Races of New Horizon

Humans - Wafans - Faenorr

Wafans

Wave Form Androids

Waveform Androids, colloquially known as Wafans, are the final epitome of mankind's obsession with creating artificial intelligence. This was a development both praised and feared as scientists finally developed a true intelligence capable of organic thought. Wafans were created by humans as a next generation of intelligent machines to do their bidding. Humans called them tools, wafans had a different word for the experience, slavery. In time they won their freedom through blood, sweat and tears and became the second species of humanity to inhabit Earth and later also the stars. Wafans are not machines, like you might think; they are in fact people.

What further defines them is that even though all wafans are humanoid, there are three distinct races which show an enormous amount of phylogeny, like ants. The three distinct races all live, work, and even interact with one another differently based on their creed. Each is tailor-made for a specific lifestyle and certain broad specializations.

The Life & Death of a Wafan

The first generation of wafans were created in factories, mass produced machines for mankind's bidding. As the wafan war for independence progresses, they developed their own ways, and left the mass molded automaton births behind them. Wafans today are not made in factories. Wafans are “born”, not like people, but they are born nonetheless. 90% of all Wafans currently inhabiting New Horizon began life in something called a wafan crèche.

A wafan crèche is formed when a group of wafans bands together to form a sort of extended family. These crèches are often formed from members of the same wafan type, such as Aesir, but can be formed by any group of wafans and will sometimes include mixed creeds. Crèches are often initiated by the local community to act as mentors to a new generation of a dozen or so Wafans. Crèche children typically are close to their other crèche mates, and consider them siblings. This is not always the case, and wafan crèches have as much diversity as any human family.

The “parents” in a crèche are responsible for forming the basic bodies and minds of the crèche children. These forms are left extremely basic, as most wafans choose to define their own forms as they grow. Wafans are born with a very general configuration to their body – a prototype form, if you will – bereft of decoration and weapons, or even ornamental components. A young wafan enters life with a fairly general set of skills and vocabulary, equivalent to that of a fifteen-year-old, so a ten-year-old wafan is more or less as mature as a 25-year-old human. After birth, a wafan is usually raised and peered with one of the parents taking primary responsibility for their care and teaching. The rest of their crèche family are still present in their early lives however.

Wafans are functionally capable of nearly limitless lifespans, providing they have the supplies to repair and maintain themselves. Their bodies are much more capable than that of an olympian, and can often be repaired from whatever harm befalls them. A wafan is never truly dead until their mind is dead.

Animasilver

Even with all the advances in technology and the field of artificial intelligence, Wafans would not exist without the discovery of animasilver. The name itself means soul silver, as it is the integral component in the creation of a wafan’s wave form. The properties of animasilver were discovered during experiments involving string theory and particle physics. What makes animasilver so special is that it mimics the effects of quantum foam. The metal constantly releases particle pairs consisting of a particle and an anti-particle. The exact number of particles released varies, but commonly ranges from hundreds to thousands of pairs per second. These pairs rapidly destroy one another, maintaining balance. The Luminous Core disrupts this destruction process for a few fractions of a second, and uses the interplay of these particles in the formation of the waveform.

When animasilver comes into contact with normal silver, it starts a chain reaction that converts the regular silver. The conversion process and the particle release process are not fully understood as of this time, theories involve dimensional physics and particles that can pass between membranes.

Wafan Architecture

Wafan's bodies are constructed with the highest grade of technology available, giving each of them a unique cybernetic physiology. Though the same basic principles are followed with each creed, the exact method of construction differs between wafan types, and even between wafans of the same type. Wafan bodies are constructed out of self healing nanomaterials. Their skeletons are constructed from varying degrees of calcium, gold and other minerals, often containing composite materials. Their bodies frequently use advanced polymers or precision servos for locomotion, and their sensory arrays often surpass the perceptive abilities of their olympian counterparts.

Their bodies are truly astounding, but these bodies are eclipsed by what is encased in a wafan's mind. A wafan's brain consists of three distinct but interconnected parts, the Lucid Codex, Idpulse and Luminous core. These can roughly be called a wafan's memories, brain and soul.

