Slenders

Portrait sketch of an Arch-Academic whose name has been lost to time.

The venerable academics of Lume

Arguably the most sophisticated race on Lume, Slenders are somewhat sheltered, awkward scholars, whose few numbers live atop the towering mobile city of Motometro. They are led by the Arch-Academic - Head of the Library in which this scribe resides - and they roam the Continent in pursuit of knowledge and, to a lesser degree, resources. Since the Fall of the Deumana demigods, the Slenders have been guardians of Lume's history; their city and library both hold vast mysteries. Archetypal introverts, Slenders are typically content to remain on their bipedal Motometro, engrossed in their respective laboratories and workshops. Despite this, many spend time living in remote locations, engaged in practical research, and may come to enjoy travel and mingling with other races; only a very rare few actively pursue adventure. Slenders are academic by design and devote much of their time to the study and mastery of their elected specialisation. Certain skill-sets are maintained over generations, ensuring they can operate as a well-oiled machine, each master contributing to the whole.

Paintings of the previous Arch-Academic, left, and their Assistant; the latter has since ascended to the position of Arch.

Slenders are genderless, alchemically-birthed beings, imprinted with the genetic Anima of prominent masters (or Arch-Slenders). Some choose to assign themselves a gender later in life. As youths the Library is their home, school and playground. They are encouraged to read and learn topics at their whim, at whatever pace suits the individual, with librarians and adolescents nearby to engage with and question. When an Arch-Slender is compelled to seek an assistant they consult the Arch-Academic, who may recommend candidates suitable to their trade. The mentor-apprenticing process is informal, and may occur by coincidence, such as a serendipitous meeting of two like minds at the Works market, for example. Arch's may also have novices forced into their custodianship, if the former proves too stubborn and solitary, or the latter overly ambitious or reluctant. A novice will train under one or more Arch's, in hopes to one day join their number. Some novices change trades, combine them, or seek their own instruction. Many choose to remain as librarians, or become engineers in the metal labyrinthine Plumbing of their city.

Theirs is a culture of tolerance, acceptance and solidarity, though Slenders have been criticized for being overly bureaucratic, sedentary, at times cold, and of carrying themselves with a certain air of superiority.

Bust of the former Arch-Academic, credited with achieving first official contact with the Manidae. This piece was sculpted by their race in his honour.

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Arch-Slender Masters aboard Motometro

Arch-Academic

Arch Alchemist and Head Librarian; senior among the Slenders.

The Communicator

Linguist, philologist and interpreter; acts as diplomat and speaker for his colleagues.

Arch-Machinist

Blacksmith and mechanic, responsible for the endless repairs Motometro requires.

Arch-Geotanist

Geologist and biologist, spending more time in the field than their peers consider appropriate.

Archaesociologist

Resident expert on the Repository, studying remnant Deumana artifacts and their significance to modern Lumians.

Arch-Clothier

Oversees garment & tarp design and tailoring, including sourcing materials. Under-appreciation of this trade is quickly and acutely regretted. For more, see textiles of Lume.

Arch-Gastronomist

Head chef, nutritionist, and oversees food stores on Motometro. Trades with the Races for supplies.

Arch-Chronographer

Records the events of Lume, and acquires documents of its past for the Librarians and Archaesociologists.

The Quartermaster

Oversees supplies, and works alongside Arch-Gastronomist and The Communicator to manages trade with and between the Races.

Arch-Caster

Records Caster lore, surveys their activities, and shepherds their schools. While the foremost expert on the history and culture of Casting, they are themselves genetically incapable of accessing Anima.

Arch-Apothecary

Master of herbs, potions, pharmacology and phytotherapy. Chief medic on Motometro.

Arch-Animalist

Expert on Lume's many wondrous flora, fauna, fungi, and all of the overlapping gradients found therein.

The Navigator

Communicates with Motometro to manage the complicated routes and geo-integration systems required for its propulsion.

The Assistant

While not technically a master of a single trade, they are familiar with many, and held in high esteem. The one present at Kit's birth has since replaced the former Arch-Academic. Encouraging and protective of Kit, reluctantly bids she accompany Drethen to promote her growth and development.

Spoiler: The Arch-Machinist, infatuated with Motometro's designers, is the first known Slender to plot against their own, siding with the Necromancer Cabal (the Necromae) to allow exploitation of the Striding City at a crucial time in the War for the Living. The normally demure detachment of their race twists and warps against this overlooked Arch among the pipes and corridors, spawning a zealous madness that goes too long unnoticed.