Hey again! It's time for our final episode of the species
of Saorsa, so who do we get to meet this week? First off, the Nogitsune! These foxlike creatures
are magical in nature and require a steady diet of aetheric energy to survive.
Where this becomes a problem is that these Nogitsune aren't able to digest just raw, straight up
aetheric energy, so instead they require that it be processed first by other creatures,
such as how carnivores require a herbivore to process the nutrients in grass by converting
it into meat, or how the herbivores can't process raw solar energy and must eat plants.
So what does that mean for our rather fluffy magical friends here? Well... it means they're
basically vampiric in nature. The Nogitsune siphon off energy directly from another individual's
soul, feeding directly from this ready-made source of soul energy which they themselves,
as spirits, are incapable of producing on their own.
To make matters more complex for the Nogitsune, the efficiency of transferrance is directly
proportional to the bond between the two. You know that thing that's said about two
lovers become one shared soul? Well... yeah, that's actually a bit more accurate to reality in
Saorsa than you might think. Were a Nogitsune to attempt to feed off an
unwilling participant, the energy drained would be exceptionally low in nutritional
value, as well as highly inefficient in transferrence. Essentially, it'd taste awful, wouldn't be
very filling, and deal great harm to whoever she's feeding off of. All around a pretty
bad deal for everyone involved. So... with this in mind, the Nogitsune have
developed a variety of adaptations to allow their survival. One of the most basic of these
is exceptionally powerful, innate illusionary magics, as well as limited shapeshifting capability.
Occasionally you'll hear the tale of someone who found out their wife of forty years turned
out to be a Nogitsune, and never had they once suspected such.
Which leads us directly into Nogitsune culture - the vast majority of the time, Nogitsune
tend to avoid one another. There's no real advantage to being close with another of their
kind. Not only can they not feed upon each other, they also can't breed with one another,
and even being near each other increases the risk of detection... and that's BAD, given
how their vampiric nature is typically resented by most everyone else.
So what kind of a culture do these fox-women have? In particular, they adapt and assimilate
into other cultures with incredible speed and ease, slipping into whatever role happens
to be available to them with great enthusiasm. In fact, the Nogitsune relish and savour other
cultures with such intensity that it's actually quite common for the most influential members
of a society to be Nogitsune, even, nay, especially members of their churches and faiths.
The Nogitsune are naturally attracted towards large congregations of people, despite the
inherent risks associated with such. Even just being present in a room of heated emotions,
of joy, of lust, of worship, it all produces an ambient energy flow which invigorates the
Nogitsune -- especially if the eyes of the masses all fall upon her.
From religious leaders to opera singers to housewives, the Nogitsune trend towards being
exceptionally devoted to whatever their food source enjoys most. No matter where they go,
there's no denying that these are, indeed, highly social animals.
The very breeding nature of the Nogitsune is special as well, in that they're incapable
of producing offspring with another of their kind. Nogitsune are all female, with there
being no males of their species whatsoever. So long as intense enough of an emotional
connection is maintained, the Nogitsune is able to siphon off enough soul energy to create
her offspring. This intense bond is typically created in the traditional method, and most
often Nogitsune will trend towards a single male lover in order to cultivate the intensity
of that bond and avoid any awkward questions, but there's no real limitation for their species
- they can breed with any creature, male or female or otherwise, so long as that creature
has a soul to feed upon in ample amount. Meaning the one species the Nogitsune can't breed
with, is their own kind. More than this, though rare, it's quite fully
possible for a Nogitsune to become pregnant from ingesting a heavy enough dose of soul
energy from an ambient source, such as a crowd of the most religiously devout, so long as
she's the central icon they're connected to. This has led to several odd virgin births,
as it were, upon a few different planets by Nogitsune who have, shall we say, eaten for
two. Or four. It's quite common for Nogitsune to have several children at a time, all of
which will be Nogitsune like she is, and all of which will be female.
Upon birth, the young Nogitsune kits will naturally be cloaked in an illusionary guise
to make them appear as whichever species' soul energy was used to grant them life in
the first place. This natural adaptation keeps others from inquiring of their young's origins,
and Nogitsune mothers tend to be highly possessive of their children, typically disallowing others
to so much as touch their young.
There are, however, some traits which are practically
universal among the Nogitsune and could be loosely conceived of as a
culture of sorts. For example, Nogitsune in general have a distaste for
revealing more information about themselves than need be provided. To a Nogitsune,
the purpose of language is to express a concept, to elicit emotional response,
or to convey meaning. Context is of little to no value outside of the
capacity to understand the intended message.
