Species Anjana
Order Faerie
Classification Vaettir
Court Kindly
Sphere Light
Origin All faeries are born Nameless and must be given a True Name; anjanas have bright Names. They were resurrected from the bright elves after Starfall.
Lifespan 2,000 years
Habitat Water sources in highland forests
Food Light fare
Description Anjana are six inches tall. They are small, slender, and fragile. They have very faint translucent wings, and they often wear blue capes with long thin white tunics. Their braided golden or black hair is often adorned with wild flowers, silk ribbons of many colors, or silk bows of many colors, and their eyes are slanted and peaceful, with black or blue pupils that shine like stars. Their skin is white, and their voices are soft, sweet, and like that of a nightingale or a beetle rustling over leaves in autumn.
Procreation Anjana reproduce sexually with each other, with other fey or vaettir (size depending), and rarely with other mortals (size depending).
Esoterica Anjana are beings of light of sanctuary, poioumenon, and dream energy. Like all faeries, they are users of The Tradition, a form of poioumenonic lore empowered by dream energies. They also use other forms of heavenly light, hegnh, currents aether, greenlight aether, bestial aether, spring aether, euphony, other forms of radiance and hegnh, yahas, Foundation, dumaqu, nommos, and spirits.
The Tradition

Anjana have these basic faerie powers:

  • Anjana can vanish and become insubstantial by speaking their True Name into a mirror.
  • A circle of salt will protect an anjana from supernatural powers for as long as it goes undisturbed.
  • Any anjana being may summon a dreamduster butterfly by whistling three special notes.

Anjana carry a wicker or hawthorn stick that shines a different color for each day of the week (gold, white, silver, brown, orange, amber, or lavender). This stick protects them from evil and that protection can be extended to others if they tap them with it. They have connections to hawthorn trees.

Anjana can speak to water if it comes from springs or other source waters, and they can control it and make it animate.

Anjana can heal damaged trees or wounded animals with a whisper.

Anjana can be summoned for aid by those who know the right rhymes, but if the summoner is wicked, the anjanas will punish them. If the summoner is kind, the anjana will serve them.

Anjana scatter roses whose petals can bring happiness. Their voices are beautiful and bird-like when they sing. On the vernal equinox, they dance with hands linked and scatter rose petals. These petals come in all colors, but purple, green, blue, or golden petals store happiness inside them.

Once an anjana is 400 years old, she may leave to the heavens never to return if she wishes.

Glamour Anjana can glamour themselves using certain ancient rhymes.
Weaknesses If they do not speak their True Name backwards into that same mirror in half a minute, anjana lose their True Names. They have a fortnight to recover it or they become targets of the Wild Hunt, corrupted into another kind of fey, or turn into a hag or boggin. Iron or steel will bind an anjana into powerlessness. An iron horseshoe nailed over a door will bar an anjana from entering a house. Most anjana detest tobacco smoke, and it can be used to stave them off. This is just a preference, however, and not a weakness. Infernum will harm them.
National Culture

Anjana live in small communities run by a council of elders, elected by the people of the community every 40 years. Anjanas live to foil the cruel and ruthless Ojancanu (their term for unseelie fey). They are generous faeries who protect the meek, and they will bring gifts to villagers and the poor, especially in the winter months. They help the lost and those in pain, and they have special affection for lovers.

Children are raised by the whole community; there is always a school in the community that anyone may attend at any time. Children go from ages 12 to 25, usually. At 25, they are considered adults and welcomed in a special ceremony. At age 17, they often begin to choose their occupation or role in the community, taking time to study on their own or under a mentor. If they want do something they need to learn outside the community, arrangements are made with communities that offer it. Every adult has the right to vote, but they can only be on the council if they are over 400 years old.

Anjana communities all have certain special roles to fill: the circle of teachers who run the school, the hawthorn-guards who protect the trees, the light-guards who wield their mystic sticks, the water-speakers who protect the water sources in the community, the florists who provide the flower petals, the community chorus who perserve and sing their songs, toy-makers who craft objects for their own communities and others, and the community healers.

The anjana do not recognize gender nor even really understand outside conceptions of it. They take lovers casually. Most would be assigned female at birth among other nations.

Every year, the biggest event of the year is the festival on the vernal equinox, when they dance in the barren highlands and spread their petals. This festival is a chance for all anjana communities to come together; it lasts three days. The first day, the day before the equinox, they set up and mingle, and that night they enjoy drink and refreshments. The second day is the equinox, the day of the dance, during which happiness is spread and connections are made. The third day, they spend the morning in solemn communion and remembrance of those who passed or left for the heavens in the last year, and then break down, clean up, and go home. During this time, the elder councils each pick one representative to meet with a special national council during the middle of the night to make nationwide decisions, if any are needed. Every hundred years, the spring festival is extended to an entire week, and the national council makes more long-standing laws and decisions. Every thousand years, the national council remains after the festival is over to go over other, more ancient and sacred laws.

Every winter, the anjana go to the non-anjana communities to bring gifts to children on the fifth day of the last month of the year, mostly to poor families.

Kindly Culture Anjana culture is respected by the Kindly Court. The anjana send a representative to the Court Council elected at their thousand-year national council. Anjana consider it a duty to serve the Kindly Court and pay a small tribute every year to the Court. They respect and honor the kith, the patupaiarehe, the trow, and the Avalonians especially.
Other Courts The Summer Court welcomes anjana as fellow forest-protectors and servants of nature. The Seelie Court lets them be, allowing them to live as they do because they are culturally inclined to support communities. It is convenient to the Seelie Court to let them keep the lower classes happy. The Unseelie Courts enslave them, and the Winter Courts seek to corrupt them. And the Unkindly Court kills them on sight.
Mortal Interactions Every winter, the anjana go to the non-anjana communities to bring gifts to children on the fifth day of the last month of the year, mostly to poor families. Anjana protect mortals who get lost in the woods, lovers, and those in pain. They are healers and protectors of the meek and innocent.
Notables Ejindanu, Anjana Manifest
Special Classes Kocana (teacher), Nyzancanu (hawthorn-guard), Qanean (light-guard), Telanu (water-speaker), Wencuna (florist), Zezancanu (singer), Caelcala (toy-maker), Fejincana (elder), Injanne (butterfly rider)
Sample Stats PRO 9
ATH 9
STR 4
AWA 9
WIL 9
ROG 9 Sneak/Hide 11

Glamour 6
Vanish (30 seconds)
Whistle 7
Stick Water-speaking Whisper 11
Rose Petals 14
Singing 11
Dancing 9
Topic revision: r8 - 28 Jun 2021, SallyJaneBlack
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