Family: Spirit
Type: Elemental
Habitat: Auroras; wilderness or rural areas
Disposition: Temperamental, self-absorbed, lustful
Diet: Spirit energy; processes of corruption
The colours out of space are a rare species of light elemental. Though they don’t actively prey on humans even the most pro-monster human factions regard them as dangerous because their mere presence leads to corruption. Colours out of space are living proof that a lack of harmful intent doesn’t prevent one from doing harm.
A colour out of space looks like a human girl surrounded by motes of light. The glow slowly shifts in color throughout the spectrum with her mood dictating which color appears most frequently and/or shines most brightly -- gray (infrared) for embarrassment, red for anger, orange for curiosity, yellow for fear, green for jealousy, blue for sadness, indigo for contentment, violet for desire, or gray (ultraviolet) for confusion. Her skin is typically on the extremes of the human range, either very dark or very pale.
As light elementals colours out of space have a natural talent for luminurgy (light magic); they can produce simple illumination or blinding flashes of light easily, and with practice can create light-based illusions. The most skilled colours can attack with searing beams of light, but only those who form covenants with humans who have a working knowledge of modern science can produce lasers and true holograms. A colour out of space can also levitate at will, and the most powerful can briefly transform themselves into pure radiance to travel at the speed of light. This transformation is extremely tiring, however; transporting only herself and her clothing leaves a colour exhausted, and taking another person with her might leave her near death. All attempts to take more than two other people have thus far proved fatal to the colour and/or her passengers.
The greatest danger of encountering a colour out of space is the corruptive nature of her glow; any area where she remains for more than a month or so will be transformed into a dark demon realm. With one colour the affected area is no bigger than a house and its grounds, but if there are multiple colours gathered together it can be much larger. Those who are aware of this effect will drive a colour away after a few days… unless they want to live in a demon realm, in which case they welcome her with open arms.
As followers of the Elder Gods colours out of space are big believers in (un)holy matrimony. A colour looks for a man whose way of thinking matches the eldritch patterns of her gods… or can be easily twisted to be so. The less corrupting a man needs to come in line with the demon realm mindset the more attractive he is to a colour out of space. As a man’s mind adapts to the eldritch way of thinking his body will adapt to subsist on mamono mana -- after a year or so he will no longer need food or water, and when he reaches that point he gains the ability to levitate just like a colour out of space.
Once she has brought her man around to the ways of the Elder Gods a colour will bring her new husband back to her home in the sky, where the auroras will dance to the rhythm of their lovemaking. When they conceive a child they will come down to earth a few weeks before the birth -- there is something about the process of corrupting a natural environment that nourishes the growing baby. Once the infant is born the colour and her family will return to the sky… at least until they’re ready to give the young elemental a sibling.
Name That Mamono: Sienna
Sienna is not happy. Everything seemed to be going her way -- her courier business was turning a profit, she had finally convinced the locals on her circuit that she wasn’t trying to corrupt their homes, and she had even stumbled upon a recently arrived human during her travels. And best of all, he was really cute (read: slightly crazy)! But then that damned siabrae kidnapped him right from under her nose and even had the gall to call herself rescuing him… just because Nature Girl had found him first! No, Sienna is not happy. First she’s going to get her man back, and then she’s going to give that homewrecker Karla the mother of all sunburns.
Cougars are one of the larger and more powerful members of the cat family. The average cougar can easily grow more than two meters (6’7”) tall and can easily live up to 1500 years before dying of old age. While they must acknowledge their superiors in jinkos when it comes to raw physical power and size, their agility, ruthless cunning, and pure determination make them a formidable foe should one find herself on the wrong end of their fangs and claws. Cougars have limitless ambitions and are willing to take great risks to make it to the top.
Despite their ferocious nature cougars appear at first glance to be among the least monstrous of the cat species. They have human hands and feet, and aside from their tail and ears they lack any fur. Furthermore, their canines are barely noticeable as they are barely larger than their other teeth. However, don’t be deceived as they can effortlessly morph their hands and feet into paws with sharp claws and grow their fangs to easily sevenfold their initial length.
Cougars often take great care of their physique. They train hard to hone their skills, reflexes, and especially muscles. They also take great care of their claws and fangs making sure they are always in tip top condition. This obsession with fitness is not just for their vanity but is also a necessity as their life choices often mean they must be ready to fight at all times. Oddly enough, older cougars are far bustier than one would expect given how toned the rest of their bodies are. Many cougars will adorn their bodies with fierce tattoos and piercings to express their strength and ambitions.
Compared to the average mamono cougars have excellent eyesight -- their night vision especially is among the best. They also have excellent hearing that allows them to accurately gauge the distance to where a sound came from. Their sense of smell on the other hand is subpar.
Cougars live quite odd lives compared to most mamono. It is rare to find a cougar under nine-hundred years old that would see a human as anything more than a useful bartering chip. Instead, cougars tend to develop an obsession at a young age and then will then spend the rest of their waking lives trying to move heaven and earth to reach the top of whatever it is they obsess over. They will not shun dirty tricks or violence to get what they want. Typically they tend to get into a cutthroat business of one kind or another.
In most cases the road to the top is long, winding, and full of peril. Be it that they pushed themselves beyond their limit or that one of the enemies they made along the way got the better of them, six out of every seven cougars don’t live to see their ambitions fulfilled. They often find themselves competing against their own sisters, which almost always ends by claw and fang. Only the most cunning, ruthless, and skilled cougars will survive to finally make it to the top. Yet they will soon discover that their ambitions are never truly satisfied. There is always a new record to set, a new market to monopolize, another organization to take over, a bigger fish to fry.
Cougars spend most of their time either honing their bodies or furthering their schemes. Not surprisingly, cougars do not have many true friends. There is, however, one exception. Cougars often find themselves a futanari or a particularly attractive specimen of a species they do not deem dangerous to their ambitions and take her as a consort. Initially their sole job is to whip out their member or strap-on and help the cougar blow of some steam whenever needed, but it is common for the cougar and the consort to develop a close bond that goes well beyond being mere sexual partners.
Once the cougar is approaching her thousandth birthday something will snap inside her head. She will lose her sharp edges and suddenly begin to develop strong feelings for men. Her obsession will shift away from what it used to be and refocus on finding herself and her concubine a husband who meets their desires. Once a suitable man is found the three will elope, often settling in anonymity hundreds of kilometers away from where they once used to work or operate. Without the cougar at the helm of whatever it was she had built up over the centuries her life’s work will come crumbling down like a house of cards, yet the cougar could not care less.
Cougars like their men young, strapping, and naive. They revel in the thought of using their centuries of experience with their concubine to teach him the ropes and mould him to her exact liking. A cougar is initially a dominant partner who insists on riding on top, but as her relationship with her husband deepens she becomes more and more willing to experiment.
Old cougars tend to develop highly romanticized memories of their pasts. They use these memories to regale their plentiful offspring -- on average cougars have between seven and eight cubs -- with colorful stories of their exploits. And thus they sow the seeds for the next generation of cougars to begin clawing their way to the top again.
Name That Mamono: Xena
At 1,056 years old Xena has entered the twilight of her prime. She is a tall and muscular cougar with tanned skin that is covered in tattoos and scars. She has piercing red eyes and a long, wild, jet-black mane. While stubborn and arrogant, unlike most cougars Xena cares not for titles, names, wealth, or amassing power. She only cares for one thing: the thrill of the hunt and the metallic taste of blood on her lips. In search of ever more dangerous and thrilling hunts, Xena has progressively grown more feral. She did away with weapons and clothing while on the hunt a long time ago, insisting on taking on her prey up close and personal using only claws and fangs. While Xena hunts alone, she does have a concubine camp follower; a madly attractive petite blonde inari named Gabrielle. Gabrielle is not only useful as she takes care of bothersome things like talking to the locals, but her skillful use of the strap-on has Xena mewling like a kitten on those chilly nights between hunts.
Last year Xena travelled to the Frosthaven Archipelago in the far north to chase rumors of a most magnificent beast: a giant albino woolly rhino with snow white fur and eyes as red as blood. Frosthaven’s frigid climate doesn’t lend itself to hunting in the nude, but to stubborn Xena that only added to the challenge. While she came looking for prey, all she found so far was a nemesis. The beast eluded her for weeks before the two finally locked eyes. Yet, as Xena charged at it with a ferocious howl, rather than fleeing in panic it caught Xena by surprise as it counter-charged and horribly gored her on its giant horn before escaping unscathed. That Xena survived is both a testament to her tenacity and a testament to Gabrielle’s healing skills, but the ordeal came not without a price for Xena now walks with a limp. She is now more determined than ever to hunt down and kill her nemesis… or die trying.
