Shifter

A shifter is a kind of creature which is capable of changing its body into that of another species, without aid of potions or any other items. (In Mother of Learning, using a potion to temporarily change one's body into that of a different creature is generally called shapeshifting). The primary form is generally human (although Sudomir Kandrei gave one winter wolf, the Silver One, the ability to turn into a human^[1]), the secondary is generally a non-magical creature (Sudomir is one exception described). A shifter of the usual kind (with a human primary form) is described as "[secondary form species] shifter"; for example, "cat shifter".

Shifters are described by Vani^[2] as "people with two souls", that do not appear spontaneously but rather by means of a ritual, or by inheriting the ability from a parent. The ritual which produces a new shifter requires Panaxeth's essence, as stated by Sudomir: "Simply splicing a foreign soul into your own won't make you a shifter. At least, not the kind people are familiar with." That essence is "free floating" in very young shifters and "gets progressively more integrated into the shifter's body as they age"^[1].

The above fact makes shifter children a kidnapping target^[3]. At least five young shifter children are needed for Panaxeth release ritual, according to Sudomir^[1]. In some restarts, Nochka Sashal is kidnapped^[4][5] for that purpose; in one restart where Zorian prevented that, some unnamed pigeon shifter child was kidnapped instead^[6].

The cat shifters are highly integrated into the Eldemarian society, unlike all other shifter clans, which resent cat shifters for giving up their traditional rights.^[6]