Transcendant

Joy brought to life.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Insubstantiates

• Alignment: Celestial

• Energy: Euphoria

• Lifespan: 200 years

• Diet: Emotion

• Habitat: Coastal regions

Origins

When mortal happiness and comfort were achieved, their collective emotion manifested and came to life.

Description

Transcendants appear to be wisps of lavender mist. They grow from about 6” when they are first formed to upwards of 30’ in length. Their voices are rich and resonant.

Procreation

Transcendants reproduce sexually via entangling with one another, twisting two strands of themselves together, then breaking it off to form a new transcendant.

Powers

Transcendants have bodies made of mist which makes them impervious to many physical attacks. They inherently float in the air.

Emotion

Transcendants are beings of emotion, which they feed off of. They interact with other mortals, seeking to evoke natural emotions from them in order to draw from their emotional resonance. They do not remove the emotions they feed off, just the resonance. If they use their aromas to evoke these emotions, it requires they use up parts of their bodies, and this is not a sustainable feeding method. Therefore, they seek to evoke joy, euphoria, pleasure, happiness, or delight (pleasant surprise) to feed off of, as these are the most potent forms of food. However, they can live off any emotion they can generate (see below).

Transcendants have empathic senses; they experience this as a form of smelling. Negative emotions repulse them, causing them to shed small strands (an inch per point of revulsion, negative emotional resonance rolled against their STR). Therefore, they seek to reduce negative emotions when they encounter them.

They only have to feed every three months or so.

Aromas

Their base aroma brings intense feelings of joy to most mortals if inhaled by that mortal. A strand of three inches of their lavender-hued mist will evoke a full minute of joy in a target. Joy smells like lavender. However, they can generate other aromas for other purposes. Each aroma has a different color, cost to the transcendant, and duration:

• Acceptance: acceptance of a situation will be evoked by a strand of at least one foot in length, white in color, and will last for nine seconds per foot. This smells like bitter leaf.

• Admiration: admiration of any target will be evoked by a strand of at least nine inches in length, grey in color, and will last for twelve seconds per nine inches. This smells like jute.

• Affection: affection for any target will be evoked by a strand of at least six inches in length, pink in color, and will last thirty seconds per six inches. This smells like jointfir.

• Amusement: amusement will be evoked by a strand of at least three inches in length, pale violet in color, and will last 45 seconds per three inches. This smells like bush buck leaves.

• Arousal: arousal will be evoked by a strand of at least eighteen inches in length, dark pink in color, and will last six seconds per eighteen inches. This smells like the mortal's own body odor.

• Contentment: contentment will be evoked by a strand of at least 21 inches in length, dark yellow in color, and will last nine seconds per 21 inches. This smells like water leaf.

• Curiosity: curiosity in something will be evoked by a strand of at least 36 inches in length, bright yellow in color, and will last twelve seconds per 36 inches. This smells like sweet basil.

• Ecstasy: intense, pure ecstasy will be evoked by a strand of at least nine inches in length, dark purple in color, and will last 24 seconds per nine inches. This smells like agbalumo.

• Elevation: elevation (uplift by witness of goodness) will be evoked by a strand of at least two feet in length, black in color, and will last six seconds per two feet. This smells like bird of paradise flowers.

• Enthusiasm: enthusiasm for something will be evoked by a strand of at least fifteen inches, orange in color, and will last fifteen seconds per fifteen inches. This smells like june plums.

• Euphoria: euphoria (the emotion, not the energy, though the former generates the latter) will be evoked by a strand of at least three inches in length, dark lavender in color, and will last 45 seconds per three inches. This smells like roses.

• Happiness: happiness for oneself will be evoked by a strand of at least six inches in length, light lavender in color, and will last 39 seconds per six inches. This smells like icheku fruit.

• Interest: interest in something will be evoked by a strand of at least 27 inches in length, light green in color, and will last eighteen seconds per 27 inches. This smells like purslane flowers.

• Kindness: a feeling of kindness toward a target will be evoked by a strand of at least four feet, dark brown in color, and will last 27 seconds per four feet. This smells like garden egg fruit.

• Passion: passion for something will be evoked by a strand of at least 42 inches, deep green in color, and will last 33 seconds per 42 inches. This smells like redflower ragleaf.

• Pleasure: general pleasure will be evoked by a strand of at least nine inches, dark purple in color, and will last 33 seconds per nine inches. This smells like baobab.

• Pride: pride in oneself or others will be evoked by a strand of at least 51 inches, bright red in color, and will last nine seconds per 51 inches. This smells like giant taro.

• Relief: relief from negative emotions, stress, etc. will be evoked by a strand of at least one foot in length, pale blue in color, and will last 51 seconds per foot. This smells like lillies.

