Difference between revisions of "Wukara"

Revision as of 20:23, 25 June 2007

The mysterious Sidhe; adamant protectors of all the woods; enemies of industry; the voice of Gaeis. They live in the forests, whispering with the trees about those who walk along the woodland floor. They fall silent and graceful as an autumn leaf to follow those who wander into the brush with axe and torch. Born from a seed fallen from the First Tree tended by the dragons, they wax and wane with the seasons.

Appearance

The Sidhe are lithe, thin, humanoid creatures of the wood who vary in appearance with the changing of seasons. Their features resemble the forest from which they come, some of them barky and gnarled, others smooth and colorful like petals, some green and prickly, others mossy and soft. The women possess hair full of flowers in the springtime, harvest wheat in the summer, red leaves in autumn, dark hair tinged with frost and grey in the winter. Their fingers and toes are long and willowy and it is not uncommon for them to have more than five digits. Their skin changes color with the plants and trees, fading to greys and pales in the winter.

Their clothes and weaponry are all made of soft, fine silks and linens and hardened, petrified wood.

Personality

When one meets a Sidhe, it’s hit or miss whether that person will encounter a friend or foe. Certainly, in the winter, when humans and others seek the wood of trees for fire fuel, the Sidhe are callous and antagonistic, condemning to death those who do not accord the forests with respect. In the spring, when things blossom and fruit is ripe, the Sidhe are likely to share the splendors of their festivals with weary travelers and provide guests with salves, wines, and provisions. Sidhe have a distrust, sometimes hatred, of humans, in their industry and shortsightedness, but get along very well with the Trowls, and Ba-Gota.

The Sidhe live inside not just the forest, but the trees themselves. When a Sidhe desires rest, he/she must find a patch of plant growth or carry the like with them, if adventuring. When in the forests, the Sidhe speak with the trees, which open up a knothole to let them enter in and seek shelter. As a rule, a forest in which Sidhe live is a stronger, more animated forest.

Society

The Sidhe are organized as a society into “branches,” or clans. To say that one has gained the enmity of a Sidhe “branch” means one has made a very careless mistake indeed. Sidhe are extremely hive minded as a community, feeling and acting along with the condition of their native forest. A Sidhe branch inhabits a particular forest and will not move unless forced to or unless they perceive it as nature’s inexorable course. Sidhe see death as a natural event, and are not scared of dying in the least, however, a natural death seems much more preferable to them.

Adventurers

Sidhe rarely engage in adventures, but some may be found accompanying a quest to save a rare tree that is the mark of a kingdom, fighting off an industrial foe, seeking an end to an evil mage’s curse of endless winter, scouting for a new home for a branch, joining in on a sage council, or solving the mystery of a farming town blight.

Sidhe control the nation of Qaeld, but can also be found in Egund, Solosa, Triadus, Bosemya, Donya, and Jeridon. Some truly strange Sidhe wind up in Te'Nebra. Sidhe are not tolerated in Cadwal and are killed if found inside the walls of major cities.

Max Caps

• Muscle 8
• Endurance 8
• Presence 12
• Insight 12

Powers

• Talk with Trees at will
• Shape wood 2x/day: Twice per day the Sidhe can sing and call to a live tree or plant, and by sound and touch, mold the green being. A plant will willingly give up its seeds, and a tree will shape itself into whatever shape the Sidhe wishes, willing even to give up a branch or two for use as a quarterstaff of cudgel. If performed on dead or fallen wood, intricate designs can be pulled from the wood.
• Minor Aura of Verdance: When a Sidhe enters into a wild area, the green beings there immediately perk up. The Trees stand taller, the flowers smell sweeter, the grass feels softer, leaves rustle gently. Influence rolls made with the intent to befriend or calm receive a +10 bonus in these settings. Healing comrades also receive a bonus in these settings. An additional 10 Health Points are regained if one spends time resting in the company of Sidhe. This also applies to the Sidhe him/herself.