Fey Terata

"Monstrous" beings based on fey stories and legends.

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Breseli

Hulking warrior fey with horns on their heads and chins.

• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy fey fare
• Habitat: Fey lands
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Breselis are 7’ tall beings with beige flesh, spiky arms and legs, and curved horns coming out of their foreheads (one left, one right) and chins. They have clawed hands and feet.

Breselis have seven charms they can only use for combat: one to make a weapon stronger, one to make a shield weaker, one to make a breastplate lighter, one to make a helmet turn around, one to make an enemy trip, one to make an ally flee faster, and one to make spilled blood burn.

Their horns are very strong, their spikes very dangerous, and their claws very sharp. If they hit an opponent once with each without killing them, the opponent may be transformed into a breseli and made an ally, though the transformation takes a fortnight.

Ancient and powerful breselis may have charms of invincibility, smoke forms, and commanding presence, but they only get this if they have transformed 100 or more others into breselis.

Breselis live in the realm of Faerie and usually work as mercenaries. They live in bands and have a warrior culture that values cunning and trickery, but also has a sense of honor that means they dislike killing the defenseless. They will work for any Faerie court, usually, unless they have made a long-term deal.

Most breselis dislike mortal realms, but some find it more lucrative to go work there. They are among the privileged in these realms, still exploited but honored for their skills as warriors.

PRO 11 ATH 9 STR 12 Spike +3/+3 Horn +4/+4 Claw +4/+4 AWA 9 WIL 7 PRS 7 STH 8

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Caggee

Terata of conflicting features, very action oriented.

• Lifespan: 60-200 years
• Diet: Varies, but usually meat-heavy fey fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Caggees always have physical qualities that clash. They will have one horn on one side and an antenna on the other, one hand forward and one backward, one leg longer than the other, half their nose a snout the other half not, their lower teeth fangs and their upper teeth herbivore-like, one ear a reptilian sensor hole and the other a big rabbit ear, etc. Every caggee is different, though they often resemble clashing elements from their parents. They even have clashing coloration, such as orange skin and green fur, red patches of skin and magenta patches as well, etc. Most are about 5’ to 6’ tall and always have animalistic or “monstrous” features.

Caggees are very athletic and fast. They have one magical sense that varies by individual (sensing emotions, seeing temperature, hearing magical energies, smelling the future, tasting ancestry, feeling health, etc.), and they always have a feature that clashes with that sense (being weak to emotional magic, being immune to cold or heat, having chaotic luck, slow healing, etc.). They are full of conflicting features.

Cagees have an extremely competitive culture. They have many games, sports, and competitions at the heart of their communities, ranging from electing their leaders to combat contests to determine their best warriors to competing for the best of any job to complex recreational games. They will challenge anyone they meet to a contest.

Imperials often challenge them in ways to manipulate them into different tasks.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 9 AWA 9 WIL 7 PRS 7 STH 8 ESS 9

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Cyclops

One-eyed giants who see things as they are.

• Lifespan : 500 years
• Diet: Fish-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Temperate, often volcanic islands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Cyclopes stand about 12’ tall. They have a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. Their skin tone and hair color ranges the normal range of human skin tone and hair color.

Cyclopes are supernaturally strong. Their eye can see through any illusion. They have the supernatural ability to know when something is subjective.

There are seven ancient truths that all cyclopes are taught. They are empowered to wield them by the learning of their truth. The secrets are as follows:

• Forging of raw electricity into solid form
• Forging of the currents of narrative into metallic form
• Crafting of fabric that, when worn upon the head, grants invisibility
• Crafting of bows made from special wood that can allow for silent hunting
• Crafting of arrows that are almost impossible to see
• Building of massive walls that remain together without eroding
• Catching of fish without making sound when breaking the surface of the water

There are several cyclops nations around the world. Those who end up in the empires are either immigrants or enslaved, though there are some part of the local native nations. They are often used for their strength or for their building skills, though they never betray their secrets to others.

They tend to prefer to be alone.

PRO 8 ATH 7 STR 17 AWA 8 Hearing 11 Sight 7 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

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Euzhvil

Hulking, muscular, bloody fey terata.

• Lifespan: 80-100 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy fey fare
• Habitat: Rocky regions
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Euzhvils are 10’ tall beings with greenish skin and purplish fur. They have disproportionately small heads with large insect eyes, antennae, and big pig noses. They have long arms ending in sharp claws, and their upper bodies are massive compared to their lower bodies, but this may change as they need it to.

