There are four broad categories of living beings that exist in Actaera: the sarvaerja, the fenvaerja, the keytomr, and the sirah.
These distinctions are more or less drawn by how many forms the entities can shift into.
The specifics of formshifting are discussed in another guide here.
The sarvaerja, the many-formed with infinite forms, is a category that consists primarily only of deities. There have been rumours of mortal sarvaerja before, but those are regarded as old wives' tales more than history. Regardless, the phrase sarvaerja is used to indicate the divine class of entities that hold Actaera together, and for the sake of this guide we will only be referring to the divine when we use the term sarvaerja. A note, though, that it is interchangeable with "the divine" and "deities", and sarvaerja is a very archaic and formal term, unlike the other classes of entities.
A sarvaerja has many, nigh limitless forms they can take on. Not only can they become any variety of creatures, both magical and common, but they can also take on limitless variations of fenvaerja forms, even mimicking the appearance of an existing individual.
In their true forms, Sarvaerja are draconic by nature. However, the more draconic features they take on, the more kheji radiates off of them, making any other living creature unable to exist near them. As such, most sarvaerja often appear as fenvaerja to contain themselves accordingly.
The fenvaerja, the many-formed with finite forms, is a category that consists primarily only of halflings and mortals. While there are exceptions, almost all fenvaerja naturally appear as pointy eared humanoids, so in this guide we will refer to the most common use case of the term.
Mortal fenvaerja are simply the human equivalent of the world. Halfling fenvaerja are the product of magical interaction between a mortal and a deity. There are at least a couple hundred of them in existence at any given time. The only composition difference between a halfling and a mortal is their durability. Halflings are unable to die from disease or old age and their bodies can withstand more trauma. When they hit their prime years, they will naturally stop aging, a phenomenon known as poluntolode. They also heal from injuries much more readily than mortals, usually taking no more than a week to recover.
Halflings also have access to ranioms, which are covered in the sorcery section here.
On average, the fenvaerja have three forms they can shift into besides their natural form. These usually consist of a land form, aquatic form, and aerial form. It's not uncommon for them to have more or less than three, but attaining new ones through will alone is almost impossible. Still, they are able to experience multiple forms to adapt to their needs and are the second most populous group of entities in Actaera.
Formally known as diwaberja keytomr and diwaberja sirah, these entities only possess one form and are unable to shift properly. Some say this is due to them being an afterthought by Actae in the creation of the universe while others say it's because their direct creators, Shorm and Oktre, are wholly satisfied with the forms they made and did not see fit to allow tampering in regards to their perfect ideas.
The keytomr are intelligent one formed creatures that are capable of speaking the Actaeran tongue. They can have intellect ranging from primitive to rivaling that of the fenvaerja. Keytomr are quite rare when compared to the sirah, with only a couple thousand in existence. They typically live in very isolated groups, not wanting to interact with any other type of entity in Actaera.
Keytomr are subdivided into magical and common keytomr. Usually, keytomr are magical creatures. Magical keytomr are able to manipulate kheji in similar manners to a sorcerer, while their rare counterpart, common keytomr, cannot.
The sirah are unintelligent one formed creatures. They do not have logic or language to follow and generally act from pure instinct.
Like the keytomr, sirah also come in magical or common varieties. Despite not possessing a refined mind, magical sirah are fully capable of manipulating kheji for deadly attacks. However, these attacks typically lack nuance, control, or intention that is only seen in other types of magical entities.
Almost all Actaerans fall under one of two major alignments. Dictated by a mix of personal belief, geographical location, and the method with which you are able to interact with kheji, most fenvaerja and sarvaerja fall under the label of the Lumen or Vesper. In archaic times, these were referred to as Asyinak and Praneyl, but those terms have since fallen out of favour due to strong ties with religion and philosophy that many do not identify with. Persecution and shunning of those who do not fit the faction of their geographical location is not unheard of. One's alignment for kheji manipulation is determined by lineage.
This faction worships the deities of Rehjolvnatys. Their origins lay with the belief that each person has an opportunity to challenge the fate set forth by Actae. Order and free will were key tenants of this faction's creation.
Historically, the Lumen usually occupied slightly more land than the Vesper.
This faction worships a single deity, Kara. Their origins lay with the belief that each entity was brought forth with a destined role to fulfill in the world and that they should embrace whatever life gives to them. Chaos and fatalism were key tenants of this faction's creation.
Some people are born with a mutation that allows them to utilise both Vesper and Lumen techniques to interact with kheji. One with this ability is referred to as a nevtnaed, and they are often seen with strange purple splotches on their bodies after casting. No matter the faction, to be a nevtnaed is to be shunned and feared, as historically, they have a long record of causing widespread devastation due to their lack of ability to control their powers.
Any nevtnaed that is lucky enough to quickly understand their lot in life will conceal their abilities as much as they can, using the preferred form of magic and hoping to live a normal life. But many nevtnaed lose control of their powers and are discovered from the telltale purple splotches that grow all over their skin. In those instances, they are usually put down or exiled.