Half-Breeds

Human, and yet not; neither Monster nor Ascendant, and yet they are -- in part. Blurring the harsh divisions between races and cultures, Half-Breeds occupy a special place in the landscape of Arae Rul.

Half-Monsters

A curious blend between civil Humans and unrestrained Monsters, Half-Monsters are perhaps the more comfortable of the two half breeds. They tend to be passionate, intense people (though this isn't always the case, dependent on their Monster half) who are seen as wild or undisciplined to most Humans. Their interactions with Humans and Monsters are for the most part unimpeded; Monsters see them as one of their own (although they are sometimes playfully teased for being calm, inhibited and meticulous, compared to other Monsters), Humans typically see them for what they are and treat them fairly as equals, but interlopers. They are seen by Ascendants as no different from Monsters, if perhaps a tad more agreeable. They appear significantly more humanoid than full blood Monsters.

Half-Monsters might not have as much of the potency of Monsters or all the skill and cleverness of a Human, but they combine the pieces of each they have in to a remarkable level of effectiveness. They possess both Aspects and Jobs, though are less effective with each than each respective half of their bloodline.

Half-Ascendants
Seeming somewhat cold and distant to Humans, and appearing vibrant and outspoken to Ascendants, Half-Ascendants are the slightly troubled bunch. While they tend to be highly intelligent, and they're significantly more grounded than the average Ascendant, they're also not as welcome by their own progenitors as readily as Half-Monsters are.

Half-Ascendants don't exhibit the telekinetic prowess that their full-blood counterparts do; some can exhibit the ability, often only with great concentration and the exertion of will. Those who train for long enough may eventually be able to make use of it, and a few rare cases exist where they are born with the skill. They do, like Half-Monsters, have access to Jobs and unlike their counterparts they have Disciplines as well. Half-Ascendants tend to act like bags-of-tricks -- they rely on their Human skills for basic operation, then use their Disciplines at their absolute optimum.

Half-Ascendants are well received by Humans who are already engaged with Ascendants or those who are highly learned. Those with little exposure to them may be a little offset by their slightly distant and cool demeanor. Monsters will often assume that Half-Ascendants are either Human or Ascendant, depending on how visible their Discipline marks are. (Of course, most Monsters will assume a Human is an Ascendant if they got tattoos emulating the marks) Ascendants have no difficulty placing Half-Ascendants as interlopers, though. Some Ascendants like their half-brethren for being warm and passionate about more than their research, for being frank and open and for helping to shake things up. More Ascendants hate them for the same reasons. As such, depending on where they grow up, Half-Ascendants may be quite the outcasts.

Ascendants do have a word for their half-blood relatives, Aszem, which means 'Chosen Scholar' -- this is a term complimentary to the human half of the parentage, and is generally polite. 'Baehzu' is the less polite term, meaning 'Blood of the Tainted' and is used more or less exclusively as an insult.

Breeding
Humans may interbreed with both Monsters and Ascendants, while Ascendants and Monsters cannot breed with each other at all. Half-Breeds are fertile, and can continue to have children. Two half-breeds of one kind will typically produce the same kind of half-breed, but they may also produce a pureblood of one kind or another. Two opposing half-breeds may mate, but they will have a lower chance of conception. In a successful case of opposing breed mating, the most likely case is a Human child, but a half-breed of one type of the other is also possible.