The Supernaturalis
A Supernaturalis is born like any other creature, but it develops to adulthood very rapidly - usually within days during its first life; within minutes during subsequent lives. Once adulthood has been reached, the body ceases to age further. Other mortal frailties, such as the need for food, water or sleep, are no longer a problem - although food, drink and sleep can often be useful in speeding up the body's natural healing process.
Although the Supernaturalis tend to be superior to normal mortals in most respects, any supernatural abilities they possess are only available on the subconscious level. In order to control their power they need to focus it in some way, and there are four main ways that this can be done.
The first is through the process of death. The immortal soul already takes action during this process, as it slingshots itself immediately into the process of reincarnation. If the Supernaturalis is able to interrupt this process, a transformation takes place as the soul leaps out of the regular cycle of life, death and rebirth. A Supernaturalis who does this is called a "Revenant".
The second method is through a form of "disease" called Lycanthropy. This disease makes numerous mental as well as physical changes to the victim, providing a perfect stimulus for the Supernaturalis soul. There are several forms of Lycanthropy, but they all work in the same fundamental way.
The third method is through study and meditation. With enough time and perseverance the Supernaturalis is naturally able to reach their inner potential, in the same way as some mortals are able to reach their ch'i in order to perform amazing feats. The major difference is, of course, that these Supernaturalis - or "Illuminati" as they call themselves - are capable of far, far more than any mortal.
The fourth and final method is through a second merging. Just as a Supernaturalis is created by the merging of primal energy with a mortal soul, so that Supernaturalis can merge again with certain other creatures in order to create a being of even greater power. The process of merging varies, and is only possible with "higher" life forms - the target must be strong enough to retain some aspects of itself when merging with the powerful Supernaturalis soul. The resulting being, called a "Nephilim", represents the combined power of a Supernaturalis soul with the powerful form of a creature such as a dragon, demon, or giant. A third merging is never possible - there is simply no creature strong enough to retain a sense of self when merging with such a powerful being.
Once the Supernaturalis soul has a focus, it cannot change direction. Before the focus it is like a piece of clay, waiting to be shaped - but after it has found it's calling, it is like a dried, glazed and fired piece of pottery.
