A Faerie a Day in November

I've decided to stat up a faerie a day for the month of November, starting with A and ending with Z and then doing four more that strike my fancy. While not official my any means, I'll be using Realms of Power: Faerie, which coincidentally just became available digitally (e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=AG0290PDF).

I'll put the faeries in my blog, metropollywog.wordpress.com/, but for a little while will also post them here (if that is all right with the powers that be). I won't include the illustration, however.

It's an exercise in commitment more than creativity, but I hope the latter strengthens as a result.

. . . and as a (plain text) sampler . . .


A is for antelope, six legs it’s true,
That runs through the tundra, exhausting you.

[size=150]Six-Legged Antelope[/size]

Faerie Might: 5 (Animal)
Characteristics: Int —1, Per +2, Pre +1, Com —3, Str +1, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +2
Size: —1
Virtues & Flaws: Negative Reaction; 2 x Ritual Power; Faerie Beast, Faerie Speech, Lesser Power; Incognizant, Traditional Ward (purple sage, an uncommon steppe plant)
Personality Traits: Persistent +3
Combat:
Antlers: Init +3, Atk +9, Dfn +5, Dam +3
Soak: +2
Wound Penalties: —1 (1—4), —3 (5—8), —5 (9—12), Incapacitated (13— 16), Dead (17+)
Pretenses: Athletics 5 (running), Brawl 3 (antlers)
Powers:
The Hunter’s Lust, 4 points, Init —12, Mentem: The targeted individual develops a deep and immediate desire to hunt, kill, and display portions of the antelope as trophies. The effect lasts until the hunter wounds the beast (draws blood).
(CrMe base 4, +3 Sight, +4 Until (Condition))
Compassion of the Hunter, 3 points, Init —6 Form: The targeted individual feels great remorse and pity for wounding the antelope, a feeling which overpowers his desire to slay the beast.
(CrMe base 4, +2 Touch, +2 Sun)
Equipment: None
Vis: 1 pawn of Animal vis located in an antler
Appearance: The six-legged antelope is a small herbivore, similar to several variety of steppe antelope and reindeer that live on Novgorod Tribunal’s Great Steppe. Unlike mundane antelopes, the six-legged antelope has an additional pair of hind legs.

The six-legged antelope likes to affix a prospective hunter with its The Hunter’s Lust power, then draw the hunter after it as it runs deep into the Siberian steppe. The faerie can run all day without tiring, which most hunters cannot manage. It plays with its pursuer, slowing down as he tires then continuing to retreat when he regains his breath. The faerie is not malicious and feeds on the hunter’s desire rather than his death. Unfortunately, the faerie is not that smart and does not realize that most hunter’s die in the pursuit.
If caught, the faerie tries to quell the hunter’s passion with its Compassion of the Hunter power. This is not always successful. A six-legged antelope can be found in the southern Novgorod, northern Thebes, and eastern Transylvania Tribunals.

Really looking forward to this Matt! Perhaps I should do a Saint a day as well? :slight_smile: That could be fun!

cj x

You should!

Matt was in my thread before, so now it's payback time! 8)

Thirty Objects of Desire - a story seed / story arc /almost statless thing I'm doing over on my blog. Check it from November 1!

CJ. a saint a day would be fantastic!
Timothy, your hands are always welcome in my threads! (There is a bad joke in there, somewhere.)
I think Ben McFarland is also planning a contribution a day throughout November.

Matt

I wouldn't mind seeing a Banshee done. I don't think there are stats for that in the Faerie book.

ML

Right, I have just signed up for wordpress
Magioftom.wordpress.com has been registered, and I've made an introductory post!

(I suppose registering, learning how to use wordpress, etc. should have been done with more than one day to go before November started. Oh well, I'm sure I'll pick some of it up as I go along. Why are there no suitably medieval themes on wordpress?)

The Bean-Si will have to wait. I've picked a lesser known "B" creature.
Anway, here go: metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011 ... phisbaena/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouros

From Castillian version:

Tranlating...

