Ka-Jeen

[TLDunn213]

Are the Ka-Jeen a race? And, if so, what boundaries do we use for inclusion and exclusion?

These questions pose a problem that is arguably even harder to sort out than the question of inclusion surrounding half elves and their fractional offspring. 

After all half elves and their kin can be placed in order based on how they look relative to their bloodlines with fairly good accuracy.

Ka-Jeen, with the shape shifting nature of the bloodlines they spring from...

It has been something of a struggle among scholars to come to the agreement that Ka-Jeen are a single racial type. 

After all having Grandpa dire wolf, cousin fox girl, and aunt house cat all in the same family is something that requires very good birth records and some verification by skilled bio-mancers before most people are going to believe it.

Ok, for completeness, and the benefit of those of you who may not know what Ka-Jeen are or how they came to be. I will try to cover those details.

Now keep in mind that there is no real evidence for any significant amount of iintermixing by dracons, fay, doppelgangers, and such like other shape-shifting types. And we are left with the generally accepted origin of wyldings and lyncanthropes interbreeding, with a dash of Wyrdlings thrown in. And it is worth noting that Wyrdlings as a distinct group are practically impossible to find anymore.

As for those who raise objections about the intermixing of wyldings and lycanthropes due to their being on opposing sides during the war. Remember that the wyldings volunteered while the lycanthropes were victims of a curse. Well, most of them anyway. 

So many wyldings, after the war, devoted quite a bit of effort tword efforts to help the lycans bring their bestial side under control. Given the amount of close personal interaction required for such an effort it's not really surprising that many of them paired up.

And of course the Druids and Shamans were in favor of this. Both because of the ability of the Wyldings to help the Lycans stay in control of themselves and because any offspring they might have would be much better off with both parents being able to understand how to raise such a child. 

Now as to the wide range of non shape-shifting animal forms that can be found among the Ka-Jeen; that is something that many mages, sages, and bio-mancers are still trying to figure out. 

Wildmagic is definitely involved to some degree, but beyond that rather obvious fact, there is little progress in sorting out the details of what form or forms a given Ka-Jeen child will have. 

Seers and deviners are sometimes able to foresee the child's form in advance but as to what forces are at play in determining that form... 

 

 

Edited February 11 by TLDunn213

[TLDunn213]

After some further research I believe I have found something of a pattern for predicting the probably of breeding true. 

The factors to consider are the compatibility of the magic involved in the creation of the founding members of the bloodlines involved.

There were three different types of magic that were used to make Wyldings and Lyncanthropes. Divine and Arcane for Wyldings and Eldritch for the Lyncanthropes. With a few Lycans being created by Arcane magic. Oddly there are no known cases of Infernal or Demonic magics being used. But given how rare the use of Arcane magic was by the Yun-Xi it does make a certain amount of sense. 

And Yuuxath is not going to want his followers turning to other beings, Divine, Demonic, or Infernal.

Which brings us back to the first point.

Eldritch magic just doesn't mix well with other types. So, that seems to be the biggest factor in play. With the animal forms being the next factor to consider. And finally there is the matter of contamination from other magics that anyone in a given bloodline might have been exposed to. 

All of which is useful as a starting point.  But beyond revealing how likely devation is, it doesn't really do much to help with predicting what form the devation will take. 

Moon phase, and other astronomical factors have been suggested, along with the local environment. And it is possible that these things are contributing factors.

So far no one has kept accurate enough records for any reliable conclusions to be drawn.

And with the majority of Ka-Jeen settlements being located on the lower slopes of the Dragonspine mountains western end. Otherwise known as the Fading Lands. Ruling out the effects of random wildmagic surges becomes practically impossible. 

As for Ka-Jeen living in other places where wildmagic is not a significant factor. There just aren't enough of them in any one place to be able to establish any sort of reliable baseline. 

So given that most Ka-Jeen A: Just want to be left alone. and B: Don't seem to care about what their children will be. 

I consider it best to simply leave them be.

Of course if anyone does find a group of Ka-Jeen that want to be studied so as to have the option of trying to control the form their children will have; Please let me know. I would dearly love to understand what forces are at play and to be able to give the Ka-Jeen the opportunity to choose to influence the form their children will have. 

Edited February 16 by TLDunn213