Family: Mermaid
Type: Giant
Habitat: Oceans, far reaches of the continental shelf
Disposition: Calm, stoic, hospitable, modest
Diet: Omnivorous, Spirit energy
Ägir (EH-jeer) are giants of the sea and protectors of the oceanic realm of Michiko. Sporting a humanoid torso and a fish tail, the average ägir is well above three meters long and has skin of a blue or greenish tint.
Tasked by Michiko with the safety of her realm, from the coastlines to the outer reaches, many ägir spend long stretches of time in solitude with at least one ägir assigned to a quadrant of the continental shelf at any one time. Though ägir stoically accept this lonesome duty they will gladly take an opportunity to interact with others. They may invite passengers of passing ships or seaborne mamono that have strayed nearby into their halls. An ägir’s hospitality is well renowned, and being given such an invitation is both considered a great honor and seen as a sign of good fortune by seafarers. Many seafarers and Michikona maintain a tradition of gifting a small trinket, such as a sea-shell necklace, to an ägir they encounter, which will be returned to their home temple upon completion of her assignment. Sometimes an ägir will also invite another mamono to join her as she undertakes her duty to lessen her loneliness.
While encounters with ägir are considered good fortune by most seafarers, they are the bane of Michiko’s enemies and those who would render harm upon her subjects. Mermaid poachers especially do well to fear their wrath as they are sure to be destroyed with utmost prejudice if discovered. When encountering particularly grave threats, ägir are able to assume a true giant form that can range anywhere from 15 to 50 meters in height, inspiring awe and fear in all those who behold her. In this form, she wields powerful magic to control the oceans around her. As this feat consumes enormous amounts of energy, such transformations are rarely heard of however and require long periods of recuperation after use. Assignments to a particular quadrant of the ocean typically last for a full year at least.
The largest concentration of ägir can be found in the Sanctuary of Resplendent Vigilance, a giant temple complex found beneath the waves, due west of the Isle of Blue Glass. This temple is separated into nine enormous sections or halls, and which hall an ägir lives in indicates to which area of Michiko’s domain her assignments will usually lead her. This place is also where most new ägir are born. Due to the often solitary nature of their assignments everywhere on the continental shelf, many ägir face even lower than average odds of chance encounters with men than the average Michikona. Because of this Michiko occasionally supplies the temple with human men, usually volunteers, to bolster the spirits and numbers of her loyal servants. To be offered this chance is considered a great honor among such men as are born and raised in Michiko’s underwater realm. Even among mamono, ägir suffer from a particularly low chance of conceiving a child and so anytime one of them is born is cause for great celebration in the temple. Perhaps to make up for that fact an ägir’s average lifespan far eclipses that of their smaller mermaid cousins.
Ägir are almost never observed on dry land, as their power is greatly diminished there, and even an invitation by a cherished friend will often be declined. Seeing one of them on land is a special occasion indeed, and it is considered a great honor by those she visits. Such a visit is sure to awaken the baser desires of opportunists however, as an ägir’s blood, similar to that of a mermaid, is a potent medicine and magical ingredient. Though unlike the blood of a mermaid, its potency is far greater and will never fade. Other than their husbands, few indeed ever get to experience the bolstering effects of their blood.
Most encounters between ägir and men occur in the Sanctuary of Resplendent Vigilance, where men will typically be married to three to five women belonging to the same hall, no more than half of which will ever be on assignment at a time. Most men who come to live in the temple in this way spend the remainder of their lives there, never straying far from their loving wives. However, if an ägir should chance across a man while not in the temple she will pursue him for herself and only herself. If such a union is made she will ensure that the bond between the two is forged from unbreakable links and she will henceforth prefer to never let him out of her sight. The man will enjoy her renowned hospitality every day and accompany her on her assignments.
An ägir with a husband of her own is also much more likely to spend her time not on assignments in other populated areas of Michiko’s realm to give her man the chance to experience all that the world underwater has to offer. Other mamono would do well not to flirt with an ägir’s husband, as they may find her calm and gentle demeanor to be replaced with stern anger at such an affront.
Name That Mamono: Ingrid
At 36 years old Ingrid is the youngest member of the hall of Hevring. Since turning 30 she has twice been assigned to watch over a quadrant of ocean close to the northwestern Kiokan coast. There she was able to form a few friendships thanks to a few smaller settlements located within her assigned quadrant. Ingrid has skin of light-greenish tint and long dark hair. At a length of 3.3 meters she is considered of average length for her kind, though she secretly wishes she was a bit smaller.
Encouraged perhaps by the youth of its protector, an enterprising pirate recently formed plans to threaten and extort a small community of mermaids living within Ingrid’s quadrant. In the ensuing confrontation Ingrid transformed into her true giant form and sank the small pirate flotilla in a storm of gales and waves. This act earned her a measure of fame among Michikona and infamy among the pirate freebooters and bought her an early release from her assignment. She received a commendation from Michiko herself and has been granted an extended leave of 10 years to recoup the expended energy.
After having returned the mermaids’ gifts to the hall of Hevring Ingrid has taken to traveling the most densely populated regions of Michiko’s realm in search of new friends and experiences. She has also taken a keen interest in watching from afar the goings-on in the various port cities she has come across. Secretly she also hopes to meet that special someone to whom she can give her all. Though she would never admit it she is self-conscious about her size considering that men tend to be significantly smaller than herself.
Ophanim (OH-fah-nim) are the messengers of the heavens -- their efforts maintain contact between realms and keep them up-to-date on news. It’s a task with little glory in it, but the Chariots of Fire don’t mind. They love their jobs.
An adult ophan (OH-fan), regardless of her actual age, looks like a human girl ranging in age from preteens to mid-teens. Her hair and eyes can be any color found among humans while her skin ranges from ruddy to dark brown, often with freckles. She also has a pair of feathery or fiery wings sprouting from her back. An ophan’s most striking feature is her wheels. An ophan sits at the center of one or more seemingly metallic spinning rings, each of which has many eyes lining its rim, with a diameter slightly greater than her wingspan. An ophan is born with one wheel, and she gains more as she grows in knowledge and power. The eldest and greatest ophanim have nine wheels. Because the wheels are spiritual appendages an ophan can dismiss them into an incorporeal state, but beings who can perceive spirits or auras can still see them. An ophan can always see through the eyes on her wheels; she can see in the dark and has 360° vision in both the horizontal and vertical planes. While her wheels are manifested an ophan can perceive spirits and auras, and some learn to see through invisibility.
The greatest powers of the Chariots of Fire are those that directly tie into their function as messengers. Ophanim are the fastest creatures in the sky of the mamono world -- they can fly at over half the speed of sound, and they have enough stamina to maintain that velocity for up to an hour at a time with no ill effects that a hot meal and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix. Ophanim also have faster reflexes than those of werecats, and their airborne maneuverability surpasses that of hummingbirds. They perfectly remember any message they have been charged to carry even decades later, though they forget quickly upon delivery. Ophan elders can compartmentalize their minds so as to hide private information from mind readers. Reading surface thoughts won’t defeat this measure; retrieving a message hidden in this manner is impossible without risking contact with the angel’s subconscious.
Because their duties as messengers often take them away from home every ophan expects to share a husband. In fact it’s rare for an ophan to be a man’s first wife; it’s more common for one to invite herself into an existing marriage. She energetically woos both the man and his wife (or wives) by bringing souvenirs and treats from faraway places. She makes a point of conversing with each member of the family she aspires to join, including any children, to endear herself to them before she makes her move. She also freely offers and/or accepts sexual favors during this courtship period. By the time the ophan proposes marriage her prospective family has already grown to love her, and how much they miss her when she’s gone is exceeded only by how glad they are when she returns.
Name That Mamono: Sandalphon III (SAND-all-fahn)
Despite diplomatic relations between Arcadia and Asgard not being normalized the Lords have kept communication channels with the Isle of Angels open, and it is Sandalphon and her fellow ophanim who make that possible. Sandy -- none of the other angels call her that, but she hopes a human lover will -- carries messages to each of Arcadia’s capitals on a regular basis. Mostly she passes secret communiques to Elizabeth or Amarante and returns with replies. It says much about what sort of person Sandy is that reading those messages has never occurred to her, and this integrity makes her illustrious mother and grandmother proud.
Sandalphon is almost 1,000 years old and has received criticism from her superiors for being a workaholic, so in her over-reactive fashion she has decided that she needs a husband. She knows her messenger duties will frequently take her away from home, so her plan to make sure that her man isn’t left alone and unprotected is to share him with her squadmates. Now all she has to do is find a man on whom she, a tsundere cupid, a dandere valkyrie, and a bakadere sun bride can agree. Sandy hasn’t figured out that she’s the yandere in this mix (though her squadmates have), and she probably never will.