Shedu

The Shedu are a hybrid interbred between a human and the Sacred Bull under a divine fertilisation ritual. Distinguishable by their horns, blocky facial features and muscular builds, they possess levels of courage and ferocity too much for ordinary humans.

Due to their mythical status, they were presumably lost to history and had left scarce traces. According to remaining records, they were considered divine as 'Nephilim' of the Sacred Bull. Their name is derived from a protective deity.

Characteristics
Having gained traits from the ritual, a Shedu is born with a build more muscular and less rounded than the common human. Aside from their square noses, their most obvious and signature trait is the set of bull-like horns on their forehead, providing a surprisingly efficient defence mechanism. This may be implied by some to be related to a skin tumour with a similar horny appearance. Their eye conditions are believed to be otherworldly, appearing in surreal colours with a glowing aura that can exaggerate one's emotions.

Shedu brains consist of a large capacity that is sensitive to energies, allowing them to manipulate mystical forces. Furthermore, they believe themselves to be naturalists in identifying celestial bodies. Due to their protective traditions, a common Shedu will give off a noble presence at first, only to become savagely fierce when threatened or angered. If pushed to their limits, one may begin moving on all four limbs.

History
The actual origins of the Shedu are actually uncertain aside from mythology. However, records of their existence are present and date as far back as the primitive ages of Mesopotamian civilisation.

In Mythology, the birth of the Shedu was a ceremonial rite of divine empowerment between the early Sumerian people. Godmothers would submit themselves to the Sacred Bull to spend the rest of their lives in a religious nurturing lifestyle to raise their Shedu young. After baptism and approval from priests, Shedu were assigned to several residences under an agreement engraved in a clay tablet. Since their youth, Shedu devoted themselves to surveillance and protection to a point where they skyrocketed above the hierarchy for their services, going as far as to protect the kings and queens. They had become largely considered by mythologists as the masterminds behind the ancient civilisations and the ones who exercised power and influence over the hierarchy.

According to the Epic of Gilgamesh, population records and other miscellaneous evidence, the Shedu had departed after the Bull of Heaven was slain. Their loss of faith has been linked to the fall of various Mesopotamian empires in prophecies, coincidental or not. After their departure, the Shedu resided in caves and other closed-in areas at the depths of the Earth, their distant network of settlements going under the name of Sinlon. Their reign lasted for centuries until they mysteriously vanished. More rumours suggest their kind had been warped across reality, either displaced onto another planet and have adapted beyond recognition or have recycled themselves into divine energies.

Regarding modern existence, the Anubis Academy depict the Sinlon as orbs of divine energy as the rumours told, physically manifested through revised esoteric rituals. Occasionally appearing in the material plane, their orb presence is tracked via photography, though they can be easily mistaken for the effects from backscattering. Attempts to contact, summon and manipulate the Shedu energies caused an apparent disturbance to their kin, forcing them to come out of hiding and return to their physical forms. These concerns, as well as the following events, stirred fear within the Anubis Academy, causing many to believe the Shedu will return one day to punish their abusers.

Culture and Society
Shedu culture undergoes a religious theme and set of semiotics related to moons, depicting them as massive generators and embodiments of protection and power. This links to their common nocturnal lifestyles in which a common Shedu is at their highest willpower under a starry night. As expected, their values and traditions are related to Mesopotamian mythology, including notable examples such as the Bull of Heaven and Lamassu. The influences also affected their architecture, making their buildings mighty and high.

As a rite of royal passage, Shedu are bathed in coloured dyes and tattoos. Many Shedu wear precious jewelries and cosmetics to assume a competitive dominance amongst their own kind.

Religion
Like Mesopotamian culture, Shedu faith is adhered to the religions practised by their human kind. Aside the obvious worship of the Sacred Bull, their divinities regard the existence of multiple gods, major social influence from priests and constant purification.

Several legends had been birthed from the religious schools of the Shedu, one of which tells of a heroic epic regarding a two-headed Shedu known as Zabar. They were praised as a heroic messiah of the people, both human and Shedu. As a soldier and priest, they mastered martial arts and the arcane, having once challenged great astral beings. The interplanar battles supposedly lead to the demise of Zabar, having become sealed in an eternal labyrinth within an unknown location.