Hyboreans are a collection of amphibious species of humanoids and near-humanoids who hail from the planet Hyborea. The chaotic magic in their home system caused a number of different species to attain sentience and, over time, they've grown to consider themselves a single species.

Despite their diverse genetic heritage, Hyboreans are able to interbreed with some success, yielding a variety of hybrids. The current, most dominant type of Hyborean has a variety of traits from different aquatic and amphibious creatures, and is the focus of this article.

All Hyboreans take advantage of spirit binding, which allows them to use the powers of various magical creatures. Their choice of inheritance has a pronounced effect on their appearance, such as a potent wind-oriented spirit moving their hair about in a non-existent wind.

• Hyborean Species Mood Board
• Hyborean Fashion Mood Board

Magic, more so than any natural path of evolution, seems to have played the dominant role in the modern Hyborean's body and mind. Nearly a dozen species across the planet of Hyborea have uplifted, intermingled, cross-bred, and resulted in a species capable of an unusual amount of physical variety. Despite this, most Hyboreans are similar enough that they wouldn't be mistaken for a different species.

As science halted somewhere around the real world's Renaissance level, the notion of evolution isn't something that Hyboreans spend a lot of thought on. It's possible that they do largely come from some unified genetic lineage - but highly unlikely.

The history of Hyboreans is the history of the Hybora Free States. Their species prefers loose, tight groupings over large, wide ones, and so they have little in the way of large governments or country-spanning wars. Instead, they are focused largely on the trade of artisanal goods, supplies, and other necessities. This trade was once conducted by sea-faring ships, which later became star-faring ones.

Magic has been a part of their history for as long as any Hyborean can tell it. Acts of the arcane large and small are central to any number of their stories. All Hyboreans are capable of performing magic to some extent by using spirit binding, which has caused their pursuit of the scientific realm to come to a near complete halt. From time to time some new, better way of doing something without magic is found and widely adopted, but generally speaking they see little reason to do anything except improve their magics.

An amphibious species, Hyboreans can happily exist in a wide range of environments. Some choose to remain under sea for their entire lives, while others rarely immerse themselves in more than a bath. All prefer an environment that is reasonably humid, as dry air is uncomfortable to breathe and may cause their skin to dry out.

Permanent magical enchantments and strong trade lanes have made nearly the entire Hybora system perfectly colonizable with little in the way of the major infrastructure that other, less magically inclined species might require. Hyboreans set up communities anywhere that seems profitable and have settlements around nearly every heavenly body within their star.

Most Hyboreans have the familiar humanoid shape common across the sector, with two arms, two legs, a central torse, and a head on top. They have two eyes, two ears, a mouth, and a nose, all in the places we'd expect to find them. They move and think in familiar ways.

Their origins and amphibious nature change much of the rest.

Hyboreans are able to breath water or air through their mouths. Air is routed down into small lungs, while water that is 'breathed in' is routed to a set of gill openings above the clavicle bone on either side of the neck. Their smaller lungs and ability to breathe underwater means that their lung capacity is less than most terrestrial races, though they make up for it by using the air efficiently.

Skin comes in a variety of tones and patterns, ranging from sea greens and soft blues, to white with black patterning. Some Hyboreans have a degree of iridescence or sheen to their skin, but most do not. All Hyborean skin, save for that found on their heads, is hairless and smooth to the touch, with a texture similar to that of a dolphin's skin.

Frequently, a Hyborean's hair will be a mass of tentacles (thin or thick) or kelp-like material. Some Hyboreans have 'normal' hair mixed in with these aquatic-themed strands.

The sclera¹⁾ in Hyborean eyes is pitch-black. Their pupils have a faint glow that is only noticeable in the dark. Their eye colors run a broad range of blues, greens, pinks, oranges, and purples.

A Hyborean's fingers and toes are webbed. When not in use, the webbing retracts until it is barely noticeable. When exposed to water or flexed the right way, the webbing can extend to the middle knuckle on the fingers and the entire length of the toes. Hyborean feet are generally the same length as a human's, but their toes take up about an inch more of the length of their foot to provide additional room for webbing.

Hyborean ears are somewhat longer than a human's, with a few fin-like protrusions in the place of the earlobes. Their ear canals and nasal passages can adjust to, and even seal against, great pressures.

