Cryptids

Magicians often think of Humans and Spirits as two separate and  clearly distinct species. This is, upon closer inspection, false. The line between them, if there even is one, is often blurry at best. Lost are humans that have somehow *lost* their humanity and become spirit-like. Muses and avatars resemble humans to an astonishing degree and then there is also the field of necromancy, proving that humans *do* have some kind of immaterial, spirit-like soul that can stay behind after our physical death.

Often overlooked, however, is a group that fits into neither category clearly. They live as humans do, being born, giving birth and then dying, but have powers as Spirits do. These mystical races, Homines Crypticus as I will call them from here on out, or Cryptids for short, can be found all over the world in hidden communities or even living covertly amongst humanity. During my travels I have met a great many of them and in the following, I will detail as much of what I learned as I can.

## **Boggans****(playable)**

Some would say that Pixies are the most irritating being to eve curse this world. To everyone else it is clear that these people never had Boggans occupy their pantry.

Bogans are small creatures, as in small enough that you could hold one in your palm. You wouldn’t want to do that, though, since they are covered by nothing but copious amounts of body hair, moss and perhaps a hat if you are lucky.  What these creatures have in body hair, they lack in self awareness, decency and impulse control. If one is determined to have your potato chips, it will either have them or have a temper tantrum.

Boggans possess a strong herd-drive, causing them to live in large colonies of up to three hundred individuals. If a collonie reaches numbers greater than that, the Boggans abrasive nature will lead to infighting and sciseming into multiple smaller colonies.

A Boggan is seldom found alone. They often travel in groups of five or more individuals. In fact, their herd-drive prevents them from traveling in smaller groups and they would never willingly travel in numbers smaller than that.

If you however have the misfortune of finding a group of Boggans, it will likely be because they are raiding your kitchen, stealing your money or digging around your closet for hat-materials. Do not let them escape! They are like ants, once they tell the hive about a lucrative hiding spot, you’ll be swarmed. Beware, though, of their pointy teeth and knives. They won’t hesitate to use them.

Like their bodies, their magic is weak. Their small statue and physical weakness makes them prime prey for many carnivores, so their magic has adapted to help them cope. They can teleport over short distances , up to a meter, and become invisible as long as they don’t move.

Physically, these creatures are slightly faster than humans and about as strong and big as a rat. They have pointy teeth which they can use to attack things with, equivalent to multiple bee stings on the same spot minus the swelling.

Since Boggans are creatures of instinct and feralitys, elements of civilization will oppose them. This is one of the few cases where technology is an effective binding element. For like bindings, instead use representations of ‘lower’ humanity and our past before society.

[If you choose to play a Boggan, you must bring along four NPC boggans into every RP. These bogans can be easily killed, as can you once you have lost them. Consider them cannon fodder you can throw in the way of your stronger opponents. Due to the Boggans herding instinct, these NPCs will under no circumstances split up I.e. move willingly away from the rest]

## **Dwarfs(playable)**

Originating in the german Erzgebirge and still largely found in that general region, the dwarfs are a race of  short and short lived creatures, often seeming grim in expression and mood. Their skin is unnaturally pale, bordering on translucent, their eyes pale and entirely unadapted to sunlight, necessitating thick sunglasses whenever they are on the surface.

They are a little slower than the average human but can haul significantly more weight. Their physical strength is about equal.

Dwarfs are reclusive and silent folks, not ones to socialise often, making it difficult to get to know more about their culture. The few Magicians that have been let into their mountain hall report of splendorous grand halls, finely carved apartments and great forges where the banging of hammers never ceases. Also, they seem to live off of gardens of flesh, where pulsating fruit hang on seiny vines from the caverns ceiling and long fleshy growths sprout from the ground.

Little is known about their government except for the fact that there is a High King they all pay obedience to. It seems almost all dwarves have orders from this mysterious king, and there seems to be no dwarf without some specific obligation towards that king which they are entirely devoted to. In that regard, they operate much like an ant hive, in which each individual holds the needs of the group over their own.

