House Lmanel, or the Lmanel Caste is a mixed house. No one sex rules it, which opens up opportunities for any to rule. The Lmanel house is seen as the odd house of the three main houses. They work the closest with the slave class, or the previously surface ruling race. They are also the house which watches over and guides in issues dealing with the environment, including animals and natural weather effects. The Lmanels are the Spiritual advisors of the race, often helping when any spiritual question arises. The Lmanel attitudes are dependent heavily upon what animal they bond with, aggressive if the animal is, and tranquil if the animal is tranquil. Their bodies are the same, all dependent on the animal they bond with. Their skill specialties lay within the realm of Minor shape shifting (Explained in the detail below).
Current Dy'cgsy'cdan (Taskmaster): Notan_Lmanel
The Lmanel aren't like the other houses due to their shapeshifting abilities, they tend to have more subtle and flexible bodies but their individual builds vary widely depending upon their bonded or 'aspected' animal. Internally, the Lmanel are the same as any other humanoid species, just they are more resilient to damage and regenerate themselves after shapeshifting (to suit the new anatomy.) They all have elongated, swept back ears with three small points on the dorsal side of the ear near the tip. Like all Lorath, the are born with stark white or pale yellow hair, and their styles are generally kept long (males tend to more coarse, heavy hair, females to softer or even feathered hair). Most (About 90%) dye their hair to match either their bonded animal's fur/feather/scale color or pattern or a shade of green, which is the official symbol color of the house.
Some lmanel are born with green rings around their neck that look like tattoos or ribbons, the reason for this is unknown. It's thought that in the past it was engineered into their DNA to set them apart from others, but who or what did it was lost in the moonfall incident.
General Height: Between 5'6“-6'5” on average General Weight: depends on build.
A small number of pheromones are known to directly affect Lmanel who inherit powerful breeding instincts from their aspectation or bonded animal. While ordinarily quite weak, requiring many weeks or months to work, G33018 is known to trigger feelings of possession or ownership in females who seek weaker males to dominate.An analogue of this pheromone is naturally produced by a very small number of natural humanoids (around 0.02% of the population among human-based life forms such as Nepleslians) - via their sweat, mucus, mucus membranes and liquid bodily secretions in levels usually too low to become consciously aware of. It is thought however that they have a part to play in bonding behaviors, with susceptible Lmanel more likely to respond favourably in negotiations and cooperation though further study is needed.
Individuals identified as natural producers of G33018 should be kept away from districts with a high concentration of Lmanel, though they may make excellent animal trainers. This is generally not a problem in controlled environments where discipline is important (the military being a good example).
As an important distinction, G33018's effect is usually very weak. In a majority of cases l'manel keep their aspectations in check (beneath 10-15%) and/or have excellent self-control, being driven rationally and emotionally rather than instinctively. As such, they experience very little of G33018 beyond feelings of familiarity and “butterflies” and improved mood. Those with poor impulse control, either due to personality typing, poor aspectation control or intoxication however will experience G33108 very differently.
Similar properties are true also for the animals which are aspected specifically, affecting the aspected l'manel:
For example, while ey'tis aspected l'manel may experience very basic bonding behaviour, taking an interest in the smell of the person but thinking little beyond that, a poe'tis aspected l'manel (a breed known for very poor self control) will obsessively seek out the smell with behaviour such as stalking, hoarding, the collection of items and symptoms including dizziness, forgetfulness, stuttering and flustering, along with euphoria and minor depersonalization in high prolonged doses.
Those with unaffected aspectations or little/no aspectation will experience no symptoms.
An analogue of the pheremone is also found in very high concentrations of some Lorath pollen, though it fails to successfully metabolize and as such demonstrates zero symptoms outside of specialist cases (such as those taking specific medications with interactions).
The Lmanel are both like and unlike the other castes, being the house that maintains and spreads the religious principles of the Lorath. They are alike the others in the fact that they DO share the same beliefs the rest of them do. But the Lmanel are unlike them in the fact they take it quite personally and regularly take private “pilgrimages” through the wilderness to reaffirm their deep connection to nature. On their own, the Lmanel are usually shamanistic and have traditions involving natural events such as the summer and winter solstices, spring and fall equinoxes and other natural events. But since moving to Nyli and the system, they have yet to reinstate these as they have not studied the lunar cycles of their new homeworld.
The unique aspect of the Lmanel caste, no other house of the Lorath possesses such abilities, not even the Tur'Lista possess the same level of skill. Through their close bond with the natural world around them and a single species of their own choice and intense training, any adult Lmanel can shift parts of their bodies into facets of their bonded species. But only one Lmanel so far can transform their entire body into that of their bonded species: that is the Leader of the House: Notan and such secrets to training to such a level are passed on between each new leader as a symbol of their power and status.
However, this ability is not entirely painless as the body is shifting it's muscles, breaking bones and lengthening tendons and other parts of the body. In the training stages, medical observation is required to prevent any permanent mistakes. If mistakes are made without observation, one may end up shifting their internal structure into a form which would be harmful to the user's internal organs or the function of their physiology. However, once the intensive training is finished, it becomes second nature and simple, partial transformations can be undertaken with minor risk; more intensive transformations produce greater pain depending on the degree of alteration of the physical structure.
Not to be confused with shape-shifting, aspectation specifically addresses the religious ceremony affirming the shapeshifting abilities of a Lmanel and their chosen animal and is seen as a rite of passage. It is broken into reform (which needs only a blood sample) and orthodox which often either demands the Lmanel copulate with the animal in question or in more severe cases track it down in the wild.
Lmanel make up a disproportionately large part of Lor's culinary arts communities due to their unnaturally heightened senses of smell and taste: many Lmanel being quite picky about what they will or won't eat. To this end, some are known to pursue a specific aspect transformation which grants them particular sensitivity, giving them an unfair advantage in the field. Many Lmanel, particularly in orthodox families are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to prepare a satisfying meal and often the signature dish of their family - with cooking these dishes usually viewed as the work of the dominant partner (usually the female) an an essential part of any Lmanel wedding.