List of Eifel's Races

Warning: Some material in this page deals with mating rituals and procreation in explicit detail. Caution is advised when veiwing the material presented here.

=Basic Races=

(Eiflan) Eiflan
The most commonly seen race of Eifel, Eiflans are also the newest of the races, having appeared after all other races, and purported to have been sired by the now extinct Alfs. They are extremely versatile people, who can take any class and excell at it with effort and determination. While they are not as adept at magic as the Fey or Undines, they have a talent all their own, being the only living race capable of summoning.

Physical Description: Eiflans have short, somewhat triangular ears. Their skin varys widely, from dark chocolate brown to very pale peach and many shades in between. Eyes can be brown, black, green, blue, grey, hazel, aqua, and even violet. Their hair color is just as varied, and can be even moreso. It can be black, brown, red, blond, even pink, blue, purple and silver. White remains a rare color in Eiflans however. Their clothing seems to have something to do with their profession. With scientific workers dressed in more high-tech looking clothing than their magic-wielding counterparts. Eiflans come in many shapes and sizes ranging from 4'5 to 6'4 at the tallest. Their body structure seems to be just as varied and diverse, with some being shorter and wider and others being more slim or lithe. Eiflans have an average lifespan of 115 - 135 years, they are the shortest lived of the races of Eifel, but for the most part they don't seem to mind.

Region seems to have a lot to do with skin tone, and those living in and around the Melva Desert and Lake Ceria are often darker in skin coloration than those living in Levant and Esmyr. Liyaan and Basque, being port towns and heavy trade locations, have peoples of all races and colors living and working within their city walls.

Outlook: Mostly hardworking, friendly people. Eiflans can at times be highly supersitious, and it can lead to some decidedly silly assumptions. They get along however, and try to make their way through the world as best they can.

Characters: Eiflan characters can take any class, but a small percentage of them are born with the ability to summon. (there should be a percentile roll to see if the Eiflan only has the spark, and needs an artifact and incantation, or if they are a natural born Summoner.)

History: Because of the mysterious and muddled history regarding the Alfs, the Eiflans, who arrived around the time that the Alfs were beginning to fade from the landscape of EIfel, also have a somewhat muddled past. They aren't sure for instance, when the first Eiflan was seen in Eifel, or how they came to outnumber the Alfs and assume the status of being the most populous of all Eifel's races. It does seem though, that they first appeared in the northern continent, which would later be known as the Kingdom of Virdeen. From there they spread all over Eifel, and learned the ways of the Goddess from the other races, and began to establish themselves in the world. As the Eiflans grew and changed over thousands of years, they began to adjust to the different environments that they had migrated to. Some adapted darker skin tones and some grew lighter, they learned about many things in the world and became swordsmen and archers. Some of them were born with magic, and learned to become mages. A small percentage were even born with the talent of Summoning, and it's supposed that the last few Alfs taught them how to create and use summoning artifacts.

Society: Eiflan society varies depending on what part of Eifel they are living in. In Virdeen, the country is run by a Monarchy, but in Esmyr it is run by a President and cabinent members, who are elected every 6 years and can serve up to 3 terms in office (provided they continue to do a good job and are re-elected). Melva is run by a Parlimental counsil of Elders, and even on a smaller scale, many of the towns and provinces in Melva and Virdeen have local governing authorities, usually their own smaller counsils or a town Mayor. Orphanages care for wayward children, churches and cathedrals care for the sick and help the homeless and downtrodden. In the larger cities, schools teach the young how to read and write, and depending on their talents, a variety of marital abilities ranging from basic spell casting to swordsmanship and archery. While these schools were established by Eiflans, they are certainly not the only students who attend, nor the only staff who works there.

In the country though, many Eiflans are both hard working and studiously traditional. This means that while a farm boy may dream of becoming an adventurer, there's a good chance his/her parents plan for them to stay at home, get married, and eventually take over the farm/other family business after the parents have retired. There is also a problem that schooling in the city can be more expensive than what traditional Eiflan farmers can afford. There is an alternative however. Sometimes a family who wants to give their child the life they dream of will try to bargain with a traveling swordsman or mage to have their child taken on as an apprentice, and the trade they desire may be learned in this way as well.

Language: Eiflans speak the Eiflan language. It is a language that has spread to most of the other races of Eifel, even if it is not their first language.

Naming: Most Eiflans have at least a First and Last name. They may or may not have a middle name. They are named at birth, though sometimes a middle name is not given until the child's first birthday, when an important family member or close friend will impart the middle name upon the child. Here are some examples of Eiflan names:

Male: Thomas, Lucian, Andrew, Micheal, Nathan, Tyler, William, Jonathan, Owen, Darius, Lysander, Xerxes, Charles, Gavin, Landon, Kyrell

Female: Leander, Zoe, Amanda, Alice, Samantha, Cleo, Wynne, Wilfre, Lily, Victoria, Kylee, Delmara, Daylinn, Lyrre, Lenne, Zella

Magic and Lore: As mentioned earlier, many Eiflans are born with innate magical talent, and are trained from an early age to become mages or priests. A much smaller percentage are born with the ability to Summon, and can be trained as Summoners. Magical talent, and the nature of such a talent, is usually discovered by the use of a divination spell on a child when they are about half a year old. If for some reason the child does not have such a test performed, then it will usually make itself known later on in life, when the child is older and able to manifest their powers more willfully. Will Summoning however, there's a chance that such a talent will never be discovered if no divination is used, unless they are part of the very small fraction of the Summoning gifted who are born with strange eyes and the ability to summon without an artifact or incantation.

Eiflan mages employ their magical gift in a variety of ways, including using magic to light street lamps, enhance armor, and even help with farming, cooking, and cleaning. Priests and Priestess' travel from town to town, healing the sick and providing aide wherever they can, and many larger towns and cities have special enchantments that ward away most monsters. Their magic, while strong, is not on the same level as Fey and Boreal Psionics however, and there are some things they have yet to achieve, such as hiding an entire city or changing their bodies into different shapes.

Relations with Other Races: Eiflans get on well with most other races, Boreal not withstanding (Though there may be a mild tollerance for the Succubus Caste, for obvious reasons). Their two largest cities, Basque and Liyaan, are cultural mechas where all races live and work, and they trade goods for many things from other races such as Maruke swords, Clu'ai jewelry, and clothes made from Leveret woven silk. Because they can be superstitios people however, they tend to have very bad relations with Boreal Halflings. While this isn't entirely without reason, it often times does seem to be a case of "guilt by association".

Because of the nature of Nyn society, relations between Eiflans and Nyn can be strained at times. Especially if the Eiflan doing the interacting isn't one that is wealthy enough to afford the Nyn races particular services. There is also the barrier that Eiflans are usually raised to believe that killing another sentient being for any reason is wrong, let alone for ingots. The Nyn seem to have a completely different veiw on death and killing however, and this can make for some unpleasant situations.

Equipment: Eiflan equipment almost always depends on what the job and lifestyle of the Eiflan in question. While a simple farming Eiflan might carry nothing so dangerous as a pitchfork, adventuring Eiflans like Swordsmen or Dragoons will be equipped with armor appropriate to their needs and weapons such as longswords, great swords, spears and halberds. Mages, Priests, and Summoners each have a set of artifacts that they equip on their hands, which combined with verbal and semantic components enable them to cast spells and summon legendary beasts to aide them in battle. Special robes with enchantments woven into them are the armor of these classes. Scientists and Machinists are another matter entirely. With chemical weaponry such as acid bottles, liquid nitrogen, and weapons like crystal powered lazer pistols, they can be a force unto themselves. The cloth they use for their clothes are chemically enhanced as well, and works as good as leather armor or even chainmail if the Scientist is partiularly skilled.

Animals and Pets: Eiflans use many animals in their daily lives. They have Kartiijans for mounts, Leather Wings as a form of air transportation, Karkadans which are raised for meat and milk, and Madaercs, which are used in a manner similar to poultry. For pets they have many different breeds of Cats and Griffons, and some of the more wealthy have exotic pets such as Pomku's, and Kobolds. A few may even have aquariums with glittering blue water scarabs on display. Momo's are another rather exotic pet that many socialites enjoy having, due to their soft coats and placid personalities.

(Eiflan)Nyn
A cat-like race who are naturally adept at stealth and agility. They live in Forests, their cities built in the upper canopy of the trees, and the majority of the Ninja clans are made up of Nyn; causing many Eiflans to speculate at the possible origin of the word 'Ninja'. They are aloof and secretive but not necessarily malicious except to their sworn enemies, the Marukes. They seem to be closely related to Earth's housecats, and come with a wide range of fur lengths, colors, and patterns. There are three sub-races of Nyn; Tailed Nyn, Lionyn, and Manx Nyn. Nyn have a lifespan of 380 - 400 years, shorter than the Maruke, but longer than the average Eiflan.

Physical Description: As their names suggest, Tailed Nyn have the average long cat tails and are the most numerous of the Nyn, Lionyn have Lion-like tails with tufts of fur at the ends of them, this trait is a sign of nobility amongst the Nyn and nearly all of them are Village Leaders, Nobles, or other members of Nyn high society. The Manx Nyn are slightly rarer than Tailed Nyn, but more numerous than Lionyn, and they have either no tail, or a tail so short that it is unnoticeable when they are fully clothed. Nyn are taller than Eiflans, but not as tall as Marukes, their females are generally between 5'6 and 5'9, and males stand between 5'10 and 6'6. Both the males and females of this race are amazingly slender and flexible due to their feline heritage.

Outlook: When not conducting business, Nyn can be very aloof and stoic. They seem to behave in a manner suggesting social superiority, but it is more likely that most of them are just uncomfortable socializing outside of their clans. Often times their worldview diverges dramatically from that of other races, and it can get them into trouble. So it seems they've decided it's better to seem distant than to invite unwanted arguments and violence. This is true of most Clan dwelling Nyn. Nyn that have been raised among or have spent a good deal of time with other races outside of the Nyn cities tend to be far more relaxed and amiable, possibly because their upbringing was much different than the average clan-born Nyn. In any situation, most Nyn will not be the instigators of a fight unless they have been paid to do so.

Characters: Nyn characters are comfortable with killing, particularly if they are going to be paid for it. However they have little to no propensity for magic, and the mages that have come from this race can likely be counted on one hand. Nyn Priests are almost guaranteed to have been raised outside of the Clans, though there is always the exception to the rule. In dire straights, they can turn to thievery. Swordsmanship and Dragoonhood are unlikely, and Holy Knights are all but unheard of. However their skill with powders and other compounds makes them good candidates for Scientists. They do not enjoy Guns and are indifferent to Bows. The Nyn's favored classes are Ninja and Bounty Hunter for obvious reasons.

History: According to the Nyn records, the Nyn were the second race to appear in Eifel (after the Alfs). The ancient Nyn learned the ways of the land, and became skilled at hiding and stalking. The skills they learned hunting animals for food would grow to serve them well as other races' well to do came to rely on them for the disposal of their enemies. Over the years, it's possible (though as yet unproven) that Nyn have been behind the deaths of despots, political rivals, corrupt Kings and Military commanders. The details of their own history are a closely guarded secret, but a few things are known about them.

There were first 3 clans, formed by the Nyn who landed in many different locations when they fell from the tree in the first age of Eifel. The three clans, Tailed, Manx, and Lionyn warred for a long time, until they were brought together under the First Lionyn Emperor. The Emperor spread the Nyn to all corners of Eifel, where they established other branches of the Nyn nation.

Society: Big Families are common for Nyn, and clans often consist of many brothers and sisters from the same litter. Litters consist of 3 - 5 kittens, They are born more developed than Ma'neko Fey, but are still premature compared to Eiflan infants. In Halflings, twins and even triplets are not uncommon for this race. Nyn are raised from an early age to fight. They go through rites of passage at various stages of their life, including their first kill, and instruction in creative uses of poisons and powders, including gunpowder. When they are still in training, young Clan Nyn will be given "Practice Jobs". These usually entail a member of the community hiring the young Nyn to perform some task for then that involves slaying one or more animals, they can be domestic animals that need to be killed for the night's meal, some small group of low level monsters, or some pest that's been harassing the "practice client" in some way. When the practice job is complete, the Nyn Kit will receive a small monetary reward, just as they would with an official client. This is just one of the ways that Nyn are desensitized to both killing and death in general from an early age.

Nyn who, for whatever reason, are found to be unsuitable for the tasks of being hired out for assassinations, are given jobs within the city walls. Tending to crops, running shops and restaurants, and marrying and siring/bearing children. If they have a particularly peaceful turn of mind, they can even become Priests and Priestess', though they will always be estranged from the clergy outside of the clans, because of their tolerant view of the Clan's activities and lifestyle.

Nyn live in various secretive "clans" all throughout Eifel. Each Clan is ruled by a council of Elders, but the Nyn Nation as a whole is ruled by the High Council and above them, the Emperor and his Wife. It is a Patriarchal ruling, with the leadership passing down each generation to the first born son of the Emperor. In addition to his Wife, the Emperor has a dozen or so Concubines that are at his beck and call. If he wishes, he can reassign some of them to his sons, and so free up slots to acquire new ones (Particularly useful if the Emperor has grown bored). The relationships of the Elders are unknown, but since they can be male or female, it's also assumed they can also be married and have families, which most likely make up the nobles class of Nyn society. Other than the Emperors relationships, little is known about the Nyn clans, particularly when it comes to their training in the deadly arts of contract killing. The information that is available, was made so through ambassadorial visits to the hidden city in the Jungle.

Language: Nyn's first language is Nynnesh. It is a very cat-like language of mewing vocalizations that are very diverse. Also playing into their language are body postures, facial expressions, and ear and whisker positions. Aside from the mewing sound of the language, it seems to have interchangeable L's and R's, the two sounds being nearly identical in Nynnesh. When pleased, they have also been known to purr, though it's rare for them to be comfortable enough outside of their own homes and clans to permit this kind of vocalization.

Naming: Nyn first names can have up to 3 parts, and sometimes run right into their surnames. Names like Kou Set Tsu are fairly common among the Nyn. When translating their names into Eiflan, their tongues have trouble with pronunciations, and as a result sometimes the L and R sounds in a name can be reversed. Nyn name their kits when they first open their eyes, at around 1 1/2 weeks of age. Here are some examples of first names for Nyn:

Male: Chen, Heng, Jiang, Lan, Mu, Qiu, Ru, Shou, Akamu, Keoni, Hachirou, Isamu, Rikuto, Seto, Yasu, Yuuto

Female: Bao, Fuu, Jun, Li, Mei, Shi, Wei, Zhen, Konani, Maleiko, Kaoru, Saki, Yua, Ume, Satomi, Rio

Magic and Lore: Nyn in general do not practice magic. A very low rate of magicians and priests come from this race. So low in fact that people are often startled to discover that the Nyn they are speaking with is a mage or a priest. Instead they work with different powders and mixtures to create effects that mimic magic but are in fact just tricks designed to confuse and distract.

Relations with Other Races: Nyn are comfortable with most races, and even the Boreal can be tolerated so long as they are not attacking the Nyn. However they have had a long running and mutual animosity toward the Maruke race. It's been going for so long that most people believe that the Nyn and Maruke don't even know what began the conflict anymore. One of the main arguing points between these two races is which one of them arrived in Eifel first.

Equipment: A Nyn’s equipment tends to include many small objects that are easily hidden on their person. If the Nyn is an assassin these will usually include various powders and liquid vials used for either attack or a swift escape.

Animals and Pets: They don't keep many farm animals, so much of their meat is either traded from other races or cured so that it can be stored for long periods of time. They keep gryphons that they use for the sport of 'Gryphonry', in which they send out the gryphon to hunt small game in jungles and on lakes. They are also avid gardeners, and some of the upper class Nyn homes include ponds filled with colorful fish that they feed by hand. It's a strange duality, once one realizes that seafood is one of the Nyn's favorite and most prized foods.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Magic Resistance - Because they live in such close proximity to the Fey City in the Labyrinth Jungle, Nyn from that Jungle seem to be partially immune to Fairy Glamour, and have a resistance to the illusion school of Fey/Boreal Psionics. This trait may or may not be common with the Nyn who live outside of this area, in other clans in other parts of Eifel.

(Eiflan)Maruke


A Race of canine-like humanoids who are strong warriors and follow a strict code of honor. They live mostly in the plains and grasslands, though there are some settlements in the harsh and unforgiving mountains. They are skilled swordsmen, trained from a young age in the art of combat and honor. For a Maruke, swordsmanship and archery are both an integral part of everyday life. While there are swordsmen and archers of both genders, the usual training focuses on swordplay for males, and marksmanship and arrow making for females. Hunting parties are usually comprised mostly of Archers, with at least 2 Swordsmen on hand to 1) Behead the beast after it's downed, and 2) assist with any Monster encounters that may occur.

Physical Description: Most of them are wolf like in appearance, with grey fur and a thick mane, and bright, piercing blue or gold eyes. A few of them possess more dog-like features however, and coat lengths colors and patterns vary nearly as widely as the Nyn. As a general rule; the Maruke who live in large Eiflan cities will look more Dog-like, while the ones from the older established Packs and the Capital of Menaan appear more wolf-like. It's possible that these are in fact a sub race of the Marukes, just as the Nyn have Tailed, Manx, and Lionyn.

Marukes are the second largest race in Eifel, with females standing between 5'10 and 6'9, and males between 6'0 and 7'0. Males are muscular and thick bodied; females are more slender and flexible. Maruke are a long-lived race, with a lifespan between 480 - 500 years. Maruke generally dress in traditional/feudal style clothing, kimonos, samurai-style armor, and wield katanas and other more traditional weapons.

Outlook: Maruke are a generally serious group. They are raised to put family and honor above most everything else. In confrontational situations they will attempt diplomacy first. However if they feel they have been dishonored they will quickly resort to combat to resolve the issue.

Characters: In combat Maruke characters should use their keen sense of smell and hearing to seek out hidden opponents. Their favored class is Swordsman however there are also a substantial number of Archers in the ranks of the Maruke. Family is extremely important to them, but so is life experience; so Venturing out into the world during youth is acceptable with the understanding that one day the Maruke cub will settle down to raise pups of their own (in the case of same-sex mates; they will be expected to adopt an orphaned litter to raise).

History: According to the oral traditions of the Maruke tell that they were the first race to fall from the Great Tree Asherah after the Alfs appeared in the world. They were taught the way of the sword by the first Maruke of the Blade; Volundr. Some time after Volundr disappeared relations with the Nyn broke down. While it is unclear how it came about, the Maruke have a blood feud with the Nyn, with both parties fully prepared to fight and in some cases even kill the other on sight. This animosity has persisted for centuries and Eiflans speculate that neither party may remember why they began to war against each other in the first place.

Society: Amazingly similar to the Nyn, the Maruke are led by a council of Elders that presides over each village. Maruke that have been raised in these villages, and especially in the Capital of Menaan, carry their customs with them no matter where their travels take them. The Maruke who live in their own settlements, and the Maruke of Menaan in particular, pride themselves on being almost entirely self sufficient. They hunt their own food, build their own houses, and do all their own weaving and other crafts. They require a minimal amount of vegetation to survive, because their biology is built almost exclusively for processing meat. Because of the way they are raised, they tend to frown on the use of most higher technology, and firearms in particular. The feud between the archers and the gunners can be extremely deadly where Maruke archers are concerned.

Maruke have on average 1 - 2 pups, sometimes 3. Multiple births are less common in Maruke Halflings than they are in Nyn Halflings. Maruke marry and remain faithful to one partner throughout their lives. Families, particularly ones who are on the council of Elders, will sometimes arrange marriages to unite tribes and form political unions. However most Marukes find their mates by scent. It's said that for each Maruke, there is one person who's scent they cannot ignore. A person that they will always be attracted to, no matter what happens. And sometimes even to the point that should that person die, their own will to live is also severely impaired, if not outright destroyed. If this happens, it is possible for the Maruke to find another mate, but the longer it takes, the less chance there is that the Maruke will survive.

Language: The Maruke, like the Nyn, have a language that is as much physical as vocal. Aside from barks, growls, and whimpers, Maruke also communicate through ear position, body stance, and even the lay of their fur. Many of them learn to speak Eiflan, not only for journeying to the larger cities, but also because it is very hard for Eiflans to master the Maruke language, and so their attempts to communicate that way almost always come up garbled and incomprehensible. Maruke who speak Eiflan usually have an accent similar to Russian, due to the gruff nature of their natural language.

Naming: Maruke have a rough language, and their names follow the same trends. Cubs are named when their eyes open, about 1 1/2 weeks after they're born. Maruke have a First name and a Surname, and depending on what they do in their lives, they can also be granted a title by their village Elders, this is uaually only when they have become quite old and distinguished however. When translating names into Eiflan, Maruke pronounce the "J" sound as a "Y", and the "Y" as an "I". So Anja would be "An-ya", and Ylsa "Ilsa". Here are some examples of Maruke first names for males and females:

Male: Vold, Ulvaar, Agata, Aleksandr, Arkadi, Daniil, Lark, Nadezhda, Bertil, Brynjarr, Cai, Dagmaar, Einarr, Osvald, Pal, Vaarg

Female: Agafya, Aleksei, Arnika, Desya, Esfir, Inna, Lyosha, Britta, Camilla, Ebbe, Gunhildr, Kettil, Pia, Ylva, Vaanja, Sverre

Magic and Lore: Maruke are an exceedingly grounded and earthy race. Most Maruke do not have magical talent nor do they give such abilities much consideration. They do however have a strong oral tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds if not thousands of years. Their legends claim that they were first among Eifels races to arrive from the fruit of the Great Tree Asherah.

Relations with other Races: While they seem aloof and often cold the Maruke have enjoyed good relations and excellent trade with the Clu’ai. They share what the races call “the smithers bond”. They are fairly amiable toward most other races however there are a few exceptions. The lesser of these being the Traversi; who do not generally enjoy good relations with many races. A severe enmity exists though between the Maruke and the Nyn. They have never had good relations and there seems to be a natural distrust for each other.

Maruke are also extremely loyal. It's said that once you have gained the trust of a Maruke, you become part of his or her familial 'pack', and they will defend you to the bitter end if need be.

Equipment: A Marukes weapon is of great importance to them. Most Maruke have a set of swords that are passed down from their ancestors. If a family is large though many of them will commission the forging of a new set of blades to add to the ancestral armory. There are many other items that are passed down from one generation to the next however among the more important items are the wedding Kimono worn by the Bride and Groom. These special garments are separated and exchanged over generations as the Groom and Brides family each contributes one garment for the occasion.

Animals and Pets: Often times a Maruke will become attached to their Bai’sun mount. And while they will often regard their weapons as companions they do not have many domesticated animals beyond those used for food and labor. The one pet they do seem to indulge in is the raising and training of Kobolds; most likely because they resemble little Marukes themselves with the additional benefit of perpetual pup-like love and behavior.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Information regarding Maruke Halflings can be found in the racial entry for Halflings.

(Eiflan)Leveret
One of the smallest Eiflan races; Leverets are swift runners and strong fighters who are credited with the invention and perfection of unarmed combat. Living in harmony with the land, these tribal nomads are strict vegetarians, their digestive systems being incapable of processing meat.

Physical Description: Barring some Fey and Boreal Castes, the Leverets are the shortest race in Eifel, not getting to be more than 4'0 for males and 3'8 for females - this is at the head, not the ears.

Aside from their short stature, Leveret females tend to be shapely and rotund, while the males can be portly or slim. Underneath their soft and often fluffy exterior though they are well muscled, the result of living without the aid of the Eiflans modern conveniences. Leverets can have human like hair on their heads, or they can simply have a layer of fur like that which covers the rest of their bodies. They come in many colors, from brown to white, black to grey, and even spotted or "tipped". Tipped is a coloring similar to Siamese cats, where the ears and paws are a different color than the main body. Their eyes can be black, brown, blue, and in rare instances, pink/light red (This is nearly always accompanied by an entirely or almost entirely white body, and such Leverets are considered blessed by Enlyl, and are a symbol of hope and faith for their entire race). They have six whiskers, three on each cheek, and females have a slightly longer tail, but with a more pronounced curl to it, making it appear much fluffier than a males. There are two kinds of Leverets; the "Pointed" Leverets live on the grassy plains and occasionally are found in small groups roaming the desert. They have straight ears which usually point towards the back of their heads. "Lop" Leverets live in deep forests and high mountains, and their ears hang down loosely, flopping around either across their shoulders or behind their heads. With either the Pointed or Lop varieties, the fur lining the Leveret's ears grows quite long where the ears meet the head, and in the case of Leverets with Eiflan-like hair, it will often blend and mingle with the other hair, sometimes making it seem as though their hair has white streaks in it. Even without Eiflan like hair, Leverets will commonly braid the long hair, tying it with embroidered or beaded ties. This hair can often change color from white at the base (near the ears) to red, brown, blonde, or black towards the ends.

Leverets wear hand woven clothes made from silk they harvest from insects they tend themselves, and from cotton which they grow. They work softer metals and stone and wood into tools and jewelry, and are excellent bead crafters. Male Leverets are often seen sporting tattoos colored with ink made from various plants, berries, or other natural colorings. They have never been known to wear shoes, for this hampers their senses.

Outlook: Leverets have a very close relationship with the land they live in and the animals and plants that are a part of their every day life. Ones living in the city will often make efforts to keep a garden of some sort in or near their homes. Because they do not eat animal products they often try to be as non-intrusive as possible wherever they go.

For a Leveret a large family is a happy family. And those who find themselves lacking in siblings will often adopt many friends to compensate for the small blood relations. This is also true of Leverets who’ve lost their family for one reason or another.

Characters: Leverets are innately able to detect things by sensing the vibration of the ground. Their ears are also highly tuned and they have better hearing than most any other race in Eifel. Despite their small stature they have very powerful legs. Their favored class is Pugilist.

History: The Leverets have lived most of their lives on plains or in forests. Once in ancient times they lived near Melva as well. Archeologists have discovered images of them in the Melva Ruins which depict the area has having once been lush and green like Esmyr. Since the land was transformed into a desert however their territories shifted and now they are most often found near Ceria, Basque, and most commonly out on the Esmyr grasslands.

The Leverets are the Origins of unarmed combat in Eifel, focusing entirely on self defense rather than attack. They developed ways to combat and disarm opponents using their amazing speed and reflexes. They brought their knowledge to the Monks of the Sacred Forest and taught them the techniques that would from then on be honed and passed down through the centuries to new acolytes.

Society: Leveret Society is like one large interconnected family. The tribes of Leverets are governed by a Chief and/or Chiefess. This person keeps in contact with each of the other Tribal Leaders. They have warrens all across the plains of Esmyr and travel between them regularly following herds of Karkadan as they migrate. As tenders of the Herds Leverets collect fur for clothing and den lining, however they cannot process meat and other animal products and instead use plants in all their cooking.

On the whole, the tribes live in small underground colonies collectively referred to as "Burrow". They work in two groups, the tenders and the gatherers. And the members of these groups rotate regularly. The Gatherers go out onto the Grasslands and follow the herds, collecting hair and other things used in daily life. The tenders care for the pups, and tend the vegetable crops.

Leverets have an average lifespan of 138 - 145 years, however, they breed prolifically, and twins and triplets are not uncommon for this race. They often decorate their heads with hand made bandanas and Feathers that they have either found or plucked from birds.

Language: Leveret language is almost entirely non-verbal. Consisting of ear position, body posture, whisker motion and most importantly; foot vibrations. They can call out danger or send messages over long distances by striking the ground with their feet in the right way. Leverets who leave the Warren to live among other Eiflans will usually attempt to learn basic Eiflan to communicate. But even then they will gain most of their information by reading a persons unconscious signals and body language.

Naming: Leveret names are often images rather than words. They are carved into their staffs and painted on the warren walls. A verbal pronunciation of the names are given mostly for the sake of convenience when communicating with other races. While Leveret names are technically gender neutral, some names are used for males more often than females and vice versa.

Male: Abahy(Lives in the woods), Ahote(Restless one), Bimisi(Slippery), Chaska(First Born), Dichali(Squeaks a Lot), Tse(Rock), Viho(Chief), Wohehiv(Dull Knife), Yas(Snow), Yiska(The Night has Passed)

Female: Abeque(stays at home), Aiyana(Eternal Blossom), Bly(Tall), Magena(Moon), Olathe(Beautiful), Shuman(Snake Handler), Tiva(Dance), Wenona(First Born; Feminine), Winema(Chief), Zihna(Spins)

Magic and Lore: Leverets do have some Mages born to them. Generally when this happens they have either Air or Wood affinity. Most likely because of their close connection to nature. And because their main homelands; The Esmyr Grasslands and the Forests of Ceria, are the favored homelands of Silphyd the Wind Wyrm and Verzy the Spirit of the Seasons. On rare occasions though a Leveret mage will be born with Terra Affinity, usually if the birth is in the mountains where Gaia the Great Wyrm frequents. Leverets will often use their spells for agriculture and farming rather than attending the Mage Academy to become professional Mages.

Relations with Other Races: Leverets tend to have peaceful relations with most races. However this is not the same as having good relations. While they try to be non-intrusive when dealing with other races their strictly vegetarian diet means that they have a different worldview than other races. Simply put; they have trouble understanding other races need or desire for meat and other animal products. This can make them seem abrasive toward other races though not confrontational.

Equipment: Each Leveret has a ceremonial staff which they carry throughout their lives. They are given the staff when they are old enough to walk, and it is engraved from that point onward with markings to commemorate each major event in the Leverets life. Usually this begins with the recording of the ceremony bestowing the staff unto the young Leveret, but in some cases’ particularly in the case of Chiefs and Chiefess', they may start engraving from the time of their marriage, or the beginning of the pregnancy.

Animals and Pets: While they follow the wild herds of Karkadan across the plains Leverets claim no ownership of these creatures and only brush and collect the fur, tail hairs, and shed horns of the beasts. The animals they do keep are small groups of Alicorn, a diminutive single horned relative of the Bai’sun. Since Leverets move fastest on their own feet these animals are used as beasts of burden rather than mounts, The Alicorns help with tilling the soil for vegetable growing and they carry the hand woven bushels with the harvested crops and other supplies. Apart from this; Leverets will occasionally keep a few birds to harvest their feathers to line their Burrows with or decorate their clothes and hair.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Increased Movement - Leverets are powerful jumpers and aside from the mystical Fey and Boreal races, they are unmatched for speed on land.