Dwarfs have a tendency to view everything in a very objective way, making abstract though difficult. Instead they approach everything with a cold logical way of thinking. This, curiously, has led them to not possess any system of moral values. For instance, murder or any other kind of unlawful violence would never even cross the common dwarves minde. However, if they come into a situaion where murder seems the most logical option, they will murder without hesitation. Morality is of no use in this case either, since all Dwarfs would agree that it was the most logical path of action, thus necessitating no moral judgement.

Another example is that of a man wanting another man's possessions and killing them over it. Such a thing would never happen in dwarf society, since you wouldn't want someone else's possession unless you honestly and objectively thought you would need it more urgently than them. In such a case, you would explain the circumstances, after which they would either agree that you need it more urgently and give it to you of their own accord or explain to you why your evaluation was faulty, upon which you would agree and search for a similar item somewhere else.

Today, they still largely remain within their ancestral homes in and around the Erzgebirge, but some adventurously minded folks have struck out and founded new homes under magical cities like Wisteria. These undercities can become vast complexes of bustling markets, luxurious residences and abandoned halls attracting shadier types of spirits.

Their magic focuses largely on their craftsdwarfship, which is of the highest quality. Whenever they create something, it will be infused with a purpose for which it is then supernaturally adapted. Materials seem to grow in quality as the dwarf does its work, turning crude metal into shining steel and cut glass into fine gems. A blade forged by a Dwarf would, for instance, be forever sharp or cut deeper than it should. A mug holds unusually much  liquid or a pipe that keeps the tobacco indefinitely gleaming. Unlike a human artefact, these objects can never lose their magical effects.

The more valuable the materials with which the Dwarf begins its work, the stronger its effect. To this end, dwarves have a sixth sense enabling them to feel how suitable any material will be for a given product and sense the best materials nearby.

They can however not do anything they desire with that ability. They are limited to whan a normal human could make with their hands and simple tools. The effects are nothing but a stronger version of what a mundane equivalent could accomplish.

Binding a Dwarf, as creatures of the material and underground, requires elements of abstraction and, perhaps more importantly, surface and sky for *unlike* bindings. Depictions of the sky and surface that most dwarves left behind so long ago, especially as abstract representations, work most effectively. *Like* bindings entail material representations of earth and soil and craftsmanship.

When bartering with a dwarf, keep in mind their materialistic mindset. They care about nothing but objective value since they are incapable of abstract thought. They do not, for instance, understand how money could have value when it is nothing but paper and ink, two very common things.  So, if you want a Dwarf to do something, he will want to be compensated with something of equal or greater value than what they would have to expend in the process.

[If you choose to play a dwarf, be aware that the High King is in fact a Hellborn which has enslaved the race thousands of years ago in exchange for the flesh gardens that ensured their survival. Each dwarf has an obligation to him that he must fulfill. Staff will work with you on your Dwarfs obligation once you have submitted them. You will be physically incapable of taking any action that would counteract your obligation or reveal the truth about the High King. This is ensured by the ancient contract]

## **Faerie****(playable)**

A long-lived species originating from the British Isles that has since piggybacked on Britain's colonial expansion and spread over the entire world. As enduring as their physical form is, their psyche is fickle, making them the subject of frequent and extreme mood-swings.

After their centuries of life, their default mood seems to have become boredom and they will do everything to alleviate it. Faerie culture is like an elaborate Play, where every member tries to top everyone else in their dramatic or comedic performance. Whatever a Fairy does, they will do it to an extreme bordering on the ridiculous. The same goes for their emotional states. If you promise a Faerie some ice cream and break that promise later on, they will treat it not as a mild inconvenience but as the gravest of betrayals. This is only partially showmanship, though. They can and will go through with each of their threats. Retaliation will be as creative and over the top as everything else they do.

Their unique psyche and seeming immortality are not their only features, though. Faerie have extended their acting skills to the extent of it being magic, causing reality to bend around their plays. If a Faerie pretends to be a skilled swordsman, they will be. If they pick up a stick and pretend it were a ten feet sword, it will be so. If they want it to be a Rapier of equivalent length, it will turn into one.  These creations of Glamour, as their magic is called, can even out-perform any real equivalents. A ten foot rapier will bend and swing without breaking under its material stresses, for instance.

