Of Mystics and Demi-humans

[Silvercry]

One thing that’s always bothered me about Chrono Trigger, especially since Cross was released, was the evolutionary chain of the Mystics and the demi-humans.  I’ve looked around, but I don’t think the Compendium has addressed this issue yet.

In 65 million BC, we see two intelligent races, the humans and the Reptites.  They fight for dominion over the planet.  Lavos lands.  Humans win.  The rest is history.

In 12000 BC, Humans are still in charge, albeit in a strict caste-like system. They wake up Lavos.  Zeal falls.  Moving on.

In 600 AD, humans and Mystics are locked in war…  wait a second, back up.

Where did the Mystics come from?  I supposed they could have evolved from the creatures found in Zeal or the Mountain of Woe between 12000 BC and  600AD.  But that seems a little fast to me.  It took humans from Lavos arrival to the Dark Ages to reach Zeal-like heights.  Granted they were given a nudge by the Frozen Flame, but that’s still along time.  After Zeal fell, contact with the Flame was lost, and mankind had to, in essence, start over.  So if the creatures found in the Dark Ages evolved into the Mystic race, how did they do it so fast as to stand on equal footing with humans come 600AD?  

Furthermore, where does the Demi-human race come from?  Everyone on El Nido either settled there from Porre, or were the decedents of the citizens of Chronopolis.  They only think I can think of is that there were Mystics in Chronopolis who were caught up in the Time Crash, and then cross-bred with humans over the millennia to create the demi-human race.  Course the problem with that is, strictly speaking, two different species cannot produce offspring together. Of course, that’s never stopped fantasy and/or sci-fi writers in the past…

Any thoughts/suggestions?

(And don’t get me started on the dwarves in CT….)

[V_Translanka]

It's possible that the Mystics somehow evolved from the leftover Reptites...Giant's Claw anyone?

[Legend of the Past]

Granted, the Mystics is a name of a religion, not a race. The Mystics are Demi-Humans who worship Magus. Call me inasne, but I doubt all civilization on earth sums up to four-five cities. There are probably small villages that  don't appear on the world map. Many DH could come from those.

Now, as for El-Nido... Two theories. One, the Main Regime was hiring Demi-Humans in Chronopolis. Two, they snuck in during Porre's colonies forming in 900 AD. They then split to two factions, Guldove and Marbule (That is an odd resemblnce to Medina. A DH city hating humans, who due to the workings of the hero becomes a human loving city... At least in one world, that is!).

The Dwarves... DH in their own right, again, probably living in the small villages. They're not very powerful or well-equiped, so Magus woulden't care about them so much. You're talking about a person who commands the dead.

[AuraTwilight]

I once found a chart that explained this. Basically, the Demihumans/Mystics (they're technically the same) evolved alongside humans. We see them on Mount Woe. Nuff said.

I'll post something I found on a website.

A common question people ask about Chrono Cross concerns the existence of the demi-humans. Many don't realize that this species did not just appear out of nowhere. Rather it is likely the demi-humans are nothing more than futuristic Mystics - the same race that were devout followers of Magus.

It is very likely the demi-humans of 600 AD (labeled as Mystics) lost their faith in both Magus and Ozzie after Crono's interference with the timeline. In the present age the demi-humans of Medina are willing to make amends with the humans, as evidenced by the fact that a citizen wishes to build a ferry between Truce and Medina. In Chrono Cross it is said that Chronopolis was allowed to function under the supervision of the Central Regime. We do not know who governs this regime, what its goals are, or when it was created. However if there is a central governing body it stands to reason a lasting peace was reached between humans and Mystics that allowed them to work together. We know for certain that at least one Chronopolis worker was originally from Medina, implying demi-humans were indeed employed at the facility. If this is true, then these demi-humans surely were pulled into the past during the Time Crash along with their human co-workers. After venturing out into the islands the demi-humans would have reproduced. It is in this way that demi-humans came to populate El Nido. In fact, before the year 900 AD all humans and demi-humans on El Nido were the ancestors of those Chronopolis workers.

