Mafi Girma

Celestial beings that protect the peoples of the world from the Eldritch.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Inmortals

• Alignment: Celestial

• Energy: Any celestial essence

• Lifespan: Inmortal

• Diet: Liquid diet of water, honey, and fruit juices

• Habitat: The rainbow forests of Taggarus

Origins

The mafi girma generated from the goodness in the hearts of mortals.

Description

Every mafi girma is unique. As there are only a small number of them, they can be described individually:

• Babban Mai Tsaro: a tall, beautiful woman who appears to be human except for her eyes, which are glowing a deep, rich brown color, and her extra pair of arms. Her skin is dark, her hair is light brown streaked with grey, and she wears a loose dress of maroon and magenta silk. She also wears twelve bracelets, each one protecting her from the evils of the world. She carries a staff of wood from the an axis mundi and wears sandals made from the earth itself. Her heart beats echo through the world and fill those who sense them with comfort.

• Ban Mamaki: a small black bird.

• Daidai Sassa: a tree, perhaps 100’ tall and 20’ across, that has no roots, but rather, has a canopy going up and one below, as if two trees intertwined. Its bark is dark grey and thin, and its leaves are dull brown, but it is not dead. It has knots and whorls throughout, and a deep voice comes from within it that brings understanding.

• Duk Yara: a massive fungus colony that shares a root system, running throughout the forest within which they dwell, Duk Yara is capable of moving like a flood or a wave, covering everything, but only stopping on vegetation. They have light blue flecks on their off-white or black flesh, and they take many different shapes - capped mushrooms, puffballs, mold sheets, and stranger forms yet. They ripple and change as they move.

• Gaskiya: a 10’ tall face, mottled with many colors in its flesh, anthropomorphic, but without a body. They have 100 tongues, each one having its own voice, but they all speak as one.They are always set within a wall or other large structure such that none see behind. They are often described as male, though they ascribe to no gender. They have sometimes a beard and mustache, dark and curled, but other times, they are clean shaven. Their eyes pierce through the soul of those who fall under their gaze.

• Hannuwa Dayawa: a massive of interlinked hands, hundreds of hands of all colors and species, all interlinked, in a massive ball.

• Jarumtaka: a tiny mouse with a bright red tail.

• Kayan Ado: a cat the size of a buffalo, covered in fur of blue with spots that are like gemstones shining in the light. She has a tail three times as long as her body, six legs ending in sharp claws, teeth like daggers, and eyes that glow deepest blue. She is beautiful to behold. She can take the form of a feeling of warmth and love in the hearts of those who need her.

• Kwatsam: a stiff wind and the hint of dark blue.

• Mai Haske: a massive rainbow serpent made up entirely of radiance. They are said to be 900 feet long, with a wingspan equal to their length. They do not have a set gender, and thus are referred to as they/them. They can take the form of a rainbow, but they usually appear to be a serpent with rainbow scales, studded with tiny shells and crystals, and vast feathered wings of every color. They have a crest along the back of their neck. Sometimes they have a beard.

• Makamai Masu Nasaba: a giant so vast his face is above the clouds, above the stars; his face cannot be seen, ever, even from above. When viewed from above, he appears to be looking down, and all that can be seen is his piebald pate. His skin is brown and grey. He is always seen to be wearing some kind of rough cloth.

• Muna Waka: a massive, 20’ tall arthropod unlike any living thing, with chitinous shells, segmented body, and six massive limbs that end in what can only be described as violin bows. They have 20 wings. Their voice is like a symphony and they can play their legs like a cricket. Their shells are deep green in hue and their faceted eyes are bright blue.

• Musafaha: a 9’ tall dog with rabbit ears and hind legs, eyes that seem to be a swirling chaos of many colored lights, and teeth like that of a donkey. He has dark brown fur with thin green stripes that glow in the dark, and his bark sounds like a sharp, high yelp. He has three tails, each one prehensile.

• Na Farko: an egg made of every color of the rainbow, with the largest stripe being a bright, soft blue. They are about 4’ tall and 2’ around at the widest, and there is always an aura of glittering sparkles around them. They have a deep voice that comes from within them, but they never crack nor crumble.