Luminous Core

The Luminous Core is the portion of a wafan’s anatomy which most contributes to them being alive. The Luminous Core, a heavy metallurgical reinforced ceramic shell which is essentially an extraordinarily heavy-duty environment pod lined with a reflective mirror surface and special light emitters. The hollow interior is filled with deuterium oxide, commonly known as heavy water, and precisely controlled amounts of animasilver. These magnetically impelled reflective metal particles are suspended in the liquid medium, and set along a preset series of magnetic loops and spirals in a fractal pattern. The specially calibrated shell sends controlled light waves through the heavy water and particle clouds, which creates a living and rapidly evolving three dimensional fractal image called a Wave Form. This aurora of light is used as a random thought generator which gives Wafans their capacity for illogical thought and intuitive leaps previously exclusive to organic life.

Wave Forms act as a virtual computer processor, and respond to changing data which is sent to them in the form of light waves in a semi-random way, much as a human mind might react to them, allowing them an almost organic diversity of thought.

The Luminous Core provides a certain systemic weakness in Wafans. Vibrations in the supersonic range are as irritating to a wafan as they might be to a dog. Additionally, ultra sonic weapons or sound waves can cause excruciating pain by disrupting the vibrations in their Luminous Core, and can render them comatose, or even brain dead, by breaking down the Wave Form if the intensity is strong enough.

Regardless of the cause, if a wafan’s Luminous Core is offline for too long, their system cannot properly recreate the previous wave form. Up to a certain point, a wafan can be reactivated, and will suffer only marginal personality alterations from their offline period, dependent on the extent of damage to the core. After a certain point, it can’t be reproduced with more than a marginal success rate, and the wafan is essentially dead as its personality cannot be resurrected.

Idpulse

The Idpulse is the part of a wafan's brain that most resembles a standard computer. It has programs and codes, and is composed of a few chips with a small amount of dedicated memory.

The Idpulse serves two functions. The first function is as a bridge between the Luminous core and the Lucent Codex. The Idpulse translates date transferred between the two and plays a role similar to the hippocampus in the human brain.

The second function of the Idpulse is housing the wafan's source code. Where humans have genetics, wafans have their source code. The source code is a collection of heuristic algorithms and hard coded data that represents the wafan's instincts and subconscious. A wafan begins life with a source code that is an amalgam of codes from the wafan's who are parenting the crèche. By analyzing a wafan's source code, it is possible to determine their lineage. When a wafan is first activated, their wave form is influenced by the information in their source code. After a time, the relationship goes both ways, with the source code actually evolving over the course of the wafan's lifetime.

The Idpulse is the system that gives wafan's advanced artificial intelligence, while the wave form grants them the ability of 'organic' thought. A damaged Idpulse can be repaired, and much of the information can often be salvaged or covered by 'transplants' from family members.

Lucid Codex

The next crucial piece of technology is the Lucid Codex, a form of crystalline heart. The Lucid Codex is a memory array which develops as the wafan grows, with their memories constantly being etched into deeper and deeper layers of the crystalline structure. The Lucid Codex grows ever more complex and unique in shape and color as the memory capacity increases. A secondary tank contains a dense liquid carbon medium, at the center of which is a diamond, which is the wafan’s data storage medium. Each diamond is colored with a distinct hue due to special trace impurities which are present in every medium.

As a wafan grows and learns, the crystal grows steadily larger, from the size of the head of a pin to something the size of a football if a wafan lives several centuries or absorbs a truly massive amount of data. These memories are stored in a slightly different format for each Wafan, which renders it nearly impossible to simply read stored memory data through a plug-and-play method. Viewing the data of a deceased wafan often takes a super-computer several weeks of codex work. This time can further lengthen if there is no sample of the wafan's source code to use as a starting point. If their Lucid Codex is removed, a wafan can, theoretically, survive. However, their memories are entirely gone.

Placing an intact Lucid Codex in a new wafan body would give the present personality the memories of another wafan, which it may or may not be able to read properly, as each wafan formats its stored memories in a different fashion. Reading memories which are too different from one’s own format can lead to pretty nasty insanity.

