Alopeke

Alopeke are charismatic and witty people with a connection to the spirit plane which grants them many magical abilities, chiefly the power to shapechange into other forms. They are keen observers of the societies around them who have hidden their true nature for many ages. They call the Quatrica Islands their home, and yet even here, no one has ever known of their true nature. Why they have chosen to hide their true selves from society is a mystery they keep to themselves. Perhaps something happened in the past that forced them to hide themselves, or maybe they do so out of fear. Either way, there are some younger Alopeke who grow tired of this and have come out of the closet as it were, revealing their true nature to the world, much to the chagrin of their community's elders.   However, maybe now is the right time for them to reveal themselves at last, for their connection to the spirit plane has plagued them in recent years with apocryphal visions. The elders have warned for the past few years since the Cataclysm of these visions. But no one has believed them. However the events after the Convergence, the very thing they were worried about, has led some to finally take notice to their tales of madness.   Though all-Alopeke settlements exist in secluded areas through out the Quatrica Islands, most live among people of other ancestries, which grants them a degree of insight into social rules or dynamics that others only process sub-consciously. Alopeke enjoy subverting expectations as they do going along with them. They have a fondness of jokes, stories, and wordplay, especially twists of a riddle that hinges on the listener's assumptions.   With dual forms and a connection to both material and spirit planes, Alopeke have diverse concepts of self and identity. Some even view their forms as separate individuals altogether, allowing them to explore different aspects of their personality. But their connection to the spirit plane also brings a cost: they are plagued with visions of a dark and bleak future, with unknown and unknowable forces from beyond this world finding their way in. Some Alopeke even have an innate connection to the Nightmare Realm and Dreamscape that has only proven to be a curse in recent years.