This effect can extend to their surroundings, others present and even to fundamental aspects such as time and space. A Faerie is at its most dangerous when it has time to glamour itself and its surroundings up.

Keep in mind, though, that these changes are not real. Yes, the sword will cut you, but it is at its core still a stick. To break the illusion, it has to be confronted and questioned. Call out the flaws in the illusion, the impracticality of such a weapon and it will break. The difficult part is realising what is glamour and what not.

Some connection between Faerie and Pixies seems plausible considering their similar powers and outlooks, though the Pixie is far more playful than the average Faerie and would never seriously harm anyone.

Both represent elements of perfection, subliminity, and metaphysical *polish*. As such, they can be opposed or bound by unlike elements involving crudeness and filth - in this way, they are diametrically opposed to goblins. A rusty pipe is likely to be a more effective weapon against a faerie than a masterwork sword.

Today, they can often be found in big cities, living in hidden communes from whence they venture into the surrounding area to spark conflict, follow people like they were reality TV and in general make things more “Interesting” for themselves. Back home, they often have a theme going on. Something like “court intrigue”, “mad tea party” or “Cowboys and Indians” which they play out until they get bored and think of a new one.

To deal with a Faerie, one has to be interesting or at least promise entertainment in the future.  If one has managed to achieve that, they have to also be careful. The cunning of a Fairy in twisting words and finding loopholes rivals that of a hellborn. Be specific in your wording, double check everything you intend on saying before you utter it. They had centuries to practice this craft and will likely out-think you if you are not prepared.

For that reason, you should only deal with a Faerie if you are sure they will agree to your request beforehand. To that end, keep in mind that their main motivations are entertainment and continued survival. Whatever you want of them, it will have to either result in chaos or drama, be risky enough for the Faerie to find it stimulating while also have enough of a chance of success that they can be reasonably certain of their survival and/or offer a reward that is new and interesting to them, which will be difficult considering they had centuries to observe everything humanity has come up with.

In conclusion, avoid dealing with Faerie if possible, and if you absolutely have to, be paranoid about it. Few things are more entertaining than a sudden twist of betrayal. Few things as dramatic as the death of a loved one in your arms. Few things as rare as the opportunity to cleanly pluck a man to pieces while he can feel it and then putting him back together the wrong way around.

## **Trolls(playable)**

Trolls are a half-subterraneous people, preferring to live underground and work above. Their skin is grey, thick and  dotted with knots similar in size and texture to small rocks. They have  extremely long arms and legs compared to their torso and are two meters tall on average. Their noses are potato-like, their eyes bright primary colours and they have two tusks extending upwards from their lower jaw.

Their long arms and big muscles, as well as their size make them not only faster, with an average walking speed of 9Km/h or 2.5m/s but also make the average individual about as strong as a well-trained human.

Troll communities can often be found in the most extreme of places, such as the highest mountains, the poles or the middle of the Sahara. Their diet is supplemented by rocks, snow or other features of their surroundings, which will then reflect itself in their skin. If a Troll were to eat exclusively marble alongside it’s normal diet, its skin would reflect that. A Troll eating snow and ice, their skin would resemble that. In cities, one can even find examples of glass-skinned trolls.

This is only the most outward expression of a Trolls adaptability. There will be many more subtle changes in a trolls physiology after he inhabits a place for a while. A subterranean troll would grow shorter and their eyes adapt to the low light. A desert Troll would grow taller and thinner, allowing their body to give off more heat.

This readiness to adapt also affects their mind in such a way, that they will effortlessly fit into most new circumstances or social circles. After a few days in an office, they will have observed and learned the most crucial behaviour patterns and try to imitate them as best as possible. After a week, they will have integrated themselves seamlessly. On the flipside of things, this readiness to accept their circumstances negates almost all curiosity. They will unquestioningly accept and adapt to all their surroundings if given enough time. Seemingly this adaptability reaches to their deepest part of self, as after a few months a Troll will not show any signs of their previous personality, values or behavioral quirks.

Due to their extreme adaptability, Trolls can be found all over the globe, making it increasingly harder for Wizards to keep them secret. There have been multiple occasions of Troll sightings by mundanes which magical agents since managed to turn into widely mocked folk tales such as the Yetie or Chupacabra.

