In an inscrutably dark universe, belief is our light.

Core Concept

The Choral are the native symphony of the Sylvan Concord, a species that perceives reality primarily through resonance and vibration. For them, the universe is not a collection of objects, but a symphony of frequencies. Fact is harmony, Fiction is melody, and Faith is a chord held by a choir. They are the living song of the World-Soul, and their collective emotional and spiritual state is a direct, audible measure of the Concord’s health.

Physiology & Biology

• Core Morphology: [Slender Humanoid]. Their bodies are graceful and seem almost fragile, but are covered in intricate, bone-like resonating plates and membranes.
• Sensory Apparatus: They are often born blind, or their sight is a form of synesthesia, perceiving sound as color and shape. Their primary sense is an incredibly acute form of hearing and psychic resonance.
• Language: Their “language” is a complex system of humming, chanting, and overtone singing. A single Choral can produce multiple notes at once, creating complex chords. A group can form a “Choir,” a gestalt consciousness capable of sophisticated, non-verbal communication and powerful ritual acts.

Psychology & Society (Faith / Fiction)

• Core Faith: “Truth is Harmony.” They believe the universe was sung into existence, and that all things possess a true name which is a specific frequency. Sickness is a dissonance in the body’s song. Evil is a chord that resolves improperly. Their entire society is organized around the maintenance of the “Great Harmony.”

• Core Fiction: “The First Chant.” Their creation myth describes the World-Soul first achieving consciousness not as a thought, but as a single, perfect note that then blossomed into the symphony of life. The Choral see themselves as the keepers of this First Chant, and their most sacred ritual is the “Great Chant,” a continuous performance in their cities that retells the story of creation through music.

Symbiosis with the Arborians

The Choral and the Arborians are two halves of a single, symbiotic whole.

• The Arborians are the Gardeners, tending to the physical health of the Concord.
• The Choral are the Canaries, sensing its spiritual and metaphysical health. They are the Concord’s early-warning system. A sudden dissonance in their song is the first sign of a blight, an invasive species, or a metaphysical intrusion. The Arborians have learned to listen to the Choral’s music as the truest diagnostic of their world’s well-being.

Gameplay Hooks & Tensions

• The Auditory Interface: The Subjective Interface for a Choral player would be a unique and beautiful challenge. The world would be a landscape of humming, droning, and singing. Threats would be identified by their jarring, dissonant frequencies. Conversation would be a music-based mini-game.
• The Enemy of Silence: The Choral’s greatest vulnerability is silence. Machines that create “white noise” or beings from the void like the Lacuna are terrifying to them, as they represent the absence of reality itself.
• The Oracle’s Song: Choral choirs can be sought out by players of other species for their unique divinatory abilities. By “listening” to the resonance of a player’s Thread, a choir can perform a “Song of Destiny,” a cryptic but often insightful prophecy about their potential future.