Alopians
From below the waist they are , with all the unique features that entails. They have white fur on most of their bodies with black paws, though in summer and spring they shed their long white fur and are either tan or black, changing back to white when winter comes again. Their fur is hollow like the polar bear, allowing them to sleep out in a blizzard without fear of hypothermia, save on their exposed skin. In winter even the bottom of their paws are covered in fur, allowing them to walk in frozen snow all day, and not to slip when walking even on solid ice. Their digestion is one of the strongest in the animal kingdom, allowing them to eat just about anything organic to survive the most difficult months, be it rotten meat or brewed twigs. It's fortunate their sense of taste is quite weak.
Males are about a foot longer than females at adult size, and typically are quite a bit stronger as well from a physical perspective. Males and females alike have scent glands in their large tails, which they use to do everything from mark their territory to communicate to one another about danger. All have a profoundly acute sense of smell, and are able to smell marks left on objects from about 500 feet away weeks after they are left. The most common use of this ability is that of a mated pair marking each other every morning, a sign of their possession of each other and the exclusivity of their relationship.
Life-Cycle: As humans. Alopians are born as kits and grow up at about a human rate, and continue to age at the rate of pre-Event humans. They have a very active lifestyle that generally keeps them healthy into their later years, and a diet rich in fish keeps their minds alert into old age, but these are entirely non-magical factors. There is nothing special about their aging process.
Reproductive Cycle: Alopians resemble the mating process of many other species in most ways. They go into heat once a year (females do anyway) and can produce litters of 4 with each mating. Females are known to be quite selective and delay choosing a mate well into adulthood however, and it is fortunate they can discipline themselves and not mate if they choose not to. This is because once a female mates, she will not be sexually attracted to any other male for the rest of her life. The same limitation is not true of males, who have no special attachment or requirements about their mating. Once they mate with a single male, that female will not be the least bit stimulated by any other male. They /are/ known to sometimes prefer other females when their true mates are not around. But once they’ve mated for the first time, they lose the adaptability to be attracted to anyone forever. They can still produce offspring from others, though most females would rather die, finding the prospect so intolerable. Strangely, this effect is entirely connected to their species, and is not psychological. Those changed into other species even after mating have this limit removed, though they always prefer who mated with them first and will for the rest of their lives.
Powers: Most of the "powers" possessed by alopians are purely biological. Their resistance to cold and ability to drink bad water or eat bad food is completely non-magical. They do have a handful of truly supernatural abilities, however.
First of all, Alopians are immune to the cold. This does not mean they do not feel discomfort; their human skin can feel cold, though generally the temperatures that cause them to feel uncomfortable are the temperatures humans would have unprotected limbs turn black and fall off. This ability goes further, though. Alopians are flexible as foxes, and can curl into a circle just as foxes do. When they do this, shielding their human flesh within their fur, they are entirely immune to cold and snow and even ice. An alopian can be thus sleeping all winter and when the snow melts, they will wake up without aging a day. Water can be poured over them and frozen, and they will remain in stasis until it melts, for weeks or thousands of years, it doesn’t matter. The only requirement be that the temperature be below freezing and that they curl up to protect their human parts. Snow isn't even required. For this reason, a whole camp of alopians will not go to sleep at once, since they will stay asleep until spring if they sleep in the cold. Somebody will stay awake to rouse their fellows when morning comes. The foxes know of this ability well, and sometimes use it to outlast a lean winter, sleeping in the snow somewhere safe until spring comes, and there is more food. The only danger is that they will be discovered while asleep, since they are totally oblivious to all external stimuli until woken. The simplest way to do this is to uncurl them, which wakes them at once. They can easily be killed without being woken though, which makes the practice dangerous to perform out in the open. Even much smaller predators are not above eating them if they sleep somewhere exposed this way, knowing they are helpless.
Second, alopians have variable sizes. Their normal size is scale with humans, but they can also be the size of normal foxes. This ability is so simple it is sometimes overlooked, and there are plenty of foxes who don't know they have it. Foxes are always the biggest there's room for. But if there is a small burrow or passage that their full size would not permit, they will shrink down so as to be able to enter without even scraping their head on the ceiling. They cannot, however, get smaller than the size of wild foxes, or bigger than human equivalent. This ability cannot be willingly invoked without a small place to enter, but a simple space charm can be worn to "trick" the body into thinking somewhere is smaller than it is, thus enabling the wearer to stay small even when out in the open. This is one of the weakest shrinking abilities in the Maker's Hand. No objects may be brought, no clothing. Even food does not scale. A fox who eats a full meal in their full size will find their stomach swelling as they shrink, and may even explode if they don't stop. A fox will remain full from a very small meal if eaten at that size, but will feel hungry again prematurely if they grow back to normal size.
