Family: Spirit
Type: Elemental
Habitat: Wherever humans live
Disposition: Compassionate, virtuous, pure, incorruptible
Diet: Gold, spirit energy
A hesperid (HESS-per-id) is an exceptionally rare and high-tier mamono species that is often treated as nobility or even royalty. While hesperides (hess-PEAR-eh-deez) are named after the golden rays of a sunset, they are in fact gold elementals. Sometimes confusion arises as to the difference between a creeping coin and a hesperid, for the former are also associated with gold. However the “gold” creeping coins use is mamono realm gold, a magical material that only looks like gold. This is why creeping coins are sometimes referred to as “fake treasures.” Hesperides, on the other hand, are the real deal and are made of actual pure gold. Being elementals means they are distantly related to all other elementals. Not surprisingly, of the four core elemental species the gnomes are their closest relatives. Like the other elementals hesperides can form a covenant with a man too, though theirs is quite different from the usual elemental bonds.
Even by mamono standards hesperides are exceptionally good looking. While their skin color can vary they always have golden eyes and light-blonde hair and pliable, well-endowed curves. Aside from having elfin ears and wearing golden crowns hesperides have humanoid bodies of flesh and blood from the knees up. However, they lack lower legs and instead have pools of liquid gold swirling around their legs which they can shape, move, and harden at will. Most often they form golden lower legs for the purpose of mobility and a more humanoid appearance. Since gold is a malleable metal so too can hesperides make small adjustments to their bodies.
The amount of pure gold present in an adult hesperid -- which she needs to survive -- is absolutely staggering and easily exceeds 250 kilograms (550 pounds). This is a main cause as to why hesperides are so rare. A hesperid would have to absorb that much additional gold before birthing a daughter, for if she does not she would sacrifice herself to give her daughter the gold she needs to survive.
Being made of so much pure gold puts hesperides at risk of being hunted for their gold, but they have many tools to dissuade would-be hunters. They cannot cast magic themselves, but they can reflect any and all magic cast at them back at the caster. Furthermore, they can dazzle and disorient anyone that gets close to them with ill intent. They can manipulate their gold into thick armor and/or shields. And lastly, their most powerful defense is their supernatural ability to inspire compassion in others and their likability. This goes so far that most would rather be their friends than rich.
As the purest and noblest of metals hesperides tend to have pure and virtuous personalities. They will not stand for injustice and they cannot be corrupted. This is not to say that hesperides have flawless personalities, but in the grand scheme of things their flaws are minor and mostly harmless. Hesperides often find themselves in positions of influence if not outright leadership, though they acquire such positions through earning people’s trust and/or respect rather than through force, intimidation, or deceit.
Gold is one of the least reactive substances and similarly hesperides are not really “reactive” either. This means that they can only truly connect with a human man who is compassionate and holds himself to high moral standards. Therefore hesperides go through lengthy dating processes to determine if the man they fancy is indeed compatible before they commit themselves. When they are intimate with a compatible man for the first time they will enter a covenant with him where they extend their ability to reflect magic to him. Furthermore a hesperid can use her malleability to make her sheath perfectly match his shaft.
Name That Mamono: Aurelia
Aurelia hails from Umbra, the capital of what is now Ahmose’s domain. She is the first hesperid known to have been born to an echidna. From the moment she was conceived to the day she was born, her (thankfully well-off) mother developed an inexplicable compulsion to eat golden objects. Despite costing her mother a literal fortune Aurelia was a welcome child and was raised with all the love and care in the world. At a young age Aurelia developed a love for playing the harp. When the civil war broke out she fled to the coast. There she dedicated herself and her considerable wealth to feed, clothe, and provide health care to the haggard refugees of the war. While her actions saved hundreds from misery and starvation it has left her impoverished… but at least she still has her harp.
HUMMINGWAY
Family: Spirit
Type: Birdman
Habitat: Libraries, schools, ruins
Disposition: Curious, gregarious, affectionate
Diet: Ink, written words (via reading), spirit energy
Occasionally when pen meets paper a spirit is born. These companions, made of ink and born of letters, serve a special purpose as natural historians. Though hummingways come in many shapes and sizes they are best known for the meek appearance of sleek, oiled finches. They live a flock life in a complex hierarchy dwelling in places of great historical importance such as archaeological digs or libraries.
The purpose of a hummingway is to ensure the upkeep of knowledge. These creatures come prebuilt with the knowledge of many languages; these social birds connect to a variety of peoples and species to understand complex language and social structures. These ultimate translators will keep ancient texts up to date with the most commonly understood language and make minute changes as terms pass into and out of use. Upon meeting someone new, assuming the flock size is large enough, they will make quick work to create copies and translations into the newcomer’s form of speech.
Within the library there are three types of hummingway with their rarity increasing with their size. The youngest of them are palm-sized oil spills appearing as fluffy birds. These are the ones who handle most translation and upkeep of text. In some rare cases they also live as familiars to mages. The second kind are larger and nearest in appearance to the common avian, and therefore are sometimes mistaken for harpies. They branch out gathering food and the occasional addition to their lost treasures. The third and the largest type of hummingways have the forms of winged women; they are closest in appearance to the people whose words they grew up reading. These elders maintain order within their flocks, taking care of young and organizing texts. They frequently sport headdresses made from bird skulls filled with notes and feathers easily stashed within their reach. They are icons of beauty in their homelands. While every hummingway begins life as a small, pudgy bird with time and resources a small one may grow into one of these womanlike beings, but they may never go back.
A hummingway can be summoned by writing with a quill taken from an elder’s wings and ink from another hummingway; this is how they manage their flock sizes, though they will readily give these items to people they trust in hopes of further preservation.
Name That Mamono: Aisha
Aisha is the most respected elder in her library. Not just because of her beauty, which is considerable -- her luxurious eyelashes, flawless olive skin, and prodigious bosom are the envy of the town -- but also for her knowledge and graciousness. Her flockmates marvel that she has yet to find a man. Aisha smiles and says nothing. That she is waiting for a scholar, a man of knowledge whose respect for learning matches her own, is nobody’s business but hers.
tygertygerAug 18, 2022 5:41 AM
"When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling
