We have quite a lot of different races in Ynys Seamaide. Some of them are unique; others are the standard ones you will find in most fantasy settings.
We don't have angels, or demons because we are not trying to be all things to all people.
The aim is to provide a cohesive mix of races which give variety while all fitting neatly into this land.
The aim is to provide a cohesive mix of races which give variety while all fitting neatly into this land.
Even when you see a familiar race name, though, you cannot assume they are identical to that race as portrayed in a book, a movie, or in another roleplay.
A part of making Ynys Seamaide a unique place has been to look at each race with fresh eyes and give them some familiar qualities, but also make them different enough that they are not stereotyped from other locations.
A part of making Ynys Seamaide a unique place has been to look at each race with fresh eyes and give them some familiar qualities, but also make them different enough that they are not stereotyped from other locations.
This is an ongoing process, as those people who play here keep adding depth to the racial backgrounds.
Perhaps you too will leave your mark here with a new tribe, a new god or some other addition to the growing body of data available for all. Below you will find a list of all the races included in the roleplay, together with a brief description.
Following the links will provide you with more information about that race.
Following the links will provide you with more information about that race.
Regarding beasts, we DO permit animals and sentient beasts! If you wish to play a dog, or a rabbit, or a wolf, deer, unicorn, bird, squid, etc. - with a REALISTIC avatar, that is sentient, that is permitted. Your ability to speak MUST be explainable, such as you were a human that had been "magicked" into an animal, or perhaps you can only communicate with animal speakers.
Acceptable Beasts:
All Animals that are native to medieval Europe (no dinosaurs or elephants for example).
The following animals are also accepted and will have needed to have arrived/escaped from a ship docked in our harbor: Cheetahs, Tigers, Hyenas, Lions, Panthers, Pythons, Parrots, small Primates (monkeys/lemurs), ibex, antelope, impala, oryx, warthog, mongoose, Armadillo, Badger, Bats, Birds (Minerva Owl, Pilgrim falcon, Sea eagle, Cuckoo, Stork, Bee-eater, Pelican), Ermine, Jaguar, Leopard, Marten, Monkeys (Squirrel Monkey, Tamarin, Titi, Lion-tail macaque, Marmoset), Murex (sea-snail for Tyrion purple), Ocelot, Opossum, Raccoon, Reptiles/Amphibians (Fire Salamander, Geckos, Toads & Frogs, Tortoises, Cobra, Scorpion), Striped Skunk, Weasel, Wildcat.
Animals not on this list are not pre-approved and need Admin review and approval before being able to be played in Ynys Seamaide or brought to Ynys Seamaide as pets or mounts.
CAT SITH
The cat, whether wild or domestic, is sacred to the Goddess
The cat teaches respect and caution. they are sensual and will accept affection only on their terms. They are proud, independent and capable of observing both this world and the next...
Cait Sidhe could take the form of a witch with the ability to change into cat form. Witches with this ability were able to to change from human form to cat form only eight times. They could choose to transform into a cat a ninth time, but then they must remain a cat forever. This legend could be the reason that cats are said to have nine lives. Thus begins our Legends of the Cat People of Semaide
Acceptable Beasts:
The following animals are also accepted and will have needed to have arrived/escaped from a ship docked in our harbor: Cheetahs, Tigers, Hyenas, Lions, Panthers, Pythons, Parrots, small Primates (monkeys/lemurs), ibex, antelope, impala, oryx, warthog, mongoose, Armadillo, Badger, Bats, Birds (Minerva Owl, Pilgrim falcon, Sea eagle, Cuckoo, Stork, Bee-eater, Pelican), Ermine, Jaguar, Leopard, Marten, Monkeys (Squirrel Monkey, Tamarin, Titi, Lion-tail macaque, Marmoset), Murex (sea-snail for Tyrion purple), Ocelot, Opossum, Raccoon, Reptiles/Amphibians (Fire Salamander, Geckos, Toads & Frogs, Tortoises, Cobra, Scorpion), Striped Skunk, Weasel, Wildcat.
