The Cirque Condensed: Shimmera

Shimmera are dualistic entities from Ameneyates. They are non-physical entities that form physical bodies in order to interact with the world around them. They take on the appearance of vague animal humanoids, similar to what humans call "furries". They are an technologically and magically advanced species, being the one of the first large civilizations to emerge in Ameneyates. They are rumored to have existed even before the formation of Ameneyates itself, in the previous world.

Shimmera and other Ameneyats refer to themselves/them as "Aurafura". Aurafura is a collective term, so even if you were referring to a single Shimmera you would be calling them "one part of a collective"^[1].

Biology

Note: Shimmera are a very diverse species which makes defining a standard biology difficult. There are a few key characteristics that all Shimmera share, however, if it's not explicitly stated you may assume it varies between individuals.

Shimmera are non-physical beings, they produce a physical substance called 'anima' as a by product of them existing that is turned into a physical body so the Shimmera can interact with the world around them and not just be a passive observer.

Anatomy & Morphology

Shimmera appear to be hybrid animal people but their closest earthly analog would actually be fungi, algae, and moss based on their bodily anatomy. Their physical bodies are like one big single-celled organism though a bit more complex than the ones found on Earth; they still manage to have similar vital organs (or organelles I suppose) to humans since they breathe oxygen, eat food, and drink water.

All Shimmera share the same set of vital organs though in general all individual Shimmera have a unique biology. There are several different archetypes that have been identified though these groupings are primarily used by healthcare providers in Shimmerain culture.

• All Shimmera have retractable whiskers that are used as a robust metaphysical auxiliary sensory organ.
• Shimmera have ear holes and then external false ears usually placed directly outside of the ear hole but some individuals have false ears placed further away from the ear hole. False ears do not assist with hearing but may serve some other functional depending on the individual. Some do not have false ears at all.
• All shimmera have a "third eye". Some have visually distinct ones, think bearded dragons. Some express theirs as literal third eyes.
  • In some cultures removal of the third eye is a form of punishment reserved for those who commit severe crimes. The Aurai used to used this punishment more right before the Aurai/Faeng split but toned it down afterwards.
• Shimmera are omnivores, they need to eat in order to maintain the health of their physical form.
  • Vegetarian lifestyles are fairly common in Shimmerain societies, mainly due to convivence though some do it for personal and/or health related reasons.

Life Cycle

Their physical bodies are influenced by the flora and fauna around them at their place of 'emergence' as a imago, or newly awaken Shimmera. They start out non-physical and in this state they're like newborn babies in the womb, they don't remember anything from this period of time except if they happen to encounter another imago while they form, in which case they'll bond with each other.

Once they finish forming and emerge they're children and are capable of being independent, though at this point normally they'll seek out other Shimmera or an adult will find them and lead them to a settlement where they will be looked after and raised by other Shimmera until they're more mature.

Each Paqu (pronounced as 'Pack', the term for shimmerain ethnic group) has different requirements for a Imago to be considered fully independent but generally will require a Imago to be of a certain age (at least being a young adult) and pass a rite of passage before being able to travel out into the Cirque alone.

Shimmera are biologically immortal, when their physical body 'dies' they enter into a reincarnation phase where they'll start forming a new body. After their first life has ended they are no longer considered a Imago. They can die permanently when they're too weak to form a new body and lose their 'aura', fading out of existence.

Reproduction

Shimmera, being non-physical entities, reproduce in an rather abstract processes. New individuals (referred to as Imago) will manifest as protoforms in areas with high residual anima, which is usually due to Shimmera living in a given area over a long period of time or a high concentration of shed pelts from deceased Shimmera. Shimmera lay their deceased to rest in complex structures similar to necropolis, which also has spaces to accommodate newly formed Shimmera and their caretakers since the conditions are prime for new Shimmera to manifest.

New Imago can be formed by two or more Shimmera sacrificing a large amount of anima in an attempt to create the right conditions for a Imago to spawn: high amounts of residual Anima and a spark of 'aura' from the act of union and emotion from the individuals involved in the process. This is not a guaranteed way of producing a new Imago, but it is believed to be the only natural way of conception between living Shimmera.

