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'''Demi-humans''' are a rare and diverse class of [[Magic|magical]] species that roughly demonstrate some form of humanity, usually in the form of sapience and humanlike bodies. While their exact nature is difficult to pinpoint, demi-humans are most often the result of magic affecting the body of an otherwise biologically human individual (such as with [[vampires]] and [[harpies]]), or causing a humanlike entity to manifest in a human-populated area (such as with [[spirits]] and [[deities]]).
'''Demi-humans,''' (/ˈdɛ.maɪ-/ or /ˈdɛ.mi-/) occasionally informally '''demis,''' (/ˈdɛ.maɪz/, <abbr title="singular">sg.</abbr> '''demi''' /ˈdɛ.maɪ/, to avoid confusion with [[Species taxonomy#Affixes|''dimidia'']]) are a rare and diverse class of [[Magic|magical]] species that roughly demonstrate some form of humanity, usually in the form of sapience and humanlike bodies. While their exact nature is difficult to pinpoint, demi-humans are most often the result of magic affecting the body of an otherwise biologically human individual (such as with [[Vampire|vampires]] and [[Harpy|harpies]]), or causing a humanlike entity to manifest in a human-populated area (such as with [[Spirit|spirits]] and [[Deity|deities]]).


The [[Masquerade]] critically prevents the existence of demi-humans from being common knowledge among humans. While many demi-humans choose to readily divulge the truth of their nature to humans they live and work with, the same magic that grants demi-humans their form or ethereal characteristics also limits the scope of knowledge about their true nature. While demi-human nature sometimes serves as an inspiration for folklore, it is never parsed as reality except by ungrounded, fringe analyses.
The [[Masquerade]] critically prevents the existence of demi-humans from being common knowledge among humans. While many demi-humans choose to readily divulge the truth of their nature to humans they live and work with, the same magic that grants demi-humans their form or ethereal characteristics also limits the scope of knowledge about their true nature. While demi-human nature sometimes serves as an inspiration for folklore, it is never parsed as reality except by ungrounded, fringe analyses.


=== History ===
Occasionally, but not always, the classification of demi-humans extends to include all animals which demonstrate some capacity of magic, as other animals which demonstrate magic typically demonstrate facilities traditionally associated with humans in the mundane world, such as the comprehension or use of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language human language]. Other terms for such beings include "magical animals" and "magical beasts".


TODO
== History ==


=== Culture ===
The precise origin of demi-humanity in the world of Offetstine remains unknown. While some scholars suggest that demi-humans, despite their name, likely existed before the rise of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human modern humans] (''H. sapiens'' under [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_(biology) Linnean taxonomy], though no taxon exists under the [[Species taxonomy#Émile_Standard|Émile Standard]]) the specific nature of pre-human demi-humans is hotly debated.
 
Some scholars argue that [[magic]] was necessarily a human innovation as the ethereal realm, specifically the [[afterlife]] and [[underworld]], appears to exist in the image of humanity, and note that most extant demi-human species, in accordance with the nomenclature used to describe them, bear human lineage. They note that while there exist an abundance of [[Immortality|immortal]] demi-humans of human lineage who trace back up to 20&nbsp;000 <abbr title="years before present">BP</abbr>, coinciding with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic_Revolution Neolithic Revolution], and occasionally bear auxiliary traits from long-extinct species such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur dinosaurs], no surviving demi-human does not derive from an anatomically modern human.
 
Others, however, argue that the specific presentation of ethereal beings would have changed over time with the specific conception of them in the minds of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom#Sapience sapient] species. They compare the evolution of the ethereal world to many [[Deity|deities]], which change their form depending on the audience they serve as a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutelary_deity patron] to, and some [[Spirit|spirits]], who gain their entire capacity of sapience from the physical bodies they inhabit. They argue that this capacity for change serves as evidence that magic and demi-humanity would have been prevalent among other members of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo ''Homo'' genus] citing their hypothesized psychological similarity to modern humans.
 
No [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology archaeological] or [[Magical epistemology|magic epistemological]] study exists which discerns with suitable veracity whether these other, extinct species could have been affected by magic or demi-humanity. To that extent, as the early prehistory of demi-humans is considered [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unknowability unknowable] and either hypothesis is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability unfalsifiable], histories of demi-humanity traditionally focus on the rise of modern species such as [[Vampire|vampires]], of the evolution of demi-human species in accordance with the [[Will of the People]], and the prevalence of the [[Masquerade]] and other global events that affect the fundamental nature of demi-humanity.
 
