The Eumasel
General Information;
An ethereal, humanoid race with ties to the ancient god of the Spirit Realms, Shiranui. They are spiritually gifted, almost ghostly but with physical presence, and are bonded to ancestral spirit trees as part of their lives and culture. The eumasel are split into three distinct clans, each with their own attributes.
Statistics;
Name:: Eumasel
Average Lifespan:: 200 to 350 years
Average Height:: 5' to 7' tall
Average Weight:: varies
Location Found:: abroad, most commonly centered around ancestral spirit trees.
*all statistics based on averages; extremes in any direction, or found in odd locations, are always allowed.
Notes;
Ancestral Spirit Trees Ancestral spirit trees are beautiful, ethereal trees that are sprouts to the Great Spirit Tree, blessed by Shiranui himself and grown from a seed of the Vystrian Soultree. To be bonded to a spirit tree you must be a descendant of someone who is apart of the tree, or put a piece of your soul into it and be accepted by the tree as a new eumasel if they are good of heart and pure of spirit. It is possible to break a bond with a tree by placing a part of your soul into a different spirit tree, however this can only normally be done once. People of different races are able to bond to these trees by putting a portion of their soul into it, but they cannot break the bond. If a tree dies and an eumasel is left without such a connection, they will lose their ethereal appearance, their longevity, and their magic until a new bond may be forged.
All bonds with a tree are broken when a tree is destroyed. The souls within a tree are either destroyed, go to the Spirit Realm, or if it was a part of a soul used to bond someone and they are still alive, it returns to the original body. To plant a new ancestral spirit tree, the eumasel make a seed from their soul and it must gain the blessing of Linath to grow. Lastly, a child born to a couple bonded to different trees will be randomly bonded to one of their parents' trees. It is rare for one to be bonded to both and is impossible to do intentionally.
Usually, a family or larger group of eumasel will be bonded to a single ancestral spirit tree without the need to plant another. As they are so rare, and only found in eumasel settlements, they are sacred and well protected by those that live around them.
Birth and Anibil Shards The eumasel are born very weak and cannot survive very long, unless bolstered by an Anibil shard. These shards are forged of the parents' combined lifeforce, and placed into an item the child may hold for safekeeping. So long as the child has it, they will be able to survive; once they reach adulthood, they no longer need the shard.
This spiritually-imbued item radiates life energy. It's thought to be a spark for the eumasel child that grows their life force, solidifying their spirit until they are able to live on their own. Due to what goes into making it, couples are usually only capable of having two or three children, and may lose much of their magical power after the second. The energy of the item is said to be able to last for around a hundred or so years; it can provide any who have the item longevity and heal their wounds faster. Typically a child stops carrying their Anibil shard when they reach adulthood. Some from other races and the new eumasel have stolen these items from children in the past in order to extend their life.
If an eumasel child goes without a shard, or loses their shard, they will die within a month - they will wither like a dry flower, becoming gaunt and frail, seeming to age within days. Once the child dies, their bodies will seem to catch fire, a blaze of brief reiatsu, before they disintegrate into ash. Thus, their spirits do not join the spirit trees, and their souls are lost forever.
Clans There exist three clans within the eumasel; the Fae, the Sel, and the Sol. The Fae are pureborn eumasel individuals that are bound to the Great Spirit Tree and dwell near it; they are also the most spiritually powerful and long-lived of the clan variants. The Sel are pureborn eumasel individuals that are bound to lesser ancestor spirit trees, and all live away from the Great Spirit Tree. The Sol are called 'new' eumasel, as they began their lives as other humanoid races, transforming into eumasel by bonding with either ancestral spirit trees or the Great Spirit Tree; they do not dwell near the Great Spirit Tree, but abroad. Thus, the Sol clan is the largest of the three, though the least powerful magically.
Death The soul of the eumasel does not go to the Soulplane, or any lesser Spirit Realm. Instead, they become part of an ancestral spirit tree. As part of the spirit tree they are capable of providing those bonded to it wisdom and power. The wisdom may come in the form of memories or visions and those connected have a vast reserve of reiatsu.
