Preternatural Bloodlines

[GM Note: This is a list of versatile heritages and what role they play in the world of the Reverie Isles, if any. For the purpose of categorization, the uncommon bloodlines—those whose bloodlines have been influenced by extraplanar creatures—are collectively known as Nephilim.]

Uncommon Bloodlines

Aphorite

Aphorites are nephilim born from order — descendants of axiomites and mortals transformed by the immutable harmonics of Nexis, a plane where logic governs all things. Each aphorite carries a portion of the Continuum’s self-perpetuating equation within their soul, which manifests in strangely beautiful ways: metallic or faintly luminous skin, bodies with flawless bilateral symmetry, or birthmarks shaped like fractals or sacred geometry. Their presence can feel uncanny — not cold, but composed, as if their very hearts beat to a rhythm other mortals can’t hear. Most aphorites carry themselves with calm certainty, unnerving to those who rely on instinct over reason, and they are often drawn to disciplines that seek clarity and precision. As the spiritual opposites of ganzis—who embody change and chaos—aphorites personify stability and design. Whether seen as prophets of purpose or prisoners of their own nature, they walk the world as echoes of a higher order.

Aphorites typically live up to 150 years longer than members of their ancestral race.

Cambion

Cambions are nephilim born from unholy bargains — descendants of mortals who consorted with fiends or made pacts whose insidious fine print is forever carved into their souls. Though their behavior varies as widely as any mortal’s, cambions are often met with suspicion, mistrust, or fear before they ever speak a word. The mark of their fiendish heritage is unmistakable: curling horns, forked tongues, ash-colored or crimson skin, and twitchy barb-tipped tails. Those descended from devils of the Infernal Plane are often called hellspawn, though others trace their lineage to demons, daemons, and other dark denizens of Abaddon, where death and destruction outweighs mortal desires ten to one. Cambions might possess eyes that flicker like pits of hellfire, voices that compel obedience, or an aura that unsettles the pious. Whether they lean into the stigma or fight to escape it, few cambions are allowed to forget the evils from which their bloodline first emerged.

Cambions typically live up to 100 years longer than members of their ancestral race.

Empyrean

Empyreans are nephilim born from holy bloodlines — most often the legacy of good-aligned angels, though any celestial may pass on such a spark. They’re marked not only by unearthly beauty, which ranges from subtle charm to outright perfection, but by an unmistakable pull of compassion that seems to precede them in any room. Their sensitivity to magic is profound, allowing them to perceive glowing auras called “nimbuses” around the heads of other nephilim — shimmering halos through which they can often intuit the source of another’s extraplanar heritage. Among common folk, those descended from angels are simply called angelkin, though the term is imprecise. Empyreans might bear wings of radiant feathers, cast silvery light from their eyes when overcome with emotion, or speak with voices that calm even the most frayed nerves. Whether admired, revered, or quietly resented, their presence always seems to inspire others toward something higher.

Empyreans typically live up to 200 years longer than members of their ancestral race.

Ganzi

Ganzis are nephilim born from chaos — the descendants of proteans and mortals touched by the wild energies of the Maelstrom, a reality-bending tempest at the heart of the Astral Sea. Each ganzi carries a sliver of pure entropy in their soul, and it shows: some sport kaleidoscopic eyes that shimmer like oil on water, others grow iridescent feathers in place of hair or trail long, serpentine tails covered in scales or silky fur. There’s no telling how a ganzi’s heritage will manifest, only that it will. Common folk describe them as eccentric, magnetic, or just “a lot” — charming to some, overwhelming to others. Their nature resists easy categorization, and they rarely follow tradition unless they’ve remade it first. As the spiritual opposites of aphorites—who are bound to law and cosmic symmetry—ganzis embody unpredictability in its most vivid form. Whether seen as visionaries, misfits, or agents of necessary change, they never quite blend in, but never seem to mind.

Ganzis typically live up to 150 years longer than members of their ancestral race.

Scion

Scions are a type of nephilim whose souls have been touched by elemental power — either through descent from one of the djinn or by surviving direct contact with the raw magic of Fundament, where the four Primordial Mothers were laid to rest. Whether born or transformed, their elemental heritage leaves distinctive marks: Afaran scions might crack like stone, grow moss from their skin, or bleed quicksilver; Shelan scions walk wreathed in mist or temperamental wind; Eishan scions blaze with smoldering hair or eyes like red-hot coals; and Yamman scions are often drenched in icy water or smell of brine. However, their primordial inheritance runs deeper than skin, shaping instinct as much as appearance: Afarans draw strength from discipline, Shelans value freedom of expression, Eishans burn with a fiery passion, and Yammans easily “go with the flow” of their lives. Among nephilim, scions are often the most visibly altered, but face little discrimination for it.

