The Chromatic

Vu-Koko, the Primitive Chromatic

“Very Dim Spirit” Since antiquity, chromatic have looked more or less the same; lion-like quadrupeds, made unique by their extra eye and hair-like tentacles. They stand about two feet at the shoulder and four feet from tip of the nose to base of the tail. Hoof-like claws allow them effortless movement though a wide variety of terrains, allowing them to inspect and care for every part of the island. With their extra eye, called Na, primitive Chromatic have maintained the fertility and balance of the island, and continue to do so. They are a long-lived species, with the oldest chromatic rumored to have lived over 170 years old. These are Chromatic in their purest form, unmodified for the most part by habits or other outside forces.

Vu-Koko, Primitive

Vu-Yunu, the Advanced Chromatic

“I am [a] White Being” This new form of Chromatic is smarter, faster, and has a lifespan far shorter than the Vu-Koko; only about 60 years. Advanced Chromatic are bipedal, and despite their third-eye (Na) and cranial tenticles (No), have many traits that are strikingly human. The change, however, isn’t only skin deep, as advanced chromatic have developed self awareness, a calligraphic (painted) form of their written language Kinaso, and their own cultural norms and set of ideals. Seeming to have forgotten their role as island ‘groundskeeper’, advanced chromatic are more concerned with their own advancement and continued evolutionary divergence from their primitive past.

Vu-Yunu, Advanced

Special Organs: "No" (Head Tentacles)

Head Tentacles The no are mainly used to focus energies, used in conjunction with the third eye, the Na. They are the Primitive Chromatic’s second most valuable tool, allowing them to re-arrange life force and energy in the environment around them at will. When pointed at a target they can, with the Chromatic’s concentration, draw one of three elements from said target (life, spirit, or magic). No physical contact is necessary. Given that concentration is maintained, the chromatic can then point their No toward a new target, and direct the drawn energy toward it. Although a Primitive Chromatic can only use this for small exchanges of the life element, Advanced Chromatic have learned to use it to much more effect. Although it causes considerable strain, Advanced Chromatic can learn to manipulate the elements of magic and spirit with their no, making them formidable spell casters.

No Head Tentacles Fully Extended

Special Organs: "Na" (Third Eye)

An open Na

Position and use on a Vu-Yunu

Third Eye & Telepathy The Na (third eye) has multiple purposes. What the eye sees is an alternate spectrum that is not reliant on light, but on three elements of being. The eye sees life as green light, spirit as blue light, and magic as red light. For example, a sentient being, which is alive, has a spirit, and is ‘magical’, would appear entirely white through this vision, whereas a magical weapon, possessing neither life nor spirit, would only appear to be red. Other than this special sight, the third eye is how chromatic both use and consume the three elements. For casting magic, the chromatic must focus the na on their desired target for the duration of the spell, as they channel the elements though the eye for use. Primitive chromatic use this method to tend to the island’s varied greenery. The eye may also be used for consumption, which is where advanced and primitive chromatic have their largest divergence. When a chromatic chooses to feed on something using their na, the eye must be focused on the desired source of ‘food’. The eye then channels the element from the food, and it gets transferred and stored into the chromatic. Using na, an advanced chromatic could consume an element out of something otherwise inedible (for example, the magic from a sword). This method of ‘eating’ also allows for maintenance of a victim’s intellect, therefore eating a sentient actually makes an advanced chromatic smarter. Doing this from youth even modifies the chromatic’s growth patterns, giving them a shape more similar to what they’ve been eating. Chromatic may also consume food normally with use of their mouth, as primitive chromatic choose to do. This method is less efficient, and only edible foods can be eaten. Also, the intellect and intelligence of the ‘food’ is not maintained. The sensitive information is easily destroyed by mastication and digestion. It is important to note that the consumption process is the same process that allows chromatic to speak to each other telepathically. Only beings that do not possess telepathy can be ‘consumed’, as they cannot take back anything equivalent to what they’re losing. At the same time, any race without telepathy cannot hear or be heard by chromatic; only consumed. Even when the na is not open, telepathic communication can be picked up from other chromatic via the ‘ears’ positioned on either side of the eye. Telepathic communication between Chromatic is deliberate, like a spoken voice, not uncontrollable.