The natural death and birth of races through the quantity of Quintessence.
Evolution is a process with two major parts, Evolution and Devolution, which govern the power of all living races, especially tied to the existence of the Dijra family tree. Evolution does not impact Dragons in the same way it has impacted Dijra, for Dragons for the most part have little soul, while most Dijra based lifeforms possess great quantities of spiritual power. This is not to say Dragons lack large amounts of Quintessence, the basis of existence itself, but that they exist in a fundamentally different way than a Human.
The Process of Evolution[]
It is generally understood in Quintessence mechanics that beings with greater concentrations of Quintessence are more prone to Evolution than Devolution, their path of ascension varies depending on a great number of circumstances, but in most cases, the charging of ones being with enough Quintessence generally results in a Human becoming an Elf, an Elf a Highborn, and so on so forth. It is believed that Dijra are the apex of Evolution, and once achieved, one cannot conceivably go higher.
In regards to whole populations becoming a higher class race, advances in science, magic, and discipline of the self to the point these improvements cause the population to permanently reside at higher than normal states of being make them susceptible to fluctuations in magic, at which time random occurrences of a higher class entity being born from their parents may begin. If a whole city of magic began to experience elven births, and the field of magic around them was permanently enhanced in their region, it is likely the human population would begin shifting into more and more elven nature, until humans were phased out.
The sinister rituals that cause a Elemental Primal to be created from a mortal follow this basic rule, by charging heavily element infused Quintessence into the mortal. The most notable form of ritual to create a higher level being, especially Dijra is the Ritual of Ascendance. This ritual can also bring about Devolution in some cases...
The Process of Devolution[]
If high Quintessence results in Evolution, its absence results in Devolution. Commonly occurring in Quintessence rich beings such as Dijra, Titans, and Celestials, but all races are susceptible to this phenomenon, Devolution is triggered most often when such species begin to spread out beyond what is known as the Quintessence Spread Radius, which is governed by the amount of Quintessence per individual needed to keep them at the classification of their race.
Without enough Quintessence, these races begin to wither into weaker forms in order to continue living, else risk being turned to dust. The Radius takes full effect once the population not only grows to the Radius, but surpasses it with a heavy population density. Therefore, it is possible for them to surpass the Radius for a brief time and not immediately feel effects, but soon after a few generations, mass Devolution in the population will take place, causing whole empires to crumble in a matter of decades.
It is generally believed that beings below the Celestial race in power are confined to their own worlds in terms of Quintessence, and must either become the same power rank as Celestials or suffer Devolution. Most species below the Celestial rank do not experience heavy Devolution and will not easily fade unless multiple species exist on the same world, or if they spread across all of the available landmasses of the planet, and reach maximum population capacity, at which time the population begins to Devolve in order to promote ecological diversity, most often not of their own will.
It should be noted that the Ritual of Ascendance can cause Devolution in beings of Human Quintessence level, as they may possess too little Quintessence to bond with the source of Quintessence, or may even be rejected and 'punished' for absorbing it. This is generally how the Harpy and Naga races were birthed, and as for beings like the Anima, Wild Magic, or naturally generated Quintessence from the planet itself, causes a reaction within the Quintessence of the Human, naturalizing them with Wild attributes, often in animalistic forms.
This is seen more as a gift from the world, especially in times of need on the part of the individual. It should be noted that children are most susceptible to this as their Quintessence lacks as much 'identity' as an adult's. It is possible for beings such as Anima to continue degrading until they reach the state of a mere Animal.
The Evolutionary Tree of Dijra[]
Elven Family[]
- Dijra
- Titan [Subtypes: Giant, Celestial]
- Celestial [Subtypes: Hawk Elf, Avian]
- Highborn
- Elf [Subtypes: Dryad, Fey]
- Human [Subtypes: Anima, Harpy, Naga, Various]
- Anima [Subtypes: Pito]
- Beastkin
- Animal