[COLOR=Slategray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]H O M O   G E N E R A:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][COLOR=SILVER][B]S T A T I S T I C S[/B][/COLOR]
[INDENT][I]There’s an estimated one Hyperhuman per every million humans on Earth. This number is expected to double within the next ten years due to the dominance of the Hyperhuman gene. As a result, the growth of the Hyperhuman population is expected to inflate exponentially over the next century and by the dawn of twenty second century, Hyperhumans will be the dominant race on Earth.
 
In contrast to this growing number, the Draoi are estimated to number only one for every ten million humans on Earth. This is because the Draoi are slowly dying out due in part to their systematic elimination at the hands of the Venari along with their own thirst for power which has drove them to turn on one another. Yet the Draoi do live on, and thanks to their long lifespans may see a resurgence in their order, if this does not happen they are expected to be extinct by the end of the millennia. 

Like the Draoi, the Venari's numbers are struggling. Due to the advances of technology, the services of a monster hunter have been rarely needed and Hellions have become increasingly rare in the last couple centuries. As a result, the materials to create new Venari are scarce and the order has been dying since the betrayal of the Witch Hunters in 1693. 
 
Opposed to the Homo Magni and Hyperhumans whose populations can be tracked, Celestials visit Earth and leave at various intervals. At any one given time it is expected that there is one Celestial per every billion humans on Earth. That said this number can fluctuate and can never truly be fully determined due to Celestials being highly difficult to isolate and track. Hellions are in a similar boat and the actual number of Hellions residing on Earth is near impossible to track.

Augmented individuals currently make up less than one percent of the world population due to the cost and relevant newness of the procedures. Mundanes on the other hand make up the majority of the world's population,
 numbering well over nine billion with the majority completely unaware of any extra-normal individuals leaving among them outside of Hyperhumans and Augmented. The Homo Magni, Celesitals and Hellions are next to unknown to most folks and most prefer to keep it that way.[/I][/INDENT]
[COLOR=SILVER][B]01. H O M O   M A G N I[/B][/COLOR]
[INDENT]◼   [I][B]01.1 - Draoi:[/B][/I] The Draoi have deep Celtic roots, originating in ancient Ireland when a druid found himself lost in a state of purgatory between life and death. This state of purgatory was known as the Tree of Life and Death, a mystical abyss which connects every realm, timeline and reality through its numerous branches. It was here that the First of the Draoi drank the sap from the Tree of Life and Death and in doing so, found the soul of another entering its body. The sap of the Tree contained the souls of an ancient race known as the Alfar. These Alfar were the ancient arborists who tended to the Tree in its infancy belonging to the first realm. However as the Tree grew, their realm eventually died and the leaves which contained it fell into the abyss becoming part of the tree itself. Due to this, the souls of the Alfar were channeled into the sap of the Tree, waiting for one day when someone would tap the power of the Tree. 

As the soul of the Alfar entered the body of the Draoi, ancient arcane knowledge was passed onto him. Knowledge of the working of the Tree but most importantly knowledge of the Vis. The Vis is a mystical energy which flows through not only Earth but the entire Tree of Life and Death. Invisible, unseen and full of untapped potential, it can be wielded by disciplined individuals, those who can close their minds to the distractions of the world and allow the Vis to flow through them. Given various names across different cultures, the Vis can be harnessed by many different means and even stored within enchanted items and materials. The power of the Vis is balanced into the Lux and the Nox. The Lux side of the Vis deals in the power to heal and shield one's body, where the Nox deals in manipulating the forces of nature against one's enemies. 

Draoi are not born, they are made by partaking in the ancient rituals. A proud tradition, Draoi often come from a long lineage and more often than not belong to very wealthy families. When a child reaches the age of eleven, they enter the order under the title of Initiate. For the next five years, the Initiate is expected to study and learn everything they can about Draoi history, its traditions and most importantly study the notes and lessons that experienced Draoi and Elders have passed down on how to best manipulate the Vis. At the age of sixteen, the Initiate should they have proven their worth and dedication, are allowed to perform the Rite of Passage. In times immemorial, the Initiates were permitted to drink from the Sap of the Tree of Life and Death. The method of obtaining the sap however has been lost to history and instead the Draoi now grow their numbers through sacrifice. The ruling council will determine the weakest among them, and he will be sacrificed. The Alfar within him, shattered and spread among the Initiates as they drink from his blood. The Alfar fragment will then bound with the human soul, changing the Initiate into a Draoi. 

