Perspecticus

Perspectici (sing: Perspecticus) are a race of shapeshifters, who take different forms in much the same way other races would change clothes. They are not inherently malevolent, although they do tend to cause accidental mix-ups and cases of stolen identity by taking the forms of other people, and are known for their greed and attraction to shiny objects, rather like ravens. They tend to be skittish, and a bit cowardly, as their kind were once hunted nearly to extinction. Nowadays, Perspectici hide with those willing to house them, often keeping to themselves and running from conflict. Many stories still persist, however, and Perspectici are feared as mischievous entities that take the place of important people to collapse nations from the inside.

Anatomy
A Perspecticus doesn't have unlimited shapeshifting, no matter what the myths say. They can fold and twist their bodies, legs, and arms, but they can't create new limbs or grow twice their size (though they can puff themselves up to look a bit bigger). These stories were created due to the other races' limited knowledge on Perspecticus anatomy, as they almost never show their true forms. Perspectici have four arms, with six clawed fingers each, and their long legs are tipped with two sharp claws like those of an insect. Their skin is made up of hundreds of small plates, each made to shift and move to create different textures, drawing another comparison to arthropods in the way these plates form a complicated pseudo-exoskeleton.

The way their shapeshifting works is that they fold and twist themselves to mimic the body shapes of others, their skin shifting colors to match. Growing wings, or tails, is simply beyond their capabilities. They can, however, shove themselves into tiny spaces to hide, like a chest or a crack in the wall.

Their long and thin bodies and limbs would normally make such beings physically weak, but evolution decided they needed to be as efficient as possible. The muscles of a Perspecticus are wound incredibly tightly around their bones, and can loosen on command, allowing them to perform athletic feats beyond what they seem capable of, as well as puff themselves up by rapidly expanding their muscle strands, making their skin plates stand on end like spikes, which aids in intimidation and threat displays. These skin plates are rather durable, made to survive the harsh elements, but can't stop a sword or arrow.

The claws of a Perspecticus are made more for climbing and assisting with traction than they are for combat. Make no mistake, they can leave some nasty scratches, but it's like getting attacked by a cat or particularly angry squirrel.

Their eyes are large, and made to see as much color as possible. This lets them perfectly mimic other people and objects, to the point one may need a microscope to tell the difference. Long ago, the eyes of a Perspecticus were treasured due to the brilliant greens and blues that color them. This, naturally, aided in the over-hunting and eventual near extinction of the race.

Perspectici are mainly carnivorous, though they can eat fruit if the situation calls for it. In nature, they ambush mammals, usually rabbits and sheep, from above, hanging from trees to catch their prey off-guard. After more humanoid races began to dominate the lands, Perspectici became pests of a sort by feeding off cattle, or using their shapeshifting to steal food from markets without getting caught.

Native Language
The native language of the Perspectici has no spoken name, nor can it be spoken. It is a strictly visual language, a combination of colors and patterns that only other Perspectici can decipher and understand. Multiple attempts have been made to translate this "Language of Perspective" but none have succeeded, mostly due to the intricacies of the colors and the sequences in which they are used, but also because a lot of it is made up of representations of raw emotions and thoughts, which simply can't be spoken aloud in a way that can be understood. Their names, however, can be spoken aloud, even if they are very different from those of other races. They tend to be named more after concepts than anything else. Examples of Perspecticus names include: Moons Light Shines on Seven Trees, Four Pebbles Rolling Down the Dunes, A Bell Rung by Eighteen Amber Beads.

Near Extinction
An incredibly long time ago, a kill order was placed on Perspectici, on the basis of them being threats to national security and pests to free-range farms. The kill order was also helped along by the nobles of many nations, who sought the beautiful eyes of the Perspectici. This led to the killing of almost all Perspectici in Rathnir, and their eventual classification as an extinct species. Now, however, they seem to be making a come-back, as reports of shapeshifters matching the description of these strange entities have begun to pop up again. Whether or not the Perspectici will flourish as they once did remains to be seen.