Tag: elfkind

Language in Muunfel

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First and foremost, there is a lingua franca in fairly common usage throughout Muunfel. Not everyone knows it, but there are usually enough people around that have at least a basic understanding for communication to happen eventually.

For a general idea of the different languages found among the peoples of Muunfel, I have considered some real-world analogs for some of them.

Elfkind: There are several regional dialects, but the elfish language is smooth, sibilant, and rhythmic like some romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese).

Faekind: Many fae are able to use a very low-energy glamour to speak whatever language they need to, but the fae tongue contains many compound sounds where words are shortened or combined with others on the fly (like the style of German with the sound of really smooth French).

Tamkind: The Solians speak a rolling language with a lot of hard or fricative phonemes (Arabic, Farsi). In the west, this is the second most common language in use among humans, as many of the folk living in the deserts of Rutan are descended from groups that interacted directly with Solians.

There are also several communities here and there that have developed and spread signed languages (”handspeak”, colloquially). In Rutan, sign is one of the official languages of the nation. A Braille-like system is also in use in many scholarly places, though it is not as common in the wilder areas of the continent yet because of the difficulty in spreading any print media to such locales.

Gender & Sexuality in Muunfel

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The topic of gender and sexuality can vary depending on the species/region, but in general it’s something of a non-issue. The first gods, who are really just embodiments of broad concepts given life, don’t have traditional genders. Sometimes they are referred to as a god or a goddess, with neither being inaccurate. The first prototype of humans created by the goddess of creation were completely sexless, as well.

Fairies and elves tend to be the most lax and fluid about sexuality (and gender identity, though the fae tend to explore it more). They tend to be chaotic, long-lived, or both, and that gives them plenty of time and inclination to test their own boundaries.

There are some human communities where gnc folk might be met with some confusion, but with the gods as an example, people wouldn’t generally be hostile. Just bemused, perhaps, with the occasional grumble here and there that It’s their own godsdamned business, ain’t it?

Elias Dawn, a demigod/later ascended god of mischief and storms, is one of the specific characters I’ve written that exemplifies this. He is pansexual and genderfluid, and occasionally has “she days” during which she will adopt different pronouns and shapeshift to reflect her feelings for the day. Elias travels a lot, and he has met all kinds of people, and so far he’s never been run out of a town, big or small, for his preferences. It’s pretty much always because he stole something or sassed the wrong person.

Who Lives in Muunfel

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As the Land of the Gods, the first answer to this is, of course, the gods. While they can and do manifest on other continents on the planet, they are most likely to appear on Muunfel, and no one has really found a reason for this (it being the first land created has been a theory for some time, but there’s little evidence even in the words of Vayla).

Other than the Godkind, beings of Time and Magic, however, Muunfel is also populated by

  • Mankind – any species created by one or more gods rather than one of the three energies that make up the universe. Includes humans, dwarves, and angels.
  • Darkind – any species created by the energy of Nature. Usually called monsters, it also includes several intelligent “beast folk” species.
  • Faekind – the fairies, created by Nature and Magic. They are many and varied.
  • Tamkind – beings of Magic. The most common example is the Solians, though this also includes shapeshifters and elementals.
  • Vaykind – elusive beings of Time. They are the rarest folk, but are most likely to be found in Synka.
  • Elfkind – the youngest of any species created by the three, they come from Time and Nature.

Elfkind

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The elves in the Muunfel project are actually the youngest race of sentient people. In fact, there’s one kind of elf that is said to have been “unfinished” as the Third Union ended before they could fully form.

Beings of Nature and Time, the elves are born of two opposite energies and their fickle nature reflects that. It’s very hard to categorize an elf beyond what type of elf they are. Their loyalty, personality, everything is very dependent on external influences. An elf from one region can be completely different from an elf from another region, with different values and convictions.

There are seven varieties of elfkind:

High Elves*
Dark Elves*
Snow Elves
Wood Elves
Grey Elves
Prism Elves**
Ether Elves***

* High Elves and Dark Elves are the descendants of the Gold and Silver elves, which were wiped out in very early history by a blight on their peoples. Neither variety shines as much as their predecessors, but their skin has a glittering quality to it.

** Prism Elves are also known as “rainbow elves” thanks to the way their skin reflects light.

*** Ether Elves are transparent. They are the variety believed to be unfinished in their creation, and this leads to prejudice among many tightly-knit elf communities. Ether Elves are seen as “not all there” and aren’t trusted, partially because someone decided to wonder what otherworldly place they must be connected to.

Muunfel: The Creation Mythos

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The world on which Muunfel resides holds a myth about the Three energies of the universe: Time, Nature, and Magic. Vayla, the goddess of time and steward to Time itself is the only being in all of existence who holds the full account of how the world came to be. This is what she has spoken:

In the beginning, there were the Three.

Time brought order and direction.

Magic formed the ever-stirring energies and the constant heartbeat of existence.

Nature brought change and renewal.

When Time and Magic reached out to each other, the First Union began. Into existence came Creation. Leleurya, mother of all things, took form. With the Lullaby of Creation, Leleurya sang the roiling energies of the Three into the universe, giving form to existence. Time provided rules and reason for the world, Nature the ever-changing vigor, and Magic the life and foundation.

When energies awoke from their slumber, there came Destruction. Diakon, partner and counter to Leleurya, took form to awaken the sleeping energies and destroy what had been created. Existence was brought into balance as they circled each other in the endless dance, voices intertwining in harmony.

Leleurya saw the universe as a place for something new. With the Song of Life, Leleurya created living beings with bodies, minds, and souls. The earliest race of mortals, the precursor to humanity, was born. As the First Union continued, Cel and Sarin were drawn into existence to watch over the death of Leleurya’s creations, and the cycle of mortality began.

Nature, not a part of the First Union, began forming its own creations. The Darkind, wild beasts and monstrous creatures, roamed the newly-sleeping land with unchecked abandon. Time and Magic created the Four to act as stewards for Nature and its Dar.

Finally, Vayla and the Twins Baota and Gem came into existence as the First Union ended, ensuring that among the First Gods each of the Three had a patron.

As Mankind, Leleurya’s first creations, expanded over the world, Magic created the Tamkind, beings of magic, and Time created the Vaykind, beings of time.

The Second Union began when Nature and Magic collided with one another. It was as fruitful as it was unexpected. The Fae, wild, diverse people, were created. The Rights of Singularity were formed, allowing the cycle of Fae Dominion and giving an otherwise chaotic people a sense of order and balance.

When the first Una and Aubry answered the call, the Second Union ended.

The Third Union and final partnership among the Three was between Nature and Time.

Polar opposites, their Union was difficult and fleeting. Elfkind, creatures of balance and chaos both, came to be. A number of varieties were created. The Ether elves, the last of all races to be created, were unfinished when the Third Union ended.