Sphinxes
By Kay
Singular: Sphinx
Plural: Sphinxes Group: Query of Sphinxes Communication - Mindspeech Size Ranges – 4ft to 7ft at shoulder by Rank Colorations – Pelt: Shades of brown; Markings: white or tan and varied; wings vary by rank Naming Convention -- None |
General Information
Creatures fond of riddles and puzzles, sphinx are feline in appearance with a few avian traits. Like large lions, ranging in height from seven feet at the shoulder all the way down to four, both male and female genders sport thick, silky manes, silky tufts on the ends of their tails, and a pair of mighty wings upon their back that allow flight. Other than their sizes, these wings are the primary way to identify one rank from another. Their pelts range in the brown spectrum, from very light, creamy tan to deep, rich chocolate sometimes with white markings such as stripes, socks, facial marks, or rarely limbs. Oftentimes they will also have some sort of adornment, typically gold in nature studded with gemstones. These adornments can take many forms (headdresses, collars or necklaces of some sort, ankle or tail cuffs, etc) and some sphinxes may wear more than one. These are gifts given to the sphinx by their Bondeds or enticed from those seeking their vast wisdom if the sphinx is wild, as when approaching any wild creature that could eat you it is very smart to bring a gift, if you want a hope of your question being answered. Sphinx often seem to know things that they should not. They will sometimes address a person by name without having been introduced, and know of items and happenings from even other worlds, as if they can tap into a source of information that others cannot. And who knows, maybe they can? Sphinx mindspeak with an extensive vocabulary and generally a solid grasp of grammar, though when you are speaking with a creature who delights in riddles this might seem to not be the case. Mating Information When a sphinx is ready to mate, the sphinx, either male or female, will travel to the most remote or difficult to get to location they can find, be it a high mountain peak that must be flown to, a hidden oasis in the desert, or ruins in the depths of the jungle, and roar loudly to attract potential mates. When potential suitors arrive, the sphinx will pose various challenges to them, be they word puzzles, riddles, or even philosophical queries. The number of these question and the type vary from one sphinx to another, and there no set time period for this judgement. typically the sphinx who proves him or herself the most clever and wise will be the victor, though a witty answer, even when incorrect, has occasionally swayed the heart. When the one seeking a mate is satisfied with his or her choice, all others will be chased off and the joined pair venture off together. Bonding Information Young sphinx are deemed ready for bonding when they are capable of eating meat on their own and have developed the ability to mindspeak. Potential bondeds will be permitted to mingle with the cubs, or rather the cubs will mingle with them, asking question and posing riddles. What specifically will attract one cub over another varies. Some seek a bonded they can control through their superior intellect, others will seek someone more an equal, and others will be drawn by a particular sense of humor or witty response even if the answer given is incorrect. Bringing some sort of gold adornment for the cub is useful, even if they profess to make no note of such things for bonding choices and the offered item would be worn on an adult sphinx. Ranks Enigma 5* Sphinx queens, the female or male Enigma is fully aware of their status and expecting the respect that it deserves. Third largest of their kind behind the lords, their stature and sheer presence well makes up for their slight lack of height of around six feet at the shoulder, and those in the query follow their lead in all matters. Their words are always spoken in royal tones that seem to resonate from somewhere beyond the spheres, as if they channel another voice from another plane at all times. Their wings are pure white with a diamond-like sheen and a wingspan of approximately seven feet, capable of lifting them easily into the air though they rarely leaves the ground. While they consider all riddles to be amongst their forte, their favored kinds are those using symbolism to make a person deduce the identity of an idea or concept: “In my mind’s eye, I see three circles joined in priceless harmony. Two, full as the moon; one, hollow as a crown. Two from the sea, five fathoms down. One from the Earth, deep under the ground.." meaning a gold ring with two pearls, for example. The females bear between five and seven cubs after mating. Mystery 4* The sunlight glinting off of the silvery wings of these Sphinx makes them very easy to identify from their senior kin. Tying with Riddles in height at just under five feet at the shoulder and a wingspan of around six feet, it is rare to ever get a straight answer out of them in response to a question. Their riddles are posed in a manner designed to make the listener think, come to their own conclusions and work through problems on their own. In this aspect, they are perhaps the most helpful of the sphinx kind. After mating, a female will bear four to six cubs. Conundrum 3* These sphinx lords stand the tallest of their kind at seven feet at the shoulder, with a wingspan nearing ten feet from the tip of one tawny-gold wing to the other. Muscular and strong, they are quite fond of logic problems (yes, those things where one uses a chart to determine which child has what last name and likes which flavor of ice cream), as well as any games of strategy like chess. Female Conundrum will typically bear around five cubs aft a time. Riddle 3* Lesser Lords, Riddles favor clever word-play and puns, the kind that often provokes laughter even if it's laced with groans. Unlike some mischief-makers, though, though, their efforts are kept in the realm of the purely vocal; doing such things as putting a bucket of water above a door is beneath them. They stand on par with Mysteries at six feet at the shoulder, with similar wingspans. Given their fondness for laughter, it is oftentimes that one is seen with their wings, a rich blue streaked with black, trembling with suppressed giggles. Female Riddles birth four or five cubs at a time. Cryptogram 2* If Mysteries are the most helpful sphinx rank, then Cryptograms are the most confounding. And it's not entirely their fault. Possessing a great love for codes and anagrams, this has caused a quirk of mindspeech in their rank that results in a periodic mixing up of words. They will know what they mean perfectly well, but in a conversation about the weather, they may say 'hat' for 'clouds' or 'dragon' for 'rain,' and trying to correct them will only annoy them and get a 'That's what I said." Anyone who bonds one of these must be a strong listener and skilled with reading into context clues, or forever run the risk of getting lost in the conversation. An annoyed 'Crypto' as they are sometimes called is easy to recognize: just watch for their emerald green wings to draw up tight to their backs! They can be male or female, and stand around five feet tall at the shoulder. Females will bring around four cubs into the world at a time. Puzzle 1* Puzzles are hands- (or rather paws-) on sphinxes, endlessly fond of tangrams and rubix cubes and anything that one has to physically manipulate to solve. Along these lines, they are also fond of finding things and taking them apart to try and put them back together, because what is a disassembled machine but one huge puzzle? So if your coffee maker looks perfectly fine, but is leaking from somewhere, you can bet your resident Puzzle wondered how it worked! Around four feet tall at the shoulder, Puzzles can be of either gender and have vibrant red wings, often streaked with yellow, green, and black in various proportions and widths. Female Puzzles will birth four cubs on average. |