• Nagari: she/they have no permanent form. They travel the world shaped as whatever culture or people she is among. If they are diverse, she takes on a form unthreatening to them. If she is among animals, plants, or fungi, she may even take their forms. "Among the wolves, they are a wolf. Among sheep, they are a sheep. Among shepherds, they are a shepherd."

• Na Sama: a beautiful fish, elegant, rainbow-flecked scales with eyes of soft blue light, with a tail long and flowing, a hundred fins like flashes of pan-lightning, and gold-and-silver streaming whiskers, swimming through the skies. In her wake is a stream of energy. She might also take the form of a constellation of thirty stars, a voice in the sky, or a face in the rain. Celestial blue is her color, if she chooses to be seen.

• Nutsuwa: a rotund, dark grey cow, lying down asleep. She never awakens, but her light snoring puts all at ease around her. If her eyes open, they are seen to be deep, dark green, but she never awakens. She has a pearl in her forehead that gleams in the moonlight.

• Taimaki Kowa: a huge fireball with five blinking eyes. Each eye is a different color - white, blue, green, violet, and black - and the flames alter colors so rapidly it defies understanding.

• Tsayayya: a matrix of orange lightning forming a nearly perfectly square net with 28 internal squares. Within each square is the silhouette of a different mortal, and these change constantly.

• Tunani: a mountain about 20,000’ in elevation, surrounded by yellow mists, capped with white snow, a perfect picture of grey stone. Its slopes are gentle. It can be heard to breathe, and if one meditates upon the sides of Tunani, one hears the voice of the mountain.

• Uwar Gida: a woman about 12’ tall with dark brown skin. She has a bright smile that only fades when someone threatens her or those she loves. Her hair is dreaded and dark with bangles and jewels in it, each one unique and colorful, and she is always wearing some kind of heavy cloth. Her earrings are large hoops with shell charms, and she has the tail of an ostrich. She is extremely muscular.

• Wani Ra'ayi: a glowing shard of light about 7’ tall, a rip in the universe, a vertical fissure of illumination.

• Zuciyarta: a man with six arms, jaundiced and pale, sickly, dying, hanging from a gibbet. His eyes are rolled back and the irises never seen, and his hair is in clumps and falling out. His mouth hangs open and blood, black and stenching, drips out. His upper arms cling to the noose around his neck; the second pair grab the gibbet; the third hang limply. He wears only rags and speaks in a voice like a rasp and a rattle.

Other mafi girma may exist on other worlds with other mortals.

Procreation

It is rare for mafi girma to reproduce. If they do, they only produce new mafi girma.

Powers

All mafi girma are capable of sensing whether someone or something contains celestial or infernal energies.

Individual Powers

Each mafi girma has their own unique powers:

• Babban Mai Tsaro: her bracelets protect her from different forms of evil. She can lend a bracelet to someone, which will grant them a protective power of 100 against the specific kind of evil that bracelet protects from. When they return it, the bracelet will defend against a new kind of evil. They are always changing. She can mark a place with her staff and protect it for a year and a day, and she can speak words of power that will repel evil with the force of a hurricane. She embodies the celestial energy of juaih.

• Ban Mamaki: they can appear anywhere where someone is in need of hope. They are one of the few beings in existence who can perform a miracle. One of their feathers will give a mortal hope even in the bleakest moments. It will burn away and grant a miracle if the mortal truly believes. They embody the celestial energy Elysian essence.

• Daidai Sassa: they imbue a powerful calm and understanding on those who step within their canopies. Their leaves will cause any opposing energies that are directed at the bearer to fall perfectly equal to the will of the bearer. They can sense inequality in the world and send their pollen out around them to give power to the downtrodden. A single piece of their fruit will sustain a mortal for a year, if that mortal is not an oppressor or the agent thereof. They embody the celestial energy ujjval aatma.

• Duk Yara: their spores will temporarily allow anyone who inhales them to understand them and anyone else nearby who has inhaled the spores. If one eats a piece of their mushrooms, the eater will erupt into fungi that seeks out and becomes part of Duk Yara when they die. Any children who are within 10 miles of Duk Yara have bonuses against all infernal attacks. Anything with pravum in it burns to ash in the presence of Duk Yara. They embody the celestial energy banaru.