Animals not on this list are not pre-approved and need Admin review and approval before being able to be played in Ynys Seamaide or brought to Ynys Seamaide as pets or mounts.
CAT SITH
The cat, whether wild or domestic, is sacred to the Goddess
The cat teaches respect and caution. they are sensual and will accept affection only on their terms. They are proud, independent and capable of observing both this world and the next...
Cait Sidhe could take the form of a witch with the ability to change into cat form. Witches with this ability were able to to change from human form to cat form only eight times. They could choose to transform into a cat a ninth time, but then they must remain a cat forever. This legend could be the reason that cats are said to have nine lives. Thus begins our Legends of the Cat People of Semaide
The fighting spirit of humanity is toned down in the wealth and abundantly rich animal blood of the common centaur. Centaurs are half human/half horse by nature, and yet are a race all their own. They can be very tall, and often quite broad chested on both sexes. What they lack in the manners of progress and civilization, preferring to live in the wilds when given the choice, they make up for with determination and hardiness; centaurs often join causes for the good and the just. Centaurs generally roam in family groups similar to horse herds, founding nomadic tribes in the plains and lighter forests. There is little division between the sexes, and most centaurs have a good and honorable fighting spirit within, second only to their serene desire for peace. Oddly for a race so magical in design, centaurs do better in melee than anything. They have strong hearts and make for sturdy warriors and resourceful clerics. Their dedication to the natural world often turns their futures towards the guilds of rangers and druids, giving them a chance to heal the wounds of the earth around them.
All dragon type races, Wyvern, Drake, Wyms
Dragonkind come from a history shrouded in mystery. They are a diverse race of many sizes, ranging from the slightly-larger-than-human to the grandiose toppling-a-mountain breeds. They come in all colors and all shapes. Some dragons are called serpents, their long coils are seen writhing around a ship far out to sea. Some dragons dwell only amongst the darkest caverns, or in great vast lava-scapes beneath volcanic mountains. Some have no wings and manage to slink around rather subtly for creatures of such size.
These are the sturdy wee folk that live underhill
Dwarves lead lives of rugged splendor in their mountain range communities, where they often spend their entire lives within the stone, mining for gold, silver, and precious gems.
These they use to decorate their extensive and grandiose underground cities as well as for commerce. They are a long-lived race, much like the more eye-pleasing elves; but like the elves, they too have their valuable assets and their secrets. Usually, dwarves are shorter by far than an average human. Their bodies are stocky, sturdy, their faces ruddy from their mining and mineral extraction processes, and their chins bearded, often on both sexes.
Dwarves enjoy magic and its trickery but do not use it to rise above other races or to twist the world around their fat fingers. They are a very physical and defensive people, and will take their axes, their preferred weapons of battle, to bear upon anyone who questions their gods or their manners. Never insult a dwarf about his smell or his god or his choice of drink or women. And never cross an angry dwarf. Most of all, do not attempt to cross blades with an angry, drunken dwarf who hasn't been home to his people for some time and desperately needs a woman!
According to legend, there was a time when all elves belonged to a single race, before they separated into the three types we now recognise.
Dark Elves
The Dark Elves live in the hostile depths of Seamaide: a place without any light, just the radiation of weird mushrooms and other plants. Their eyes, having once been accustomed to light, can still see just as well as any other elf in the light, however due to mutations and gifts bestowed on them by the Fomoire, they can see even where there is no light.
High Elves
The high elves call themselves the first born. While the truth is that dragons were around long before high elves, it is true that the high elves created civilization, and with it art, technology, literacy, ritual magic's, and social injustice. Because of their achievement, high elves are among the most arrogant of races, considering all others far below them, suitable only for menial labor to their betters.
Sylvan Elves
Much like their elfin cousins, Sylvan Elves consider themselves to be the only True Elves. They are said to be the only elves that have kept their affinity for nature as the central foundation of their culture, choosing to spend their time in harmony with their surroundings. The balance of nature and self becoming so central to the very foundation of whom they are that it is not unusual to see them become Rangers or Druids, though the occasional darker Shaman is not completely unheard of within their ranks.
