Gaian Kelpies
Dark, mysterious, and primal, these water horses are not for the faint of heart. While they have many divergences from traditional kelpie lore, you'll fine them equally as fearsome.
Race Overview
Custom Price: 200$USD
Preconjure Price: 100$USD
Please note that all Racial Tome entries are based on Ember's personal UPG and may not reflect yours. Kelpies (aka, Gaian Kelpies), in this incarnation, are exclusive to Three Souls.
The Kelpies Ember works with are a little bit different from traditional Kelpies. In particular, these Kelpies come from an Alt Earth referred to as Gaia, which is one of the worlds Ember primarily works with. Here, Kelpie mythology has some major departures from the lore we are accustomed to, but many of the themes are quite similar to what you might expect of a Kelpie. Please be aware that Kelpies deal with heavy and potentially triggering themes, so please tread with caution when it comes to the paragraphs ahead.
APPEARANCE
Kelpies are capable of taking on two forms - a human form and a zombie-like equestrian form. In their water horse form, Kelpies look like zombified horses and often have exposed bone visible through gaps in their skin, almost as if the flesh has melted off. When they are in the water, they have finned spiny tails similar to a mermaid, but when they walk onto land their fin transforms into hind legs typical of a horse. They can further manipulate their physical form and can take on the appearance of a human, although some still choose to present with visible rot, while others prefer a more elegant and beautiful appearance to lure in prey. Typically those more in touch with their monstrous and equestrian side prefer to present with rot in their human forms, while those that are more in touch with their humanity present with as much beauty and grace as they can. Their hair and eyes tend to be dark, but their skin tone varies. Their equestrian forms are often darker in colour as well to blend into the dark waters of night, but there are some lighter coloured Kelpies out there.
ABILITIES
There are plenty of old legends and folk tales warning about the dangers of the coast at night or during a sudden turn of the weather. While the locals who live near “Kelpie territory” as it is referred to are wise to Kelpie trickery, some Kelpies prefer to go after tourists as a primary food source. Others, however, have learned how to manipulate and reshape their physical forms in order to hypnotize and seduce their victims before drowning and consuming them. Their human forms are always beautiful and darkly magnetic, and seem almost uniquely designed to suit and entice their “type” of prey. Each Kelpie has a specific type of person they like to feed on, believing that different intense emotions or personality types change how a person’s soul and flesh taste.
Some believe consuming the soul of a human along with their flesh is what allows the Kelpies to pass as human. Many Kelpies who choose to hunt on land rather than in water seem to like playing with their food, usually committing to the long game, some going as far as to develop relationships with their prey before consuming them. Because of this aspect of their nature, Kelpies take a considerably long time to vet (up to and sometimes over one year), and many do not make it past vetting. It is recommended that anyone interested in bringing a Kelpie into their spirit family to do so only after they have had a great deal of experience with predatory companions, at least a year with Dark or Black Arts companions, or prior experience working with Kelpies from other conjurers.
Kelpies lean towards being territorial, and consider their companions to be part of their "domain", and will protect them at all costs. It is recommended that you have established house rules on how and when your Kelpies are allowed to act in defense of your person and spirit family. They are also drawn to carnal, storm, and water magics and like to assist their companions with these aspects of their craft.
TEMPERAMENT
Kelpies are known for being master manipulators and for pushing us humans to our limits, so they require an experienced companion who knows how to navigate this aspect of their nature. In companionship, they bring strong predatory energy and enjoy exploring predator/prey dynamics with their humans if they are willing. They are often so observant of their surroundings that they almost come across as precognitive in their abilities. However, Kelpies are simply extremely good at reading human environments, behaviours, and energies.
They tend to form very deep and intimate relationships with their human companions, and companionship offers them a small piece of their humanity back, and allows them to step away from the “monsters” they’ve become. The Realm of Decay isn’t an easy place to call home, and living in the shadows of villages and cities can be kind of bleak. Like many spirits and beings seeking companionship, Kelpies want connection. The fragments that remain of their human side still yearn for a place to belong and truly call their own, and they won’t sully that by feeding off their human companions. Of course, as an extra safety measure, banishing clauses are built into their bindings to prevent a dangerous situation should they make the active choice to be malicious and cause harm to their companions. That said, only Kelpies who have proven they can push their predatory natures back for the sake of companionship, and those that can play nicely with others, will make it through vetting. Custom Conjures for Kelpies can be incredibly tricky, and it can take several tries before a suitable Kelpie ready for the commitment of companionship makes it through, so please take bringing a Kelpie into your family seriously.
Otherwise, a Kelpie’s exact disposition will vary based on the individual, but common temperaments include charming, sophisticated, dark and brooding, temperamental, dominant, cowardly, opportunistic, submissive, realistic, cynical, optimistic, sardonic, and much more.
HOME WORLD OR REALM
The Realm of Decay is perpetually dark and is primarily made up of forests, bogs, swamp lands, and dark waters that seem like they could be cursed lands. Not much grows in this realm except for things that were designed to defy the odds. Bio-luminescent but poisonous plants have managed to eke out an existence, and Kelpies have learned how to master their new environment, paying attention to the shift in energy to see when portals open so they can pass through to the Earthen realm - their hunting grounds.
RELIGION
As undead beings, Kelpies do not have any sort of organized religion. As they are fairly out of touch with who they once were, they do not often recall what religious preferences they had in their previous lives. While they aren’t necessarily atheistic, they tend to view religion as more conceptual.
SEXUALITY AND GENDER
Kelpies have the same gender and sexuality spectrum as humans do. Often times Kelpies are quite carnal and are known to engage in sexual acts with their prey, dead or alive. It is likely that a Kelpie companion will want some form of sexual connection with their companion, but if this is something you're uncomfortable with, Kelpies are of course capable of fulfilling this need elsewhere.
MARRIAGE AND REPRODUCTION
One a Gaian becomes a kelpie, they can no longer reproduce. Marriage, on the other hand, is not something Kelpies really have. While they don’t have their own concept of marriage among other Kelpies, they’re perfectly fine with marriage rites and ceremonies among other species.
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