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Seraphumis are actually fumis inflicted with a particular disease, caused by a virus not unlike the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus. Painted, dwarf, gummi, and snowfumis that contract this virus develop a benign cancer that affects the fumi's aether, causing it to crystallize and sprout in usually localized areas. Later stages of the disease are well known for the massive, crystalline 'crowns' that consume the eyes and horn(s); and 'boots' on the front feet that extend the length of the front limbs and force the fumi to adapt the seraphumi's signature posture. Crystals may or may not also sprout sparsely in other areas depending on the individual, but always sprout mainly as a crown and boots on the front limbs (boots don't usually form on the back limbs).
The exact formation of the crystals depends on the individual, but they always grow in raw crystal shapes, like the ones in the main illustration above. However these crystals can be carved, and in fact must be carved on the 'boot' tips for the fumi to be able to walk (examples of carved crowns are shown above on the glittering and glowing examples). If the crown isn't kept carefully trimmed away from the eyes, those crystals will overtake the eye sockets and permanently blind the fumi. The crystals are usually opaque but can be slightly transparent at edges, but will always take on the qualities of the fumi's vapor (examples shown: regular, multicolored, glittering, glowing). This means the crystals will never naturally be a different color than the fumi's vapor, but they can be painted or have other materials attached to their surface instead.
A seraphumi's graceful movements, obedient personality, and gorgeous looks are traits that make them the most desirable fumi specimens to date. The virus that causes the transformation can only be contracted from already infected fumis, and the transmission rate is very low. In fact, the only known seraphumis to exist are exclusively owned by a group of elite fumi collectors, who purposely spread the virus to their own collections. Initiates in the group would have to prove their trustworthiness and swear to keep the disease exclusive to the group's collections only, a task that is accomplished only rarely. Unfortunately for the infected fumis, the same traits desired by collectors are actually the result of handicaps. The slow, deliberate movements due to blindness; forced obedience due to dependency on their caretakers; and the heavy weight of crystals that will forever burden them, both physically and mentally. Those who are aware of their Eremain ancestor's life cycle take some pride in their affliction, believing themselves to be closer to ascending like their ancestors before them, a comforting thought to ease their suffering.
The exact formation of the crystals depends on the individual, but they always grow in raw crystal shapes, like the ones in the main illustration above. However these crystals can be carved, and in fact must be carved on the 'boot' tips for the fumi to be able to walk (examples of carved crowns are shown above on the glittering and glowing examples). If the crown isn't kept carefully trimmed away from the eyes, those crystals will overtake the eye sockets and permanently blind the fumi. The crystals are usually opaque but can be slightly transparent at edges, but will always take on the qualities of the fumi's vapor (examples shown: regular, multicolored, glittering, glowing). This means the crystals will never naturally be a different color than the fumi's vapor, but they can be painted or have other materials attached to their surface instead.
A seraphumi's graceful movements, obedient personality, and gorgeous looks are traits that make them the most desirable fumi specimens to date. The virus that causes the transformation can only be contracted from already infected fumis, and the transmission rate is very low. In fact, the only known seraphumis to exist are exclusively owned by a group of elite fumi collectors, who purposely spread the virus to their own collections. Initiates in the group would have to prove their trustworthiness and swear to keep the disease exclusive to the group's collections only, a task that is accomplished only rarely. Unfortunately for the infected fumis, the same traits desired by collectors are actually the result of handicaps. The slow, deliberate movements due to blindness; forced obedience due to dependency on their caretakers; and the heavy weight of crystals that will forever burden them, both physically and mentally. Those who are aware of their Eremain ancestor's life cycle take some pride in their affliction, believing themselves to be closer to ascending like their ancestors before them, a comforting thought to ease their suffering.