Races of the Web

[kajones_writing]

Some of the races of the Web are known to me, but there are others I’m currently still working on, and again I ask for some input from my readers. Every race, apart from those on Taithmarin, were created, either by the fae or by a race with the ability to create animate lifeforms. I need races for: Athare; Janoch; Kniroch, and the five surrounding planets; and Taithmarin. On Janoch all the races have the same problem – magic users must be bonded in order to safely use their abilites.  Apart from that I’m happy to see any sort of suggestions, from names to a magical power to an animal the fae used for inspiration.

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Comments

Ooo...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Me me me! I love making critters.

I want axolotls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl) on the water world. They are freakishly magical. Basically they are a type of salamander that never matures. Like Peter Pan with gills. I think it would be fascinating if most of the species matures normally, but the ones with magic don't, they have the neoteny. And that can be an accident that the fae didn't intend and don't know how to cope with.

For the air world, I suggest flying foxes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_fox), maybe with actual fox traits in addition to the bat framework.

For the underground world, I suggest the star-nosed mole (http://myths-made-real.blogspot.com/2010/10/creature-feature-star-nosed-mole.html) as a base creature. They could have magic based on scent and touch instead of sight. (Almost all magical descriptions are based on sight; it's a nuisance when working with students who have some other dominant sense. So I like to diversify.)

I really like the idea of magical bonds. It would be interesting if the races all have to form bonds, but have different parameters for doing so.

For instance, Japanese macaques (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_macaque) have an intricate social structure. They might bond through social grooming. So then it would take a lot of time not just to form a bond, but to maintain one. They would have the option of changing partners, but that too would take considerable effort.

Gibbons are considered mystical, even shapeshifters. They pairbond in male/female couples via a three-day mating ritual, but some species are "swingers" and will switch partners, something that might be interesting with magical bonds.

Other animals, such as wolves (http://www.wolfspirits.org/aboutwolves.html), use a combination of scent and body language for bonding. Such a species might form lifelong bonds. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbon)