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Embodied Spirits

Limnade (Fuath, Lake Nymph, Marsh Nymph, Swamp Nymph, Vough)

Limnades are associated with still fresh water, such as lakes and swamps. The type of water that a limnade inhabits has a great effect on her personality. Where the water is clear and fresh, such as in mountain lakes, a limnade appears as an alluring, naked young woman; she is generally neutral to mortals. Limnades prefer seclusion, but only become hostile if threatened. A limnade will avoid harming people or animals that visit her lake, unless they are obviously hostile. She might rescue someone who is drowning, and may be worshipped as part of a local animist tradition.

A limnade may change over time if her lake loses its inflow, is choked with weeds and silt, or becomes tainted with saltwater. As her home water changes into marsh, the limnade's personality becomes progressively darker, until she becomes a vough. Vough take the form of blue-, green-, or black-faced old women, with metal claws and dripping wet robes (formed from their bodies). In exceptionally large swamps, each vough might inhabit a particular pool of fetid water. Otherwise, they inhabit the whole body of water, and wax and wane with its fortunes.

A vough is malevolent towards most land-dwellers, and will usually lure to his doom a mortal who trespasses on her domain. Vough usually refrain from attacking those that hurl her a sacrifice (usually a goat or pig, but a human makes a nice treat). Followers of water gods (such as the Weeders of the Oslira River) may know other ways to appease or foil a nearby vough. Vough detest most life in general, even intelligent aquatic life such as Triolini. Some vough mate with captured mortals or less savory entities, and spawn shapeless, slimy swamp creatures called brollachan.

Limnades can control any non-sentient creature born in their body of water, and can magically sense events occurring anywhere in their domain. Most have other magical talents as well.

A limnade's or vough's talents can take several forms when embodied. Most often, they embody their talents in water, and so form watery tentacles, but talents can also be embodied in a patch of mist or a will-o-wisp (a floating ball of cold fire). Limnades favor will-o-wisps for their Entice Mortal ability. Vough often embody a talent into a whip braided from their hair.

Limnade
Typical Might: 5w.
Weapons and Armor: None.
Significant Abilities: Dodge Attack 5w, Lithe 15, Knowledge 12w2, Swim Fast 15.
Innate Magical Abilities: Alluring 2w (limnade)/Terrifyingly Ugly 2w (vough), Command Natural Creatures Born in Home Lake/Swamp 8w2, Perceive Events in Home Body of Water 5w.
Typical Talents: Bind Movement, Cause Weakness, Entice Mortal, Extinguish Fire, Healing, Mimic Voices, Raise Mist, Resist Magic, Stop Breath.
Tactics: If she senses an intruder, a limnade will attempt to entice them to their doom beneath the water. They might use will-o-wisps, create illusions of distant voices, or do whatever else is needed to lure the victim into a patch of quicksand or mud. Alternately, they can appear in human form, and use their beauty to drive the victim mad so that he leaps into the water to be with them. They may augment their Entice ability with their Alluring beauty, although the victim will receive a bonus to resist of at least +5 based on his natural fear of drowning.

If more a more direct confrontation is required, the limnade will use talents such as Cause Weakness or Stop Breath harm the target. If all else fails, they will embody as many talents as possible and seek to flee into the water under their cover.

Vough use the same tactics as more benevolent limnades, but are much more hostile. If a direct confrontation is required, the vough will embody an appropriate talent as a whip and attack her foes. If all else fails, she will embody as many talents as possible and attack, but will flee into the water and dissolve her body if she begins to lose the fight.

Limoniad (Meadow Nymph)

Limoniads are rare nymphs associated with highland meadows. They resemble pre-pubescent girls with brightly colored eyes, often with flowers growing in their hair, and only form their bodies when their flowers are in bloom. Thus, they appear with the first snowdrops of spring, and remain until the last flower withers in autumn. As collective spirits, they start out weak, grow stronger, and then slowly fade in power as their meadow dies. When the meadow blooms again the following spring it develops a new limoniad, with no memories of a previous existence. Thus, a limoniads is eternally innocent, being born, living, and dying as part of their meadow's natural cycle.

Limoniads can control any non-sentient creature born in their meadow, and can magically sense events that occur there. Most have other magical talents as well.

Limoniad
Typical Might: 5w.
Weapons and Armor: None.
Significant Abilities: Climb 12w, Hide in Cover 12w, Jump 10w, Lithe 18, Knowledge 12w2.
Innate Magical Abilities: Alluring 2w, Command Natural Creatures born in Home Meadow 5w2, Perceive Events in Home Meadow 5w.
Typical Talents: Fast Running, Heal Mind, Healing, Make Flowers Bloom, Remove Violent Tendencies, Summon Butterflies, Visions of Childhood (creates a distracting vision of a true childhood memory in the subject).
Tactics: A limoniad cannot engage in combat, even if her meadow is threatened. She can use her magic in defense, although the nature of her talents usually makes such a defense ineffectual. If the meadow is destroyed she will become a mournful ghost and weep constantly. If any mortals pass by she will beseech their aid in piteous tones. After a few weeks, she will fade forever (although if the meadow grows back it may develop a new limoniad).