With an anatomy that tries to strike the balance between a human's adaptation to land and a dolphin's adaptation to the seas, Hyboreans don't fully excel at either. They are not as physically strong or as capable of long-distance running as humans, nor are they as fast and powerful of swimmers as dolphins or other sea mammals. They are, however, particularly well suited to low/no gravity environments thanks to their aquatic heritage, and make excellent sailors and pilots in most environments.

Hyboreans spend the first seven years of their lives as non-sentient juveniles. They are capable of fending for themselves not long after birth and, by custom and necessity, live and grow in the waters of Hyborea until such time as awareness begins to settle in.

Pre-sentience, juveniles act as predators among the reefs and, occasionally, open waters. Some form into social groups and some do not. Post-juvenile Hyboreans do their best to leave the juveniles to their own devices. It's considered inappropriate to take in a juvenile, provide them with food, or otherwise treat them much differently than any of the other intelligent, but not sentient, life in Hyborea's waters.

As the juvenile stage draws to a close around the age of seven, the spark of sapience begins to take hold. Concepts of self, language, tool use, emotions, and more begin to settle in. Adolescence is a challenging time for Hyboreans and one that often sees them wandering, confused, into the nearest settlement in an attempt to understand more about the strange others that look like them. At this stage, it is encouraged to provide help to the youths and they quickly become a part of the community.

Adolescents work in their new settlements as soon as they're able to develop a trade skill. This is done through apprenticeships of various kinds and continue until they are old enough to be considered adults - usually around the fifteen year mark. From here, they may decide to stay with their current community or travel on their own in search of their calling.

Adults typically remain healthy and capable well into their 80's. Age begins to take its toll as they draw nearer to 90, but Hyboreans regularly live to 150. Some live beyond 200, though they are highly dependent on those around them at that point.

Adults who find themselves pregnant make a trip to Hyborea when they are close to delivering. There, they deposit the newly born infant in the waters of their ancestors, with hopes that it will lead a good life. It is unlikely that the child will ever know who its parent are, even if circumstances lead them to working side-by-side in the future.

With a diet largely comprised of fish and other sea life, Hyboreans are mostly carnivorous. Their bodies are able to digest small quantities of plant materials well enough, but a traditional salad would be very challenging.

Land creatures tend to be on the small side on Hyborea and farm animals (such as pigs, cows, etc) are essentially unheard of. They can eat them - but the average Hyborean wouldn't know what to do with them if they weren't presented as a completed meal.

Sea life of most kinds can be inspirations when making Hyboreans and, thanks to their largely magical nature, they are able to display a wide range or physical diversity.

One example would be a Hyborean with more dominant fish-like features, with fish-style fins and skin patterning as opposed to the dolphin- and whale- style of the typical Hyborean. Another might have only a mass of tentacles in the place of its legs and hips.

The general capabilities, life cycle, and so on for Hyboreans remains essentially the same, regardless of their appearance.

Hyboreans are an adventurous people with an appreciation for the arts. They tend to be easy-going and put their emotions on display. It is common for them to spend much of their lives traveling from port to port, where being likable is just as important as being useful.

The pursuit of wealth is important to all Hyboreans, though they don't hoard it. Much like the way in which they move from place to place with ease, they earn and lose coin in much the same way. Magic is largely to blame for their disregard around future planning, as a decent quality of life is relatively easy to maintain. Well-crafted goods, experiences, and new social bonds are worth more than an unspent coin in their eyes, and so wealth comes and goes easily once they've acquired it.

Hyboreans fall in and out of love easily. Rare few of them settle into lifetime-spanning relationships, instead preferring to find love wherever they happen to be before they move on to their next port of call.

Emotions, including love, are generally the same as humans. Hyboreans can be a bit more touchy than humans, however, especially when they're interested in someone. Members of both sexes are accustomed to politely denying any unwanted advances, but still draw the line when it is reasonable to do so. Acts of aggression, such as a feinted attack or an outright brawl, on the side of the offended are not uncommon when their pursuer won't take a hint.

Despite being a collection of vagrants and pirates, all Hyboreans take their word, and the word of others, very seriously. The transitory nature of Hyboran society requires that everyone deal fairly with one another. Liars and cheats are severely looked down upon and frequently killed on the spot.

