travel to Fiyo Thalore in order to study their science, although not many are accepted in their ranks.
Thalorans have lived in isolation for many years, and there are still many facets to their culture that are unknown to outsiders. Some are more open to sharing their culture, while others might carry themselves with quite a haughty attitude, which makes friendly contact somewhat harder.
Thalorans are medium sized humanoids with pointed ears. They commonly have antlers, although many do not. They classify themselves in four different variants based on certain genetic characteristics. Thalorans also have a long prehensile tail, which is usually long enough to reach the ground when fully extended, and it often ends in a tuft of hair. Their hair is often white or silver, and their skin can be either a natural tone similar to humans, or purple and blue.
Thalorans can live up to 200 years, with some exceptional cases reaching past the 230 year mark. They are considered adults by their society at age 20.
There are four genetic variants that have been identified among thaloran populations:
Alpha thalorans, which are distinguished by the presence of antlers. The antlers are present on both genders, although they are bigger and have more prongs on males. This is the most common genetic variant.
Beta thalorans, which don't have any distinguishing traits. This is the second most common variant.
Gamma thalorans, which also don't seem to have any distinguishing traits. Despite being physically identical to the Beta variant, Gamma thalorans are genetically distinct, and can possess certain traits that not present on Beta thalorans.
Omega thalorans, which is the rarest variant. They look similar to alpha thalorans, but all male omega thalorans have two penises. Female omegas usually don't have any distinguishing traits, although they can be born with two clitorises on rare occasions.
Alpha (Α) is a dominant gene, followed by beta (Β), gamma (Γ) and finally omega (Ω)
There cannot be "half" variants, a thaloran will either possess a specific gene or not. In short, if an Alpha thaloran and a Beta thaloran have a child, that child will either be an Alpha or a Beta.
The child will inherit two alleles, one from each parent, meaning that they can have AA, AB, or BB. Since the Alpha gene is dominant, an individual with AA or AB genotype will be an Alpha, and an individual with BB will be a Beta. Two Alpha thalorans can still give birth to a Beta, or a Gamma, if they carry these recessive genes.
Some thalorans have their bodies naturally adorned with markings. A pattern can only show up in a shade darker than the skin tone, similar to antler gradients.
There are two patterns that thalorans can have: Striped and point. The striped pattern is further divided into light stripes and heavy stripes. The presence of stripes is a result of the dominant S gene.
The striped pattern consists of several stripes running vertically across the back, outer thighs and flanks. The shape of the pattern is determined by the St, St1 and St2 genes. The dominant allele, St, will create a single dorsal stripe. Up next is the recessive St1, which causes several stripes along the back and flanks. And finally, the most recessive St2, which causes the stripes to spread to the neck and jaw and will also pigment the fingers and toes, in a pattern known as heavy stripes.
A point pattern is a rarer pattern that causes the extremities of the body to display a dark gradient. It affects mainly the ears, arms, legs and tail. It appears when there is a recessive form of the P gene. (pp)
The point pattern, when present, doesn’t always override the striped pattern. As such, it is possible for a thaloran to have both stripes and point gradients.
In the year 2890 RE, a group of nomadic elves found themselves lost in the deep forests of central Arofea. Within it, they found a strange river, now known as the Mana Spool. Many spirits dwelled within it, and the Elves soon became enchanted by them. With time, their adoration for the spirits was so fervent that they jumped into the Mana Spool to be with them.
In the turbulent waters of the Mana Spool, the Elves bodies were filled with pure mana. Their form begun to change, so suddenly that they might have burst. However, the spirits then joined with the Elves' bodies to keep them from being destroyed by the sheer force of mana.
When they reemerged, they were different. No longer Elves, and no longer spirits, but a combination of both. These new beings began to call themselves the Thalora.
A Thalora cannot be born away from the Mana Spool, and cannot die away from it either. When a Thalora die, their spirit returns to the Mana Spool, and there it shall remain until a new Thalora is born, and the spirit is called to its body, as if by a strong pull. This close connection to the spirits allows the Thalora to use magic.
There are no longer spirits out in the wilds, as they all live within the bodies of the thalorans in life.
Because of this, the thalorans worship no gods, and instead they worship only the Mana Spool itself as the source of their life.