May the year bring you many blessings!

Shifters


Bear Shifters

Bear Shifters hail from all different regions of the astral, this specific sleuth is from an open plain that is filled with multiple different types of shifters. The Bear Shifters tend to be graceful protectors of the plains. They defends those that are smaller than them from larger enemies and try to be as reasonable as they can be. While Bear Shifters are similar to Earth Selkies, they have a distinct difference, Bear Shifters do no need to remove skin, they are able to become their humanoid form by willing it to be. In their human form, they tend to be a tad bit more political as the peace keepers they try to mingle into each of the different shifters that live around them and help however they can. While they are more political, they are also more in touch with the earth around them. They have been considered “keepers of the land” and those that are around them tend to honor them slightly. Being a Bear Shifter, they are more modest and tend to refrain from taking gifts from other shifters for fear of it looking like they are “favoriting” one of the other shifters over another. This Sleuth is seen as something that tries to better themselves by learning more about different species of spirits as they can. Even though they stay closer to other shifters, they have an express love of being around a bunch of different species. When they are out on their own, they tend to stay in humanoid form more, only going into their bear form when they are sleeping or in danger. While in their bear form they are able to hear much better and see in very dim light. While they are wandering away from their Sleuths they do send back little trinkets for their families though a shifter mailing service. Since they tend to be closer to their roots then most shifters in the plains they have a knack for being able to use all sorts of earthen magics and find it to be something calming to preform. That being said, they are the type of Bear Shifter that will help when others ask and hardly ever turn a blind eye to wrong doings that are happening around them. Even if they cannot do something about it, they will give options that others can use in order for those that asked for their assistance to get the help they need. While most Bear Shifters tend to stay closer to the Sleuth, there are those that prefer a more solitary way of life, finding that being around so many other Bear Shifters to get a bit exhausting and overwhelming. Mostly because they are the first to be asked for help and the last ones there to help others. So, those that tend to be more solitary tend to help only those that they like to be around.

Forest Shifters

Forest shifters are from a realm in the astral that is covered with foliage, from grass to trees and everything in between. They proudly call themselves Forest Child(ren) as the Forest is their mother and they are her children. In their homeland they experience aging much life trees and can age almost limitlessly as long as they are not destroyed by others. Forests shifters have a form they are given at birth that reflect their nature from the first moments of life. While they are born as humanoid children, within a few hours they take on their shifter form that reflects what kind of person and job they should take on in the future of their lives. A tree form being someone that will be sturdy and protect their home to small carnivorous foliage that they use as those to govern their society due to them being a bit more “ruthless” when they grow up. All Forest Shifters are given a role in their life, if they choose not to live up to that role, they are either cast out to make it on their own, or they are kept in a more secluded location of their home realm that is for study and for helping when help is needed. They hate to cast out their own but do so when they are unruly and refuse to help in even mundane ways like helping to bring study material to the schools require the Forest Shifter heads to come and remove them from the community to make sure that the others do not adapt this “lazy” nature. While some see it as being rebellious, others see it as not wanting to be put into a box and told what to do. But the Forest Shifters are similar to that of the human Amish, they are allowed to go out and adventure as long as they are willing to do something that benefits the clan as a whole. If they are going out of the realm, they must bring something back of value to make sure that everyone gets to learn what has happened and what new things are made of. Unlike the human Amish, they do not have to make a choice to stay or to go, as long as they are willing to come back and continue to look for new things to learn about. They keep records on who has left and give them “deadlines” to at least check in, if they do not, they are searched for to make sure nothing has happened to them. If something has, they bring them back and bury them, properly and give them the rites they should have. If nothing has happened to them, they are them casted out for not making sure to update that they were still alive. They value the known life and burying their own in their realm to make sure they can be everlasting in the foliage of their home. It is a circle for them that is never ending and needs to be preserved.

Koi Shifters

Koi Shifters are knowledge gatherers at heart. They enjoy learning everything they can get their hands on or stories they can be told. When I Koi Shifter works with others, it is mostly to get information from that person as well as teach them a new thing. They love to teach, believing that everyone can both learn and teach something new. While they to end to live in large pods that travel throughout the astral, they do have very small homesteads that they make along the way. Those homesteads tend to be places for the older Koi Shifters to rest and normally live out the rest of their days. While some of the younger Koi Shifters do return to make sure those that are still around are well taken care of, most homesteads are only occupied long enough for the Koi Shifters to establish a place for their elderly to stay, and the newest Koi Shifters to be born. Once all of the parents have given birth, within a week the Koi Shifters move to their next destination. They are a very nomadic group and teach their children on the go with school and the likes. While they are nomadic, they do stop to rest every so often and when they do, that is when all of the Koi shifters give their Koi form a rest and shift into their humanoid form. In this form, they tend to gather any easy things to eat as well as teach the younger Koi Shifters how to walk on two feet. It is the main reason why they cannot stay in their humanoid form for long, they grow tired, and it uses far too much energy. They have lived most of their life in their Koi form and so their Humanoid form tends to be times to rest or needing to move in emergencies. Young Koi Shifters tend to only be able to stay in their human form for only a few days while the older Koi Shifters have learned to hold their form for about a week and a half. But, by that point they are very tired and will end up sleeping for a few days to recover their energy. Since they do not like to get to that point, they end up changing back every few days, if not daily, to conserve energy. While they do know that they are a bit “weaker” in this humanoid form, they do use it to their advantage but collecting different things to read and reading as much as they can, absorbing what they have learned so they can tell each other when they begin to travel again. This makes the information easier to dish out to each other as they are able to constantly be giving information from what they have learned while in their humanoid form. Being able to transfer information to each other along their travels, makes it easier for them to grow as the information gatherers that they are.