curio anatomy
While they vary widely in appearance and build, curios have certain features that make them .... well, curios! You can find a detailed outline of what makes them special here. Additionally, you can find the Quick Design Guide at the bottom of this page; keep in mind, however, that it's not a substitute for understanding the full specifications of curio design.
general build
Curios are somewhat small creatures, with most ranging in height from 3' to 5'5". They have at minimum a thin coat of fur (although they can get quite shaggy) everywhere across their bodies except for the lower face, inner ear, and pawpads. This fur can be any colour or pattern, and is thought to be an expression of a curio's aura! Some curios do have hereditary coat colours, but it's not unusual for two wildly different-looking curios to be directly related.
Curios come in every body type, but all have the distinction of longer forearms, and some still have rather short legs due to their quadrupedal past. The tail is rather strong, and can be any length, with fur of any shape, length, and texture. Their hand-paws have four short but dexterous fingers, small retractable claws, and a distinct thumb. The claws are excellent for climbing, but young curios can sometimes get carried away with them, and end up with claw-caps or mittens if they're too troublesome. |
Also known as walking on all fours, quadrupedal movement is thought to be what curios' ancestors had to do long ago. Nowadays curios can walk comfortably upright and are quite dexterous, but thanks to their flexible shoulder anatomy, short pawlike fingers, and just a touch of shapeshifting ability, they are quite capable of walking and running on all fours. It's especially useful when trying to scale uneven ground or climb all over ruins.
The change a curio undergoes to comfortably walk about on all four paws happens in the blink of an eye! By the time the handpaws hit the ground, the body has already adapted. The theories on how and why curios developed this ability vary, but some say it's a product of speedy curio advancement--it's true, after all, that curio civilization advanced quickly, and walking on two feet certainly helped. But of course .... look at any linny, and the 'civilized biped' idea falls away rather quickly.
Some see walking on all four paws to be a bit uncouth, or perhaps just dirty, but many curios find it a useful ability. Additionally, most if not all kits will walk on all fours in their early years, when their anatomy is more in between, and have to be helped to walk upright around the time they get their tail beads. It's thought that a curio that isn't taught to walk upright will never gain the ability to shift between forms, and will be forced to walk on all four of their paws forever ....
The change a curio undergoes to comfortably walk about on all four paws happens in the blink of an eye! By the time the handpaws hit the ground, the body has already adapted. The theories on how and why curios developed this ability vary, but some say it's a product of speedy curio advancement--it's true, after all, that curio civilization advanced quickly, and walking on two feet certainly helped. But of course .... look at any linny, and the 'civilized biped' idea falls away rather quickly.
Some see walking on all four paws to be a bit uncouth, or perhaps just dirty, but many curios find it a useful ability. Additionally, most if not all kits will walk on all fours in their early years, when their anatomy is more in between, and have to be helped to walk upright around the time they get their tail beads. It's thought that a curio that isn't taught to walk upright will never gain the ability to shift between forms, and will be forced to walk on all four of their paws forever ....
the face
A curio's face has thin, soft fur across the forehead, down the bridge of the nose to varying lengths, and over the eyes. The face structure is largely human-like, but with animal ears (measured by length) and an animal-like pad on the end of the nose. The bridge of the nose can vary, being rather flat to the face, extending out significantly, or anywhere in between. The pad on its end can be any natural colour. Curios have a very sharp sense of smell!
At the top of a curio's face is an area of fur known colloquially as the mask. Its size can vary, but it always extends to at least the eyebrows and never reaches past the tip of the nose. Markings from the body can carry over onto the mask, but shouldn't include the forehead mark's colour.
The lower half of the face is bare skin, although facial hair such as beards will sometimes grow in. This skin can be any natural skin colour, or sometimes a desaturated grey, white, or black, but should be in some way distinct from the fur of the mask. The skin of the pawpads doesn't always match the face. Freckles and scars are plenty common, but other marks are a trait that some desire. Overall, a curio with more mask than skin may be considered handsome or mysterious, but opinions vary.
The forehead mark is usually a curio's most distinct feature. Curios are born with a fuzzy shape at first, which gradually grows into something distinct with their adult coat. The standard forehead mark is a single shape, and a solid colour that matches the eyes. It can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, organic or geometric, and need not be hereditary in shape. Much like the limitless colours a curio's fur can be, the forehead mark is thought to be a manifestation of a curio's powerful aura (see below) due to the huge variety of detailed shapes it can take. Superstition states that a curio's personality or even fate is sometimes indicated by their mark's shape. Some quite unusual forehead marks may be broken up, distorted, or have other effects caused by mutations.