=== Early species ===
 
Due to the [[Masquerade]] and its stringent enforcement by the [[Veilkeepers]], few records exist about deceased early demi-human species. While limited [[Magical epistemology|magic epistemological]] techniques exist to study the magic of eras past, similar in concept to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_core ice core] data, information reconciled from these records is not usually sufficient to determine the demi-human species of the era. Due to the risk of being discovered by humans, most mundane records of demi-humans such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil fossils] do not exist, or are indistinct from records of humans with deformities of or injuries to respective body parts.
 
[[Immortality|Immortal]] species offer some lens into the history of demi-humanity Offetstine. Specifically, living immortal demi-humans offer a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_source primary source] of their respective era, and often demonstrate mythologies that were common at their time, specifically those of gods and terrific monsters. Early subspecies of vampires and demons were among the first attested demi-human species, though these species differ dramatically from modern conceptions of their respective species. The colloquial terms used to describe them are applied retroactively, and while many early immortal demi-humans embrace the use of modern colloquialisms and use them [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endonym_and_exonym endonymically], they acknowledge the terms are inexact, and usually [[species taxonomy]] is called upon for precision and exactitude.
 
Most known immortal demi-human species exist in the image of humans and demonstrate great similarity to the general human [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldview worldview], though the representative nature of this sample has been called into question as ancient demi-humans which do not demonstrate human sapience do not frequently reveal themselves to humans. Some scholars have noted that magical beasts, even those which are immortal, demonstrate associations with the human world above all others, suggesting they may have arisen from human fears of creatures which [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_the_dark lurk in the dark], and developed from mundane apex predators such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear bears]. Some subspecies of [[Dragon|dragons]] are suspected to have developed from magical beasts.
 
=== Pre-Masquerade ===
 
Little extant documentation remains about the specific relation between demi-humans and humans before the [[Masquerade]], although especially among the [[Veilkeepers]], the organization responsible for upholding the Masquerade, it is widely believed that the Masquerade arose as a response to rising tensions between humans and demi-humans.
 
Since the rise of the Masquerade is comparatively recent, only having become a global phenomenon within the last 2000 years, some long-lived but non-immortal demi-humans offer a firsthand recollection of the demi-human world as it was before the Masquerade, and of local relations between humans and demi-humans. From this, it is possible to present a rough timeline of the history of demi-humans before the Masquerade.
 
Demi-human species have typically arisen either through their birth by human parents in a chiefly human society, or through the transformation of formerly human members that exemplify extremes of their respective society. Both methods are considered consequential of the [[Magic#Will_of_the_People|Will of the People]].
 
==== Children of humans ====
 
Typically, most demi-human subspecies arose through the contemporaneous birth of multiple members of the species by human parents, typically viewed as an omen akin to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstrous_birth monstrous births]. These demi-human births as a result are typically either ostracized or idolized by their respective societies, and typically are subject to the religious predilections of their people. These births are typically a consequence of the Will of the People, and as such typically echo the beliefs or superstitions of the human society they stem from.
 
Regardless of which way the nascent species is viewed, with the birth of a new demi-human species prior to the Masquerade, it is very likely for a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_stratification class divide] to immediately develop. These demi-humans of human birth typically exhibit only superficial demi-human characteristics, and are frequently [[animal-folk]] or another species equipped to live in a contemporary human society. Demi-human children of humans typically do not exhibit innate morality, but often exhibit predilections in line with their superficial traits; for instance, some early subspecies of catfolk are reported to demonstrate a propensity for nonverbal communication in keeping with their heightened senses and feline nature.
 
Furthermore, they are sufficiently close to humans that they may continue to rear children with the human members of their generation; though whether this is due to the same magic also laying dormant in those humans, or due to compatibility on behalf of the demi-humans. Generally, first-generation demi-human children are unable to rear [[Species taxonomy#Affixes|''dimidia'']], and second-generation children between a human and demi-human parent, while inheriting a mix of other phenotypes, will usually either inherit humanity or demi-humanity whole.
 
As further generations of demi-humans are reared, existing class differences frequently lead to a bipartisan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_segregation segregation] between human and demi-human societies, lending itself to many demi-human societies that have since been either relegated from human society through the advent of the Masquerade and the growth of human society, or have been rendered entirely extinct. The [[Ovaren society]] is cited as an example of early demi-human society in modern-day [[Offetstine]].
 