I remmeber that it's the same about irish witches and faeries.

November 2 is Borametz day.

metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011 ... -borametz/

B is for Borametz, the vegetable-sheep,
While its easy to catch, its not easy to eat.

[size=150]Borametz[/size]

Faerie Might: 10 (Herbam)
Characteristics: Int +1, Per —2, Pre +2, Com +3, Str —1, Sta +3, Dex —2, Qik —2
Size: 0
Virtues & Flaws: Positive Folktales; Ritual Power; Faerie Speech, Highly Cognizant, Hybrid Form, 5 x Improved Soak, Lesser Power; Greedy; Traditional Ward (iron gardening tools)
Personality Traits: Hungry +3, Manipulative +3
Combat:
Dodge: Init +1, Atk n/a, Dfn +1, Dam n/a
Soak: +13
Wound Penalties: —1 (1—5), —3 (6—10), —5 (11—15), Incapacitated (16— 20), Dead (21+)
Pretenses: Awareness 3 (wolves), Brawl 2 (dodge), Charm 4 (herbalists), Survival 1 (steppes)
Powers:
The Bleating Signal Beseeching Succor, 2 points, Init —3, Imaginem: This power creates a plaintive wail that can be heard by anyone within Range: Sight of the Borametz. This loud lament can sometimes scare off threatening wolves, the Barometz’s main predator.
(CrIm base 1, +1 Concentration, +4 Sight)
Produce the Fertile Fruit, 5 points, Init —13, Vim: Using the power the Borametz can produce a single pawn of Vim vis in on of its purple fruits. Using this power drains 5 points of might, which slowly refreshes after a period of a month.
(Special, no Hermetic equivalent)
Vis: 2 pawns of Herbam vis in the Borametz’s two largest roots.
Appearance: The Borametz is a waist-high hedge shaped like a sheep. Long sinewy tendrils connect the creature hairy hooves to its roots. These tendrils contract into the Borometz as the faerie moves closer to its roots, and stretch out from the faerie as it moves away from its roots.

The Borametz is a hybrid creature found on the Great Steppe, east of the Transylvania Tribunal and south of the Novgorod Tribunal.. Known in learned society as the “vegetable Lamb of Tartary”, the Borametz grows from four or five roots into the shape of a sheep. Its leafy hedge is golden hued and purple fruit grows from its lower branches. Breaking the fruit’s thick outer covering yields soft, inner flesh that tastes like cooked mutton. If wounded, the Borametz bleeds red blood.

The Borametz has limited mobility, allowing it to graze in a circle. As it matures its roots lengthen, allowing a wider circle of grazing. Once it has reach its adult size, however, and eaten all the available grass in its grazing range, it will starve and die. If well feed after it has matured, the Borametz will produce a pawn of faerie-tainted Herbam vis a month.

The Borametz wants to eat. It knows that it will eventually overgraze its limited pasture, yet cannot stop itself from constantly feeding. It also knows that with enough vitality it can change its role, perhaps becoming a fully mobile vegetable lamb. To do so, it tries to convince explorers to replant it, moving it to their compound (covenant) and supplying it with food. It tries it

Story Seed: Russian wolf hunters return with fantastic tales of the vegetable lamb, saying that they know where several of the creatures live. For a fee they will certainly show the magi the locations. However, once on the trail the hunters decide to rob the magi, if they can, and leave them abandoned on the Great Steppe. Left alone, the magi must find the Borametz on their own, hopefully following wolf packs and listening for the Borametz’s lament.

November 3rd: the Catoblepas. metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011 ... atoblepas/

C is for Catoblepas, who does not like to romp,
Its death-gaze keeps visitors out of its swamp.