Hybrids Hybrids between eumasel and other races are common, and is often considered safer than purebred children. Most hybrids are able to go without a shard for as long as they are unbound to a spirit tree - however, once bound, they will be considered a full eumasel and integrate with the species, as well as gain those attributes not normally found in non-pure children. Eumasel hybrids lack the absolute power, glowing appearance, and spiritual connections of the purebreds, which is why many seek to make that connection and become full eumasel themselves.
While hybrids are allowed in all three clans, those that become new eumasel are driven from Fae and Sel into the Sol clan to keep the bloodlines pure.
Soulgems If an eumasel is driven into a Soulgem, this Gem will be much weaker than normal; in such a state, they are unable to draw from the Great Spirit Tree or any ancestral tree, and cannot generate magical power on their own. Under even small amounts of strain, these Gems will crack and the soul within will die.
Likewise, species that are bound to their Soulgems - even if humanoid in shape - cannot become eumasel. This includes but is not limited to: yiboril (/their subspecies), kitsune (/their subspecies), and golems (an elemental subspecies).
The Great Spirit Tree The Great Spirit Tree is the original ancestral spirit tree, planted and blessed by Shiranui himself. It is massive, towering over all around it, and provides the Fae clan with its protection. The Great Spirit Tree is the most powerful wellspring of energy for the eumasel and the greatest of the ancestral spirit trees, and eumasel of all clans may make pilgrimages to visit and draw from it at multiple times of year.
Diet This is what this species, and any variants, may eat at any given time.
Common:
nothing.
Uncommon:
reiatsu, fruit, vegetables.
Rare:
nuts, tubers, mushrooms.
Overview:
Eumasel get most of their sustenance from their link to their spirit tree, and if they're close enough to their tree, they can go without eating solid food entirely. When further away, they will consume fruit and vegetables, or nuts, roots, and fungi on rare occasions. Eumasel who spend a lot of time in the sun need less food than those who are forced to walk in the shadows.
Credits;
Species info credited to Elffri3nd, JPG, and Verridith.
In-Depth Information;
Appearance Humanoid in form, with glowing eyes ranging from dark green to a light blue and hair often being light in color, the eumasel's most unique feature is that they often appear transparent and ethereal - as if not quite physically present. All the while, their forms glow with reiatsu, and their skin may appear faintly translucent, and is often very pale, though otherwise has wide range of hues. Each clan of eumasel appears slightly differently, and these may be found below.
Fae: Fae eumasel are the most ethereal of the clans, with translucent bodies that seem more ghostly than solid. Their hair is generally worn long, and floats around them as if they were underwater. However, their unearthly quality is in appearance only - they are physical creatures, and cannot phase or become incorporeal as they may seem. Their glow is the strongest of all their race, and while the individual may dim or brighten it to some extent, it may never be completely banished. Most Fae eumasel will wear clothing and jewelry that will accent their features, enchanted and decorated in a variety of ways.
Sel: Sel eumasel are less ethereal than their Fae kin, but may still appear to be somewhat translucent and see-through, much like a ghost. Their colors are slightly darker, and the glow of their reiatsu is not as strong. Most Sel eumasel dress similarly to their Fae cousins when around their own race, but most will don more human clothes when traveling abroad or when in differing company. Unlike the Fae, Sel eumasel may completely banish their skin's unusual glow, save for their eyes.
Sol: The least ethereal of the eumasel are those of the Sol clan; the 'new' eumasel. While they appear somewhat translucent, their skin does not glow but very faintly, and their eyes have little to no glow at all. Sol eumasel may also be described as 'bleached' from what they once were, as the colors and hues of their skin, markings, hair and eyes may be less saturated from their base race. However, this may work in the opposite effect as well - a new eumasel may be transformed to have much brighter and more saturated coloration, though this is rare. Most new eumasel of the Sol clan wear clothing and decor closest to the cultures nearest to where they make their homes.
