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My Closed Species
a month ago
General
English is not my native language (this text was written with the help of a translator and may read awkwardly).
Good day, friends.Right now I’m working on my closed nocturnal species and I’m currently at the stage of developing its hierarchy and core lore. I want this species to be not just visually beautiful or unusual, but deeply thought-out and internally consistent — it’s very important to me.
The base inspiration comes from vampires and bats, but that’s a very rough external comparison. Both visually and conceptually, the species will be fully unique; I’m mentioning this only to give you a general idea of the atmosphere and direction.
I would really appreciate it if you could read the text and share your honest thoughts and impressions. The first 10 people who leave a detailed and thoughtful opinion will receive free slots of my species (a free custom adopt of this species). All commenters after the first 10 will receive a lifetime 50% discount on any auction related to this species.
Your opinion truly matters to me, and your feedback is incredibly important at this stage.
At this stage, the text mainly describes the structure of the world, social hierarchy, and external features of the species. I’ll be publishing this lore together with a visual reference, so you can read and view it as a complete concept rather than separate fragments.
🌑 Galgofa
Closed Species
⚠️ Preliminary Note on Social Division
The species Galgofa is internally divided into higher and lower strata, with several intermediate classes existing between the highest and lowest forms. Lower Galgofa are formally excluded from the aristocratic system and possess no political or social rights; their status is comparable to peasants or commoners within a rigid feudal structure. Due to the species’ extremely low population, any Galgofa who is not classified as lower is automatically regarded as a member of the higher race and aristocracy. Galgofa coexist in the same world as humans, though their society remains largely isolated and self-governed.
🌑 Species Overview
Galgofa are a nocturnal kemonomimi species whose biology is built around a unique internal structure known as the Energetic Layer. They are not vampires, demons, or altered humans, but a distinct lifeform shaped by nocturnal adaptation and internal energy regulation. Their culture is defined by control, concentration, and hierarchical stability rather than raw strength.
🧬 The Energetic Layer (Core Concept)
The Energetic Layer is a semi-organic, energy-dense structure located beneath the skin of all Galgofa. It enables adaptation to low-light environments, regulates physical endurance, supports species-specific abilities, and stabilizes body temperature and perception. The visibility and stability of this layer directly reflect an individual’s degree of control rather than their power.
Control vs. Instability
Higher Galgofa are capable of suppressing the Energetic Layer into a calm, dormant state. Lower Galgofa lack sufficient control, causing the layer to remain partially exposed. This distinction forms the biological foundation of Galgofa social hierarchy.
☀️ Interaction with Sunlight (Lower Galgofa)
Lower Galgofa do not die instantly in sunlight; their vulnerability stems from their inability to stabilize the Energetic Layer. When exposed to sunlight, the layer remains active and unshielded, solar radiation causes gradual degradation, and energy dissipates slowly but irreversibly. This process is cumulative and cannot be naturally reversed.
Consequences of Degradation
As the Energetic Layer deteriorates, the individual experiences severe physical weakness, loss of species-specific and magical abilities, chronic exhaustion, and a visibly sick, depleted appearance. Visually, once-luminous energetic veins lose their glow, darkening until they become deep black, while the skin appears hollow and lifeless. Such individuals are considered to have lost their core regardless of biological survival.
🕯️ Social Status of the Degraded
Galgofa society treats individuals with a degraded Energetic Layer as outcasts. They are removed from all social and educational structures, denied inheritance, protection, and recognition, and regarded as non-contributors to species continuity. This exclusion is justified by the widespread belief that restoration is impossible.
🏛️ Aristocratic Structure
Galgofa society is governed by a strict aristocratic hierarchy based on energetic stability. Status is determined by control of the Energetic Layer, which is believed to be hereditary. External traits such as skin tone, hair purity, and lack of energetic leakage function as status markers, while titles and authority are transmitted through bloodlines. The system is viewed not as political but as biologically inevitable.
🩸 Blood Purity and Energy Concentration
High-ranking families believe that stable concentration of energy within a bloodline guarantees superior offspring. As a result, unions are carefully regulated, mixed or unstable traits are socially condemned, and deviations are interpreted as signs of bloodline decay. These beliefs form the ideological backbone of Galgofa aristocracy.
⚠️ Birth of a Lower Individual in a High House
Occasionally, a child displaying lower-class traits is born into a high-ranking family. The child is declared unfit for succession, removed from genealogical records, stripped of all titles and rights, and formally expelled from the aristocratic system. Such births are considered a severe disgrace.