Motion Sickness - Being creatures of the land though, they can be uncomfortable in Sea or Air Ships and are prone to motion sickness.

Vegan Biology – Leverets are pure vegetarians and cannot process most animal derived products beyond simple milk (which they often replace with milk derived from plants in adulthood).

Unarmed Proficiency - Because they are vegetarians, they do not construct weapons, instead defending themselves with powerful punches and kicks which their small build belies. It is rumored that the Monks of the Sacred Forest originally learned their techniques from the Leverets

(Eiflan)Clu'ai
The Largest Eiflan race, being nearly 9 feet tall, these people live most of their lives partially or entirely submerged in water. Their homes are like wide, rounded mounds of reeds and grasses, forming odd looking "hills" throughout the Great Marshland on the continent of Esmyr.

Physical Description: They are a heavy set race, with thick, smooth and water resistant hides that can be a viarity of bright or pastel colors such as blue, pink, green, and yellow. They also tend to have accents of a second color on their necks and sometimes their cheeks as well as being known to show color markings on their bodies such as dapple spotting or bars. They do not have body hair, but both sexes can have koi-like whiskers on the corners of their mouths. Males whiskers tend to be much longer and more noticeable than females. They have no external ears, however they do have frills on the sides of their heads, much like an axolotl salamander's. These are often a lighter shade of their natural skin tone, but can be secondary colors or even a fade between the two. Their legs are powerful, and end in somewhat short, Hippo-like feet designed for their semi-aquatic lifestyle. Their snouts have small nose slits and their eyes are black.

Outlook: The simplest description would be “Work hard; Play harder”. The Clu’ai try to derive joy and satisfaction from every task they set about doing. They laugh loud and fight hard and craft metal with supreme excellence. When a member of their race passes they hold a great feast to celebrate the memory of their lost friend/family member. The Clu’ai believe that their metalworking is skillful because they enjoy their work so much.

Characters: While traveling abroad, Clu'ai will don clothing so as not to upset the cultures they are visiting, but in their own villages they prefer to be nude, as clothes often hinder their ability to move easily through the murky waters of the Marshland. The clothing they do wear, is either specially tailored for them by Leverets (who trade with them for water vegetation as it is a delicacy), or is woven of coarse plant fibers and it used only when trading with other races.

Because they spend so much time smithing the Clu’ai’s favored class is Specialist; Hammers.

History: Ages ago when the Clu’ai first arrived in Eifel there was nothing but the Marshlands and them. They spent a great deal of time living only in the marshes, with no huts or metal workings. Only when they were visited by Shamsel; Dragon of Fire did they begin to shape their own homes. With the help of Volundr the First Maruke of the Blade Shamsel taught them how to heat metals they found deep under the sands of the marsh (and later; metals they would acquire from other races) and forge them into jewelry, tools, weapons and armor. Volundr introduced them to their neighbors in the Grasslands; the Leverets, and they opened up trade between each other for Clothing and Vegetables.

As their world expanded, the Clu’ai found other people to trade with. Some admiring their abilities to craft fine jewelry and tools, others seeking weapons of the highest quality. Their way in the world was made, however most Clu’ai continue to remain in the marshland. Having the reputation that brings travelers from all across the world enables them the comfort of being able to stay where they are most comfortable.

Society: Clu'ai love to work metal, and make fine jewelry, tools, and weapons. One of the most reliable ways of finding the Marshland is to look for a plume of smoke coming from a Clu'ai smithers hut. The entrance to the huts themselves is under water, and the Clu'ai, who are capable of holding their breath for astounding lengths of time, duck under the water and then walk along the bottom, pushing off and floating up into the entrance once they are below it. Like the Leverets, they are vegetarians, and their diet consists almost entirely of plants, roots, tubers, and fruits the grow in the vast Marshland, prepared in a variety of ways.

Each village is run by a Chieftain, or Chiefess, who may have up to 2 spouses. They average one calf per family, unless it's a Chieftain with two wives or a Chiefess with a wife and a husband. Twins are rare, and triplets all but unheard of.

Clu'ai Halflings tend to be heavier set than average Eiflans. Partially because of their Clu'ai parent, but also because to the Clu'ai, big is beautiful, and so when they fall for someone from another race they will almost without fail be someone who is what the average Eiflan would consider "Overweight". Because of their Clu'ai parent though these halflings are also very tall usually, and have a greater lung capacity than the average Eiflan. Their skin retains some of the toughness of the Clu'ai parent as well, and they can have some unusual skin tones or even secondary colored spots. They can have the hair of their eiflan parents, or be bald, and usually they will take after their Clu'ai parent, with small frills located where their ears would be. Other features seem to follow the Eiflan norms, but many times their noses seem to be almost flat against their faces. Eyes seem to be on a case by case basis.

Clu'ai halflings often have sensitivity to dry climates, and require more frequent moisturizing of their skin than many other halfling types.

Language: Clu’ai language is flowing with a beautiful sound that incorporates the “L” sounds heavily. Like many Eiflan races they have a second component to their language however theirs is not one of body or facial expressions but rather one of a tone so low that most Eiflans cannot hear it above water. Instead they feel the vibrations traveling through the air. This aspect of their language is used mostly for sending messages over long distances such as to the Leverets in the plains (who can hear the vibrations in the ground with their feet).

Naming: Clu’ai names are meaningful in the same way that Leveret names are, though their languages are different. Similarly; the Clu’ai’s names are also Gender Neutral, with some seeing more use with one gender than the other. Here are some examples of Clu’ai names:

Male: Akamu(Red Earth), Alapai(Counselor/Advisor), Edega(Wealthy), Ezera(Help), Kai(The Sea), Kaimi(The Seeker), Kanoa(The Free One), Konane(Bright), Makani(Wind), Mano(The Shark)

Female: Halia (to honor a loved one), Kailani(Sea and Sky), Leia(Child of Heaven), Luana(Content), Malia (a Clu’ai translation of the Eiflan name Mary), Maylea(Wildflower), Nani(Beauty and Splendor), Noe(Misty Rain), Ola(Well Being), Olina(Joyous)

Magic and Lore: While most Clu’ai do not become mages there are still many who are born with magical talent. Rather than learn traditional mage spells however they use their abilities to infuse weapons and other objects with magical properties. Because of their dual lifestyle the Dragons Shamsel and Ramiel are dear to them and they will often hold glorious Feasts to honor the Fire and Water Dragons. These Luau’s are filled with good food and dances both above and below the briny waters of their Marshland homes.

Relations with other Races: Clu’ai enjoy good relations with most all of the races of Eifel because their skills make them desired trade partners. In addition; their Jovial and easy going personalities allow them to make friends easily wherever they go (and people love to hug them).

Equipment: Most Clu’ai carry nothing on their person more than clothing and in the case of Smiths their trusty hammer. If the Clu’ai is a merchant they may carry a large leather bag filled with goods for sale, or food rations for long journeys away from the Marshlands. For those who make a lot of items for smaller eiflan races, there are special tools that have been developed such as gloves with fine points that allow them to do delicate work on a smaller scale than their larger hands would normally allow.

Animals and Pets: A favorite among Clu’ai is the raising and training of large herbivorous creatures that resemble Platypus. The animals combine facets of both the eggs of smaller animals and the milk providing capabilities of Karkadans. Because of their slow rate of growth these creatures are first house pet and later livestock.

Abilities and Racial features:

Lung capacity – Clu’ai are semi-aquatic and have the capacity to hold their breath for great lengths of time. This ability also allows them to jog for long distances without becoming short of breath despite their bulky appearance.

Dehydration – Because of their living conditions the Clu'ai's skin can dry out easily if not moisturized regularly.

(Eiflan)Aves
These raptoroids live out at sea on a collection of flat-topped stone spires. The spires are interspersed with fresh water lakes fed by springs bubbling up from the planets interior. Their homes are adobe style constructs made from mud and clay.

There is very little agriculture there, and they subsist mostly on fish & other sea life including sea bobbers, the aquatic plant related to Honey pods. The Aves hunt in teams of four, carrying a net that they then lower into the water to scoop up large quantities of fish. Aves colonies are small and close together prompting speculation that the race may be vanishing in a manner similar to the Alfs and Merfolk of ancient times. However, rumors persist of a hidden, second group of colonies located somewhere in the mysterious frozen south. These are said to be all white, with grey and black flecks that make them nearly invisible in the snow and rocks of the Frozen lands.

Physical Description: Aves are covered from head to forelegs in soft feathers. They can come in many different patterns and styles, but colors are almost always brown, grey, black, rust, tan, or various mixtures thereof. Rarer colors include white and cream. They lack external ears, though their hearing is excellent. Some have feather "horns" which protrude from the tops of their heads, sticking out of their hair (commonly seen in males). Hair color follows the same trends as feathers, though young Aves rarely display gray or white hair. Older Aves can lose their hair and even their feather coat around their heads and necks, giving them a vulture-like appearance. They have sharp beaks that are black or gold, sometimes gold with black tips. Their facial features mostly resemble owls as they have more flattened and forward facing features. They also have vivid and expressive eyes that can be gold, silver, or bright blue and they are known to have excellent vision. Their expressive eyes compensate immensely for their lack of lips.

The main physical difference between males and females of this race is that males are quite a bit larger and are a bit more robust than females. Aves have back jointed, clawed feet and legs. They have wings in place of arms with three clawed fingers and an opposable thumb at the 'knuckle' joints where their hands would normally be.

Outlook: They believe that hard work is the only path to fulfillment. Their barren home has given them a somewhat harsh demenor which is only worsened by their fierce looks and sharp beaks and talons. Most Aves who are not in the Colony working as fishers are living in cities and working some other laborious time consuming task. While they don’t cuddle up to strangers quickly they do form strong bonds with just a few people outside of their families.

Characters: Aves abroad are somewhat uncommon though not entirely. They have excellent vision and are renowned marksmen. Because of this their favored class is the Archer. However there are some who prefer the Dragoon class and can be just as deadly accurate with a spear as others are with a Bow and Arrows. Because of their skills on the sea and air in addition to their keen eyesight some Aves become excellent Pirates of either variety.

History: The Aves are a dwindling race. When the world was young they populated many different areas of Eifel and were numerous and strong. Over the centuries though they slowly lost their footholds in most of the world and have since shrunk down to just one known colony out in the ocean where they fish and work and live. While history isn’t clear on how their numbers plumeted so dramatically there seems to be a connection with one little known and yet catastrophic event. The same event is credited as the cause for the current state of the Traversi clans.

Society: Aves live in a seculeded and close-knit society driven by a dedication to hard work and personal sacrifice. They are devoted not only to maintaining their dwindling numbers but also to their mates. When two Aves join together they make a lifelong commitment to each other that can never be broken but by the death of one or both.

When not tending the young; most Aves spend their time out on the ocean catching fish or harvesting sea bobbers and other oceanic plants. They also enjoy a wide range of other seafood including shellfish and muscles. And will eat the eggs of sea birds if and when they find a nest. Because they are covered in feathers, Aves do not view clothing as a necessity and will generally only wear the bare minimum when they travel to the mainland. They are hatched from eggs in clutches of 2-3 and have a lifespan just a bit longer than an Eiflans.

Language: Aves language consists of peeps, hoots, and other noises including a piercing screech that is usually reserved for heated arguments. Their language is augmented by non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and fluffling or flattening of feathers.

One of the most unusual features of the Aves is their vocal cords, which are extremely flexible. Because they have special vocal cords not only do the pick up other languages easily, but they become fluent very quickly and can approximate accents and even individual voices almost flawlessly (though for most this takes years worth of time and effort to master).

Naming: Most Aves names are difficult for other Eiflans to pronounce, being in essense a collection of clicks and whistles. So when they are old enough to depart from Pilar for places unknown they will often be given a second Eiflan name for easier communication. Because of their natural bird like tones though the names become more drawn out vocally than they were. Here are some examples:

Male: Adaam, Braandun, Carrmine, Eddward, Freidrich, Gerraald, Iaann, Jaacobb, Jaasonn, Lukke

Female: Aamaanda, Caarlie, Dennise, Flaaria, Haannah, Jaasminne, Khaari, Laavi, Olivier, Uuna

Magic and Lore: When an Aves is born with magical talent they usually have Wind or Water affinity. However Aves in general are somewhat distrusting of magic so many times a hatchling that displays such talents will be sent across the ocean to the Mage Academy. Untrained magic is considered threatening to the Aves. However once the Aves hatchling has grown and gained significant control of the gift the colony’s attitude will soften and such an individual can be considered for shamanhood in their later years.

Relations with other Races: Aves have a tolerable relationship with most other races because while they are of a serious nature they are also extremely good workers, especially where numbers are involved. Outside of the Pilar Colony seeing Aves working as bankers is not uncommon. And any tasks requiring excellent vision are tasks they tend to excell at. They have especially good relations with the Nyn, who purchase fish from them whenever possible.

Equpiment: Aves have a myriad of tools designed to help them catch and clean the fish that are their primary food source. These include hand made nets, Fishing lines, hooks (often carved from sharks teeth), spears, and even bows and arrows. What clothing they have is ususally stored away for use on trips to the mainland (where such things are customary).

Animals and Pets: The serious nature of the Aves tends to remove the desire for companion animals. And moreso; they do not keep any form of livestock as all their food comes from the sea.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Flight - Aves are the only non-Sidhe race know to possess unaided flight (that is, they do not need an airship or other device). They can maximize their mileage by soaring, which reduces exhaustion.

Increased Speed - Aves are not exceedingly dense or muscled, and their bones are hollow to further reduce their weight. But the muscles they do have are extremely powerful; focused more on increasing speed and reflexes.

Enhanced Vision: Aves have keen vision that allows them to see much farther than most other Eiflans. In addition what they see is also in much greater detail even at their maximum distance from the object.

(Eiflan)Traversi
These nomadic people are a bit taller than Leverets but still very short compared to most other Eiflan races. Once they were a single race but some time in the distant past they were separated and now exist as four different but nevertheless related tribes. They are:

The Sinte: The remnants of the original race. When speaking of the Traversi, the Sinte are the ones that most often come to mind.

The Luri: This branch of the Traversi are proficient magic users, their bloodline purportedly mixed with a fey caste ages ago. They are a jovial sort who’s Fey lineage gives them a strong desire to do good even if through unorthodox means (such as robbing the rich to feed the poor).

The Domari: They are particularly fond of water and most travel along coastlines and on rivers almost exclusively. and love music almost as much as they love swimming and fishing.

The Zott: Just as the Luri claim to have mixed with the Fey, so do the Zott claim to have been mixed with the Boreal. The Zott are a cunning and crafty race who enjoy dwelling in Eiflan cities. In addition to their claim of Boreal ancestry the Zott have also stated in the past to have learned the secret ways of the Nyn-ja. Their reliance on Nyn techniques which often involve different powders and other substances has given rise to a rumor that the Zott have a foul smell about them. In reality though they carry and use powerful stink bombs of their own design.

Physical Description: All Traversi are in roughly the same range of height; slightly taller than the Leverets topping out at 4’8 for males and 4’0 for females. They each have a long tail and small ears. However their physical features coloration and markings are distinct for each clan. This evidences their having adapted to several different lifestyles.

Sinte - these are generally grey or grey/brown and have bushy tails ringed with black down to the tips. They also have dark circles about their eyes and the rims of their ears. They usually have dark eyes and hair.

Luri – They resemble the red panda and their fur colorings follow this pattern. Most of them are a rust red color, with deep coal colors on their arms, legs, and ears as well as creating striking rings down the length of their tails.

Domari – The Domari look like Otters. With fur colors that usually range through various shades of brown and blond, though they tend to become more grey as they age. Males are known for having a fluffy mustache that can cover their mouths.

Zott - Resembling Skunks; they come in various mixtures of black, white, and brown. Most commonly they will be a solid dark color with White or Cream strips down their backs and the full length of their tails. Though they can also have a single stripe or even be covered in splotches or spots.

Outlook:

Sinte – “We do what we have to in order to survive”. The Sinte have a casual relationship with Eiflan law because they have spent so much time living on the fringes of society, with no home to call their own.

Luri – “Take only from those with enough to give” The Luri have been mostly law abiding for many years now. However the stigma of their races past still follows them. Because of this they strive to help the needy wherever they go. And limit any thievery to the richest citizens of whatever city they are passing through.

Domari – “Where there is water there is the music of our home”. Domari still travel as the other Traversi clans do. But they never stray too far inland and try to keep running water in their sights at all times. The Domari love to play music and can always remain positive if they keep a song in their hearts.

Zott – “When the world turns it’s back on you. Make sure you have a knife to stab it with”. The Zott have developed into a clan of assassins approaching the infamy of the Nyn-ja. They enjoy the fear inspired by their sight and seem to have become bitter about the world. There is a rumor that they proudly claim Boreal lineage as a way of rejecting Enlyl and her Dragons for allegedly destroying the Traversi homelands.

Characters: A player choosing this Race will pick one of the four clans as the basis of their character. And from there determine what their appearance and class will be like. For the favored classes;

Sinte - Their natural skill and cunning make their favored class the Thief. However there are also a good number of Pugilists and Mages among their ranks.

Luri – They are inclinde toward light and magic. Their favored class is the Priest/Priestess and sometimes the Holy Knight.

Domari - Like Undines they are often drawn to the Dragoon class. However their love for music can just as easilly lead them to become bards.

Zott – Having Boreal background to them the Zott also have a talent for magic though of the more aggressive variety. Most of them have learned not to rely on magic over time though and so their favored class is the assassin,

History: The Traversi are nomadic now however this has not always been the case. Once they lived in now forgotten lands. Places such as Tambyr Isle, Melva, and La’Fauna. Their traditions and history claim that their homelands were destroyed in a war that raged between the ancient Guardian Dragons. And that; scattered from their homes they now live as wanderers, on the fringes of other societies. Over time they have mingled with other races and adopted certain traits that enabled them to better survive in various environments. This has lead to the development of the four Clans of the Traversi.

Traversi is not even their races original name. The name was given to them over the centuries by other races to describe their wandering and nomadic culture. Only they know what they were once called. Whether the name is something forever lost or whether it now only describes one of the clans.

Society: Traversi; whatever their clan, are a close knit group that never spends too much time in one location. Their reasons for constant travel may be as varied as the clans themselves but at the root of them all is the simple fact that they no longer have a homeland to call their own. Their lands having been destroyed long ago.

The Traversi move about via caravan. Wooden Coaches drawn by two-Alicorn teams which they park on the outskirts of towns and villages to make their camps. While most are distrusted by other Eiflans the Luri and Domari can usually make a small amount of ingots by providing services such as entertainment (singing, dancing, and music played by the Domari) and Fortune Telling (Divination rites and card reading performed by the Luri and renown for their accuracy).

Beyond that; they take what they need to survive and generally keep to themselves when not working a crowd or in the case of the Zott performing an assassination. In fact; because of their specific line of work the Zott will often take great pains to conceal their camps from prying eyes. Setting up farther away from town (preferably in forests or some other covered area) and keeping well away from anyone who could become suspicious.

Language: While most of the time Traversi will speak in a mish-mash of several Eiflan dialects their own language seems to be something only used when conversing with each other. The language is rough and thick with rolling ‘r’s along with a wide array of hand gestures. Rumor has it that the Zott in particular can communicate entirely with their hands. Enabling them to pass on secret information without uttering a sound.

Naming: Traversi of any Clan tend to name their children either after family members or in honor of legendary figures from their oral history. Here are some examples:

Male: Andrzej, Brishen, Besnik, Chal, Danior, Dukker, Durriken, Durril, Hanzi, Luca

Female: Aishe, Fifika, Jaelle, Kizzy, Lala, Mirela, Nadya, Syeira, Tsura, Vadoma

Magic and Lore: Traversi have a long oral tradition filled with legends of how their people were before their homelands were destroyed. And while some of the clans are more interested in magic than others they all have the chance to be born as magic users. What they do with this ability will usually depend on the type of magic they have access to and the clan to which they belong. Luri will most often be gifted with divine magic and become priests/preistess’, but the Sinte, Domari, and Zott are all more likely to have access to and become traditional magic users instead. Given their propensity for dark and cruel deeds there is a good chance that there are a few Zott Necromancers in the world. But the way that Necromancers operate makes finding who they are difficult at best.

Relations with other Races: In the past Travers have been met with distrust and even open hostility. This is because in the these people have had to take to thievery in order to survive and indeed; their nimbleness and stealth are legendary.

Nowadays however clans such as the Luri and Domari are gaining more favor with the other races of Eifel as they strive to do good in the world. The Domari in particular are growing more beloved as their music and dancing have become quite popular and their ability to fish in lakes and rivers offers more variety in fresh seafood. While the Sinte are still mistrusted by many, the Zott are feared for their reputation as assassins and reviled for their boasting of demon blood in their ancestry. However the cynical minded Zott are just as hateful of outsiders as outsiders are of them. Possibly more.

Equipment: Generally depends on the class the Traversi has taken; but most Sinte will have a lockpicking kit somewhere on their person. The Luri and other Domari both have an affinity for walking sticks while the Domari in particular enjoy making castanets out of clam shells. The Zott (who are mostly assassins) will mostly carry kits on their person that remember the equipment used by the Nyn-ja for stealthy killing and quick escape. Powders that conceal and vials of poison being chief among their sordid items.

Animals and Pets: Traversi keep small groups of Alicorns just as the Leverets do. However these are used as mounts as much as for pulling coaches or carting supplies. In addition to this all the clans have a penchant for picking up stray animals and they keep a wide variety of pets from Kobolds to smaller varieties of Pomku. In the case of the Domari many of these animals will be trained to perform along with their Traversi Companions.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Stealth – Traversi are light on their feet and have learned to move silently through centuries of stealing to live.

Sign Language – Traversi and Zott in particular can convey a large amount of information via hand gestures.

=Advanced Races=

(Sidhe)Fey
Fey encompasses a host of holy creatures. Not as powerful as the Dragons of Fire and Water, many of them live in the tree of life but there are several settlements of various types of Fey all over the world. Most of them are kept secret because they do not want their connection to the Goddess exploited. Fey are all but incapable of evil, although warriors may fight and/or kill Boreal if they come across them. However these two races do their utmost to avoid each other as being within each other’s presence is physically toxic to them.

Each Fey has a 'mimetic appendage', which stores their memories and is the main repository for their physiological behavior. When removed, the Fey is stricken with amnesia (forcing memories to be stored from there on out in the brain most likely), and allowed to commit acts that would otherwise be against their nature (I.E. cheating at a card game or in the case of vegetarian fey eating meat). In the case of Celestial and Zephyr Fey, the appendage is their wings, but in other Fey it can be their Tails, Stems, or Antlers. Aside from the change of nature and Death Urge upon reattachment, having this appendage removed also cuts off up to 45% of the Fey's psionic powers, making them much less powerful than they would have ordinarily been.

Physical Description: Fey vary in size, shape, and color depending on the sub-race they belong to. They can be as tall as 6'4 or as small as 6”.

There are some traits which all Fey share. When in Eiflan form they all have longer, more delicate fingers and toes than Eiflans. And possess only four digits on each hand/foot (Four toes, and Three fingers plus one Thumb). Their ears are noticeably longer than Eiflan ears and are pointed upward toward the back of their heads. Fey eyes have no distinguishable pupil, iris, or eyeball, and their eyes are sometimes likened to "pools of pure color". Their eyes often have a subtle and somewhat mesmerizing glow to them that can only really be seen well in the dark.

Fey have no shadows. They do not cast a shadow in any light and the generally accepted reason for this is that their shadows were stolen by Yxarr when she created the Boreal race (their halflings however do have shadows).

Most importantly; all Fey have what is known as their “mimetic appendage”. This appendage stores all of the Feys memories and a good portion of their powers. The appendage is always an extra item that the Fey can (and does) survive without, such as their wings, tail, extra limbs, antlers, etc.

Outlook: Fey could no more commit a crime than we could swim through a solid mountain or breathe sand. For the Fey, acting against their nature is akin to allowing someone to brutally remove one of their limbs. But while their mimetic appendages are separated from their body, this effect seems to be dulled and they can in fact be coerced into acting against their psychological makeup. This though, like all other attempts to reverse their natural state of being, is almost always met with a bitter end because should the wings ever be returned to them, they will immediately feel the full weight of the things they have done and be unwaveringly compelled to take their own lives.

Characters: For information on Fey as player characters please see the individual caste entries.

History: The Fey were the first race to arrive on Eifel. They came down in flower pods from the Great Tree Asherah to populate the world with intelligent beings more numerous than the Great Beasts that came before. The Celestial; who arrived first among them, traveled all over Eifel greeting their Fey brothers and sisters and helping them to gain comfort in their newly created world.

The Fey had been made entirely of light and they brought great joy and love to the world as they played with the Beasts of the elements and learned from the Dragons of magic and other things of the world. For a time this was all they knew.

However they were attacked when Yxarr stole their shadows to create the Boreal. And while this did no real harm to them they would eventually realize the consequences of this attack on them when Yxarr finally came into her own and declared war on Enlyl and all her creations.

The Fey were soon summoned by Shamsel and Alastrad to battle the Boreal armies that Yxarr sent against the Goddess. A war which quickly proved to be futile as wave after wave of Fey and Boreal troops fell ill. Lying in pain on the ground without ever having laid a hand on each other. This was how the truth of their existence was revealed. Neither Fey nor Boreal could harm the other without doing harm to themselves.

Recovering from this strange conflict too time. And in that time new races appeared in the world. A sign that Enlyl had been resting and healing as well. Their flower pods burst with life and energy and the Fey became revitalized as they greeted these new lives. Helping them just as they had helped each other.

Not until Enlyl sealed herself away in the branches of Asherah did the Fey begin to also remove themselves from the bulk of Eiflan society. The very first to disappear were the Dream Caste. As Enlyls sleep grew deeper the First of all Fey Castes became linked even further to the Dream Plane. Until such a time came that they could no longer be seen by the eyes of the waking world. In the Dream Plane too; they began to hide themselves as mages with access to the realm of sleeping attempted to search for them. Sometimes this was for knowledge; but many other times the Mages were searching for them in an attempt to collect their now rare mimetic antennae.

By the time the Age of the Alfs had ended the Fey had hidden nearly all of their Kingdoms and Colonies and were now seen mostly as visitors to Eiflan Society rather than members of it. This is how they have remained for thousands of years now. Living mostly in their own lands with their own kind.

Society: Fey have their own kingdoms and rulers, but their Psionic abilities keep these places well hidden for all those that they don't wish to see, so little is known about their private society. The Fey's psychological makeup is drastically opposed to the Boreal, who are their polar opposites. The Fey have the belief that they should always put others before themselves, and violence should only be used as a last resort. Often the Fey will be heard saying that there is always an alternative to violence and killing in particular. There are a few stories that speak of Fey going against their nature and committing evil acts, but these tales invariably end in the death of the Fey and usually all those associated with him/her as well.

Some Fey are strict vegetarians, as their non-violent nature prevents them from harming animals for sustenance. Some have a slightly wider diet and prefer fruit, milk, honey, and vegetables. Some of them, such as the Celestial Caste, can also supplement their diet with a healthy amount of sunshine, and these have even been known to weaken and die without at least minimal exposure to the sun. There are a few Fey Castes that can and do eat meat to survive. Castes such as the Vulpes, Ma'neko, and Nixies all hunt and kill animals for food. This is always tempered with repentance however and many times you will hear them asking the Goddess for forgiveness after they have finished their meals.

The Fey are the longest lived of all the races in Eifel, living for thousands of years. Fey begin to really show their years at the age of 8000, and the oldest known Fey, the Elders who live in the Fey City in the Labyrinth Jungle, are about 15000 years old. It's thought that these few elders may be the only Fey left who were alive in the time of the Alfs, but there may be more ancient Fey hidden somewhere in the world.

Fey sub races are known as Castes. The most powerful of these is the Celestial Caste, which tend to be the most well known of the Fey, as they often venture out into the world of Eiflans and take up residence at temples to Enlyl or become Holy Knights or Priests/Priestesses and travel the world on a mission to help others. Other known Castes are the Wyvern Caste and the Zephyr Caste.

Language: All Fey speak Eiflan and Sidhe.

Naming: Names vary widely from caste to caste. Please see the individual caste entries for naming information and examples.

(Sidhe)Fey Castes:

Celestial
The highest ranking and most powerful of the Fey Castes, their social order is somewhat strict despite their caring disposition. This social order is called the choir or the celestial hosts.

Physical Description: Generally what you would expect an Angel to look like. They are tall splendid humanoids with grace in all their movements. Like most Fey their skin can be of any color and their ears are longer then an Eiflans by a noticeable amount. They are turned upwards toward the backs of their heads. Unlike many other Fey castes though Angels enjoy wearing long flowing robes that enhance their elegant and graceful qualities.

The defining trait of Celestial Caste are their large feathery wings and a ring of luminescence about their heads known as a halo. Halos can be many different colors, though they will always be of a soft glowing variety. Their wings too are diverse and can come in a wide variety of shapes, slightly varying sizes, and many colors and patterns. Their hair and eyes follow the same trend, though like all fey, they do not have visible pupils. Most Angel Fey, be they male or female, wear their hair long, either letting it flow loose around them, or putting it up in several different styles. They can have two or more feathery wings on their back, though never more than six. And are considered beautiful by most Eiflans even when overweight.

Celestials with feathery wings are the most common kind. However there is a sub type the crops up occasionally called “Ascendant”. These strange Fey have leathery wings rather than feathered wings, and they have horns on their heads rather than the usual halo of light. In addition; unlike any other Celestial the Ascendant have semi-prehensile tails, each with a flat, spade shaped flap at the end.

Outlook: They will seek peace first, incapacitation second, and death is reserved as a last resort or only for the most vicious of opponents. Beyond this their outlook is generally one of peace to all Enlyls creations. In particular they carry in their hearts a great fondness for the Goddess and seek to honor her in all that they say and do.

