The Cunning

The last innate wielders of mana.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: TheFolk

• Alignment: Poioumenonic

• Energy: Mana

• Lifespan: 1,000 years

• Diet: Magical mortal fare

• Habitat: Fey hills and forests

Origins

The cunning formed from the remnants of mana as legends of its use revived on Third Shem.

Description

The cunning appear to be blue-skinned folk with dark green whorls all over their skin. They stand between 2’ and 4’ tall with diaphanous, insect-like wings. Their eyes are deep black, and their hands have sharp claws. Their hair always grows plants in it, though what kind of plants vary.

Procreation

The cunning reproduce with one another sexually. They can reproduce with some other spirit folk, and their offspring will follow the species of the birthing mother. They cannot reproduce with other species without supernatural intervention.

Powers

The cunning are the last species with the ability to wield mana innately, without ritual or spell, directed only by their will.

Magic

The wielding of magic without any channel or ritual means that the energy goes through the bodies of the cunning, and that means that their bodies are at risk when they do it. It comes from all four aspects of their Names, and it burns them from within. They can therefore only use it in small doses, but they can wield it with the mastery almost none can match.

A cunning uses magic much like it was wielded on old Shem, drawing from their inner being, fusing it with other energies, and directing it solely by will and gesture. They are born with this power and have mana in their very Names, so they do not need to seek out sources of it like mages and wizards do. They do have to find other sources of other energies if they wish to do much more outside the domain of basic magic that is stronger than basic cantrips.

Weaknesses

Void will harm the cunning severely.

Nations

There is but one nation of the cunning, and they are synonymous with the species.

Culture

The cunning dwell in Lyrilla in tiny communities, hiding among the edges of towns and cities, in farming regions and forests, hiding in plain sight, dwelling amongst every nation of fey folk. They have their own communities and traditions, but they mask this in order to keep from being exploited for their powers.

The number eleven is magical. Every cunning community is led by a circle of eleven powerful elders. The elders select eleven members of the community to be teachers, eleven to be warriors, eleven to be healers, and eleven to be caretakers of the young and old. Another eleven are selected by the community to be secret keepers, eleven to be planters of food, eleven to be hunters, eleven to be weavers, eleven to be spell scholars, and eleven to be collectors of the strange and unusual. These 121 rotate roles with others in the community as needed or wanted.

Children are raised by the caretakers, but they spend time with everyone in the community, learning as much as possible. Play always includes use of (safe) magic. Learning always includes deep lessons as well as practical ones. When they reach the age of eleven, they are selected into a circle of eleven to begin more direct training under one of the eleven teachers. For the next eleven years, they switch between each teacher. After that, they stick with just one teacher for the next eleven years, coming of age at 33.

At age 33, they are taken by the ten cunning closest in age to them (while still older) into the deep woods, where they are tested. They are tested on their knowledge, skill, and power in magic, and at the end, they are brought back to the community and given a special name. They are then feasted and celebrated. The next day, they are expected to take up a non-training role in the community.

Food among the cunning folk is always rich with magic. There are many magical plants, animals, and fungi in the regions where they dwell, but if they consume something that is not magical, they will use their powers to make it magical first. Those who grow the food for the community use every magical art to make sure the foods they produce are potent. Foods often include mushrooms, fruits, and seeds, and meat is rarer.

Arts among the cunning are focused on song, stories, and wordplay - they love puns and jokes. Visual arts are much rarer, as they think it will draw too much attention to them. Sculptures and ceramic materials are only used for special purposes.

Rituals are very important to the cunning. They perform eleven rituals per day, and every eleven days, they gather for a group ritual. These rituals always involve standing in a circle and chanting, dried out fungi, flowers, and dancing. The rituals are said to keep their magical power up. Each community has their own chants and dances, which always involve use of their wings.

Esoterica

As beings of mana, the cunning can wield it innately, much as the original magic users on First Shem did. They can command it via every aspect of their being and channel it through their entire being. They can wield any other esoteric energy except for void, but they almost never do.

Religion

The cunning worship the Triple Goddess, Mother, Maiden, and Crone. They practice witchcraft, spirit communion, and ancient rituals and rites in worshiping them, but they have no special roles within their communities. It is embedded in their entire culture and world view - the Three created magic, which suffused the world and preserved them when magic died on Second Shem.

Gender

The cunning recognize eleven genders, each matched to a shade of blue. Though some correspond roughly to male (royal blue) and female (azure), most are completely unrelated to patriarchal conceptions of gender.

Economy

The cunning practice a mixture of their own communal, unclassed system, and the feudal system common amongst the fey they live beside.

Military

The warriors among the cunning use a mixture of magic and guerrilla warfare tactics.

Occupations

Common roles among the cunning include the following:

• Caretaker

• Collector

• Elder

• Healer

• Hunter

• Planter

• Secret Keeper

• Spell Scholar

• Teacher

• Warrior

• Weaver

Outside View

The cunning are viewed as evil sorcerers and witches by most who know of them, but this is an excuse to capture and exploit them for their mana.

Notables

• Quaequallaeum, Cunning Manifest, Aeonian

Estimated Populations

• Main: 11,011

• Other: 11,011

Sample Stats

PRO 8
ATH 8 Flight 10
STR 5
AWA 9
WIL 11
PRS 8
STH 9