Ite
Ite is a genus of advanced, omnivorous humanoid mammals. It consists of 2 species and 4 main races.
Anatomy
Ite are anatomically very similar to humans, however, there are some crucial differences that define them as separate species.
- Ite have grayscale skin. Any other skin color is either purely cosmetic (dyed, makeup, etc), a medical condition, or illness.
- Ite have black blood. Damned individuals may have blood of other colors according to the layer they were cursed on.
- Ite is a genus that fully consists of hermaphrodites.
- Ite may have traits like horns, tails or wings (although wings are mostly vestigial and rarely serve their intial function), or none.
- Ite have longer lifespans in comparison to humans, averaging somewhere around 150 human years.
- Ite have slightly better and faster regeneration in comparison to humans.
Species
As mentioned previously, there are 2 possible species of ite.
- Surfaceborn, which are born on the surface layer and are susceptible to all of the curses.
- Riftborn, which are born on one of the layers below the surface and have full immunity to the curse of the layer they were born in. Still, they're susceptible to any other curse.
A distinct mix of surface and native ite is impossible due to being dependent on where they're born and what species the carrier parent ("mother") is. Below is the list of all the possible outcomes depending on the conditions.
- Having a surface parent and a child born on the surface results in a surfaceborn child.
- Having a surface parent and a child born in the Rift results in a riftborn child.
- Having a riftborn parent and a child born on the surface results in a damned surfaceborn child. It is impossible to inherit the immunity, as one must be born in one of the layers of the Rift.
- Having a riftborn parent and a child born in the Rift results in a riftborn child.
In any of the scenarios mentioned above, the introduction of a damned individual in the lineage automatically makes the child susceptible to inheriting the curse. The chance of inheriting a curse rises if one of the child's parents is damned, and the chance becomes nearly 100% if both parents are damned.
In both of the species, ite can be separated into 4 races.
- Horned
- Tailed
- Winged (though the wings are vestigial and rarely serve the initial function)
- None (the rarest race due to originally being a genetic mutation)
- Hybrids of any of the races mentiones above
Reproduction and gender
A little warning beforehand! This section includes non-sexual descriptions of reproductive organs and processes.
Due to being a genus consisting only of hermaphrodites, ite don't have sexual dimorphism, nor the concept of gender. Individuals may appear extremely masculine or feminine, but still be capable of being the giver or carrier.
Ite have the structure of female reproductive organs, but are capable of producing both male and female cells at different periods. They lack external male reproductive organs, and only have a pseudo-penis (technically an enlarged clitoris). Ite don't have periods. Some individuals may possess a bigger chest due to hormones, but all members of the genus may lactate.