Secrets of Serothyn

Some sort of half-baked, found family and protagonist to antagonist jumble of ideas that’s still in its infancy

Fantasy/futuristic/found family

PAST-
The people who migrated into this region initially settled into the lush valleys between the mountains, cultivating the land as farmers and growing crops like squash, potatoes, wheat, cotton, and sugarcane. As time passed, the settlements grew up on the sides of the mountains. At one point, a civil war erupted between those who lived in the valleys and those who lived in the mountains. The two groups split off from each other, eventually becoming the Serothyn Kingdom, or Mountain's Crown as those within will call it, and the Kizya Empire, or Valley's Scepter. Since then the two sides made amends, and the Kizya provided crops and other resources to the Serothyn and the Serothyn provided the Kizya with services such as construction, death care, education, and entertainment, and vice versa to a degree. For a long time, each kingdom has been ruled by a monarchy. However, when the Serothyn king died without an heir, it was a bloody fight for the throne. Nobody could agree, so it was decided that 5 families would rule instead of one. Due to this political turmoil, the Kizyan queen attempted to expand her territory by invading Serothyn. In a rare moment of cooperation, the five families worked together to successfully stop the invasion. The Kizyan dynasty of the time, Khatri, then descended into a place of weakness and unreliability in the eyes of its people. At the same time, the main religion of both regions rose into prominence even among political circles. Eventually, its power over the people began to surpass even the monarchy's power.
- militaristic, gov't and science clash
- how 4 classes became what they are today & what they are used for
- oligarchy/theocracy impact

PRESENT-
- the Serothyn Kingdom is an oligarchy
The Serothyn Kingdom is ruled by the Meghani, Doshi, Ibotri, Aij, and Kudla families. The Meghani and Aij are mainly Angel families, the Doshi are Shifters while the Kudla are Shadows, and the Ibotri are both Shadow and Shifter.
- Meghani- snowy owl, mountain scops owl, monal Angels
- Aij- golden eagle, Kashmir flycatcher Angels
- Doshi- musk deer, yak Shifters
- Ibotri- wolf, black bear Shifters, + Shadows
The families control different sects of Serothyn territory, with the Meghani in the middle and the other families spread around it. There is one Oracle who has some modicum of power, called The Clairvoyant. No one has ever spotted them in public, but it’s known that they are responsible for telling the future of the kingdom and giving the other families advice.
In the army, Angels are generally generals and nurses, and tend to operate heavy weaponry. Shadows tend to be spies and snipers. Shifters make up the majority of the army, and take up many roles depending on the animal they take. Predator-type Shifters take the front lines, while prey-type Shifters act as scouts, as a general rule. This is also the general rule for law enforcement, but occupations in that field can be filled by anyone of any class except Oracles.
Angels generally work with technology or in scientific fields as technicians, electricians, computer engineers/scientists, physicists, etc, or found in the medical field as doctors, therapists, surgeons, etc. Shifters are very diverse, and their role will heavily depend on what animal they can transform into. They are most known for providing certain labor that can’t be done by machines or devices, especially when it comes to agriculture. Shadows can also fit into a variety Sometimes they can be found working alongside Angels, as their abilities are opposites and can fit a variety of needs in the scientific and medical fields. However, they are most known for being representatives, diplomats, and merchants. Not much is known about Oracles since when children start developing signs of being one, they are sent to be killed or sterilized, as there is a fearful stigma around them perpetuated by those in authority. Their current population is only a fraction of what it used to be, as there was a large genocide of the Oracles in Barborē a century ago. The Oracles alive today live underground/in secret, either in small communities or as enslaved/trafficking victims. Some individuals in the government secretly keep Oracles for themselves and their own gain. There is usually only one respected Oracle in each city, where their only role is to predict natural disasters or other dangers in the city’s environment so steps can be taken to keep the city safe.

I'll go with the irl answer; this originated from the combined brain cells of me and some friends.

Like the real world except when the powers of the four classes are used

Aetherpunk, solarpunk, biopunk. The technology is pretty futuristic, fueled mainly by renewable resources, like water and solar energy. There is also some usage of spirit energy, usually in wealthy areas by wealthy people. Think Voltron: Legendary Defender except regressed a century or two. There is a lot of advanced methods of transportation and communication. E. g., many travel in subways and trains, as well as ski lift sort of things. People usually travel in hoverbikes or cars as well. Phones have been replaced with electronic hexagonal prisms about the size of a tennis ball that can project holographic images and screens. Holograms in general are very prevalent here. As are laser guns, and small computer chips that can be planted inside one’s body, whether for their health or other various reasons. On that note, biotechnology is also advanced, especially concerning medicine, agriculture, and architecture/city planning. The architecture is very diverse, ranging from minimalist to maximalist: smooth, and round, with inspiration taken from Indian and Tibetan architecture, though that’s mainly seen in wealthier areas. Regions with less income have more boxier look in their architecture.