Characters: Their favored classes are Priest/Priestess and Holy Knight. If they do end up killing or seriously injuring an opponent in combat, a prayer will be said after the battle has ended and enemies will be given proper burial (Or burned and then doused in holy water in the case of Boreal to insure no regeneration can occur). Celestial Fey are some of the most well traveled of all the Castes. So adventuring is not uncommon for them.

Celestials are kind and caring; but not squeamish. They can (and do) spill blood in combat, and while they don’t consume meat themselves, they usually will not express shock or horror at another race doing such a thing (not the older and more mature ones anyway. A younger and inexperienced Celestiel might, depending on age make a gross-out face, or query the person as to what they are eating, why they are eating it, and other such questions about beliefs).

History: The second oldest of the Fey Castes; the Celestial Fey were the first of the Fey to appear on Eifel. Their blooms touched the soil before any other Fey Castes and so they in turn were able to welcome their Fey brothers and sisters to the world as their blooms arrived. They were on the front lines during the great Boreal conflict and were the first to feel the toxicity of being near their opposites.

When Enlyl retreated from the world and sealed herself off; the Celestial fey were among the most devastated and they too withdrew themselves mostly from the Eiflan world. They set up illusion barriers around their cities and while they continued to travel into the world to do good works from then on they kept their own lives and society secret from the non-sidhe races.

Society: The top tier of the Celestial Host is the Seraphita, followed by the Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Arch Angels, and Angels. The highest rank of the Choire are rarely if ever seen by normal Eiflans as they tend to remain in the secluded Celestial Caste cities. They make up the ruling class and are usually in charge of various aspects of Celestial government. However the Angels are the most numerous of the Celestial Fey, as every Celestial begins life there.

As they age the Celestial Fey work toward attaining higher rankings through rites of passage. The first of these being a pilgrimage similar to the ones that Priests and Priestesses undergo as acolytes. They travel all over Eifel for 5 years doing good deeds and helping others. Upon their return the Angel is granted entrance into the second stage of the Choir; The Arch Angel. This step can often be delayed or never taken at all by the Angel if they remain outside the Celestial kingdom for longer than the allotted time. And in some cases the Angel will fall in love with someone during their journey and simply never return. When this happens custom dictates that they write a letter to any waiting friends and family members back in the Kingdom. The letter will be sent via magical means or in the care of another Fey.

Celestial Castes do not gain nourishment from most foods. They need little more than milk, honey, and sunlight to remain healthy for long periods of time. In addition they often supplement their diet with copious amounts of positive emotions along with the occasional fruits or vegetables. Their biology allows them to spend time on other tings such as tending flower gardens, caring for animals, singing, or painting.

For the most part Celestials prefer to marry within their own Caste, but usually will not Ostracize a family member for falling in love with someone from another Caste, or even another race entirely. Family relations can be strained slightly if the chosen is a Boreal Halfling, but this is the most often the result of parents having safety concerns about their children. It's not an entirely unfounded strain either, since the differing auras of the two races can cause health problems for both of them. The Celestial Castes beliefs though usually mean that if you haven't done anything wrong, they will accept you regardless of your heritage. A trait not likely to be shared by the normal Eiflan races.

Celestials carry their offspring for around 6 months, and when it is born, the child is lavished with love and care. In Colonies and Fey Cities, the children are all raised together with each other and the parents of the other children until they are old enough to embark on their 5 year pilgrimage. Often times, they will begin their journeys together even though they may eventually part ways during their time. Community is a very important thing for Celestial Castes, and while some do leave the Cities and Colonies to live on their own, most are sad when such a parting occurs.

Language: Celestials speak Eiflan as their primary vocal language when traveling abroad. Amongst each other they speak the Sidhe language shared by all members of the Sidhe races. Their language is quite unlike the Boreal nonetheless; as they (obviously) speak the Fey Dialect.

Naming: Celestials have no “official” naming convention however they seem to have a penchant for ending their names in “iel” “ael” and “ros”. Some examples of Celestial names are:

Male: Adnachiel, Anael, Barachiel, Barbael, Cerviel, Dabaros, Gabriel, Gzrael, Haniel, Omael

Female: Aeshma, Ariel, Bath’kol, Eael, Guriel, Hasmal, Lofiel, Nanael, Phanuel, Yofiel

Magic and Lore: Celestial Fey spend most of their lives with magic. They are born into it and surrounded by it always. Their cities are cloaked in magical energies to hide them from anyone they don’t wish to be seen by and their stories and songs are filled with tales of mystical spells and tragic curses. They share this trait with most if not all of the other Fey castes.

Relations with other Races: Celestials enjoy fairly good relations with most races on the whole (obvious exception being the Boreal). Individually though they can be seen as almost “too perfect” and sometimes members of non-sidhe races will be abrasive to them because of this. While they haven’t been formally established for some time now the Celestials will sometimes trade with other Eiflans, exchanging their magically enchanted goods for fresh Milk, Fruit, and Vegetables grown on Eiflan farms.

Equipment: Mostly depending on class. Whatever items a Celestial is carrying with him/her/xir will have some form of enchantment on it. Whether an enchantment to add an effect such as elemental power, or simply to protect against wear and tear.

Animals and Pets: Celestial Fey keep all manner of companion animals in addition to nursing injured animals back to health. They do not keep livestock because they have no need of most animal derived food products. They do however tend flutterswarms for their honey.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics - See main entry (Sidhe)Fey.

Flight – Celestial Fey have the ability to fly. While their wings play a role in this the ability also has a psychological component as they do not move their wings in the same manner as birds or other winged creatures and indeed can even hover with their wings spread but not in motion.

Mimetic appendage – Celestials mimetic appendage are their wings. All wings must be removed in order for them to retain their magic properties. If less than the total amount of wings are removed the removed wings will dissipate into a pile of ordinary feathers and the Celestial will regenerate the missing wing(s).

Wyvern
Wyverns are a deceptively adorable Caste. They are one of the shorter peoples of Eifel but despite their small size they are quite powerful. Wyverns live mostly in mountains and forests but they are very social and so are of the more well known and well traveled of the Fey Castes.

Physical Description: In their natural state Wyverns resemble three foot tall fur-covered dragons with feathery wings. Their humanoid forms are not much taller, reaching a maximum height of 4'0. They tend towards medium to light hair and skin tones in their Eiflan form, matching their fur in shade though not always in color. Their hair follows the same trends and can match their mane color in ways their skin tone cannot match their fur. Often their manes (and therefore their hair) can be tipped with another color as is their wings. Tips of purple, red, blue, and terracotta or other more earthy tones are common. Their fur can also range from a rust or terracotta color to pale cream and bolder, more unusual colors as well such as blue, purple, red and green. In some cases the deeper rust toned Wyverns can be revered by their fellow Caste members because of the similarity to the colors of Shamsel the Dragon of Fire. Their eyes also are generally bright and vivid, and are blue, green, violet, or gold in color.

Outlook: Wyverns love to let the wind take them in spontaneous directions. While they will keep a home that they can return to if/when they feel they need to rest and recharge in truth they spend most of their time out searching for the next adventure.

Characters: Because of their curiosity and adventurous spirit Wyverns traveling abroad are fairly common. They love to see and experience new things whenever they can. Because of their close ties to magic many of them are born with the talent. However they enjoy fighting with their bare hands as well. Because of this their favored classes are Mage and Pugilist.

History: Wyverns arrived on Eifel at roughly the same time the other Fey Castes did. Together with the other castes they fought against the Boreal during the Conflict and felt the toxic effects being near them caused. At the time most of them used swords and bows to fight their enemies but after so much bloodshed and sickness the Wyverns began to distance themselves from these weapons and focused on using their own bare hands or magic instead.

When Enlyl sealed herself away they were saddened as well. Though contrary to many of the other Fey Castes they did not pull themselves away from society. Seeming to feel as though their duty was to continue living with everyone and finding all the undiscovered corners of the world. Many of them even began to claim that adventurers like themselves would one day discover a way to return Enlyl to her children.

Society: Their social grouping consists of small villages governed by councils of elders. The Elders are mostly there because they have grown too old to seek out the adventurous call of the wind or they believe they have already discovered all that they can in their lifetime. So they keep watch on the homes of younger Wyverns while they ply the skies of Eifel seeking out the unknown. And while other Fey Castes may dally with multiple partners just because they love being in love and sharing love, Wyverns seek out a specific lifemate. Even if the mate they find isn't a Wyvern. If the person is accepting of their affection they will stick to them like glue, even forgoing their desire to follow the wind to guard them for all their days. However if the person is already in a committed relationship or simply does not return their affections many times they will profess their sorrow and then announce the beginning of an adventure to seek out a new love. Eventually the Wyvern will usually find the person who resonates on the same wavelength as they do. After which point they settle down to the business of starting/raising/protecting their families. In the cases where this doesn’t happen though most Wyverns will spend the rest of their lives out searching.

Wyverns lay clutches of around 3 - 5 eggs (instances of 5 or even 6 are rare, and usually the average is 3 or 4). The eggs are soft and leathery like a reptiles, and are about the size of an Emu's egg. They are laid in "nests" made inside the wyverns clay constructed treetop homes, or chiseled out of their cliff side homes. The nests are round beds set on the floor of the bedroom, lined with soft down, blankets, and whatever other cushioning material the Wyverns can find. Mother and Father Wyvern take turns warming the eggs, so that they can attend to daily business' such as food preparation, housecleaning, and....well daily business. The eggs usually take around 45 days to hatch after being laid. If the Eiflan is the Mother in a Wyvern/Eiflan pair, there will usually be only 1 or 2 eggs. Twins are highly common in Wyvern Halflings.

Wyverns are one of the Meat eating Fey Castes. They hunt, trap, and fish though their small size means they rarely go after big game such as Karkadan. They can be very ritualistic about the way they handle the killing of their prey. The hunters will often say a prayer for the animal’s soul over the freshly killed carcass, and you will not find a Wyvern family that does not give a prayer of repentance after each meal.

Language: When taking and Eiflan form Wyverns will speak Eiflan. And in fact they can speak it when in Wyvern form as well. In addition Wyverns speak Sidhe. They have their own language as well however. And this consists of small chirps and growls which accent their ear position, facial expressions, tail movement and position, and body language.

Naming: Wyverns do not have a universal naming convention. Most of them will give their child an Eiflan name based on one that they’ve heard and liked in the past or sometimes after relatives friends or parents. Here are some examples of Wyvern names:

Male: Allan, Bradley, Jacob, Kyle, Leward, Max, Nolan, Pal, Pavel, Tulues

Female: Arnica, Battia, Cerulean, Cessily, Deanna, Ketzy, Palma, Rae, Ura, Zephyra

Magic and Lore: Wyverns enjoy magic as long as the magic is portable. Because they do not spend a great deal of time roosting they prefer spells to enchantments which can be time consuming. Wind magic in particular is their favorite kind and most Wyvern mages will focus on mastering that before any other element.

Relations with other Races: Because they spend a lot of time traveling and because they are social creatures Wyverns get along with most other races. Though the serious minded Aves may consider them a bit pest-like. However in a global sense they do not do much in the way of trade-able goods.

Equipment: A hunter will usually carry the tools of the trade on their person. This mostly consists of a net, snare, or other trapping tool. Possibly some bait will be carried as well. No weapons are necessary however because a Wyverns sharp claws are better to them than a hunting knife and they prefer to use their strength to end the animals life by breaking it’s neck in one swift motion.

Animals and pets: Wyverns consider most winged creatures to be their friends but their busy adventurous life keeps them from having companion animals for long periods of time and in addition they keep no livestock.

Abilities and Racial Traits:

Wyvern Psionics – Wyverns don’t have access to the basic Psionic abilities that most other Castes share. Instead they have their own specific Wyvern-geared abilities. They can access some of the advanced Psionic abilities however such as defensive shielding.

Breath Attack - A form of Psionics specific to Wyverns. Wyverns have the innate ability to fire a blast of elemental force from their mouths. Most often this is a fire element blast, contrary to expectations. They can also have wind, water, and on rare occasions sonic breath attacks.

Flight – Like many other Fey Castes Wyverns have the gift of flight. Their flight is more reliant on their wings than other Fey and they cannot hover the way that some can without any wing movement.

Alternate Form – Wyverns normally look like small furry dragons. But they can at will change from this shape into a fully Eiflan form or a ‘hybrid’ form somewhere in between the two. They cannot drastically alter their size however.

Mimetic appendage – Wyverns mimetic appendage is their horns. However both horns must be taken as a set to retain their magical properties. If only one is removed the removed horn will turn gray and lose all magical power as it is transferred to the remaining horn.

Vulpes
This Fey Caste are known for their shape shifting abilities, and in their natural state they all resemble some breed of Fox. Their natural forms can have one tail, two tails, and sometimes even more. The most tails on record have been a few that have nine tails. These Fey are nomadic, rarely if ever congregating in large numbers. There are however a few small groups that have banded together and settled down over the years. When such a colony forms, it's usually near a Maruke Village, and the Vulpes seem to enjoy and emulate the customs, clothing, and lifestyle of the Maruke people.

Physical Description: Vulpes Fey can be any color that a Fox can be, including all the unique coat markings and thickness, and several other, stranger colors. Their other forms range from fully Eiflan to Fox and any of a range of shapes in between. But they have honed their Psionics in particular to allow them to freely change the appearance of their Eiflan form, so that it does not have to look anything at all like their natural fox forms, or even like their natural gender. Their capricious nature has lead them to be nicknamed 'tricksters', and are commonly known to disguise themselves as beautiful women regardless of whether or not they are actually female. Like all Fey, they are incapable of evil, but they do delight in the occasional prank on many an unsuspecting Eiflan.

Arguably the most important physical feature of the Vulpes, a Vulpes' tail (or tails) act as the house of the bulk of their power as well as their memories. Every 110 years or thereabouts, they sprout another tail, until they reach the age of 1000 years and attain their ninth tail. This is said to be the height of their power and the time when they are considered wise and are view by other Vulpes with veneration, though like all fey they still have several thousand years of life ahead of them.

Outlook: They believe a life without laughter, or without the unexpected; is a sad life indeed. While they love to play tricks on Eiflans and even other Fey the Vulpes strive to ensure that their pranks do no real harm. If there is damage (whether intentional or unintentional) done to person or property the Vulpes will invariable sneak back to the scene of the prank later and fix whatever mess was caused. Sometimes this can even be considered by them to be a second prank as the broken items are mysteriously restored to their former state.

Characters: Vulpes do a lot of traveling so adventuring comes naturally to them. They are nimble and dexterous and easily move without being heard. Because of this their favored class is the Thief. Usually though their better nature wins out and whatever they steal will be given to those who are in most need.

History: When the Vulpes flower pods arrived on Eifel with the other Fey they were a shy people. They watched the other Fey learning about their world and themselves and wondered what a Vulpes should be like. Then they heard laughter and knew that this was the sound that they would live for. They tried using their powers and learned that the more they concentrated the more malleable they could make their forms.

Then the Conflict happened. And the Fey could not laugh as they once had. For they were preparing for war. The Vulpes did not like this new thing called war. War was painful and tiresome and the other Fey could not laugh while they thought of it. So the Vulpes used their still developing psionic powers to try and cause laughter for the first time. Sometimes they would trip each other and make hilarious exaggerated faces as they fell; other times they would try and assume the caricatures of other creatures or even the Boreal they were preparing to fight. This did not work out too well though as other creatures were very different from them physically and they could only form a vague resemblance to non-Vulpes such as those.

Their antics helped to keep morale high. But then the conflict began and all the Fey and Boreal saw the consequences of approaching each other. Once again the Fey forgot their laughter and the Vulpes were disheartened. Using their abilities to move without sound and cast illusions around them the Vulpes proved to be of great help in retrieving the fallen Fey from the front lines after the Boreal had retreated, leaving their dead and wounded behind to suffer.

After what they had seen that day the Vulpes scattered themselves all over Eifel, all of them determined to keep laughter alive with every breath they took. Over time, the non-Sidhe races arrived and the Vulpes grew curious about them as well. They and all the animals and things that came with them were incredibly entertaining (and in some cases; delicious). The Vulpes shared their laughter with the new creatures of Eifel with varying success and learned that sometimes their humor was lost on their new friends. Mostly because they did not have the same magic as the Fey and things that got broken could not be easily repaired as a result.

After Enlyl sealed herself the Vulpes redoubled their efforts to keep laughter alive. They could still recall the darker times and so they felt honor bound to keep the spirits of their fellow Fey up once more until they could begin to heal. Like the Wyverns they did not remove themselves from society. Though this was because they had never fully been a part of it.

Over the years they have become masters at manipulating their own form and casting illusions around themselves. And while they can’t always amuse other folks they have found that they can often amuse themselves bye creating unexpected events and observing how the Eiflans handle themselves.

Society: Vulpes are one of Eifels Meat-eating Fey races, asking forgiveness after the killing and again after the meal is finished. They enjoy red meat, seafood, white meat, and even poultry from time to time, though they have a preference for red meat, particularly Karkadan steaks.

Because of their preference of solitude groups of more than four or five Vulpes are rare. These groups are usually a family of two Vulpes parents and their pups. They do not seem to have a societal structure beyond the raising of their pups and there is evidence that all of their behaviors are based on an instinctual knowledge.

Vulpes Fey do not usually select a lifemate. Instead they will have many alliances throughout their lives. However they are consistently monogamous with each partner. They will remain with each other until their children are old enough to strike out on their own and only then will they decide whether they wish to remain together or seek out a new mate. They give birth to litters of around 4 - 6 pups, and the pups spend the first 3 or 4 years of their lives (sometimes more) in their natural Vulpes forms. They are not taught shape shifting until they are able to speak and roughly understand what their parents are trying to tell them. This is because the parents want to make sure that their pups understand and are more comfortable with their Vulpes form. Gestation for Vulpes is roughly 4 months, and the pups are born like foxes and other canines with their eyes shut and their body still developing. Their eyes open at about 2 weeks old, though walking doesn't usually occur until around 8 - 10 months.

Triplets are common for Vulpes Halflings. The halflings will inherit the ears and tails of their parents, though sometimes they will have less tails than their Vulpes parent did. While they can shape change to the point that they seem like average Eiflans, Vulpes Halflings cannot transform into foxes or stray too far from their true forms. Which can make pranking a bit hard. If Half of the parentage is a Maruke, the Halfling will be able to adopt a form akin to it's Vulpes parent, but again, it still won't have the ability to shift into a fully canine form, or stray far from it's natural form.

Language: Vulpes speak Eiflan and Sidhe. Whether they have a language of their own has been heavily debated, with many scientists arguing that they speak the same basic language as the Wyverns. There could probably be a consensus reached if the Vulpes weren’t so evasive about answering the question.

Naming: Vulpes enjoy allowing their children to name themselves. As such they can have several names over the years as they grow and mature. This also means that all their names are considered gender neutral regardless of where they got them. Here are some examples of Vulpes names:

Male: Cobalt, Cloud, James, Linda, River, Silver, Todd, Train, Umaro, Wallace

Female: Anne, Billy, Cerelia, Daystar, Frieda, George, Ice Cream, Pony, Qwerty, Zues

Magic and Lore: Vulpes are mostly uninterested in spells. Instead preferring their own psionic talents for their magical requirements. If they feel it necessary they will buy enchanted items from traveling merchants but beyond that the Vulpes do surprisingly little in the way of traditional spells and even less with Holy Magic.

Relations with other Races: Their relations can often be considerably less positive than those of other Fey. Their penchant for pranks and jokes doesn’t always endear them to the people of Eifel even if they do fix anything they break. Still there are those that understand their intentions are good and they tolerate Vulpes living in their area and sometimes even enjoy them; leaving gifts of food for the Vulpes to find.

Equipment: Vulpes are often seen carrying a type of long pipe called a kiseru. This may in fact be another Vulpes illusion but nonetheless many people have claimed to own one of these mystical items. The pipe is actually an invention of the Maruke. The Vulpes fell in love with it’s interesting shape and appropriated it, incorporating the item into their own culture as well. Other items that the Vulpes have taken a shine to are fans and paper umbrellas, both of which they often use in their illusions.

Animals and pets: Occasionally seen with foxes which may or may not actually be other Vulpes, and the odd cat. They are hunters like the Wyverns and keep no livestock. They seem to have a casual relationship with companion animals and are not taken back when an animal wanders away from them to pursue other interests.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Vulpes Psionics – Vulpes Fey do not have access to the basic Psionic abilities. Instead they have specialized in just a few specific abilities that they use exclusively.

Illusion – The Vulpes can cast powerful illusions around anything within their line of sight. These can affect the mind so much that the person on the receiving end feels any physical damage done to them until the illusion is lifted and sometimes for a while after.

Shape Shifting – More than just an alternate form, a Vulpes can change their appearance and shape almost without limit. They can change gender and size, color and build and much much more. This paired with their abilities in Illusion magic makes them some of the most difficult enemies to fight.

Mimetic appendage – The Vulpes Mimetic Appendage is their tail. In the case of multiple tails all of them must be removed for the effect to work. Removal of only one of multiple tails will result in the removed tail crumbling into fine ash as a replacement is regenerated on the Vulpes’ body.

Siren


These rather strange Fey are associated with water despite their odd shape. They live on cliffs overlooking the ocean and in many 'flocks' along beaches throughout Eifel. Their Psionics mainly focus on their ability to use their voices and musical instruments to cause magical effects. They use their powers to keep ships from crashing onto the rocks near where they live and like all Fey, have developed special enchantments that allow them to disguise their colonies from prying eyes.

Physical Description: Siren Fey have a serpent's tail for their lower half, and their upper half resembles a beautiful Eiflan. They have feathery wings protruding from their backs. As with most Fey, their hair, eyes, skin, wings, and tails seems to be capable of being any combination in the spectrum, short of completely prismatic. Often, they will have a "tuft" of fine, hair-like down/feathers growing on the ends of their tails, and their hair is actually made of the same kind of fine hair-like feathers. Some believe that when they enter the ocean they can hide their wings so that they'll be more streamlined. When immersed in water they have been known to gain webbing on their hands to aid swimming. Siren height usually ranges between 5'5 - 5'9, longer if measured from top of the head to tip of the tail. They have limited transforming abilities, making it possible for them to hide their wings, and turn their tails into legs, but the other aspects of their Fey appearance remain.

Outlook: The Siren live for beautiful things. Especially if that thing is a voice singing a song. Music is their life’s blood and there is nothing more mesmerizing than a chorus of Sirens singing in unison. They believe that there is something beautiful to be had in every person, tree, insect and animal. Even the rocks and sand on their beaches carry their own special light in the eyes of a Siren.

Characters: A Siren traveling along is an usual but not entirely uncommon sight. Usually there will be at least one other Siren traveling with them as they are very connected to their flocks. When they do take to adventuring though they will often become part of a larger adventuring group because of their social nature. Their favored class is Bard for obvious reasons.

History: When the Sirens arrived on Eifel their blooms touched down on sandy beaches all over the world. When they emerged the first sounds they heard were the sounds of the ocean lapping against the shore. They loved the sound so much that they decided this is where they would live from that day onward. As they began to congregate legend has it that Ramiel; the Dragon of Water passed by them, humming a lovely tune. The Sirens loved this sound even more than the sound of the sea and began to imitate the song, becoming more and more adept at music as time went on.

In the Fey/Boreal conflict the Sirens coordinated the troops in the field and it was their powerful song that sounded the call to end the conflict and allow the Boreal to retreat. They were also responsible for many of the non-toxicity related casualties; proving to be excellent marksmen with the bow and arrow.

When the Goddess sealed herself away from the people the Sirens sand a dirge of mourning for days; filling the air with their sorrowful song. After they had finished the Sirens withdrew from the world and cloaked their private cliff tops and beaches from the eyes of other Eiflans. Now sightings of them have become a rarity and they are considered a sign of good omens when they are seen.

Society: A Siren flock doesn’t particularly resemble the communities that Eiflans are generally familiar with. They are loosely grouped along cliff tops and beaches where they for the most part lay about casually relaxing in the sun and sea air. When they get hungry they go seek out food and then they return to their roost wherever it be and prepare their meal. The Siren Caste does not seem to have an official leader of any sort, and apparently decide everything as a group using their psionic abilities.

A Sirens diet consists of things found in or on the sea, and some also say that the smells and sounds of the sea are also food for them in the same way that sunlight feeds a Celestial. They will catch and eat seafood, and will also find sea kelp, seaweed, and a variety of saltwater growing fruits and vegetables to supplement their diets with. One particular favorite of this Caste is "Sea Bobbers", a salty water vine growing variant of the bush plant "Honey pod",

Sirens don't mate for life. They love to enjoy the company of many different partners which also leads to their hatchlings coming in diverse colors and patterns. When mating with each other, Siren Fey coil their serpent tails around each other, holding each other close and nearly tying their tails together in a knot until the act is finished. The Siren will lay 2 or 3 eggs in their cliff top homes, or in special huts built on secluded beaches. The eggs are hard shelled like a bird egg, in contrast to the soft Wyvern eggs, but are around the same size.

In the case of Siren Halflings, they will inherit the wings of their parent, and their tails as well, but the tails will take the form of protruding from the base of the spine, as with a Wyverns tail. Since the shape shifting trait is weak to begin with in full blooded Sirens, their halflings can only hide their wings, and nothing more. As with Wyverns, twins are more common in Siren halflings than it is with other types of Fey. If the mother is the Fey, Eggs will be laid as usual. If it is the Eiflan who is the mother, they will follow the development of other Eiflans.

Language: Sirens speak Eiflan and Sidhe. However their voices always have a musical tone to them and sometimes this can make their voices difficult to understand. Between themselves the Sirens have a collective telepathy that they use for communication as well as a vocal language of notes tones and harmonies. Siren Fey can also Speak Sprite.

Naming: Siren names consist of small but unique melodies. While some may try to translate the meanings of these into Eiflan most of them instead choose an Eiflan name as their ‘public’ name, keeping their Siren name as something only to be used with other Sirens. Examples of Siren names are

Male: Absolon, Baylen, Cannan, Dareau, Esdras, Forte, Harmon, Jasper, Rhythme, Vachel

Female: Avice, Cadence, Delphine, Elle, Genevie, Harmony, Lyra, Melody, Monique, Violette

Magic and Lore: Siren magic; like most things associated with them, is based around sound. They seem to incorporate music into everything they do including their enchantments. Their legends and history are all recorded musically as well. In addition they have a telepathic link to one another that seems to allow them to think as a group entity and in the same manner. If a Siren moves to a new Flock they will have to break their link with the old group in order to link with the new one. And this can sometimes be emotionally painful for them.

Relations with other Races: Sirens are mostly seen as good omens particularly for Sailors and Sea Pirates. Because of this and their beautiful voices they are fairly well liked among Eiflans when they have contact. Often times they can be drawn out of hiding by a group of Eiflans enjoying a beach campout and singing songs around a campfire.

Equipment: Many Sirens carry musical instruments with them whether or not they are of the Bard class. They do not often wear garments in their natural forms but will try to conform to Eiflan society when traveling abroad.

Animals and Pets: Sirens enjoy the company of all types of birds, but songbirds are particularly dear to them. Being fishers and gatherers they do not keep livestock.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – See the general information on Fey for details on basic Psionics

Siren Psionics – Sirens have specialized their Psionic abilities to focus on telepathic communication and sonic resonance. They can manipulate their voices psionically to allow them to influence others and affect their minds in other ways such as causing physical pain or illusions.

Psionic Mind – Individuals in a Siren flock are linked together Psionically and think both individually and as a group. This features also allows them to see in the same way.

Flight – Sirens fly in the much the same way that Celestials do. With the addition that their tails are also incorporated. They will often look as though they are swimming through the air as a result.

Mimetic Appendage – A Siren’s mimetic appendage is their wings. Removal of the wings also disables their ability to fly. Like other Fey both wings must be removed for them to retain their power. Removal of only one wing will result in the removed wing turning to plain sand.

Zephyr
Whimsical and flighty; These Fey can take the shape of Butterflies and live in lavish kingdoms deep in the forst.

Physical Description: This group of Fey seems to be able to change their size to suit their mood, but for the most part they are very small. Zephyr Fey resemble Eiflans with delicate features and have butterfly wings growing on their backs. The Zephyr Fey love to dress as Eiflans do, especially high society and Eiflan nobility who often wear fanciful and glittering clothing that the Zephyrs seem to find irresistible. They can usually assume the form of the beautiful insects they resemble. Zephyr Fey's natural state is just a bit larger than the butterflies they their wings resemble, but they can use their Psionics to alter their size so that they may be as tall as an average Eiflan. They may also take on the shape of larger than average butterflies, but this is not their natural form.

Zephyr Fey skin tones come in a rainbow of colors as does their hair and eyes. Their wings are just as diverse, with diversity in color, pattern, and shape. In particular; Zephyr royalty and nobility have an extra pair of wings overlayed with the first pair, and the two pairs of wings with move as one. These wings will be the same shape as the first wings though not always the same color.

Outlook: Zephyr will often put up the facade of high society, taking tea and dressing in fine clothes. Like most things in their lives though this all seems to be a form of play of the most amusing sort.

Characters: Zephyr traveling abroad are nearly as common as Celestials. They most often travel disguised as butterflies but are just as likely to use an Eiflan form. They are heavily inclined toward magic and their favored classes are Mage and Priest/Priestess.

History: The Zephyr Fey were some of the earliest Fey to arrive on Eifel, just moments after the Celestial Fey arrived. The Zephyr took to forests and flower fields with gusto, dancing on the wind and playing with the Great Beasts and helping the Celestials to welcome other Fey Castes as they arrived.

When the Conflict happened the Zephyr Fey were kept mostly out of combat. A few were Mages and could cast spells against the Boreal but the majority of them were Priests and Priestesses who used their holy magic to heal those wounded by ranged weapons and quicken the recovery of those suffering from toxicity.

After the conflict the new, non-sidhe races arrived on Eifel and as they developed their society the Zephyr became fascinated with them and especially with the clothes they designed for Royalty and Formal occasions. The Zephyr excitedly began to imitate them and formed the Seele Court in forests and fields of flowers. The largest gathering occurring in what is now known as the Labyrinth Jungle.