Aurai are known to artificially create new Shimmera in order to curate their families to a specific aesthetic or function, a process that took ages to truly perfect. Otherwise it is near impossible to purposefully create Imago (at least in a widely agreeably ethical manner), it is accepted that they can only form naturally.

Most Shimmera naturally develop reproductive organs despite not requiring them for reproduction^[2], but it's common for one to not develop any at all. Shimmera have a degree of control over how these organs manifest on their own. Some individuals go through additional hormone/genetic therapy in order to make further changes they can't do on their own.

Factions

There are two main factions of Shimmera: the Faeng and the Aurai.

note: I mainly talk about the Faeng but the Aurai are relevant but they are much more reclusive in universe so I usually only mention them when talking about historical events.

The Aurai

The Aurai was one the dominant caste of the Shimmerain civilization. Their power, the knowledge and secrets of the ones who came before, was given to them by birthright^[3].

They were once oracles and psychopomps who were able to commune with the ones who came before, giving them an advantage over the other Paqus.

Whether or not it was their ancestor’s intention, the Aurai used the power and knowledge left by their ancestors to subjugate the other Paqus to serve them and their interests. The Aura formed a caste system to organize the other Paqus, which turned into a brief civil war between the Aurai Paqus which led to the formation of the middle castes. The rest of the Paqus formed the lower castes, collectively called the Faeng. Shimmera still living under the Aurai's rule referred to as Banded or the lesser Paqus.

The Aurai are powerful magic users and even after the Faeng split from them they are still one of the dominant factions in Ameneyates despite their reclusive nature. The Aurai have a particular way of viewing the world around them, they are highly superstitious and easily manipulated by their fears, which the Faeng used to their advantage while fighting for their independence.

After the Faeng successfully ousted the Aurai out of the Frontier, the Aurai refused to acknowledge the Faeng's existence, erasing them from their empire's history. This was viewed as a punishment to the remaining Banded and a reminder of the consequences of undermining the Aurai's power and ideals. There are some groups of Banded who chose to remember the Faeng as a form of silent defiance, believing that if they hold their memory in their hearts it may one day cause them to grow bold enough and seek the Faeng out themselves.

The Faeng

The Faeng split off from the Aurai after a group of them took over a political prisoner transport ship they were being held on and discovered the Frontier while trying to evade being recaptured. Said group told the rest back 'home' about their discovery and more of them escaped from the Aurai's rule and settled on the Fronter, which is a living dimension that took in the Faeng.

Once the Aurai's way of life was sufficiently disturbed by the dwindling number of lower caste Shimmera they launched an invasion of the Frontier in an effort to bring back the 'lost' Faeng and claim whatever the Faeng had built there for themselves. It turns out the Faeng had built themselves a home there and put up way more of a fight than the Aurai could deal with and withdrew back into their own territories to sort out the Banded who remained loyal to them.

Since then the Faeng have returned to a way of life not known to Shimmera since before the Aurai took control and now freely travel Ameneyates, forming bonds with other Sophonts and exploring uncharted worlds fulfilling their innate sense of wanderlust. The Aurai on the other hand have become stagnant and reclusive, perfectly content with the illusionary life they've built for themselves.

Faeng society can be described as socialist, anarchist, solarpunk, conservationist, and optimistic though they are not a monolith nor live in a utopia. The Faeq Paqus get along well enough though there is tension at times between the Paqus. There has never been a time where there's been active conflicts between them though.

The seven noble Paqus, the passengers of the First Chariot, are as follows:

• Pyrefei
  • "fire under earth"
• Mosulon
  • "spirit worker", the Paqu tasked with handling death rites and the maintenance and construction of the Faeng automatons, long range radio transmitters, and other technological infrastructure.
• Gyregan
  • the nomadic Paqu. Typically Shimmera from this Paqu are actually formed or adopted into two Paqus, one which typically implies their duty in the Gyregan Paqu though more generally it signifies the Shimmera's 'ancestry'.
• Minua
• Imaiga
• Ektraa
  • "of the earth", related to the Pyrefei by bond. They are farmers, builders, and artisans (architecture, ceramics, sculptures, tile work, textiles, etc).

Paqus that later migrated to the frontier include:

• Teerah'gahn
  • a Telhgan Paqu that defected and escaped to the frontier.
• No-ehraei
  • Ilo's Paqu

Culture

note: Assume I'm talking about the Faeng unless otherwise specified.