==== Turned from humans ====
 
Frequently, demi-humans also arise through their transformation from humans who exhibit some psychological, ideological or emotional extreme. Many species of [[vampire]], for instance, were born through the spontaneous transformation of a human who demonstrated particular ill will or contempt toward humanity, and a desire for power. The modern ''[[S. Erisi]]'' is hypothesized to have arisen this way, especially citing the accounts of [[Eliza Teak]], founder of Sophos International and a relatively powerful vampire of the subspecies.
 
This method of transformation is frequently observed in the source mythologies from which many [[Revenant|revenants]] are born, including vampires and certain [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni oni]. Demi-humans turned from humans this way are typically more prone to exhibit inherent moralities, typically inherent evil. Generally, the transformation from human to demi-human requires a strong presence of magic in one's body, which along with one's mental state is enough to beckon the Will of the People on an individual basis. This process is considered similar to, and often classified the same as, how mages who are not conversant by birth in a certain magical practice obtain their practice. As such, transformations from humans are less common in a post-Masquerade era.
 
Demi-humans who are turned from humans typically either occur as a local phenomenon in a certain region, or exhibit the power to turn other humans into their kind. The latter facility is especially common with vampires, and the primary way such demi-humans propagate after the instatement of the Masquerade.
 
=== Post-Masquerade ===
 
Demi-humans frequently arise through the same means in current society, where the [[Masquerade]] is in full effect globally. Certain modern demi-human species such as ''[[V. Sequoiae]]'' were also ushered into existence as children of humans, but unlike before the Masquerade, their nature is typically intentionally withheld from human society for their own safety and in respect of the Masquerade. As such, no class divide forms, and no segregation develops on a broader societal level. However, demi-humans still typically inspire varying levels of awe and disgust at revealing their nature to humans on an individual basis, and find solace with other demi-humans.
 
Modern institutions in the [[Greater Offetstine Area]] such as [[Cedar Crest University]] attempt to provide solace to demi-humans who seek refuge from the inability to disclose their true nature, whether or not they face active [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination discrimination] from individuals they reveal their nature to. The founder of Cedar Crest University, [[Erin Hazell]] expanded on this in her address to the Mage's Union, an undocumented organization within the university for magically empowered individuals which operates under the auspices of demi-human and mage staff. Hazell explains that her vision for the university has always been to accept students regardless of their background, enumerating factors such as race, ethnicity, disability and socioeconomic status; and to provide them a space to express themselves. While this vision held true insofar as her students were all human, upon her realization of the existence of the magical world, the clause was implicitly amended to include demi-human species and magical power.
 
=== Risen from ether ===
 
Certain demi-humans, primarily [[Deity|deities]], [[Spirit|spirits]] and [[Demon|demons]], do not arise from any human population but instead come to Earth from ethereal planes, including the [[afterlife]] and [[underworld]]. As such, these ethereal planes are colloquially referred to as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven heaven] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell hell] respectively. These demi-humans typically exhibit the most prominent innate moralities and are typically classified by the Émile System under either the ''Caelestis'' or ''Infernalis'' kingdoms respectively.
 
== Culture ==


There is no single demi-human culture to speak of, since demi-humans are ethnically diverse and often derive their culture from the community they are surrounded by, whether human or also demi-human. While a small subset of demi-human species are innately driven to exhibit certain behaviors, most are offered the full gamut of human emotion.
There is no single demi-human culture to speak of, since demi-humans are ethnically diverse and often derive their culture from the community they are surrounded by, whether human or also demi-human. While a small subset of demi-human species are innately driven to exhibit certain behaviors, most are offered the full gamut of human emotion.
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Due to the mandatory isolation from humanity prescribed by the Masquerade, demi-humans commonly exhibit a distinct camaraderie. It is common for demi-humans to wear their respective folklore or taxon as a badge of pride, and underground locations such as [[Rainbow in the Moon]] strive to facilitate socialization, along with promoting understanding and encouraging acceptance, within demi-human communities.
Due to the mandatory isolation from humanity prescribed by the Masquerade, demi-humans commonly exhibit a distinct camaraderie. It is common for demi-humans to wear their respective folklore or taxon as a badge of pride, and underground locations such as [[Rainbow in the Moon]] strive to facilitate socialization, along with promoting understanding and encouraging acceptance, within demi-human communities.


