tantric
2016-11-02, 10:24 PM
i was skimming some stuff about the drow online, and decided to introduce y'all to one of my dark elven races....
Fusuliashi
Fusuliashi are the Savage Elves of the Mistflower Jungles. They are tall and thin with yellow-green skin and a variety of pastel hair colors. Their eyes are the same color as the individual's hair, only metallic. Females tattoo their skins with black ink, whereas males use multicolored inks. The tattoos are in abstract, jagged patterns like that of shadows on the jungle floor. They wear skins as loincloths. Their stark and ugly cities are scattered throughout the Mistflower Jungles.
Savage Elves are of the Iron Alliance, and further more are Cannibals and Necromancers. Specifically, they torture and bleed Faeries and kill and reanimate Shifter (and animals), but reserve their greatest horror for other Elves - a process by which Seelie and Aseelie Elves can be turned into Savage Elves. Nevertheless, they are terrified of the SpiritFolk, and with good reason. There are few other races who inhabit their cities, notably Goblins and FlowerMantids, but most other Unseelie avoid them. There are, of course, many kinds of Undead. They power their civilization with Necromantic Technology, from Zombi Slavelabour to TalkingHead computers.
The mania of the Fusuliashi is unlike that of the sadistic Damethear or the inhuman Astsantse. The Savage Elves are positively gleeful, rather like perverse ultra powerful children. Even their obsessive focus on sex, in every disgusting permutation, seems childish. Their major form of entertainment involves dressing their Zombis in elaborate costumes and staging plays. Of all the Iron Alliance elves, only the Savage Elves have a sense of humor, for what it's worth.
They do not (often) hate their victims. For the most part, the Savages love and admire the Good Sports among the Flowerfolk. The Raids are fun, and the Florans put up a lovely fight. Fusuliashi have no concern of death at all. Attackers may wear Televoyance headbands for viewers back home. They have been know to leave presents in the raided villages, to send "get well" cards and even reparations. And Audience Appreciate Gifts. And just as often suicide bombers and trojan horses full of who knows what? Savages are *mad* - they will walk directly into a FlowerFolk village, sit at the bar and ask for tea - *they* expect to be held in friendly regard. A Sprite coming into a Savage city might be safe, for a while, or not, but he would not be treated rudely. Lots of visitors come for the Big Shows, and no one would dare harm or annoy an audience member/critic
The goings-on of the Fusuliashi are called Events by the Natives. There are Fetes, Galas, Shows, Tourneys and worse besides. The majority of Fusuliashi culture exists in the form of Literature, in the form of Thatch books, which are performed. There are thousands of works, hundreds of Classics, and every single Savage Elf is either a writer, an actor or a director (or some combination) and an informed critic. These Performances, which use large numbers of Zombis (controlled by the Directors), are called Shows. Tourneys, on the other hand, are improvisational and often feature fights, torture and/or copulation involving Chonchons, Jujus and Inaminals. Fetes, which also take place in the same structures, are parties in honor of someone or something, whereas Galas are Carnival style street parties which venture out into the Jungles beyond the city. The ultimate expression of Savage Elf performance art is the travelling Circus, which, on occasion, will take a tour of the Centrality or the Rootsworld of the Damethear. The Circus is tolerated, provided no locals are involuntarily molested, but not especially welcomed. On the other hand, the Circus performers truly outdo themselves while on tour, with shows the exceed anything performed in their homeland.
Fusuliashi have no concept of family. It seems they raise their children for the sole purpose of warping and humiliating them. When babies are born, their Spirits are drain into Token, usually by the mother. The children are not exactly Liches, though they do mature quickly. Younger Fusuliashi are not given the knowledge of Necromancy, and thus must beg and serve the Necromancers. The Savage Elves are reasonably Fecund, for Elves, and each Necromancer has several Assistants. When a Savage regains his Spirit, he gets the adult tattoos, which are done with Tisane Inks and serve as a barrier and protect for their Spirits.
Their groups are more like gangs than tribes, dominated by whoever has the most Undead (and thus artistic license). Any spark will throw the gang into high drama, and the continued existance of the Race is mostly due to a kind of universal aversion towards physically harming each other. Indeed, the Fusuliashi cherish and adore one another - they especially love having Stylistic Foes, who do their combat in the form of Farces and Mockeries.
