The Scriven were a race of mutant Humans who came from the Northern Wastes. Due to unspecified genetic anomalies, many of them had died off before the events of Fever Crumb and the subsequent Traction Era.
Biology and appearance
While roughly baseline human in appearance, the Scriven were distinguished by spots on their skin which they believed were painted on them by their deity, known as "the Scrivener". Their eyes are also a shady colour of blue like that of a new-born babies. They lived longer than regular humans do. Scriven were said to be unable to breed with regular humans. However, this was proved to be false since Fever Crumb was discovered to be the daughter of both a human and a Scriven.
The Scriven have enhanced resistance to radiation and genetically engineered to live longer, to allow for quicker repopulation of the Earth. They can also survive in low light, and sub-zero temperatures due to their genetic alteration.
History
The Scriven were one of the Nomad Empires which were driven south when the climate began cooling down as a result of the frequent Ice Ages between 10,000 to 3,000 BT. They were originally based in Siberia but were forced to migrate south and east by climatic changes. Their Traction Fortress was called The Barbican. Gradually, the Scriven found their way to the site of London which they swiftly conquered.
Over the next two-hundred years, the Scriven ruled with an iron grip over London. They looked down on the non-Scriven since they saw themselves as a superior species. Despite their cruelty and excesses, London began to thrive again under their rule since the Scriven respected scientific knowledge. They even established an Order of Engineers—the forerunner of the latter Guild of Engineers which studied the workings of ancient technology.
However, as the Scriven could not interbreed with regular humans, their numbers gradually dwindled over the years. By then the Scriven had fallen to a few hundred individuals as opposed to thousands of humans. Resentment against the Scriven grew; culminating in the bloody and violent Scriven Uprising. In the subsequent uprising, the Skinners Guild murdered and skinned many Scriven while collaborators were slaughtered. Some Scriven such as Wavey Godshawk managed to escape.
The Scriven originate from The Scriviner Institute, where they were developed as "Humanity 2.0" by the Scriviner group of companies, designed to withstand the Sixty Minute War, as the original human strain was originally expected to die out. Some Scriven went to live underground in the north, later becoming known as Nightwights, featured in the book Scrivener's Moon.
List of Scriven
- Auric Godshawk
- Wavey Godshawk
- Fever Crumb (half Scriven)
- Eldritch Hooter
- Stefan Destrier
- Odo Bolventor