Notable Species of Asterum

This section is by no means exhaustive in listing the varying species of Asterum, but elaborates on ones that are particularly relevant to me specifically

Vampires

A species born from a fusion of Terran and Umbran cultures, the original Vampire was the result of a human joining forces with an Umbran imp, with their minds and magicks combined conducting a dark blood ritual that gave birth to the vampiric curse, its first victim being the human responsible.
Vampires are not a natural-born species, and instead 'reproduce' by converting other humans into vampires through a bite. The curse augments a human's magical affinity heavily towards shadow, granting them abilities not normally attained by humans, at the cost of physiological changes as they immerse themselves in shadow. These typically manifest as greyed skin, bat-like features, high sensitivity to light, and a necessity to feed on blood for sustenance.
Vampires are very rare to find in the modern era, as they were hunted to near-extinction in the Middle Ages. The few that survive are typically tight-knit bloodline clans that do their best to avoid getting the ire of humans. To this end, new methods of blood intake have been invented such as blood donation centers and blood-based candy.
One example of an Asterum vampire is Lakatos Violetta.

A species native to Umbra, the Cubus are shadow-aspected Umbrans with an interesting magical quirk. They possess a high emotional sensitivity, and are able to "drink" in positive emotions directed at them and draw strength from them, with the effect being strengthened through distance, maxing out with physical contact.
As such, cubus soceity has a strong focus on intimacy, both physical and emotional. Many cubus have multiple partners, both from their own species and others, and cubus polycules can reach the population of a small village or even beyond. In other cultures, cubus are often seen as strange or predatory for their pursuit of intimacy, but those who get to know one will attest that relationships with a cubus can be incredibly fulfilling for both parties.
Cubus can be found in both Umbra and Terra, but are far less common in the realm between than their home realm, mainly due to prejudice and stereotyping of cubus culture.
One example of an Asterum succubus is Scarlet.

The term "Faerie" is technically a blanket term used to refer to a large variety of species native to Terra, with the commonality that most have a strong affinity towards nature magic. The most common type of faerie, and the one usually meant when people simply say 'faerie', is the Pixie.
Pixies are a people who often live in the wilds, with an affinity towards flowers. A pixie is born when an abundance of nature magic coagulates within a flower, from which emerges a young pixie. Pixies take on the physical characteristics of the flower they were born from, as well as the species that pollinate, eat, or live among their birth flower. For many pixies these are insects, but some take on the qualities of animals like birds, bats, or others.
Pixie society operates on very specific rules which are often seen as strange and confusing to outsiders, and vary slightly from place to place. Pixies are unable to break their own rules, and will gleefully punish any rulebreaker, whether they were aware they committed it or not. Pixies seem to innately know their rules from birth, the exact reason why being a mystery to this day, but is theorized to be a result of the magic that birthed them.
Pixies are small by nature, typically not much taller than 50 cm. however, some pixies that attempt to integrate with 'tallfolk' such as humans use growth magic or illusions to fit in better.

Witches are not a species per se, being considered to instead be a variant of humans. Humans naturally have very low and balanced magical affinity, not enough to properly channel any element, but in rare occasions through either birth, training, or strange phenomena, a human can have their magical affinity increased. These humans with strong magical affinity are called a 'witch', and often showcase very minor physical changes from an average human.
A witch's elemental affinity varies from witch to witch based on the nature of their magical augmentation, with some specializing in only one element or a handful of elements. others have a balanced affinity in all nine, just slightly increased from a regular human, and others still in extremely rare cases gain an extremely high magical affinity in all elements. These 'archwitches' as they're called can command incredible power and influence, and often define entire eras of history.
Due in part to those incredibly powerful and dangerous archwitches of the past, many humans view witches with suspicion, so witches typically join other witches in covens, where they can freely share of their power and discuss the finer points of magic.