Maĥpíyatuwáwa

Living storms.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Elementals

• Alignment: Aetherial

• Energy: Bijalee

• Lifespan: 40 years

• Diet: Water

• Habitat: Wide plains

Origins

The aetherial majesty of a storm sparked life within it.

Description

Maĥpíyatuwáwa are living storms, massive, towering walls of dark, thunderous clouds that form anthropomorphic or therianomorphic forms within their bodies.

Procreation

Maĥpíyatuwáwa reproduce when they gather enough cloudform to bud off smaller forms, usually with a violent discharge of bijalee.

Powers

Maĥpíyatuwáwa draw in water in the same manner as mundane clouds, but as they do, they convert any aether within it into energy. They are living storms; they can control where their bodies go, though they are susceptible to winds and weather patterns that can push them in certain directions - it takes more energy to go against the air currents. They can control also when they unleash lightning, rain, sleet, hail, tornados, gales, and so on, but all of these take energy that they must recharge.

Patterns

Maĥpíyatuwáwa create and influence weather patterns, usually to cultivate areas and protect and preserve nature, while still respecting weather cycles worldwide. They are able to sense and predict the consequences of any alterations they make to the weather in an area and act accordingly, unless the area is polluted, which disturbs their senses. They create patterns by forming their bodies (with one or more maĥpíyatuwáwa) that draw in bijalee in massive amounts, then unleash it into the atmosphere in order to alter the climate.

Absorbing

Maĥpíyatuwáwa can absorb other forms of weather and mimic it in their form so long as there are clouds involved. Though they expend much energy with the more violent forms of weather, they also find themselves expending energy to diffuse their cloud forms to mimic clement weather as well.

Faces and Forms

Maĥpíyatuwáwa can shape their cloud forms into almost anything, and they often take the form of a face or even a mortal body in order to communicate. Because they do this rarely, when they do, they are often misconstrued as Divinities by those who have never heard of them.

Sometimes, individuals enjoy the reverence they receive and make a habit of it, which leads them astray of their cultural prerogative to protect and preserve nature. Instead, they become influenced by the culture that worships them, often becoming warlike or dominant until their arrogance gets them driven away, sealed or bound, or destroyed. Other times, they choose to bind themselves to an anthropomorphic form in order to pursue relationships with other mortals (platonic or otherwise) or for some other purpose.

Weaknesses

Aridity can sap them of strength, and brown aether (especially smog) can kill them. Mundane pollution disrupts their senses.

Nations

Maĥpíyatuwáwa belong to a single nation in western Palhur, the Oyate nation, which is a nation of many species. While there are other maĥpíyatuwáwa in the world outside this region, they are individuals with no specific cultural identity.

Culture

Among the Oyate, the maĥpíyatuwáwa are respected as protectors, guides, and experts on nature and weather. They warn the people of coming storms and floods, protect the animals and water the plants, and bring their wrath upon the enemies of the nation. The maĥpíyatuwáwa stay separate in their cloud forms for the most part, living in valleys and near river sources or over great lakes.

They raise their young, who grow to maturity within months, collectively, then introduce them to other mortals carefully. By the time a maĥpíyatuwáwa is an adult, they are encouraged to explore the world - as clouds, they can travel rapidly - and many do, spending a few years wandering. Most return home and rejoin their people, coming back with stories they share to the community, trinkets or treasures for the non-maĥpíyatuwáwa in the nation, and usually a gift of water for the other storms.

They play certain common roles in the nation - warrior-protector, water-provider, guide, weather-sage, druid, and - but in their own ways. As protectors, they hover around the borders of their nation’s territory and maintain menacing but not storming forms, unleashing their power only if a major threat approaches. They often flow near patrols and provide them cover if they need to rush back and use their extended senses to communicate with them. Water-providers serve as living irrigation systems. Guides disguise themselves as mundane storm clouds and lead mortals on the ground to good hunting spots or other resources. Weather-sages make weather predictions to the community and dance in the skies to communicate it. Druids - called yuwakape - commune with the weather patterns and bring religious guidance to the people.

National Cultures

Maĥpíyatuwáwa do not have other nations of their own, but they are part of other cultures in some parts of the world where they play a significant role:

• The jeevittoophaan live in subcontinental Dabusen and serve various temples as weather-predictors and guards. They are the most well known, but also a very small nation.

• The zhivoyburya live in Colesh and protect the nations there fighting for liberation against the Vesturian empire. They are associated with blizzards.

• The tanpèt vivan live in the Reever Sea and protect certain island peoples from pirates and conquerors. They are associated with hurricanes.