Due to this belief, Nogitsune are typically viewed as notorious pathological
liars. It's not uncommon for an individual Nogitsune to
spin tale after tale fraught with hyperbole and outright fabrication.
Her goal is not to provide accurate details, as those are of little importance
to the story, but to clearly express the meaning behind the story.
Ah, for example...
You planted that arboretum didn't you? From my windowsill
to the pantry, the lush growth is wondrous! True, it' s difficult to get at the flour now, and the stream which crosses through
the dining room does make it difficult to find room for the chairs,
but oh the scent and the colour! So vibrant!
This is one of the most tell-tale signs that one is speaking with a Nogitsune:
the overly dramatic exaggeration of nearly every statement made. In
the above example she makes it clear that she enjoys the flowers and she's
certain she knows who placed them upon her windowsill. She also cities
two scenarios where the vase has gotten in her way a little bit, but
that she's alright with such due to how nice they smell and look. Almost the entirety of everything to a word which has been said
is false, but each phrase is chosen to present a clear subtext of her thoughts on the matter.
The religion of the Nogitsune is also universal, a seemingly genetic memory
passed down from mother to daughter without need for communication in any traditional
sense. To each and all, The Lady, a vast and timeless entity which takes the shape of a
golden furred Nogitsune with one thousand tails, each stretching out to curl around
a different world, is ever present.
Such is it that each Nogitsune innately knows of this religious belief, and yet it doesn't
clash with any other beliefs they hold. Truly, a Nogitsune can blend seamlessly into the
religion of her surrounding culture with ease, and her knowledge of The Lady doesn't interfere,
but only amplifies what other religious belief she comes to hold.
For the physical capabilities of the Nogitsune,
these creatures are spirits, rather than being entirely corporeal in nature. Their physical
manifestation is that of a humanoid fox with several tails. Additional tails act as anchors
to reality for these spirits, allowing them to manifest more of their latent powers. Unlike
the other species of Saorsa, the bulk of the Nogitsunes' special talents are locked behind
the limitations of their tails, restricting their overall capabilities until they grow
beyond a certain range of power. Once a new tail has been earned, however, the Nogitsune
possesses a greater range of innate abilities she can tap into.
An example of this would be the Nogitsune
ball; a sliver of her spiritual essence siphoned off and kept separate from her own personal
being. She's able to control this bright white ball of energy with an outer field which corresponds
to the Nogitsune's current emotional state. While in control of the ball, she can use
it to channel spells through it though it were a spell focus, increase the range of
her spells, or to use it for ranged attacks as though she were physically touching the target herself.
Another innate form of Nogitsune power is that of her natural weapons. Her retractable
claws are made of an aetherically charged form of calcium which exists upon both in
the physical and astral planes at the same time. Similar to Dragons, Nogitsune are also
able to breathe fire, though shorter in range, the Nogitsune's foxfire is available for unlimited uses as she so desires.
Known in particular for their agile grace, the Nogitsune's very movements are best described
as being practically a dance, each step and motion carefully choreographed for flawless precision.
So exacting is the nature of this dance, that it can be used in combat to exceptional
effect, weaving through a sea of attacks with nary a scratch left upon her.
That the Nogitsune possess many tails is not
lost upon them, either, and they may well employ them as weapons of war, strapping a
blade to each and expanding their endless dance into the species-specific fighting style
known as The Thousand Blades, attacking enemies from many directions at once and then falling
back amidst a flurry of parries from their multitude of weapons. Relying upon elusive
maneuvers, illusion and misdirection all interwoven, it can prove quite difficult to land even
a single blow upon a grandmistress of the thousand blades.
Even unarmed, the Nogitsune are not without
defenses, their venomous bite which both sedates a target and vastly increases their sensitivity
to physical touch is commonly used. Though originally an adaptation meant for breeding and feeding purposes, in
combat, the bite of a Nogitsune can amplify pain well beyond the thresholds capable of
being felt by mortal creatures, allowing for even a slight graze of a blade to feel as
though it were a grave, mortal wound.
The final major ability of the Nogitsune we'll cover here today, though not the last in their repertoire,
is the capacity for the Nogitsune to re-anchor herself to the corporeal world
with her tails. When nearing the point where she would lose her grasp on reality and phase
out of existence, essentially the point when other creatures would die, she may instead
choose to sacrifice one of her tails, the physical form vanishing and leaving behind
only an ethereal gaseous incandescent glow in its wake. By doing so, she's able to reinforce
her position and withstand even greater physical punishment before being forced to retreat
back to the astral realm to heal. Doing so comes with a price, however -- by sacrificing
a tail in this manner, she's sacrificing a portion of her spiritual energy, and even
magical healing won't restore her lost tail. She must needs feed again before she can reinfuse
her spirit with the energy reserves needed to maintain her lost tail, and until that
time, any additional benefits she would have gained from having the extra tail or tails,
should she so choose to sacrifice several, these benefits are lost until the tail or
tails are restored to their corporeal state once more.