Unbound: Unbound eumasel, those that have had their trees destroyed and survive the ordeal intact, lose much of the attributes that their race is known for. Unbound eumasel will lose their glow, and their skin will become pale and solid, without its translucent appearance. Their eyes, over time, will darken to flat black and their hair will become an ashen grey. As many of the unbound will slowly lose their will to live, unbound eumasel may appear gaunt and thin, sickly, and malnourished.
Culture The eumasel generally live in small villages around an ancestral spirit tree, or the Great Spirit Tree depending on their clan. The tree can have the souls of all the families living there or there might be separate trees for each different family in the clan; in the case of single-tree villages, the ancestral spirit tree is located at the central square with everything being built around it, while in the case of multiple trees they may be scattered throughout, near family homes or public places.
Those that dwell near the Great Spirit Tree - the clan of the Fae - rarely leave the city in which the Tree is its center, sometimes spending their entire lives in its shadow. To them, the Great Spirit Tree is the most important piece of their world - it is their heritage, their past, present, and future. It gives them power and life, and Fae eumasel cherish it as they might their own children.
All eumasel practice one of two forms of spiritual religion; some few, most commonly in the Fae clan, worship the long-dead Shiranui - the great god of the Soulplane who first created them. They have depictions of the god in many things; on tapestries, in books, murals, spoken legend, paintings, and a variety of different medias. Others have turned to worship his daughter, Linath, greatly - especially those of the Sol clan. This form of Linathism is not unlike that found in Stroen'na, though differs in that they find round, bright gemstones to be of more importance than stray feathers as signs of her good favor and luck.
While each clan differs on how they view the world in particular, the most important to all eumasel in life are birth and death. They have very special rituals to honor these occasions and are greatly upset when they are disrupted. Children - pureborn or hybrid - are cherished, as are the ancestral spirit trees in which they are bound. To harm a child is a death sentence; to steal one's Anibil shard may incite violence from an entire village. Harming or destroying an ancestral spirit tree is likewise a great offense, and the act of harm against the Great Spirit Tree results in a veritable eternity of torment.
Fae: The Fae holds the most authority among the three clans, treated like royalty. If any major decisions have to be made across all three clans, the Fae are those all others turn to. As they dwell near the Great Spirit Tree, they are hesitant to let outsiders into their community, and may become downright hostile towards other races if their way of life is not respected. Outsiders who are allowed near the Great Spirit Tree are generally treated coldly, and may be avoided by the vast majority of Fae eumasel.
Sel: The Sel are wary of outsiders being near their ancestral spirit trees, but are in general much more welcoming to them. They often trade with various other races, and are not opposed to marrying or pairbonding species not their own. Sel eumasel are also very welcoming and supportive of the Sol clan, along with new eumasel, and their villages may be found very close to one another (though never joined).
Sol: The Sol are the most welcoming of all the clans, accepting of both pureborn eumasel and those who become new through the tree-bonds. Sol eumasel - both pureborn and new - are the most likely to live along the other races away from an ancestral spirit tree.
Abilities The eumasel are powerful physical healers and have vast reservoirs of reiatsu, so long as they are bound to either the Great Spirit Tree or an ancestral spirit tree. They are resistant to spiritual attack and things that may affect their soul, including types of spiritual healing. Finally, they are skilled at manipulating the world around them utilizing the living elements: nature and plant-based earth, water, fire, and light are common, where other elements are not.
Fae: Fae are the most powerful of all eumasel, and have the strongest control and power over their reiatsu. They are the only type of eumasel who are able to control their aura and life energy separately, as two distinct forces - though the latter tends to shorten their lives considerably should they do it often. Most Fae eumasel are also able to see and sense auras, spiritual sickness, and corruption.
Sel: The Sel clan are those of average magical might as far as the eumasel go; while they are not as strong in their spiritual abilities as the Fae, they are not as weak as the Sol, and are great healers and practitioners of various arts that include reiatsu and aura control. Some are gifted with the Sight, though none are able to see the auras around living and nonliving things as Fae do.
Sol: Weakest of the spirit-bound eumasel, the Sol are nevertheless quite skilled healers and are proficient in the use of their reiatsu in both offensive and defensive manners. They have greater control over magics that the other two clans do not, however, due to their often mixed or non-eumasel heritage.