Where trolls represent adaptability, they can be opposed by elements of tradition and permanence. Older materials will work better than newer materials for this purpose, as will symbols with older (or even *ancient*) meaning. For like bindings, adaptable or ever-changing materials in motion are effective, such as a circle of running water.

[Players can submit new adaptations after having at least two RPs establishing their change in surrounding.]

## **Wendigos(playable)**

A Wendigo is a creature half animal half man. Their bodies are long and nimble, able to stalk the woods and frighteningly adapt at navigating modern cities. They live off whatever they can get but prefer human flesh above all else. During the winter, their hunting behaviour becomes more pronounced and they will more aggressively target populations of humans.

Believed to originate from the cold canadian forests, they have long since spread over the whole of north america. Their culture is fairly simple. They live in small, mobile communities of hunter gatherers always on the search for new hunting grounds once the current ones become too dangerous. Their young get raised by the whole community. Scarily, the way they teach them hunting is astonishingly similar to how tribal human cultures do. The renowned explorer and traveler sir Archibald Woodmorn claims to have lived among one of these tribes for a winter. His claims are supported by the fact that later researchers have found evidence corresponding with what he told. Wendigos are a matriarchal society, in which the males serve to protect and feed the tribe while the females stay home, raise the children, plan the tribes further journey and make sure their religious rites are observed.

Though wendigos do not wear traditional clothing as such, they have been observed wearing ornamental pieces of cloth, finely carved bone and  hair. When setting up camp, they sleep in tents of tanned hide furnished with the bare essentials, all easily packed up and transportable.

Though their own language is fairly simplistic, with less than five-hundred words, they are capable of speaking and understanding human languages. The process of teaching them is, however, difficult and their vocal cords are not entirely suited to it.

A wendigos magic expresses itself in its supernatural movement. They can move within the blink of an eye, quickly encircling unsuspecting victims. They are also supernaturally hardy, capable of crawling away and recovering from almost anything that doesn’t instantly kill them to only come back later for revenge. This combined with their extremely quick movement makes it almost impossible to exterminate a pack haunting a city.

During the winter, this too becomes more pronounced. Their pale skin is uncannily adept at melting into any snow and their quick bursts of movement become indistinguishable from the dance and whirl of snowflakes.

Wendigo, much like boggans, represent ferality and inhumanity - however, where boggans are thieves, wendigos are instead *hunters*. Opposing a wendigo is much the same as opposing a boggan, requiring elements of society and humanity. Like bindings may include elements of the wendigo’s man-eating nature, or of the cold environments they prefer to hunt in.

A wendigo can be bartered with and even reliable pacts can be formed, as sir Mornwood has proven when he gained a tribe's trust through gifts and managed to integrate himself into their society. Nowadays, many have picked up rudimentary English from their stays within cities, so communication can go beyond the sharing of gifts (Often useful tools or, if one is especially amoral, human flesh) and simple gestures. Bound by the same rules as all spirits, a Wendigo is forced to obey a pact once made, but even so they have a feeling of honour and would likely stay by their word no matter what. Keep in mind that they aren't very good with words, so you won’t have to worry about any loopholes or double crossings after the deal is struck. A hungry wendigo will likely agree to almost anything for a slab of human meat, and wendigos are almost constantly hungry.

[A wendigo is about as strong as an extraordinarily trained human.  It’s speed is the same as a human on average, but it can sprint up to 5 meter in a single second for up to three times during an RP. In winter, that increases to five times.]

## **Maoa(playable)**

The Maoa are a curious race of what look to be moth-human hybrids, their bodies are composed of both human and moth features, they  retain the height and general proportions of a human and the rest are mostly moths. Their bones are hollow to allow for flight and they have a lifespan of around 25 years. They maintained a mostly human diet throughout the years. They are independent creatures and generally keep to themselves. Their intelligence is human level but they have horrible long term memory, not being able to remember even vaguely unimportant things from even a year ago.

