Firemanes
By Heron
Singular: Firemane
Plural: Firemanes Group: Inferno of Firemanes Communication – Understands speech; chooses not to speak Size Ranges – Colorations – Dark colors Naming Convention -- |
General Information
Not at all a natural species, Firemanes began as an attempt by powerful wizards to breed the ideal horse. Equine fiends from the Lower Planes were bred with the sleekest and fastest of natural horses to produce creatures with blinding running speed, impossible dexterity, great agility, and a fierce and terrible intelligence. More nimble than mountain goats and smarter than most humanoids, Firemanes are primarily horse-shaped creatures with dark-haired pelts and flames for manes, tails, and fetlocks. They also have very sharp teeth, as they are strictly carnivorous, resemblance to horses aside. Their fangs, in particular, are a nasty bit of business to be on the wrong side of. The wizards who created the Firemanes forgot to account for a few things when they sought to create the perfect steed, however. Firemanes, due to their fiendish origins, have sharp, metallic hooves that damage nearly everything they tread upon, and being wickedly intelligent also leads them to be sort of wicked in general. Malicious, malignant, and mean, Firemanes strive to be as difficult as possible. They don’t mindspeak (how often do you converse with lunch meat?), but they do understand every word spoken to them. They also tend to bite, which, with the teeth they have, is a problematic habit. Deplorable personalities aside, the wizards did succeed in creating a physically perfect species. Firemanes are immune to temperature extremes in both directions, they are incredibly fast, and they never lose their footing no matter how treacherous the terrain is. They heal unnaturally quickly from most injuries, although they are fast and agile enough to evade most dangers, and they are natural problem-solvers...except when they are the problem, which, being the deliberately frustrating creatures they are, is rather often. They cooperate with humanoids only when it suits them to or if their respect has been earned. The former is far more likely to occur than the latter, as Firemanes respect very little. Mating Information A mare in heat will be engulfed fully by the flames that usually comprise only her mane, tail, and fetlocks, becoming wreathed in the fire. Occasionally, though far more rarely, such a flare-up will happen to a stallion. The flaring Firemane then screams like a banshee from the depths of the Nine Hells to signify that it is beginning a mating chase and then gallops to the most convenient stretch of uncivilized terrain. She, or he, will encourage the arriving suitors to fight each other for the right to be considered worthy. Racing is also involved, each competing Firemane pulling increasingly fast, complicated, and dangerous stunts. Eventually the flaring Firemane who initiated the chase will choose the favored candidate, and will violently chase off the unworthy before mating with the winner. Bonding Information Firemane foals are born smarter than most humanoids, and well educated thanks to a telepathic connection to their mother for the duration of her pregnancy. As a result, don’t expect them to be naive or easily swayed by whoever brings the tastiest treats, although they are ravenous and prospective bonds are encouraged to bring meat to a Firemane bonding, lest they become the meat. What impresses a foal varies by individual. Some prefer to bond with candidates they know they can terrorize, while others prefer the courageous and unflappable. Not for the faint of heart, Firemane bondings tend to be vicious and bloody affairs, as the foals test the hopeful candidates by subjecting them to capricious brutality to test limits and endurance. Ranks Djinn 5* Queen of the Firemanes, a Djinn towers over even Clydesdales in sheer height, long of limb and broad of shoulders. Her pelt is deep black, her flames a deep crimson to match her malevolent glowing eyes and her sharp, metallic hooves. She rules the Inferno by the law of might makes right, beating lesser Firemanes into submission and even cannibalising dissenters if they go so far as to anger her. For all of her tyranny, however, she is a good leader. An obedient Inferno will prosper under her protective reign, strengthened by every weak link she destroys. Djinni mate rather often and produce up to seven foals at a time. Efreet 3* The first lords of Firemane kind, Efreeti are nearly as large as Djinni in height, but tend to be much slimmer and more lithe. His pelt is a dark charcoal in color, and his flames are ghostly white, as are his eyes and hooves. He is the fastest of all of the Firemanes, reaching impossible speeds and very nearly flying with every step. An Efreet’s attention span is short, however, and he is easily bored, prone to wandering off mid-task, much to the ire of his queen and indeed the rest of the Inferno. His temper is the least violent and volatile of all Firemanes, but this does not make him kind. Firemanes are all sadistic predators; an Efreet’s easily distracted nature simply makes him unlikely to engage in prolonged acts of torture. Jann 3* The second lords of the Firemanes, Janni are also the smallest of the uncommons. A Jann’s body is Dales Pony-sized, pelt in shades of dark, dark brown and mane and tail flames in bright, beautiful gold to match his golden hooves and eyes. He isn’t a fast runner, the Jann, but he is enduring and he is patient. So patient, in fact, that one unfamiliar with his species might think him peaceful and pacifistic. In reality, he does not attack because he prefers to orchestrate. He manipulates circumstance to do the violence for him, which makes him a terrible warrior but excellent strategist, valuable to any Inferno despite his physical limitations. Chimera 1*, 2*, or 4* Chimerism may be rare in any other species, but it occurs in Firemanes almost more often than not, embryonic foals fusing in their mothers’ wombs to form a patchwork horses born with visible seams in color, and mismatched eyes and flames and hooves. As such, they’re a chaotic lot, torn between identities and trying to find a place within the Inferno despite not truly having one, as every Chimera is a unique individual that defies traditional hierarchal rankings. They combine the best and worst traits of whatever two or three genetic blueprints went into their making, and can be either male or female, and in fact are usually hermaphroditic if blended from ranks of differing gender. Under the right circumstances, a Chimera could be the father of one batch of foals and the mother of three to seven more. Nightmare 1* Nightmares are a deep purple-black in color with bright orange flames, eyes, and hooves. These common females are built like Earth’s Akhal Teke horses, more raw than elegant in design, although Nightmares have a supernatural speed and endurance that their less Abyss-spawned counterparts don’t. Nightmares are possessed of a methodical, deliberate malevolence, serving themselves and their own goals before the needs of the Inferno, although, happily for the royals, the needs of the Inferno often coincide with the needs of the individual. Nightmares are among the most likely to chase prey for hours, drawing out the hunt to savor the terror and anticipation as if somehow fear flavors the meat or the anticipation whets the appetite. Perhaps it does. Mating more rarely than her queen, the Nightmare is capable of birthing up to three foals at a time. Shade 1* Built like the Kiger Mustang, the Shade is a common male possessed of an arrogant self-assurance and a great deal of raw confidence. His coat is almost as black as his queen’s, and his flames, hooves, and eyes are also black, making him veritably disappear at night. For all of his jaunty gaits and metallic hooves, the Shade rarely makes a sound when he moves, which enables him to sneak up and attack from a stealthy vantage point. He delights in casual destruction, finding his best amusements by burning down villages and destroying livelihoods with little to no provocation. He does things because he can, and this is the way the world works. If you have objections to that, well, you might be next up on his list. Wraith 1* With the lean, elegant and deceptively fragile-looking limbs of an Arabian horse, the Wraith is a common female that sports a deep black cherry pelt and violet flames, hooves, and eyes. She is the fastest of the females, not quite matching the Efreet for speed but close enough to make her his favored mate. She is a delicate-looking creature, the Wraith, always haunting the edges of the Inferno, never quite fully part of any gathering or group. Appearances may fool, however, for the Wraith is the Inferno’s warrior. Her slight build disguises an incredibly powerful creature, and her slenderness just gives her even more agility than even most of her very agile species. Disciplined and cunning, the Wraith likes to capitalize on underestimation, fostering her image of frail helplessness right up until she strikes her killing blow. The Wraith is capable of birthing three or four foals after her infrequent mating. |