The Faenari

Biology

• Average lifespan: 400 years (maximum of 800)
• Maturity age: 90
• Height Ranges: 5’5 - 7’2

Appearance

The Faenari appear as their name suggests—fae with elemental aspects. Whereas their general physique is very similar to an Elf’s (lanky bodies, pointed ears), each member of this race resembles characteristics of one of the four main elements: earth, air, water, or fire. The characteristics themselves can vary in severity, depending on the clan’s isolation and how long they’ve been distinct from most other societies. It can range from many different textures of skins, like scales, bark, or even ice, with eyes and hair to match—to more extreme evolutions like wings (never granting true flight, however), which are typically used to shield the Fae from the temperature extremes and storms.

Their clothing is rather comparable to the Elven races, as many clans are known to partake in casual trade. Clothing will vary based on the environment of which they’ve come, though their natural resistance to the element of which they serve helps to alleviate the need for specific clothing.

The eyes of these creatures often depend on the element that they represent, and often in areas with less or skewed lighting - such as the Volcanic Isles—the pupils of the fire Fae have slimmed into reptilian or cat-like shapes. Similarly, those in frigid and bright climates—such as the Glaciers to the North—have dilated eyes that help adjust to the constant white light.

The Faenari often have sigils and markings painted or inked onto their bodies, typically denoting status; any given leader of a clan will be well-marked on the face in most cases, with sigils and painted lines across the bridge of the nose and forehead; though this varies clan to clan.

A depiction of a fire-based Faenari, with wings and horns. Jewelry and face markings denote status.

Abilities & Behaviors

The Faenari are very adept magic wielders, much like their Elven cousins; however, they are only able to wield the magic of their element due to generations of focus on said element. This is to say, a Fire Fae cannot wield ice, and vice versa. Similarly, they are resistant to the element of which they wield; not immune, but able to withstand certain temperatures or environments for longer than the average individual.

The behavior of a Faenari varies greatly depending on the level of isolation that the Fae has been raised in. Many clans have taken up protecting forests near other nations, and thus are known to trade— but these creatures are a trickster race, so infamy has developed, too. Like the Elves, they are clever creatures, and to trust an Faenari is to put yourself in a healthy level of risk.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

• Adept in (specific) Elemental Magic
• Intelligent (clever, conniving)
• Resistant to (specific) element

Weaknesses

• Magic takes a toll; often madness
• Isolation makes it difficult to integrate into societies
• Untrustworthy; known as a Trickster race
• Difficulty building muscle; therefore hand-to-hand combat is a no-go in most cases

Culture & Beliefs

Due to the obsession and worship of their chosen elements, each specific Faenari has developed a religion around their region and element. This varies depending on the clan, but one thing is consistent: the land of which they’ve resided for generations is sacred, and thus are their stories. Their languages vary as well, though most can speak and read Common alongside Elven.

Traditions are a huge part of a Faenari’s life. Each clan celebrates specific holidays, regardless of element; such as equinoxes, eclipses, weddings, funerals, etcetera. Weddings among these clans are often rare, as they do not often leave the bounds of their clans to find suitors—making birthrates also far lower than the average species; but when a wedding does take place, it is a grand celebration—often with enormous bonfires and a week minimum of gift-giving and sacrifices to their chosen deities. Funerals, similarly, are held in this regard; often celebrations of life and that the passed individual has moved on to join the Element of worship; becoming the fire-wisps, water-sprites, or faeries in the forests that dot these magical landscapes alongside their ancestors.

Crop yields and animal harvesting are all attributed to their elemental deity, and are often marked with festivals and offerings in order to gain successful yields. Eclipses and equinoxes are celebrated throughout the night and event, with no rest until it has completed; feasts, dances, and prayers all part of this grand celebration.

Faenarian Societies

Most Fae live in established clans that date back generations, rarely straying from these societies. Typically there is a matriarch or patriarch that heads the clan with absolute authority, being seen as the harbinger of messages from their chosen elemental deity. In rarer cases, the Fae may be in isolation, or join up with an existing group that has moved onto its established sacred territory in order to add to its element’s influence- though this is very uncommon, as the Faenari guard their secrets and their elements very closely.

Legends from the Outside

Due to their allusive and trickster nature, there are very mixed reports and opinions about the Faenari from the outside world. In many societies, these creatures were worshipped as much as they were feared as Elemental Sprites, with shrines and offerings often left at the precipice of their forests. Most times, however, they were disliked and distrusted; seen as charismatic and charming but only for their own gain, always willing to manipulate others. Interactions between Faenari and other races has dwindled greatly over the years to this, so it is often rare when they merge—and therefore, the relationship is unpredictable at best… and deadly at worst.

Origin & History

Research suggests the first notable signs of these creatures bore from magic-focused Elven parents, both with an ingrained and generational obsession with a specific elemental power. As these groups became infatuated with both the research, practice, and protection of these specific elemental gifts, they became isolated—and over many long lifespans, evolution gave them differing traits similar to those elements they worshipped.

From these years of evolution, the Fae were born. The most notable difference between the Fae and their Elven counterparts are the distinct traits that align with their element - of which include fire, water (including ice), air, and earth. Depending on where the Fae was raised and how isolated the clan will determine the effect of the traits they are born with. All of these traits depend heavily on the isolation of the parent clan, and how far from normal society they were raised over their long lifespans.

Due to this isolation, a run-in with a Faenari is very unpredictable. Often they have developed their own societal standards and, while many are in tight-knit and private communities, some have completely branched off to live out their lifespans in total isolation—warping their minds and reactions to outsiders. This major weakness makes them both difficult to integrate into societies and dangerous to invite, as they are deeply rooted tricksters in their own right. Legends have developed over the many years about drunkards lured into the forests and returning with their minds broken and scattered, or babbling about horrors that have no record of existing. While these are only legends, they serve as a warning to most: never truly trust a Fae. However, it is not unheard of, as some Fae over the many years have been known to integrate with societies that settle on their Sacred lands, rather than move to immediate violence.

The history of the Faenari is mostly myth, but with the continued expansion and development of other societies, run-ins are becoming more commonplace. With their obsession to their element, the Faenari that have been accepted into varying societies often serve now as priests and priestesses to these chosen elements, attempting to integrate their religion and deities with that of the culture they’ve found themselves in.