Let us then be clear on what the term "demi-human" refers to. Obviously it can mean any creature that has similar features or mannerisms to that of a normal human. We can all agree that the Mystics were intelligent in that the were able to speak, build their own community, and carry on their own customs. Some (like Flea) were able to become proficient magicians. Slash, though odd in appearance, resembled a human in form and could move about in the same manner as one. He was also educated enough to speak the human language and had been trained in swordsmanship. The only thing separating him from humans was his purple skin and pointy ears. Other Mystics, like the Hench, seemed more beastly, yet the overall form of a human was still present (walking on two legs in an upright manner, etc). Yet others, like the Diablos and Imps, were even more animalistic in appearance. So it appears that out of the entire demi-human race there are different degrees of how human one can look. In Chrono Cross some demi-humans appear almost human. The sage of Marbule, for example, might be mistaken for a human had he not the feathery features protruding from above his ears. Others, like Lynx, resemble animals more than people, yet are still regarded as being demi-human.

There seem to be five distinct classes of demi-human:
 

Class
 Description
 Examples
 
A
 Near Human Appearance
  Marbule sage, Janice, Flea, Harle
B
 Classic Demi-Human
  Slash, Ozzie, Sprigg, nameless*
C
 Animal in Appearance
  Frog, Lynx, Irenes, bug/lion types
D
 Beastly or Primitive
  imps, hench, naga-ette, kilwala, yakra
 
 
E
 Plant-like in Appearance
  Funguy, NeoFio, Turnip


* In the introduction of the Final Fantasy Chronicles release of Chrono Trigger Crono can be seen fighting an unnamed green demi-human warrior that would fit the description of Group B. Here are three images of this character. The same demi-human can also be seen in this piece of Squaresoft artwork.

The most probable explanation for how the first group can exist (excepting Flea and Harle as they are special cases) is because of the fact humans and demi-humans were allowed to co-exist in El Nido. You see, it is not unreasonable to think over the years some mated with normal humans. If this inter-racial breeding occurred, then over the course of 9,000 years some demi-humans would begin to take on more human features and loose their beastly visage. It is possible demi-humans from Groups B and C mated with humans to achieve those found in Group A. This makes even more sense when we consider the Group A type of demi-humans seem to be absent from Chrono Trigger.

Group E is separated from the others because it can be noted that there are only three specimens of that class in existence and none hold any relation to the Mystic race. Rather each was artificially created - Funguy from eating a mushroom; NeoFio by Luccia; and Turnip as a manifestation of a dream. Regardless of this fact, they still exist and can technically be called demi-humans. As of yet no naturally born demi-humans take on a floral appearance, so in that sense Group E is a bit of an oddity. Do note that other species such as reptites, dragonians, beebas, etc. can be classified separately and have not been included in the above chart.

As for how demi-humans originated in the first place we know very little. It is interesting to note that the Mystic town of Medina seems to be situated near where the Mystic Mountains were in prehistoric times. Perhaps the species took shape in that region and so were named for their birth-place. It is hard to say. In fact the first we ever see of the Mystics is in 600 AD. It's rather odd they don't appear in 12,000 BC - although there are creatures that look very similar to them residing on Mt. Woe. Perhaps these creatures were the start of the Mystic race. It is unclear whether the term "Mystic" refers only to those demi-humans who allied themselves with Magus, or if it can apply to all demi-humans in general. The words "demi-human" and "Mystic" seem to be interchangeable as they both refer to the same race, but it can be noted that the term "Mystic" is missing from Chrono Cross. With the intervention of Porre I should think the term would have come up had the demi-humans still been called Mystics, but I could be wrong about this. If some in the present still fancy themselves as "Mystics" then chances are it has very little to do with Magus anymore but rather because the term has taken on new meaning to them and so they prefer to remain labeled as such. It is difficult to tell, but whether they are called Mystic or demi-human doesn't change the fact that they are of the same race.

[Legend of the Past]

Why not just give him the site?

[DeweyisOverrated]

That helps to determine the link b/w 600 A.D. and all time after that, but where did they come from before 600 A.D.?  Silvercry mentioned how it took forever for humans to evolve, around 65 million years, with the assistance of the Frozen Flame.  At 12,000 BC, no demi-humans.  600 A.D., demi-humans.  At the max, that's 12.5 millenium.  That's what, .1% of the time it took humans to evolve?  They seem to have evolved extremely rapidly, out of nowhere.  So, where did they come from?