It is thought they evolved from a tribe of magicians who ventured to an island off the west coast of  America. Their history is frankly well documented due to their maintained intelligence but if you were to ask any of them about it, they would have no idea. Here is an excerpt from a note which was preserved by the Maoa, it’s written in English despite the fact they didn’t speak English when they were first found.  Now they have integrated into magic society, although they are *extremely* rare.

**EXCERPT BEGINS**

I write this as my bones shift and my mind degrades. I am turning into something else, would you believe it my dear if I said this was by choice? We should have never come to this  island.

It all started about a day or two before our first voyage towards the isle of sparkling lights. The captain of the ship seemed trustworthy, although dealing with him was a pain. He kept asking about the nature of our voyage, we kept it vague, although his smile was unnerving. We should have turned around there, needless to say we didn’t. We discovered the island through our practice, a branch of elementalism focussed on the moon and stars, a few weeks ago we noticed it, the island which shimmered in the moonlight impossibly. It wasn’t on any maps and it seemed to be luring us in, like a call from the stars themselves.

We found our captain in the backstreets of the town we were staying in. Magicians have to keep to the backstreets nowadays, the non magic folk are far too paranoid and aggressive for us to practice out in the open. He was the only one that would take us, none of the other captains even knew what island we were talking about. Looking back I notice he was wrong, in small but noticeable ways, his teeth were slightly too big, his joints bent at a slightly off angle. Of course we didn’t notice in our rush to see what discoveries awaited on this island.

Our first voyage went without a hitch, the island was bountiful and perfect for settling. The spirits were kind and it was quite frankly paradise. We came home with the news of this heaven on earth. The island was not small either, it had enough space to build a small settlement on. The next time we voyaged to the island it was with supplies and a few other magician families. It was night by the time we arrived and the island looked even more beautiful in the night sky. It shimmered and glowed, we were all excited to start our new lives there. We had stocked some fire jinn for warmth and we were well equipped for the dangers of the wild, but how could we have ever prepared for what came next?  It was fine at first, but some things weren’t adding up, missing supplies, the fire jinn were frightened.

The first true sign something was wrong was when we found the festering corpse of a hare, and not the animal kind. Poor little Timmy got sick at the sight, I can see him now slouched over in the undergrowth shifting into something distinctly not Timmy. That spooked us but it could have just been a stray hellhound or other creature of the night. Nothing to worry about right?  The next day went off without a hitch, we got basic shelter set up and we just enjoyed the island. That night, tonight, was when it went wrong. So very wrong. Bartholomew the fool went to scout out the rest of the island during the day, we told him not to, but that boy is too curious for his own good. By the middle of the night he had not returned and we were getting worried. We all went looking across the island, me with my beautiful wife and child.

What we stumbled upon was just as horrid as any hellborn, the island obviously pulled us in because we were all at the same spot by the end of the search. A large circular bit of land painted in blood, Bartholomew in the centre spewing it from all of his orifices. A man stood up from behind him. Perfectly clean despite all the blood, he had a crazed look in his eyes, and reality seemed to accommodate to his very whim. He killed Barthomew in front of us and in that very moment, the island haven we had intruded on shifted to a hostile unforgiving dark forest, it expanded out until we were no longer able to see an end. He hunted us for sport for days and whenever someone was closed to dying he would move on to the next. He did this for months on end, keeping us just alive to keep on doing it. But recently he had grown bored, at first this was a good thing, we weren’t being chased as much and we got some time to recuperate. That was until a lone spirit wandered onto the island, the spirit of moths. He split it’s very essence among us survivors and now we are changing into something else, something not human, no doubt to be hunted again. I just hope to see my wife once more.

**EXCERPT ENDS**

Maoa are innately magical and come with magic pertaining to the moon and light in general. At night they gain the ability to become completely invisible for periods of time (Up to 5 minutes, with 5 minute cooldown) they also have the ability to absorb the light in an area, creating an area of pure darkness around them at will. (20m around them becomes completely dark, they can see through it. It comes with a 3 turn cooldown) and their final ability is being able to emit a very very bright pulse from their wings (Equivalent to about half a flashbang, 5 turn cooldown)

[Moao are generally the same strength and speed as humans except for the fact that they can fly at up to 60mph, however their bones are weak and can break very easily. Their wings are also quite easy to tear]