Unbound: Unbound eumasel lose most if not all of their magical ability. They grow immensely spiritually weak, and their resistance is reduced to near nothing. Depending on how long the eumasel remains unbound, the lack of ability may become permanent.
Species Origin;
Many years ago, when Shiranui still reigned over the Spirit Realm before he gave his life to them, there existed a number of spirits on the verge of a fade. They had been elves once, members of a city that had been destroyed hundreds of years previously; now that none remembered them, they had little to keep their spirits alive. Shiranui walked among them frequently, enjoying the elves' company, and grew sorrowful at the thought of their eventual fading.
The elves knew their fate and accepted it. As each one began to fade, forgetting aspects of themselves, he made up his mind - these souls would get a second chance.
Shiranui visited the elves beneath the bright white trees of his spiritual world. He shimmered and glowed much like they did - a great, grand eastern dragon as ethereal as the stars, glittering as a rainbow on sunlit snow. "Long have I walked beneath the trees alongside you," he said as the elves still able to recognize him rose to greet the great god. "I know each of your names, each of your souls, each of your lives. I know that you had many, many more centuries of life ahead of you - and those centuries were torn from you before your time. I know the fate your spirits face, and I know that you face such a fate with bravery and acceptance."
They looked at him, mystified by his words. He smiled down at each, and they returned his smile with ones of their own. He saw hope in their eyes and it brought joy to him that he could not express. "But," he warned, "you cannot return to your normal lives; it has been too long for that. I cannot restore what was lost, nor return you to where you once came." Their faces fell. He shook his head, and his smile returned. "But I can give you a fresh start. A new life; not as elves, yes, but... perhaps... something new. Yes... I know what you could become."
To each elven spirit, he asked a simple question; if they wished to fade, stay themselves, remain... or if they wished to be reborn as something new, be given a fresh start. Almost to a man they agreed - they wished for the second chance he offered them. Each one he gathered to him, sending their souls into a sleep they would not remember slipping into. And with each one, he breathed into them new life... a new existence unlike any other.
They retained their ethereal looks - they glowed with spiritual energy. The new beings retained their elven grace, their beauty, but gained qualities that are said to have stayed from their near fading - a ghostly, heavenly look that their race shares even today. When they awoke, they opened their eyes to beautiful green forests in a Realm they did not know, with no memory of who or what they once had been.
"You are the eumasel; the reborn," Shiranui told the new beings as they looked upon the world of Xaeri in wonder. "Touched by my grace, you shall live new lives, bathing in the light of the sun. Remember me, and be well."
However, all was not well - and Shiranui, who watched his new creations closely, soon saw that the fading of the spirits had wrought more damage than even the greatest of gods had realized. Despite their trying, the eumasel were unable to bear strong and healthy children; their infants died, leaving distraught parents without hope of ever starting a family. Thinking quickly, he returned to their dwelling and taught them how to forge the Anibil shards, objects that would give the children enough energy to survive until their weakened spirits could live and thrive on their own in adulthood.
Another problem soon presented itself - as the eumasel were mortal, they lived and died as mortals did. But their spirits were weak, and even though they had progeny to succeed after them, they died easily and had a difficult time reaching the Spirit Realm after their death.
Thus, Shiranui took a single seed from the Soultree and planted it in Xaeri, infusing it with some of his power - he took the ailing spirits and fused them with the tree's own soul, allowing them a peaceful, eternal rest. This became the Great Spirit Tree, and when it matured, taught them how to bond with the tree and boost their own souls. He granted the Tree protections against fire and natural disasters; he gave it resistance to magic of all kinds. Then, he taught the eumasel how to plant lesser trees, eventually known as ancestral spirit trees, so that they could spread all across the Realms at their will.
Pleased with his work, he remembered the fading elves and their plight, then looked upon the eumasel that would never fade... and he smiled. Simply smiled.
This species did not have an Ancient First.
subspecies
No subspecies have been discovered for this species yet!