Scions typically live up to 50 years longer than members of their ancestral race.

Rare Bloodlines

Changeling

Changelings are the hidden children of hags — born from cursed pacts or twisted designs, then left to be raised by unsuspecting mortal parents. Most of their kind appear entirely normal aside from one unmistakable trait: heterochromia, with one eye a strange and unnatural color, often too vivid, too pale, or oddly reflective to be mundane. Though a changeling can be born any gender and to any ancestry, they are most often female, and their adoptive families usually have no idea of their true origin. When a changeling comes of age, he or she may begin to feel the Call — an innate, often irresistible pull toward the coven that first birthed them. Those who answer it risk becoming hags themselves; those who resist may struggle with a lingering sense of incompleteness. Common folk often find changelings personable or strangely charismatic, though there’s always something slightly uncanny about them, a sense that something behind their eyes is not entirely safe.

Changelings who ignore the Call rarely live longer than members of their ancestral race.

Dhampir

Dhampirs are the living offspring of vampires or other dhampirs, born with blood that blurs the line between life and undeath. Most appear pallid or faintly cold to the touch, with eyes that reflect light like a predator’s and heartbeats that slow to near silence. They inherit a fraction of a true vampire’s supernatural strength, resilience, and senses—as well as the unnaturally long lifespan—but are spared the full weight of Vampyr’s Curse. Dhampirs do not burn in sunlight, require blood to survive, or suffer from the compulsions that plague their undead progenitors, though many still feel an instinctual pull toward hunger and dominance. The most common source of dhampir bloodlines is the moroi—the classic, noble vampire of Old World legend—and those descended from them are known as svetochers. Though many dhampirs live peacefully among mortals, whispers and superstitions often follow them, especially in places where vampires are feared or reviled.

Dhampirs typically live up to 300 years longer than members of their ancestral race.

Dragonborn

Dragonborn are mortals with the blood of dragons coursing through their veins — descendants of mighty half-dragons or those transformed by alchemy or lost, arcane rites. Though true dragons are believed extinct, their legacy endures in the dragonborn, making them among the rarest of all bloodlines. Many trace their lineage to Old World noble families, particularly those from the far eastern continent of Yamakiri, where their draconic heritage was a sign of divine favor. All dragonborn possess striking eyes: slitted, luminous, and ancient-seeming, often confused with those of the ophidians until their commanding presence sets the record straight. In rare cases—especially among those created artificially—their features grow more overt, with claws, scaly visages, or even wings. Some occultists claim that the dragons did not perish but simply withdrew from the world, slumbering in realms unseen — and the dragonborn are their dreams made flesh.

Dragonborn typically live up to 100 years longer than members of their ancestral race.

Lycan

Lycans are mortals born from werecreature bloodlines — descendants of those afflicted with lycanthropy who inherited the shapechanger’s abilities, but not the curse itself. Unlike true werecreatures, lycans are not compelled to transform under the full moon, nor do they suffer the madness or contagion of the affliction. Still, their blood remembers. Most can assume a partial bestial form at will, gaining animalistic traits like sharpened senses, thickened hides, and claws, though these features often surface subtly even when untransformed: golden eyes that shine in the dark, unusually muscular builds, or instincts just a little too primal. Werewolves—or lycanthropes—are the most common source of lycan heritage, though some trace their lineage to wererats, wereboars, or stranger beasts still. In rural communities and Frontier settlements, lycans are often respected as hunters and protectors, but never entirely trusted — especially when the moon is high.

Lycans rarely live longer than members of their ancestral race.

Revan

Revans are mortals who have died — and returned. Known to common folk as “duskwalkers,” revans are rare souls reincarnated into their own bodies, typically with the aid of a powerful psychopomp. This second chance is not granted lightly: a revan’s former life was often cut short by violence, sacrifice, or fate itself, and something about their soul—still unfinished, unfulfilled—drew the attention of death’s stewards. The revan’s return takes a toll on both their mind and body: most awaken with their skin and hair drained of pigment, white as bone, and no memory of their former lives, beyond the fact of their death. While they retain the core essence and personality of who they were, they are never quite the same. Scholars of the afterlife note that no more than a dozen revans seem to exist at once, and that number appears to be dwindling. Whether chosen for greatness or simply allowed one last chance, revans walk the line between life and death with every step.

Revans do not age after their awakening, though most perish long before time can take them.