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| Species | Xana |
| Order | Faerie |
| Classification | Vaettir |
| Court | Kindly |
| Sphere | Vision |
| Origin | All faeries are born Nameless and must be given a True Name; xanas have artistic Names |
| Lifespan | 2,000 years |
| Habitat | Clear, fresh water pools, rivers, fountains, streams, ponds, waterfalls, or caves or forests with pure water |
| Food | Light mortal fare that can be easily gathered |
| Description | Dark-skinned feminine human-like beings, about 3' tall, with usually slender frames, blonde or brown curly hair, and a slight glow. |
| Procreation | Xanas reproduce sexually with other fey or sometimes mortals. |
| Esoterica | Xanas are beings of inspiration resonance, euphotonia, dream energy, and poioumenon. Like all faeries, they are users of The Tradition, a form of poioumenonic lore empowered by dream energies. They also use solar aether, lunar aether, summer aether, spring aether, winter aether, heavenly light, radiance, lhair, dumaqu, waarheid, some humors, currents aether, glory, euphony, fortune, spirits, other resonances, aqueous humor, complexity, and symbolism. |
| The Tradition | Xanas have these basic fey powers:
Xanas have supernatural beauty which they keep by combing their hair with golden or silver combs they fashion from sunlight or moonbeams. They capture this light in still handfuls of water, which they raise up during the height of the sun or moons' light (midday, full moon). They then take this water and pour it in a special stone mold that turns it into a comb. If this water is not used to make a comb but instead given to someone else, it will fill them with love. In the summer or spring, the voice of a xana will be hypnotic to other fey or mortals if the xana chooses. Kind souls are filled with peace and love; unkind souls have panic attacks and psychotic delusions. A xana can become light while looking through a keyhole to enter a building. Xanas have sharp teeth. Xanas can make belts from twigs, leaves, vines, and other things they find in the woods that will grant special insights and powers to the wearer. A xanin raised by a mortal will reach maturity within months, as a means of protecting them. |
| Glamour | Xanas can glamour themselves using certain ancient rhymes, usually turning into animals. |
| Weaknesses | If they do not speak their True Name backwards into that same mirror in half a minute, xanas lose their True Names. They have a fortnight to recover it or they become targets of the Wild Hunt, corrupted into another kind of fey, or turn into a hag or boggin. Iron or steel will bind a xana into powerlessness. An iron horseshoe nailed over a door will bar a xana from entering a house. Most xanas detest tobacco smoke, and it can be used to stave them off. This is just a preference, however, and not a weakness. Xanas are weak to shadow energy. They cannot produce milk. Xanas are very susceptible to certain kinds of hypnosis that can't be undone except by a secret action. |
| National Culture | Xanas live in small communities near freshwater sources. Their communites are led by a triumverate of elders called sturas who are the eldest and wisest among them. Most xanas are women, though some identify as other genders; it is rarely enforced. Most xanas are artists, singers, or gatherers, but some take up thievery as a means of survival if they are away from their communities. Marriage is unknown in their communities. Because xanas are seen as beautiful and can offer inspiration to others, they are often given treasures or other presents by mortals and other fey. Their communities rarely have need for these things, so they end up with a small collection that sometimes attracts the greedy. When this happens, xanas will entrance them, and, if they are able, force them to act as parents or nursemaids to their children. Xana children are called xaninos (or xanin singular). They are raised by the whole community and cherished. They are taught from a young age the arts and skills of the community, and by 25, they are considered adults. A xanin raised by a mortal, however, will reach maturity within months, as a means of protecting them. Desperate xanas sometimes swap their children out for mortal children if they are on their own and unable to find a way to provide milk for their child. There are no warriors in xana communities. Instead, there is an independent group of xanas who are warriors. They recruit from every community. These warriors, called asuntanas, are elite, stealthy, and creative. In xana communities, every three months, there is a celebration of all the art made by the community. The best are rewarded with special songs. At the end of the year, the winners are all celebrated and become the judges for the next year. Most often, xanas who consistently win become sturas in their old age. Every 100 years, xana communities gather with other xana communities to a massive festival of art, light, poetry, song, dance, and feasting. This festival is where they choose the three sturas who will represent them nationally. At this time, the asuntanas visit their families, recruit new members, and elect their own leader, the zan-asuntana. Xanas sometimes trade with other nations for food or other needed supplies, but usually, they try to keep to themselves. |
| Kindly Culture | In the Kindly Court, the Xana Manifest represents the xanas to the Court Council. The xanas contribute a small force of asuntanas to the Court military and provide some tribute to the Court, but mostly, they are left to their own national culture. |
| Other Courts | Xanas are seen as protectors of freshwater by the Summer Court and welcomed as such. In the Seelie Court, they must prove themselves not to be thieves or troublemakers before being accepted; there is a great deal of prejudice against them. Many Seelie fey have tried to rob xana communities. If they are welcomed in it is as servants or lower ranking nobles if they have enough wealth. In the Unkindly Court, they are enslaved or killed, and in the Unseelie Court, they are usually captured and ransomed for their treasures. In the Winter Court, they are rarely welcomed unless they pay a great deal; most are enslaved. |
| Mortal Interactions | Xanas sometimes seduce mortals to have children, or make pacts with them to provide milk for their children. Other xanas will swap their children for mortal children. A xanin raised by a mortal will reach maturity within months, as a means of protecting them. Xanas often find themselves in need of defending their community from treasure-seekers. |
| Notables | Vala Xa, Xana Manifest; Masantala, Housebreaker |
| Special Classes | Stura, Thief, Belt Maker, Lightsmith, Artist, Gatherer, Zan Asuntana, Asuntana |
| Sample Stats | PRO 8 ATH 9 STR 6 Teeth +4/+4 AWA 10 WIL 8 ROG 9 Vanish (30 seconds) Glamour 8 Whistle 7 Belt-making 8 Keyhole Sneak 17 Light Capture 13 Beauty 15 Voice 11 Comb-making 11 |
GrandGuignol
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