Intalli Biology

The intalli are the sapient species of the Selvan. Formed from the consciousnesses of the gods, they possess an unnatural grasp of magic and spellcasting.

Shapeshifting

All extant intalli possess two separate forms, a primal, animalistic "feral form" and a bipedal "Mauhnic form." The (now extinct) Mauhn were the first sapient species to be created and served as the blueprint for all subsequent intalli. As a result, all intalli are capable of shapeshifting between these two forms.

Feral forms vary widely between species. Feral Intalli can range in size from the colossal sulkan, comparable to large whales, to the minuscule chirvus, similar in size to a medium-sized dog..

In contrast, mauhnic forms are far more uniform, featuring fully bipedal, upright bodies. They range in height from between 3 to 15 feet tall with most species sitting between 5 to 8 feet. Depending on their size in feral form, an intalli may grow larger or smaller when shapeshifting to mauhnic form.

Pulsars

Alongside their corporas, every intalli possesses a pulsar. A pulsar is the pure, deific magic responsible for the intalli's sapience. The brain is responsible for facilitating the connection between the pulsar and the body, allowing the intalli to cast spells. When an intalli dies, the connection between the pulsar and the brain is permanently severed.

The intalli are the only creatures* capable of learning and casting spells beyond their instinctual skillset. The strength of one's pulsar determines the amount of magic that is available for spellcasting at any given time. When the magic within a pulsar is drained, they are unable to cast more spells safely. The stronger or more complicated a spell, the more magic it will drain.

If an Intalli's pulsar is empty, any attempts to cast a spell will draw magic from their corpora instead. This is extremely dangerous due to the highly specialized nature of corpora magic (e.g. An intalli who attempts to cast a spell from their corpora may cause the magic which maintains their heartbeat to be disrupted or permanently damaged).

Along with their pulsar, intalli are able to draw from the mana of their environment as well. However, the act of draining mana can be an exhausting and tedious process, requiring intense focus and dedication. Additionally, an intalli cannot draw in mana if their pulsar is already empty. Mana requires an "anchor" of pre-existing magic to be drawn towards. Worse still, if there is too little magic in a pulsar, mana may be too easily absorbed, quickly creating a vaccuum effect which may cause a catastrophic eruption of magic to slam back into the user.

But, before the age of 20-25, an intalli can expand their pulsar's depth by regularly drawing from mana, absorbing a little extra magic into their pulsar each time. Mana draining is much easier during this time and is far less likely to bring unfortunate consequences