Overall, the Nogitsune work very well with
flame and illusion alike, and blend into nearly any crowd, soon becoming the voice of the
crowd itself. They strike intensely strong emotional bonds with others, and get along
exceptionally well with nearly any species -- other species, however, often consider
their vampiric tendencies to be a blight upon society, and frequently seek to drive out
the Nogitsune once discovered. As such, it's not uncommon for a Nogitsune to spend her
entire life hidden behind a mask that the world never see her true form. It's becomming
a bit more accepted in recent years, however, for Nogitsune to reveal their true form upon
Saorsa, though many still choose to hide behind their illusions.
And that leads us to our last, but not least species of Saorsa: The Polaris.
These immense arachnids dwarf even the rather
robust Ferax in sheer size. Though commonly described as quiet and introspective, few
would call them gentle giants after witnessing them on the hunt. Make no mistake, the Polaris
are predators through and through.
The most notable physical form of the Polaris is their large, spiderlike lower torso; somewhat
vaguely akin to what one might expect from a centaur, except arachnid in nature. Large,
jade talons tip each of their legs, allowing for crossing many different surfaces with
speed and intent. Though large, the Polaris are anything but lumbering oafs, able to climb
vertically as quickly as they can make a dash across open ground. Their swiftness is legendary,
as is their silence -- except for when they choose to sing.
Upon the backs of the upper torsos of the
Polaris, are a series of stalks which may be raised, each pairing providing a different,
echoed voice. Each Polaris is capable of presenting an entire choir by themselves. Ventriloquism
is a commonly learned skill among the Polaris, and often they can reflect and redirect their
many voices off of nearby trees, or other hard surfaces, confusing and herding prey
into a web spun in advance, and then the Polaris simply descends and wraps up their prey.
Now, only the primary voice of a given Polaris
differs from those around them; the uniformity of their additional stalk-voices are often
used for additional context, echoing statements and thoughts along the way. These primary
voices are soft, silken and travel only a short distance, nearly a whisper. Calming
and sultry in nature, most other species describe the voice of the Polaris, male or female,
as giving a siren a run for her money.
The additional stalk voices are able to reach different frequencies and ranges, allowing
for a broader range of where they can reach, and ampitheatres are common constructs within
Polaris villages. Normally the Polaris prefer to remain quiet, speaking in hushed
tones so as not to chase off prey, and to be able to better tend to their webs, awaiting
the familiar tremor of snared prey, but the passtime of singing is one which is commonly
shared by the Polaris, with the etherial sound drawing prey forwards, rather than chasing it off most oft.
Out of all the traits which stand out of the Polaris though, is their duality of nature:
hailing from the world of Dichoterra, this hefty moon is slung between two larger planets,
one possessing a powerful electromagnetic field, the other a potent mananetic field.
Dichoterra circles these two worlds in a figure-eight style orbit, changing back and forth from
one field to the next, and as such, the Polaris have adapted a dual-brain to compensate. One
half of the Polaris's mind wakes as the other sleeps, two individuals inhabiting a single
body, destined never to meet directly with one another.
At least, such was the case upon their homeworld.
Drawn to Saorsa, the Polaris find both minds able to wake at the same time and interact
with one another, which can lead to a great deal of confusion to those who find themselves
upon the rehabilitation planet. Of the many oddities this entails, one of
the most notable is that individual Polarians tend to have their two halves study similar
fields, yet prefer different specializations from one another.
Though the two inhabit the same body, it's
generally considered ill to speak to one's other half directly. Instead, the large, ornate
horns upon the Polaris' heads are often used to leave messages from one to their other
half. Rarely do the two speak directly to one another, usually opting to have one sleep
while the other wakes so as not to step on each other's toes in a rather literal manner
due to the risk of conflicting desires of which body part to move at each given time.
The electric half of the Polaris, typically
most oft dominating during the day, are known for their sharp analytical and logical reasoning,
rarely allowing their more base and primal instincts to take over. They're often to the
point, wasting words rarely, if ever, and tend to be surprisingly brief in general.
