The Reef

The Reef was the homeworld of the Shapeshifters. Named both for the coral-like structures etched into its surface and after the Shapeshifter word, which means roughly "living hub superstructure," the Reef served as a psychological, physiological and emotional anchor for the Shapeshifters, who could only assume their original forms on its surface. It thus became a sanctuary to which Shapeshifters always returned after taking new forms or exerting biopsionic effort. It was temperate and humid, with an atmosphere that, while breathable by humans, would cause hallucinations and euphoria in almost any non-Shapeshifter species.

The Reef was destroyed in the Scream, leaving all surviving Shapeshifters without an anchor. Without a way to maintain their sense of self, many Shapeshifters broke down and died; those who survived, unable to assume their original form, have forgotten what it looks like.