Halflings are a small race of humanoids that are considered to be a perfect middle ground between all other races; they hold a middle slot between the shortest races and the tallest races and tend to be shorter than the average human. They are an incredibly social race of mamono, their entire lives seeming to revolve around social interaction, and are among the most common mamono types.
Halflings are not notably stronger or weaker than any other mamono, and on the surface they are an almost unexceptional race of monsters. When someone first makes contact with a halfling they might not notice anything particularly monstrous about them. They aren't aggressive and are instead rather warm and inviting. They get along well with everyone, and will go out of their way to show kindness to those who might not receive it often. They tend to be excellent healers and cooks and will take any opportunity to use their skills to help those around them. They are also very attentive, and their perception of emotions allows them to act on desires before the owner of the emotions even knows it. This trait in particular makes many Atalantheisan nobles hire halflings as maids or servants. Aside from their smaller stature and extra-human colors they look almost entirely human, so much so that some mamono unknowingly try to woo one.
The one thing the halflings are remarkably good at is adapting to new environments. Halflings are so adaptable that they physically change according to the environment around them. Curiously, this ability has also adapted over time. As communities moved into more social environments so too did their ability. With most halflings living in the cities they all seem to have adapted to these social environments. As time is spent within a certain social environment the halfling slowly becomes more aligned with their living space over the course of several years. Should she live in a town of orcs she will begin to grow stronger, taller, and more aggressive. A town of kobolds could cause a halfling to be more skittish or unconfrontational while growing sharper teeth and more canine ears. They are extremely perceptive, have an almost innate understanding of social cues, and can understand emotions from the very beginning. This adaptability leads halflings to be very conscious of who they consistently spend time with.
Halflings are incredibly subtle when it comes to finding a mate. They will most often use the charms that they have learned through their adaptation. Each one's approach will be different from the last, but they will almost always use kindness and comfort rather than the aggression and seduction of other mamono. They may offer their healing or cooking services, offer to teach the object of their affections, or figure out a mundane way to spend time with them. As they spend more time with their chosen partner they continue to adapt, and much more rapidly than before. Like all mamono they shift to their husbands’ desires, but for a halfling this is an even more drastic change as they put their heart and soul into becoming the best version of themselves that their partner wants to see. It is not uncommon for a halfling’s overall body to change in drastic ways such as growing scales, tails, wings, feathers, and other monstrous parts should their chosen be more into another race or just have a particular preference. Many “half breeds” can come from this race, as they naturally mix and match traits that their partner likes. Conversely, they may just become as close to humans as they can for their chosen one, much like they would be from spending time with other mamono.
In the way that halflings understand all emotions they understand lust and love the most, and in this role they can sometimes be referred to as councilors for some other races. In turn this makes them incredibly perceptive in the bedroom as well. They are able to read one's desires innately, seeing past whatever veils their partner puts up to see what their heart truly wants even if their partner doesn't really know it yet. They slowly maneuver themselves to be placed in a position where their partner can act on their deepest desires, either taking charge or leaving themselves vulnerable depending on the desires of who they are with. They are quick to adapt to the pleasure being given or received, and almost seem to be able to perform desired actions before their partner can even ask it of them.
Halflings as a rule are very loving and doting. Even if they grow up around a more gruff and violent race they will almost always tend towards the gentler side of the spectrum. They make caring and attentive wives, able to perceive moods and emotions before her partner really understands them, and she can act on their desires and support them in doing what they love. In this way halflings are almost considered a lesser threat to most mamono as they seem so sweet and supportive of everyone. When they notice the changes in the halfling it’s already too late, and they’ve swept the object of their affection into their grasp.
Name That Mamono: Madel
Madel is a halfling that has spent her life with the high lady Ithria, a young dragon residing in Teremir. She has tall golden horns, patterned orange scales, and the same long, bright red hair that the high lady has. She works under the high lady in her keep as a personal assistant offering insight into the emotions of her staff and those who come into the keep. She has always been there to support the high lady when she has been her busiest… even moreso now that the high lady has brought home a mate and doesn’t know how to treat him properly.