Humans in this world are composed of 4 classes with their own subdivisions, each with their own magical characteristics gifted to them by the gods, and associated roles within society. Children start developing these characteristics between the ages of 6 and 8.
-Angels- these people have large feathery wings with various colors and patterns. Wing patterns and colors will match with hair, and eyes are the color of the bird they have the wings of.
- Healers: as the name implies, they have healing abilities. Usually they can only heal physical wounds, but sometimes there are those who can heal mental wounds as well.
- Stars: they are the opposite of Shadows, as they can manipulate light or electric currents.
-Shifters- people who can transform into a certain animal and gain all the abilities and weaknesses that animal has while in that state, except of course for human intelligence. Their animal’s fur and eyes will match with their human hair and eyes.
-Shadows- people who can blend into shadowy or dark environments. They have smoky/whispy hair and sometimes they have dark/black sclera
- Umbra: can manipulate shadows or generate darkness as well as blend into it
- Nocturnals: people who can see in the dark; either through enhanced eyesight or heat vision.
-Oracles- these people have the ability to foresee and manipulate the future. Not much else is known about them, except that they used to have a third eye and/or very light hair. Now their third eye only opens if they use their powers/receive a vision, and their hair color is more varied.

Hybrids
- via genetic mutation or artificial creation
Hybrids of this kind are generally more powerful and their class’ respective abilities are amplified. However, as time passes their abilities weaken. By the end of their lifespans, they may be reduced to what we would call regular humans.
- via natural birth
Hybrids of this kind have abilities that tend to appear unbalanced and just beyond the hybrid’s control. One side may be more dominant over the other, the abilities of each class mesh together slightly, or they are just generally hard to control. They may stabilize at a certain point in the hybrid’s life, and their abilities will always stay with them throughout their lifespans.

Oracles x Angels
Attributes- have wings, magical eye symbol that appears on the forehead when they receive a premonition or vision, may or may not have healing/light powers
Artificial- visions show the desired outcomes of a situation and are generally sharp and clear, but do not last long. Wings are not very distinguishable in terms of appearance, but make the hybrid incredibly agile and efficient during flight. Over time, the feathers and eventually the wing itself will fall off and the visions will either become less clear or less undesirable.
Natural- visions typically show desired outcomes, but are more difficult to interpret and last longer. Wings are just like any other Angels and come in different shapes and patterns.
Oracles x Shifters
Attributes- can shift into an animal of a certain species, magical symbol of their animal’s ears or nose that appears on the forehead when they receive a premonition or vision
Artificial-senses/strength/agility/instinct are incredibly heightened, even while in human form. Premonitions aren’t perceived with sight, but with smell or hearing, and the premonitions are generally broader and are about the future of things like the environment or a system in society. Over time, the benefits that their animal forms give them fade or they have more and more trouble trying to shift. Their visions become more and more vague and confusing and hard to describe, especially since they are perceived through different senses.
Natural-senses/strength/agility/instinct are somewhat heightened, even while in human form. Premonitions aren’t perceived with sight, but with smell or hearing, and the premonitions are generally broader and are about the future of things like the environment or an entire group of people or a system in society. Premonitions are actually more clearly understood by the natural hybrid, unlike the artificial hybrid
Oracles x Shadows
Attributes- can blend into dark spaces and shadows, may or may not see in the dark, magical eye symbol that appears on the forehead when they receive a premonition or vision
Artificial- can basically become invisible when in dark spaces, can easily control shadows and darkness. Visions are sharp and clear but don’t last long and typically show the undesirable outcomes of a situation. As time passes, these hybrids will be the quickest to fall victim to the severity of their visions and become insane, melding the future and the present together. There is a point where they stop receiving visions all together, but that is also the point where their reality is so warped that they don’t know whether they are seeing the future or not. Their shadow abilities fade; it’s more difficult to control them and to hide in them.
Natural- their visions usually show undesirable outcomes, but they are fuzzier and last longer. For them, it takes time to fully master being able to manipulate shadows to their advantage. Once it is mastered though, shadow and darkness manipulation become like second nature.

India, Tibet, art on Pinterest, minimalistic architecture, ATLA, Genshin Impact, Arcane: LoL, Voltron: LD