While Hyperhumans tend to primarily be limited to a single defined set of powers, Draoi are able to constantly learn and adapt their powers. Each Draoi generates a large amount of current that when channelled through a conductive metal can be manipulated to a variety of effects. This current also acts similar to a magnetic polarity granting Draoi a sort of sixth sense attraction to each other as they are literally attracted towards other Draoi. Items made of conductive metals are more susceptible to the effects of magic and especially transformation based magic. Magic works on a similar principle to electrical current, attacking at a molecular scale, it directly affects its targets at an atomic level. This makes magic incredibly hard to defend against except through the use of counter magic. 

The Draoi can't unleash their powers directly without damaging their bodies, and as such must channel the Vis through external objects such as wands, rings and other items which often have a personal tie to the person.  These objects are referred to as Conduits and each conduit must at least have a core of a conductive metal. The Vis can only be channeled through a conductive metal due to manifesting as pure energy before exploding into the Draoi's desired effect. Like electricity and other forms of energy, some metals work better than others in conducting the Vis. Precious metals such as gold and silver are often the most desired among Draoi. Additionally, while most Draoi only rely on one Conduit there are those who train to wield two simultaneously. This particular practice can take years to master and is often only found among very dedicated Draoi. The Draoi also create enchanted items, small metallic conduits which hold within a single magical effect. A clasp which enables a Draoi to float, or a breastplate that protects the wearer are both examples of possible enchantments. Alchemy and potion making are also possible, the Vis is released into a potion so long as a Conduit is used to stir the mixture whereas alchemy requires metal embedded with magic to melt into the elixir.

Duels between Draoi are vicious and brutal. Upon defeat the winner will strip the loser of the Alfar soul within them, absorbing the loser’s powers to boost their own. Due to this, Draoi are actually unlikely to train their own children due to likelihood of child and parent eventually turning on one another. Furthermore, the Draoi don't have a human lifespan. Their lifespan is expanded each time a Draoi absorbs the powers of another. The absorption of the Alfar soul does not kill the original host but it does leave them powerless and return them to a Mundane state.

Initially mistaken as Gods in ancient times, the Draoi took advantage of this and exerted their dominance over the people of the day. However as time went on, the Draoi were eventually persecuted and hunted down, most notably by the Spanish Inquisition and during the Salem Witch Trials.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]◼   [I][B]01.2 - Venari:[/B][/I] The Venari were created when a Scandinavian raiding party came across a Draoi sect in Northern Ireland. Initially, the Draoi proved to be too strong a force for the raiders to defeat and they were driven back. Returning at night, the raiders silently killed every Draoi in the settlement, save for one who they brutally interrogated. Though their interrogation proved fruitless, a shaman among them, a Godi did manage to isolate a clue from the Draoi’s final words. Using the blood of the Draoi as a way to channel the Vis within it, the Godi shaped it into runes manipulating the Vis on the ground before the raiders. From there he began to mix the blood with ink in order to tattoo the power onto his companions. 

This method spread among the Scandinavian population but a dedicated few formed the original Venari. Charging into battle, their various runes lending them the power of the Vis. The blood of the Draoi was essentially a blank slate and the shape and meaning of the rune would draw out the power of the Vis to invoke a desired effect.

As time went on, the secrets of the Godi made its way into the Black Forest in Germany where a group of knights were overwhelmed against a dragon. Returning to the village at night, the knights abducted the village seer, taking her blood and invoking the Godi’s ritual. As a practicing Draoi, the seer’s blood proved viable for the desired effect and the Knight’s were finally able to take down the dragon. Taking what they could from the beast, the Knights forged new armor out of the beast’s hide but more importantly learned that the blood of the dragon contained within it the Vis to manipulate fire. This proved to be valuable knowledge, as the Knights continued to hunt down monsters, learning their blood contained power within it.

