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Faun Lore according to Slick |
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Fauns
The fauns have only recently been spotted in Gaia. They've made their homes in forests and caves. Several have also to the mountainous ranges where their sturdy goat feet give them the advantage against enemies and trespassers alike.
Lifespan: on average, fauns can live up to 600 years and older. However, this varies due to the characteristics their birth parents can pass on.
Physical traits: goat legs, horns of varying sizes, hairy, pointed ears, usually short in stature and are quite hairy creatures
Complexion: ranges from light tan to dark olive tones. Fauns from birch mothers have been recorded has having pale skin, though.
Natural hair colors: Blond, brown, auburn, black. Brown is the most common, and often matches the goat hide. Red is extremely rare.
Natural eye colors: blue, green, or black
Other features:
-Fauns are a single gender species. They only exist as males.
-Horn styles vary among the fauns, and stop growing at adulthood. This is affected by who or what their father is.
- skin is thicker than humans
-due to a general lack of clothing, fauns produce a tremendous amount of personal body heat to keep themselves warm at night
-has heightened sense of smell
-can see slightly better in the dark
-sense of taste is to identify the species as nymphs have rapidly evolved to look different in an effort to dissuade fauns from mating with them.
-Cloven hooves. They do not need to be shod like a horse's hooves, but some do wear shoes to enhance their lethal power. How sharp the hooves are depends on patronage and environment.
-Scent glands: Like other mammals, fauns secrete their own version of pheromones to attract mates. The type of scent is unique to the faun, and is extremely strong in an aroma. Released in sweat, this is something that is typically released during episodes of fear, stress, interest in a particular mate, and quite often during the sexual experience itself.
- Diet: Fauns generally prefer a vegetation diet. However, those who have fangs are those who have had mothers who mated with a demonic (such as goatlike imps) or divine power (either by mountain gods similar to Pan, direct descendents of Pan, or Pan himself) are omnivorous by choice. Proof of patronage is used in wooing nymphs and in challenging male dominance, which happens frequently with clan leaders.
Reproduction:
Fauns can only be reproduced by mating with a nymph, as no female version of them exists naturally. If a nymph is pregnant with a male, it will automatically become a faun if she has mated with one. However, it is a risky decision as the mothers run a high risk of dying during child birth, since genetic instinct provides infant fauns with an extra strong kicking reflex when ready to be born that would rupture the womb, causing hemorrhaging and death. This creates an unwilling genetic relationship between nymphs and fauns as a result. Hybrids are possible with other species, but they are not considered “true fauns,” and male offspring will typically retain the goatlike legs.
Long lasting pairings are highly unusual, as fauns normally are concerned with the concept of sex and have no sense of creating attachments. They are fiercely loyal to their clans and to nature and have little use for marriages or permanent coupling with the opposite gender. Some take on roles similar to the Spartans, especially those concerned about maintaining “bloodline purity” and will take on male lovers to ensure that they are not distracted by 'lesser' nymphs and other creatures. Hierarchy is determined by purity of bloodline and relation to gods. A faun's rank is higher if they are perceived to have the necessary physical prowess and powers that are attributed to Pan, the most highly regarded of all the gods that are worshiped.
Clan info
For the fauns, there are three major clan types. Each group as a whole are completely independent of the others, each with their own rules to govern them. However, outside clan members are often hired for their invaluable skills that another clan might be lacking, or as a teacher. The only time that all three clans had been united was their great migration to Gaia, in an effort to preserve their species from the devastating effects of the ghost-like spectres had on their original home.
However, each faun can only be born into a clan. They can be honored guests if they garner enough respect from another clan, but as the saying goes "Born to live and die in bonds of brotherhood".
Note: Each clan thinks they are superior to the other, but will acknowledge some skills are known better by other clans.
Tölgy
Clan motto: Strength, Stability, Nobility
This clan is well known for being the oldest and members believe that they are the closest descendents to the god Pan. They have always been extremely exclusive with membership and not afraid to exile once revered generations if they believe that their actions would cause harm to the clan. They are full of elitists that strongly adhere to power through purity in lineage, and can deny sons from entering the clan if it has been decided by the group that the infant was born from an unsuitable coupling.
That being said, assuming that they are a bunch of pansy snobs is the worst mistake anyone unfamiliar with the group can make, as they are more notorious for being a warrior clan above all else, fighting fiercely to protect territory and their brethren. It is said that the members of the Tölgy clan have been able to make war into a deadly and beautiful art form, having been able to harmonize fighting with their music.
Their top military group, referred affectionately as the "Butchers" are a pair of handlers with powerful berserkers. Due to the deteriorating effect magic has on the mind with too much inbreeding, it provides the Tölgy clan with exceptionally powerful fauns that have difficulties controlling their insane inner power. Finding the right pair is a tedious and sometimes near fatal practice as berserkers can only broken out of their spell by the correctly spoken word, and each is unique to the berserk fighter and his handler. Slick, due to his great size and strength, made it easily into rarely entered group and had a long relationship with his handler, a faun named Laszlo.
