The flames of the Cataclysm and those who wield them can burn a wound deeper than simple flesh. The Scorched are those who still bear the marks of these burns, and the fire that inflicted them.

Most scorched bear some markings of their deeper fiery nature, such as orange-yellow irises, softly glowing veins, or patches of permanently charred skin.

The Fractured are those of shattered mind. Something they experienced has opened their minds to a wider reality around them, and in that process, broken them. You can’t always tell someone is Fractured by their appearance, but when you can, it is usually betrayed by their eyes.

Those who call themselves Buried have been touched by undeath. Many of them fled underground during the Cataclysm, only to discover a different evil awaiting them in the darkness. The skin of the Buried appears drained of color and life, and their bodies are gaunt and emaciated, as though they have been starving for years. Many are sensitive to bright light and wear large hoods or black veils to shield their eyes from the sun.

There are beings beyond this world, utterly foreign to human comprehension. They pay no heed to our laws of space and time, slipping in through the cracks in this world and leaving madness and death in their wake. The Aberrant are those who have been touched by those beings, cursed for some unknown purpose. They are the most visually striking of any scar: their appearance is alien, often bearing third eyes, patches of strangely-colored skin, or small tentacles emerging from their flesh.

The Gloom that creeps across this dying world distorts and twists, transforming animals into beasts and beasts into monsters. Many humans were not spared this transformation either, becoming animalistic and monstrous themselves. Most afflicted by this transformation kept their minds but found strange instincts mingling with their thoughts and became known as the feral. The Feral take on some features of an animal; be it a coat of fur, horns, claws, fangs, tails, ears, or combinations of the above.

When the powers that once slumbered beneath the ice awoke, the North froze yet deeper, the air suddenly as devoid of warmth as the darkness between the stars. Any souls unfortunate enough to reside in the North, or anyone born there today, became Frozen. Having lived so close to ancient magics and the emergence of the Kin, the Frozen are often particularly despised by Them, and especially resilient to the whims of Their magic. Few have faced harsher environments or endured more than the Frozen. Their skin is perpetually cold to the touch and their hearts beat slow and rhythmically.

Most acquire their scar in a single, traumatic moment or circumstance. But there are those that manage to avoid such tragedy, and not even they are free. One way or another, the world always takes its toll. The Withered are those who, for lack of a deeper scar, had their soul slowly overtaken by Gloom. The Withered often appear aged beyond their years, their life-force sapped away. Gloom clings to them, making the shadows they cast unnaturally deep.

As this world dies, the walls that define its borders weaken. Those that accidentally wander beyond such a veil can find themselves no longer fully a part of the world they once called home. These ghostly folk became known as the Banished. Just as their bodies are somewhat between this world and the next, so are their minds, giving many Banished a distant, pensive view of the world. When caught in a sunbeam or standing against the last rays of the sun in the evening, they can appear faded and transparent, as though they aren’t truly there.

While all have suffered, few have suffered as greatly as the two-scar. Usually, once a person has gained a scar, they cannot gain a second — there is only so much purchase for ill magic upon a single mortal soul. But, in circumstances of exceptional trauma, one individual can occasionally gain a second scar. The appearance and traits of these tragic individuals are highly varied, each a unique mix of afflictions.