Shimmera live in a decentralized society. It's really just a matter of determining who knows what the going on with a particular aspect of the settlement and letting them manage it. It's going to vary between the different Paqus how it ends up looking but generally it's "most experience and knowledgeable individual/group of individuals manages different areas and everyone has to play nice or else". and the 'or else' is everyone has a bad time because the food has to be rationed because we didn't grow/harvested enough or there's a schism in the settlement because of some he said she said situation was not properly resolved.

Shimmera are not required to live their entire lives in one settlement, they are free to travel and move. Typically Shimmera tend to live with their own Paqus (many paqus may occupy a settlement and intermingle with each other but there are usually spots where a given paqu tends to congregate at) though it's not uncommon for a Shimmera to be the only member of their paqu in a given area.

Gender Ideals

Due to how reproduction and child rearing work, Shimmera do not have gender roles built into their society. For reference, Shimmera can develop sexual organs but they reproduce via external methods so these organs serve no functional purpose. Children are communally raised but it's fairly common for parent/guardian + child dynamics and relationships to form. The various sexes documented in Shimmera are a tool used to categorize them on a biological level and is strictly utilitarian (usually for medical and sanitation accommodations/logistics).

Shimmera do not innately have a sense of 'gender' or 'gender identity', they may develop one after being exposed to other species culture but they tend to have a complex relationship with it. For some Shimmera this sort of complexity is welcomed, they view it as way to experience "Aura" while others will only use it in the relevant social contexts.

Shimmera do care about how they look and feel in their own body and can develop body dysphoria based on aspects they can't modify on their own (primarily reproductive organs, which they are unable to manipulate as easily like they can for secondary sexual characteristics). Shimmera do have a understanding of the concept of being transgender, it's a normal and accepted thing in their culture.

Naming Traditions

The shimmerain naming convention is rather simple, names are short enough to be used as pronouns as they often are used as pronouns for the individual.

Shimmera are considered to be mononymous.

Some Shimmera may have descriptive sentences as their full name, in which case only one word is used as their pronouns (typically the important noun).

Religion

Faeng lean towards ancestor and folk hero worship with some aspects of animism.

The Frontier tends to be seen more as a trickster figure but usually not worshipped as a god like figure because the Faeng view it more as a person rather than a deity. Banded who are not under the Aurai direct influence tend to lean towards the ancestor worship/animism mix that the Faeng practice.

The Aurai are very secular, they tend to believe that they are the ‘dominant’ beings in Ameneyates so they reject any idea that might suggest otherwise. Worship of those who came before is common due to their belief that they are their direct descendants, so they practice a form of ancestor worship as well.

Language: Shimmerain

Shimmerian is a language primarily meant to be heard audibly or spoken without speaking, which is a form of telepathic communication between speaker and listener(s). Shimmerain does have a written form that uses literal transliterations which loses some of the language's nuance.

There are two known dialects used by the Faeng and Aurai respectively. The Faeng Dialect is described as being more relaxed in tone than the Aurai Dialect. Words will generally hold the same meaning between the two dialect since the Faeng dialect stems from the Aurai's. The main difference between the two is how words are spelt.

Faeng dialect is based on three or an odd number amount of vowels as an extension of their spiritual beliefs. Three vowel words are important; verbs and nouns. Conjunctions and most adjectives are single vowel words. Aurai words have an even amount of vowels. While the Faeng dialect uses some Aurai words, some Faeng Shimmera will opt to add extra vowels to Aurai words to make them have an odd amount of vowels.

Shimmerain words are generally pronounced the way they are written due to them being literal transliterations, however, some culturally important words and names are stylized like "P@th" (patth or path) for example^[4].

Speaking without Sound

The telepathic form of Shimmerain is called "Speaking without Sound". There are a few different forms of telepathic communication that are accessible to Shimmera, though they do not make a distinction between them and use the same term for all of them since they all function the same way.

Telepathic communication between two Shimmera is primarily done through high frequency sounds/vibrations that are inaudible to other Sophonts. Here are some examples of what it 'sounds' like:

• Inca whistle jar: note the breaks and distortions in the whistles caused by the moving water
• Fish songs: sounds recorded from a reef, Whoops, purrs and grunts'