Essence
Essence is the very core of what allows so much to happen in Tailraise, from transforming someone's hair colour, anatomy, or species, to fusing with technology to improve it vastly and keep the nation technologically superior. Itum is the only known nation with stable access to essence, shaping its rise as a global superpower.
Even with the technology available for research, essence is still very much a mystery. It comes in any state, such as gas, solid, liquid, or more. It can be stable for decades before suddenly becoming corrupt and behaving in erratic and chaotic ways.
Essence binds to DNA and allows the ability to transform painlessly and take a whole other shape. This was discovered centuries ago by Itum and used for rituals and ceremonies.
As technology advanced, new techniques were discovered to make these transformations more stable and permanent, utilizing Imprints in order to change shape, which are crafted using special techniques to ensure the essence infused and the intended form are stable.
There are also council-issued terminals around Itum which can be used by citizens to make changes safely if they do not have an imprint. These are limited in selection and choices, and some species and options require higher authorization from guilds to access.
Corrupted Essence
Occasionally, areas will grow unpredictably unstable and things will get weird. Trees distort and branches twist, flowers change to colours that you can barely comprehend, and your fight or flight instincts kick in.
There is no known reason for why areas will suddenly become corrupt, however, these are highly dangerous and should be avoided. Remaining in an area or near one that is corrupt can lead to Imprint Drift or Imprint Break.
These areas may contain feral wildlife, unstable terrain, or even corrupted imprint constructs. Typically these zones are quarantined with special authorization required to enter.
Essence corruption can spread quickly if not contained properly, and is not always immediately visible.