Upyreshi and the Changelings are both apex nonhuman predator races found on Earth hailing from different origin realms. The Upyreshi hail from the Underworld as the gift of the Dark Lord to the Earth; they are His Seed on Earth. The Upyreshi feed on different energies of humans, depending on what tribe the Upyre belongs to, through a biological medium such as blood. The Changelings hail from the Spirit Walk and are animals with human forms that change on a regular, natural cycle. Changelings prey mostly on animals for meat and will attack a human if they are found in the scope of the Changeling. Upyreshi have life spans that if not interrupted have no set ending, while Changelings have life spans equal to that of humans but with the added force of the animal that is the true face of these beings. Upyreshi are built to prey by night on humans and so are suited to be around humans, making Upyreshi urban predators. Changelings are built to prey on their chosen prey by night making Changelings wilderness predators.

All nonhumans or pretenders, be they Upyre, Changeling, Fae, Angelic or Tartarian fall somewhere on the were-therian-vampire continuum, as many possess shape-changing or otherwise masking abilities as well as being in some way often predatory to humanity. The term were-therian is used to mean bestial humanoid form and is used instead of the term werewolf because the bestial form may not be wolfish at all. The term vampire, while vulgar to Upyreshi, is used to refer to the practice of many Pretenders of taking some essence from humans as a form of nourishment. Please note that Fae are known to take youth, for example, from humans and so are vampiric Pretenders without being Upyreshi at all. Some Upyre breeds like those of the Nosferatu Tribe or the Loogaroo of the Strega Tribe have many bestial traits and so in the continuum are clearly Upyre. Fae such as Satyrs when they manifest their inhumanity are clearly bestial, i.e., goat-like, showing how a were-therian need not be a Changeling. Changelings do not seem to manifest vampiric traits which is why it is assumed that all were-therian types are Changelings including those Upyre breeds with overt were-therian traits.

Were-therian and vampiric abilities also comprise magickal arts, such as Werewolfery, in which those who practice the arts can acquire skills that mimic those of the classical “vampire” and “werewolf” found in legend. All of this leads to the confusion between and conflation of the races as well as those who are enchanted. It is likely that the races that inspired the enchanted mimicry, i.e., the Upyreshi and Changelings, taught humans those magickal arts, just as it is clear that the Changeling races influenced the shamanic path of many tribal cultures, such as those among Native Americans. It is also very clear that the Upyre race influenced the culture of Sumer and the evolution of the arts that would become necromancy. The difference between shape-changing and masking skills is that shapeshifting changes the body on some level of the individual while masking affects the perceptions of those other than the one using those arts. All of the abilities of Pretenders are meant to allow such beings to get what they need to live in a world that they are not native to. All of this points out that the seeming rivalry between the races is based on a fight over prey in some cases and in other cases built in fear of not being the only nonhuman race. Every race, human and nonhuman, has its advantages and its weaknesses.