This is the place that most of the Zephyr retreated to when Enlyl sealed herself away. Sharing this vast impenetrable area with the Celestials and several other Fey Castes the forest soon became saturated with magical energy and enchantments. And with the cooperation of the Celestials, the Nixies, and some Sprites the Fey Capital called “The Hidden City” came to be. It is said they were assisted in the formation of the city by Belle the Legendary Witch.

Once they were established the Zephyr Aristocracy settle in to their new home well enough. But for most other Fey their seclusion did not last long. Their love of travel got the better of them and they began to make excursions out into the world again. This time however the majority of them began disguising themselves as butterflies so that the other Eiflans would not be aware of their presence.

This has remained a habit for the Zephyr ever since.

Society: Zephyr Fey society is ruled by the Seele Court, the Zephyr King and Queen at its head. This Caste's social order closely resembles that of regular Eiflan society with the Queen, the King, and the Court presiding over the rest of the Zephyr Fey people.

Zephyr Fey subsist on the nectar of flowers and fruits, and on nuts and berries and honey. They also drink milk derived from plants. Though they do not actually eat meat they will often use psionics to make fruit and other foods seem like meat, fish, and poultry. Eiflan guests who dine with the Zephyr Fey often report that the disguised food tastes even better than the real thing.

Zephyr Fey are incredibly affectionate, often choosing 3 or more "life partners" of varying genders, ages, and even species. They mix with other races commonly, and with other Castes as well. They can alter their size and shape at will Which they will readily do in order to accommodate their partner. They also change genders whenever it suits them, so the current Queen may well be the King in a month or so, and vice versa. Their offspring follow the average Eiflans, with an average of one child being born to a pair at a time, unless the partner is of some other Caste like Wyverns or Vulpes.

Halflings will usually follow the size of the Eiflan parent, though if their mother is the Fey parent they can often by very short in stature. They are easily recognized by their odd skin tones and lovely butterfly wings, though like with most Fey Halflings, they can put their wings away when needed. Halflings in which half of the parentage is a Nyn or Maruke can get very interesting, with the Halflings fur having the colors that it's skin would have had, and still retaining the butterfly wings trait.

Language: Zephyr Fey speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They are one of a few Sidhe races without a personal language. In addition they can also speak and understand Sprite language.

Naming: Zephyr Fey love to name their children Eiflan names. Here are some examples of names Zephyrs enjoy:

Male: Alcott, Alder, Barden, Carlyle, Charles, Devon, Edward, Halsey, Kent, Woodrow

Female: Amberjill, Arden, Blythe, Brook, Daisy, Edlyn, Holly, Luella, Redella, Yedda

Magic and Lore: Zephyr are born with magic quite often in addition to their psionic abilities. Since most of the Zephyrs in the world today are born in the Labyrinth Jungle they are exposed to high concentrations of magic from the moment they enter the world and from their first breath magic is a part of their daily lives. Even if a Zephyr does not have traditional mage spells most of them are familiar with enchantments and enchanted objects and they know how to use them without trouble.

Relations with other Races: The Zephyr have become a shy race since withdrawing from the world. Their relations with others are not bad when they do meet with other races, but these days they take their time before introducing themselves and more often than not prefer to stay disguised and observe for a long time before coming forward.

Equipment: While not much is carried by them in the way of weapons Zephyr Fey do enjoy keeping and wearing a wide variety of Eiflan clothing. Their clothing will always be enchanted not only to guard against wear and tear but also to enable them to change size and shape along with the Zephyr.

Animals and pets: Zephyr are tiny in their natural forms and so many of them have tiny pets such as Ladybugs and Preying Mantis. In the way of livestock; they keep Flutterswarm to harvest their honey as well and flocks of tiny hummingbirds that they use as mounts.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – Please see the Fey General information for details on Fey Psionics

Flight – Zephyr Fey can fly. In a similar way to Sirens and Celestials; their wings enable this but are not required to perpetuate motion in the same way that natural butterflies wings are.

Alternate Form – Zephyr can transform themselves into butterflies of various shapes and sizes, usually of a type that resembles their Zephyr wings. They can take shapes in between this form, their natural form, and their Eiflan form. There have even been accounts of some appearing as butterflies with little Eiflan faces!

Size Alteration – Zephyr Fey can change their size from their tiny natural size to a full size Eiflan form. They can reach a maximum height that is as tall as a Maruke.

Mimetic Appendage – The Zephyrs mimetic appendage is their wings. As with the other Fey Castes all wings must be removed in order for them to retain their magical power. If less than the entire wing set is removed the removed wing(s) will dissolve into sparkly but otherwise inert fine dust and the Zephyr will regenerate the missing wing(s).

Nixies
Another race with the ability to alter their size,  These tiny Fey live on the surfaces of lakes and alongside freshwater streams. Their villages are tiny as well because of their natural size. Like Sirens, Nixies enjoy living on or near any water, but prefer freshwater and can be found often times near Undine colonies, living along the waters edge or on small islets or even large hollow logs on the surface of the Undines preferred lakes.

Physical Description: These Fey resemble damsel flies, dragon flies, and fey flies, and have between 2 and 4 iridescent and transparent wings, 2 on each side of their back. They don't necessarily have to have these wings visible in order to fly though and sometimes they can even take on the shape of the insects they resemble, just as the Zephyr Caste does. When they bother with clothing they will usually wear something loose fitting and comfortable. Otherwise though they prefer the feel of the air against their bare skin, which like Celestials and Zephyrs comes in a rainbow of colors along with their hair. Their wings have a colored glow like a fey flies wings and can sometimes come in unusual shapes though they don’t vary too widely.

Outlook: The Nixies look at life in a very casual, relaxed way. They take their time and relax, storing their energy for when they really need it. And when that day arrives; they unleash speed unlike anything any other race is capable of. Mostly though this seems to be just a tool for them to get the work out of the way so that they can get back to relaxing on lily pads or cattails.

Characters: Nixies don’t often travel far from their homes but on occasion there are some who get the urge for adventuring. For these Nixies the favored class is Priest/Priestess. As most of them are not inclined to aggression. A few however take up the path of swordsman.

History: When the Nixies arrived on Eifel they took their time emerging from their flower pods. They were in no rush; knowing innately that the new world wasn’t going anywhere. When they did emerge they discovered the fresh water lakes, the ponds and rivers and streams. And so they made their homes there and were happy.

When the conflict came upon them; the Nixies wielded swords and took to the front lines at lightning speeds. Even they quickly succumbed to mutual toxicity however and they had to stop as their tiny bodies grew weak more quickly than the larger Fey.

After the Boreal retreated and the world settled down new races arrived on Eifel and the Nixies were curious about them. The races were all much larger than the Nixies though and sometimes they could not tell the Nixies alternate forms from normal insects. So the Nixies went to the Zephyr for help and they taught the Nixies how to change their size as the Zephyrs do. After that the Nixies were able to interact freely with the new races and again all was well until Enlyl sealed herself away and the Nixies; following the example of the Celestials and Zephyrs retreated from the world, secluding themselves in their own communities.

As time went on they slowed down and began to take a more lackadaisical approach to life, just as they had before the conflict. The majority of them gave up their swordsmanship with only a few maintaining the art in order to defend their tiny concealed villages should the need arise.

Society: These tiny Fey are also vegetarians, though of the water plant variety, and like the Zephyr, they can disguise their food as meat, but it's almost always seafood or waterfowl. They enjoy throwing parties, but aren't as formal or lavish as the Zephyr. In fact Nixies seem to be quite laid back and casual in most of their pursuits. They have an elected ruler who serves for a time before their office is passed to another, but the term length varies, and usually a term lasts "for as long as they're doing a good job".

Like the Zephyr, Nixies like to give and receive love freely, with as many partners as they wish. And they do so, quite often. Single partner relationships are rare but not unheard of, as sometimes Nixies can become so enamored with one person that straying to another simply doesn't occur to them.

Other variants: In small tidal pools and oceanic shallows there exist colonies of nixies who take on the shapes of seahorses and small jellyfish and other tiny sea creatures rather than the usual dragon and damsel flies that inhabit fresh water areas. Rather than dragonfly wings, theirs resemble fins. In addition, there are a few known instances of fresh and salt water nixies mingling in areas of brackish waters where the ocean meets the rivers, and their offspring can have a mixture of features such as seahorse tails and dragonfly wings.

Halflings will be short, like the Zephyrs, and will retain the four wings of the parent. Like with the Zephyr, if the Nixie Halflings coloration follows the Fey Parent, and the other parent is a Maruke or a Nyn or a Leveret some very interesting children can be born.

Because of their Aquatic nature, Nixies (and by the same token, Sirens), are one of the few races that can create viable Halflings with Selkies. The halflings will still be weak, and often times sickly during childhood. But they have a much higher survival rate than the halflings produced by Selkies and normal Eiflans. This is because their shape shifting abilities allow the Undine Halfling the chance to survive in either environment.

Language: Nixies speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They also have a private language consisting mostly of clicks, chirps, and buzzing sounds made with their wings. This language isn’t used as often as it once was however as the Nixies mainly speak Sidhe or Eiflan now.

Naming: Nixies don’t take naming too seriously. Mostly they just choose whatever name sounds most interesting to them. Here are some examples of popular Nixie names:

Male: Amedee, Amos, Beau, Bernard, Evinrude, Eloi, Leon, Otis, Philippe, Remy

Female: Adelaide, Alma, Beatrice, Dixie, Eula, Heloise, Ida, Josephine, Maude, Ophelia

Magic and Lore: Nixies have magic but they don’t use much beyond the occasional shape shifting and maintenance/upkeep of the enchantments keeping their villages disguised. Beyond that; they like to disguise their vegetarian diet as meat sometimes but this is about as far as they go. Because of this Nixie mages are somewhat rare.

Relations with other Races: Nixies don’t tend to have problems with other races. Mostly because they don’t have a lot of contact with the outside world anymore. When they do have interaction most other races find their casual attitude disarming and they tend to get along well.

Equipment: Nixies don’t keep many things around them. A boat made from a nut shell or seed pod, and the occasional family sword kept safe since the laying down of weapons after the Boreal Conflict. Maybe a comfortable wrap or loose fitting robe to wear if they feel clothes-ey. Sometimes an umbrella made from a leaf and simple tools and woven baskets for their vegetarian diet. The Nixies live simple lives.

Animals and pets: Nixies are small like Zephyrs, and like Zephyrs they keep small animals as pets such as water beetles and damsel flies. Sometimes they will keep a few gliding frogs to use as mounts. This seems to be more for fun than for actual travel however.

Abilities and Racial features:

Psionics – See the General Fey information for details on basic Psionics

Shape Shifting – Nixies can change from their natural forms to an insect form of either a damsel fly, dragon fly, or fey fly. They can also shift into a full sized Eiflan form and several “in between” stages including one that looks like an insect with an Eiflans head.

Size Alteration – Nixies can change their size from their tiny natural forms up to full size Eiflan forms and any height in between.

Mimetic appendage – A Nixies mimetic appendage is their wings. All wings (whether two or four) must be removed in order for them to retain their power. If less than the total amount of wings are removed; the severed wings will turn brittle and crumble into inert flakes the consistency of crushed insect wings.

Sprites


Sprites Are forest dwellers, they live at the bases of trees and their villages while well hidden are one of the few that can be recognized by the distinctive appearance of a ring of toadstools that encircles it (commonly referred to as a 'fairy ring'). Like all Fey; if their tails are removed they lose their memories. Sprite tails are supposed to have extremely powerful magical concentrations stored within them. Because of this they are traded often in mage circles (especially necromancers) under the nickname 'fairy lamps'.

Physical Description: Sprites are small and cannot change their size like Nixies and Zephyr can. Average height for Sprites is 3 - 4 inches tall. Sprites have no wings, instead, their flight seems to be enabled by a small glowing ball at the end of their curly tails. This isn’t the only unusual thing about them though. Their bodies glow from the inside. A phenomena they call their “faerie light”. Each sprite glows with a particular color. These colors seem to be granted either due to personality, or possibly completely at random. While they’ve been seen in just about every color in the spectrum, their colors can and do overlap each other and tend to match the color of their skin.

They can be just about any color of the rainbow from pink to violet and every varying shade in between and seem to be covered in a fine powder-like substance commonly referred to as “faerie dust”. This ‘dust’ is the same color as their bodies. It comes from their tails and is faintly luminescent. Sprites will often use this dust in painting, with different colored Sprites coming together to make little glowing scenes and portraits. Their hair and eyes don’t have to match their skin in any particular way, and there is a chance that when two of any color pair together, their offspring will be a mixture of the two colors (EX Red sprite + Blue sprite = purple sprite offspring).

Outlook: Sprites love to be creative. They use faerie dust to draw pictures on tree trunks with their bodies and they are always inventing new games and dances. If their ideas don’t work out they simply move on to the next thing without care of concern.

Characters: Sprites do not travel much. Their inability to change their size can make the world a dangerous place for them. The ones that do travel will more often than not be magic users. Their favored class is Mage.

History: The Sprite race went unnoticed for a long time because of their size. For this reason not much is known about their history, their involvement in the Conflict, or their reactions to the sealing of Enlyl.

Recently there has been some speculation that Sprites may be descended from Dream Fey, but this has yet to be proven and is at best an idle theory.

Society: Sprites live in tiny villages tucked into the hollows and built on the low-sides of tree trunks in the deepest parts of the forests and jungles of Eifel. Their homes are made by building on and around the flat platform-like fungus that grows along the sides of trees and inside their hollows. They use their faintly glowing faerie dust to light their villages and while the actual buildings can’t be seen without special magic the boundaries of a Sprite Village can be recognized by a distinct ring of toadstools that Eiflans have named ‘faerie rings’. Their community is largely un-researched, and whether they have an official leader is unknown. From their behavior scientist theorize that Sprites have no leader and simply live together because they are social and it’s convenient.

Some of them seem to have family units while others just jump from partner to partner to partners. They love to try new things which leads them to some interesting situations. Sprites cannot alter their size, but some of them have discovered the next best thing. They've enchanted their Faerie Rings so that Eiflans stepping inside them are shrunk down to miniature size, just as they are. In addition there is an area enchantment that universally translates the language of all people inside the Faerie Ring, so that everyone hears speech in their native tongue. Halflings created this way will almost always be diminutive versions of their Eiflan parent if the Eiflan is the mother. If the sprite is the mother, the baby will be slightly larger than average, and will grow up to be exceptionally tall (for a sprite).

A Sprites’ diet consists of things gathered from the forest floor. Dew from leaves, fallen nuts, berries, and nectar from flowers are all common foods found in sprite homes. They also enjoy baking simple breads made with flower derived from acorns, which they eat spread with a little butter derived from plant milk and some Flutterswarm honey.

Language: Sprites cannot speak Eiflan or Sidhe. Instead they have a unique language that sounds like bells jingling at various tones. It's often referred to as "faerie chimes". Often times if they need to communicate with other races they will try to use charades to get their point across, and with many Sidhe castes they can make a telepathic connection that will allow them to hear the Sprite as though they are speaking Eiflan or Sidhe.

Naming: Sprites can name their children just about anything, but prefer to name them after colors wherever possible. Usually the color name will match or at least allude to the color of the Sprite being named. Here are some popular examples:

Male: Alabaster, Bronze, Cyan, Dusty, Ecru, Gray, Jasper, Mauve, Platinum, Rust

Female: Amber, Beige, Citrine, Hazel, Lavender, Magenta, Olive, Paisley, Seafoam, Taupe

Magic and Lore: While most of their magic is focused on their villages in the form of enchantments of various types; there are some who learn traditional spells as well. Mostly these are used in the service of the village also and additionally as art mediums along with their faerie dust.

Relations with other Races: Their relations are almost non-existent because they have so little contact with the outside world. They do have good relations however with other Fey castes and the Zephyr in particular, with whom they trade various objects such as flower nectar and jars of faerie dust for butter and Flutterswarm honey. They also do some trading with the Nixies though no one is quite sure what exactly the Sprites get from them.

Equipment: Sprites use their Faerie dust for a lot of different things, but one of the most useful is in heating it to make glass jars. They use the jars to store more dust which is then accessible to them for art and useful as a make shift and heat-less lamp. They can also trade the jars and the dust inside them to Zephyrs and Nixies for special foods and other interesting things they can’t get on their own.

Animals and pets: Sprites keep various forest dwelling insects as companions including ants, beetles, and walking stick bugs. They also sometimes keep reptiles such as anoles as mounts as well as forest mice and the occasional bird. Every once in a while; a larger animal will be found wounded and in order for them to help the creature it will have to be brought into the village and so subjected to their shrinking enchantment. Sprites often become attached to these animals once they’ve regained their health and will from then on they will be able to enter and leave the village just like any other welcome guest.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – See the General Fey information for details on basic Psionics

Flight – Sprites can move through the air by unknown means apparently related to their tails.

Faerie Light – Sprites glow from the inside with a personal colored light. This effect is most visible at night or in low-light/unlit areas.

Mimetic appendage – A Sprites mimetic appendage is it’s tail. Since Sprites only have one tail there is a higher concentration of magic stored in it than most other mimetic appendages.

Lares
One of the small castes, Lares appear as bipedal squirrels that wear tiny clothes. Among the Fey Castes, the Lares are one of the closest to Eiflans (the other being the Ma’neko). They quite literally share a home with them, living in the unused or forgotten parts of Eiflan houses.

Physical Description: They're all squirrel-like in appearance, but their colors vary between gray, red, brown, gold, white, pale yellow, and black. In their natural state they stand about 6 - 8 inches tall, but they can change their size to a limited degree, growing up to 3 1/2 to 4 feet in height. Their eyes, like most Fey eyes, can be a variety of colors including black, blue, gold, red, and violet. Other colors are less common. Lares usually have a strip of lighter colored fur that stars under their nose and around their cheeks, and continues down the front of their bodies and down their fluffy tails.

They usually wear plain, simple clothing. Sometimes consisting of little more than an apron or a vest. This clothing will be hand-made by them usually from scraps found around the home.

Outlook: Lares are at their happiest when they are performing some sort of task. Whether that be sewing, dusting, sweeping, or generally any other household chore that needs doing. If they don’t think they’re being observed they will often hum or whistle a cheerful tune while they go about their work.

Characters: Often times a young Lares will grow up living in the home of a former adventurer and will desire to embark on an adventure of their own. Sometimes their parents will frown on this but more often than not they too will remember when they longed for such things and will give their blessing. Because of their ability to focus on lessons keenly and their quick reflexes their favored class is Swordsman.

History: When the flower pods containing the first members of the Lares caste touched down on Eifel from the Great Tree the Lares scampered out and looked all around them at the new world. They took to the trees then and found that they loved the fruits and nuts that could be found there. And so this was where they made their homes and where they stayed for a long time.

During the Fey and Boreal conflict many of their tree homes were chopped down maliciously by marauding Boreal and so they took up arms when the other Fey did to protect themselves, equipping swords and shields and taking to battle. Like the other Fey on the front lines they were hit hard by mutual toxicity and like the Nixies their small bodies made things especially difficult on them.

After the conflict though the new races appeared and began to build houses and farm the land. Many of the first Eiflan homes were made from the trees that the Boreal had cut down and the Lares were overjoyed to see their former homes proving they were still of use. Over time some of the Lares began to take up residence inside the Eiflans homes, usually with an agreement that they would help with the housework in exchange for some kind of compensation. This eventually became a part of Lares culture and it persists even today.

In the aftermath of Enlyl sealing herself more and more Lares moved into the forgotten spaces inside Eiflan homes. The were more often than not seen as a benefit not only because they did housework but because they would often route any rodents living in the home and appropriate these spaces for themselves. Since then it has become completely normal for Lares to live in Eiflan homes and they seem to enjoy their domestic lives.

Society: While many of them live in old mouse holes and inside the walls; their favorite places by far are the attic, and beneath the floor boards. They never do this without compensation however, and houses that have a Lares family residing in them are usually blessed, because the Lares delight in household chores and other menial tasks, and ask for very little in return. Just a place to live, some milk, and cornbread or other biscuits smeared with honey.

They do not have villages the way other Castes do, instead living in small family units which often consist of two parents and up to 4 kits. If a home is particularly long-established there may be multiple generations of Lares living there such as Grand Parents and extended family such as Aunts, Uncles, Nieces and Nephews. This is true mostly for average Eiflan homes however.

The Castle at the Capital of Virdeen in Lyaan boasts an entire Lares colony living within it’s walls. And the Lares here mimic the society they see around them. They have their own market and community and have even appointed a Lares King and Queen, though they do not seem to understand what the position entails and more often than not these ‘officials’ are more like consultants and mediators for any disputes the Lares might have between each other.

Lares are a proud caste who make their own clothing and other household items. To attempt to offer them clothing is considered a great insult. This is considered an implication that they are not capable of sewing and mending their own clothes, and that they need Eiflans to do it for them. Many times, if they feel strongly enough about it, the Lares may pack up their entire family and find another home to inhabit.

In addition there may still be a few Lares colonies living in the trees of Eifel. But if they are there it seems they have become exceedingly adept at hiding their presence from everyone around them; including the other Fey castes. Presumably these Lares don’t wear any clothes at all and are indistinguishable from ordinary squirrels.

Language: Lares speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They are also fluent in Squirrel; a language mostly consisting of body language and ear/tail position. However their constant association with Eiflans means that they mostly use such signals to augment themselves while speaking in Eiflan.

Naming: The Lares will name their offspring after just about anything or anyone they fancy. Because of their long association with Eiflans naming their children in Eiflan is considered quite normal. Here are some examples of common Lares names:

Male: Artie, Buckle, Crickle Crack, Dale, Jerry, Key, Latch, Mop, Nutkin, Oven

Female: Buttermilk, Button, Easel, Gigette, Honey, Lacey, Minikin, Pepper, Squeaky, Twiggy

Magic and Lore: Lares use magic in the form of their Psionics to do many chores that would otherwise be too difficult for the tiny Fey. They also use it for altering their size to a small degree as well as the size of their cleaning tools.

Relations with other Races: Lares provide a service for Eiflans that makes them desirable for most people. Their relations are good for the most part. With the exception of some strained relations with the Nyn who can occasionally mistake them for food if they aren’t careful.

Equipment: The Lares will almost always have household tools that they have made themselves. In particular dust rags and a home made broom. These tools are enchanted to match the size of the Lares whether they are their normal tiny size or their larger 3 – 4 foot tall size.

Animals and Pets: Lares don’t keep livestock, though the Eiflans they live with sometimes do. They will sometimes keep small rodents or insects as pets for themselves and can become quite attached to any pets the Eiflans own as well.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – For details on basic Psionics see the Fey Caste general information.

Limited Size Alteration – Lares can change size from their natural size of 6 – 8 inches tall to a larger 3 ½ to 4 ft size.

Mimetic Appendage – The mimetic appendage of the Lares is it’s tail. However they are such a common part of Eiflan life that they are rarely hunted.

Ma'neko
This group of cat like Fey seem to live very harmoniously with the Nyn and even other races such as the Eiflans. Some of them are a bit lazy, disguising themselves as cats and living happy lives as an unsuspecting Eiflans pet. Ma'nekos Psionic specialization is focused mainly on shape shifting from the small housecat form to other feline forms and the Eiflan form most Fey employ, along with various 'in between' forms.

Physical Description: While Ma'neko Fey who are living anonymously as housecats look mostly natural, these Fey can be various colors including blue, pink, and even green. In addition they may sometimes have two tails. Like all Fey they are unwaveringly good creatures, and will often only use more dangerous cat forms only to defend themselves and their loved ones. Because of their malleable nature, it is difficult to determine an average height and weight for the race. Among their ranks, the most powerful and highly respected Ma'neko Fey are almost entirely white, with Orange and Black patterns on their heads and backs.

Outlook: Ma’neko try to live as comfortably as possible, working only when necessary. Though inevitably it is up to the Ma’neko to define what is ‘necessary work’ most prefer to hunt their own meat rather than be served by someone else. In all other areas though they love to have attention lavished on them particularly in their cat forms; when they can be stroked and brushed.

Characters: Ma’neko live with Eiflans regularly and many of them will adventure when it suits them or if they’ve become emotionally attached to an Eiflan who is themselves embarking on an adventure. When traveling they prefer to use their claws and their favored class is Pugilist.

History: When the Ma’neko arrived on Eifel they were skittish at first, and hid inside their flower pods for a bit before quietly creeping out into the world. When they finally emerged they found a wondrous landscape of plants to play with and water to drink and they chased the Nixies and Zephyr and each other all night long and then slept the day away in the remains of their pods.

When the Boreal declared war the Ma’neko taught themselves to transform into big cats with huge muscles and sharp claws. But they never got to use them because they were late to the battle and soon after they arrived reports of the mutual toxicity began to pour in from the front lines.

They found a new use for these forms when the new races and animals arrived on Eifel. The Ma’neko used their powerful forms to help the new races settle in and work the land and soon they discovered the satisfaction of chasing the beasts of the forests and fields both large and small.

When the Goddess sealed herself away the Ma’neko mourned for a time, but many of them chose not to retreat from the world. Instead they took to using their smaller forms more and more often. And many of them began to take up residence in homes known to be friendly to cats. Still others chose to live among the Nyn, who’s familiar shape they admired.

Since then the Ma’neko have lived mostly solitary lives much like the Vulpes. They will try to find each other to mate (unless they have someone they’re attached to) but most of the time they will not seek each other out.

Society: Ma'neko Fey don't usually congregate in large groups, preferring to live on their own. They do pair up however when females are "In Season". Ma'neko usually have litters of around 4 - 6 kittens, but litters of 8 or more are not unheard of. Like the Vulpes, Ma'neko kittens are born with their eyes still closed and their bodies undeveloped, and they are not taught the ways of shape shifting until they are old enough to speak and to generally understand what their parents are telling them.

For a Ma’neko living as a housecat in an Eiflans home the desire to go out and seek a mate is lessened. This happens most of the time because the Ma’neko will become emotionally attached to someone living in the home. Either the Eiflan who owns the house or even another housecat living with them.

Their presence in an Eiflans home can be given them away by their unwillingness to eat any meat which they themselves did not hunt. Usually to allow for the most comfortable life they will deliberately seek out farms; where they are expected to be mousers and can enjoy the hunt without raising suspicions. The only Eiflan provided food source they find acceptable is bowls of water and/or saucers of milk.

Language: Ma’neko speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They also speak cat and Nynesh. Both of which are very close to their own language. The chances are good that Ma’neko is the original language and that cats and Nyn learned from them.

Naming: These days many Ma’neko are named by the Eiflans they live with. This can cause them to end up with some fairly strange names in comparison to other races. Here are some examples of Ma’neko names:

Male: Andy, Bubba, Cody, Danny, Fitz, Goober, Hercules, Lubber, Milo, Rascal

Female: Alley, Baby, Cleo, Fanny, Kitty, Lulu, Mini, Muffin, Precious, Twinkle

Magic and Lore: Ma’neko use magic mostly in the case of adventurers who have taken the mage class. They don’t need many enchantments and rely mostly on their psionics for their magical needs and even those abilities are used mostly for shape shifting.

Relations with other Races: For the most part, Ma’neko enjoy good standing with the other races of Eifel. Individually however they can sometimes be treated as a nuisance if an Eiflan discovers that their beloved house pet is actually a faerie in disguise.

Equipment: Ma’neko don’t need much in the way of equipment. Some of them have a fondness for wearing bells around their necks nonetheless.

Animals and Pets: Rather than have pets Ma’neko prefer to put on the facade of being the pet. They relate to domestic animals well and often times will become emotionally involved with them even more than with an Eiflan companion.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – See the General Fey Information for more details o basic psionics

Alternate Form – Ma’neko can alter their shape between various felid and Eiflan forms. These can range from a simple housecat to larger and more powerful big cats along with Eiflan, Nyn, and a variety of hybrid forms.

Limited Size Alteration – A Ma’neko can change it’s size, though not to the degree that some of the other Fey castes can. The Ma’neko can only match the height of any of it’s feline forms when they are standing on their hind legs.

Mimetic Appendage – The Ma’nekos mimetic appendage is their tail(s). In the case of Ma’neko with two tails; both tails must be removed. If only one is removed it will crumble into an inert pile of fur. The Ma’neko will then regenerate the lost tail.

Alseid
These Fey are connected to the plants and trees of Eifel. They live in all corners of Eifel, some even managing to thrive in areas where almost no other plant life can exist.

Physical Description: The Alseid are genderless by traditional standards. They begin as buds, growing in special grounds that are sacred to the Fey. As they grow, they show their age not in wrinkles but in color. After their bud blossoms, the new "sprout", is either brown or white in color, possibly with pale green hair. They then steadily become more and more green as time passes, until at the age of 16, when they reach maturity and their skin becomes completely green. Their feet always have a brownish hue to them because they absorb nourishment through them via contact with the ground.

Their hair by this time will have taken on it's own color, usually pink, purple, white, or yellow. and they will have "tails" made of various colored flowers, as well as flowers blossoming all along their bodies. When they near the age of 1050, they begin to show their age by changing colors once again. Their body flowers will drop off, and their skin will become deep red, gold, yellow, or violet. Which will eventually deepen to brown and then gray as they reach the most venerable of years.

Outlook: Alseid have a strong connection to nature because they are linked with all plant life, being plants themselves. They accept much of life with a calm reservation and believe that because all things are connected, and just as a raging fire improves the land for the plants to become even more abundant on so does every event has a purpose.

Characters: Alseid traveling abroad are fairly common particularly in their youth. Not particularly aggressive, their favored class is Priest/Priestess.

History: The Alseid were one of the last Fey castes to emerge from their flower pods, however they were one of the first to arrive. Their pods remained dormant for a long time as they put down roots and slowly began to grow into a grove of trees that some today claim are the trees of the Sacred Forest. Instead of splitting open like a seed pod theirs actually bloomed like a flower and the Alseid emerged at last, connected psionically to all the plants of the world.

When the Conflict occurred the Alseid did not take part. Rather they were charged with ensuring that no permanent damage was done to the surrounding plant life caught in the conflict. They were also able to find medicinal plants to aid with the aftermath of the mutual toxicity.