• Gaskiya: their tongues speak in many voices but all speak one thing - the truth. Their eyes pierce liars’ souls and make them quake in fear. No one may deceive them, and none may hide from their gaze. They know the True Name of anyone who speaks in their presence. They may kiss someone and grant them understanding of one profound truth. They embody the celestial energy waarheid.

• Hannuwa Dayawa: if one takes one of the hands and holds it as if they are grasping hands, one will form a powerful bond with Hannuwa Dayawa. This bond will allow them to sense friends and enemies for many hours. If they then shake hands with a friend, they will form a bond with that friend, and so on, up to 100 people who can be bonded and share information, skills, and powers for up to a month. They embody the celestial energy yahas.

• Jarumtaka: she can see the strengths and weaknesses of those she looks at. Her tail will burn with intense celestial fires. Her bite can pierce the strongest armor. She embodies the celestial energy tenyocan.

• Kayan Ado: she is beautiful to behold. She has the power to blind with her beauty, to inspire with her beauty, and to uplift with her beauty. All animals, plants, and fungi who are not of mortal intelligence view her as benevolent and safe, and she rewards them by not harming them. But she will kill and devour those who seek to destroy love itself. Her breath is made of a wind that scours the flesh off those who preach and spread hatred. She can calm the fire of baleblood with a glance, and she can give invincible strength to those wounded by love lost. She embodies the celestial energy dumaqu.

• Kwatsam: they grant good luck to any who perceive them for up to seven days at a time. They embody the celestial energy serendipity.

• Mai Haske: they can create rainbows a will, restore watering holes, bring or stop rain, appear to people in their dreams, create life from their blood or worlds from dreams, instill fertility, and wield radiant thunder and lightning. One of their feathers will empower the bearer in one of nine attributes (prowess, strength, athleticism, awareness, willpower, presence, stealth, learned skills, or innate powers) at +13. A shell, scale, or crystal from Mai Haske will repel infernal energies, and their breath is a refreshing wind. Their venom only harms evil, and their gaze sees through the cosmos and into the dreams of all. They embody the celestial energy radiance.

• Makamai Masu Nasaba: he can do the work of 10,000 people at once. He can lift in his hands any mortal and place them down elsewhere within 50 miles. His hair, if given freely, will grant endurance and bravery to those who hold it, and his voice makes exploiters tremble in terror. He can shatter literal chains with a glance. He embodies the celestial energy euergasia.

• Muna Waka: her music is like a symphony that uplifts and unites all who hear it. Her carapace thrums with the voices of those who speak near her, allowing all to understand one another. She can grant a piece of her shell to someone and protect them from infernal sounds, whether cacophony or a voice or sound from someone wields another infernal power. Her eyes can see the minutest vibration. She embodies the celestial energy euphony.

• Musafaha: his bark scares the disloyal (to their class or oppressed nation). His tails are long and can be used like hands. He can jump a mile. He can run for days. And his bite will break the bones or armor of any infernal power. Any with faith in a celestial being who stand near him gain +13 to their faith for one prayer. He embodies the celestial energy botshepehi.

• Na Farko: any who touch them will see their entire matrilineal ancestral line. They can sense anyone who is near them and know their ancestry, and they can heal anyone harmed by abuse simply by humming. Anyone who sleeps near her will gain deep knowledge they never had before, skills or information their ancestors share with them. They embody the celestial energy aemoa.

• Nagari: she embodies the celestial energy holy virtue. They can alter circumstances with a nudge and shove, turn things into a situation that will teach that lesson, but only if it is justified. She has incredible insight into people and their lives, and she knows how to guide them so that they come to understand virtue. They can also wield certain other powers in service to this:

  • Protection of the weak.

  • Alleviate pain.

  • Share strength.

  • Grant humbling perspective.

  • Invoke Divine Name.

  • Empathic sincerity.

  • Random act of kindness.

  • Instill patience.

  • Give what is needed.

  • Warn of danger.

  • Give what is wanted.

  • Bond of service.

• Na Sama: she has the powers of heaven: protection, empowerment, healing, and liberation. She has the powers of redemption, aspiration, and truth. She can cause it to rain a rain so soft and pleasant that even those whose hearts are stone weep with joy. She can bring a wind that uplifts the most wretched, and she can call upon lightning to destroy the iniquitous. And those who fall into her shadow are uplifted to heaven. She embodies the fundamental celestial energy, celeste water.

