Nymph

Race: Nymph
Rowan: Sara Ash

Lifespan: 100 years
Average height: Male [5ft 9in] Female [5ft 6in]
Average build: Slender and petite
Age Status: Youngling [0-16 years] Novice [16-18 years] Adult [18-100 years]

Elements: Level 2

• Dryad (Earth)
• Ayad (Air)
• Nyad (Water) Nereid (Fire)

Lifestyles: Level 5

• Groved Nymph
• Roving Nymph

Elite: Guardian of Balance

Region: Sequoia Village
Languages:

• Sylvan (Official)
• Greek (Common)
• English (Common)

Family Structure: Extended
Spousal Relationship: Blessing by the Rowan
Racial Enemies: None
Racial Weakness: Urban development
Natural Allies: Therians
Patron Aide: Nymphadora Makani

Note: Nymph law forbids violence.

History

Seven and a half thousand years ago, human and Zanaryan DNA were combined and, out of many such experiments, the Nymph were born. They were gifted with exceptional beauty and completely in tune with nature, quickly learning to control the elements. With the power to nurture or destroy at their fingertips, they developed a creed designed to keep the careful balance of nature and value pacifism above violence. Taught to defend themselves with the same nature they nurtured and protected, Nymphs became a gentle, peaceful race dedicated to caring for their elements, forbidden from committing violence at all.

Allure

Nymphs have a natural allure that can weave spells of distraction over the people they encounter. Their charm can lull others into doing their bidding, enough that with experience they can befriend most creatures and have a natural affinity with the Therian species. Nymphs are segregated by gender so severely that males and females are almost completely different races. Referred to collectively as Nymphs, their men are known as Fawns or 'pooka' (slang). Males also tend to be a tad more aggressive in their defense of nature but are still peaceful and effeminate.

Rites of Passage

At the age of 16, all Nymphs are sent into the wild alone in order to gain a complete understanding of the balance of nature and the elements. Prior to this rite of passage, they are taught all they can learn about the way things work and are fully prepared to survive alone in the wild. After two years, they return to civilization and are expected to spend time in the urban areas of Elysia for a year. It is at this point (OOC: level 1, age 18) that the Nymph becomes a true adult and gains full rights among their kin, beginning preparations for their elemental bonding. While their lifespan is as short as a human's, Nymphs are legal adults at the age of 16, though they are expected to spend two years in their sanctuary learning to live alone with nature in preparation for a life-style choice they must make when they're older.

Elements

When they reach a certain level of understanding (OOC: level 2), Nymphs perform a ritual that will allow them to bond to a specific element (earth, air, fire or water). During a ceremony guided by a village elder, the Nymph must lay down at the centre of a special grove and open themselves to nature. The first element to surround them will be the element they bond with and will determine who tutors them.

Once the ritual is complete, the Nymph is fully bonded and reliant on that element. They gain strength from it when they are near it but, conversely, become more vulnerable to so-called 'urbanitis', the slang for the effect of being away from their element and nature in general. As the Nymph grows stronger, the effects of urbanitis will gradually fade.

Dryad (Earth)

A Dryad's natural environment is earth, including forests, woodland and mountains both above and below ground. They gain a natural affinity to all things earthy and have control over things as simple as a blade of grass or a mountain of rock. Although they cannot give or take life, they can nourish and deprive, manipulating flora and fauna in order to strike the perfect, natural balance. Like the mountains, Dryad are generally stubborn and set in their ways but usually loyal friends.

Nyad (Water)

The Nyad's element is that of water. Their control can range from a bead of dew on a leaf to the snow in the air. Natural bodies of water such as oceans and lakes are usually the Nyad's preferred choice for regeneration. Much like their element, Nyads can bend their personality and will to fit whatever situation they encounter. When blocked they will create their own path and their determination is relentless. While calm and gentle at times, at others they can be fierce. Underestimating the power of a Nyad could prove deadly.

Ayad (Air)

Ayads are one with the wind. They can create the smallest of dust devils or the most ferocious tornado, suck the oxygen from the atmosphere or even levitate. No matter where they go, as long as there is air they are at home, though the more polluted that air the less regenerative they will find it. Ayad are generally breezy, light-hearted and easy-going but when pushed they can become vindictively ferocious.

Nereid (Fire)

The Nereid are the fiercest of the Nymph and the ones who most chafe at the restrictions placed on them by Nymph law. Volatile and fluid, they are impossible to predict and are often referred to as 'crazy'. From the tiniest candle flame to the hottest volcano, they can aggravate or calm their element, create or extinguish fire and even control lightning. The most destructive of the four elementals, they sometimes find themselves segregated from other Nymphs but as they can exist quite happily in urban areas, they usually find companionship among those outside their race.

Groves

The Nymph creed is to nurture and protect the balance of nature including all flora and fauna within it. In order to do that, Nymphs are asked at a certain point in their lives (OOC: level 5) to choose a path that will change their lifestyle completely.

Within nature there are self-reliant 'pockets' of habitat. These pockets are called groves, a term that encompasses not only the pocket of land and the flora growing there but also the animals and sentients living within the area. If a Nymph so chooses, they can bond to a single grove and in doing so will become responsible for the nurturing of that grove. Alternatively, Nymphs can choose to be wanderers who, though not responsible for a particular area, become duty-bound to nurture and protect nature wherever they come across it.

Groved Nymphs

Groves are usually around eighty acres of land situated in an area specific to the Nymph's element. For instance, a Dryad might bond to an area of forest while a Nyad might choose a piece of land surrounding a lake or pond. Some Nymph choose to partner with another of a different element in order to better cultivate their grove and in doing so can extend their territory. However, such partnerships are permanent as the bonding is not only to the grove itself but to the other Nymph as well.

In bonding with a grove, the Nymph gains strength from the territory they claim but, depending on where they bond, may be choosing to live alone. They will build a home at the centre of their territory, safe in the knowledge that the creatures on their land will protect them. If they choose, they can build their cabin by themselves but there are many Nymphs ready and willing to help. Once their home is complete, the Nymph will spend most of their life there and will leave only when necessary. The longer their absence from their grove, the weaker the Nymph becomes, ultimately leading to sickness and then death. The more experienced the Nymph, the less this urbanitis affects them but even at their strongest they will continue to rely on their grove and element for strength.

As part of their grove bonding, the Nymph becomes fully responsible for the territory they have claimed. It is their job to protect against trespassers and poachers, to keep the balance of nature within their borders, and to ensure the wellbeing of every tree, plant, animal, fungus and insect within their grove. It is not their job, however, to create life where there is not meant to be life (arid deserts, for instance, are not meant to support jungle terrain and a Nymph who truly understands the balance of Nature will know this).

The Groved Nymph has many tools at their fingertips with which to carry out their duties. Not only do they continuously gain strength over their element, they will also cultivate a symbiotic working relationship with the creatures living on their land. This means that in times of need, the Nymph can call on any animal to defend them and the grove. Their relationship with these creatures will never be more than a working one, however - Groved Nymphs do not become friends with these creatures at all.

Roving Nymphs

Otherwise known as Wanderers or Wandering Nymphs, these are the Nymph who choose not to bond with a specific grove. They enjoy their friendships with those outside their race too much to give them up and prefer to live in urban areas without the great responsibility of protecting an entire grove.

Roving Nymphs are responsible for nature wherever they find it and as such can gain strength from it wherever they are as long as they are surrounded by their element. At higher levels of experience, they need nothing more than a small source of their element (for example, a window box at every window in a Dryad's house) in order to regenerate and stave off urbanitis.

The balance is more difficult for them to find as they must have an understanding of nature everywhere (as opposed to the balance of one small parcel of land) but they typically have greater recognition for their deeds than a secluded Groved Nymph would.

While Roving Nymphs do not have the ability to cultivate a working relationship with the many animals in their area, they can develop a lasting friendship with one animal of their choosing (usually a pet). This relationship is much like that of a Bonded Summoner (Dragon) in that the Nymph can ask for the creature's help. They become symbiotic, nurturer and protector, and if the animal is bonded from birth its intelligence and understanding can be boosted by the Nymph's nurturing. However, this relationship only applies to one animal and cannot be broken once it has begun. If the animal dies, the Nymph can bond with another, though many choose not to do so.

Roving Nymphs tend to find that their elemental abilities are slower to develop than those of a Groved Nymph, largely due to the fact that a Wanderer will not use them quite as often as a Groved Nymph would.

Guardian of the Balance

There is one instance in which Nymphs are permitted to deal death or injury without facing punishment and that instance is the Guardian of the Balance (also referred to simply as a Guardian). This highly specialized, highly trained group of Nymphs bonds to all four elements and wanders the land freely, striking the balance of Nature wherever they go. Where other Nymph must work together to create storms, the Guardian can do so alone. Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes: all are within the Guardian's grasp. They can deal death with a touch or revive the recently dead; they can even become their primary element.

Naturally, Guardianship is not easy to achieve and the Nymph must be tested rigorously before they can claim such a title. They must have a true, deep understanding of Nature and the Balance (OOC: elite) and their only goal should be to maintain and nurture both.

Warning: Killing any living creature, be it as small as a beetle or as large as a horse, regenerates the Guardian. If they are already at full strength, the regeneration can boost them, acting like a drug, and can become addictive. For this reason, Guardians are both rare and carefully selected.

In addition, to revive the dead or dying the Guardian must use their own life-force. It is possible to store energy from previous kills for future regenerations but this energy has a way of finding a way out over time so the longer the Nymph attempts to store it, the weaker it becomes. (Generally, life-force can be stored up to two weeks before it begins to dissipate, and six weeks before it's gone completely.) Nymphs can only revive bodies that have died within the last twenty-four hours - any older than that and their life-force will have dissipated too much to restore without killing the Guardian. The closer the injured person is to death, the harder it will be to revive them and the more energy it will take on the Nymph's part. Attempting to resurrect the dead when the Guardian's energy is already low is extremely dangerous.