Some time after the conflict ended new races arrived on Eifel. The Alseid found these new creations interesting, The way they used plants and trees was a part of their intrigue, and the things they built here unlike the buildings that the other Fey castes had constructed. Some of the Alseid were frightened by the way that the new races harvested trees for their buildings.

Then Enlyl sealed herself and like many other Fey the Alseid retreated farther from the non-Sidhe races. Some though still chose to remain near the settlements because they did not want to be so far separated from the plants that grew In cities and towns.

Since that time the Alseid have rarely been seen living In areas with a large population of Eiflans though seeing them traveling from place to place is not uncommon.

Society: The Alseid live in groves which they often share with Cervine herds. They have no gender in the conventional sense though for the purpose of reproduction there is a slight distinction in that some Alseid produce pollen that can be transferred to another Alseid to create a seed which will eventually grow into an Alseid Bud. Even this though is not set in stone and the seed bearer for one Bud can become the Pollinator for the next.

When in relationships with Eiflans or other Sidhe Castes the Alseid will take on whatever role is necessary where procreation is concerned even if they and their partner are similar enough in build and mentality to be considered ‘same sex’. If the Alseid is the “Mother” they will produce a Seed which will grow into a But the usual Alseid way. If they are the acting “Father”, then the child will be born via normal Eiflan/Other Sidhe means.

In the case of Alseid Halflings; they will have a somewhat mixed skin coloring, with areas of skin fading into green and sometimes inheriting the growth of small flowers on these areas of their bodies. They will have flowers blooming in their hair which will match the color of these flowers and their feet will have a brownish hue regardless of the color the rest of their bodies are. The Alseid Halfling will carry a floral scent all over their body. Their gender will always match the gender of the non-Alseid parent.

They gain nourishment through photosynthesis in addition to the vitamins and minerals gained by absorbing nutrients from contact with the ground and through the water they drink.

Language: Alseid speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They do not have a verbal language of their own (being plant related) but there is speculation that they communicate telepathically in much the same way that Sirens do.

Naming: Because of their strong connections the Alseid often name their buds after other plants. Here are some common examples:

Aloe, Chamomile, Cumin, Dandelion, Hyacinth, Hibiscus, Ivy, Jasmine, Lily, Leak, Oregano, Primrose, Pansy, Pine, Ragwart, Rose, Sage, Saffron, Thistle, Wheat

Magic and Lore: Alseid magic is mostly linked to plants and plant properties. This specialized magic allows them to shape trees and even phase into trees and plants, living as if they were a part of the plant. These magical abilities also help them draw forth healing properties in plants.

Relations with other Races: Alseid race relations vary widely. Some people work with them for mutual benefit to raise crops and enhance the land, while others have been known to hunt them for their magical properties. But for the most part Alseid who aren’t living in or near gardens and farms avoid contact with the non-Sidhe races, so their relations are neither good nor bad. They get along well with other Sidhe races.

Equipment: Alseid carry no equipment and most of them have no possessions other than what grows on their bodies.

Animals and Pets: Alseid may keep some of the more advanced plant species but for the most part they keep no companion animals or livestock. Often enough though there will be wild deer groups living in their territories because they usually share these territories with Cervine Fey.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – For details on basic Psionics see the General Information on Fey as a race.

Botanical Link – Alsied are connected to Eifels plant life psionically. They can sense and translate the thoughts and feelings of plants. This power also links the Alseid to each other in the same way that the Sirens are.

Plant Shaping – Alseid can manipulate the forms of plants as though they were maleable. For centuries they’ve used this skill to creat dwellings for Fey Castes that do not harm the trees used in their creation.

Plant Phasing – Alseid can enter and reside in trees and larger plants such as bushes and shrubs. Contrary to popular belief; chopping or cutting down such a plant does not kill the Alseid unless they happen to be inside the plant when it is destroyed. When inside another plant the Alseid recieves all necessary nutricion from the host plant.

Mimetic appendage – Alseid’s mimetic appendages are the two long stem-tails that grow from their lower backs. These tails retain their properties even at advanced ages when the flowers drop off of them, leaving only the stem and leaves behind. For the tails to retain their power both stems must be cut. If only one is cut then the removed tail will wilt and turn brown and the Alseid will regenerate the lost stem.

Cervine
This Caste is found all over Eifels forests, fields, and mountains. Their natural forms are cervitaurs but they love to take the shape of deer and other cervus and run free with the herds. While initially shy they can be quite friendly with enough time and patience.

Physical Description: Cervine in their natural state are tauric Fey, with the upper torso being Eiflan and the lower body being that of a deer. Most Cervines are snow white, ash gray, or coal black, and always have hooves and antlers of either silver or gold. On rare occasions they can also have pale gold or pinkish toned fur. Other than their natural form, they have a Satyr like form where they simply have the back legs of a deer and their antlers and ears, and a full deer form. The ash gray coloring is gray flecked with black and white all throughout, and snow white sparkles blue just like freshly driven snow, and the coal seems to glow reddish orange when hit by sunlight. They can give themselves a fully eiflan form, which will nearly always have either silver or gold hair, depending on the color of their antlers and regardless of their natural hair color. Their favorite shape is the deer form, which is always an exceedingly beautiful example of it's kind. Their eyes can be blue, violet, green, aqua, tawny/gold, or silver, and females have much shorter antlers than the males. males enjoy having little goatees.

Outlook: Cervine Caste spend much of their time with the herd, which they protect with their very lives. Nonetheless Cervines seem to have a carefree attitude and love to dance and run and jump. They are fond of music as well.

Characters: While Cervines enjoy being with the herd adventuring is not uncommon for them. And their enjoyment of social interaction and music leads them on many a journey. Their favored class is Bard.

History: When the Cervine first arrived on Eifel they tried to journey to as many places as they could. They saw the deep forests and the grassy fields and even the snow covered peaks of the Frozen Land. They tasted lush grasses and tender leaves and rich green pine needles. In each new location there would be some who stayed behind and established themselves.

Many Cervines joined the battle when the Boreal and the Fey went to war. They served as archers attacking from afar and when the conflict ended the Cervine helped bring the wounded and dead back from the front lines. Because they were using ranged weapons not many Cervines were subjected to mutual toxicity, but the battle took it’s toll on them just the same and they became slightly skittish.

When the new races appeared they did not approach them right away because of this. And the situation was made worse as the new races often mistook them for non-Sidhe deer and tried to hunt them for meat. The Cervine became shy after that and stuck to their herds more than ever. By the time Enlyl sealed herself away they had already mostly withdrawn from the world, putting them ahead of the game in terms of the Fey’s retreat.

Over the years they learned to hide themselves well. But there would always be curious Eiflans who tried to seek them out. And after some time many learned that the best way to befriend them was through music, as it is with the Sirens.

Society: Cervines live in herds that can number up to 20 individuals. They roam freely about forests and in grassy fields, and up in the mountains. Sometimes even hopping along steep cliff ledges. In each herd, the oldest members are considered the leaders. And are commonly known as the “Kings/Queens” of the forest. The largest congregation of Cervine is purported to exist in a forest clearing somewhere in the forests that surround Ceria. The glade is said to be hidden by illusion magic like many other Fey colonies throughout Eifel and is the home of the oldest of all Cervine; revered and respected as the High Kind and Queen. Legend has it that when the time is right members of Cervine herds from all over the world come to this place for a special gathering.

Being herbivorous they eat all kinds of vegetation such as grass, leaves, flowers, and pine needles. They also enjoy many different kinds of fruit and if times are lean (such as in winter) they will even strip bark from trees. They love to drink from fresh water springs and waterfalls.

Cervines do not usually take a lifemate. Rather they will pair up for mating and child rearing, and when the fawns are old enough to be on their own the Cervines will decide whether to remain together or part ways, seeking out a new mate next season. In the case of Cervines mating with Eiflans; there is a higher rate of permanent unions simply because that is the way Eiflans do things. Halflings retain the intermixed quality of their parentage. If the mother is a Fey, then the Halfling will be a cervitaur. In cases where the father is the Fey, the Halfling will be of the Satyr variety. In either case they will retain their fey parent's antlers and ears, and their hair will usually match the color of their fur, either entirely, or fading into that color at the edges.

Language: Cervine speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They augment their Sidhe tongue with physical cues such as ear position and body language. They also speak Cervus, which is also the language of all deer.

Naming: In the herd Cervine have no Eiflan names. However the ones that decide to go adventuring or are otherwise in routine contact with Eiflans will often choose a name for themselves. Here are some examples of common Cervine names:

Male: Carl, Cicero, Donner, Duke, Earl, Horus, Lance, Puck Nicholas, Rudolph

Female: Bambi, Celty, Deanna, Ellen, Felina, Gigi, Imogene, Pann, Olivier, Sylvia

Magic and Lore: Cervines use magic mostly to protect themselves from hunters via illusions or other means of disguise. Some researchers claim that there are also other areas like the Ceria Glade that are magically concealed for the protection of the Cervine and their young.

Relations with other Races: Cervine are skittish when encountering non-Sidhe races because in the past they have been mistaken for food and hunted. In addition they are sometimes specifically hunted for their horns and hooves (though this is frowned upon by most people). They have good relations with other Sidhe Castes, who can recognize them easily because of their Fey aura.

Equipment: The Cervine love to tie colored ribbons or string and silver bells to their antlers as decorations, and enjoy music. In particular the pan pipes. Many of them will carry these items on their person when traveling. As well as other small instruments like wooden or reed whistles or rattles made from dried out honey pods.

Animals and Pets: Cervines live with many animals but do not often keep specific companions. Nor do they tend livestock; because they do not eat animal-derived foods.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – See the General Fey information for details on basic Psionics

Alternate Form – Cervines can change from their natural form into either a full Deer or a Fully Eiflan form, and several stages in between.

Mimetic Appendage – The Cervines mimetic appendage is their antlers, For the full power to be retained both antlers must be removed. If only one is removed it turns gray and loses all magical properties. The Cervine will eventually shed their other horn as a new match set grows to take it’s place.

Undine
A race of water-dwellers similar to Merfolk, the Undines live in lakes, streams, and other bodies of fresh or salt water. Because they are like Merfolk, most of them prefer to stay in their homes beneath the waters surface. There are rumors though of an entire colony of them living above ground on the mainland, apparently having been driven out of their lake home when the Eiflans came there to build the place known as the Asylum.

Physical Description: They are some of the most colorful of all the races of Eifel, and seemingly they can have any combination of hair, skin, eye, and tail colors. Their tails and their hair are their pride and joy, with their scales usually blending 2 - 3 colors and shimmering iridescently. When in humanoid form, Undines are shorter than most Eiflans, standing from about 4'4 - 4'6 for females, and 4'7 - 5'0 for males. when they are in their natural forms, they tend to be a bit longer, due to having fins instead of feet. In their natural forms Undines are on average between 4'5 and 4'9 in length for females, and 4'8 - 5'2 for males. Undines don't usually stand, so they measure themselves in terms of length rather than height, although they essentially mean the same thing.

Each Undine has a relatively large Pearl that grows from and appears to be imbedded in their body. This Pearl can be any color though usually it will match their tails and/or hair color. The Pearl grows in one of several locations, with the size depending on where the pearl grows from. The larger Pearls grow from either the center of the chest just above the pectorals, or the navel in place of the bellybutton. Smaller pearls will grow on the center of the forehead or the back of the neck; just where the neck meets the shoulders. Undines only grow one such gem on their bodies; as it is their mimetic appendage.

Outlook: Flighty and whimsical in nature; the Undine are a playful people. But they are also capable of completing great tasks when they work together. One of the prime examples of this is the city of Levant; which was built as a collaborative effort between the Undine and the Eiflans so that it serves as a home for both Fey and Eiflan alike.

Characters: To see them above ground is rare, but not unheard of. and they are known for their beautiful singing voices and their talent for musical instruments. Many of the Undines who do come to land make an easy career as bards. However their true prowess is with the spear and their favored class is Dragoon.

History: All over Eifel in lakes and streams and ponds, in the gulfs and oceans; flower pods splashed down, some floated on the waters surface, containing the tiny Nixie Fey. But other’s absorbed the water and sank into the depths, and from these came the Undine. They loved the cool feeling of water caressing their skin and soon they began to explore all the underwater realms that they could find. Only after they had finished spreading out into the waters did they come onto the land to see what it had to offer.

When the Conflict began the Undine were prepared to use their powerful spear techniques to fight the Boreal. They came ashore in great numbers to join the battle but were turned back as mutual toxicity began to take hold of them. The Undine came ashore less often after that as they took their wounded below the surface to recover.

Then the new races and animals arrived on Eifel and the Undine found they were now sharing their waters with many creatures they had never imagined and they once again sent out expeditions to learn about these new lives. In one location; the Undine joined with the new races to build an entire community. They named their new city Levant; the city on the Lake.

When the time came that Enlyl sealed herself; many of the Undine retreated beneath the surface of the water to their own kingdoms and colonies. While this was partially due to the Goddess’ sudden departure the larger reason was that some Eiflans had begun to hunt them heavily to harvest their Power infused Mimetic Pearls. But the Undine living in Levant stayed where they were and kept their relationship with the Eiflans in tact. To this day they are the oldest Undine colony to maintain contact with the non-Sidhe world.

Society: Undines live in groupings of cities and villages that exist mostly under water. Because not many Eiflans can breath under water not much is known about the inner workings of their society. But traveling Undines have mentioned an “Undine King and Queen” so it would seem they have a structure of Royalty and Nobility similar to some Eiflan societies. Or more likely; similar to the Zephyrs mimicry of Eiflan society.

While they do not consume much in the way of meat; Undine are by no means vegetarian. They are in fact excellent fishers and enjoy a wide variety of seafood including muscles and shellfish in addition to water dwelling plants such as Kelp and Sea Bobbers.

Undine don’t often take a partner for life. Like some of the other Fey castes they take a mate for as long as is needed to bear and raise children and then when the children leave home the Undine decide whether to remain together or seek out new partners. In the case of Undine who fall in love with a land bound Eiflan; they will almost always leave at some point during the relationship simply because they cannot be away from the water for such a long period of time.

Undine women lay 2 – 3 eggs under water in a special room they build onto their homes. The room is padded with soft sand built up into a mound around the eggs; which are round and semi-transparent. In the case of Undine Halflings; they will retain their gills and gill-fins along with the ability to breath in either air or water. However their physical form will be fixed depending on who the mother is. If the mother is Eiflan the Halfling will have legs. If Undine a fish-like tail. These Halflings will usually retain enough of their inherited Psionic power to allow them to levitate a few feet above the ground; basically swimming through air instead of water.

Language: Undine speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They don’t seem to have a language of their own however it could be that their language is not one that can be heard about the water.

Naming: Undine will often name their offspring Eiflan names out of convenience. However they are also just as likely to name them after things in or relating to water. Here are some examples of common Undine names:

Male: Arapaima, Bracken, Brine, Dolph, Gar, Kale, Manta, Ray, Tidus, Urchin

Female: Anemone, Angelfish, Coral, Cuttlefish, Kelp, Marina, Pearl, River, Sandy, Shelly

Magic and Lore: Almost all Undine have a natural talent for water magic, which aids them when they need to spend a great deal of time on land and away from any convenient water sources. A typical example of this kind of magic is the ability to create a small, localized rainstorm around their person. This keeps them cool, moist, and generally comfortable.

Relations with other Races: The Undine that still have contact with Eiflans tend to get along well with them and along with the Aves they provide a good deal of fresh seafood for trade. They can be wary of strangers however because they have been hunted in the past for their Pearl. Their creativity in making necklaces and other jewelry out of shells and other things found under water enables them to make a decent living above the surface though. They also love singing and playing music so they often garner admiration in that way as well.

Equipment: Undine traveling abroad will usually be either a bard or a dragoon. Because of this; seeing one carrying an instrument or spear is common. Beyond that they carry very little in the way of personal equipment. A Dragoon may be armored but a bard or other Undine may be wearing nothing more than the clothes on their backs. In Undine communities it’s assumed they will have fishing equipment such as nets and specialized spears or harpoons.

Animals and Pets: Like the Clu’ai; Undine keep a group of semi-aquatic animals that they use as both mounts and beasts of burden. They may also keep fish or amphibians as companion animals depending on where and how close to the surface the live. In particular Undines living close to the surface such as those in Levant may keep bobber geese as pets.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – See the general Fey information for details on basic Psionics

Water Affinity - Undines have a natural talent for creating and controlling water. They can access all three of the main water spells without official mage training and seem to be able to change the strength and degree to which the spells are accessed as well, such as creating a smaller Tsunami or causing downpours or rainstorms around themselves instead of simple drizzles. This natural talent does not extend to ice magic however.

Limited Flight – Undine can “swim” through the air using their tails. However they do not have the same range of movement as they do when in water and cannot “swim” more than 5 - 6 feet from the ground.

Shape Shifting – Undine can change into a variety of fish of different sizes and shapes. They also have an Eiflan form in which only their ‘gill fins’ remain unchanged; along with several ‘hybrid’ forms in between. When in fish form they always appear as scaled fish however and cannot transform into other aquatic animals such as sharks, jellyfish, or sea mammals.

Water Breathing – Undine can breath in whatever water they happen to be in whether salt; fresh, or brackish. Any toxins in the water will affect them just as any other creature. Their ability to breath in water does not affect their ability to breath air.

Mimetic Appendage – Not an actual appendage; the Undine’s Pearl is their mimetic object. Removal of the Pearl is often painful but like all Mimetic Appendages it is not life threatening and the would will quickly heal over after removal.

Oneiroi
Oneiroi are extremely elusive. This is because they have become so far separated from the physical world that they are rarely seen anymore and the general populace of Eifel is beginning slowly to consider them a myth. Oneiroi live in what could loosely be termed the realm of dreams or the 'astral realm'; they can enter dreams if they wish and communicate with physical being through their unconscious minds. Because of this and the fact that they barely retain substance in the waking world they are invisible when not on the dream plane. This is a large part of why they are being thought of as mythological more and more, because it is hard to prove something exists if you cannot see it.

Physical Description: Little is known about what their natural form looks like. It's possible that their natural state has become nothing more than wisps of mist or smoke drifting about the world while their minds explore the endless realm of dreams. But ancient drawings and texts depict Oneiroi as being black skinned, with shimmering white hair. They have four 'antennae' on their heads, the two that are on the top of their heads are long, the two that are more to the sides are shorter. They are prismatic in color, with simple patterns traced over the spectrum of colors in black. If the drawings are any indication, no pattern is exactly the same, though many of them incorporate similar shapes, such as circles and triangles. The drawings also seem to indicate that these are their primary mode of flight, as they have no wings. They also have four arms and are almost always drawn completely naked.

Outlook: Oneiroi, being what they are, are said to have had very capricious minds. Their attentions could wander on a whim and they were easily distracted. Their gender was apparently just as vague, because their wandering minds could not seem to hold to one gender specifically. In ancient art works they are often depicted riding on the backs of momos, and especially congregated around the Giant Momo Yiri, the Dream Summon. Texts also describe them as being very easily amused and prone to laughing at odd times and in strange circumstances.

Characters: No one has seen a Oneiroi Caste on the physical plane in thousands of years. Archeological discoveries however seem to portray them as traveling often when they were still here. Their favored class might have been Mage.

History: Archeologists studying the history of the Goddess have found texts stating that the Oneiroi Caste was the first Fey caste to ever exist, though the Celestials were the first to appear in the physical world. The Oneiroi were allegedly born when the Goddess Enlyl dreamt for the first time. This would make them the oldest of Eifels races.

Historians have yet to discover anything regarding their role in the Fey/Boreal conflict. And after some texts mentioning their decline leading up to and continuing after Enlyls disappearance from the world there is no more mention of them in any academic sense. They slip almost seamlessly into the realm of legends and myths.

Society: Because they are invisible in the physical world, we don't know how they reproduce, or if they reproduce at all. Some claim that a Oneiroi is born when a newborn Eiflan has it's first dream, but of course this cannot be confirmed. Equally, no Oneiroi halflings are currently known to exist, and it's assumed that the Oneiroi cannot procreate outside their race, since all other Eiflan races exist in the Physical World, not on the Dream Plane. But there is a particular legend about a Halfling named Persinette who’s physical description and powers seem to concur with what a Oneiroi Halfling would look like.

From this description we can infer that they retain their Fey parents dark skin but lose most other traits; including their extra limbs. While antennae are never mentioned in regards to Persinette chances are good that this is a trait that would also be passed from their Fey parent though whether both sets or only one set is unclear. Perhaps details such as this crop up completely at random due to the incredible amount of freedom a Oneiroi has in relations to it’s physical appearance.

Language: Assumed Eiflan and Sidhe. It is impossible to know what the Oneiroi language is or sounds like as the only contact they have with Eiflans is presumably via dreams. During which all language is translated into the dreamer’s native tongue. Some speculate that dreams themselves may be the language of the Oneiroi Caste, but who’s to say?

Naming: Like many things, Oneiroi Caste names are mostly left up to the speculation of Historians and Archeologists. The only name that comes close to potentially being a Oneiroi Caste name is the ancient hero Persinette; who may have been a Oneiroi Caste Halfling.

Magic and Lore: Legends say that the Oneiroi have powerful psionics that allow them to alter their shape in whatever way they wish on a whim. However they say nothing about what spells the Oneiroi Caste used or whether they became classes such as Mage or Priest/Priestess.

Relations with other Races: Currently the Oneiroi Caste has no relations with other races because they have not been seen in thousands of years. There are however many superstitions and wives tales surrounding them claiming that they bring good dreams to obedient children or that they protect sleepers from the Bragg boreals attempts to attack them through nightmares. Supposedly to dream of one is a powerful omen that should never be ignored.

Equipment: What (if any) tools or weapons a Oneiroi Caste carries is unknown.

Animals and pets: They have been depicted in ancient art as riding momos and consorting with Yiri the Dream Beast.

Abilities and Racial Traits:

Psionics – See the General Fey information for details on basic Fey Psionics

Shape Shifting – Oneiroi can allegedly alter their shape into any configuration they can imagine. And can even change size, color and many other attributes based on nothing more than how they feel at any given moment.

Flight – Oneiroi can move through the air by unknown means possibly connected to their feather-like antennae.

Mimetic Appendage – A Oneirois mimetic appendage is most likely to be their antennae. If this is the case all four antennae would need to be removed in order to retain their powers. No one knows what would happen to a Oneirois antennae if only one or two were removed, but it’s likely that the appendage(s) would fade out of existence entirely and the Fey would grow replacements.

Tsuru
A caste of bird fey, elegant and tall. They are highly intelligent, conducting research on a variety of subjects as they attempt to better understand themselves and the world around them.

Physical Description: Tsuru are eiflan sized birds, usually with long graceful necks such as herons, cranes, and even peacocks and swans. Swans and peacocks in particular, will tend to have longer legs than the actual birds they resemble. They mostly follow the colorations of their natural bird counterparts, however sometimes they will have iridescent feathers that shimmer with vibrant colors like blue, purple, and teal. While they naturally have wings, these can be shifted into arms reminiscent of their bird legs. They can also shift to a fully eiflan form, as well as a hybrid form with the torso and head of an eiflan and the lower body of a bird, with either bird wings or eiflan arms. In either the hybrid or their natural forms, their tails are marked with three long feathers of a color that is starkly different than the rest of the Tsuru’s body. These feathers are the Tsuru’s mimetic appendage, and so are filled with magical power.

A Tsuru’s hair in either their hybrid or eiflan form will take on the same color as their feathers. This is also true in the case of Tsuru halflings, who can be either winged eiflans or something closer to the parents hybrid form. Their hair too will match the color of their feathers.

Outlook: Tsuru are scholarly, trying to find the connections in many different things, even between magic and science. They are curious and innovative, and love to improve and invent.

Characters: Tsuru can be found traveling abroad often, trying to learn as much as they can from as many places as they can. Their love of tinkering, learning, and innovating, their favored class is Gunner.

History: The flower pods that the Tsuru would emerge from landed in several different areas, however most of them were clustered in forests and mountains. Almost as soon as the first Tsuru emerged, they began to explore and learn about everything around them, and it wasn’t long until they were trying new things and coming up with different inventions, even if they were simple and crude at first.

By the time of the conflict, they had become world renowned scholars and inventors, and because of this they were put behind the scenes, using their incredible intellect to invent arms and equipment, most of which would never be used due to the short nature of the conflict and the discovery of mutual toxicity.

Since that time a great deal of their past technology and inventions have been lost to the rest of Eifel, as they became more absorbed in their own research and affairs. Only relatively recently (In the last 500 years or so) have they begun to interact with eiflans once again, with the development of the city of Esmyr in the grasslands.

There is a large amount of technology in Eifel today, which the Tsuru are responsible for creating, and it’s been suggested that they even created an entire airborne island during the time of the Alfs. There is even speculation that this legend is connected to rumors of the Club, and exclusive resort accessible only to air pirates. For their part however, the Tsuru will neither confirm nor deny such allegations.

Society: While they still live in their own colonies in the forests and mountains, great deals of Tsuru also migrate to the city of Esmyr, the current center of scientific and technological innovation. Not many are allowed inside the Tsuru’s colonies, so little is known about what they look like, but what is known is that unlike many other Fey Castes, the Tsuru choose only one partner to spend their lives with.

A Tsuru female will usually lay one or two eggs, and on rare occasions three. The chicks are rather similar to those of other birds, starting out with a somewhat naked appearance that later becomes fluffy down. Even at that stage, their three mimetic feathers are distinctly separate from the rest of their fluffy down.

They grow faster mentally than they do physically, and already start to comprehend many things within just a few weeks of hatching. Almost every Tsuru chicks first skill after walking is the ability to transition their wings into arms.

Language: Tsuru speak Eiflan and Sidhe. They can also speak with any bird species.

Naming: Tsuru names can be varied, because the can pronounce many different sounds with ease. However, here are some commonly used names for Tsuru chicks:

Male: Aakesh, Balu, Chanda, Daksh, Ekaanta, Fahim, Feroz, Garuda, Hastin, Inder, Marut, Natesha, Vadin, Yama

Female: Aditi, Avasa, Bharati, Chandi, Corona, Daru, Gauri, Indra, Kalinda, Lakshmi, Padma, Ravi, Usha, Vasuki

Magic & Lore: Tsuru use their innate magical abilities in a variety of ways, most notably in the changing between wings and arms, depending on if they wish to fly or not. As one would expect, they have Wind Affinity and can create small gusts of wind to aid in flight, much in the same way that Undine have natural water magics that allow them to keep themselves hydrated when traveling over land.

Relations with other Races: Tsuru tend to have good relations with many of the other Eiflan races, mostly because their contributions to the fields of science and technology have benefited much of the world. They can sometimes come into conflict with some of the more stalwart magic users however, who can see their actions as a betrayal of their true magical nature, despite their quest to learn how magic and science are related to each other.

Equipment: Tsuru equipment usually consists of some kind of gun, and other technical equipment. If they are scientific researchers they will often be found carrying some kind of field notebook with a pen for writing/sketching out notes about their findings.

Animals and Pets: Tsuru will often keep some kind of flight-capable companion animal, or at the very least one that is capable of gliding. This keeps the risk of injury from a fall while they are in flight themselves to a minimum. In the mountain colonies, they keep a small amount of livestock for food purposes such as milk and eggs, and some also have a history of raising certain insects for their silk. However the larger portion of Tsuru living outside of these colonies tend to use synthetic fibers for their clothing instead.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – For information on basic psionics, see the general Fey info

Shape shifting – The Tsuru can change from their basic Fey forms to a full eiflan form, with various hybrid forms in between the two.

Wind Affinity – Tsuru have an innate connection to wind, and have the natural ability to create and control wind. They can also learn the basic wind spells regardless of whether or not they are born mages.

Mimetic Appendage – The Mimetic Appendage for the Tsuru are their three distinctly colored tail feathers. All three feathers must be obtained, and with the root in tact, as this is where the mimetic energy is stored.

Basic Fey Infromation cont.
Magic and Lore: While magic is an integral part of every Fey’s life; the way they use it can be incredibly diverse. And though not all Fey are born with the ability to become mages they are all born with an innate magic called Fey Psionics.

Relations with other Races: Most Fey enjoy good relations with the other Races of Eifel (with the obvious exception being the Boreal). There are only a couple of exceptions. These being; the Dream Fey, who exist on the Dream Plane and can no longer interact with the waking world as they once did. And the Sprites; who cannot change from their tiny size and so do not often venture into the larger world.

Equipment: Fey carry all sorts of different items with them depending on their class and/or profession. They could have anything from bows and arrows to a portable kit for teaching young Eiflans to read. Whatever the item; nearly all of their personal affects will have some enchantment on them.

Animals and Pets: Fey of all sizes love animals (some even have animalistic natural shapes) and keep a wide variety of companion animals. See the individual caste entries for more information as some companion options are limited by the size of the Fey.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Fey Psionics* – All Fey are born with innate magical abilities not related to either Traditional or Holy Magic. This innate power allows them to communicate telepathically, lift and most objects without touching them and rapidly heal from even severe wounds. Beyond these basic abilities a Fey will usually have only a few Psionic traits which they will have begun focusing on early in life.

*(For information on Fey Psionics and how they work please see the Racial Magic entry in the Magic and Spells section.)

(Daoine Sidhe) Boreal
The opposite number of the Fey; they are evil creatures without kindness or remorse. Like the Fey, the Boreal encompass a wide array of creatures including goblins and demons. They do not feel love, and because of that they also do not feel sadness or compassion and are furthermore completely incapable of feeling sympathy or empathy for either their enemies or even other members of their own kind. The largest city they have lies somewhere deep underground, far away from the Goddess tree or even the light of day. There are other colonies scattered throughout Eifel, and many of them are responsible for horrible atrocities committed upon whatever unfortunate Eiflan that happens upon them, if they don't directly seek out small villages and settlements to destroy.

Physical Description: Like the Fey, Boreal range in height depending on what sub-race they are. They can be as tall as 9'4 or as small as 6’. Their shape also varies depending on their sub-race. Little is known about the breeding habits or lifespan of many Boreal, but it's speculated that they may share the same aging characteristics as their mirror race the Fey.

Like the Fey; there certain shared traits that every Boreal will have. Their eyeballs are coal colored, and they have white, vertically slit pupils regardless of iris color. Occasionally these are explained as a mark of the Boreal having no souls, though the inheritance of this trait in halflings makes that assumption debatable. Like Fey they have 4 digits on each hand/foot, with these often terminating in nails that are sharp and claw-like.

In addition; the Boreal too have Mimetic Appendages. Though the effects on their personality has never been studied as extensively as the Fey they do suffer the same amnesia effect. Like Fey; Boreal cast no shadow in any light source.

Outlook: Boreal are opposed to the Fey in almost every aspect, despite their similar powers. The Boreal are self serving in the extreme, any and every action they make is for their own self interest and self amusement. If this happens to help anyone besides themselves, then it can easily be chalked up to an unhappy coincidence.

Characters: See the individual Clade entries for information on Boreal as Play Characters.

History: To hear the Boreal tell it (and proudly mind you) they were created when the Wretched Lady Yxarr stole the shadows of all the Fey the Goddess had made. And with true cunning and cruelty she crafted the Boreal Clades so that she could exact revenge upon the light who had cast her out.

As soon as they were created the Boreal began to fight each other; each Clade trying to destroy the other so that they would be the one to reign supreme over all the Boreal of Eifel. This was a mistake however because there could only be one Supreme ruler and this of course was Yxarr. She came down upon them with glorious fury and violence and brought the Clades to heel. After which she put the taste of fear into them, so that when Enlyl came down from the tree to speak with her Yxarr was ready to amass her Boreal army and declare war on the Light.

Of course the was both amazing and short. The ranged weapon experts took out a good deal of Fey but the whole mutual toxicity thing ruined the party. They were all called back to the Underworld by Yxarr and had to leave the tasty meat of their fallen friends behind. Which may have been just as well since they were all tainted with divine aura anyway.

After that was over though many of the Boreal escaped from the Underworld and discovered a whole new array of delicious new creatures to play with. These creatures came in all different shapes and sizes and intelligences but they were all equally fun to maim, torture, and devour.

Then a glorious day came when the Goddess removed herself from contact with the world and the power of the Boreal swelled immensely and many of them raided towns in celebration. They have become an established presence in the world since then.

Society: The only instance of a large group of Boreal living in one place is the Boreal city rumored to lie beneath the ice and snow of the frozen lands. What kind of city it is and what governing system, if indeed there is one, they go by down there is completely unknown. In Eifel proper, they often come into conflict with Fey. Because of their belief in non-violent conflict resolution however, then usually ends with the Boreal either being sealed somewhere or banished back to wherever their home ground is.

The Boreal seem to thrive on all things negative. The pain and suffering of others nourishes and sustains them for the most part, but they almost all have an insatiable blood lust and will eat just about any meat that is given to them. There are some variances in diet however based on the nature of the Boreal. The Succubus/Incubus Caste, for instance, need to sustain themselves by following their basest desires, which also makes them very promiscuous.

When they mate, it's only a momentary whim of desire and when it's over, the two part ways usually never to meet again. Provided they both make it out of the experience alive. Boreal children are either forced into servitude of the parent, or discarded entirely after birth to fend for themselves. Sometimes they will find themselves raised for a few years by an Eiflan, but once they are old enough to move on their own and have rudimentary skills, they usually leave this parent, for they are revolted by the surrogates loving behavior.

''Like Fey, Boreal have several subraces known as 'Clades'. Here are some of the more noteable Boreal Clades:''

Infernal
The most powerful Clade of the Boreal race, the Infernal Caste are also considered the most ruthless, manipulative, and intelligent. The Arch Devils are the strongest of the Infernal Clade and they rule over the rest of their kind brutally and without mercy.

Physical Description: They are attractive as far as demons go, usually looking like handsome or beautiful Eiflans with great leathery wings, horns on their heads, and a semi-prehensile tail which has a spade shaped flap at it’s end. These are not always visible however because their Psionics allow them to hide these traits if they wish, and they can appear as normal as any other Eiflan apart from their eyes, which are always a giveaway; and their ears which are curved and pointed back in much the same way a Fey’s ears are. Like Celestial; they can have up to 6 wings, however these instances are rare.

Often times the only betrayal of their nature comes from the 'aura of wrongness' that seems to permeate their being even when they are completely disguised. Infernal Clade Boreal Halflings have the highest survival rate of any of the Boreal Halflings, because Infernal Clade Boreal often keep their Eiflan victims as slaves and 'pleasure dolls', allowing them to keep their children who would also then be added to his pool of slave labor and possibly even additions to their harem.

Like the Celestial; the Infernal have a sub set within their Clade. These rare Demons are called “Fallen”. They are born with feathered wings rather than leathery. They are crowned with a halo of darkness rather than horns, and have no tails.

Outlook: The name of the game for Infernal Clade is torture. They want to wring every last bit of negative energy from their prey, and so they will go to great lengths to keep them alive and suffering as long as possible. Yxarr's Underworld is run by Demons of the Infernal Clade for this very reason. There is only one known way to escape from a Demon, and that is to have finally become so completely apathetic that you no longer care whether they kill you, torture you, or even set you free. At this point, they know that they've gotten all they can from the prey, and only then will they dispose of the now useless shell of an Eiflan. Though usually they will still try to make this as painful as possible, in case there was a small shred of emotion left in the being, waiting for his/her dying breath to release itself.

Characters: Demons traveling abroad and looking to cause pain and misery wherever they go are fairly common in the world. They love to cut, burn, and maim things, and bring them back when they are done. Because of this their favored classes are Swordsman and Mage (especially Necromancer).

Society: While not as structured as the Celestials; the Infernal Clade do have ranks for their members. Arch Devils are at the top of the heap, being the most powerful (and usually the oldest) in the Infernal ranks. Most Infernal below them are simply called Demons. Though they may have some middle ground between the two.

Procreation for Demons is often violent, in fact the line between sex and violence is incredibly muddled for them, and often they can't tell which one they're doing at any given moment. Like Succubi/Incubi, Demon Castes are born more physically developed than Eiflans, and the Mother will often select a place where negativity is at a high level to give birth, usually a Mental Ward, Prison, or sometimes even an Orphanage or, if they're extremely lucky, near a place where a horrific event such as a murder or stillborn child has recently occurred. Once the spawn is birthed, as with most Boreal, the Mother leaves to resume her life as usual, and possibly kill and devour whomever impregnated her in an act of vengeance. Unlike Succubi/Incubi, Demon Caste spawn take 6 - 8 months to mature, and are born with a gender, rather than acquiring one from their first interactions with Eiflans.

Language: Infernal speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. The Daoine Sidhe language is rough sounding and like many things about the Boreal can be painful to hear.

Naming: Infernal do not name their spawn. The Infernal Spawn will eventually name itself when he/she/xir is old enough to comprehend the need for such a thing. Regardless; here are some common Infernal names:

Male: Agrat, Andras, Beball, Dagon, Eligos, Gremory, Lempo, Mammon, Moloch, Raum

Female: Anzu, Belial, Dajjal, Eblis, Humbaba, Iblis, Kali, Lilith, Ninurta, Ose

Magic and Lore: Infernal like any magic that excels at causing pain and will often focus their Psionic abilities in that area as well.

Relations with other Races: Decidedly Bad. Infernal are some of the most well known and least liked of all Boreal Clades. A fact that they seem to be unfailingly proud of.

Equipment: Infernal will carry many deadly implements with them. Many of them also wear armor if they are not of the mage class.

Animals and Pets: Infernal keep many things; Karkadan, Bai’sun, Eiflans and other creatures to provide food and entertainment for them. Their tastes vary widely so there is no common convention to what sort of thing they will have as their latest toy.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – For details on basic Psionics see the General Boreal Information.

Shape Shifting – Infernal have the ability to hide their demonic appearance, removing their wings and horns and changing their skin, hair, and other physical features. They cannot change their eyes however and their ears will always remain longer than an Eiflans and curved toward the back of the head. Regardless though these markers are small and can be easily overlooked at first.

Flight – Infernal can move through the air. Flight is enabled by their wings even though they do not have to move them in the same way a bird does in order to maintain height or even movement. When their wings are amputated they lose the ability to fly.

Mimetic Appendage – An Infernals mimetic appendage is their wings. In order for the power to be retained all wings must be removed (something that can become very difficult if the demon is 6 winged). If less than the total amount of wings are removed; the removed wings crumble into useless bones and the Infernal will regenerate the lost wings.

Basilisk
These Boreal are the opposite number of the wyvern caste of the Fey. They are exceedingly violent and are sometimes considered a living plague on whatever land they inhabit, for it's easy for them to lay waste to an area, devouring anything and everything they can get their claws on, especially if it's living or moving.

Physical Description: In their natural form, Basilisks are reptilian, scaly and clawed and cold, with leathery wings instead of front legs. Seeing them hunched over together on a tree branch they can almost seem like scaly vultures. Basilisks come in a wide variety of colors though and could even be considered pretty if they weren’t so vicious. They have horns protruding from their skulls and can have a line of spines down their backs and sometimes flaps at the ends of their tails shaped like spades or barbs.

They have an Eiflan form just as wyverns do, and it's just as small as theirs. Once, a basilisk clan attacked a wyvern clan. It was known as the world’s smallest war because of the short stature of all of the combatants. It also proved hilariously futile as the Basilisk had apparently forgotten about mutual toxicity.

Outlook: Basilisks seem to think they are the apex predators of Eifel. And despite their small size they are indeed formidable. Highly territorial and incredibly bloodthirsty, these Boreal will attack whatever they consider a decent source of food. Even each other!

Characters: Basilisks traveling abroad are fairly common. The hunt for prey and territory is ongoing. With their sharp wit and sharper claws; their favored class(es) are Assassin and Pugilist.

Society: Basilisks have no formal society. They live mostly alone though sometimes Basilisk territories overlap. When this happens the other Basilisks are left alive only if they appease the strongest in the area in some way. This could be through offerings of food or procreation or simply by staying out of the stronger Boreals line of sight.

Procreation is brief and usually violent. The strongest Basilisk has the right of choosing who to lie with regardless of gender, and once the eggs are lain they are abandoned. The Basilisk will tolerate the presence of their progeny in their territory for a short time before they must either leave or risk becoming part of the parents food sources. Of course a particularly ambitious whelp may attempt to usurp their parents territory. But this usually ends in only one way; with the whelp eviscerated and consumed by the older and stronger parent Basilisk.

Basilisks lay 3 – 4 eggs on average but their nature means that they fight with each other almost as soon as they hatch and it’s rare for more than 2 to survive past their first day.

Language: Basilisks speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They also have their own language of shrieks, squawks, and hisses that usually sound threatening and indeed are usually used to threaten other Basilisks.

Naming: Once they are old enough; Basilisks will choose their own names. These can be anything they find suitable. But a Basilisk will usually try to choose something that sounds intimidating. Here are some commonly used Basilisk names:

Male: Akravator, Bargost, Crash, Dragos, Eviscerator, Gorbash, Mace, Rasp, Sholk, Torment

Female: Arvyl, Bash, Craw, Hrist, Lothane, Malice, Oppress, Punish, Rage, Tugg

Magic and Lore: The Basilisks don’t do much in the way of magic. However they do have a breath attack similar to the Wyverns. They rely heavily on their psionics to enhance their powerful claw and bite attacks as well.

Relations with other Races: Basilisks see most other races as just another potential food source. While they won’t always attack, the possibility is always there and prolonged exposure to them only means a higher risk of having a bite taken out of whomever is traveling with them.

Equipment: A Basilisk Assassin traveling abroad may carry light armor and concealable weapons with them. For the most part however Basilisks have no need of equipment as they rely on their teeth and claws for most things.

Animals and Pets: Being aggressive predators; Basilisks keep no companion animals nor do they tend any livestock.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – See the general information on Boreal for details of basic psionics

Alternate Form – Basilisks can change to a full Eiflan form from their natural Basilisk form. They also have a ‘hybrid’ shape in between the two.

Flight – Basilisks use their wings for flight to a greater extent than Infernal do. Still, their wings are not entirely necessary in a musculature sense and they too can ‘hover’ in the air sometimes without moving their wings at all.

Breath attack – Like Wyverns; Basilisks have an elemental attack that comes in the form of blasts fired from the mouth. These attacks are usually freezing ice attacks. But like the Wyvern they can also blast fire or Sonic energies.

Mimetic Appendage – The Basilisks mimetic appendage is their horns. Whether they have 2, 4, or 6 horns; all their horns must be cut in order to retain their power. Otherwise the cut horns will quickly become inert and the Basiliskwill shed their old horns and grow a new set.

Succubus/Incubus
Although they have two different names, Succubi and Incubi are just males and females of the same Clade. Their most prominent trait is that they are specialized in order to be appealing to whatever sex they are trying to attract. They've even developed their Psionics in such a way as to aide that goal, using it to divert their targets attention away from their 'aura of wrongness', so that they might have their way with the unsuspecting 'prey'. Sexual contact is as necessary for them as breathing and eating. So they've become hyper-specialized in order to achieve that. Like the Vulpes Fey, Succubi and Incubi Boreal can assume any Eiflan shape they need to in order to be the most appealing to whomever they've chosen as their mate for the night.

Physical Description: Succubi and Incubi in their natural forms resemble Eiflans of impeccable beauty and sexual appeal. However they are distinctly Boreal with the shared eye/digit/ear traits. Their skin and eyes and hair can all be any color of the spectrum (and occasionally mixtures of colors). And in addition; they have wings, horns, and a tail. Their wings are similar to the Demon Caste Boreals, but they are coated in a layer of down or fluff, which makes them soft and velvety to the touch. Their wings are also interestingly heart shaped. Their tails are covered in the same kind of velveteen coating, and at the end of their tails is a fin which resembles a heart. Their tails are prehensile, with the heart at the end able to be utilized as a kind of makeshift hand. Their wings are located on their lower back, and generally rest at their hips when not being used. Succubus and Incubus Boreal horns are curled like a goats horns and point towards the front of their heads.

Because they can shape shift, there is a good chance that most Succubi/Incubi spend their entire lives completely nude.

Outlook: For most Succubi/Incubi, the world is their oyster. The least lethal of all the Boreal Castes, they view Eiflans more as restaurants than individual meals. And as one of them put it "You wouldn't burn down your favorite restaurant right after eating there would you?" Of course this doesn't mean they'll mourn you if you die, just that they aren't out to kill you outright.

Characters: Succubus commonly insert themselves into Eiflan society since that is where their greatest source of sustenance lies. Being a versatile and cunning race who can easily use their sexual appeal to get what they want; their favored class is Thief.

Society: Most Succubi/Incubi live in Eiflan society rather than having their own. This means they are always close to a source of food. Most of them live in the less reputable areas of cities and towns but this does not mean that they cannot also be found in high society living in the lap of luxury. Because of their particular proclivities they will procreate with anyone they fancy so long as they are not Fey blooded.

Succubi have a very short, but highly accelerated gestation period. Succubis fetus grow to maturity in around 5 months, which is accommodated by the Succubus' malleable form. When born, the infant succubus resembles a somewhat gender neutral toddler of about 2 years old. Like reptiles, they are born with the ability to move and are immediately abandoned by their parent, left to search for their first meal on their own. It takes roughly 4 weeks for a Succubus/Incubus Boreal to become sexually mature. During the first two weeks, the whelp will search for it's first meal. The prey it finds will almost always have a strong bearing on what gender the whelp will assume, as it will respond to the sexual cues given off by the prey. Usually if it is a male that is discovered, the whelp will orient on a female gender, unless it happens to be a homosexual. After the gender has been defined this way, the next two weeks will be spent developing the tendencies and reproductive organs of that gender. By 5 weeks of age, a Succubus Boreal is capable of bearing children itself, though in most cases they will use their metamorphic abilities to prevent this. In the case of Succubus/Incubus Halflings, when it's the Eiflan that is the mother, the infant will mature more slowly, and be carried the full 9 months. they may grow slightly faster than Eiflans, however this usually evens out at around the age of 12 - 13, when they reach puberty.

Because of the differentials in the Boreal and Eiflan aging process', it's all too possible for a Boreal Halfling to have a parent who looks much younger than him/herself. When it's the Succubus that is the mother, they will often find it hilarious to leave their Halfling infant at the doorstep of the Father, particularly if the Father is already married to an Eiflan woman. Which many times leads to the man following his furious wife through the house chanting "I swear I thought it was you that night!!" Another popular joke among Succubi and Incubi is to collect the genetic material of a male partner, and then move on to a female partner, impregnating her with someone else’s seed. The infant in this case will be either full Eiflan, or a Halfling of whatever they were last with (be it Maruke, Nyn, etc), as it's not their own seed they're contributing.

Most victims of a Succubi/Incubi's first meal have no memory of the event, due to a special psionic defense mechanism employed by the newly born whelp. The few that do remember it, are of a mind that such an event isn't likely to be traumatic to them. Succubi/Incubi whelps can resemble adult Eiflans, but on a smaller scale. As they age, they grow taller, and their figure fills out so that they become more and more appealing to their chosen prey.

Language: Succubus and Incubus Boreal speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They also have a native language similar to French, and so their voices when not disguised by psionics tend to have a French sounding accent with varying degrees of thickness.

Naming: Succubi will usually name themselves when they reach the proper age. Many times they will try to choose something that sounds exotic or intriguing to garner attention from their targets. Here are some examples;

Incubus: Adin, Baelin, Chalan, Dathan, Mavek, Orlando, Peregrin, Quarren, Riven, Valen

Succubus: Aari, Brixie, Cindel, Della, Elcyd, Fiolla, Isella, Latika, Salea, Taenette

Magic and Lore: Succubi and Incubi use most of their magical abilities in the hunt for their prey. This includes spells to attract as well and shape shifting to alter their appearance as needed. There is also a long standing habit of trying to mask their boreal aura so that they are not discovered in cities and towns where they hunt.

Relations with other Races: Because of their nature Succubi and Incubi are considered the least threatening of the Boreal Clades. They are tolerated to a certain extent. However many Eiflan prostitutes have a particular malice for them as they are considered to have an unfair advantage in that particular line of work. In addition many who have fallen victim to their sexual antic resulting in illegitimate children and abandoned halflings hold them in no high regard.

Equipment: While they seem to carry packs when traveling there is no evidence that these are not simply part of their shape shifting abilities. Still; those who are trained in a combat class will likely be wearing armor and carrying a weapon.

Animals and Pets: While many of them will claim to have Eiflans that they consider ‘pets’ because they frequently return to them for food; the truth is that Succubi and Incubi are not known to keep companion animals or livestock.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – See the general Boreal information for details on basic psionics.

Shape Shifting – Succubi and Incubi can change their shape in a variety of ways including having their clothing formed from their own bodies. They can change size as needed to accommodate their chosen prey and can take on the shape of any of Eifels races. The only traits they cannot hide are their eyes and; when in basic Eiflan form- their ears.

Flight – Succubi and Incubi can move through the air. Their wings facilitate this though movement isn’t entirely necessary.

Pheramones – Succubi and Incubi have a sweet smelling ‘musk’ about their person that clouds the mind and distracts most Eiflans from the uncomfortable feeling caused by the Boreal aura. The musk manifests via an oil secreted from their horns, and this substance is highly soght after in mage circles for it’s magical properties.

Mimetic Appendage: The Succubi and Incubi’s mimetic appendage is their horns. As usual both horns must be removed for them to retain their power. Otherwise the removed horn will become inert and the Boreal will shed their horns and quickly regenerate a new pair.

Felid
Felid - These feline-like Boreal are highly territorial, and barely even tolerate their own kind being near them.

Physical Description: Felid Boreal are similar in appearance to Nyn when in their natural forms. However they look much more threatening and fearsome. Their fur can be a wide variety of colors both natural and outlandish. In addition; their ears while still vaguely feline, are elongated and situated on the sides of their heads rather than the top. They can have the same tails as Nyn or Ma’neko (up to two) though their lion-esque tails do not indicate any sort of rank or nobility as the Nyns do.

They have access to a myriad of feline shapes from small and unassuming to hulking and muscular, as well as an Eiflan shape that usually bears some feral characteristics - wild frizzy hair, or a particularly cold gaze- and a myriad of 'in between' forms that mix feline and Eiflan body parts in several different ways.

Outlook: Like the worst feral pet anyone has ever see; Felid Boreal are solitary, aloof, and aggressive. They can attack without warning and their tempers are short and hot. Like all Sidhe; they live long. And are capable of holding onto their grudges for decades and even centuries.

Characters: Felids travel often in search of prey. Their violent tendencies and sharp claws make Pugilist a favored class for them.

Society: They prefer live prey that they can hunt down rather than pre-cooked meals, and many of them spend time watching the Nyn and learning the ninja arts. Even so; they do not feel kinship with the Nyn. Rather they seem to view them as a resource. They learn from them, hunt them, and on occasion they may steal one or more Nyn cubs for other less savory purposes.

Once in a while the Felids will go into heat; at which time they will seek each other out for 2 – 3 weeks of copulation with various partners both of their own kind and of other races. Once this period has ended the Felid females will carry their litter inside them for a brief 6 month period before giving birth, usually to only 1 or 2 kits. The kits are born in an advanced state resembling more toddlers than newborns and are abandoned by the mother as soon as she is strong enough to leave. There are also more unfortunate outcomes that often result in the survival of only one kit (if 2 are born).

Language: Felids speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They also speak Nynnesh.

Naming: Nyn follow no standard naming conventions. Many of them take Eiflan names when they reach an age where they are capable of understanding Eiflan speech.

Magic and Lore: Felid do not focus much on magical ability. Preferring instead to use their speed and their incredibly sharp claws to deal with most encounters.

Relations with other Races: Felids see most other races as a potential food source at best. This does not tend to ingratiate them into the good will of others.

Equipment: Some Felids will wear light armor. However they do not have any traditional equipment.

Animals and Pets: As they see most creatures as food and prefer to hunt; the Felids keep no livestock or companion animals.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – For information on basic psionics see the Psionic details in the General Boreal section.

Alternate Form – Felids can assume a near-Eiflan shape as well as a variety of demonic cat shapes. They can also appear as Nyn and various hybrid forms in between.

Mimetic Appendage – The Felids mimetic appendage is their tail. If they have two tails; both tails must be removed in order for them to retain their power. If only one tail is removed it will crumble into an inert pile of fur and bones. The Felid will then regenerate the lost tail.

Latrans
Another bunch of pranksters, these canine Boreal are similar to the Vulpes Fey, but with a twisted bent. Their pranks are cruel and often excessively violent.

Physical Description: Latrans most often resemble humanoid coyotes, and can be found in any and all colors and patterns of the animal they share their appearance with. Being what they are however, they can also appear in some outlandish and even bizarre colors as well, though these will usually tend toward darker and more faded varieties. They are generally tall in this form, with males averaging at around 6’ and females not far behind at 5’7 – 5’8. While some of them only have fur covering their heads, it’s more common for them to have hair, especially the females. They can also have a mane instead, which will often be a striking contrast to their coyote features.

Latrans all have coyote tails as well, though some can seem more bushy and fox or wolf like. Their natural shape shifting ability allows them to take on a variety of canine forms of various sizes and many hybrid forms as well, and there is supposedly at least one who can become as large as a Clu’ai in their full canine form.

Outlook: Latrans mentality tends to skew toward pranks that are only funny to them. Such as an eiflan’s leg caught in a bear trap. Or another Latrans’ leg for that matter, even those they travel with on a regular basis are viable targets for whatever insane idea they may have, at any time. Because of this, it’s important that anyone associating with them stay on high alert.

Characters: Latrans traveling abroad can take a variety of classes, however they enjoy stealing and killing, so their favored classes are Thief and Assassin.

Society: While they can work in a group, this is mainly because the strongest of them keeps the others steeped in fear, cowardice leading to obedience. A pack usually consists of 1 leader, four to six adult subordinates, and occasionally adolescents and/or new pups.

Latrans Boreal are extremely competitive both with other packs and with each other. If a prank war between clans breaks out it can be devastating to the Eiflan population in the area and while the subordinates of a pack are kept mostly in check by fear they can and do sometimes attempt to take control of the pack for themselves. If they fail however the consequences are brutal and the offending member is usually devoured by the pack (unless it manages to escape). This fate can happen to pack leaders as well though when they reach an advanced age and become weak enough for the younger members to feel emboldened to take the elder down and assume leadership.

Latrans; like many other Boreal Clades, go through a period of “heat” where they spend most of their time copulating. The average size for a litter is 1-2 pups, though 3 or 4 are not unheard of. Still, if any sibling pups are found to be weak enough they will invariably be taken out by the stronger siblings. They are born live, fully developed, and capable of chewing and digesting meat. While it’s most likely that weaker pups are always killed, there are rumors that suggest they can sometimes escape from the family and will then hide out amongst packs of kobolds until they are large enough to survive on their own.

They have the power to shape shift, and can seem anything from a vicious coyote to a harmless puppy dog, though often their aura keeps Eiflans from becoming too comfortable in their presence, and of course a Fey can see through their disguise with little effort. They can also disguise themselves as Maruke, though their coyote tendencies often show through, making their forms lean and somewhat skinny. They also have varying forms between that and full canine. When on a 'hunt', Latrans can destroy entire villages, and will think nothing of devouring the inhabitants to slake their hunger.

Because they can make their canine forms so large, they are often mistaken for wolf packs, but closer inspection (for the very brave or very stupid) always reveals them to be coyotes even if they are Great Dane size or larger.

Language: Latrans speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. Additionally, they have their own language, which is similar to the ancient Maruke tongues, little more than a collection of barks, howls, and growling noises. It also includes chortling and giggling of the Hyena, which can be heard echoing across the land after a successful prank has been pulled.

Naming: While Latrans don’t technically have a standard naming convention, they will often follow the patterns of eiflans and Maruke when naming their pups.

Magic & Lore: Latrans are fairly proficient with magic, and while thief and assassin are their favored classes, there are good portions of them who also take the path of the mage. They are known to have a high percentage with the wind affinity trait as well. This is sometimes attributed to the legendary Latrans who could become larger than any other. However there are conflicting tales that say that this was actually a Latrans halfling, so whether or not such a person could be accepted by full boreal is debatable.

Relations with other Races: Because of their violent antics, Latrans do not enjoy good relations with the other races of Eifel. However since they are Boreal, they do not mind this sort of bad reputation, and often see it as another way to cause chaos by invoking fear in the local populace.

Equipment: Latrans make use of much of the equipment crafted and developed by Eiflans. Usually this will have been confiscated off the bodies of their victims or stolen from merchants. They are particularly fond of bladed weapons, mostly long or short swords.

Animals and Pets: Latrans prefer to hunt rather than raise animals for slaughter, however they have been known to tolerate the presence of wolves, coyote, kobolds, and other canines, so long as they pecking order is maintained and the Latrans get to eat first.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Boreal Psionics – For information on basic psionics, see the General Boreal entry.

Minor Shape Shifting – Latrans can shift into a full eiflan form (though they don’t use this often) and a variety of canine forms in various sizes, along with hybrid forms in between, which include kobold and Maruke forms.

Mimetic Appendage – The Latrans mimetic appendage is their tail. A Latrans who’s tail has been removed will usually be expelled from the pack (if they are allowed to live).

Cerbera
Cunning and tactile, these plant-like Carnivores will often wait for the chance to lure their prey to them rather than going on the hunt.

Physical Description: The Cerbera have plant like characteristics similar to the Alseid. However they are often twisted and gnarled like old tree branches, or thorny. And always poisonous. They cannot assume a near-eiflan form the way that other Boreal can. However they can and do take the shape of various (usually carnivorous and/or poisonous) plants or trees. They have what appear to be ‘horns’ growing from their heads made of either the bark or plant fibers of their bodies and sometimes with buds or sparse leaves growing on them. They can have up to four of these; two longer horns up towards the crown of their heads and then sometimes a somewhat shorter pair below them, closer to their ears. Their skin can be various shades of brown, green, and sometimes red or purple and their hair follows the same patterns. In addition their skin often has a rough texture.

Outlook: Cerbera are patient and can wait long periods of time for an unsuspecting person or animal to come by. No matter what, they have time on their side.

Characters: Cerbera Boreal do not travel abroad often. However when they do they often rely on magic to do the work for them. Because of this their favored class is mage and they often delve into necromancy, reviving the bodies of previous meals and enslaving them to the Cerberas will.

Society: While they do not interact with each other, there have been accounts of ‘groves’ of Cerbera occupying the same area. The Cerbera will often keep the area around them clean and well kept, creating a deceptively comfortable environment in order to lure animals and even Eiflans within striking range. They can survive on the same elements as the Alseid while they wait, however eventually they do need to supplement their diet with flesh and blood. If a long enough time passes without someone or something crossing their path the Cerbera will be forced to uproot and search out another location.

They seem to reproduce when pollen from a “male” Cerbera comes into contact with a “female” Cerbera. The pollen causes the Cerbera to produce a seed much like an Alseid. Unlike the Alseid however the seed is simply dropped on the ground wherever the Cerbera happens to be and then is left.

The seed produces a natural toxin that erodes the ground around the seed, creating a toxic sludge that the seed then sinks into as the Cerbera begins to develop. Eventually the seed splits open and a new life enters the world, ripe and ready for blood.

Rarely; a Cerbera male will pollinate an Eiflan woman and a halfling will be made. The Halfling will almost always carry some of the Cerbera parents physical traits. These can manifest as unusually rough looking skin, or skin in an unusual tone such as red, green, or purple. In addition sometimes these Halflings will secrete poisonous oil from their bodies.

Language: Cerbera speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They also speak the silent language of plants.

Naming: Cerbera have no naming convention. However they will often be given names by Eiflans living near their domains. Common titles are Widow’s Elm, Ruby Hemlock, and Snapper Tom.

Magic and Lore: Cerbera do not move around much, however they have great mental focus and can become powerful mages, able to do great harm and destruction with very little movement.

Relations with other Races: Most races tend to avoid these Boreal whenever possible or risk a rather disturbing end. To say their relations are bad would be to state the obvious.

Equipment: Cerbera who are mages will have the obligatory mages artifact on their person. However little else is of consequence to them so they do not carry much in the way of equipment.