=== Taxonomy ===
== Taxonomy ==
 
''Main article: [[Species taxonomy]]''
 
Demi-humans are usually able to identify their species, or the way the magic imbued in them affects their nature and identity, through colloquial terms such as "[[vampire]]" or "[[werewolf]]". However, due to the nature of the [[Will of the People]] in creating new species, often from folklore or common ideas prevalent in the human psyche, many colloquial terms do not unambiguously identify single species, and additional nomenclature is needed to disambiguate. Demi-human species taxonomy, often more tersely referred as species taxonomy, is the science and art of understanding demi-humans' particular natures and developing this classification.


''Main article: [[Species Taxonomy]]''
Species taxonomy, while a recognized and reputed art and generally favored by [[Magical epistemology|magical epistemologists]], receives comparatively little attention in the field of magical research. Most demi-humans are simply content to define themselves by colloquial terms, and clarify the specifics of their nature by manually outlining them. However, the classification has is uses in biology and medicine, as well as more concrete magical studies.


TODO
The foremost standard for modern species taxonomy is the [[Species taxonomy#Émile_Standard|Émile standard]], which was developed by human illustrator [[Constance Vivas]], under the pseudonym Costanza Émile from which the system took its name, in the early 1990s, and spread primarily through online bulletin-board communication over the course of the next few years. Unlike the earlier [[Species taxonomy#Paris-Warszawski_Standard|Paris-Warszawski Standard]], the Émile Standard focused on phenotypical traits and aimed to help demi-humans understand themselves better.

Latest revision as of 03:18, 29 September 2023

Demi-humans, (/ˈdɛ.maɪ-/ or /ˈdɛ.mi-/) occasionally informally demis, (/ˈdɛ.maɪz/, sg. demi /ˈdɛ.maɪ/, to avoid confusion with dimidia) are a rare and diverse class of magical species that roughly demonstrate some form of humanity, usually in the form of sapience and humanlike bodies. While their exact nature is difficult to pinpoint, demi-humans are most often the result of magic affecting the body of an otherwise biologically human individual (such as with vampires and harpies), or causing a humanlike entity to manifest in a human-populated area (such as with spirits and deities).

The Masquerade critically prevents the existence of demi-humans from being common knowledge among humans. While many demi-humans choose to readily divulge the truth of their nature to humans they live and work with, the same magic that grants demi-humans their form or ethereal characteristics also limits the scope of knowledge about their true nature. While demi-human nature sometimes serves as an inspiration for folklore, it is never parsed as reality except by ungrounded, fringe analyses.

Occasionally, but not always, the classification of demi-humans extends to include all animals which demonstrate some capacity of magic, as other animals which demonstrate magic typically demonstrate facilities traditionally associated with humans in the mundane world, such as the comprehension or use of human language. Other terms for such beings include "magical animals" and "magical beasts".

History

The precise origin of demi-humanity in the world of Offetstine remains unknown. While some scholars suggest that demi-humans, despite their name, likely existed before the rise of modern humans (H. sapiens under Linnean taxonomy, though no taxon exists under the Émile Standard) the specific nature of pre-human demi-humans is hotly debated.

Some scholars argue that magic was necessarily a human innovation as the ethereal realm, specifically the afterlife and underworld, appears to exist in the image of humanity, and note that most extant demi-human species, in accordance with the nomenclature used to describe them, bear human lineage. They note that while there exist an abundance of immortal demi-humans of human lineage who trace back up to 20 000 BP, coinciding with the Neolithic Revolution, and occasionally bear auxiliary traits from long-extinct species such as dinosaurs, no surviving demi-human does not derive from an anatomically modern human.

Others, however, argue that the specific presentation of ethereal beings would have changed over time with the specific conception of them in the minds of sapient species. They compare the evolution of the ethereal world to many deities, which change their form depending on the audience they serve as a patron to, and some spirits, who gain their entire capacity of sapience from the physical bodies they inhabit. They argue that this capacity for change serves as evidence that magic and demi-humanity would have been prevalent among other members of the Homo genus citing their hypothesized psychological similarity to modern humans.

No archaeological or magic epistemological study exists which discerns with suitable veracity whether these other, extinct species could have been affected by magic or demi-humanity. To that extent, as the early prehistory of demi-humans is considered unknowable and either hypothesis is unfalsifiable, histories of demi-humanity traditionally focus on the rise of modern species such as vampires, of the evolution of demi-human species in accordance with the Will of the People, and the prevalence of the Masquerade and other global events that affect the fundamental nature of demi-humanity.

