Angels. Demons. Monsters. Fae. Demihumans. Beasts. Spirits.

Lythians have many names. Scattered across the world, they are both less and more than the humans they were forged from.

Lythians call themselves "half-humans". Every one has a kind of hole in their body. This hole isn't visible so much as it is felt within every fiber of their being. When a Lythian reaches a late stage in their life, they will start to complain about being "incomplete". They are compelled to seek out an appropriate host and bond with it.

You would be forgiven if a young Lythian approached you, touched your hands for a moment, and wrinkled up their nose in disgust only to come back later sporting feathers or scales. The act of bonding is one of finding someone or something compatible with their sensibilities, spending enough time with their target that they can absorb and copy their essence.

Lythians call the process of bonding "Soul Weaving". They bury something key in the other being so deep that it infuses into their body, spreads deeply into their essence, and permeates their soul. Many Lythians cannot resist the call of what they bond with and try to consume it. If this is a lover or a friend, they will be filled with intense guilt and take it out on others, or themselves.

A bonded Lythian that lives through their suffering or their bliss will remain that way permanently. The changes apply completely, all the way from their visual appearance down to their genetic code. They are genuinely new and different creatures, half human and half bird or tree or anything they choose to bond with.

Many of the stories about animals taking off their skin are glamours of a Lythian, cast upon themselves, and transferred to their cloak or a gem. Most will yearn to be like they once were before their rebirth and strip all of their bonded traits for just long enough to celebrate. This stripping robs them of their potential and their new lives, but for a time, many would choose to forget.

Lythians of different bonds that mate and produce offspring will have pure in body and soul, without the benefit of their parents extended bond. They may be confused and treat their child as a human, but find that child grows up too quickly, starts to talk about something only their ancestors knew, and become interested in neither feathers nor fur.

Souls have a temperament and an inclination towards something they wish to learn or experience. Without the natural sway of biology, like hunting or art, they are free to exert a large amount of influence over the body. This is not merely the whim of a child's fancy, but is the fully realized purpose of their being.

It is for these reasons that the Lythians who have undergone their rebirth do not mix. The uncertainty of inviting a soul that does not match either parent is too much for most to handle. Nor do they mix with humans, as their instincts may take over and subsume their behavior into that of an animal.

Lythians are universally envious of humans. Their presence reminds the Lythian that they were made incomplete, and had to seek out another source to fill themselves. The happier ones are mischievous, playing whimsical games or ritualistic fun.

The less favorable amongst the Lythians will act upon their envy. They fixate on a specific aspect that they seem to not have, and will try to take it. Mermaids drown sailors out of envy for their breath, fey drink blood out of envy for their bodies, and the flametouched will hoard physical wealth to assuage their lack of familial ties.

Woe be to any human that happens upon a Lythian that has fully fallen into their envy. They will try to take the one thing they could never have: your soul. They will drain your body dry, greedily suck down on any essence that you have, and reach a point of despair as they realize their mistake. Their souls are incompatible and cannot be the same.

Woe be to any Lythian full of envy that encounters one who has conquered it. They will always try to take from their own in the same way they take from humans, and be found wanting, empty, and utterly frustrated. Most will not tolerate this and try to destroy the other, then themselves. Left to their own devices, their sorrow will claim them.

Woe be to anyone who finds the false, self deluded being that calls themselves a True Lythian. They are beyond envy, awakened to their purpose, and full of love, hate, or sorrow. They cannot be reasoned with, cannot be assuaged, and will act up their nature until they are depleted.