• The buhay na bagyo live in northeastern Dabusen and have many different roles in many different nations there, usually as protectors or warriors. They are known for creating rainbows.

• The levendesky live in the Borean Sea and bring gouts of snow and ice, joining various sea-faring nations there to aid in their raiding of other communities.

• The tempestas live in Gyrah and dwell within the cloud seas where they help keep the continent afloat.

• The easifathaya dwell in Mahad and northern Taggarus as living sandstorms and are seen as dangerous opportunistic predators by the other mortals there, but they are truly just protecting the deserts.

Esoterica

Maĥpíyatuwáwa are beings of and the greatest wielders of bijalee, but they are not the typical users of it. They do sometimes use other powers, usually other forms of aether that accentuate certain kinds of weather:

• Conflueverant: massive rainstorms.

• Hamasat al-sahra: sandstorms.

• Hasken fure: spring rains.

• Hvittdogg: sandstorms.

• Ikehua lyua pele: tropical storms.

• Kiiric yihi: windstorms, gales, and tornados.

• Livadi: derechos.

• Ma’dhahabi: sunshowers, summer storms, and clement weather.

• Parfum de marais: fog clouds.

• Tmakikan: rain and good weather for crops.

• Tykva vlast: autumnal storms.

• Viridian aether: seasonal storms.

With other energies, the most common is radiance (for rainbows), spirit energy, celeste water (heavenly rain), corrogatio or slitna (destructive storms), ibbissu, emotional resonance, vonzot, ayase, tutelary energy, and shebv heya.

When it comes to nommos, their bodies are their clouds, their blood and other humors are the liquid water within them, and their bones are solid ice within them, though the latter is often temporary and weaker in Raesian energy.

Religion

The maĥpíyatuwáwa are considered conduits to the god(s) and spirits of weather and storms among the Oyate, and they themselves honor Ošíčeča, the Great Storm, who guides all weather. They honor Ošíčeča by offering him discharges of lightning into the sky, leading the mortals below in dances and festivals, and creating cloud patterns that are aesthetically pleasing.

Gender

Maĥpíyatuwáwa only take on gender in cultures outside the Oyate - they are exclusively agender there - where gender is enforced. Because they are such powerful beings, patriarchal cultures often impose male genders on them, which feeds into their self-perceptions sometimes inaccurately to an extent that they reject it and choose other genders. Other cultures gender them female as part of an overall view of nature as feminine, and similar results sometimes occur. But in their original culture, because the issue of gender is almost never brought up with them, they rarely feel the need to express themselves that way. Those few who do are accepted, but it is never seen as an expression of gender, simply as one of self.

Economy

The Oyate have a communal culture and economy. They use money mostly for trade with other nations or communities.

Military

Maĥpíyatuwáwa are powerful, dangerous warriors who are a major part of the defenses of the many Oyate communities they are part of.

Language

Their language is based on Lakota.

Occupations

They play certain common roles in the nation - warrior-protector, water-provider, guide, weather-sage, druid, and - but in their own ways. As protectors, they hover around the borders of their nation’s territory and maintain menacing but not storming forms, unleashing their power only if a major threat approaches. They often flow near patrols and provide them cover if they need to rush back and use their extended senses to communicate with them. Water-providers serve as living irrigation systems. Guides disguise themselves as mundane storm clouds and lead mortals on the ground to good hunting spots or other resources. Weather-sages make weather predictions to the community and dance in the skies to communicate it. Druids - called yuwakape - commune with the weather patterns and bring religious guidance to the people.

Outside View

Most don’t even know the maĥpíyatuwáwa even exist, but those who do generally mistake them for semi-Divine beings, when in fact they live half as long as most mortals.

Notables

• Mahpiyawin, Mother Storm, Mother Cloud, Maĥpíyatuwáwa Manifest, Aeonian

• Chumani, Dew Drops, the gentlest storm, sweet daughter of Mahpiyawin, Aeonian, culture hero

• The Night Storm, a powerful, Aeonian storm in the Reever Sea that is subject to worship by the Night Fleet, a pirate fleet.

• Vajr ke Bachche, the twelve maĥpíyatuwáwa who serve in temples in subcontinental Dabusen as guards of the Storm God.

Estimated Populations

• Among the Oyate: 300

• Jeevittoophaan: 20

• Zhivoyburya: 30

• Tanpèt vivan: 100

• Buhay na bagyo: 20

• Levendesky: 20

• Tempestas: 50

• Easifathaya: 40

• Other: 100

Sample Stats

PRO 9
ATH 15
STR 15
AWA 15
WIL 9
PRS 11
STH 9