A curio's eyes will have irises that match the forehead mark. Pupils and sclera can be white or black, and the eye can be any shape. Losing an eye is unfortunately likely out in the dangers of Scatterstar's wilds; if a curio manages to keep both, there's still always the possibility of blindness due to age or other factors, which can make the eye a foggy, lighter hue of the mark colour.
tail beads
A curio's tail bead is arguably their most important part. All curios possess a natural power referred to as their 'auric egg', which is an invisible shell of energy that always surrounds a curio (See the Auric Egg section). Even in the weakest of curios, this ability can wreak havoc when left unchecked, with the worst symptoms of an untamed aura field being wild mood swings, mysterious illness, and poltergeist-like activity. The solution is to attach a special bead to the end of the tail, made from types of crystal which act as a natural sponge for an auric egg's energy. As long as it is attached and undamaged, a curio's auric egg will be stabilized. However, if cracked or lost, that curio may find themself suffering mysterious bad luck, from unusual clumsiness to terrible illness.
Tail beads are made from a crystal called aunmar. Opaque, completely clear, sparkly, striped, hazy, and even iridescent variants are widely available, due to different inclusions, impurities, dyes, and heat treatments. Aunmar is even known to petrify wood! The spacers--two smaller beads, one on each end of the crystal bead--can be any non-crystal material and are purely to hold things in place. The endcap at the end of the beads is the same, and some curios will hang charms from it.
Curios don't receive their tail beads until around five years of age, when they're strong enough to start carrying it around. A curio generally will not change the bead they were given at birth, so they have to grow into it! Parents of particularly strong curios may find themselves anxious to get that bead made and attached, since until it's there to stabilize the auric egg, their cub may be the cause of mysterious misfortune .... More powerful curios may need two or more beads to keep them comfortable, and rarer beads have special attributes such as their own glow. You can see the Tail Beads page for more information about specific traits.
the auric egg
All curios have an auric egg surrounding them. This is an invisible field of electromagnetic energy that surrounds a curio completely; its oblong shape and shell-like concept gives it the 'egg' name. It's exuded from a curio themself, which makes them unique from all other creatures known to curiokind, who lack this field. Although not fully understood, it's thought to be a manifestation of a curio's consciousness, and reflects a curio's feeling and state of being. It also seems to lend curios a sort of 'sixth sense', a spatial awareness that can alert them to danger or objects of interest before the other senses pick up on it.
The auric egg is invisible to the naked eye, although some claim to be able to faintly see its outline in the right light. Advancements in technology have led to the invention of the camera, however, and sometimes the auric egg shows up as a faint but crisp ring around each person in a photo! Some mystics--trained healers who have studied the age-old techniques of manipulating auric eggs--have even started using these cameras to help spot gaps and instability in their patients' fields. A disruption in a curio's aura can be a sign of interior health problems or emotional faults, or even an independent issue with the aura that will lead to health problems down the line. Aura work is very much considered as important as seeing a doctor, although there is some argument between more and less scientifically minded individuals about if and when to adapt old traditions to modern advancements.
Auric eggs have played a few key roles in the history of curios. Its power and first appearances are thought to have helped curios gain the ability to walk upright (further suggested by poor aura health in cubs leading to problems with learning to shift into a bipedal stance). But with this immense power comes downsides, in the form of it wreaking havoc on a curio's life when left unchecked. Mood swings, unusual aches, nausea, odd misfortunes, and even poltergeist-like activity are all caused by an excess of auric power, and the only thing found to successfully sponge up all that excess is varieties of aunmar crystal. This substance, thought to be named for the archaic, early-language words un (aura) and ma-ar (to capture), is found all across Scatterstar. In prehistoric times, curios were forced to live only in the places where it was near enough to the surface to absorb their auras. It wasn't until they began to experiment with carrying pieces of it around that they were able to settle new areas and expand across the region; many prototypes including necklaces, hair ornaments, and backpacks have been found by archaeologists, but it seems those ancient curios found an unusual spot for the beads on the ends of their tails, where the spine seems to naturally channel auric energy into the bead. (This has not been scientifically proven, and there are as many theories about the placement simply being the most convenient, especially for dangerously powerful children looking to "lose" their beads.) Nowadays, aunmar crystals from quarries all over are sold across Scatterstar, with a variety of interesting impurities and dyes to give them a unique look. Some intrepid scientists are even experimenting with artificially grown aunmar to get new effects, but so far it hasn't been very successful.