Early species

Due to the Masquerade and its stringent enforcement by the Veilkeepers, few records exist about deceased early demi-human species. While limited magic epistemological techniques exist to study the magic of eras past, similar in concept to ice core data, information reconciled from these records is not usually sufficient to determine the demi-human species of the era. Due to the risk of being discovered by humans, most mundane records of demi-humans such as fossils do not exist, or are indistinct from records of humans with deformities of or injuries to respective body parts.

Immortal species offer some lens into the history of demi-humanity Offetstine. Specifically, living immortal demi-humans offer a primary source of their respective era, and often demonstrate mythologies that were common at their time, specifically those of gods and terrific monsters. Early subspecies of vampires and demons were among the first attested demi-human species, though these species differ dramatically from modern conceptions of their respective species. The colloquial terms used to describe them are applied retroactively, and while many early immortal demi-humans embrace the use of modern colloquialisms and use them endonymically, they acknowledge the terms are inexact, and usually species taxonomy is called upon for precision and exactitude.

Most known immortal demi-human species exist in the image of humans and demonstrate great similarity to the general human worldview, though the representative nature of this sample has been called into question as ancient demi-humans which do not demonstrate human sapience do not frequently reveal themselves to humans. Some scholars have noted that magical beasts, even those which are immortal, demonstrate associations with the human world above all others, suggesting they may have arisen from human fears of creatures which lurk in the dark, and developed from mundane apex predators such as bears. Some subspecies of dragons are suspected to have developed from magical beasts.

Pre-Masquerade

Little extant documentation remains about the specific relation between demi-humans and humans before the Masquerade, although especially among the Veilkeepers, the organization responsible for upholding the Masquerade, it is widely believed that the Masquerade arose as a response to rising tensions between humans and demi-humans.

Since the rise of the Masquerade is comparatively recent, only having become a global phenomenon within the last 2000 years, some long-lived but non-immortal demi-humans offer a firsthand recollection of the demi-human world as it was before the Masquerade, and of local relations between humans and demi-humans. From this, it is possible to present a rough timeline of the history of demi-humans before the Masquerade.

Demi-human species have typically arisen either through their birth by human parents in a chiefly human society, or through the transformation of formerly human members that exemplify extremes of their respective society. Both methods are considered consequential of the Will of the People.

Children of humans

Typically, most demi-human subspecies arose through the contemporaneous birth of multiple members of the species by human parents, typically viewed as an omen akin to monstrous births. These demi-human births as a result are typically either ostracized or idolized by their respective societies, and typically are subject to the religious predilections of their people. These births are typically a consequence of the Will of the People, and as such typically echo the beliefs or superstitions of the human society they stem from.

Regardless of which way the nascent species is viewed, with the birth of a new demi-human species prior to the Masquerade, it is very likely for a class divide to immediately develop. These demi-humans of human birth typically exhibit only superficial demi-human characteristics, and are frequently animal-folk or another species equipped to live in a contemporary human society. Demi-human children of humans typically do not exhibit innate morality, but often exhibit predilections in line with their superficial traits; for instance, some early subspecies of catfolk are reported to demonstrate a propensity for nonverbal communication in keeping with their heightened senses and feline nature.

Furthermore, they are sufficiently close to humans that they may continue to rear children with the human members of their generation; though whether this is due to the same magic also laying dormant in those humans, or due to compatibility on behalf of the demi-humans. Generally, first-generation demi-human children are unable to rear dimidia, and second-generation children between a human and demi-human parent, while inheriting a mix of other phenotypes, will usually either inherit humanity or demi-humanity whole.

As further generations of demi-humans are reared, existing class differences frequently lead to a bipartisan segregation between human and demi-human societies, lending itself to many demi-human societies that have since been either relegated from human society through the advent of the Masquerade and the growth of human society, or have been rendered entirely extinct. The Ovaren society is cited as an example of early demi-human society in modern-day Offetstine.

Turned from humans

Frequently, demi-humans also arise through their transformation from humans who exhibit some psychological, ideological or emotional extreme. Many species of vampire, for instance, were born through the spontaneous transformation of a human who demonstrated particular ill will or contempt toward humanity, and a desire for power. The modern S. Erisi is hypothesized to have arisen this way, especially citing the accounts of Eliza Teak, founder of Sophos International and a relatively powerful vampire of the subspecies.

This method of transformation is frequently observed in the source mythologies from which many revenants are born, including vampires and certain oni. Demi-humans turned from humans this way are typically more prone to exhibit inherent moralities, typically inherent evil. Generally, the transformation from human to demi-human requires a strong presence of magic in one's body, which along with one's mental state is enough to beckon the Will of the People on an individual basis. This process is considered similar to, and often classified the same as, how mages who are not conversant by birth in a certain magical practice obtain their practice. As such, transformations from humans are less common in a post-Masquerade era.

Demi-humans who are turned from humans typically either occur as a local phenomenon in a certain region, or exhibit the power to turn other humans into their kind. The latter facility is especially common with vampires, and the primary way such demi-humans propagate after the instatement of the Masquerade.

Post-Masquerade

Demi-humans frequently arise through the same means in current society, where the Masquerade is in full effect globally. Certain modern demi-human species such as V. Sequoiae were also ushered into existence as children of humans, but unlike before the Masquerade, their nature is typically intentionally withheld from human society for their own safety and in respect of the Masquerade. As such, no class divide forms, and no segregation develops on a broader societal level. However, demi-humans still typically inspire varying levels of awe and disgust at revealing their nature to humans on an individual basis, and find solace with other demi-humans.

Modern institutions in the Greater Offetstine Area such as Cedar Crest University attempt to provide solace to demi-humans who seek refuge from the inability to disclose their true nature, whether or not they face active discrimination from individuals they reveal their nature to. The founder of Cedar Crest University, Erin Hazell expanded on this in her address to the Mage's Union, an undocumented organization within the university for magically empowered individuals which operates under the auspices of demi-human and mage staff. Hazell explains that her vision for the university has always been to accept students regardless of their background, enumerating factors such as race, ethnicity, disability and socioeconomic status; and to provide them a space to express themselves. While this vision held true insofar as her students were all human, upon her realization of the existence of the magical world, the clause was implicitly amended to include demi-human species and magical power.

Risen from ether

Certain demi-humans, primarily deities, spirits and demons, do not arise from any human population but instead come to Earth from ethereal planes, including the afterlife and underworld. As such, these ethereal planes are colloquially referred to as heaven and hell respectively. These demi-humans typically exhibit the most prominent innate moralities and are typically classified by the Émile System under either the Caelestis or Infernalis kingdoms respectively.

Culture

There is no single demi-human culture to speak of, since demi-humans are ethnically diverse and often derive their culture from the community they are surrounded by, whether human or also demi-human. While a small subset of demi-human species are innately driven to exhibit certain behaviors, most are offered the full gamut of human emotion.

While there are some demi-human species, most notably elves and dwarves, and certain spirits, that commonly form their own isolate societies, most demi-humans either live on the outskirts of human society or hide their nature and attempt to integrate. Some demi-human species are specifically unable to live among humans, by virtue of having a completely distinct form from anything natural, and as such usually gather in magical fountain locations such as enchanted forests.

Due to the mandatory isolation from humanity prescribed by the Masquerade, demi-humans commonly exhibit a distinct camaraderie. It is common for demi-humans to wear their respective folklore or taxon as a badge of pride, and underground locations such as Rainbow in the Moon strive to facilitate socialization, along with promoting understanding and encouraging acceptance, within demi-human communities.

Taxonomy

Main article: Species taxonomy

Demi-humans are usually able to identify their species, or the way the magic imbued in them affects their nature and identity, through colloquial terms such as "vampire" or "werewolf". However, due to the nature of the Will of the People in creating new species, often from folklore or common ideas prevalent in the human psyche, many colloquial terms do not unambiguously identify single species, and additional nomenclature is needed to disambiguate. Demi-human species taxonomy, often more tersely referred as species taxonomy, is the science and art of understanding demi-humans' particular natures and developing this classification.

Species taxonomy, while a recognized and reputed art and generally favored by magical epistemologists, receives comparatively little attention in the field of magical research. Most demi-humans are simply content to define themselves by colloquial terms, and clarify the specifics of their nature by manually outlining them. However, the classification has is uses in biology and medicine, as well as more concrete magical studies.

The foremost standard for modern species taxonomy is the Émile standard, which was developed by human illustrator Constance Vivas, under the pseudonym Costanza Émile from which the system took its name, in the early 1990s, and spread primarily through online bulletin-board communication over the course of the next few years. Unlike the earlier Paris-Warszawski Standard, the Émile Standard focused on phenotypical traits and aimed to help demi-humans understand themselves better.