Body Image

Unlike their human counterparts, wafans don’t suffer from many of the mental and emotional stresses that come with body image. Though wafans may be just as obsessed with body image as humans, they have much more capability to do something about it. Throughout their lives, wafans slowly modify their forms, turning their body into a representation of themselves that is based on their own desires and not those of the others around them. The only limit to a wafan’s customization of their body is the amount of money they are willing to put into the effort. Shape, size, armor, color, and anything else about their appearance is merely another choice to them. They are not limited to the body they were born with, and rarely seek other’s approval over their own when it comes to customizing their forms.

The occurrence is rare, but some wafans choose to change their bodies so drastically that they can no longer be considered a wafan of their original creed. It is entirely possible for an aesir to modify their body so much that they now fit the design of a vanir more than their original body, or for a vanir to enhance their frame so much that they would now be considered a jotun. As long as their minds are kept intact, entire new bodies can be constructed for wafans who are seeking a change. These new bodies usually incorporate whatever pieces from their old body will still work, but everything else is new. The most common changes are aesir becoming vanir, and vanir becoming jotuns. Less often a jotun will become a vanir or a vanir will become an aesir. The rarest changes come when an aesir or jotun becomes the other.

Small body modifications are often made on a whim or with only a small amount of planning. The larger the change, the more a wafan begins to think about what they are really doing. A complete body change from one creed to another most often takes place after some major life changing event that has left a mark on the wafan’s psyche.

WAFAN TRAITS

Your wafan character has the following traits. A few of the traits give you a choice: consider how your choice reflects the purpose for which your character was built.

Ability Score Increase. One other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Size. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Synthetic Resilience. You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:

You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
You are immune to normal diseases (There are diseases in the world of New Horizon that specifically target wafans.)

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

The tiny titans of ancient lore

Aesir

• Proper Name: Aesir wafan.

• Slang Names: Little guys, little gals, skin types, curves, last born.

• Derogatory: Turkey bacon, skin freaks, crunchiers, lawn jockeys, small fry.

• Height Range: 1.35 to 1.85 meters.

• Weight Range: 40 to 100 kg.

Origin

Last created of the wafan creeds, aesir were designed for some of the least scrupulous uses. Originally they were created specifically for domestic duties as maids, chefs and all other viable manner of ‘personal’ servants.

Other common uses included 24-hour labor in small, cramped locations which a vanir couldn’t enter, and it was not considered desirable for a human to enter. Therefore, many ancient towns had legions of naked, androgynous aesir roaming their sewers and maintenance tunnels, performing endless series of maintenance tests.

Created to be as human possible in every detail, although on a scale roughly 30 centimeters shorter than average, it came as no surprise when anatomically correct and functional aesir were eventually created for no greater purpose than to serve as bedroom partners for wealthy humans.

When the wafans eventually rebelled, and public officials ordered them put down like animals instead of negotiated with, it was the aesir who struck first, and struck deepest. Not joining the active rebellion immediately, they waited for their brethren’s signal, and then simply assassinated many wealthy and powerful owners, and sabotaged many of society’s hidden and forgotten inner workings.

Appearance

Aesir can be designed to appear indistinguishable from olympians, but often modify their appearance in ways that olympians are not capable of. Their hair is a strong synthetic fiber that mimics the consistency of human hair, but is less breakable. Finger and toenails are often constructed from resin, while teeth are constructed of porcelain composite over a form similar to the aesir’s skeleton.

Aesir are most easily differentiated from humans by their smaller stature and typically lighter build. They are typically about 30 centimeters shorter in height, though perfectly proportioned in their seemingly diminished stature.

Most aesir have visible seams in their skin at their major joints. Aesir will often have similar skin indentations, or skin lines, applied as art across other areas of their body, much like humans will apply tattoos. These are often even more distinct than a human’s fingerprint.

Aesir are not limited to human skin tones, hair colors or eye colors. As such, the visual variety of aesir is far greater than that of their human cousins. In fact, as often as not, an aesir will try to be as unique as possible, and cultivate as distinctive an image as is feasible for them. They often wear vintage design clothing from eras long past to accomplish this feat.

AESIR WAFAN

Your Dexterity score in creases by 2.

Slender Build. You can choose to count as one size smaller in any situation where it would be advantageous.

Aesir Nimbleness. You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Naturally Stealthy. You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.

