Praesa

Praesa are a species of 6D beings. They're commonly found living in the area surrounding the Prime Chronoverse, and are believed to be the most common species locally. They are known for often working as subjects of the Reapers, for various reasons depending on the individual.

Praesa have a vaguely human like appearance, but one would have to have never seen a human before to mix up the two. Their eyes are dark and typically quite sharp, with bright pupils. They have a sharp set of teeth as well as retractable claws on their hands. Glowing lines cover their body, which can be essentially any kind of color. Shards of metal also protrude out of their body, in rather painful looking positions, though they don't actually cause harm. They are typically quite tall, with an average height of 6'0"ft / 72cm.

There are two distinct Praesa cultures. The Hillowfest live under the rule of the Reapers. Meanwhile, Bearunic Praesa are the descendants of those who rejected their rule and protection. The population of Hillowfest Praesa outweigh that of the Bearunic. These cultures are also internally varied, with different subcultures intertwined into them.

History
Praesa are believed to be a distant cousin of the Cynnhete, which evolutionary split off from them long ago. They are distinct enough to be unaffected by The Dream, the virus-like affliction responsible for the current state of the Cynnhete.

Some time after the civilization's fall, Praesa quickly became dominant due to their capability to have some sort of stability. They laid claim to the ruins of advanced technology, scavenging it to bolster their power. Technology from abandoned complexes, labs, and farms was used to grant them advancement.

However, despite their access to technology, life in 6D proved to be harsh and often quite short. Not only did they constantly fight with the Cynnhete, but there was also problems with other hostile monstrosities. In order to survive, the Praesa developed a warrior-like lifestyle that involved in the intense training of every individual.

At some unknown point, Reapers would start to make themselves known as beings with influential kingdom. Despite their power, they lacked an unlimited reach. Seeing the struggling Praesa, the Reapers offered a deal. Reapers would protect the Praesa with their strength from the hostile wilderness. In exchange, the Praesa would perform any tasks the Reapers had need of and be unquestionably loyal. Should they fail that, their protection would be forfeit.

Most groups of Praesa accepted their protection. Some accepted because they genuinely wanted protection. Others were in awe of the powerful feats these entities were capable of, wanting to serve this group of powerful entities. Some, however, rejected it, sticking it out in the wilderness.

Biology
A base requirement for a 6D species to even exist is the ability to "regulate" their bodies through reality warping. The method that Praesa use is due to the conditions of their souls. Their soultype is inherently able to focus a reality warping field around their entire body, both making them difficult to affect directly and granting them the proper stability to exist.

On any normal entity, however, this would cause a constant drain of soul energy, which typically ends up causing a soul rupture. It is thus thought that their souls gradually became more thaum conductive over time in order to advert this issue, as although thaums still have some issues they are overall the safest option for what they need.

It's thought that on this point Praesa and Cynnhete diverged in their ancestry. The method Cynnhete use isn't exactly understood, but it appears to use a hybrid Axiom and Thaumatic system.

Lifespan and Age
Praesa have a rather strange way of aging. They don't really die of old age, but rather become something completely different progressively. Praesa older than 3000 meta years start to show way more bestial traits, such as growing tails, fur, scales, extra eyes, and strange growths. Aspects of their visage also start to bleed in. Their natural magical abilities also mutate, becoming stronger yet way more specialized, typically based in what they are already skilled at. Their magical specialization affects their new growing appearances. Praesa that reach this age also start to lose their sanity, becoming out of touch with reality and those around them.

It takes about 5000 meta years for the transformation to complete. After its done, they are typically completely unrecognizable. What happens to these old Praesa varies, as they aren't necessary violent, but rather completely disconnected from what they once were. They often completely abandon any aspects of their old lives, which often results in them disappearing deep into the wastes of 6D. However, some old ones do stay within civilization. They are also often employed by other entities as servants or lieutenants, since most of them want to find a new direction in their lives.

The reason this phenomena happens is theorized to do with thaums building up in their bodies and minds over their lifespan. Over time, these thaums cause mistakes in their conception of self and intermingling with their souls. This over time warps them into their elderly form. That being said, study into their aging process is still primitive, so more research is required.

The Visage
Each Praesa has a "visage", which serves as their true appearance. The visage of a Praesa varies from individual to individual, as it is a fundamental expression of their soul and personality. Features of a visage are extremely variable, but horns of some kind are always present.

A Praesa is able to reveal their visage whenever they wish. Some Praesa have an extremely unsettling visage, which they use for intimidation. Others may have one that look extremely kind and trustworthy. Of course, there are also plenty of other appearances of visages, which are variable as personality itself.

Praesa are often very selective of showing their visage. Not only can their visage cause harm to them if overused, they can also have permanent unwanted effects on the minds of those who have seen them. The privacy of a Praesa's visage is often very important to them, and revealing one tends to be a taboo. However, Bearunic Praesa tend to be much less protective of their visages, as the edge they can bring in the harsh wasteland of 6D is valuable. This is part of why the subculture is often viewed as a bunch of savages by more "civilized" Hillowfest.

Magic
Obviously, Praesa have inherent access to magic due to their generally high Thaum content. Even the most untrained and uncaring Praesa have mild access to it.

Most Praesa learn the basics about healing magic early in their life, as it's believed to be the most useful by the general population. The most that training tends to go is learning how to naturally accelerate the healing process of their bodies. In addition, knowing how to cure diseases and sicknesses is one of those areas of attention. Other areas of their magical practice are more specialized and often not part of their education.

Cultures
There are two cultural family's of Praesa: The Hillowfest and the Bearunic, which group together smaller more diverse cultures.

Hillowfest
Hillowfest Praesa are those who chose to ally with the Reapers. As a result, they are generally more technologically advanced and resemble more modern human societies. However, they are also intertwined by the laws and commands of the Reapers. Therefore, they tend to lean more towards law and order.

Bearunic
The Bearunic are descendants of those who rejected the offer made by the Reapers. They tend to be very independent, though their opinion on outsiders depends on each individual culture.