• Nutsuwa: she cannot be attacked by anyone or anything. Her light snoring brings profound peace to those who hear it, and those who sleep near to her awaken with powerful protections from infernal energies. She embodies the celestial energy iremia.

• Taimaki Kowa: they have the power to heal anything short of death with their flames, and to infuse anyone’s blood with curacion. Their eyes can see on a spectrum of “healthy” to “sickly”. They embody the celestial energy curacion.

• Tsayayya: they burn oppressors, chains literal and metaphorical, and anything that harms the people who fight for freedom from oppression. The silhouettes within their matrix can become independent forms that fight as if they were celestial warriors of near-Divine power. They embody the celestial energy liberation power.

• Tunani: they speak deep wisdoms from the depths of their core. Their mists repel those who profit off of ignorance, and their slopes become perilous for the iniquitous. They allow for easy meditation on their slopes for those who truly seek wisdom. Anyone on the Long Path will gain great power from interacting with Tunani. They embody the celestial energy euskepsia.

• Uwar Gida: Her breath will send any she wishes to home. Her kiss will show someone the way home. And her song will bond others to her heart. She is a warrior who can repel any evil from her home or the home of those who honor her, and she can bolster any wall her hands touch. She has six charms that will finish domestic tasks instantly, and she has six more charms that will turn anyone into a great warrior if they are fighting for their home, homeland, or hometown. She embodies the celestial energy hegnh.

• Wani Ra'ayi: they fill anyone who sees them with the inspiration and dedication to finish a great work of art. They can shoot beams of pure celestial light outward in all directions and destroy self-doubt, executive dysfunction, and fear. They move with the speed of light. They embody the celestial energy euphotonia.

• Zuciyarta: those who have committed grievous injustices (genocide, war crimes, mass exploitation, etc.) will be filled with terror upon seeing his visage. If one has committed a heinous enough crime and looks too closely at him, one will find themself replacing him on the gibbet, undying and in agony for the rest of eternity (or until replaced with another genocidal war criminal). His body always alters to be frail and human in form after hanging for a few hours. His touch is cold and paralyzing, and his voice causes evil to weep blood. He embodies the celestial energy lhair.

Weaknesses

Each mafi girma is weak to being betrayed by their most trusted servants. These betrayals will cause infernal wounds to form on the mafi girma.

Nations

The mafi girma all belong to one nation, synonymous with the name of their species, but their followers have their own national cultures that form around serving them:

• Babban Mai Tsaro: the Kudzivirira, the red lizard people, people of many species who devote themselves to protecting the weak, the meek, the exploited, the oppressed, the young of the world. If they serve well, they are turned into armored lizards after they die.

• Ban Mamaki: the Zai Muchengeti, the black guineafowl people, people of many species who dress in the feathers of black guineafowl and serve the purpose of Hope. If they serve well, they are transformed into guineafowl (of any kind) when they die.

• Daidai Sassa: the Vanokwira Mashizha, the leaf-rider people, people of many species who find inner equilibrium and deep insights by meditating naked under the canopies of Daidai Sassa, but also who go out into the world (wearing leaves) to fight for equality. If they serve well, they are transformed into plants of beauty and wonder when they die.

• Duk Yara: the Mhuri, the blue-hat people, people of many species who wear great blue hats that resemble mushroom heads. They sleep amongst Duk Yara’s fungal growths and awaken with the responsibility to protect the children of the world. If they serve well, they are taken into Duk Yara’s form when they die.

• Gaskiya: the Vatauri, the people with tongues like earthquakes, people of many species who wear iron weights attached to piercings in their tongues. They speak truths unhindered by these weights, but bleed if they speak lies. They serve Gaskiya by fighting the lies that run the world. If they serve well, their tongues are freed and they become great giant beasts like elephants or rhinos when they die.

• Hannuwa Dayawa: the Nharaunda, the golden toad people, people of many species who wear elaborate outfits that appear to be golden toads (but are usually made of cloth). They dance together, sing together, gather and prepare food together, and do everything together. They serve Hannuwa Dayawa by remaining together and defending their traditions. If they serve well, they are turned into giant golden toads when they die.

