There are wood nymphs, water nymphs, tree nymphs, grove nymphs, etc.
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.
Anytime the subject of females comes up in Tavern, it seems that the image that comes quickest to everyone's mind is that of a beautiful and barely clothed young woman. She peeks shyly from behind a tree, or splashes playfully within the cool waters of a secluded spring. Such images have inspired ages of word, of art, and songs. They are the very visions of the wild and mysterious beings, known simply as Nymphs
Nature spirits who take on the form of adult females, human-like in their size, and their form. But oh they come with a far greater diversity then any other race could dare dream of. Nymphs can have hair in the color that eyes only dare to behold, usually complimented by their wide and innocent eyes. Their skin is fair, or dark, and every shade in between, but always soft as silk to the touch. For the most part, their coloration will reflect their nature, for each Nymph has one. Shades of blues for the Water Nymphs, greens, for the Forest Nymphs and so on. They do not have wings, nor can they change size, but their magic, while subtle should not be discounted quickly.
To know a Nymph is to know chaos created by Nature. They appear naive and easily confused at time with the simplest of concepts (such as money), and yet, they can simplify the most complex of emotional issues into a perspective that only a child like innocence could truthfully appreciate. What they lack in common sense, they make up for with a moral compass, which rarely ever will lead them astray. One should never assume, that a nymph is unintelligent, far from it, there are nymphs who are very bright, quick to learn, and they all are as curious as the day is long. Because of this, one might wonder if it's all an act, or if they have some hidden motive behind their giggling whimsical behavior. Others just assume they are the wisest of us all, and have discovered the secret of life, but can only share it, by sharing themselves with us.
All nymphs are able to slightly shift their elements to benefit Nature around them, carrying a slight empathy with the things living within those elements. While Wood Nymphs are capable of healing sick and injured plants to the point of even spurring plant growth, Water Nymphs are able to bring a once dry spring back to bubbling life. Sea Nymphs tend to those things within the ocean, capable of creating salt water to a small pool with but a touch. Mountain Nymphs, stoney as they may be, possess the the ability to heal fractures in their stones with the slightest inclination to do so.
Sylphs, those floating beauties are capable of slightly shifting the wind around them, to help those things in flight find their resting places. While these little gestures are just that -small- influence, they are distinct gifts of their purpose as caretakers of their elements and the life that blooms, crawls, flies or swims within it.
Nymphs are able to draw small amounts of moisture from the air, when they need to. Squeezing their empty fist, as if holding a sponge will cause a small amount of fresh water to spill upon the ground. This is very useful to the Nymphs when tending to their gardens, as one might imagine.
While they are considered to have an expert knowledge of gardening, or tending to plants, it does tend to depend on their personal experiences. Each type of Nymph is an expert only at the vegetation that grows within her element. Never ask an Wood Nymph which seaweed tickles the most, nor a Water Nymph which pollen carries best on a southern wind, for such is best left to the Slyph to answer. Some nymphs have not learned what plants can be used for medicine, or magical purposes, but are capable of telling you which plants are dangerous to eat, or touch and which are fine to do so. However, most won't be able to tell you which is the most delicious to sample for such.
Because of this knowledge, and because of Gaea's need for her Nymphs, they are immune to plant poisons, and will not suffer from things like poison ivy. Hemlock tea, drunken by a Nymph, will not harm her, although she might be displeased by its bitter taste.
Nymphs share a limited empathy as well, with the wild creatures that populate their elements. Such creatures will never attack a Nymph, unless under extreme circumstances, such as an animal effected by rabies. Likewise, a Nymph is largely incapable of injuring, or assisting to injure an animal. They will resist having to preform such a hideous action, unless no other course reveals itself. By a Nymph's nature, she will often care for wounded or sick animals, healing them, restoring them back to good health and setting them once more free to wander Gaea's lands. They are capable normally of calming even the most frightened of beasts.
Suggested Sites
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Occultopedia
Nymphs
Gaea's Grace
A nymph who has been damaged, or found herself wounded only needs to seek out the element that Gaea has bonded her to. By immersing herself in the element her Creator has provided, she will fall into a state of slumber that lasts for 12 hours. Upon awakening, the Nymph will find herself totally healed, and her body restored to the beauty that Gaea crafted, no worse for the wear. The Nymph appears as it did upon creation. Hair regrown, limbs restored, skin once more perfect.
Flight
Sylphs are, undoubtedly, a creature bred to their location and element. There is hardly a moment where their feet touch ground, thus why a Sylph's natural tendency is to avoid a fight at all costs, lest they get 'grounded' for any reason. While in the air the flier may only engage ground targets with long ranged attacks and is immune to close ranged reprisals. However, those in the air may engage other targets in the air at any range.
Mental Malady
Sylphs are as flighty as winds and clouds, being in one place one moment, and another in the next. Sylphs cannot stay in any given place for an amount of time greater than 2 days, otherwise they get jittery, nervous, then sick, slowly losing the will to live. A bound sylph or nymph becomes extremely agitated and the sense of being trapped, or literally being trapped or caged, will make the nymph ill. A nymph who is forced to remain grounded and in one place for longer than a month may become so ill that they perish. This is a sickness brought on by their own mental malady, and cannot be treated by a healer. A brisk flight through the clouds, however, will do wonders for the sylph's well being.
Sexy Beast
Nymphs and Sylphs have a reputation for being obsessed with sex, hence the term for someone addicted to sexual activity - nymphomaniac.Nymphs and Sylphs inspire lustful feelings and this can be both a blessing and a curse depending on the situation, the effect of the whole akin to drowning a man's senses with pleasure. The need to sate their lonely hearts, heated loins and to quell their innate curiosity gets the better of them sometimes.