[Legend of the Past]

Maybe they lived in the underground? We see an imp commanding the two beasts in Terra Cave... And I can't rightly remember, but aren't there imps of sorts up on Mt.Woe?

Like I said, they'd live underground. Being as connected to the Planet as they are in CC, they would know not to try and mess with powers beyond them.

[Sentenal]

I don't believe that the Demi-Humans seen in CC are the same Mystics in CT.  While the Mystics may very well be "demi-humans", I don't think they are of the same origin.  Mystics in CT probably evolved from the creature of Mt. Woe.  They were probably artifically evolved/created by Zealians.  Or, maybe they started to evolve some time after 65,000,000bc and 12,000bc.

Here is where I think the Demi-Humans of CC came from:  Dinopolis.  My memory is fuzzy, but doesn't the game SAY they came from Dinopolis?  They are obivously planet worshippers and anti-human, thus matching the Dragonians in that respect.

And Zeality will get a kick out of letrimh's site being linked here

[V_Translanka]

Not all demi-humans were anti-human, many worked alongside humans...I think that demi-humans in El Nido could have come from the Dragonians or perhaps from Gaea's Navel...

[AuraTwilight]

Legend of the Past, I didn't have the website at the time o.o;;; I usually save parts of websites I like incase their server goes down or something ^^;;

They were probably artifically evolved/created by Zealians.

Don't make me laugh. The Zealians are too egotistical to go around giving others magic. Even in small doses. While I could imagine Zeal creating a new race for bragging rights, I would imagine it wouldn't last very long.

I don't believe that the Demi-Humans seen in CC are the same Mystics in CT.

Well of course not. The Mystics are (former) Magus workers, and the Demihumans are Mystic Chronopolis employees that got sucked in time and bred with humans to create new breeds of their species.

Here is where I think the Demi-Humans of CC came from: Dinopolis. My memory is fuzzy, but doesn't the game SAY they came from Dinopolis?

Doesn't this contradict your opinion of Zeal creating the Mystics? They can't be from both timelines. Dragonians know better than to mess with evolution. And Dinopolis, FYI, only brought Dragonians, which are extinct now. If Demi-Humans were from Dinopolis, I'm sure FATE would be destroying them for timeline consistency instead of keeping them in line with the Records of FATE.

I think that demi-humans in El Nido could have come from the Dragonians or perhaps from Gaea's Navel...

Explain the ones with no reptilian features whatsoever. Evolution is a drastic answer, since the Dragonians went extinct less than 200 years ago.

[Chrono'99]

Wait wait, the Moutain of Woe isn't the first place in which you see Mystics. There are Kilwalas in Mystic Mountain in 65,000,000 BC, and Gaspar actually called Heckran Cave 'the Mystic Moutain' when he tells you where's Melchior's house.

And note that there's a ghost scientist in Chronopolis who says that he comes from Medina. Might be a subtle hint...

[Legend of the Past]

He said the "Mystic Mountains". He meant the mountains in the Mystics' territory, not the mountain from 65 million B.C.

[Chrono'99]

He said the "Mystic Mountains". He meant the mountains in the Mystics' territory, not the mountain from 65 million B.C.

Of course, but the point is that there are Mystic Mountains in Prehistory with Mystics in them, and also in the Present with Mystics near them.

[Legend of the Past]

The point yes, Mystic isn't a race. It's a religion. Like Muslems (Does the name Medina ring a bell?), in fact, very much like them with their ideas of Jihad. Anyway, a woman from Ioka says they call it Mystic Mountains because strange things happan there (They found Kino there, for example). However, the Kilwalas are there, to be sure. They're not DH, more like... Their anscetors. Like the Dragonians aren't Reptites... They're their off-spring.

[Chrono'99]

In the Japanese version the Mystics were called Mazoku, which just means 'monsters' (demons?) as far as I know. So I don't know if those people would call their religion something like 'monsterism'...