As the Venari order continued to grow, a caste system was developed. Among these castes were the Scribes, the men and women responsible for applying and maintaining the tattoos which gave the Venari their powers. The scribes would experiment and learn which blood would give what effect and while some variations were found among certain species of Hellions, Draoi blood remained the most versatile and desirable. While Hellion blood could only grant the traits which the beast itself contained, Draoi blood acted as a blank slate and took on the properties of the rune instead of the other way around. 

A Guild Master was always in charge of the order, although he was not a sole commander, instead acting as a head of a council. The council was made up of the eldest and most experience among the Venari, former scribes and hunters alike who had spent their time in the field and were looked to as authorities. 

The Hunters were the backbone of the Venari, leaving the fortress in the Black Forest to go out and seek work, kill monsters and return with new resources for the scribes. Often accompanying these Hunters were the lowest caste of the Venari, the Apprentices, young men and women who have yet to receive their initiation ink. An apprentice serves by the side of a hunter until they have reached the age of sixteen, upon this date the Hunter appears before the council and either gives his support to the apprentice joining the order or suggests that the apprentice be returned to their parents. If the Hunter does vouch for his apprentice, the apprentice will then spend two years serving the council as an Interned before the council decides whether the Interned would serve the order best as a Hunter or a Scribe. 

Without their tattoos, Venari are essentially powerless. The only limit to the amount of tattoos a Venari can cover themselves with is the amount of space on their body. If the tattoo fades or is damaged in anyway, it will fail to work. Only a Scribe can repair or apply a Venari Rune tattoo, and as such a Venari rarely works alone.
	
While the Venari primarily acted as sellswords, travelling town to town to sell their services in exchange for ridding the populace of Hellions, throughout history they have been aligned with greater causes. During the crusades, the Pope brought Venari hunters along in order to give the illusion to the other Knights that the enemy was in fact demonic in nature. The Spanish Inquisition used the Venari to hunt and seek out Draoi and in America, the Venari were used to hunt witches during the Salem Witch Trials. These alliances have only ever been temporary, often ending with the allied faction turning on the Venari. This has been especially true in the case of the Spanish Inquisition and the Witch Hunters, the latter of which essentially wiped out what few Venari were left.[/INDENT]
[COLOR=SILVER][B]02. - H O M O   S A P I E N S:[/B][/COLOR]
[INDENT]◼   [I][B]02.1 - Augmented:[/B][/I] In 2014, a breakthrough was made in the field of bio-mechanical science. As a result of this breakthrough, prosthetics took a major leap forward, becoming fully operating mechanical limbs. As a result of these advances, many prosthetics are considered even better than the body parts one is born with. Those dubbed the Augmented are humans with these bio-mechanic, prosthetics, graftings and implants. Originally a procedure reserved for those in need, the process has become privatized and widespread allowing anyone with enough money to undergo the procedure or anyone desperate enough to put themselves under the knife in a dark alley. Augmentations can affect any part of the body, from isolated organs, to muscle tissue to entire limbs. There have been many debates as to at what point a person is no longer recognized as augmented but as a machine. 

The most common augmentations are those of the limb and spine, in order to create the illusion of a superhuman physique. However, some people adapt their brains to receive information via download while others boost their senses to function at a higher level. Most recently, some career disciplines have begun testing for mandatory augmentation. Physically demanding disciplines could benefit from having augmented men to do the workload of two men in order to save on costs, while other disciplines such as firefighting or law enforcement would benefit from the increased safety of their officers. Likewise, the military has already deployed sanctioned augmented troops into enemy territory. 

While durable, the augmentations are far from perfect and many are still vulnerable to electrical attack. The source of the augmentations definitely determines the quality of both the parts themselves and of the graft. The body can still reject the augmentations which can be extremely painful to the host, if not resulting in their death. Most augmentations are designed to maintain a human appearance, however some have begun requesting a more ‘robotic’ appearance creating a sub-culture within the Augmented.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]◼   [I][B]02.2 - Hyperhuman:[/B][/I] Hyperhumans are humans who have undergone Viriumosis thus leading to the creation of a ‘Hype-Gene’ and development of extranormal abilities. Viriumosis occurs when the high energy particles create an insertion and add one or more extra nucleotides into the host DNA. As insertions in the coding region of a gene may alter splicing of the mRNA, or cause a shift in the reading frame, this almost always leads to a significant alteration in the gene product. These alterations lead to a wide variety of effects which are often looked upon as super-human abilities. 