Sylvan elves are often called the 'forest elves', tending to be somewhat reclusive, or even shy, preferring the comfort of their familiar trees and earth to the crowded existence of town. However, one must not completely discount the sylvan race for their slight nature, for they are often found to be fearsome adversaries when crossed, especially in defense of the forest that they find so sacred.
Lycan, Werewolf race archetypes for Seamaide
Also known as Werewolves, Lycan, Wolf-men, Laignach Faelad
I am one with all
As my howl echoes out
answering the moons call
The motif of the werewolf is strong in Irish folklore. There are a number of old tales about strange tribes of wolf-men living in remote areas of County Tipperary, whose assistance was often sought by the ancient kings of Ireland when they made war upon each other. There are also tales of strange beings - half-men, half-wolves - roaming the remote forest and mountain areas of the island. Indeed, one of the oldest written stories that we have comes from the pen of Giraldus Cambrensis who wrote down many old Irish tales after his arrival to the isle in 1185.
All Races not listed would be found here.
"At a time that is not a time,
in a place that is not a place,
on a day that is not a day..."
in a place that is not a place,
on a day that is not a day..."
The Faery Realm, remains distant from Ynys Seamaide, although it actually exist within. In this mundane time, there are times and places where the two worlds meet, where a traveler may wander into this Hidden Place. Between places are entrances into this Magical Realm: between Land and Sea, between Day and Night, between One Place and the Next. This is why gateways and doorways are a prime ways into the Otherworld. Standing within a doorway, one is neither in one place or the next, neither outside nor indoors. It allows us a passageway into the in between world of The Faeries.
The Fae wear many guises, some dark, some light.
The Land of The Faeries takes on many guises. It is the Enchanted Forests. It is the Shadow World. It is the reaches of Heaven and the depths of Hell. Never-never Land. The Dream World. The places where Faeries dance in timeless revelry.
It is they who are the closest kin to the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians.
The Fomorians represent the gods who represent the harmful or destructive powers of nature; personifications of chaos, darkness, death, blight and drought.
The Tuath Dé, in contrast, represent the gods of growth, light, and civilization
- This special race requires approval-
Griffin, Griffon
The Irish Griffin is from the Gaelic word gryphon. This was the word for a mythical Celtic creature, with the head of one animal and the body of another (normally an eagle and a lion but not always, snakes, horses and dogs could also appear as one half of a gryphon).
The Irish Griffin is from the Gaelic word gryphon. This was the word for a mythical Celtic creature, with the head of one animal and the body of another (normally an eagle and a lion but not always, snakes, horses and dogs could also appear as one half of a gryphon).
For the great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad,
For all their wars are merry,
And all their songs are sad.
Living in the crowded cities for much of their lives with solely human neighbors, for the most part, gives the majority of high humans a rather xenophobic, and ignorant, outlook towards other races, especially the ones that are truly non human. And though they are by far not the most superior race, having a short life span and few, if any, physical or magical advantages over other races, they tend to forget this and can act quite arrogantly and self-assured in the presence of other races. Due to this behavior many races view humans as pretentious upstarts.
Love, by those starry eyes
I understand
How the sea-maidens lure
Mortals from land.
Love, by that welling laugh
Joy claims his own
Sea-born and wind-wayward
Child of the sun.
Much legend and myth surrounds the Merfolk, that strange and fin-tailed race who dwell in the great waters of Seamaide, but very little actual fact in regards to just who and what they are exists in the public mind. This isn't because these facts aren't available, many Merfolk who have chosen to walk the land are ready enough to explain their past, their culture, and their history... but such tales are rather dull in comparison to the wild yarns the other races tend to weave, and most of them prefer being entertained to being informed.
What is known of them is that while immersed in the waters their hips are scaled, and those curves end in a long and flat-finned tail of varying and often beautiful coloration. They can swim near as swift as a lean-built porpoise, but rarely reach such speeds for anything but joy's sake, the Merfolk having no natural predators in their waters, able to both outstrip and outsmart even the Sea Serpents of legend, or so it is said. When Merfolk find themselves on land, their scales gradually recede, their long tails forming a pair of long and usually delicate legs.
