Auteans are the main species of the world of Autea.
Auteans have a fairly standard mammalian-like life cycle, aging similar to humans but starting off small, quadrupedal, and precocial. Baby auteans are called kits, or kittens. In neutral light, kits can appear pure white or a very pale version of their parents' colors - they do not begin to develop their own magic until approximately 5 years of age. Of course, very few auteans have cause to bring their children that young to the Realm of the Gods, which is the only place neutral light is known to exist, so almost no one ever sees this.
When a young autean develops their own magic, it's somewhat common for it to make them feel sick - their bodies aren't used to that flow of magic yet, and it takes a while for them to get used to. Sometimes, their magic is far more powerful than their bodies are able to cope with at all, and the condition turns chronic if not fatal.
When Auteans pass away, be their end natural or brought about by another, they are brought away to the Realm of the Gods by Auth-Ael, the God of Death, as a wisp. Wisps are luminescent, much like the gods that take care of them. Not every wisp leaves for the Realm of the Gods, however; some stay in the realm of Autea as something similar to ghosts. Some wisps are even known to travel between the two realms regularly.
Wisps are effectively immortal, but can be killed; if a wisp is killed, a core is left behind and the Autean ceases to exist entirely; appearing much like a wisp, but without any indication of life. It's rumored that if this core is consumed by a mortal autean, their lifespan will extend and, if they are of compatible elements, their magical prowess will increase.
If a god is killed, they don't leave behind a wisp, simply turning into a core that can bestow the title and powers of that god onto whoever consumes it. This, plus their luminescent nature, leads some to believe that the gods are merely incredibly powerful wisps.
Every autean has access to one element of magic, no fewer, and incredibly rarely more: Emotions, Fire, Earth, Light, Life, Plague, Wind, Future, Water, Shade, Death, or Past. Being of a particular element does not mean that an Autean is bound to that god, nor does it mean they even believe that god exists in the first place - all it determines is what magical powers they have access to, and what color they appear as in neutral light.
Generally, a kit's magic will be the same type as their parents', or the ambient magic of the place they grew up - that is to say, a kit born to Fire-element parents in the Water area of the world would be most likely to have Water or Fire as its element. It's possible for a kit to have a completely different element - Once an autean's magic has begun to develop, the only way for it to change would be to kill a god and absorb their core, thereby becoming that god.
Dual elements are only possible when an autean is blessed by two gods at once, either at birth or before, or kills and absorbs the cores of two gods. This doesn't happen very often at all - auteans are blessed in this manner maybe only once or twice per century, if that, and the most common ones to happen are past/future mages, and wind/emotion mages. There is no record of any autean killing two gods and surviving for long enough afterwards to absorb their core, but that doesn't mean it has never happened - it's possible Obsocrypha has merely erased any memory of it, to prevent mortals from attempting it as often.
Clothes are not a societal expectation in Autea; It isn't unusual to see an autean wearing clothes, but it isn't unusual for them to not wear any either. Clothes are mainly used for fashion and accessorizing, and an autean almost never has their full body covered unless they're working with hazardous materials, or have some other reason to. The most common types of clothes are open coats, hats, scarves, gloves - things that can easily be taken on and off at a whim.
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