Euzhvils can move their muscles around their bodies as needed for what they are doing. They do this slowly, however, taking about an hour to shift from arm to leg, for example. Their blood is strongly magical, and if they spill it in a ritual, it gives them bonuses to any magic cast with it. They all have one innate blood charm chosen at character creation - a blood charm to heal, a blood charm to strengthen someone else, a blood charm to protect another, a blood charm to bind someone, or a blood charm to weaken someone.

Euzhvils are working class fey, used for their labor by the nobility, or paid to be warriors. However, in their own communities, they tend to prefer quiet and simple work, focusing on making their bodies useful for any task they seek out, and being led by those who are best at shifting their bodies. They honor strength, but they admire agility. They like to impress each other with physical feats, and athletics and sports are a major part of their culture.

Imperials exploit them for labor and warfare.

PRO 8 ATH 9 STR 12 AWA 8 WIL 7 PRS 7 STH 6 ESS 9

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Minotaur

Bull-headed protectors of labyrinths.

• Lifespan : 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Large structures
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Bull-headed protectors of places. Minotaurs stand between 7’ and 9’ tall (not counting horns). They have the head and tail of a bull and the body of a human. Their feet are hooves and their bodies are hairier than most humans’. Minotaurs are not to be confused with bovine folk, who often have a similar appearance, but different inherent powers.

Minotaurs are supernaturally strong. They have sharp, non-bovine teeth.

Minotaurs are bonded to the place they live in. If they have settled somewhere for more than a week, they begin to have senses that allow them to know what is happening within the structure they dwell in. They also gain the power to alter where passageways and portals within the structure go - i.e., they can open a door and step into a room it isn’t connected to.

The form of the place they dwell in, the structure they bond to, imbues them with specific powers. Some examples include the following:

• Amphitheatre: performance skills
• Arena: presence bonus
• Castle: toughness bonus
• Catacomb: resistance to death magic and undeath
• Fortress: prowess bonus
• Labyrinth: stealth bonus
• Lighthouse: awareness bonus
• Mausoleum: hard-to-kill edge
• Prison: guarding skills
• Pyramid: resistance to death magic
• Tower: building skills
• Ziggurat: faith bonus

And so on. Form influences power. Other energies present also influence the powers.

Long ago, early minotaurs were enslaved by other mortals and kept imprisoned in labyrinths. Eventually, their resistance to enslavement forced these mortals to make a deal with them - they would remain as warriors in these labyrinths where they would work for the mortals as jailers, but they would be fed and supported. However, not long after, these minotaurs learned that the meat they were being given was from other mortals, and in their outrage, they smashed the labyrinths, slew their masters, and captured entire islands as their own.

Though the minotaurs rebelled, they retained tutelary powers as they returned to their labyrinths and other prisons and reformed them into homes. Now, a labyrinth is not a prison but a palace to the most powerful minotaurs. They turn them into ceremonial dancing grounds at their centers, with vast rooms, galleries, and living quarters. There are observatories to watch the stars and study the sun. They keep other mortals as slaves, and they are masters of their islands.

Minotaurs may rise in class through combat. Trial-by-combat is the heart of all Epanastátean society. Instead of court systems, social advancement, or measures of wealth, they resort to violence. These trials always involve rituals, intricate rules, and agreements beforehand. It is always known whether, for example, killing is allowed. Usually, the goal is first blood or clipping of horns (if the combatants have horns). Sometimes the goal is merely a tap or sometimes even a number of parries or dodges. Other times, death is the only acceptable end. There are many, many variations, and the complexities of what is allowed and when are all social norms and not written down.

Though their diet is meat-heavy, they do not eat beef. They prefer mutton and goat. This is supplemented by wines, oils, and spices, heavy grains, and goat’s butter, cheese, and milk. Their primary art is architectural - ornamentation on buildings is complex. They enjoy other arts, especially poetry and music, but structural art is their greatest passion. They play many combat and contact sports.

Every community has multiple annual festivals. These are feasts and games hosted by the local nobles, who fund them in order appease the masses. Slaves draw lots to see who must work and who may rest on these days. Those who may rest are allowed to join in the games, and if they perform well, they will be given special advantages if they engage in trial-by-combat for freedom. There are other prizes for nobles or free minotaurs who play in the games, which are always combat-oriented.

In the city-states, they are slaves or the descendants of slaves. They were kept kept as slave-soldiers, hard laborers, or gladiators.

PRO 11 ATH 9 STR 12 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

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Troll

Dwellers under bridges.

• Lifespan : 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Bridges and liminal spaces
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Troll children are small, round, and hairy. They have are born with a lot of fat to keep them warm in the mountains. As they age, they become leaner and taller (usually). Their faces are always a little animalistic, usually having features of predators (sharp teeth, pointed snouts, big forward-facing eyes, big ears). The hair on their head is often kept long and unkempt. Some are more human-like in appearance than others. Their arms are slightly longer than proportional. They range from 5’ to 8’ tall.

