Post by King Adam on Mar 2, 2013 18:24:40 GMT
THE GUIDE TO NON-HUMANS.
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[/justify][/blockquote]in the world that we have situated here, there are many more species then one. beyond the iconic legends that we all know and love, or the strange new force called shuujuku. even beyond the odd half-legends that are cropping up there is a broad category of species that are pooled together under the simple name 'non-humans.'
it is my job to help elaborate on all the various non-humans that are known to us, so that you can better understand them. so without further ado, let's begin!_________________________________________________________________
TALKING ANIMALS; there are a very broad number of these in the nine kingdoms. in fact, there is not a single beast that is incapable of speaking. some might be wild or corrupt enough that they don't wish to embrace this sophisticated ability.
talking animals are generally a kind and noble sort - which is perhaps why a great deal of the residents in the nine kingdoms eat a strictly vegetarian diet - and often befriend maidens of purest heart. this is not the case, however. there are some animals who have become a little too cunning for their own good.
it is not rare to see a feline traipsing around on its hind legs and some animals even wear articles of clothing. the more corrupt and evil an animal, the more beastly they act. and a great number of these talking animals have become so similar to humans that they are capable of transforming themselves in to a mortal counterpart of themselves.
these 'mundane forms' are as real as their animal counterparts, but not as true. it is not unusual for a talking animal to revert back to their true forms if in a fit of extreme emotion. in their mundane forms, most talking animals still retain animal-like qualities. such useful ones as heightened senses, reflexes, agility and the like. but then bothersome ones like urges to eat with only their mouths or to roll in mud.
TROLLS; these creatures have plagued fairy tales and fables since time began. and though one might suppose that trolls are very simple beings, that is not the case. some can be rather cunning...
the majority of trolls - and perhaps the dullest of their kind - are really very simple. they can usually only experience one emotion at a time and are incredibly selfish. most leave their homes and families at once and find some bridge to hide beneath, eating whoever dares to cross what 'belongs to them'.
still other trolls, and perhaps a more cunning breed, are 'cave trolls'. as the name implies, they wait in their mountain caves all through the day, rarely sleeping for no need of it. then when the sun sets and darkness eclipses the nearby forests, they emerge to hunt. cave trolls often cling together in groups of three, and between them are much more formidable a force then their bride-hoarding cousins.
the only weakness that these cave trolls possess is sunlight. long ago the fairy godmother encountered a group of cave trolls terrorizing a small town in the morning light. and so, in punishment cursed them to darkness. if even the vaguest glimmer of sunlight touches a cave troll's skin, they turn to stone!
the last and mightiest of the trolls is known simply as 'a mountain troll'. these creatures are monstrous and strong enough to cause avalanches with the merest whisper. despite their brutish looks, these mountain trolls are as cunning as the most horrible robbers. they lay in waiting to ambush those who travel through their mountain passes and easily eats them.
these trolls are closely related to their cave-dwelling nephews, however, and retained a touch of the fairy godmother's curse. so they are rather sensitive to light, and are semi-blind in the light of day.
GOBLINS; goblins are a much more advanced race then trolls. they do not have different species, only different variants, much like the human race. goblins as a whole stick to mountains, where they plunder the depths of the ranges and carve whole kingdoms in to their hearts.
goblins are a sly and wicked race. they are agile and capable, with warriors and archers and even nobles and a royal family. their weaponry and devices are sinister and deadly, alien to mankind but no doubt capable. they swarm from their mountains to attack nearby villages, steal riches and dine on human flesh.
alas, the curse that the fairy godmother placed on cave trolls was inspired by that that she first damned the goblins to. she ran in to their king, who tried to steal her wand while she was looking in another direction. the fairy godmother cursed the king and all his people to turn to stone at the light of day.
ELVES; this humble breed is not the kind that some might suppose. they are not tall and graceful, not creatures of purest light. they are actually - at tallest - roughly half the size of an average man.
they do indeed have pointed ears and eyes that twinkle bright. elves enjoy cleaning, building and baking. some flock in to overworked shoe-makers shops at night and help to make his wares. others find hollow trees in which to take residence and bake for princesses, maidens and animals.
DWARVES; dwarves are a race of miniature men whose area of beauty is the tending of their beards. the women of their people meanwhile grow long manes of hair. dwarves as a whole are a race that revel in blacksmithing, mining and jewel-finding.
they are closely linked with the earth, some believing that the first dwarves merely popped out of a crevice in the ground long ago. while some dwarves tend to their forges and craft weaponry and armor of pristine make, others mine for the bounty of the earth. trolls and dwarves are horrible enemies.
they fight over the mountains, and though both races have claimed various ranges, they still fight over neutral territory.
SELKIES; selkies are mythological creatures found in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish and Scottish folklore. selkies are said to live in the sea as seals but shed their skin when they become human on land.
stories concerning selkies are romantic tragedies. sometimes the human will not know that their lover is a selkie, and wakes to find them gone. in other stories the human will hide the selkie's skin, thus preventing it from returning to its seal form. a selkie can only make contact with one human for a short amount of time before they must return to the sea. they are not able to make contact with that human again for seven years, unless the human is to steal their selkie's skin and hide it or burn it.
in most tales, a fisherman spots a female selkie in human form and steals her skin, forcing her to marry the fisherman. he puts the skin in a chest, which he locks with a key that he carries with him. one day he forgets the key, the selkie, seeing the opportunity, unlocks the key and put her skin back on. by the time the fisherman comes back, his selkie wife is gone, leaving their children with him. she sometimes goes back to her selkie husband and children, if she has any.
selkie males are extremely attractive and have great seductive powers over women. They tend to target women who are dissatisfied with life, such as married women waiting for their fishermen husbands. If a woman wants to make contact with a selkie male, she must go to the beach and shed seven tears into the sea.
WATER CHILDREN; water children or sea people or even sea children, as they sometimes called, are those who were once humans but then gifted with the ability to live underwater and telepathically talk to marine life as they are; as humans by the great water spirit. the children appear as ordinary humans with materials from the sea as clothing, such as clam shells and sea weed). because they were once humans themselves, they feel a strong connection to the land-dwellers.
water children are able to come on land and interact with humans but they must go back in the water after forty-eight hours. they also have hydromancy, which was also a gift by the great water spirit. some sea people do have children with humans, which creates a hybrid that can stay in the water for long periods of time, telepathically communicate with marine life and also have hydromancy but to a lesser degree. some hybrids choose to abandon their human life and become a full sea person but as a result, they will always feel like a part of them is missing and will pine away, eventually dying of a broken heart.
sea children and the merfolk are on relatively good terms; there are even whole towns of sea child and merfolk. the two do have children (though that hard to imagine), which have the appearance of a human with varied slightly scaled skin (the colour of the merparent's tail fin). these hybrids are called mer-children or a mer-child.
in battle, the water children wield spears, swords, daggers, harpoons and tridents and ride on killer whales, sharks and genetically-bred large eels. for fun, they ride on whales, play with dolphins, sing and play seaweed ball (which is like an aquatic combination of rugby and football). they also have hydromancing competitions and tournaments.
BARLEYCORN BRIDES; barleycorn brides are little women grown from barley. technically, thumbelina is a barleycorn bride and is therefore the first barleycorn bride. they have flower and herbal names mostly, though some have other names too, and they wear little animal skins and plants for clothes.
most of the brides live in Sixth Kingdom though some live in other Kingdoms or travel around. a sub-group of these women are wheat wives.