Sussoror

Those who can take a blade of grass and use it to control the livadi through whispers, whistles, and breath, summoning the aetherial winds through the grasslands. Developed originally by centaurs living as nomads on the open plains, it spread around the world to every grasslands culture.

Communion

First, one must listen to the grasslands. Once the sounds of sussuration (the rustling of the wind among the grass) reaches their ears, they must capture the sound. Most use a stalk of grass or a reed. Then, the grass or other object must be consumed. Once consumed, it is part of the sussoror and can be released in part or in whole.

Capturing

The art of capturing sussuration is usually passed down among the nomadic peoples of the grasslands. Sussuration is the sound of livadi, the living breath of the grasslands, and therefore, it can only be captured in something that is part of the grasslands. The local grass or other greenery must be drawn from the earth and held between the hands of the sussoror, as if to whistle, but instead, they place themselves face to the wind and wait for the sound to enter as they inhale through the grass, reed, or leaf. If they have truly heard the sussurus, they will inhale it. If they are wrong, they have grass in their mouth.

Recognition

To recognize the sussurus, the true sound of the living grasslands, means to have learned from hours, months, years of mindfulness on the open plain to know the difference between the sounds of the grasslands.

Sussurating

Once the sussuration is captured, the sussuror has the power within them until they use it or until they stray too far from the grasslands with no anchor. Sussuration is released in the same way it is captured, except you exhale instead of inhale.

Powers

Some powers include

• Communication: using sussuration to send information means throwing one's voice with the winds of the grasslands.
• Distraction: using sussuration to confuse targets by making them hear things, used as distraction.
• Blades: using grass blades to attack can be done by sending the sussuration into the ground near them.
• Kiting: using sussuration to float over vast grasslands (and only grasslands) is possible with very powerful sussuration and the right tools.
• Endurance: bonuses to endurance come if you completely internalize the sussuration.
• Echolocation: finding your way on the plains through sussuration is one of the easier skills.

The powers revolve around command or influence over the grasslands, their plants and animals and other features, over water and soil within the grasslands, and mostly, over wind and sound within it.

Tools

The basic tools of the sussoror include

• Grass and Reeds: or any plants of the grasslands, but grass and reeds are the commonest tool used to capture and release the sussuration.
• Weaves: many sussorors create woven clothing out of the grasses they carry, embedding the sussuration within them so that they are protected as if wearing strong armor.
• Baskets: very commonly, they store sussuration outside themselves in woven grass baskets, so that items they carry may be influenced by it.
• Kites or Kite Suits: sussuration's power to lift up kites and let people glide is abetted by kites or special suits designed to catch the lift of the wind.
• Horses: specially shoed horses can capture the power of livadi and swiftly move through the plains with the aid of a sussoror. Centaurs can do this to themselves.

Skills

Some common skills include

• Riding
• Shoeing
• Listening
• Singing
• Ventriloquism
• Weaving

Variants

Some common variations include

• Choro yfantis: sussorors who focus on their grass-weaving skills.
• Epidromeas: raiders who ride the plains with the power of sussuration, sometimes even attacking via kiting.
• Khoomeich: those who make and play reed instruments to command the sussuration.
• Samaras: sussorors who use their powers to make special saddles, bridles, and other riding equipment made from hard reeds and grasses.
• Syngrafeas: sussorors who use their powers to capture the words of the centaurs.
• Tragoudistis: a wandering bard and musician among the centaurs.

Grassland Variants

See landforms for a complete list. Each different kind of grassland has a different plant or animal, and other variations. Some supernatural ones include

• Chalk (Calcareous Grassland): heavy with witchcraft, commonly associated with sheep.
• Lightning Plain: potent with the sound of thunder.
• Bale-Steppe: boar-heavy scrublands where baleblood is often spilled.
• Blade-Steppe: a steppe where many warriors have died.
• Elysian Field: where miracles may occur.

Similar Occupations

Other occupations that use livadi include

• Botanist: scientists who use various forms of aether, including livadi, to study plants.
• Ecologer: scientists who use various forms of aether, including livadi, to study living environments.
• Equestrian: powerful rider-warriors who wield livadi to move with incredible speed.
• Ferrier: shimisi who use it to shoe horses.
• Gunrider: gun-wielding equestrians.
• Hii Torekou: powerful wieldres of many forms of aether who are at one with rain forests.
• Kembesor: merchants who use livadi (and other aethers) to aid them in their travels.
• Topiraq: those who use every form of earth aether, including livadi.
• Votanologos: herbalists who use livadi to supplement their work.
• Wurtwarian: those who wield all forms of plant aether to communicate through root systems.

Persecution

Most sussorors are so specific to their grasslands, they are only suppressed by the national oppression their people face.

Stats

PRO +1
ATH +3
STR +1
AWA +3
WIL +1
STH +1
PRS +1