What is known of them is that while immersed in the waters their hips are scaled, and those curves end in a long and flat-finned tail of varying and often beautiful coloration. They can swim near as swift as a lean-built porpoise, but rarely reach such speeds for anything but joy's sake, the Merfolk having no natural predators in their waters, able to both outstrip and outsmart even the Sea Serpents of legend, or so it is said. When Merfolk find themselves on land, their scales gradually recede, their long tails forming a pair of long and usually delicate legs.
There are wood nymphs, water nymphs, tree nymphs, grove nymphs, etc.
Thy mystic ministries
Of glorious far skies,
Thy wild-rose sermons, Sweet,
Like dreams profound and fleet,
Thy woodland harmony
Thou givest me.
The vision that can see,
The loving will to learn,
How fair thy skies may be,
What in thy roses burn,
Thy secret harmonies,--
Ah, give me these!
Nature is the church of Gaea, life her congregation, Nymphs her gift to life. To call them caretakers would imply duty and responsibility, such words the sort that many Nymphs would never care to learn. Though they were there to tend and encourage the very first seedlings to breach the soils of a once long-dead world, no sense of obligation nor calling drove them; they did it out of love, nothing more and nothing less. Nymphs are the Spirits of Nature, Gaea's love for life made flesh and given life all its own.
Though each and every one of them is a unique individual, each and every one possesses a trace memory of what it was to -be- Gaea, and this fraction of divinity is at the very heart of who they are. Though the world that surrounds them may shape and mold them in dark and corrupting ways over time, the spirits of nature are timeless creatures, and no hurt nor perversion can stain them so deep as to blot out the light of love at their core.
Each is an avatar of the beauty of the natural world, breathtaking forests rich with the smell of wildflower and misty sunrises on glass-calm rivers captured not in canvas nor verse, but in feminine curves and sweetly delicate features.
The love of life is not a complicated religion, and demands little ritual nor ceremony. Still most every Nymph feels a strong craving to occasionally seek out and frequent a place where life struggles to take hold, their mere presence if not their active care encouraging purity of water, enrichment of soil, vitality of growth. When they come upon those who forsake nature and its beauty in their lives, their response is rarely ire but more often instead a will to change their hearts... to purify, enrich, and vitalize their lives with their presence.
Even the Duessa a creature of staggering beauty; and though those living Spirits who personify the darker truths of Nature such as cruelty and decay may be more inclined to speed your way into the ground than work to see you thrive, the earth in which you're buried will be all the richer for it, and life, that which is most precious to Gaea, will go on.
Also Known As:
Satyr (Primarily Male), Faun (Both male and female), Glaistig (Female Only), Pane
Satyr (Primarily Male), Faun (Both male and female), Glaistig (Female Only), Pane
I'd rather waltz than walk through the forest
Joining the wood nymphs as they will listen
For the satyr's call for more rest
I'd rather waltz than walk through the forest
Listening to the beautiful chorus
My feet will glide, as if on a mission
I'd rather waltz than walk through the forest
Joining the wood nymphs as they will listen
Satyrs and their cousins see themselves as necessary parts of the nature they inhabit. They are not, however, stewards, like elves but rather see themselves as promoters/facilitators of natures natural processes and fruitfulness. Satyrs believe that having sex is the main activity in which they promote all of nature’s fruitfulness.
The highest and most moral life for a Satyrs to live as a wild creature who guarantees the fruitfulness of a certain small area. They believe that sex promotes fruitfulness of nature in their area Satyrs genuinely love all women unreservedly and will also protect them from harm to the small limit of their abilities while they are in their territory. Children, the sick, weak and old similarly will be protected.
Unicorns were considered to be very rare and precious, a lunar symbol.
Some have made doubt whether there be any such beast as this or no, but the great esteem of his horn (in many places to be seen) may take away that needless scruple. The greatness of his mind is such that he rather chooseth to die than be taken alive; wherein the Unicorn and valiant-minded soldier are alike, which both contemn death, and rather than they will be compelled to undergo any base servitude or bondage they will lose their lives'
