Legends of Belariath

Naiads

The Naiads, or Water Nymphs, are similar to the Nereids, but inhabit the freshwater ponds, streams, and springs common to the wilderness of Belariath. They are usually encountered as they bathe among the reeds and lilies of a quiet pool and if disturbed will quickly disappear with a bare ripple, only to reemerge a moment later with shy smile and curious gaze. They rarely leave their watery lairs, though they too are comfortable on dry ground and it is not so uncommon to see them wandering the nearby paths, usually in the company of a Satyr or two.

Some Water Nymphs have skin as white as the petals of a water lily's blossom, others of a blue so deep as to be taken for black. Pale shades of blue are the most common, with eyes and hair somewhat brighter, the effect of the whole akin to drowning a man's senses with pleasure. Naiads are a bit more soft spoken compared to their sister counterparts.

Character Creation

Starter Classes: Bard, Thief, Mage, Druid, Healer, Artisan, Entertainer, Laymen

Advanced Classes: Hierophant, Seductress, Water Mage, Earth Mage, Air Mage

Starting Stats:

	STR	INT	AGI	RES	STA	SPL	LFE
Basic Stats	1	2	5	2	2	2	8

Special Abilities and Disadvantages

Splash: A Naiad when near any body of water, whether fresh or salt, can cause a small amount of it, in the form of a wave, to come crashing upon their attacker. In doing so it distracts them long enough for the Naiad to gain some ground enough to flee. If the Naiad uses salt water she can not touch the water that has aided her.

Globes of the Lakes: At the cost of 1 stamina a Naiad can call upon a globe of ocean water, equivalent to one gallon of fresh water, to appear in front of them for their use.

Gaea’s Kiss: Allows the Naiad to breathe underwater for an indefinite amount of time.

Plant Grow: A Naiad can induce a plant to grow but only a plant that comes from a body of fresh water. And just like the dryads ability it can not be used to damage, such as strangulation. The plant that is grown must be in a body of fresh water at all times.

Naiad Frailties: Naiads must always have a form of their water on them, whether it is an intricate silver necklace with a glass container that holds the lakes water, or even a bracelet that turns to water on spoken word. It must be in contact with their flesh or on their person at all times.

In the winter, a Naiad will take on a sort of icy sheen with a light dusting of snow that seems to leave them glistening. Naiads unlike their counter parts, grow much calmer.

Nymphs In General

Note: The following information is generic to all Nymph variants - Dryads, Naiads, Nereids, Oreads and Sylphs

Background

When the subject of females is mentioned around the smoky inns and taverns of Belariath, perhaps the image that comes quickest to mind is that of a beautiful and barely clothed young woman, peeking shyly from behind a tree, or splashing playfully in the cool waters of a secluded spring. Such images have been painted a thousand times in word, art, and song. They are visions of the wild and mysterious beings, known simply as Nymphs.

Nymphs are nature spirits who take the form of young adult females, human-like in their size and appearance, although with far greater diversity than any other race could dream of. Their hair comes in as many colors as the eye could behold, usually complemented by their wide and innocent eyes. Their skin is fair, and dark, and every color in between, but always soft to the touch. For the most part a Nymph's coloration will reflect her nature, for each Nymph has one. Shades of blue for the Water Nymphs, green for the Forest Nymphs, and so on. They do not have wings, like fairies, nor can they change size, like Pixies, their magic is of a subtler sort.

Nymphs, by definition, are chaotic by nature. They appear somewhat naive, easily confused at times with seemingly simple things (like money for instance) and yet, at the same time often able to put the most complex emotional issues into a perspective only a child could truly appreciate. What they lack in common sense, they make up for with a moral compass, which rarely leads them astray. One should never assume a nymph is unintelligent, far from it, they are very bright, quick to learn, and curious as the day is long. Some have wondered if it's all just an act, or if there is some hidden motive behind their giggling whimsical behavior. Others just assume that perhaps they are the wisest of us all, they've discovered the secret of life and can only share it by sharing themselves.

It's well known that Nymphs are imbued with a seemingly unconscious sexuality, most seem quite puzzled by the effects their mere presence can have on men and women alike. They exude desire with every movement, every look, and every soft sigh. For many men a Nymph has only one purpose, to be ravished repeatedly and often. The Nymphs themselves are often quite accommodating in this respect, even going so far to encourage this rather untoward behavior. Others may resist, occasionally with success, but it seems nature herself has gone a little too far with her gift and the Nymphs themselves more often than not surrender with pleasure after a few moments of struggle.