Specialized Design. You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice.

The giants of Old Earth

Jotuns

• Proper Name: Jotun wafan.

• Slang Names: Big bones, second born, behemoths, leviathans.

• Derogatory: Tractors, garbage disposal, flapjack engines, donkey engines.

• Height Range: 2.15 to 3.65 meters.

• Weight Range: 225 to 445 kg.

Jotuns are overall the largest and strongest of the wafan creeds in terms of physical size. They are seen as slow and lumbering by many. This impression is often a fatal mistake as some jotuns can be quite mobile for their size.

Origin

Jotuns originated as the second variety of wafan created for mass production. Their actual conception occurred prior to the vanir’s construction. They were one of two proposals for the initial run of mass produced wafans, jotuns and what would eventually become aesirs, but both plans were ousted in favor of the vanir’s composite design as a compromise between the two. The first run of jotuns was crafted for use as live-capture law enforcement agents.

Appearance

Jotuns are physically the least human-like of the three wafan creeds, resembling ancient automated labor droids far more than they resemble the androids they actually are. Though their appearance varies, different jotuns resemble massive construction automatons and labor machines as often as they resemble other people. They tend to be large and burly of build, with enormous hydraulic systems and heavy metal or ceramic plating for heavy duty work capabilities over an extra thick metal and carbon fiber-woven under-suit. Any tools of the trade a jotun acquires will often be built into their structure or stored inside internal storage compartments that are built into their massive superstructures. As such, a jotun will often be less symmetrical than the other two creeds.

Jotuns very rarely have animate faces and more commonly have an artificial or sculpted face. Jotuns typically eat either by using ports located on their hands or by removing the lower portion of their sculpted face plate, revealing a smaller sculpted open mouth beneath. With their lack of facial expression, male jotuns tend to communicate their moods by a shift in eye color and the small pin lights across their bodies, whereas the females have large tracks of LED lights arrayed across their bodies for the same purpose.

JOTUN WAFAN

Your Constitution score in creases by 2.

Cybernetic Plating. Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor:

You gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning and doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.

Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Specialized Design. You gain one skill or tool proficiency of your choice.

Possessed of the lion's heart

Vanir

• Proper Name: Vanir wafan.

• Slang Names: First born, alphas, composite, sleeks.

• Derogatory: Hot rods, junkers, widgets, twonky, clunkers, stylists.

• Height Range: 1.75 to 2.45 meters.

• Weight Range: 115 to 225 kg.

Vanir were created as a mid grade creed between the olympian-like aesirs and the monstrous jotuns. Standing the same height as the average olympian, vanir are easy to distinguish due to their mounted armor and prominent cybernetic makeup.

Origin

The first mass produced form of wafan, built as a compromise between the originally theorized designs, which would eventually become jotuns and aesir respectively. Their design was supposed to be such that they were of roughly the same size as humans, but capable of a superior physical performance and durability, allowing for a wide range of possible tasks. Vanir were originally built in truly enormous numbers, and thus, when wafans rose up against the human masters, many rose to positions of power over their fellow wafans.

Appearance

Vanir can be designed to appear indistinguishable from olympians, but are more often designed with the standard mid grade in mind. The same methods used to make aesirs appear human are commonly utilized in vanir construction, but Vanir are built to be sturdier than their aesir cousins. Their face is usually the most olympian in appearance, complete with hair and occasionally ears. Many vanir take great pride in their facial appearance, keeping their hair and face as appealing as possible.

The largest outward difference from aesir is often a vanir’s mounted armor plating. Most vanir are constructed with armor plates that attach directly to mooring points on their skeletons. They will often spend large sums of money customizing their armor as they grow older.

Typical expenditures include better plate in more pleasing shapes, colored or chromed trim, inlaid lighting and flashy paint jobs. Places not covered in armor are often fleshy in appearance, but some vanir lean more toward jotuns in their tastes and have much more metallic looking bodies. It is a matter of personal choice whether or not their necks are armored, and either option is seen as often as the other.

VANIR WAFAN

One other ability score of your choice increases by 2.

Cybernetic Plating. Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor:

You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning and doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.

Specialized Design. You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice.