Guide to the Arcane Realm

Faye

Faye are a class of lifeforms that have a deep connection to nature's magical processes, resulting in their wide variety of innate magical traits and abilities. Physiologically, faye are organisms that are either heterotrophs or autotrophs. Heterotrophic faye have to breathe oxygen, eat, drink and excrete in order to sustain themselves but autotrophic faye use photosynthesis and rely on absorbing sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make their own food. Most faye species are sapient and the majority are either humanoids or liminals.

The forms and traits that faye species have developed were selected by the collective unconscious within the spiritual plane influencing the planet's magic power. Due to the magic field providing power to the collective unconsciousness, faye species physical features combine a humanoid mind and body plan with distinct features from the natural creatures or environment within their anatomy.

Faye bodies produce much more magic power than they absorb from the environment, which allows faye species to have a variety of sorcerous traits and abilities. Some sorcery is shared by all faye while some is specific to certain species due to their unique adaptations.

For example, most faye can passively regenerate wounds in a short time via biomagical reactions speeding up the process. The extent of this regeneration prevents the development of scar tissue and can even regrow entire limbs however it is an automated response of their bodies that can not be controlled through will. Also these actions do not set any broken bones on its own or increase pain tolerance. In addition, this sorcery is significantly slowed when the subject is increasingly exhausted or when exposed to substances that interfere with the process. Faye also lack measurable symptoms of aging due to their cells' highly regenerative properties. As such most faye do not weaken, slow down, or lose fertility with age giving them great longevity, potentially for centuries. However they are not deathless and will eventually fall due to mortal injury or disease beyond their regenerative capability.

Faye Species

Fairy

Fairies are a species of humanoid faye with two pairs of insect or a single pair of bird like wings on their backs. From birth and throughout their childhood, they are a minuscule size until they have a growth spurt that quickly sizes them up to other humanoids. Fairies are also unique in that adults they can revert to their juvenile state if they face near-death from disease or injury.

A hallmark of fairy values is the importance of play. Practically every fairy community focuses on playing, even into adulthood. Their societies are structured around play, especially in the form of games. They even incorporate playing and gaming elements into practical areas of life like education and labor or ideological areas like art and scientific research.

Fairy groups are led by a matriarch known as a Titania. This fairy is always female and is taller in stature than the rest in her care. If the current Titania leaves, dies, or rejuvenates, then the oldest or largest female of the group will gradually change physically and in disposition to take on her role.

Merfolk

Merfolk are a sapient species of liminal faye that have well-built and attractive humanoid upper bodies and lower halves resembling the tail and fins of a great fish or whale. Their hair and skin span a wide range of hues, with merpeople native to a given region mirroring the patterns of the local fish.

From birth, merfolk greatly resemble fish in form but gradually develop more humanoid traits throughout childhood. Once adolescents their tails will quickly reform into legs once they leave the water (and, likewise, their legs will quickly reform into a tail should they ever enter water). Their forms on land resemble those of hominins but with fins, webbed toes and sections of their skin having aquatic coloration. 

Communities exist in the oceans and coastal reefs, rivers, swampy wetlands, and even in mountain lakes and springs. The oceanic merfolk have large and complex societies within the sea. Bays, kelp forests and coral reefs are home to merfolk cultures and architecture that can give the races on land a run for their money.

Lamia

Lamias (or lamiae) are a sapient species of faye that have an obvious liminal body shape. From the waist up lamias appear to be humanoid, but below their hips in place of legs, they possess a large powerful snake-like bottom half used for locomotion and self-defense. Lamias are also a female only species that lacks any male members.

They are one of the many species that belonged to a group of serpentine faye known as Naga. However in modernity, lamia are the only known living members of the naga family. Lamias can be found almost anywhere that isn't cold year round.

Lamiae were once a race that were labelled as monsters, mostly due to their appearance and rumors about their habits. Eventually a shift in understanding about other species called monsters shifted these attitudes enough for attempts at communication to be made. Soon with their cultures recognised, lamias were legally considered people instead of monsters and many have intergrated in the cultures of other races and vice versa.

Harpy

Harpies are a sapient species of liminal faye found throughout the world. Harpies are only female and require a male member of another species in order to procreate. They resemble attractive humanoid women with feathered wings in place of arms and bird talons for feet, who have the ability to fly like birds.

The bodies of harpies mimic aspects of specific natural bird species to adapt to their environments. Their personalities can also differ, from friendly and chatty, to laid back and forgetful, to intelligent and focused predators.

Historically, harpies were considered a species of monster that should be avoided or hunted. However, studies on harpies eventually lead to better understanding about their capacity for intelligence, wisdom, and empathy. As such harpies were slowly being recognized to have unique cultures and some even intergrated into other races societies. This led to not only harpies eventually being considered people but other potentially sapient beings called monsters to be put under more scrutiny.

Giant

Giants are a sapient species of faye who, for the most part, superficially resemble large scaled-up hominins. They also have a variety of unique features to properly function despite their size. With their large masses and volume, they can compensate thanks to their bodies containing multiple pockets of air to reduce their overall weight on their bones and muscles.

Giants come in two distinct groups: the Primeval which look exactly like large hominins and the smaller Oni, who have horns on their foreheads and their skin are either shades of red and blue. Most often they go their own separate ways but there are a few places where they intermingle and there are individuals who share mixed ancestry of both lineages. Many varieties of giants existed before the Ghulat Wars but the resulting apocalypse wiped out all but these two groups.

Author Notes:

The Faye class are obviously based on mythological creatures. A lot are based on popular creatures in fantasy and pop culture. S

ome are people, some considered monsters or even beasts, but all should have something magical about them.