Moralinth Ancestries
What are Ancestries?
In Moralinth Players can choose from between three different species for their Player-Character, two of which are known and one of which is secretive in nature. This choice of species is referred to as the Character’s Ancestry, and each Ancestry is further broken down into various Origins which denote differences in the species due to bloodline descendances, cultural or ethnic groups and geography or in the case of Clockworks, construction blueprint.
Though the rules for playing an Ancestry differ between the Uncanny, Enclave and Gloom editions of the Moralinth game, the narrative and lore surrounding them are identical. When creating their Character for Moralinth, the Player selects an Ancestry which is a permanent choice as well as one of the most important.
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When creating a Character for Moralinth, the Player can choose to make that Character a Human, a Clockwork or an Enshrouded.
Humans
The dominant species across The Known World, humans can be found in almost every nation and are the founders of the Empire of Estania. With a far larger population than any other species by magnitude, humans are simultaneously the most common sight and yet varied among all the peoples of the eighteen nations.
Known for their cooperative spirit and their ability to adapt to almost any situation given enough time and incentive, humanity persevered through devastating losses at the hands of The Blight: a near extinction-level event that would have eradicated other species. Instead, Humanity adapted and evolved, shifting its focus and priorities on an unprecedented scale and now thrives within the protection of massive Enclave metropolises.
Humans possess the capacity for great kindness, creativity, wisdom and compassion but are equally capable of acts of tremendous cruelty, callousness, intolerance and hatred. This diversity extends to how they treat one another and others, and their variable nature means no two humans are exactly alike even in close communities such as family units.
Humans' physical descriptions vary as widely as many of their other attributes with a range of skin, hair and eye colours with equally variable heights and build between them. On average, however, most humans stand between four and seven feet in height, reach physical adulthood around fifteen to eighteen years of age and typically live eighty to ninety years.
Enshrouded
Beyond Humanity and the newly emerged Clockworks exists another species in the Empire of Estania; a secret species who appears as humans to all but those with The Sight: the enigmatic Enshrouded. With origins that are lost to the mists of history, the Enshrouded are a sub-species of humans who have the presence of a fantastical creature intermingled in their ancestry. Not truly one species or the other, Enshrouded constitute a new hybrid species that consists of both genetic heritages to create something entirely different.
The majority of the Enshrouded are completely unaware of their true legacy and assume that they are humans just like the majority of the Imperial population. Only the few Uncanny among the Enshrouded can see their true forms, let alone tap into some of the inherent powers of their bloodline and most will live, grow old and die not knowing that they have a connection to one of the creatures from The Age of Legends.
Enshrouded come from a multitude of bloodlines, but each is associated with a fantastical creature that was originally humanoid in physiology and approximate stature - none are part dragon or giant snake, for example. These creatures have long since slipped into legend and stories, but the potency of their ancestry lives on in their descendants: the Enshrouded.
Among the three available species to play in Moralinth, the Enshrouded are perhaps the most varied yet also represent the most secret and least understood of mortalkind.
Clockworks
Emerging on the Imperial scene a little under a century ago, the Clockworks are considered the other prevailing species besides Humanity across The Known World. Originally designed and built as a semi-autonomous workforce, the Clockworks active in the Empire today are quite different from the prototype that rolled off the production line in 474 IR. With as varied personalities, ambitions and emotions as their organic counterparts, modern Clockworks can be found in all of the eighteen nations and consist of around a quarter of the entire population of the continent.
All Clockworks were designed with a specific model designation and function, and while some follow the roles they were constructed to perform they are under no obligation to do so, with many Clockworks choosing a different path than the one laid out in their manufacturing blueprints. Now granted citizenship within the Empire, Clockworks are capable of holding positions of authority and prestige though relatively few hold such roles currently as they find themselves dealing with classism and traditions that promote human-focused ideologies.
While the first few Clockworks were built on Estana Isle, blueprints were made available to Imperial Technical Colleges across The Known World and, as such, Clockworks began to appear in every nation and this practice continues to the present day. Where once it was considered a novelty to see a Clockwork mingling among humans, they are now so common that all but the most isolated peoples of the Empire treat having Clockworks among them as the norm with the last few generations having them a part of their lives since birth.
​Ageless and lacking the necessity for a lot of the biological bodily functions that govern the lives of their organic counterparts, most Clockworks tend to view time with a more long-term vision, with their robust mechanical bodies able to weather considerably more hostile conditions while requiring only minor maintenance. Nobody is entirely sure what the lifespan of a Clockwork is, though the original prototype model is showing no mental degradation and has only required minor repairs in its 93-year run-time.
Clockworks are sentient automatons, possessing synthetic minds that have developed past their original design to incorporate memory, emotion, forethought and complex cognitive reasoning. For over eighty years the Clockworks operated within expected parameters, thanklessly going about their tasks unhindered by free will or adaptive cognition. Without any discernible warning, they began to show deviations in their operating protocols in the year 560 IR which many assumed were a sign of malfunction, but which turned out to be a developing sentience.
When Clockworks began rebelling against tasks laid out for them animosity ensued which eventually led to a fourteen-month-long conflict that would later be recorded as The Clockwork Revolt. While the hostilities would prove dangerous for both sides, it would eventually lead to an agreement wherein the Clockworks were granted full Imperial citizenship and equal rights. Ironically, many Clockworks returned to their pre-awakened roles, taking comfort in the familiar tasks they were specially trained for, but many more forged their paths and gained the nickname of 'freecogs'.
Though there is no scientific explanation for the developed sentience of the Clockworks, many religious and spiritual individuals point to the fact that humans have the same sentience and that it is widely accepted that humans have souls and therefore, so must Clockworks. While the truth of the matter is still hotly debated, Clockworks possess the same range of emotions, empathy, and mental capabilities as their organic counterparts and even appear to dream.
While Clockworks don't need to breathe or consume food or water for sustenance, they can become mentally and physically fatigued and require rest just like everyone else. Unlike humans who can subsist on variable amounts of rest, Clockworks must spend a minimum of two hours every twenty-four in a low-powered state while all their clockwork mechanisms are retightened or 'wound' as they tend to refer to it. A Clockwork that remains unwound for more than 24 hours can feel the effects of exhaustion in the same manner as a human might.
'From Darkness:
Light.'