While Viriumosis was only able to occur in the individuals who were alive during the Dark Eclipse, the Hype-Gene is able to be passed along through reproduction. This is a cumulative result of high energy particles stored within the donating parent's chromosomes. A portion of these particles are replicated and passed along to through genetic material resulting in the offspring going through Viriumosis in utero. Naturally this leads to the creation of the 'Hype-Gene' in the offspring allowing them to display abilities akin to those of their parent(s).

That said, a human born without a 'Hype-Gene' will not display Hyperhuman abilities unless subjected to Viriumosis. However due to the constraints of technology, there is no way to artificially replicate the process which created the ‘Hype-Gene’. 

The 'Hype-Gene' isn't exclusively carried within either sex but is a dominant gene within both ensuring that the child of a Hyperhuman will indeed be one themselves. Due to a lack of willing subjects, there are no studies as to whether powers levels are greater or equal within children who have two Hyperhuman parents compared to those who only have one. Hyperhuman abilities are incredibly diverse and more often than not allow the host to accomplish superhuman abilities. When a Hyperhuman is born, they have an unlimited potential as to what abilities they will develop. Hyperhuman abilities are not predetermined by parents but instead are developed during puberty in the majority of hosts. However those who go through trauma at a younger age may prematurely develop their abilities. Environment and circumstance surrounding the time of ability development will contribute to determining the host’s abilities. Due to the nature of Viriumosis, Hyperhuman abilities are closely linked to Earth’s Electromagnetic Spheres and could be considered to be powered through it. 

The more of these 'Hyperhumans' that are in close proximity, the weaker they become as they fight to draw from the same EM spheres. Many of these 'Hyperhumans' live their lives without knowing about their abilities, a few odd occurrences happening in times of heightened adrenaline. But there are the few who learn to embrace their nature and use their abilities to accomplish extraordinary feats.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]◼   [I][B]02.3 - Mundane:[/B][/I] The Mundane are humans who don’t have any enhancements about them at all. These are the true homo-sapiens, the ‘Average Joes’ in the world. The term ‘Mundane’ comes from a  Draoi origin but has since been adopted by the Venari, and more recently both Hyperhumans and the Augmented. Mundanes possess no special abilities, however that has not stopped them from being the majority of the human population on Earth, spreading from corner to corner and developing massive cities and infrastructure. 

Though limited, a Mundane can train and hone their body to accomplish fairly notable feats. In fact these feats are often more highly praised due to the Mundane’s lack of any notable abilities. [/INDENT]
[COLOR=SILVER][B]03. O T H E R[/B][/COLOR]
[INDENT]◼   [I][B]03.1 - Celestial:[/B][/I] Perhaps the rarest of all super powered individuals are the Extraterrestrials. Extraterrestrials are more often than not visitors to Earth for other planets, solar systems or galaxies. Rarely have more than one Extraterrestial appeared on Earth at the same time, and most often they blend into society by suppressing their alien nature much in the same way that a Hyperhuman or Magni might hide themselves. Due to very few being available to study and more life beyond Earth than most are willing to admit, the Extraterrestrials are very unpredictable in what form they may appear in or take. Most often the abilities displayed by Extraterrestrials are merely natural adaptations to their native environments but some like Hyperhumans or Magni are in fact a different genetic structure. Furthermore, some Extraterrestrials rely upon their technology which at times can be more advanced or very different than those found on Earth. It's not uncommon for some of this technology to be found abandoned or even salvaged from crash sites before ending up in human hands.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]◼   [I][B]03.2 - Hellion:[/B][/I] The name Hellion is a catch all term used by the Venari to describe any creature or sentient that comes from another realm and enters Earth through the Tree of Life and Death. As such, Hellions come in all shapes and sizes and generally are the basis to many of Earth’s cryptozoology mysteries.  Sentient Hellions have been considered rather dangerous, and specific breeds such as Lycanthropes, Vampyrs and Daemons have even been able to appear human in order to avoid death at the hands of the Venari. 

No one is quite sure how the Hellions end up on Earth, but almost all of them have a wanton need to either destroy or feed. Both of which are almost always fatal to any humans around them.[/INDENT][/INDENT]