Culture: Very similar to the warrior northerners of the ancient north. They have a strongly patriarchal culture, where females are little more than property. They have a written language and are adept with forging metals. They do not build ships or cross water further than they can swim if they can avoid it, though they will brave ice crossings without a second thought. Personal strength and courage are very important and accomplishing great feats of battle or strength are the only way any individual may prove their worth. Females may travel and fight and hunt, but only if they prove their strength, and the requirements for which are even harder than for young men who wish to compete.
Alopians live in mostly underground burrows, which are built of dirt and wood. Wealthier people may have houses of stone instead. Poor villages or villages in the most desolate places have homes at fox size instead of human size, generally connected by an underground burrow system. This allows the foxes to hunt together, fell one single piece of large game, and share it among the tribe, which will remain at fox size most of the time. Wealthier villages have stone streets covered with a stone ceiling, which water will be poured off of in winter to create a transparent shelter from the wind. The center of every town is a large underground room called a lodge, where warriors and their wives gather for drinking and revelry. There is generally no church to be found, though every home will have a small alter to honor the patron god Vecties, Goddess of Winter.
Foxes are skilled weavers, and find creative ways to cook just about anything. Their favorite food is a slightly decayed and fermented meat, which they may leave exposed to the elements all winter and only eat when spring comes and it starts to bloat. They typically do not cook most of their meat, though they understand other species do and do not press their strange foods on travelers. Every village or settlement is part of a clan, which may have just one village or as many as ten. These clans all work together, and have pacts protecting themselves from one another. Other species are viewed as other clans, and are generally treated well and allowed to trade so long as they are not hostile. Alopians have a favorable relationship with the humans of the north in particular, and the two species have fought together on numerous occasions
Divine: There are two avatars of the alopians, both of which have very different ideas about how to rule. Vecties is the avatar of Acanthus, and she is highly aloof and secretive, though is always amongst the people. She takes the form of a young female ranger, who speaks little unless questioned but can best any male at any physical challenge. She’s said to be physically unable to miss a target with her bow. Vecties travels through the world visiting every village of her people in the guise of a traveler in need of help, though she will offer her services and talents in exchange. It is said that anyone who recognizes Vecties and explains she has been caught will win one favor from her. The most common favor asked is unusual strength in males, and the ability to love someone else for females. She can grant both of these requests, and many more. She hears the prayers of her people and travels so fast between villages where she is needed that some say she can indeed be in more than one place at once, which would be highly unusual for an avatar but by no means be impossible.
Narsis, on the other hand, is the God of Ice, and dwells very near the very top of the globe, at a mountain whose peak reaches into the Astral in a palace shaped entirely from ice. He is worshiped by magic users, though he would never leave his castle. He may be sought for aid by any member of his species, though it is said no member of another species will be able to find his castle. They can travel with alopians though, so long as the quest is not theirs originally. Narsis grants favors even more freely than Vecties, though he always demands something be done in return. The most typical request is to avenge some injustice performed on his people, or to protect the sanctity of magic within his race by eradicating members of it practicing evil arts. Narsis does not believe in personal intervention and could never be made to leave his castle by anyone except Vecties.
It is no secret that Vecties and Narsis were once mates, which is why the young ranger will express no interest in males (but does sometimes enjoy company with females). Vecties is a fierce warrior and will befriend and fight alongside any man, though anyone who makes the mistake of trying to make an advance at her will usually find she swiftly disappears unless she is critically needed. Woe to anyone bold enough to be physical with her. Males who have made this mistake generally wake up as females, nearly as attractive as Vecties and utterly fallen for Narsis, just as she is. Whether Narsis is personally involved in avenging these tresspasses against his mate or the magic is performed entirely by Vecties is a matter of debate. This danger is not unknown to alopians, who have very strict rules regarding guest-right and the protection of strangers. It is impossible to know when a mysterious stranger might actually be one of the gods.