Official Explanation
The accepted narrative claims that the family has lost energetic concentration, the bloodline has weakened, and the birth reflects ancestral failure. This explanation exists to protect the legitimacy of the hierarchy.
Biological Reality (Canonical Truth)
In reality, such births are not caused by corrupted blood; even the purest lineage can produce such an outcome. The true cause lies in natural fluctuations during Energetic Layer formation. This fact is known to very few and deliberately suppressed, as it undermines the foundation of aristocratic authority.
🕯️ Role of Prejudice
The Galgofa hierarchy persists not through truth but through fear of instability, preservation of social order, and refusal to acknowledge biological uncertainty. Individuals are sacrificed to maintain the illusion of perfection.
As for actual feedback, I think you might want to explain how they look in more detail. While I do understand the energetic layer and how it can lookbin degraded, non degraded, amd aristotic individuals, and while I understand they are kemonomimi and are based on bats and vampires, I am having trouble actually imagining what they look like. Do they have wings? Bat ears? Fangs? I feel maybe some more detail into how they look is needed. Mind, once there is art of them it'll be less of an issue, but i haven't seen any. So maybe add in some basic biology facts and how they look in general?
Another thing I feel might be worth elborating on is their interactions and relationships with humans! How do the galgofa feel about humans in general? How do they tend to interact? Does the prejudice in the culture extend to humans, who lack an energetic layer alltogether?
Haha, yeah, I’m definitely aware of that. Writing dramatic, sometimes unsettling social structures is kind of my guilty pleasure — I really love classic literature–style tragedy and tension, so I couldn’t resist shaping the species’ world to fit that mood.
about appearance, here my darfts >.<
Two pairs of ears
Upper pair: thin, membranous, crownlike, semi-transparent, always partially visible
Lower pair: soft, furred, highly expressive
Eyes with layered depth
Dual iris structure creating a hypnotic, “deep-focus” gaze
Cold, desaturated palette
Skin tones lean toward ash, gray, porcelain, or muted living-adjacent hues
Hair as purity marker
Higher forms: strictly pure black or pure white
Mixed or bright colors indicate lower energy stability
Minimalist vs. noisy contrast
Higher forms appear visually clean and controlled
Lower forms show visible internal patterns and chaotic details
Energy Layer
Vein-like patterns faintly visible beneath the skin
Yeah, I also have a lot of ideas about storylines in my head. >.<
Regarding degraded individuals: there are methods that could potentially restore or influence the Energetic Layer, but in practice, no official research is conducted. Even the idea of experimenting on the Energetic Layer or the core is considered heretical, as it is viewed as something sacred. Because of this, all formal study is forbidden.
That said, there are isolated groups — mostly outcasts — who conduct underground research. However, due to their physical weakness, limited resources, and constant persecution for heresy, progress is extremely slow and fragmented, leaving most knowledge incomplete or lost >>>>.<<<<
Outside of that, it's hard to offer critique without a bit more context as to how they'll be used but so far it sounds generally fine. You've put some good thought into how the society could work, and the way they delude themselves and even murder to keep their way of life. About the only lore related thing I could think to suggest is to consider subcultures. To keep the species from becoming a cultural monolith, think of a few things that could divide them as a people without completely breaking them.
Despite the name, “lower” Galgofa aren’t inherently lesser — that classification is a social construct created by the species itself. In reality, this is the baseline state of the species, while higher Galgofa are essentially the winners of a genetic lottery who, due to greater stability and strength, historically shaped the hierarchy in their favor.
As for subcultures, that’s something I’ve been thinking about too. What I’m describing right now is more of a foundational framework. People who create their own Galgofa characters would be free to develop their cultures, beliefs, and personal backgrounds within the realities of the world.
And that's fair enough about subcultures. I've designed a few custom races myself (I've been a dungeon master for 20 years, it's been necessary at times!), and what you have here is a pretty decent write up for an idea, I simply couldn't think of anything else to offer outside of that. I've used subcultures as a way to better define some of my races when they've needed it, it's fun to think about things like "What would this culture's equivalent of a sports junky be?" "How can I have a group of people that rebel against the norm without just making them criminals in their culture?" So on. When it comes to vampire culture, I've always been amused at the idea of pain addicts, characters that would do something like expose themselves to the sun or silver or such as a group and see who could last the longest. (I know this wouldn't really work with Golgofa, it's just an example.)
Also, just out of curiosity, are they named after Golgotha Hill?
And about the name — hahaha, yes, you caught me there.