Slavery

Nymphs are among the most popular choices for slaves, for obvious reasons. Many Nymphs do not seem to resent this, although it obviously depends a great deal on the relationship they share with their Master or Mistress. Nymphs require a great deal of patience and understanding. They are free-spirited and prone to quick mood swings, but rarely can a Nymph remain angry or sad for long. Nymphs are flighty and may quickly agree to any proposal, which strikes their fancy, which makes them somewhat vulnerable in many respects. The prospective Master of a Nymph has added responsibility when it comes to purchasing or proposing slavery to a Nymph, she will often be depending more on his good judgment than her own.

Special Abilities

All Nymphs share some common innate abilities regardless of their place of origin, which some have seen to be proof of a greater purpose to their existence.

Nymphs are able to heal sick and injured plants, they have a limited form of empathy with all vegetation and are able to use this to great advantage in their daily duties. They are able to spur plant growth, though barely noticeable with trees, smaller plants such as grass can be seen to sprout quickly, and budding flowers can bloom with a soft word or gentle touch.

They are able to seemingly draw small amounts of moisture from the air when need be, squeezing an empty fist as if holding an invisible sponge and causing a small amount of fresh water to spill onto the ground. This is very useful when the Nymphs are tending their gardens, as you can imagine.

Nymphs are immune to plant poisons, they do not suffer from poison ivy, for example, nor would they suffer the adverse affects drinking hemlock tea might bring, although reportedly it is very bitter.

All Nymphs may be considered to have an expert knowledge of plants in terms of care and gardening. Dryads may or may not know the specific uses of a plant, for medicine or magic for example, depending on their personal experience, but they will always know which plants are dangerous to eat or touch, and which ones are not.

They also share a limited empathy with wild animals. Such creatures will never attack a Nymph except under extreme circumstances, such as a rabid animal for instance. Likewise a Nymph is largely incapable of injuring or assisting in the injury of an animal; they will resist having to perform such an action unless no other course reveals itself. Nymphs will often care for wounded or sick animals, healing the injured animals they come upon, restoring them back to good health and setting them free. They are usually very capable of calming a frightened or excited beast.

All nymphs take on a Defense shield of +1 def (phy/mag) per two levels. The defense shield will come to them in a form of the element they represent.

Restrictions

Nymphs are filled with an instinctive desire to preserve and serve life. They are incapable of killing any human or humanoid being, and find it very nearly impossible to take the life of even the smallest animals. They are able to defend themselves, to the best of their abilities, using defensive spells and non-lethal magic, if they possess it. They cannot wear any physical armor, nor may they carry any man made weapons, however, they can carry weapons of natural fibers, such as a serrated sharks tooth, a wooden sword or an obsidian shard.

Though well known for their capricious and fun loving natures, Nymphs are quite intelligent and may learn the use of magic. Nymphs may specialize in any of the elemental spheres, except fire, which is an element many of them have learned to fear and distrust over their long histories. In addition to Mage, the Druid class is available as well although they do not belong to any religious sects or orders. Being a Druid is more or less an extension of their affinity with nature, and not a true profession.

Nymphs may also become Thieves, although it must be said that they do not value money or possessions nearly as highly as some of the other races. Most Nymph thieves tend to be a sort of "good" thief, if there is such a thing, selecting their victims carefully, stealing only as much as seems appropriate, and usually donating their newfound wealth to someone less fortunate. They have been known to pick a pocket not in the hopes of finding gold, but rather to surreptitiously place a coin or two.

They may also take any of the non-combat classes, although Nymph artisans are not very common. They seem to lack the discipline and patience such a calling requires. Nymphs can not initiate combat.

Due to a nymph's flighty nature and their inability to wish harm on others nymphs are restricted from taking a slave into their possession.

Nymph Types

While the Nymphs recognize no known hierarchy and live their lives largely independent of anything but instinctive direction, they are drawn to specific areas of nature. Or it may be more accurate to say they are the manifestation of such spheres, for none can say for sure if they were born to a specific purpose, or sprang forth unbidden from the chaotic energies of creation.