• Social connection: a feeling of social connection with others will be evoked by a strand of at least five feet, dark blue in color, and will last three seconds per five feet. This smells like jollof rice.

• Surprise: a spurt of surprise will be evoked by a strand of three inches, glittering yellow in color, and will last three seconds per three inches. This smells like hibiscus.

Most transcendants keep a collection of all of these things in their homes.

The target must breathe in the entire strand for the emotions to be evoked.

Weaknesses

Mollesse weakens or kills them. Negative emotional resonance repulses them.

Nations

There are six nations of transcendants dwelling around the Reever Sea and in Taggarus:

• Esprea: a nation of transcendants in the islands of the Reever Sea. [haitian]

• Ni-naniki: a nation of transcendants in the islands of the Reever Sea. [taino]

• Pennacchia: the transcendants of the islands off southern Jesenranu, near the Talunese city-states, or the coasts of the city-states. [italian]

• Rudhadha: the transcendants of the islands near or the coasts of northern Mahad, along the Reever Sea. [arabic]

• Rshrrsha: the transcendants of the coasts of northern Taggarus. [tamazight / berber]

• Sokiri: the original nation of transcendants in western Taggarus who moved on the winds around the Reever Sea.

Culture

The Sokiri live along the coasts of western Taggarus in small clusters. They usually live along coasts with heavy vegetation, where they seek to blend in, though sometimes they dwell out over the seas instead. Because they are often hunted and used by insensitive mortals as sources of intoxication, they avoid larger settlements and form relationships with smaller, more respectful communities.

Transcendants live in small groups of about 20 or 30. Each group is democratic and close-knit. All adults vote on every major decision in the group, conflicts are resolved collectively, and all responsibilities are shared. Every transcendant community has a nearby mortal community they are connected to, with whom they have a reciprocal relationship. They offer services to these mortals, and the mortals offer them other positive emotions from which to feed. The main services they provide are guidance to happy fish (good fishing spots) and potent plants.

A transcendant child is raised communally. They grow at a rate of about one foot per year (assuming they are well fed) and are considered an adult at nine feet in length. At this point, they have voting rights.

National Cultures

The other transcendant nations have slightly different relationships with the local mortals:

• Esprea: living near ziles, they have a very strong bond with the local communities, helping them find relief from enslavement and joining them in fighting against oppression, or forming potent connections to free ziles.

• Ni-naniki: living amongst those who are free from the slavers and other dangerous nations in the Reever Sea, the Ni-naniki interact with the local mortal tribes who are engaged in resistance to invaders or in survival, and thus, they often join them in larger communities, where they take an active role in healing and soothing.

• Pennacchia: because the Talunese city-states are much more oppressive and dangerous, the Pennacchia avoid most mortals there and only connect with very specific families, who keep them secret.

• Rudhadha: the Rudhadha interact mostly with coeligians and other isolated communities who avoid the more dangerous, oppressive communities near them along the coasts of Mahad, but they are more easily found out and often enslaved, caught in jars and sold.

• Rshrrsha: the transcendants of the coasts of northern Taggarus follow nomadic tribes and often go further inland, allying only with specific tribes who are not engaged in slaving or other evil activities.

Esoterica

Transcendants are beings of euphoria and its greatest wielders. They taught mortals how to be mu ayos. They can use any celestial or aetherial energy, unless they do not have the right bodily forms for it. They can use unaligned powers; with nommic energies, they do not have bones for Raesian energies, nor do they have viscera or most humors. Their mists count as both flesh and blood, however. Most cannot use infernal powers.

Religion

Transcendants exult in the presence of Ayo Nla, the goddess whom they view as the ultimate form of joy and euphoria, and they are often overcome with religious ecstasy. They are also known for invoking this ecstasy in others.

Gender

Transcendants do not have genders of their own, but they respect them in others. Gender euphoria is a potent source of sustenance for them.

Economy

Transcendants live in small egalitarian groups which engage in service barter.

Language

Their language is based on Yoruba.

Trade

They trade services and their own bodies for emotional resonance to feed from.

Outside View

Transcendants are either viewed as close friends and helpful beings by those who form close relationships with them, as sources of intoxication and inebriation by opportunists, or dangers akin to will o’ the wisps by oppressors who wish to demonize them and those who fall for such lies.

Notables

• Eniti o Dide, She Who Arose, Transcendant Manifest, Aeonian

Estimated Populations

• Esprea: 6,000

• Ni-naniki: 3,000

• Pennacchia: 3,000

• Rudhadha: 12,000

• Rshrrsha: 9,000

• Sokiri: 30,000

• Enslaved: 60,000

• Other: 15,000

Sample Stats

PRO 5
ATH 11
STR n/a or 8
AWA 9
WIL 8
PRS 14
STH 9