| Grammar: |
Language: |
English |
| There is an Ildemin. |
Type: |
Human/animal |
| There are the Ildemin. |
Habitat: |
Any human area |
| A Ildemite blade. |
Size: |
Average |
Mistakes
Ildemin are probably the most despised race on Riiga. Nobody knows where they came from, and each is distinguishable by some sort of animalistic telltale sign, yet they still try to continuously fit in to human societies. They are commonly called illmen (singular: illman) as both a play on their name and an alternate meaning, with "ill" referring to their impure or inhuman appearance. This term is purely derogatory, and quite common in Ideitess.
Origins
As stated, nobody knows exactly where Ildemin came from. They have no real history, no leader, and no are which they dominate. They are often considered to be "mistakes", or twisted byproducts of humans mating with other hybrid species, such as Gruitin and Sirins. What is unusual, though, is that Ildemin can not only be part wolf or dog, but can be part cat, snake, bird, lizard... almost any animal which is smaller than a human being. This isn't to say that the Ildemin's parents were a human and an animal. On the contrary, most Ildemin have wholly human parents. Most scientists believe that having an Ildemin child is the fault of either nature or shadow magic. Nature magic, because animals are a large part of the scheme of nature, and shadow because such magic tends to involve curses. It is generally as inexplicable as a person born with a missing finger, but because it is an extreme far beyond the norm, Ildemin are rejected for being so drastically different. It should be noted that Ildemin first appeared in South Ideitess.
Appearance and Nature
The majority of Ildemin stick together, supporting one another in a subtle way, as they also tend to live in or near civilised human areas. This is mostly because Ildemin are often physically handicapped due to the minimum of one animal part which they grow on their body, and normal humans are all quite capable and strong people who take all the resources they like. It is easier for Ildemin to live in small groups with other humans than to try and survive on their own.
The aforementioned animal features of an Ildemin can be rare, or they can be subtle, but they are almost always a hindrence, because at the very least, it gives away their "imperfect" blood and is usually a just cause for mistreatment by a human. The animal part is usually a tail, ears, nose, whiskers, teeth, or claws, but can sometimes be fur, scales, or a more animal-like appendages altogether. These features are what make an Ildemin. Because they usually have only a single animal feature, they can rarely be mistaken for other hybrid races.
There is occasionally an upside to their animal feature. For instance, one born with the ears of a dog would gain acute hearing, or one born with the claws of a cat would never need to wield a knife in their life. There are no records of there being an Ildemin born with wings or more than two arms and two legs. Oddly, an Ildemin sometimes takes on characteristics of its animal, too. For example, one with a bull's tail might be unusually aggressive and strong, with a bulky body, or one with lizard claws might enjoy soaking up sunlight and may often seem indifferent, slow, and calm, like a reptile.
