Nymphs

Nymphs are beautiful nature spirits, bound to natural formations or areas that define them. Dryads are bound to trees, and fully dependent on their host tree's life, while dryads with the half-celestial template are hamadryads, dependent on entire forests and their ecosystem for support. Dryads are typically unable to venture far from their host tree, though hamadryads may freely wander from their forests. Other nymphs will be bound to mountains (oreads), fresh bodies of water (naiads), the Mare Nostrum (nereids), or the oceans (oceanids). There are even avernales, who have the half-fiend template and roam the oceans of the Outer Darkness. A nymph is dependent on her area even though she may not be physically present. Her moods will shift dependent on the weather and the season there as opposed to her actual location, and should something make the area hostile or inimical to life, she will change with it, even hagging in extreme circumstances.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Nymphs appear to be beautiful women, perfectly suited to their host region, and ingrained with coloration of hair suitable to the region's flora and skin tones reflective of the waters and ground of their region.

Biological Traits

Nymphs develop in response to changes in their host environment. They are humanoid creatures, but aquatic varieties have webbed digits, and other varieties have differing skin tones and hair color depending on their host environment's colors.

Genetics and Reproduction

Nymphs breed true with all species- males born as full members of the father's species and females as nymphs. There are no half-nymphs, but nymphs may take half-celestial, half-fey, or half-fiend templates as desired. Punics are ponnim born of nymphs, but they are an obscure deviation from standard, and the reasons for this are unknown.

Growth Rate & Stages

Nymphs can be borne full-grown from the awe and wonder a natural feature inspires in mortals, but most come from liaisons with other races, growing to full maturity in 15-20 years.

Ecology and Habitats

Nymphs are bound to their environments, whatever they may be, but can change to new regions if desired. They will luxuriate in the desired host region until they have bonded with it and it will be their host region afterwards, a process taking a full year to complete.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Nymphs are sustained by the life energies and fertility of their host. Outside this area, they are omnivorous and require the same feeding as a human female.

Biological Cycle

Only dryads age noticeably, other nymphs as timeless as their host region. Dryads age attuned to their host tree. Nymphs incubate eggs within them, creating them as needed, negating hagging as a natural process, though some nymphs do become hags by ritual infection. Dryads and hamadryads often hag to avoid death when their tree dies or forest suffers a disaster that threatens it, but other varieties of nymph have taken the change for their own reasons.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Nymphs often band together in sororities with differing values and customs, but following one of three overall identities. Warrior sororities are virgins, and have no use for men, though nymphs will often parlay with males should they have members desiring motherhood or if the spring festivals fall favorably. The warrior sororities are often hunters, bringing down beasts detrimental to the overall health of their region, but also guarding other species and often befriending and domesticating them.  The warrior societies are not always virginal, though virginal societies also exist, and may be the inspiration for the Vestal Order of the Empire. Virginal sororities are often dedicated to the goddess Diana, but other virginal sororities exist, dedicated to other goddesses. The virginal sororities sacrifice sex for wisdom, and expect to be given the same respect and credibility of any elder. The virginals are always given respect and deference by other societies.  Motherhood orders are (obviously) not virginal, but dedicated to fertility and expanding hte population. Many motherhood orders seek out species underpopulated and expand their numbers, raising and civilizing the species as a whole. This civilizing effect is shown in nymph wives who form circles to regulate events in a community, and dedicate themselves to domesticity and society.

Facial characteristics

Nymphs have heart shaped faces and pert, perky features. Their hair is the dominant color of their region, even white in snow-clad areas or turning with the foliage in autumn.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Wherever there is nature and natural features that inspire awe and wonder, nymphs abound. They are considered native to the coasts of the Mare Nostrum, being especially prevalent on the Hellas and Shattered Peninsulae.

Average Intelligence

While as intelligent as humans, nymphs have terrible memories. They can recall major impacts to their host region far better than personal events, and many forget things in a fairly short time.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

A nymph is always aware of conditions in her host region, though this is a vague sense, only delivering very basic data. She can meditate and make a Scry check for her region at any time.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Nymphs are symbiotic with their chosen environments, and tend their host needs over their own. As their host is a region, they are very much tied to the environment flourishing as they are so dependent upon it's overall health.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Nymphs often take names based on features of their host environments: plants and animals that thrive there, natural features like waterfalls, etc. They sometimes suffix their name with their host region, being Rowan of Twelve Oaks Wood, for example.

