Cocooned

The Cocooned are a group of people mostly found in the Kirinal Concordance Zone. They don't share a blood ancestry, instead they have undergone Re-Incarnation Cocooning, a metamorphic ritual that reshapes their bodies.

Those who undergo it successfully emerge with their desired transformation, along with feathery antennae and partially functional moth wings. The wings allow for gliding, assisted falls, and very short flights.

Reasons for cocooning are as varied as the Cocooned themselves. Some seek to change their gender or their species. Others seek to escape a curse, an injury, or a severe handicap. Each applicant undergoes psionic and magical screening to prevent criminals or fugitives from abusing the ritual.

The Cocooned are a legally recognized and protected group under the laws of the Concordance. But outside the Zone, they often face suspicion or ridicule from societies that neither understand nor accept their transformation.

Their moth-like traits encourage the Cocooned to adopt their own cultural aesthetic. They dress in flowing silk, robes, and iridescent patterns that complement their wings.

Once there was an orphan who stole, lied, and sold what little they had of themself. They came to the Sisters of the Moth and went into the silk. I awoke as Islar. I have never looked back.

— Islar, Heirophant of the Moon

Heirophant, Golden Metamorphosis by Chris L