Their speech often sounds to be more like they're speaking a broken attempt at language,
as if the inherent translation upon Saorsa had broken down; in actuality, they simply
don't bother to include anything beyond the most absolutely needed information.
The night, or aetheric Polaris, the second
mind of each, is quite a different story, however. Impassioned reasoning and desire
tends to flow far more freely from the aetheric brain, as does magic itself. It's not entirely
uncommon for the two halves of a Polarian to hold wildly different views on many topics,
to have separate mates, or even train in entirely separate tasks. In fact, some Polaris hold
two distinctly different classes when it comes to combat, training in each separately, though
it's far more common to have similar tastes with differences in how to apply such, such
as pursuing the same class but different specializations.
A defensive-oriented Polarian, for example, will trend towards using physical or magical
defenses depending upon which mind is in charge at a given time, but the overall defensive
preference will oft be shared between the two halves of the whole.
The religion of the Polaris encapsulates the
differences and the intertwined fates of both halves -- the idea of all Polaris being viewed
as a pair of strands of silk braided together as one and used to weave the tapestry of reality known as the Kismet.
This religious belief is not without merit, more of a descriptor of what is known of fate,
rather than a prescriptive element as in many religions and myths. Indeed, the concept of
destiny itself is viewed as a vast sea of multidimensional fabric, with each individual
attached to the grand tapestry via a strand of fate.
As a whole, it's viewed that each individual
is responsible for each other; to harm another is to harm one's own self, each strand being
woven in such intricate patterns that it can be nigh-impossible to predict how one's actions
will affect the weaving of the tapestry, but that good actions tend to return back to oneself
in time sooner or later.
While there are competing views among the Polaris as to the specific nature of what
the Kismet is, or what actions are deemed to be "good", there is no direct deity which
oversees such, at least according to the views of the Polaris themselves. This isn't to state
that the Polaris deny the existence of deities as a class of very powerful being, but they
view these entities as simply being larger pictures woven into the tapestry and built
of the same strands of fate, thereby making even the greatest gods of other species' religions
to appear as no more special than mortals beyond the number of strands they possess.
Drawn to Saorsa, the vast bulk of the Polaris
are in agreement with the concept of possessing a personal sin, though often such is viewed
through the lens of the fabric of the Kismet. Such a failing is viewed as a miswoven strand
of the strands of fate, an error not of the fabric but of the weaver herself. To understand
the error is to reduce the liklihood of future errors being enacted, and so most walk the
Path to Redemption without reservation. Some do, however, question whether such is the
best method of learning to properly weave the grand tapestry, and many of these will
seek out their own attempts at solving their issues of self with varying degrees of success.
The physical capabilities of the Polaris are
as considerable as their overbaring stature. From immense speed and climbing capacity to
their jade-tipped legs being able to punch through even solid metal unarmed in many cases,
the combat capacity of the Polaris is far from anything to scoff at.
Given their non-standard shape, with two torsoes
and a distinctively non-humanoid frame, it's beneficial, then, that the Polaris are able
to spin their own silk into a woven fibrous armour which can provide considerable physical
protection while providing a full range of motion for their flexible bodies as well.
That the Polaris already possess the chitinous plating of an exoskeleton in addition to such
only furthers their defensive capabilities.
With the Polaris being so much greater in scale than many other species, and possessing
a rear torso, it's quite common for the Polaris to allow a smaller member of their hunting
party to ride upon their back. Given that the Polaris tend to think of the world in
three dimensions, including the vertical, when it comes to mobility, this may lead to
the rider feeling perhaps a bit disoriented at the frequent and sudden shifts of elevation
and direction chosen.
The most interesting of abilities that the Polaris possess, however, are of their two
halves made whole, allowing for either half to pick a different specialization or prestige
class if so desired, as has been mentioned.
As the last of the species of Saorsa, the Polaris are quick, strong, and yet highly
adaptive. Quiet and blunt, they may not speak often, yet when they do, there's often a great
deal of thought which has been boiled down to a few, short words for maximum effect.
And with that, we've covered the last of the
playable core species of Saorsa! There are a few others which won't show up in the base
game, such as those reserved for expansion content due to being too similar to the core
species, such as the Kitsune, or those who aren't a playable species by default, such
as the Aeserians, due to their nature in relation to running Saorsa. Still, those will be spoken
of at another time, some point later on in the future.
For now, we're done here so I'm out. I'll see you next time!
For those curious, yes, the Nogitsune are based loosely upon Kitsune mythology.
Along with quite a few other mytho-based creatures in Saorsa, the idea is that the "real" version is slightly different from the retold mythical versions.
But in every good myth, there's a grain of salt.
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