Most Fusuliashi are artists, some of astounding talent and profundity. They are base, corrupt and mad, but they create great literature. If one can get over the fact that their plays are preformed by Undead, the artistry is undeniable. For instance, the best composers select Zombis that can sing one single pure note, and arrange them into choruses. The songs so produces are divine and inspired - it's the instruments that are questionable. For all Faeries, and others besides, there is a kind of religion associated with Art. For those who practice ArtCraft, it is the Graces. For the workers of more emphemeral media there are the Muses. The Fusuliashi, however, count thirteen instead of the usual nine, adding Anomnia for boredom, Euthanopes for horror, Polymene for mystery and Phrice for terror. Polymene and Anomnia are Oracles, whereas the other two are (unfortunately) Cartyrids.
Fusuliashi Cities
The Cities of the Fusulashi are clusters of amphitheaters and pyramids in and on which they perform their Fetes and Galas. To understand the "civilization" of the Savages, one must understand their building materials. The Savage Elves use their Tisanes to turn living matter into something akin to plastic - Metateratomic Materials (things made monsterous).
Their amphitheaters are thus built of gray and black Adobe slabs, and may be full round, conical or otherwise. Their pyramids are stair step and may have three, four or six sides, likewise of pristine and sterile Adobe. Their structures are permanent, erosion proof and utterly non biodegradable, and thus require no upkeep. For their homes, they make dome struts from Plywood and Rubbervines, then hang Thatch. When speaking of Fusuliashi architecture, it must the understood that the "they" doing the building are Zombis and Drones directed by a Necromancer - the Elves themselves do no labor. Building by proxy is still a complicated task, and thus the short attention span Savages favor simple styles or works in progress. The Fusuliashi do not name their Cities, but do name their Stages, Promenades and Stadiums.
Like all the major cultures of Worldstrees, Fusuliashi live with an assortment of cohabitants. Their Undead slaves: Zombis, Jujus, Chonchons, and Jellybabies and their semisentient Inanimal races, particularly Drones and now Cacmaws make up the majority of these. There are also sentient Undead, Banshees (died for art), Lotusmoke Wraiths and Liches. The Littlepeople who chose to live among the Cannibals are mostly parasites and bloodsuckers. There are Ixies (ticks, which ride around on emaciated Agoutis), Vampire Slyphs, Blueflies, Botflies, Midges, included the dreaded SavageMidge (which transmitts cannibalism) and Ichneumen Pixies. Both Whippersnaps and FlowerMantid can hold their own in Cannibal Cities. Most Goblins and even civilized Unseelies abhor the Savages.
(there's more, let me know if it tickles your fancy)
Fusuliashi
Fusuliashi are the Savage Elves of the Mistflower Jungles. They are tall and thin with yellow-green skin and a variety of pastel hair colors. Their eyes are the same color as the individual's hair, only metallic. Females tattoo their skins with black ink, whereas males use multicolored inks. The tattoos are in abstract, jagged patterns like that of shadows on the jungle floor. They wear skins as loincloths. Their stark and ugly cities are scattered throughout the Mistflower Jungles.
Savage Elves are of the Iron Alliance, and further more are Cannibals and Necromancers. Specifically, they torture and bleed Faeries and kill and reanimate Shifter (and animals), but reserve their greatest horror for other Elves - a process by which Seelie and Aseelie Elves can be turned into Savage Elves. Nevertheless, they are terrified of the SpiritFolk, and with good reason. There are few other races who inhabit their cities, notably Goblins and FlowerMantids, but most other Unseelie avoid them. There are, of course, many kinds of Undead. They power their civilization with Necromantic Technology, from Zombi Slavelabour to TalkingHead computers.
The mania of the Fusuliashi is unlike that of the sadistic Damethear or the inhuman Astsantse. The Savage Elves are positively gleeful, rather like perverse ultra powerful children. Even their obsessive focus on sex, in every disgusting permutation, seems childish. Their major form of entertainment involves dressing their Zombis in elaborate costumes and staging plays. Of all the Iron Alliance elves, only the Savage Elves have a sense of humor, for what it's worth.
They do not (often) hate their victims. For the most part, the Savages love and admire the Good Sports among the Flowerfolk. The Raids are fun, and the Florans put up a lovely fight. Fusuliashi have no concern of death at all. Attackers may wear Televoyance headbands for viewers back home. They have been know to leave presents in the raided villages, to send "get well" cards and even reparations. And Audience Appreciate Gifts. And just as often suicide bombers and trojan horses full of who knows what? Savages are *mad* - they will walk directly into a FlowerFolk village, sit at the bar and ask for tea - *they* expect to be held in friendly regard. A Sprite coming into a Savage city might be safe, for a while, or not, but he would not be treated rudely. Lots of visitors come for the Big Shows, and no one would dare harm or annoy an audience member/critic
The goings-on of the Fusuliashi are called Events by the Natives. There are Fetes, Galas, Shows, Tourneys and worse besides. The majority of Fusuliashi culture exists in the form of Literature, in the form of Thatch books, which are performed. There are thousands of works, hundreds of Classics, and every single Savage Elf is either a writer, an actor or a director (or some combination) and an informed critic. These Performances, which use large numbers of Zombis (controlled by the Directors), are called Shows. Tourneys, on the other hand, are improvisational and often feature fights, torture and/or copulation involving Chonchons, Jujus and Inaminals. Fetes, which also take place in the same structures, are parties in honor of someone or something, whereas Galas are Carnival style street parties which venture out into the Jungles beyond the city. The ultimate expression of Savage Elf performance art is the travelling Circus, which, on occasion, will take a tour of the Centrality or the Rootsworld of the Damethear. The Circus is tolerated, provided no locals are involuntarily molested, but not especially welcomed. On the other hand, the Circus performers truly outdo themselves while on tour, with shows the exceed anything performed in their homeland.
Fusuliashi have no concept of family. It seems they raise their children for the sole purpose of warping and humiliating them. When babies are born, their Spirits are drain into Token, usually by the mother. The children are not exactly Liches, though they do mature quickly. Younger Fusuliashi are not given the knowledge of Necromancy, and thus must beg and serve the Necromancers. The Savage Elves are reasonably Fecund, for Elves, and each Necromancer has several Assistants. When a Savage regains his Spirit, he gets the adult tattoos, which are done with Tisane Inks and serve as a barrier and protect for their Spirits.
Their groups are more like gangs than tribes, dominated by whoever has the most Undead (and thus artistic license). Any spark will throw the gang into high drama, and the continued existance of the Race is mostly due to a kind of universal aversion towards physically harming each other. Indeed, the Fusuliashi cherish and adore one another - they especially love having Stylistic Foes, who do their combat in the form of Farces and Mockeries.
Most Fusuliashi are artists, some of astounding talent and profundity. They are base, corrupt and mad, but they create great literature. If one can get over the fact that their plays are preformed by Undead, the artistry is undeniable. For instance, the best composers select Zombis that can sing one single pure note, and arrange them into choruses. The songs so produces are divine and inspired - it's the instruments that are questionable. For all Faeries, and others besides, there is a kind of religion associated with Art. For those who practice ArtCraft, it is the Graces. For the workers of more emphemeral media there are the Muses. The Fusuliashi, however, count thirteen instead of the usual nine, adding Anomnia for boredom, Euthanopes for horror, Polymene for mystery and Phrice for terror. Polymene and Anomnia are Oracles, whereas the other two are (unfortunately) Cartyrids.
Fusuliashi Cities
The Cities of the Fusulashi are clusters of amphitheaters and pyramids in and on which they perform their Fetes and Galas. To understand the "civilization" of the Savages, one must understand their building materials. The Savage Elves use their Tisanes to turn living matter into something akin to plastic - Metateratomic Materials (things made monsterous).
Their amphitheaters are thus built of gray and black Adobe slabs, and may be full round, conical or otherwise. Their pyramids are stair step and may have three, four or six sides, likewise of pristine and sterile Adobe. Their structures are permanent, erosion proof and utterly non biodegradable, and thus require no upkeep. For their homes, they make dome struts from Plywood and Rubbervines, then hang Thatch. When speaking of Fusuliashi architecture, it must the understood that the "they" doing the building are Zombis and Drones directed by a Necromancer - the Elves themselves do no labor. Building by proxy is still a complicated task, and thus the short attention span Savages favor simple styles or works in progress. The Fusuliashi do not name their Cities, but do name their Stages, Promenades and Stadiums.
Like all the major cultures of Worldstrees, Fusuliashi live with an assortment of cohabitants. Their Undead slaves: Zombis, Jujus, Chonchons, and Jellybabies and their semisentient Inanimal races, particularly Drones and now Cacmaws make up the majority of these. There are also sentient Undead, Banshees (died for art), Lotusmoke Wraiths and Liches. The Littlepeople who chose to live among the Cannibals are mostly parasites and bloodsuckers. There are Ixies (ticks, which ride around on emaciated Agoutis), Vampire Slyphs, Blueflies, Botflies, Midges, included the dreaded SavageMidge (which transmitts cannibalism) and Ichneumen Pixies. Both Whippersnaps and FlowerMantid can hold their own in Cannibal Cities. Most Goblins and even civilized Unseelies abhor the Savages.
(there's more, let me know if it tickles your fancy)