Laszlo had a deep abiding hatred against vampires, believing them to be the antithesis of nature and took young Slick on training missions to fight against them whenever he could.
Nyírfa Clan
Clan motto: Renewal, new beginnings, healing
Considered a direct counterpart to the warrior clan, the Nyírfa clan is focused completely on the musical arts and using it for healings, be they spiritual or physical. They are well known for their healing and peaceful nature. What they make up in less than outward aggressiveness they use their knowledge of the lyrical word to confuse and manipulate unwary travelers.
This clan is best known for being the "ideal" followers of Pan, taking revelry and debauchery to legendary heights without concern for war or fighting. Their clever use of language to lure unsuspecting species into their escapades has often earned them the nickname of the "Silvertongued Clan" One has to be wary in hiring them, as it is not entirely certain as you will get healing without a bit of surprise buttsecks.
Still, much like the Tölgy Clan, they prefer to keep a direct lineage as a means of establishing power and prowess in both music and healing.
Hamu Clan
Clan Motto: Connection, Wisdom, Surrender
On the lower rungs of faun society, the Hamu Clan is paradoxically both revered and hated. They possess great amounts of knowledge and use it for magical spells and considered the most intelligent and liberal of the clans. Their songs have the most potent manipulating effects out of all the faun clans, namely due to their unique proposition: Any son of a faun coupling, regardless of species and lineage are welcome. They accept sons that are considered to be "impure" for the other clans and it is through this varied mixture and hybrids of species they have been able to produce incredibly powerful offspring without the hang ups of insanity found among "pure" lines.
They are best known for creating enchanted objects, powerful protective spells, and a growing number of accountants and mathematicians as several have taken to the city.
Culture:
Fauns have become a highly cloistered group and distrust creatures different from themselves, and with Alchemists roaming the lands in pursuit of their horns, they have even less reason to deal with other species. This puts them rather at odds being a single-gendered race.
Common greetings are a casual headbutt or welcoming someone with the clan's motto. However, touching a faun's horns is equivalent to an honor duel, and fights will last until one is dead or submit. As highly stubborn race, majority of duels do end in death.
Affection is shown by gentle nibbles, usually on the ears, nose or mouth. How hard the bite is depends on level of interest and the message sent. Soft nibbles are considered a way to say hello. However, this is considered a crude method of greeting and usually is done among close friends rather than strangers.
-Clothing: Fauns generally do not wear clothing unless it is to establish one's trade or protection.
However, many will don clothing when traveling outside their clans to make other species will comfortable in their presence. It is believed that wearing clothing can dull one's senses to nature, as fauns are highly attuned to their environment. Rumors say they maintain the ability to speak to plants and trees. They take great pains to ensure that they are especially sensitive to trees, as that is where the tree nymphs linger.
-Education: Young fauns generally are taken to the forests for the first few years of their lives, learning how to become more attuned to their environment. Fauns take great pride in musical education, and pipe playing is taught to youngsters as soon as they are able to make puffing noises. Some fauns never learn how to communicate except by playing their pipes. To play any kind of stringed instrument is shunned; it is seen as disloyalty to the god Pan.
There is also a high regard for mathematics as well, and numerous fauns leave the forests to seek further education.
-Language: Many fauns prefer to speak in musical tones, lyrics, and poems. There are numerous tales of being able to communicate to birds and beasts, but this is a jealously guarded secret.
It differs by clan, but all speak some form of English. Often there are combinations of other cultures mixed in there, sometimes making it difficult for others to communicate with them outside their clan.
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-Magic:
Fauns generally have limited abilities to influence others in varying degrees with their pipe playing. However, their pipes have the strongest effect on the opposite gender, and on nymphs in particular. The strength of their singing and pipe playing influences is based on how much power they have in relation to heritage. Pipe playing is used to encourage floral growth and used in courting rituals. Most people have described the effects similar to being drunk temporarily when listening their music unprepared.
-Fauns are noted for their lovemaking skills and it makes up a considerable part of their obsession and possibly overcompensation for their generally small stature. However, it's often more of how one attracts a mate that a faun earns recognition of skills than the actual intercourse (although that is still highly regarded as an admirable trait). The less the faun has to rely on his own natural abilities (such as pipe playing or pheromones) to ensure a coupling, the more highly regarded he is within his clan.
-Religion:
They pay homage to Pan and to other nature gods and goddesses of the forest.
Notable Fauns in Gaia:
-Faunzy: his mass production of pipes stylized after traditional faun instruments has caused serious controversy among the clans. It was thanks to him that the fauns were recognized as a species in Gaia, but there is also a lot of discontent as his market led to head hunting for faun horns to create various recipes for Alchemy.
 Slick Southpaw · Thu Jun 14, 2012 @ 06:56am · 0 Comments |
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