That is not to say that people don't lie or cheat. Indeed, many games or jokes are based around acts of deception. These are viewed as socially acceptable, because those involved know that there will be lying and cheating involved. In such cases, catching others in the act is part of the fun. As one might imagine, games of this sort frequently lead to violent exchanges.

Bargaining, too, is a sort of socially-acceptable lying, wherein both parties try to discover the 'truth' of the price they are willing to accept. Giving someone an unreasonable price is considered foolish or insulting, regardless of the Hyboran passion for bargaining.

It might seem strange to find that a people so concerned with truth and honesty are also known for their rampant piracy. Pirates follow their own code and tend to treat the ships they capture with a reasonable degree of fairness. “The fish that gets away today will grow to be fatter tomorrow” is a common saying among pirates, and it is with that in mind that most captured vessels leave with enough of their cargo to break even.

Pirates are very cautious to not make any guarantees they do not intend to uphold and, perhaps because of their bad reputations, they take great measures to uphold their word once it has been given.

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Hyboreans speak Hyboric, a Trade language, a chaotic mish-mash of languages from across their home system. If you appreciated how languages melded in Firefly, then you get the general idea of how Hyboric came to be and how it sounds when spoken.

Hyborean names should lend themselves well to a life of adventure on the high stars. Italian and Spanish are good choices, as are names that are riffs on famous pirates. Generally, Hyboreans do not have a family name, but they may take on a surname that represents a group they closely associate with.

• Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century
• Medieval Italian Names
• Renaissance Italian Names
• Medieval Spanish Names

Most Hyboreans pursue some form of art. Painting, singing, dancing, fighting, and more are considered to be worthwhile pursuits and an excellent way to pass the time on long voyages. Thanks to their long lives and ample free time, they tend to be quite good at their chosen craft.

While higher education is not very common as we know it, apprenticeships abound. Small shops, training halls, and more take on students as workers. Here, they learn from masters in their craft while paying their way through labor and, eventually, by selling the output of their craft.

There are three types of craftspersons who are held in such high regard that to do harm to them is an immense social taboo worthy of assault - or worse. Master Shipwrights, Artificers, and Runescribes are not just welcomed aboard any vessel, but encouraged or even bribed into taking passage. It is considered good luck to have them aboard your ship and any Hyborean will go out of their way to treat them well. In exchange, small favors are typically granted that are more than worth the expense incurred.

Free spirits, Hyboreans tend to wear loose, flowing clothing that exposes a lot of skin or tight-fitting clothing that is well suited to being above or below water.

They are fond of rich colors and rich patterns, especially those that allow them to show off the extent of their exploits. Most settlements have their own unique fabric patterns that Hyboreans enjoy working into their daily wear as a sort of clothing passport stamp.

The majority of their fabrics do not hold water and are very breathable, so that their skin does not dry out and, should they enter water, they can still move with ease.

In terms of genres or historical similarities, they are closest to Romani, Indian, Desert Fantasy, Turkish, and other clothing with an emphasis on loose, colorful clothing and bright jewelry.

• Hyborean Fashion Mood Board

Hyboreans are more superstitious than religious, as with the rest of the Hybora Free States. They take old wives' tales, sailor stories, monster sightings, and more very seriously - especially because the wild magics of the Hybora system often prove them right.

This superstition can lead to any number of humorous or challenging situations. For example, a captain might believe that stepping onto their ship with your right foot first is a terrible omen. They may not tell anyone this, because that would be interfering with fate in a way that makes things worse. Instead, they nervously watch as each person boards the ship, making uncomfortable faces if a potential passenger begins to step the wrong way and a relieved face when they get it right.

Hyboreans do not have family ties due to the manner of their birth and early years. They highly value social bonds, however, and are usually eager to make new friends. They will meet and part ways with their friends many times over the course of their lives, each time with the same enthusiasm as their first meeting.

Although they pursue friendships, they just as easily acquire rivalries and hatreds. Should someone do them wrong, they will remember it for years to come. Few examples of this are as pronounced as the Hyborean disgust when it comes to harmful lies. As so much of their culture and life is built around trade and safe travel, anyone who is viewed as untrustworthy quickly becomes a social pariah.

Hyboreans do not war, but they do battle. Pirates, territory disputes, old grudges, and more can lead to violent interactions.

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