[size=150]Catoblepas[/size]

Faerie Might: 30 (Animal)
Characteristics: Int —1, Per +3, Pre —5, Com —1, Str +6, Sta +3, Dex +1, Qik —3
Size: +2
Virtues & Flaws: Monstrous Appearance; 2 x Greater Power, Huge; Faerie Beast, Improved Powers, Tough; Wrathful; Incognizant, 2 x Poor Presence, Traditional Ward (religious symbols)
Personality Traits: Wrathful +6, Protective +3
Combat:
Hooves: Init —1, Atk +9, Dfn +7, Dam +7
Tusks: Init —3, Atk +12, Dfn +6, Dam +11
Soak: +6
Wound Penalties: —1 (1—7), —3 (8—14), — 5 (15—21), Incapacitated (22— 28), Dead (29+)
Pretenses: Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 6 (intruders), Brawl 6 (tusks), Penetration 1 (Corpus), Survival 4 (swamps), Stealth 5 (hiding), Swim 1 (sluggish waters)
Powers:
The Gorgon’s Gaze, 0 points, Constant, Corpus: The Catoblepas’ gaze kills those who look it in the eye.
(PeCo base 30, +1 Eye, +2 Sun, +1 Constant Power)
Its Poisonous Breath, 3 points, Init —6, Corpus: The Catoblepas’ breath inflicts an Incapacitating Wound. The Catoblepas must target an individual and the breathe is potent to Range: Voice. Wind and weather conditions can reduce the range to Touch.
(PeCo base 20, +2 Voice)
Vis: 6 pawns of Animal vis in six neck vertebrae.
Appearance: Take a warthog head, one that has been kicked around by the local footballers, attach it to a long, sickly-pink, fleshy neck, then afix the neck to the body of a big, black buffalo and you have the Catoblepas. Topped with a dark mane and beady red eyes, the Catoblepas is horrifically ugly, a misshapen, shambling beast that smells as bad as it looks.

The Catoblepas is a fearsome faerie originally from Ethiopia. The original Catoblepas lived in the swamps near the source of the Nile River, protecting the area from explorers. Other faerie Catoblepases can be found protecting other famous natural areas, usually the origin point of an important river.. Supposedly there is a Catoblepas guarding the source of the Danube River, the source of the River Shannon, and the source of the Seine.

While dim and incognizant, the faerie knows that it is powerful and that its breath and glance can kill. It purposefully leaves slain victims along access routes to the area it is protecting. This is both to warn and lure new victims. The Catoblepas gains vitality from the fear it engenders in those seeking the protected site; leaving victims as route indicators heightens the anxiety of new explorers. It prefers to surprise a group of people, kill one or two as a display of power, and then bask in the terror generated by the victims’ fleeing companions.

Unlike other faeries, even those in bestial form, the Catoblepas cannot talk. It has no interest in parleying with visitors. It’s sole role is to protect the source of the river and scare off those who would discover it.

Story Seed: A colleague writes the magi saying that he has captured a Catoblepas and needs help bringing it to his covenant. Will the magi travel to Ethiopia and help transport the faerie? It is perfectly safe, he writes, “I’ve covered the beast’s head in a burlap bag. Nothing could happen.”

D is for the Devour of the Dead
metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/176/

This one was more difficult. I decided to stat it up as a PC, and unlike NPC faeries I had to balance its Virtues and Flaws and have the correct number of Pretense points. This would make an interesting PC, I think.

These are great. I hope you can keep it up, Matt.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm in the middle of a 53-hour week and my energy is flagging, but I'm busy on today's entry (E is for Elf-Bull) and hopefully will have it up in the hour.

cheers,

E is for Elf-Bull.
metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011 ... -elf-bull/

The faerie is stated and on the blog, without its picture. I've drawn it but don't know if I'll get to a scanner in time to post it today, in which case I'll update the post Monday.
Now to pick tomorrow's F.

This one took a while. F is for Fomoraig: metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011 ... -fomoraig/

Honestly, I liked yesterday's better, but doing one day means they can't all be gems. This one was a little forced. A happy side-effect was discovering a copy of Atlas Games' Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary on my shelf, which inspired today's faerie. I went for simpler powers rather than the fantastic powers listed in the Fantasy Bestiary.