Trolls are beings of liminal land spaces. They have some influence over these spaces while in them. This can be as narrowly defined as a small bridge to as widely defined as a border region or disputed territory or untamed wilderness. The space determines their other powers: if the area is a windswept plain, they will have influence over the winds while within it. If the area is a bridge, they will be able to sense when people near it and tumble them off without touching the bridge. The longer they are in a space, the more profound their influence over it is. A troll living in the edges of a forest may become master of all animals there, for example.

When they are not in the place they have connected to, they will still have influence over similar places. A bridge-dweller will be able to sense bridges nearby. A border-dweller will know when they are on other borderlands.

Trolls are supernaturally strong, good climbers, and can leap long distances.

Troll children are often given a stone to play with that they shape and craft until it is perfectly round. This stone becomes the troll’s “heart”, which allows them to hide weaknesses, thoughts and feelings, and some lifeforce temporarily. As children, they carry the stone with them always, being more free. As adults, they hide the stone in a place near their liminal space, usually some unusual spot, such as a fish’s belly, in a nearby cloud, or atop an ancient tree.

Trolls develop weaknesses based on the liminal space they connect to. Many bridge-dwellers live under the bridge and adapt to where the shadows are, and thus, they dislike bright sunlight. This weakness is very common, for many liminal spaces are in shadow.

All trolls fear lightning and dislike the distant ringing of bells.

They live in small clusters, usually one or two extended families to an area, dwelling near bridges in the high mountains, near tunnels, or amidst rocky slopes and cliffs. Most families are single-child homes. They are very territorial and not welcoming to strangers.

When a stranger approaches their space, one of the trolls will be there watching, ready to question them aggressively. This is done to judge the person’s worth and wealth. If they are deemed able to pay, the troll demands payment for passage. If they are deemed unable to pay, the troll decides if they want to let them pass based on attitude, mood, or whim. An important part of their exchange is the how the mortal responds to the troll’s boasting self-description, which is how they announce themselves. If the mortal responds in kind with their own boasting self-description, they are often seen as equals. If they are more meek or afraid, the troll will try to figure out if they do so because they have wealth they seek to protect or if they are truly a fearful sort. The latter will often be allowed to pass for free, sometimes with a small gift.

Their territoriality often leads to conflict with others nearby. They have reputations as raiders, kidnappers, and saboteurs. This is not always unfair, though the kidnapping is always done for ransom and the victims are often treated relatively well for kidnapping victims - and they never engage in kidnapping of innocent children, as they are often accused of. They kidnap warriors or leaders in the community, and they are just as often victims of the same in the area. This is a custom called bergtagning. Their acts of sabotage and raiding are usually to drive people away from building too close to their territories and are part of land disputes. They are known for their ability to hurl boulders.

Trolls live in small extended families. Since they usually have very few children, they tend to have small families. Each extended family is led by the eldest, no matter who they are, unless they are in mental decline due to senescence. Even then, they are consulted by the next oldest and interpreted through them. The matriarch of these families is the tröllkona, the troll-wife. The patriarch is the tröllherra, or troll-lord. If they have some other gender, they are still referred to by these gendered roles.

Trolls have a fondness for working with stone and often make things out of it that others would not - stone boats are common, stone wagons, stone armor, and so on. Living in the mountains, they become attuned to stone. Sculpture, masonry, and quarrying are common among trolls.

Every year, trolls in an area gather for a trolla-þing, or troll-moot. During this, they come together in flatlands and perform ritual dances. This always happens during the annual windstorm season, which they take advantage of to dance within whirlwinds. It is the custom that the women let their hair loose from their braids, put on heavy skirts, and stand in the center of the whirlwinds, letting their hair be whirled about and their skirts to kick up dust. This dance is performed by unwedded troll women; the men watch and choose their future brides.

After the dance is over, the men seek out the women they were most attracted to, asking them out. If the troll woman accepts, they lift their skirts and go into the mountains to sleep together, coming back the next day married. If they do not accept, they whip their hair at the men and wait for another year. If two troll men ask the same woman, it is up to her to pick one, the other, or neither. If they fight over her, she will usually reject both for being too foolish to marry. Thus, if they fight, they do so somewhere in secret, and explain away the bruises as “lightning strikes”. Though this is an obvious lie, the custom helps them save face.

Trolls are often shepherds, but they hate goats, which they view as untameable.

Most trolls in the empires connect with bridges, crossroads, or border areas within cities or out in the wilderness. Most are immigrants to the area.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Climbing 11 Jumping 12 STR 11 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 7