Major Organizations

Many nymphs belong to sorority cults. Virgin nymphs often join the Cult of Vesta, which maintains sacred sites or the Huntresses of Diana, who tend woods. Either of these sects will release a nymph on her desire to do so. Those not virgin may become amazons, cutting off a breast to dedicate themselves to archery and warfare. Amazons are an elite warrior society who protect nymph territory, and may oversee the fertility rites if the men participating are not trusted. The moon is sacred to nymphs, and many moon cults exist as well. Nymph druidism is a sect unto itself, not tied to other druid cults.

Beauty Ideals

Nymphs react to fertility, and often find males capable of impregnating them attractive for no other reason than fertility.

Gender Ideals

Nymphs value self-sufficiency and independence in themselves and others and expect people to be assertive for what they believe in. They can be shrill in their disparagement of females who don't meet this standard or putting, depending on the nymph.

Courtship Ideals

Nymphs like to receive presents, but have little use for courting other than the opportunity to bear young.

Relationship Ideals

Mother-daughter relationships are the only ones nymphs engage in. They are unconcerned with mates beyond as a drop off for unwanted children.

Average Technological Level

Nymphs enjoy the conveniences of technology, but little else. They're more concerned with their host regions and nature than technology. The various species dependent upon them do supply them with technology, but nymphs themselves are more concerned with domesticity and comfort.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Nymphs generally speak Sylvan, but also adopt the local languages in their region/area.

Common Etiquette Rules

Nymphs tend to be cheerful and welcoming, though they will direct woodsmen to trees harmful to their woods and protect other trees and similarly direct and guide hunters to proper prey to preserve their regions.

Common Dress Code

The purpose of clothing is to adorn a nymph. It serves no other purpose and may be dispensed with at whim. There is no taboo against nudity, other than a male's unwelcome gaze should be averted when instructed so.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Nymphs do have their own culture, largely sororities bound around the care and maintenance of their home regions. They are very nature oriented, but in a managed environment way. So long as their territory is vibrant and life affirming, nymphs are happy and content to pursue their own ends and entertainments. Males are nothing more than diversions to them, but nymphs do assess status on number of live young delivered, so their three tiers of social standing are Maids, who've yet to bear live young, Mothers, who've born children but not yet raised them to adulthood, and Crone, who have healthy adults they've birthed. The transition from Mother to Crone comes when a nymph has no immature children and opts out of producing more, usually due to not producing girls to carry on in her stead. Crones are frequently hags, though a nymph willing to endure pregnancy will not undergo the transition to hag.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Nymphs follow the seasons and reckon their change with great festivals at the solstices and equinoxes of the year. These nights are holy and the nymphs perform mystery cult practices it is forbidden for men to observe as they are exclusively feminine activities. Men who observe these rites are hunted down and slain for their intrusion. Nymphs also engage in fertility rites that do require men, so men are permitted to survive them, and these are largely the only rites outsiders are aware of.

Common Taboos

A nymph will never harm her host nor allow her host to be harmed.

History

Nymphs are believed to be aspects of the Titaness Rhea, the great Earth Mother, though their father is unknown and some state they are the Titaness's fertility given form. They embody the survival of many species, and are the legendary mothers of many heroes throughout the Known World.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Nymphs mate with a lot of species, always breeding true.

RPG Datasheet

● +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Charisma. Nymphs are beautiful but delicate. ● Medium. As medium creatures, nymphs incur no bonuses or penalties from size. ● Fey. Nymphs are creatures of the fey subtype. They can freely take the half-celestial or half-fey templates (choose one) at character creation. Some few are even half-fiends, called avernales. ● Nymph base land speed is 40 feet. ● Low-light vision. ●Bonus feat: Fey Heritage ● Extra Domains-earth, plant, storm, water. Even arcanists nymphs receive these domains, casting their spells as arcane spells. Nymphs do receive a single bonus domain spell slot for every spell level they may cast, and possess these domain powers. They can always spontaneously cast a domain spell if they have an appropriate slot available, trading the spell memorized or slot for the domain spell. ● Timeless Body. Nymphs do not age after maturity. ● Unearthly Grace. Nymphs add their Charisma bonus to all saves and receive it as a deflection bonus to AC. ● Automatic Language: Sylvan ● Favored Class:Druid. Druid levels never give a nymph an experience penalty, and they can still access their domain spells, granted abilities, and as spontaneous spells.

Scientific Name

Neraida Gynaika

Average Height

5'4"-5'8"

Average Weight

120-160 lbs.

Average Physique

Lush and vibrant, a nymph is built for fertility, but those who go to hag become wizened and lean or morbidly obese.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

A nymph's complexion and skin tones reveals her host region or type. Tree nymphs have skin resembling wood and green, leafy hair. Mountain nymphs are the color of their host mountain's stone with platinum blond hair for snow-capped peaks. Water nymphs have bluish to greenish tinged to their skin and matching hair.

Geographic Distribution

• The Mare Nostrum