• Jarumtaka: the Kudzvova, the fiery mice people, people of many species who wear tails like those of mice, but on fire, and seek out great monsters and villains to fight to better the world. They seek to be brave, always, but not foolhardy. If they serve well, they are transformed into mongooses when they die.

• Kayan Ado: the Mavara, the blue leopard people, people of many species who wear dumaqu jewels and engage in acts of profound love for all the people of the world. They are transformed into six-legged blue leopards when they die if they have served Kayan Ado well.

• Kwatsam: the Yi Yawo, the blue hawk people, people of many species who wear wings of leaf and grass and frond, painted blue. They wander as nomads and bring good tidings and succor to those they meet. They sere Kwatsam by helping others, and if they serve well, they become blue hawks when they die.

• Mai Haske: the Kupenya Nyoka, the rainbow snake people, people of many species who come together and wear rainbow scales and feathers. They are transformed by Mai Haske if they serve well enough, becoming smaller rainbow serpents when they die.

• Makamai Masu Nasaba: the Mubatanidzwa, the many-armed people, people of many species who wear extra arms made of wood and stone, who go among the peoples of the world and work alongside of them. They seek to fight against exploitation, and if they serve well, they are transformed into seals with many flippers when they die.

• Muna Waka: the Kuimba Rwiyo, the cricket-legged people, people of many species who wear stilts and dress as cloth crickets, playing music and dancing, bringing mirth and harmony with them. If they serve Muna Waka well with their songs, they are transformed into giant crickets when they die.

• Musafaha: the Vashumiri Vakavimbika, the green-and-blue rabbit people, people of many species who wear rabbit ears and dog masks out of loyalty to Musafaha. They fight against iniquity and violence and hatred, and if they serve well, they are transformed into four-eared rabbits when they die.

• Na Farko: the Vanaamai Nevanasikana, the eggshell wearers, people of many species who wear the eggshells (hatched already) of great birds and lizards, using them as special armor, and communing with their matrilineal ancestors. They protect women and non-men, victims of abuse, and anyone who is connected to the matriarchal times. If they serve well, they hatch when they die, becoming great fiery blue birds or lizards.

• Nagari: the Mutumin Kirki, the chimeric people, people of many species who wear masks that represent the eland, macaw, lamprey, or gharial, and each of these masks is matched with clothing that reflects these four animals, specifically their shirts and shoes, and the combinations thereof (numbering 12) represent the virtues they embody. If they serve Nagari well, they become one of these animals when they die.

• Na Sama: the Tsoka, the bluefish people, people of many species who dress in blue-paper outfits that make them appear to be fish. They serve heaven itself, the energies and powers of redemption and salvation, and if they serve well, they are turned into celestial fish when they die.

• Nutsuwa: the Vakarara, the sleeping cow people, people of many species who wear fake horns and sleep many extra hours each day. They will put themselves bodily between the innocent and violence. If they serve well, they are transformed into cows when they die.

• Taimaki Kowa: the Fodya, the soldiers of medicine, people of many species who travel nomadically and heal those who need it. They are devoted healers, and when they die - aged much greater than most - they turn into colorful smoke when they die.

• Tsayayya: the Zvirongo, the lemur-eyed people, people of many species who wear great goggles to give themselves huge eyes. They fight against oppressors and join those fighting for liberation. If they serve well, they are transformed into orange lemurs when they die.

• Tunani: the Zunza, the yellow-eared bear people, people of many species who wear giant yellow earrings so that they might hear better. They seek to learn much and travel far, and they are transformed into bears when they die if they served well in life.

• Uwar Gida: the Mwana Wamwari, the honey-eyed children, people of many species who wear honey-gold glasses and retain youthful spirit throughout their lives, learning to enjoy the home and its comforts, protecting their homes, and serving Uwar Gida. If they serve well, they are transformed into honey-eyed rodents when they die.

• Wani Ra'ayi: the Chenagirinhi, the white and green hands, people of many species who paint their hands white (left) and green (right), make works of art, and teach others different artistic skills. They are transformed into beautiful flowers when they die if they served well.

• Zuciyarta: the Vavhimi, the nine-legged cheetah people, people of many species who dress in animal skins and fight the unjust. Warriors and hunters and heroes who face the most evil in the world and defy them. If they serve well in life, they may take Zuciyarta’s current body down and let it rest.