The other big role the auric egg plays is in technology. Curios have avoided the dilemma of the mysterious 'battery' for a long time, due to most Ancient technology being powered not by standard electricity, but by auric energy. Strange little domes with coiled receptors poke out of most tech, and this absorbs and converts the electromagnetic fields curios give off, letting them use portable devices right away! Thanks to this strange but lucky turn of events, curios were able to use Ancient remnants to make huge technological leaps very early on, leading to a strangely balanced but ultimately effective world today. While they do rely on coal, windpower, and hydropower to light their homes and run their computer servers, handheld devices and laptop notebooks are usually powered by the user's auric egg.
The auric egg fluctuates over a curio's lifetime. Most will follow a similar timeline:
The auric egg is invisible to the naked eye, although some claim to be able to faintly see its outline in the right light. Advancements in technology have led to the invention of the camera, however, and sometimes the auric egg shows up as a faint but crisp ring around each person in a photo! Some mystics--trained healers who have studied the age-old techniques of manipulating auric eggs--have even started using these cameras to help spot gaps and instability in their patients' fields. A disruption in a curio's aura can be a sign of interior health problems or emotional faults, or even an independent issue with the aura that will lead to health problems down the line. Aura work is very much considered as important as seeing a doctor, although there is some argument between more and less scientifically minded individuals about if and when to adapt old traditions to modern advancements.
Auric eggs have played a few key roles in the history of curios. Its power and first appearances are thought to have helped curios gain the ability to walk upright (further suggested by poor aura health in cubs leading to problems with learning to shift into a bipedal stance). But with this immense power comes downsides, in the form of it wreaking havoc on a curio's life when left unchecked. Mood swings, unusual aches, nausea, odd misfortunes, and even poltergeist-like activity are all caused by an excess of auric power, and the only thing found to successfully sponge up all that excess is varieties of aunmar crystal. This substance, thought to be named for the archaic, early-language words un (aura) and ma-ar (to capture), is found all across Scatterstar. In prehistoric times, curios were forced to live only in the places where it was near enough to the surface to absorb their auras. It wasn't until they began to experiment with carrying pieces of it around that they were able to settle new areas and expand across the region; many prototypes including necklaces, hair ornaments, and backpacks have been found by archaeologists, but it seems those ancient curios found an unusual spot for the beads on the ends of their tails, where the spine seems to naturally channel auric energy into the bead. (This has not been scientifically proven, and there are as many theories about the placement simply being the most convenient, especially for dangerously powerful children looking to "lose" their beads.) Nowadays, aunmar crystals from quarries all over are sold across Scatterstar, with a variety of interesting impurities and dyes to give them a unique look. Some intrepid scientists are even experimenting with artificially grown aunmar to get new effects, but so far it hasn't been very successful.
The other big role the auric egg plays is in technology. Curios have avoided the dilemma of the mysterious 'battery' for a long time, due to most Ancient technology being powered not by standard electricity, but by auric energy. Strange little domes with coiled receptors poke out of most tech, and this absorbs and converts the electromagnetic fields curios give off, letting them use portable devices right away! Thanks to this strange but lucky turn of events, curios were able to use Ancient remnants to make huge technological leaps very early on, leading to a strangely balanced but ultimately effective world today. While they do rely on coal, windpower, and hydropower to light their homes and run their computer servers, handheld devices and laptop notebooks are usually powered by the user's auric egg.
The auric egg fluctuates over a curio's lifetime. Most will follow a similar timeline:
- Age 0 - Infant: The aura is very weak. Parents attune to their kit's aura naturally, and often find themselves suddenly aware of their infant's next need.
- Age 2 - Toddler: The aura has been steadily growing. Parents may begin to notice strange, seemingly supernatural things happening around their kit, such as moving objects, banging or clicking noises, and "strange vibes", particularly when the child is upset. These are considered the worst years for parents whose kits have a powerful aura. However, surrounding the kit with aunmar is not recommended, as a reduced or weak aura at this age leads to difficulty learning to walk upright and grow in general.
- Age 5 - Child: The kit has grown significantly, and their aura with them. The body and aura are now both strong enough to support a tail bead. After application of the bead, things calm down in terms of poltergeist-like activity.
- Age 12 - Preadolescent: The aura begins to fluctuate as rapid curio puberty takes hold. By now, some kits with strong auras may have had another bead added. Due to the many changes the kit will undergo, the aura will be at its most unstable during these years. Gifts of aunmar jewelry are not uncommon, although it's polite to not point out why.
- Age 16 - Adolescent: Depending on the individual, auric fluctuations are expected to quiet down by some point in the late teens. Any issues with the aura from here into adulthood are considered to be a medical condition that will need a specialized approach.