Animals and Pets: Cerbera do not necessarily keep ‘companion animals’, however being plant related they will often have insects and the occasional small animal living in/on them. Usually however these are creatures too small to provide an adequate meal and so are considered inconsequential to the Boreal. They keep no livestock.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – For details on basic Psionics see the General Information on Boreal.

Limited Shape shifting – Cerbera can transform into the shapes of trees or plants, usually of a poisonous variety large enough to trap and hold large animals or Eiflans as big as Maruke or Clu’ai. However they do not have a near-Eiflan form beyond their natural shape. They do however have a hybrid form in between plant and Boreal where their upper torso blends into a plant base at the bottom.

Botanical Link – Like the Alseid, the Cerbera are connected to Eifels plant life psionically. They can sense and translate the thoughts and feelings of plants. They often use this ability to affect the plants in their area, either causing them to wither or twisting them into vicious and poisonous mockeries of their former selves.

Toxic secretion – The Cerbera can secrete a poison from their pores that causes illness and even death with prolonged contact.

Mimetic Appendage – The Cerberas mimetic appendage(s) are their horns. All horns (up to four) must be removed in order for them to retain their power. If the total number are not removed then the removed horns become dead plant matter and the Boreal will regenerate new horns.

Harpy
Just as the Fey have Sirens, the Boreal have Harpies. Hideous, wretched creatures with leathery skin and like the basilisks, wings instead of arms.

Physical Description: A Harpies bottom half is a crude reptilian-like shape. Their top halves, aside from their wings, are that of hideous women. Even at a young age their faces are lined with harshness and cruelty and they have a thick, leathery tail hanging down from their hind ends that has a patchy grouping of oily looking feathers at it's end. Their skin and hair and feathers are all dull, washed out and grayed colors. But their eyes are vivid. Piercing and predatory.

Outlook: Harpies are severely antisocial creatures. They tolerate animals in their territories because they provide a source of food. Beyond that however there are very few other things allowed to freely come and go. Among these few other creatures are other Harpies and the occasional Basilisk.

Characters: Harpies don’t often travel abroad. However when they do their sonic talents allow them to bypass most Eiflans defenses. Their favored class is thief.

Society: While not exactly ‘social’ creatures (really, how could they be?) Harpies do have small flocks which consist of 3 – 5 individuals who share a psionic link similar to the Sirens. They like to claim territories with sheer cliff faces and dead, gnarled trees excellent for perching on. On occasion these territories will overlap and the Harpies will feud with each other. They may even steal eggs or hatchlings from each other for consumption.

A favorite pastime of the Harpies also happens to be a direct counter to the efforts of the Sirens. They use their Sonic abilities to enthrall the crews of ships; luring them to wreck their ships on the rocks below the Harpies territory. The Harpies will then swoop down upon the wreckage and steal whatever is down there, be they living, dead, or wounded.

Harpies go through a mating season similar to many animals. When this happens they will join up with the nearest member of the opposite sex to copulate. Usually this will be one of their flock. After they have finished (usually a surprisingly brief amount of time) the Harpy Woman will lay 2 – 3 eggs in a mud mound. The eggs will hatch usually at about the same time. They are born full capable of surviving on their own and once they have hatched the hatchlings will attack each other. The losers will either be run out of the territory or (more often) eaten. The victor will usually join the psionic link. Unless the flock is full; in which case they too will be run out or eaten.

This violent behavior is the reason that Harpies remain one of the rarer Boreal Clades.

Language: Harpies speak Daoine Sidhe and Eiflan. They also have a language of squawks and screeches that can damage the ears with prolonged exposure as well as a psionic link that allows them to communicate telepathically.

Naming: Harpies do not name their offspring. Instead they will either choose a name for themselves if they feel they need to, or accept a name given to them by terrified Eiflans gossip. Earning a name this way is also a way for the Harpy to gain notoriety by inspiring fear in all prey species.

Magic and Lore: Like the Sirens they have vocal based enchantments, but while the Sirens use their songs to soothe or uplift, the Harpies use theirs to control and to kill. Their screaming attacks can burst the eardrums of any non-harpy that has been caught unawares, and like most Boreal, they prefer their meat alive and screaming when they dine.

Relations with other Races: Harpies are like many other Boreal in that they view Eiflans as potential prey. This tends to have a chilling effect on most non-sidhe races and so they do not enjoy good standing. Not to mention that they tend to look (and sometimes smell) unclean which can be incredibly off-putting.

Equipment: Harpies do not have a standard set of equipment. Their clothes, weapons, and other items vary individually.

Animals and Pets: Harpies have prey animals that they hunt regularly (including Eiflans) but they do not raise livestock or keep companion animals.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics - For information on Basic Psionics see the general Boreal information page.

Flight - While ugly, a Harpies wings are functional in the sense that, like other Sidhe and Daoine Sidhe races they aid the flight process.

Psionic Link - Harpies have small flocks consisting of 3 – 5 individuals who are linked to each other telepathically. This link seems to give them a sort of hive mind, preventing them from seeing each other as potential food.

Sonic Voice - Harpies, like Sirens, have an ability to control others using their voices. This is often used to ensnare unwary travelers or to cause ship wrecks, making injured sailors easy prey.

Mimetic Appendage – The Harpies mimetic appendage is their tail. Because they do not have multiple of this appendage (unlike the horns of a succubus or the tails of some felid) they cannot regrow the lost appendage and the full power is transferred immediately to the severed tail.

Giants
The largest Boreal and possibly the largest two legged creature in Eifel, Giants are huge dark hulking brutes that live almost exclusively in the Yumel mountains, where the weather is frigid all year round. By far the least intelligent of all the Boreal, they can communicate with words but prefer to simply use grunts and growls and the slamming of their massive fists. They're debated as the 'missing link' between the Boreal race and the mostly unintelligent monsters for Eifel, most notably the Orcs.

Physical Description: Giants can be white to match the snow, but more often they're gray or black and sometimes dull blues, allowing them to blend in with the rocks in the mountains where they make their homes. Boreal Giants can get to be over 10 feet tall and are extremely muscular. They have no alternate forms and cannot change their size. Their heads are somewhat elongated, resembling a baboons and in fact the males often have the bright blue and red markings of such animals under their eyes as well. Their bodies are almost entirely hairless. Their skin though has a rubbery texture and they have a thick fat layer over their musculature, which keeps out the cold. In addition they will wrap the skins of animals they have killed around their waists to make a crude loincloth. Giants have no external ears, their hands terminate in long, sharp, claw-like fingernails that are viciously curved and can be either deep crimson or cobalt blue. Their feet have these claws as well though they tend to be shorter, preventing them from being a hindrance to movement. Finally; they have a tail extending from their tailbone, which ends in a small tuft of hair that is usually white or red-orange.

Outlook: If they have a particular outlook is unclear as most of their behaviors are incredibly basic and tend toward aggression.

Characters: A Giant roaming in a location other than the frozen land is rare. Because of their low intelligence they make for very challenging player characters. Regardless; their favored class is pugilist.

Society: Giants are solitary beasts with large territories of icy landscape marked out with various methods ranging from claw-gouged trees to scent markers similar to those employed by hyenas in the wild. Their mating is as primal and aggressive as anything else that they do and the gestation of their young is longer than most other races, allowing the child to develop to such a state that it can be left mere minutes after birth with no ill consequences. They do not have access to much in the way of vegetation so hunting animals is their main source of sustenance. If a territory is poor, the Giant may not have cave access, in which case they will usually dig their own shelter out of the mountain side, creating artificial caves.

Language: Giant Boreal can understand Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe, however their mastery of verbal language is rudimentary at best and when interacting with each other they use various grunts and growls to communicate. They also have no written language.

Naming: Boreal Giants have no known naming convention as they do not socialize with each other. Many however are named by travelers who manage to escape with their lives.

Magic & Lore: Boreal Giants do not seem to have any particular magic beyond a supernatural toughness that may be a Psionic defense. They do not even seem to have basic Boreal Psionics as most other Clades do.

Relations with other Races: Giants do not often have contact with a large portion of the Eiflan population, however when they do run across other races they are more likely to treat them as prey than anything else. On occasion however if a Giant is in heat they may take the nearest Eiflan to them as a temporary mate. Some more cunning Eiflans may escape with their lives after such encounters, usually when the Giant has fallen asleep.

Equipment: Giants do not carry much in the way of equipment, though some have large clubs made from fallen trees which they use in addition to their clawed fists. They also keep furs and skins from the animals they hunt, which they use as crude, simple coverings or decorations for their bodies, including wearing the skull pelt over their head and shoulders.

Animals and Pets: There are not many animals in the Frozen lands that are not prey, and so Giants keep no livestock or companion animals.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionic Defense – Giants do not have basic psionics such as telepathy, however they do seem to have a subconscious psionic shield around their bodies that gives them greater endurance and resistance to pain and damage.

Mimetic Appendage – The Giant’s mimetic appendage is their tail. However these are not easily collected as their psionic defense, their aggression, and their size and strength make them formidable opponents in battle.

Serpens
They are the second most reptilian Boreal, just after Basilisks. Serpens Boreal have the Psionic capability to make themselves appear normal, but they prefer not to use it. Or if they do use it, they use it as a means to further terrify their victims as their seemingly normal visage melts away to reveal the horror of the reptilian face beneath.

Physical Description: Their natural forms have no legs, their torso instead giving way to a long and powerful serpent’s tail. While it's not their natural form, they can transform themselves into a variety of serpent forms as well, and also many variations between forms, even to the point of having an entirely serpent body creepily topped with an Eiflan head and nothing else.

Outlook: Serpens enjoy having control over their victims, and their approach their lives with a kind of unsettling calmness. They are not overtly chaotic like the Infernal or the Harpies, rather they wait until they believe the time to strike has arrived, and then they do so without mercy or remorse.

Characters: Serpens travel fairly often, and have a talent for magic. However they are also skilled with pole type and thrown weapons. Because of this their favored classes are Mage and Dragoon.

Society: Serpens do not congregate the way that Harpies do. Instead they have solitary territories, though they will not be hostile toward other Serpens intruding on their territory so long as their intrusion is short. Like the Felid and a few other Boreal, the Serpens have specific ‘seasons’ where they will seak out procreation from either their own or the nearest compatible species.

Serpens Boreal lay eggs in clutches of 6 - 10. The eggs are buried and then abandoned to their fate. They hatch fully formed and capable of hunting on their own, and often times the first two or three to hatch will then crack open the other eggs, using their siblings as their first meal. Because they form in eggs regardless of the parentage, many an Eiflan woman has been killed by frightened villagers when she births an egg containing a Serpens halfling.

Because of their reptilian nature it's also rumored that they have a habit of eating their young when food is scarce.

Language: Serpens speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They do not have a private language, though they can communicate with each other psionically. They do however make a range of sounds commonly associated with snakes, such as hissing, rubbing their scales together to make rasping noises, and if they have the proper appendage; rattling.

Naming: Serpens Boreal are not raised by their parents, and so they have not general naming convention. Many of them will choose their own names when they are old enough to do so.

Magic & Lore: Serpens are adept at magic and often carry enchanted weapons such as long spears or throwing knives.

Relations with other Races: Serpens can have poor relations with other races, simply because they see most Eiflans as potential prey. However they are not aggressively warlike as some of the other Boreal Clades are, and so most races will simply give them a wide berth unless and until they strike out against someone or something.

Equipment: Serpens will often carry either long spears, throwing knives, or mage artifacts with them. If they are Dragoons they will wear armor at least on their upper bodies, though they will leave their tails bare so as to not impede their movement.

Animals and Pets: Serpens do not keep livestock or companion animals.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Gaze attack – Serpens have a specialized psionic ability which most Eiflans call 'the stare'. This ability is a gaze attack which transfixes and/or paralyzes its target, rendering them either hypnotized, paralyzed, or simply unconscious

Telepathy – Serpens can communicate with each other and with other races telepathically. This is something they will often use in conjunction with thir gaze attack to further destabilize the minds of their victims.

Shape shifting – Serpens can take on a near-eiflan shape (including scaled legs). They can also take on various serpent forms and a range of shapes in between.

Mimetic Appendage – The end of the Serpens tail serves as their mimetic appendage. This is marked by a change in the color of the scales, or by the presence of a rattle or barb. When the mimetic appendage is removed, along with the loss of power and memory the Serpens will lose their tail as well, permanently gaining a pair of scaled legs.

Bragg
The Bragg; often referred to as "Kelpies" by the common Eiflan, are a Clade of Water dwelling Boreal. While their natural forms are either Eiflan or Centaur-like, these predatory Boreal most often take the shape of bai’sun, luring unsuspecting travelers onto their backs, then bearing them down into the watery depths and devouring them.

Physical Description: Bragg's can transform into several different shapes, Bai’Sun, Centaur, Eiflan, Bai’Sun-headed Eiflan, Puck, and any manner of in-between shapes. Like other shape shifting Boreal, they can alter their size and shape, though their coloring is a matter of breeding rather than choice. They can also assume the shape of a hippocampus, or a more Merfolk-like form, resembling a seahorse. Their Bai’Sun incarnations have white pupils like all boreal, though they retain the equine pupil shape. Their manes and tails can appear to be made of flames of various colors, and often their eyes glow fiercely when they are on the attack.

In their Hippocampus form, Bragg's have sharper teeth than their equine forms, and in place of their fore hooves they instead have webbed, clawed feet. Most Bragg Boreal are Black when in their Equine forms, though occasionally a Red or Moss colored have been spotted. There is also a legend of a "Ghost" Bragg, solid white, with equally white glowing eyes, but this has never been confirmed.

Outlook: Bragg outlook is one that puts them ahead of anything else. They live alone, they hunt alone, and they care not for the suffering of their victims or the fate of their fellow Bragg.

Characters: Even when traveling, the Bragg will try to stay close to bodies of water. It could be that they have a dependency much like Undines or Merrow. Because of their strength and penchant for armor, their favored class is swordsman.

Society: Bragg Boreal tend to be solitary unless it's mating season. Bragg foals are born with a fully developed digestive system, and so can be turned loose from their parents almost immediately to hunt on their own. It's rare, but occasionally some Bragg Boreal will mate with Eiflans rather than devouring them. Instead drawing out their suffering as they carry the foal and feeding off their negative emotions as an alternate food source.

Some of the more powerful Bragg Boreal can create Psionic Armor regardless of their form, often playing themselves as the lost mounts of Holy Knights to gain the trust of unsuspecting travelers, and some of them disguise themselves as handsome men in order to entice beautiful young women, however, a little cautious attention to detail will draw attention to their Boreal Aura, and could very well save an Eiflans life.

Language: Bragg speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They also mimic the calls of bai’sun so that they can be more convincing when luring eiflans to their deaths.

Naming: Bragg have no formal naming convention, and many times they will be named only as a result of notoriety among eiflans.

Magic & Lore: These Boreal are of the very few shape shifting Boreal who practice the Defense school of Psionics, and aside from the usual uses of it, they have developed the unique ability to reverse the effects, making it so that whomever mounts them in their equine form adheres to them, rather than being repelled. Being aquatic in nature, Bragg's have the elemental psionic school Water Affinity, and can breathe in water or on land.

Relations with other Races: Bragg generally attempt to keep their identities anonymous until it is too late for the victim, so because of this many of them live alongside eiflans for long periods of time, masquerading as bai’sun. Still, their relations could not be considered good, as their ultimate goal in this is predation.

Equipment: While they will mostly rely on their psionics for armor, many Bragg will also have swords or other weapons as well. Riding tack is another common theme among Bragg, as part of their lost mount ruse.

Animals and Pets: Bragg often live with or near bai’sun and other livestock, however they keep none of their own, nor are they known to keep companion animals.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Basic Psionics – For information on basic psionics, see the general entry on Boreal

Defense Psionics – Bragg can form psionic armor around them to protect them, they can also invert this ability, causing anyone in contact with their bodies to adhere to them, allowing them to bear the victim down under water until they are dead.

Shape Shifting – Bragg can take on many different forms, from eiflan to equine and several hybrid shapes in between. Most common however are the bai’sun form, the ‘puck’ form wherein their lower bodies retain equine hind legs, while they are mostly eiflan from their torso up, and an aquatic form that resembles a seahorse in the head and tail and an eiflan in their midsection.

Mimetic Appendage – The mimetic appendage for the Bragg Clade is their horns. In order for the full power to be collected, both horns must be removed, otherwise the collected horn will become dull and inert and the Bragg will then shed the remaining horn and grow a new set.

Goblins
One of the most numerous Boreal Races, these violent, short, and prolific Boreal are covered head to toe in a thick coat of fur

Physical Description: Their fur comes in many different shades including terra cotta, blue gray, moss green, mud brown, and ash gray. The males have horns that can be curled like a rams or arched like a goat or even stuck out of the sides of their heads like a cows. They have long thick tails with a lion-like tuft of fur at the end, however their overall shape is more akin to some sort of rodent, with hairless hands and feet, and fingers that end in tiny, sharp, claw-like nails. Their feet end in cloven hooves and their heads are a bit rodent like as well, with a longer and more animal like shape than other boreal Clades. Goblins, besides being hairy and ill tempered, are also short, not growing to more than 4'0.

Outlook: Goblins live in groups, but aren't socially organized. Their outlook seems to be based on whatever impulse they are having at the moment, whether it to eat or fight or sleep.

Characters: Goblins don’t usually travel without at least 3 – 5 other Goblins with them. They do not do much adventuring however and have no favored class.

Society: Goblins seem to suffer from a constant mob mentality, when one wants to eat, they all suddenly seem to feel hungry, when one wants to breed, the Goblin population explodes. It may be that their Psionics have developed into a constant link between all the members of a particular clan, similar to those of the Harpies, but much more basic and instinctual. Groups will often fight with each other and are incredibly territorial, but these wars also serve a purpose in that any Goblins captured from the opposing group are inducted into the captors group, keeping their bloodlines fresh and relatively free of inbreeding.

Goblins usually only have one or two whelps, however they breed in groups and so their numbers increase at a rapid pace. Whelps are born fully formed (though smaller than their progenitors) and are able to join the raiders within hours of being born. They will stay with their family group unless and until a rival group captures them.

Language: Goblins speak in grunts and growls for the most part amongst each other. They can speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe, but only in rudimentary manner which often sounds rough and broken.

Naming: Despite their difficulty when speaking Eiflan, Goblins love to give themselves Eiflan names. Though usually they seem more like sounds than actual names. Names such as Frit, Agur, and Gurgi are not uncommon.

Magic & Lore: Goblins do not have much in the way of magic and in fact cannot shape shift even in the slightest. The only ability they seem to have beyond their advanced healing is the psionic link that binds the individual groups together.

Relations with other Races: Considered one of the weakest of the Boreal Clades, Goblins nevertheless can pose a large threat simply because they attack in groups. They are considered a scourge on farming towns and small villages due to their habit of killing and/or consuming nearly everything the come across, be it crops, livestock, or villagers. The larger the family group, the more likely it will be for them to attack Eiflans directly and not just their farmsteads. In cities as well their relations remain poor, as they often infest the labyrinth of sewer tunnels beneath the cities. Because of this, members of the thieves guilds who tend to operate in those areas have a particular dislike for them.

Equipment: Goblins carry generally crude weapons such as spears or knives made of sharp obsidian until they find a particularly weak militia or other group of warriors. When that happens they will take the weapons from the slain or wounded bodies. They do not often take armor simply because most of the time it is too large to be of use to them. A Goblin that acquires armor (usually Leveret armor) will often receive a boost of confidence that allows them to take charge of the group, and the others will defer to this ‘Goblin Commander’.

Animals and Pets: Goblins do not keep or care for livestock and do not have companion animals, instead raiding Eiflan homesteads for whatever food livestock would provide them.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionic Link – Groups of Goblins are linked to each other, forming a strange sort of psionic haze in which they all think and want roughly the same things at the same time.

Mimetic Appendage – The Goblin mimetic appendage is their tail, though many novices mistake the horns instead. When the tail is removed, not only does the Goblin lose their memories, but in addition they are no longer tapped into the psionic link of their family group. They are seen as an outsider then and this will usually end in the amputated Goblin’s death at the hands of the group.

Imps
The smallest Caste of the Boreal, Imps are tiny winged Boreal that almost always carry some sort of pitchfork with them. They love to play mean spirited pranks and delight in poking peoples rear ends with their pitchforks. They're as tiny as sprites, not getting more than 1 - 2 feet in height.

Physical Description: Imp Boreal are one of the more unusual races of Eifel. They resemble wasps or bees and have multiple insect legs, along with a pair of gossamer looking yet powerful wasp wings. They also have multiple eyes, some of them on their upper chest (above their pecs) and lower torso (where their bellybuttons would be). Their skin color can be just about any bright color. These colors include but are not limited to: Blue, Red, Green, Purple, and Yellow. They have long semi-prehensile wasp tails ending in wickedly sharp, venom filled stingers. Their hair is often a darker shade of their skin tone, or matches their wasp tails.

Outlook: Everything is done for the Queen. Working, playing, While possessing a Hive Mind, Imps still have autonomy while away from the nest. However they are eventually driven to return to their ruling Queen and hive sisters. But in the meantime, the Imps roam across Eifel causing mischief, chaos, and misery wherever they go. They are the worst pranksters, ruining lives without remorse for their own amusement.

When they invariably return to their queen, the Imps will deliver a gift of fresh carrion. In addition to this the Queen will also psionically siphon off some of the negative emotions gathered by the daughter Imps during their raids across the land.

Characters: And Imp rarely ever travels alone. They are usually accompanied by two of their hive sisters, with the exception of new Queens looking to establish a hive of their own. Because of this they have no favored class.

Society: These weird little incarnations of mischief live in clan groupings consisting of hives controlled by a larger and psionically dominating Queen Imp and her submissive King Imp. While it is possible for them to think independently when necessary, when it comes down to it the Queens command overrules any other ideas or impulses.

The Hive consists almost entirely of females. They are all sisters under the sole command of the Queen. The few males that are born are kept secluded near the Queen. These Princes remain in her direct care until they reach the age of maturity, when one is chosen to be the new King. The others are expelled from the Hive and out into the world to find an unmated Queen therefore ensuring genetic diversity for the race.

Imps begin their lives as eggs dispensed by the Queen Imp and stored in the honeycomb chambers of the Hive, sealed in wax. Eventually they emerge as grubs. And as they are fragile and helpless in this state they remain in their wax homes where they are fed a paste made from the masticated bodies of other creatures until they reach their adult form and are ready to join the Hive and venture out into the world to cause pain and frustration wherever they go.

Eventually there will come a time when one of the Sisters will develop Autonomy. No matter how long she has been with the hive, she will immediately be seen as an outsider and will be rejected. Forced away from the nest as she is now separate from the collective; she will then begin to seek out an unmated Prince. This is how a new Hive begins.

Language: Imps speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. In addition, they communicate between each other with a language consisting of buzzing caused by wing vibrations, body language, and the steady undercurrent of the Queen’s psionic dominance and the psionic link of the hive mind.

Naming: Imps living under the Queen’s rule do not have individual names. Only when one breaks away and becomes a Queen herself does she choose a name for herself, and this could be anything she fancies, though usually it will be some Eiflan name that she takes a liking to. All Imp Princes and Kings are named by their Queen, first at birth; and then a second time when they are claimed by an unmated Queen.

Magic & Lore: Imps have psionics that are focused around enabling them to prod and torment eiflans whenever and however they want. This includes focuses on Illusion and other psionic schools that involve mental manipulation of their victims.

Relations with other Races: Their nests have become extremely prevalent in the mountains near Basque and their skirmishes with each other and with the eiflans are becoming a major concern for the locals who inhabit that area, as well as in the southern lake city Ceria, where the Mages are working on a way to deal with the issue. However they do not enjoy the extreme heat of the Melva Desert and are rarely seen alive within it’s borders. Part of this may also be attributed to the desert dwelling Spiderants, who seem to have a taste for them and will hunt the Imps there whenever possible.

Equipment: Imps don’t carry much in the way of equipment, however they enjoy spears and pitchforks, or other pole oriented weapons.

Animals and Pets: While in their grub and egg stages, young Imps are cared for in much the same way they would tend to livestock. Beyond this however they keep no animals, companion or otherwise.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Basic Psionics – For information on Boreal Psionics; see the general Boreal entry.

Illusion Psionics – Imps have the ability to use their psionics to create vivid, realistic illusions which they use to trick and torment Eiflans whenever possible.

Hive Mind – Imps are psionically linked together by their Queen, who is also the dominant mind and controls every Imp in the hive.

Sting Attack - The Imps have the ability to control how much of their venom they inject, so it can be anywhere from a temporary paralysis to instant death. The full potency is rarely ever used though, as they enjoy pranking more than killing.

Mimetic Appendage – One of the most difficult items to attain; the Imps mimetic appendage is it’s stinger. Since Imps rarely travel alone, trying to obtain one of their stingers is a risky venture, as the other two can and will most likely be attacking with their own stingers at the same time. Most who hunt for it will have to kill the two companions, and then attempt to remove the entire tail in order to avoid accidental (or intentional) poisoning.

Kappa
These predatory water dwellers love to steal children from along the waters edge and consume them.

Physical Description: Kappa are reptilian in appearance, usually with pale green, pale blue, or pale yellow-ish skin, though other colors are not unheard of. They often have splotches, spots, and sometimes stripes in darker shades of the same colors. Usually a kappa has no hair on their heads or bodies, with the exception to this being kappa who have had their water orb removed. Once this item is removed they will grow hair on their heads. The water orb rests on the top of the kappa’s head, adhered to the scalp via psionic force. In addition, a hard shell that covers the kappa’s head like a hat, and remains in place via the same psionic force protects the orb. These shells come in various shapes and colors as well, some even growing spikes on the hard plates of the dome. They grow naturally over time, and the outer rim can be shaped and trained to grow in a specific way, according to the kappa’s stylistic choices.

Like other Sidhe races, kappa have 3 fingers and a thumb on each hand, and the same number of digits on the feet. However these are webbed to allow for easy movement in the water, as well as being able to grip; gecko style, to most surfaces. This allows them to cling to rocks in fast moving currents, and also makes it more difficult for their prey to escape. They have a short prehensile tail, and gills hidden under their shell. In addition, they have no external ears.

Even when their water orb is removed, their shell can be returned to their heads, as the psionic force will return it to it’s proper position.

Outlook: Kappa are patient and deadly, leading solitary lives in the rivers and lakes of Eifel. They stick to their territories, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Characters: A traveling kappa will almost certainly be a young one searching out their own territory. When traveling, Kappa generally carry spears as their weapon of choice, and their favored class is Dragoon.

Society: Kappa live mostly solitary lives, staking out territories along river banks and in lakes and ponds. Their territories tend to be small however, and sometimes they will even live in visible range of each other. This is mainly because kappa do not need large areas to roam, preferring instead to lie in wait for their prey to come close enough for them to grab, dragging the victim be it animal or eiflan, below the surface and down into their underwater dwellings.

Kappa will eat most anything that moves, from bai’sun, to deer, and even fish as well, though those don’t often make it to a size large enough to be appetizing. Their favored meal however, is eiflan children, and parents are well advised to keep close watch on any children playing too close to the water.

During ‘mating’ season, Kappa lay clutches of between 5 – 7 eggs. These are round translucent, similar to fish or frog eggs. Mating for kappa’s is brief and generally rough, as the male will come from behind and often bite the back of the female’s neck to keep her in place. Once this is finished, they will part ways, depending on who’s territory was used for the mating.

The eggs, once laid, exist almost entirely by virtue of the fact that they are too small to provide a substantial meal for the mother kappa. This is only a temporary safety measure however, as they will eventually grow, hatching out of their eggs as 6inch long tadpoles. This is a very dangerous time for all of the tadpole kappas, as their nearest and most convenient meal aside from the river fish they will eventually grow out of, is each other. When they reach roughly 1ft in length, whatever young kappa’s are left will see their tails begin to shorten, and they will grow legs. At this point they will instinctively leave the mother’s territory, beginning the search for their own lands before they become a potential meal.

As they grow during their tadpole stage, some of the remnants of their egg will remain with them, forming the beginnings of their shell caps. The pieces are connected to the kappas body psionically. Between these and the kappa’s body, the water orb grows, protected somewhat by the still forming shell. By the time the young kappa leaves the water to look for their own territory, the shell will have hardened and the water orb will be fully protected.

Kappa halflings have no head shell and no water orb. They grow hair as their eiflan parents do. They retain their gill slits, lying on their neck and usually covered by their hair, but their ability to use them is less than the kappa, and so they need to surface for air regularly when swimming or diving. Their eating habits tend to take after the eiflan parent (since that is the parent who will be raising them), and for an as yet unknown reason, they seem to have a special affinity for cucumbers.

Language: Kappa speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They generally have no oral language of their own, however when angry they can make a loud and highly disturbing hissing noise, reminiscent of the maddening cries of the sand screecher.

Naming: Kappa have no specific naming convention. Like many boreal they are given names by eiflans, generally based on notoriety. Sometimes multiple kappa can even be given the same name, as the locals turn the warnings into legends.

Magic & Lore: Kappa have very little in the way of psionics, with most of their power being focused on the bond keeping their shell cap and water orb in place. They can have access to water magic however, and this is helpful in keeping them hydrated on the rare occasions when they need to travel abroad.

Relations with other Races: While no boreal (with the possible exception of Succubi/incubi) can be said to have good relations with other races, kappa at least will not go out of their way to hunt down eiflans where they live. A little caution goes a long way in keeping safe from them as well.

Equipment: Kappa will clothe themselves in the pelts of animals they have killed from time to time, or in some cases, will steal the clothes off of an eiflan victim. In addition to this, when they travel over land they will often carry a spear or trident as well.

Animals and Pets: Kappa do not keep livestock or companion animals, however the fish that live in and around their homes exist mostly unscathed, being that they are too small to provide an appetizing meal for an adult kappa.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionic Lock – Kappa have a magnet-like force that keeps both their shell cap and their water orb affixed to their heads.

Adhesive digits – The hands and feet of the kappa are similar to those of the gecko, allowing them to adhere to almost any surface as well as keeping a firm grip on their prey.