As for the closed species topic, I honestly hadn’t looked at it from the angle you described before. My intention was more about making the aristocracy easier to track and weaving that control into the lore itself, rather than limiting creativity. But I really do agree with you — your perspective makes a lot of sense, and it’s given me something important to think about.
I'll be eager to see a visual for this race, you make such adorable characters. I've already been working on the profile for my snow leopard~
For the lower Galgofa (and those from the upper class that have been expelled) is almost expected for them to seek human assistance in some manner, or are they expected to stay isolated or stick together with other lower class. Paired with this, due to the lower classes' risk of degrading is it expected for them to bundle themselves up in clothing that completely covers their body, or are there specific spots where the energetic layer is exposed which can be covered (like if all the lower class has bandages and wraps on specific parts of their body.)
I like the idea that it's believed by everyone that restoration is an impossibility, but there is an implication that an unnatural/outside interference could aid in restoration. Is this knowledge completely unknown by everyone, or is this also something held secret by the very upper echelon to keep up their appearance of being completely perfect.
What would happen in the inverse of a lower individual in a high house, and is this something that could happen? Say a middle- or lower-ranking family produces a child that exhibits traits of the upper/higher class? Does just that child find themselves above the totem pole in some manner, will the family also receive some benefit, or are they disgraced/made to disappear in some manner to keep up the illusion that the only "perfect" ones are those at the top
My favorite thing I've seen others do is set up worlds/links on sites like Toyhouse to allow for everyone to link the members of the species into one place.
Lower Galgofa are technically able to approach and live among humans without restriction, but doing so would place them even lower in Galgofa social perception. Humans are viewed as an insignificant species due to their lack of magical abilities and physical weakness. Ironically, humans tend to admire Galgofa — even outcasts — with a mix of reverence and fear, and an exiled Galgofa would likely live more comfortably among humans. However, they rarely choose this path, as Galgofa possess immense racial pride, and even those cast out or deemed “lower” would not allow themselves to “descend” in that way.
I addressed the topic of restoration earlier, but I’ll briefly restate it here. While potential methods of restoration do exist, official research is forbidden, as any experimentation on the Energetic Layer or the core is considered heretical. Only small underground groups, mostly composed of outcasts, pursue such research, and due to persecution, physical weakness, and limited resources, progress remains extremely slow.
Regarding the inverse situation — when a high-ranking child is born into a lower family — the chance is extremely small, but it is possible. In such cases, the family is provided with housing and all necessities and is then isolated from society. This is presented to them as a form of “blessing.” These families take great pride in this outcome but are forbidden from speaking of it to anyone. The child is formally removed and declared no longer to belong to them, framed as a “blessing of the bloodline.” The child is placed into another aristocratic branch and granted full benefits; most often, such children never learn who their biological parents were.
In the case of the high rank family giving birth to a low rank, would the family of those be punished for the heresy of such, and in the inverse of a low-rank giving birth to a high-rank, would there be a bribe of keeping the family quiet, or just a general intimidation of making sure the family stays quiet without reward?
I also saw someone mention of Galgofa living among humans, but I’m curious if there is a sizable population, or just random low-rank individuals who fled the conditions. I understand the population is small, but I wasn’t sure if this was endangered due to the self-sabotage of their society, or if the birth rates are low due to fluctuations, or a mix of both.
While we know how sunlight affects lower Galgofa, I’m really curious about higher ones. Can sunlight exposure ever deteriorate a high-rank enough to affect their status, like turn a high-rank into an outcast?
I’m especially curious about what happens when changes come later in life rather than things from birth. And a few more things that got me thinking. Do higher Galgofa ever hide or compensate for small instabilities to maintain their status? Do Galgofa have common/personal rituals or habits to help preserve or "strengthen" their Energetic Layer over time? I know lower-ranks are comparable to peasants, but how are interactions between high and low-ranking Galgofa day-to-day, are there unspoken rules or tensions that aren’t obvious from the hierarchy?
This species is really interesting and I’m really excited to see the future visuals!
orrrr can they get pregnant by pollen or the semen of other species, and would the babies be born like plants on a vine or come out as egg or just in the normal childbirth way? I also wonder how many babies are born in one birth....
Feedback wise the lore is excellent and I enjoyed reading every second of it. I think you need to explain what they can do, how they look, and how they view humans as well since they share a world together.
I'm very excited and absolutely can't wait to get one or more of them given the chance.
I shall ask a question for something I enjoy learning about a lot then.
What sorts of weapons and armor do they favor? The way a species wages wars and settles duels always interests me since I'm a huge Dungeons and Dragons nerd.