Having a hard time picking a G.
The choice so far is between the Galley-begger, a headless skeleton that toboggans down hills in Somerset and Suffolk, and Green Mist, a foggy faerie that heralds spring in Lincolnshire. Can't think of how to draw a mist, and I still haven't drawn the Fomoraig yet . . .

Neither Galley-begger nor Green Mist, but the Grim.
metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011 ... -for-grim/

Today is Harpy Day: metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011 ... r-harpies/

H is for Harpies, their stench and their screech,
Snatching the food and spoiling the feast.

[size=150]Harpies[/size]

Faerie Might: 15 (Auram)
Characteristics: Int 0, Per +2, Pre 0, Com —2, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +3
Size: —1
Virtues & Flaws: Negative Reaction; Greater Power; Faerie Sight, Faerie Speech, Highly Cognizant, Hybrid Form, Improved Damage (excrement-covered talons), 2 x Personal Power; Slow Might Recovery; Traditional Wards (salt)
Personality Traits: Fetid +3, Ravenous +2
Combat:
Claws: Init +2, Atk +9, Dfn +12, Dam +2 (+7)
Soak: +0
Wound Penalties: —1 (1—4), —3 (5—8), — 5 (9—12), Incapacitated (13— 16), Dead (17+)
Pretenses: Athletics 4 (flying fast), Brawl 5 (claws), Faerie Speech 5 (lies), Guile 3 (false fortunes), Leadership 2 (Harpies)
Powers:
Becoming the Thunderer’s Daughter, 1 point, Init —1, Auram: The Harpy can change into a cold blast of air, allowing it to enter any room that isn’t air-tight. It is also an sure-fire way to escape pursuers.
(Base 30, +1 Diam)

The Bold Announcement of Presence, 1 point, Init +2, Form: This power is similar to the Hermetic spell, Stench of the Twenty Corpses.
(Base 3, +2 Voice, +1 Diam)

Talons of the Winds, 1 point, Init +3, Form: As the Hermetic spell.
(Base 4, +2 Voice, +1 Diam, +1 Requisite)

Vis: Three pawns of Auram vis in their heart.
Appearance: Harpies are birds with women’s faces. Originally beautiful, they are now monstrous, with hag-like faces topped with wispy white hair. The size of a large eagle, their talons, legs, and bellies are covered in their own excrement and filth. When they speak, their shrill voices make listeners cringe.

The Harpies are a good example of faeries who change their role over time. Originally pagan storm goddesses, noted by Hesiod for their beautiful hair and graceful flight, the Harpies sought different ways to gain human vitality. Rather than simple, lesser wind deities, the Harpies changed into foul, horrific predators. Fear is a more delicious emotion than reverence, at least to these carrion-women-birds, and stories of their depredations grew.

Most people familiar with the legends see the Harpies as justifiable retribution. In early tales they acted under Zeus’ accord, and while the pagan religion is long past, echoes of it reverberate in some cultural concepts. People in the Thebes Tribunal think that anyone pestered by the Harpies deserves it. A lesser known aspect of the myth is that the Harpies are protected by the gods, and killing a Harpy is forbidden.

In practice, Harpies swoop down to a feast, scattered the terrified revelers, eat as much as they can gobble, and foul the rest with their excrement. So marked, the Harpies will return to the feasting hall regularly, repeating this pattern until they are removed or the place abandoned. They are persistent and dangerous, and in combat can join into Trained Groups of up to 4 members.

The Harpies are often confused with the Fates, another group of pagan faeries with avian features. To enhance this misconception, Harpies tend to group in threes, purposefully misrepresenting the Fates of the past, the present, and the future.

Story Seed: A powerful magic item is thought to be found in the ruins of an old covenant, and the young magi are charged with finding it. The covenant, renowned for its feasts and hospitality, still contains the Harpies that led to its downfall. Carefully scouring the records reveals that the covenant was plagued by Harpies, but that was many years ago.

I is for Ichthyocentaur: metropollywog.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/207/
No picture yet, and I might beg off for today. Long night with computer problems; I could use some more sleep.