Culture

The mafi girma were each wounded in the great war that sealed away the Eldritch, and most of them have been sealed away themselves, or else they have hidden themselves amongst mortals in the world:

• Babban Mai Tsaro: bonded to Mother Shem herself, perhaps as her lover, to protect her from harm.

• Ban Mamaki: appears only at the most impossible moments.

• Daidai Sassa: turned into a normal tree and hidden in a garden kept well by their people

• Duk Yara: driven deep underground and sealed in a closed chamber.

• Gaskiya: turned into a simple mask and worn by Odellino.

• Hannuwa Dayawa: shackled by a thousand infernal chains and locked in a trunk dropped to the bottom of the sea.

• Jarumtaka: placed in a sealed jar and flung into deep space.

• Kayan Ado: captured and enslaved in Agikaan, though her captors know not what she is.

• Kwatsam: completely unknown.

• Mai Haske: forced to flee beyond the Spirit Gate, perhaps dying.

• Makamai Masu Nasaba: shattered into a million different pieces and placed in the hearts of workers around the world, waiting to be united.

• Muna Waka: dispersed into the dreams of a million different songwriters, each of which writes her into their music, which yearns to unite with her other fragments.

• Musafaha: caught and imprisoned in a cage on the edge of The Pit.

• Na Farko: encased in infernal gelatinous foul and held inside a temple of Wēldende.

• Nagari: she wanders Shem in disguise, inspiring virtuous living.

• Na Sama: turned into a cloud, indistinguishable of other clouds.

• Nutsuwa: forgotten asleep in a field somewhere.

• Taimaki Kowa: driven to hide within the Green Moon’s mountains and caverns, dispersed into smaller flames.

• Tsayayya: imprisoned in a void-battery and kept in the ruins of a technological city in the Voidbarrens.

• Tunani: asleep and waiting to awaken in Stayflies, unknown to be a mafi girma now.

• Uwar Gida: kidnapped and tortured by infernal powers unknown, kept in a tower on a secret island somewhere between Wymmera and Starfall.

• Wani Ra'ayi: hidden behind the Lesedian Mirror.

• Zuciyarta: cut down and buried in a Raesian cemetery.

Esoterica

All mafi girma can and do use any celestial energy. They are also known to wield nommic and some ambrosial powers (spirit energy, ambrosia, karma). They cannot use infernal energies, and they prefer not to use aetherial or poioumenonic energies.

Religion

The mafi girma pre-date the Divines, being ur-celestial figures, and they are worshiped as gods by those few who know of them.

Gender

Mafi girma’s genders are detailed above in their descriptions, as best as is possible.

Language

Their names are based on Hausa. Their nations of followers are based on Shona.

Outside View

Most people in the world are unaware of the mafi girma, but those who are are usually told they are ancient evils sealed away forever, to be feared.

Notables

• Babban Mai Tsaro, the Protectress

• Ban Mamaki, the Bird of Hope

• Daidai Sassa, the Tree Upon the Tree

• Duk Yara, the Fungus from Beyond

• Gaskiya, the Face of Truth

• Hannuwa Dayawa, the Thousand Hands

• Jarumtaka, the Mouse That Kills Serpents

• Kayan Ado, the Jeweled Cat

• Kwatsam, the Happenstance

• Mai Haske, the Rainbow Serpent Mother

• Makamai Masu Nasaba, the Awakened Giant

• Muna Waka, the Harmonious Six

• Musafaha, the Bounding Hound

• Na Farko, the First of All Mothers

• Nagari, the Virtuous Wanderer

• Na Sama, the Celestial Fish

• Nutsuwa, the Sleeping Kine

• Taimaki Kowa, the Fires of the Blood

• Tsayayya, the Fulvous Net

• Tunani, the Speaking Mountain

• Uwar Gida, the Shield of the House

• Wani Ra'ayi, Inspiration’s Light

• Zuciyarta, Justice for the Iniquitous

Estimated Populations

There are 23 mafi girma. In each of their nations, there are about 100 people at most.

Sample Stats

PRO 300
ATH 300
STR 300
AWA 300
WIL 300
PRS 300
STH 300