Mimetic Appendage – The kappa’s mimetic appendage is their water orb. However the orb is protected by the shell and is one of the most difficult items to harvest. It has the usual property of being solid while lying on a hard surface, while acting as a liquid when stored in a bottle or jar.

Tengu
These Boreal resemble various types of birds, usually birds of prey, crows, and ravens. They like to swoop down on their prey from above, tearing them apart with their sharp claws and beaks.

Physical Description: Tengu in their natural forms tend to be a bit larger than eiflans, approaching the height of Maruke usually. They are entirely feathered and have the heads of birds, usually birds of prey, ravens, and crows, though carrion birds such as buzzards, vultures, and condors are not uncommon. Their colors generally mimic the birds they resemble, from black to brown to the occasional white, and sometimes slightly more vibrant colors, particularly with the carrion Tengu, who can have bright red, featherless heads at times.

They have bird legs and taloned feet, and arms that are much the same. In addition, they have fully functioning wings growing from their backs. The Tengu’s left eye can be red, brown, gold, or sometimes gray, but their right eye is always bright blue and has an almost glowing quality to it. As with all boreal their pupils are white. Tengu can also change to a mostly eiflan form, with mostly eiflan features, though they retain a large portion of their feathers as well as their wings, as well as a mostly avian form, given away only by their eyes and the fact that they retain all four limbs, and several hybrid forms in between. When in their near-eiflan form, they have feathers instead of hair.

Tengu halflings retain their parents wings, and will often have feathers instead of hair. They tend to have sharper, more claw like finger and toenails, and can also have patches of feathers on their backs, shoulders, elbows, and various other areas of their bodies.

Outlook: Tengu tend to look down on most other creatures, seeing them as prey and therefore not worthy of concern. They are very proud and a bit vain, and their habit of viewing most everything through the filter or prey means they are often no intimidated when they should be.

Characters: Tengu traveling abroad are fairly common, and prefer the use of the bow and arrow to most other weapons. Because of this and their natural dexterity their favored class is Archer.

Society: Tengu can live either alone, or in groups of up to 4 individuals. Groups are more likely for crow and raven tengu than for those resembling birds of prey, and seem to be organized as a kind of gang, with the strongest keeping the rest as underlings or subordinates. This can often prove to be convenient for the flocking tengu, as they won’t have to look far for a partner during the mating season.

Even so, when it comes to food, often the ranks will be disregarded entirely as each tengu fights for their own share of the carcass. Likely they all know that if they waited for the leader to finish, there would be nothing left for the underlings.

When the time comes, a female tengu will lay her eggs in a dirt mound or a clump of grass wherever she happens to be at the time. Tengu have no set territories, and move often, so there is no danger to the chicks from encroaching on their parents domain. Often times the first to hatch will be the strongest, creating his or her first ‘gang’ by subjugating their siblings as they emerge from their shells. In this way, survival becomes more likely as they teach themselves to hunt and other important tasks.

A tengu will lay only three eggs per season, the chicks hatch fully feathered and capable of survival, though flight does not come until the chick gains more in size and definition.

When hunting, tengu like to swoop down on their prey from above, and often times will toy with their victims whether solitary or in a gang, extending the chase for some time so that they can also reap the frantic release of negative emotions such as fear, panic, and despair, before actually tearing into the physical flesh. Once the prey has been killed, tengu gangs will have a sort of feeding frenzy, wherein they bite and tear and fight with each other to ensure that they all get at least a portion of the carcass. A tengu that cannot compete will inevitably be either viciously expelled, or more likely consumed by the rest of the gang.

Language: Tengu speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. They can also suppliment these languages with various bird sounds, such as screeches and cries. Like the Aves, they are incredibly adept at mimicking the vocal sounds of birds and even other people, and can often use this to cause mischief.

Naming: Tengu tend to choose names for themselves at some point during their lives, These will often be names that they heard somewhere along the lines, sometimes even names spoken by their eiflan prey just before death.

Magic & Lore: Tengu, despite being avian in nature, have the Fire Affinity trait, and those born with magic can access this terrible destructive power early on in their lives. Aside from this though, most of their power lies in their natural shape altering abilities and other boreal related powers.

Relations with other Races: Tengu are often met with hostility when passing through eiflan lands. This is because they not only attack eiflans, but also tend to lay waste to crops and devour unattended livestock as well.

Equipment: Tengu wear armor, usually stolen off of the bodies of their prey, and often carry bows and arrows, which are equally stolen. These provide a handy alternative to their talons and even a supplement, as they can then wound their prey with the arrow before finishing the job with their claws.

Animals and Pets: Tengu keep no companion animals or livestock, as they tend to eat any large creatures they come across during hunting. However, in some respects the tengu underlings can be considered pets owned by the leader.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Psionics – For details on basic boreal psionics, see the general boreal information.

Minor Shape shifting – Tengu can change from their natural state to a near-eiflan form, a near-bird form, and various hybrid shapes in between.

Mimetic Appendage – The tengu’s mimetic appendage is their right eye, which is a bright, luminescent blue in color. When removed, the eye crystallizes, becoming like a marble, and the tengus natural regeneration replaces it with a normal eye matching the color of the left eye.

General Boreal Information Continued
Language: Boreal speak Eiflan and Daoine Sidhe. For individual languages see the individual Clade entries.

Naming: See individual Clade entries for Boreal naming conventions.

Magic and Lore: Boreal have the same kind of Psionics that the Fey have, which amounts to a kind of raw magical power combined with telepathic and telekinetic abilities. However, where the Fey use their powers to help others, Boreal more often than not use their powers to harm. Even when they seem to be giving pleasure, as with the Succubus Caste, the truth is that this is all just for their own benefit, and would just as soon slit their throat as look at them once they're done with their partner

Relations with other Races: Most Boreal have consistently bad relations with other races. This is mostly because they view everything and everyone as a target for whatever thing they feel like doing at the time. The obvious exception to this is the Succubus/Incubus Clade, who can have very good relations with Eiflans indeed.

Equipment: See individual Clade entries for information on Equipment.

Animals and Pets: See individual Clade entries for information on pets and livestock the Boreal may or may not keep.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Boreal Psionics - Boreal have the same basic Psionic Abilities as the Fey. Only their use of them is different.

Boreal Aura – All Boreal have an aura of darkness that is noticeable mostly to other Sidhe races. In Eiflans this can manifest as a feeling of discomfort with no recognizable reason for such. However Fey and Other Boreal can feel it especially strongly (as it is the cause of mutual toxicity) and may even be able to see it if it comes from an especially strong Boreal.

''As with the Fey, Boreal don't breed exclusively with their own Caste, so there are many many other kinds of Boreal not seen here that are the result of inter-caste mating. This doesn't happen as often though, because most Boreal are horribly anti-social unless they are 'in heat'.''

(Sidhe)Selkie
A race of semi-aquatic seal folk. Selkies live longer than Eiflans, with an average lifespan of 150 - 200 years. They are a generally friendly people who trade their tails for legs when traveling on land.

Physical Description: They have the head and tails of various seals and sea lions, while their torso is eiflan. Selkies are covered entirely in short fur that is designed to help streamline them and reduce friction in the water. Their coat colors can be brown, black, gray, and sometimes white or tan, and can be solid colored, two-toned, or spotted. Rarely, a solid color will come about that has a few wide stripes, usually this will be a brown or tan, and their stripes will be white. When they are pups, Selkies have fluffy, single colored coats in brown, white, or black. As they age they shed these and their adult coat and colors will grow in their place.

Their height can be anywhere from 5 – 6.5 feet, with only a slight lengthening when they are in the water as opposed to on land. All Selkies tend to have soft, plush bodies, as a layer of fat hides their impressive muscles and keeps them warm in the colder watery depths. However this becomes more pronounced the farther south the colony lives, as the waters become even more frigid, requiring thicker insulation against the cold. In addition; it’s possible to recognize the Selkies which live in fresh water rather than salt, as the those dwelling in fresh water have tiny external ears, while the ocean dwelling Selkies do not have external ears.

When they emerge from the water, a Selkie’s tail can shift into a pair of fur-covered legs. The fur gives way to seal skin at their feet, and in either form they will have webbing between their fingers and toes, though this is not as prominent on their fingers while on land. And while their tails have the flippers of seals or sea lions on their hips, these also disappear when traveling on land. Because these flippers have the same function as a seal or sea lions do, a Selkie can move fairly fast over land even without their legs.

Outlook: The Selkies are generally an easy going people, spending their days fishing or sunning on rocks or beaches. They try not to let the worries of the world weigh upon them too much, and are happy to welcome others into their colonies for a visit.

Characters: Selkies are curious and explorative, and so traveling abroad is not uncommon for them. Because of their aquatic lifestyle and mostly seafood diet, they tend to be good with spears, and their favored class is Dragoon.

History: Because of their natural ability to change their shape between the land and sea, there is speculation that their people perhaps originated from the mixing of Undine and Clu’ai peoples, though others argue that the otter-like Domari clan of the Traversi are a more likely ancestor than the Clu’ai, as they have both the connection to water and the fur coat that could have contributed to the formation of the race. The Selkies themselves are a bit vague on this as well, as they do not keep a written history. There is however one story related orally by the oldest members of Selkie society that seems to support the claim.

With their strong swimming abilities and their impressive lung capacity, the Selkies spread throughout the seas and made their way up into the lakes and rivers, able to exist comfortable in both fresh and salt water due to the fact that they breathe air rather than water. This was a development that the Merfolk did not have, confining them to the salt water their bodies were accustomed to. They learned how to make spears and nets for catching fish, and the Clu’ai and Domari taught them how to open the shells of clams and muscles. They also found the sea bobber plants and discovered how to tend and prepare them as well, which turned out to be a simple task. This is how they have lived since their early days, and it has helped them become a people who embraces exploration as well as relaxation.

Society: A Selkie colony usually consists of about 3 – 5 families, who have grouped together to form a community. Families are made up of anywhere from 3 to 10 members, which include elders, parents, children, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The families share in the fishing, foraging, and care of the pups.

Mother Selkies will usually have 1-2 pups in a litter, with 3 or more being a rarity. The pups are birthed in shallow water, where they spend their early days as they learn how to swim, stand, and control their breathing. For Selkies living in the south, often times they will created their own shallows in the floating ice flows and glaciers. When the pups are around one year of age, they begin to shed their fluffy coat, as their adult coat grows in underneath.

When two Selkies fall in love and decide to make their own family, each partner will make a shell necklace for the other with shells they scavenge themselves. While the tools they use will be borrowed from older family members such as a parent, grandparent, or an aunt or uncle. The families will then hold a feast during which the couple will exchange necklaces and begin their lives together. The new family will then create their own family name by combining parts of their previous family’s names. This is an important exercise in cooperation for the couple, as they must come up with something they are both content with.

Even without such ceremonies, Selkies like to create jewelry with shells and other things they find while hunting or exploring. They can also use the teeth of larger aquatic animals that they hunt, though use of feathers is rare as they do not tend to hold up well under water.

While Selkies can hold their breath for extended periods of time, they do eventually need to come back to the surface to breathe and rest. Selkie homes are mounds created with whatever materials they have on hand. Beachside colonies will have clay domes, while those living along riverbanks will build them out of reeds, driftwood, or a collection of branches much like a beaver dam. In the south where the land is frozen, igloos will be made from heavily packed snow. Like the Clu’ai, many of these mounds will be entirely closed off from the outside, with their entrances being tunnels connected to the water they live near.

Language: Selkies speak Eiflan, Selkese, and Sidhe. Selkese is a language that is as fluid as the waters in which they live, and can incorporate body posture and whisker position as well as vocalization. Their oral components sound very much like the Pinnipeds they resemble, with a mixture of growls and rolling barks. For this reason, they can have a somewhat thick accent when speaking Eiflan, with a small tendency to roll their ‘r’s.

Naming: Parents are responsible for naming their pups, and will usually chose something that they feel has meaning for both the parents and the pup. While generally considered unisex, here are some Selkie names commonly given to male and female pups.

Male: Afa, Alipate, Edemona, Fale, Fekitoa, Kaila, Kalei, Kana, Loni, Makani, Mano, Melia, Mikil, Nana, Noelani, Oline

Female: Afi, Aisea, Alevina, Faipa, Fau, Ekela, Elta, Etana, Kaloni, Koi, Konane, Leilani, Mahina, Maylea, Noe, Ola

Magic & Lore: Despite their aquatic lifestyle, the Selkie tend to have an affinity for wind magic, which may help them control their breathing, allowing the Selkies to stay underwater for much longer than they would otherwise be able to. They can have a natural inclination toward water magic as well however, and while they are not as common as Selkie Dragoons, Selkie Mages are certainly not unheard of.

Relations with other Races: Selkies; like many of the aquatic races, are excellent fishermen. Their easygoing attitude allows them to live well with most peoples, and they will often trade their fresh catches for items they cannot get on their own, such as glass beads and metal tools. They have also been known to sell their hand made fishing nets, though many prefer the Aves made nets for their superior craftsmanship.

Equipment: Selkies generally carry a spear or a net with them to catch fish with, though they do not often use heavy armor as this weighs them down in water, slowing their movements and causing more harm than good. They also carry small metal or stone tools, usually in the form of a blade for cutting aquatic plants, protecting themselves from larger predators, and various other jobs such as assisting in making spears or decorative carving. Metal blades in particular can prove extremely useful in prying open clams and other shellfish.

Animals and Pets: Selkies will tend flocks of baublegeese as both companion animals and to harvest their eggs as a supplement to the Selkies diet. They also trade these eggs with Clu’ai at times for plaud milk. In addition, they have been known to train a medium sized variant of the Cygcetus, a semi-aquatic animal with the features of both birds and porpoises. The Cygcetus that they keep are around the size of bottlenose dolphins, and they are trained to help with the fishing. Selkies can sometimes be seen gripping the cygcetus’ harness, allowing the animal to pull them along through the water.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Increased Lung Capacity – Selkies are built for spending long periods of time submerged, this includes th ability to take longer, deeper breaths and to hold those breaths in for incredible amounts of time. The longest on record being close to two hours, though the average is 60minutes.

Alter Form – Selkies can change their tails into legs in order to move about easily on land.

Wind Affinity – Selkies who are inclined to magic have access to the basic wind spells without formal training.

Increased Speed – Because their main source of propulsion is their lower bodies, Selkies can move at 1.5x the base speed on land, and 2x the speed in water.

Resistance to cold – Selkies have an insulating layer of fat that keeps them warm in colder temperatures.

(Sidhe)Djinni


Catching a Djinni often requires two people. One to serve as a distraction and another to follow the Djinni's tail back to the lamp it is bound to. Even after obtaining the lamp though a Djinni will often try to trick th eholder in various ways, including interpreting their wishes in ways they may not have intended. Some particularly nasty ones will even try to work out a way to harm or even kill the holder of their lamp.

Physical Description: Djinni resemble humanoid monkeys, often with furry bodies. They come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. And not all natural colors either. They can be brown or yellow but are just as likely to be pink, green, or blue. All of them have long prehensile tails which fade into smoke which inevitably trails back to the lamp they are bound to. Their eyes are reminiscent of Fey eyes, being solid color with no visible differentiation between eyeball, iris, and pupil.

Furthermore, their fur color does not have to match their skin color. A dark brown furred dijinni could have light skin or dark skin or green or blue or purple skin. As powerful as they are, djinni cannot shape shift, and so their natural shape is their only shape. Unlike other eiflan races, their ears are rounded rather than triangular.

It’s likely that a djinni halfling would retain the tail and rounded ears of their djinni parent, with their eyes mimicing the colored, pupil-less eyes of fey halflings.

Outlook: While many of them appear cheerful, most Djinni are quite bitter due to their living circumstances and animosity toward those who would seek to use them.

Characters: Djinni traveling on their own are rare, just by their very nature. However, they generally rely heavily on their natural magical abilities, and their favored class is mage.

History: It is believed that the Djinni were possibly once a Caste of Fey who would benevolently grant wishes to any who needed assistance, and that they were bound to lamps by wicked Alf Mages to gain permanent access to their powers. Or that the Alfs created them in an attempt to artificially produce a Fey Caste. There is also a theory that they are a "missing link" between Fey and Boreal, and so have increadible powers without the complications caused by the fixed alignments of Fey and Boreal. Some who support this proport that the Alfs or possibly even the Dragons (on the authority of Enlyl) bound them to their lamps to keep them in check.

Whatever the reason, it seems that thousands of years of imprisonment and servatude has left the majority of them bitter and hostile. If indeed they ever were Fey their original nature has completely erroded. It's likely that this was facilitated in part by the binding enchantment, which may have magically altered them to their very core. They do display certain Fey like qualities. It is difficult but if one can either get close enough to the body or trick the Djinni into becomming fully solid it is possible to chop off the Djinni's tail. At which point they will no longer be bound to their lamp. However they will also be significantly less powerful and will suffer amnesia just as the Fey do when such amputations are performed on them.

Society: Djinni have no society of their own, being bound to their lamps and generally passed around as objects. No one is sure what happens when a Djinni disappears into their lamp, and the Djinni themselves refuse to talk about it. However there is speculation that the flame the djinni’s tail is connected to contains a kind of pocket dimension; a small room that the Djinni can live in comfortably when not summoned to the outside world.

Nothing at all is known about their reproduction or child rearing, and indeed there may only be a finite number of Djinni in the world. There are very few entities alive that can remember seeing a child Djinni.

Language: Djinni speak eiflan, sidhe, Daoine sidhe, and any other languages necessary for fulfilling their roles for the holder of the lamp.

Naming: Since they do not reproduce, there is not naming convention for Djinni. A Djinnis name is as old as the Djinni themselves.

Magic & Lore: While a live Djinni will grant wishes as long as their lamp is in an Eiflan's possession, wishes can also be granted by the severed and preserved hand of one. The Djinnis Paw (as it is called), only grants the number of wishes equal to the amount of digits on the hand (a maximum of four including the thumb). To those in the know however they are considered extremely risky if not downright dangerous. For the user of such an item nearly always has their wishes backfire in dangerous and unusual ways. And usually just before they meet a violent and extremely gruesome end. As the wishes on the Djinnis Paw are granted the fingers break one by one, until the last one is broken and the horrible curse is unleashed.

To call up and claim ownership of a Djinni, one must rub it's lamp three times either with a hand or with a cloth, then light the wick at the top of the lamp. Furthermore, if a Djinni is encountered outside it's lamp in a home, dungeon, or labyrinth, the first thing that should be noted is that one should be very careful, because for it to be outside the lamp but lacking a master means that the Djinni is likely the cause of the former master's demise. Secondly, if you do not have a second person with you you will most likely end up in a severely outmatched race to get back to the lamp. If/When the Djinni makes it to it's lamp first it can then pick it up and either run away with it or battle you to protect it from being claimed.

Relations with other Races: Djinni are understandably bitter, and generally their relations depend on if they’re being used, how, and by whom. The allure of having a magical being at your beck and call is often canceled out by the knowledge that the Djinni is most likely looking for a way to turn your own desires against you, and for the Djinni, trusting people who basically own them like property is exceedingly difficult.

Equipment: The common piece of equipment that all Djinni carry with them are their lamps. The lamp is always on or near their person, and even a Djinni that has somehow been freed of bondage will still be seen carrying the object with them. Other equipment is varied depending on the individual, and can be anything from weapons to mage artifacts, and sometimes armor as well.

Animals and Pets: More often than not, the Djinni themselves are treated as companion animals, and so they will usually not have one of their own. There are exceptions however and usually this will be in the form of some small animal such as a Pomku or a kobald. They do not keep any livestock.

Abilities and Racial Features:

Wish fulfillment – A djinni can grant the desires of whoever is in possession of the lamp, for as long as that person possesses it. However this power is flexible and often open to the interpretation of the djinni, allowing them to manipulate the outcome of said desire in strange and often dangerous ways.

Pocket dimension – The djinni have a space inside the flame of their lamp that they can access at will. This serves as their living quarters and many of them will hibernate there until someone comes along and rubs the lamp, awakening them.

Mimetic Appendage – Like Fey and Boreal, the Djinni have a mimetic appendage where the bulk of their power and memories are stored. Despite the power stored in the djinni’s paw, their true mimetic appendage is in fact their tail. It is an extremely rare item since they are not a thriving population, and in addition they are difficult to collect as most times the smokey nature of the tail makes it intangible. Severing the tail from a djinni has not only the same affect as any other mimetic appendage, but also severs the connection of the djinni to their lamp, in essence freeing them from their servitude.

Halflings
Through often unusual circumstances, some races breed with Eiflans and create 'Halflings', who are neither one race nor the other. Though this most commonly occurs with Nyn and Maruke, there have been Fey and Boreal Halflings. The Fey and Boreal Halflings also have extremely differing methods of origin. Whereas Fey will join with an Eiflan because they truly love and care for the person, Boreal Halflings are usually born out of brutality, or as a result of pure carelessness, which is most common with the flakey and somewhat ditzy succubus demons. Accidental Boreal Halflings are usually abandoned or left with the Eiflan parent, Boreal Halflings resulting from brutality however are most often killed by either parent, the Boreal because they do not have the capacity for maternal instincts, and the Eiflan because the child is a reminder of the traumatic event they suffered through.

Halflings possess both features and powers hereditary to their non-Eiflan parent. In the case of Nyn, this would be feline traits such as ears and/or a tail, and a talent for stealth, along with an unnatural grace and more agility and balance than an average Eiflan. For the Maruke, they have canine traits and tend to be larger and more muscular, in both cases their senses are heightened, though not to the levels that a full blooded Nyn or Maruke would have. Fey Halflings and Boreal Halflings both have a natural talent for magic, and also possess Psionic abilities to communicate telepathically and also move objects by willing them, along with a few other Psionic related powers. They also gain physical traits depending on the sub-race of their parent, Angel and Demon parents would give their offspring wings and eyes reflective of their bloodline. Other traits can be butterfly wings, horns, tails, and many other unusual physical features. Halflings height varies depending upon weather they are closer in resemblance to their Eiflan or Non-Eiflan parent.

In the case of Fey halflings, if their wings are removed, they can still be reattached just as a normal Feys could be, however, The Halflings wings have a finite lifespan before they begin to decay. This is about 20 - 25 years. After that point, the wings cannot be reattached by normal means. A necromancer may be able to perform such a reattachment, but the results would not be pleasant. Furthermore, Fey Halflings who's wings are reattached, do not suffer the "Death Urge" curse as full Fey do. Though they still feel gravely guilty and often become depressed and chronically morose.

Fey and Boreal halflings, no matter whether they are good or evil, still feel the negative effects of being exposed to their opposite element. While it can't seriously injure them, as being exposed to too much of the holy element would a full Boreal, it does make them very sick, as though they contracted food poisoning or some other horrible stomach virus. It's these physiological responses that keep the Boreal from attempting to destroy the holy tree, and similarly keep the Fey from attempting to invade Hell and destroy the Boreal at their source.

Fey and Boreal halflings retain their parents’ auras, though it is much more muted. Therefore it is much easier for their opposites to recognize full blooded members than Halflings. They also retain the eyes of their Fey or Boreal parentage. In the case of Fey, Their eyes will be pupilless (though they will have the eyeball distinguished from the iris). For the Boreal, their pupils are white and demonically slitted. While the physical "tell", makes it much easier most of the time, there are occasions when even that cannot be fully trusted, such as in the case of Half Erinyes, or half Felids or Latrans. If a Felid or a Latrans Boreal mates with a Nyn or Maruke, their offspring’s' natural shape shifting talent (while still dumbed down) can render them nearly indistinguishable from other Nyn,

Boreal and Fey with shape shifting talents can only pass on a portion of this talent to their halfling children. A Nyn halfling therefore may be able to transform into any of the different types of Nyn, to a typical Nyn halfling form, or to one, perhaps two types of feline. They will not be able to disguise themselves as any other type of Fey or Boreal, nor will they have the range of all the feline forms in existence. This is true of all shape shifting halflings, be they Nyn, Latrans, Serpens, Basilisk, Ma'neko, Vulpes, Zephyr, or any of the other shape shifters. Nyn and Maruke with a Fey or Boreal Halfling can sometimes have one very specific tell; they cannot change the color and/or pattern of their fur. If a Fey/Maruke halfling is born bright purple, then bright purple he/she will stay, regardless of the form he or she assumes. This is true of the rarer Undine/Fey or Boreal halflings as well, though not as prominent, as Undines come in a wide variety of colors as it is.

In the case of size, Halflings are extremely variable. They can be as small as their Fey/Boreal parent, as Large as their Eiflan parent (or the reverse if one of their parents happens to be a Giant caste Boreal) or somewhere in the middle. Halflings of these pairings do not have the ability of their parents to change size at will, so for some of them it can be a very difficult life, particularly if they can't find a sprite or imp colony to live with.

Nyn Halflings, unless they are half Fey or Boreal, almost always tend to look like an Eiflan with cat ears instead of the normal Eiflan ears, and a cats tail resembling their Nyn parents tail. Very rarely though, there is a reversal in the genetic makeup of the halfling, so that rather than looking like an Eiflan with cat ears, they instead look like a hairless Nyn. This unusual type of Halfling is called a "Sphynx" Nyn. Sphynx Nyn are not actually entirely hairless, they have a very fine, soft layer of fur over most of their bodies, it's almost unnoticeable however, because the hair is so fine as to be almost invisible. Maruke as well have this distinct occurrence; however their halflings usually retain their Eiflan parents’ hair, and so are dubbed "Crested". Like the Nyn, Maruke Halflings usually appear as an Eiflan with dog ears and a dog’s tail, though with some of them it's exceedingly hard to tell, for breeds like the Afghan domestic Maruke have ears that simply blend in with their hair, in which case it is important to look for a tail.

Undead Boreal such as zombies, skeletons, wraiths and vampires do not produce Halflings because, being undead, they are unable to breed in the natural way that other Boreal do. Furthermore, Halflings have lifespans within the range of the longest lived of the two parents, though rarely do they have as long a lifespan. Boreal and Fey cannot procreate with each other, their genetic makeup is too radically different for them to create a viable embryo and their personalities are so far separated from each other that there simply is no attraction physical of otherwise to even ignite such an encounter.

Undines can reproduce outside their race, but they produce very few halflings because their breathing systems are very different from that of a normal Eiflans. If the child is born in the wrong place, it can suffocate or, conversely, drown, and if the child is born with Eiflan lungs and an Undines tail, being unable to shape shift as its parent can, it can be a very hard life for the child. A child born with an Undine’s breathing system and human legs has a better chance at life, because even though it may not move as fast as an Undine it can still swim and would not need to go to the surface for air.

Waarg and Nalle Halflings: A rare occurrence in the offspring born of animal based Fey or Boreal and non-sidhe races, a waarg or nalle is a halfling that has retained the sidhe parents ability to shape shift, but without the control the parent has. Their transformations act as a kind of affliction, the results differing depending on whether the halfling is of fey or boreal descent.

Waargs - Those halflings who come from the union of an animal traited boreal (Latrans, Felid, Kappa, etc) can transform into a vicious animalistic hybrid form when pushed past their limits with regards to anger or anxiety, or other intense negative emotions. Often times when this happens the transformed halfling is not unlike a wounded animal, acting off of instinct and with little conscious thought behind their actions.

Nalles - The halflings who come from the union of an animal traited fey (Vulpes, Ma'neko, Lares, etc) can transform into small, fluffy and generally harmless animals when overly excited or flustered, Unlike the Waarg, they can retain much of their consciousness while in that state, though this doesn't do much to mitigate their small and helpless forms.

=Dead Races=

Merfolk
These aquatic, water breathing people once populated the seas, ancient depictions show that some had bodies akin to those of octopi, squid, and other cephalopods, while others had the tails of sharks or eels, and are depicted in a manner similar to Undines, with pectoral fins on their hips. While Merfolk is their collective name, historical texts show that males were called Merrows, and females Mera or Merri.

Taller and stronger than Selkies, Merfolk live(ed) exclusively in salt water, and had powerful water magic just like their freshwater cousins, but they also had a much harder time transforming into land walking humanoids. This is because not only is Salt Water incredibly different than Fresh Water, but also because almost all of their cities were at the bottom of the ocean, where the level of pressure from the water is much different than that of the surface, making their physiology vastly different from the Alfs and other Land Bound Eiflans.

Like the Alfs, Merfolk are presumed extinct, having not been seen in at least a thousand years. While this may be true, it could also be that they have lost the ability to go on land altogether, and so have become exclusively the inhabitants of the bottom of the ocean. It is also possible that some occurrence in the past caused them to cease their contact with the surface world, and while they retain the ability to do so they simply lack the inclination to use it.

Alfs
The Alfs were the original race of Eifel. They were highly advanced magic users and natural summoners. Over thousands of years they eventually evolved into todays Eiflans, and their inherant summoning ability was mostly lost. Because no one knows what the Alfs looked like, whenever an Eiflan is born with the natural ability to summon (that is, without the aid of incantations or magic focusing aritfacts), they are examined and paid very close attention to, in hopes that the Eiflan scholars will find some common physical trait that will give them a clue as to the appearance of their mysterious ancestors.

Alfs were the only race to possess the natural ability to summon without the aid of special artifacts or incantation. Todays Eiflans can be born with a natural summoning ability, but without the incantation and artifacts they can't complete the summon, or at worst, they will summon something completely beyond their control that can turn on them or even cause widespread destruction.

=Templates=

Automaton
When a person is injured in battle or due to sickness or other circumstances, they have two options depending on the severity of the wounds. They can either go to a Priest or Priestess and have the injuries cured by magic, or, in extreme circumstances, they can go to a scientist and have mechanical prosthetic limbs attached. This process however is extremely expensive, and it is said that it is more painful than the initial injury. While it is possible to have multiple limbs replaced, the risk of not surviving the surgery becomes higher with each one. Currently, there is one person with a fully prosthetic body, a young girl who's body was so ravaged by disease that they only way they could save her was to create a fully prosthetic mechanical body and transfer her brain into it. This body is a unique combination of science and magic, being a machine in construction but powered by magically charged crystals. Automatons follow the general height statistics of their race unless both legs have been replaces in which case they may occasionally be shorter. Automotons are as long lived as their race specifies.