Faun
A deer-like demi-human most commonly found in temperate forests in the central regions of Latiss. While often stereotyped as demure and shy, they can be quite explosive if provoked. In bygone times they were captured and enslaved in order to farm antlers as false hunting trophies. One can still sometimes find a "lucky faun's tail" on the black market and, while the sale of these is technically illegal, authorities will usually do little to punish anyone who carries them.
Basic Information
Anatomy
While they have the torso and arms of a human, fauns have the hind legs and tails of a deer. All males are capable of growing a pair of antlers from the crown of their heads. Some females can also grow antlers, depending on certain factors.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Fauns have a primarily vegetarian diet, though they can stomach protein in small amounts. Small birds are often cooked for celebrations, and wild eggs are incorporated into the diet whenever they can be found. A faun is also able to eat many mushrooms that are considered inedible by humans, though outright poisonous ones are still to be avoided.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Faun societies use a complex court-like structure that is rather similar to that of the Fey, though one should never tell them that. Even the smaller communities mimic this to an extent. Status is often determined by the roles one fulfills within the community, but can be changed based on how well one can keep to proper decorum, as well as how cultured one is. The specifics of which stations are above others will vary by community.
Facial characteristics
A faun's face looks mostly human at a glance. With mid-toned, freckled skin and ringed eyes, they do stand out, though it is their more deer-like features that make them quite different. Their nose is black and looks much like a deer's, and the ears that extend from just below their temples are also just like those of a deer, complete with a layer of fur to match that on their legs.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Fauns are exclusive to the temperate, forested regions of the world. Many family groups of them can be found across Cynia, and they often live in the lower elevation areas of The Divide however they are most common in the Uncharted West.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Fauns have hearing that is more sensitive than a human's, though not quite on par with that of elves. Their other senses are about equal to a human's, though they have slightly better night vision.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
In faun culture, it is considered to be most desirable to have striking features. The eyes are lined with black to make them appear larger and more round. Freckles are commonly enhanced with dark browns, or sometimes reds or oranges, in order to allow them to stand out better against the rest of the skin. Prominent cheekbones are considered ideal, though little is done to create the effect in those who lack them. Rouges, deep cocoa browns, or other standout colours are often applied to the lips.
It is common for males and antlered females to wax their antlers once the velvet has been shed from them, and some communities will further decorate them with strings of beads, specially made rings, or carvings. While musculature isn't a highly valued trait, since agility is considered to be much more useful, it is still expected that males, particularly those in smaller communities, be capable of holding their own in a fight. Height is definitely a trait that is sought after in males, as well as having many points on one's rack.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Music and colour are both highly valued in faun cultures. Instruments are treated with utmost care in order to allow them to be played for as long as possible, and music lessons are held for children from the time they develop enough dexterity in their fingers. Green is the most commonly used colour for faun clothing, as it represents the vibrancy of the forest, but great effort is put in to making dyes of all colours. Strong, bright colours are the most commonly used, with pastels and darker colours often only being used for work clothes or to represent certain things in art.
Common Taboos
Lying is almost considered a cardinal sin to the fauns, particularly to those who live in the Fey territories of the West. There are varying degrees of this, however. A lie to protect another is only punishable in inverse proportion to how necessary the lie was to the other's safety. A lie to avoid reproach or discussion is a moral failing equivalent to refusing to help someone clearly in need. The worst sort of lie is one for personal gain, particularly to the detriment of another. One who tells such a lie is often punished with ostracization and even exile from the community.
History
It is said that the fauns were the second creation of Freya Venari, right after her namesake, the freyr. Coming to form their own cities, the fauns were known for their regality and refinement. Complex court structures formed within their larger communities that came to be mirrored by the Cynians of the old empire. When the old Cynian Empire spread, it absorbed the fauns' cities into itself, allowing them to live more or less as they had been, except now with a stake in the empire as they gained seats on the council.
It was in the final two centuries of the previous age that things began to decline for the fauns. The ruling humans began taking on the philosophy that they were superior by virtue of being the creation of their patron god, Solix Astera, who held a greater position in the pantheon. Then, as much of the old empire crumbled with the great cataclysm known as the Fall of Magic, so too did the faun cities fall to ruin without the magic that had once supported their lifestyles.
Starting over, many of their traditional techniques for art and architecture had to be rediscovered. Many of their traditions are still lost to this day.
Their slow return to the old ways was interrupted when the Kingdom of Cynia began reforming in earnest. All demi-humans, as they were coming to be called, were decided to be lesser to the creation of Solix and thus had to be suppressed. Along with the freyr and the vargis, fauns were treated as second-class citizens within the kingdom. Some would be taken as slaves, others would be hunted for sport, and many were forced into the roving life as their homes were taken or destroyed for human use.
Those who lived outside the Eastern Arm, however, have been able to live in relative peace. They know little of war or oppression, instead often forming joint communities with local elves. The only dangers they face are those from predatory fey-beasts and from the Unseelie Court. Their culture has carried on uninterrupted, much the same as it had been before the old empire had begun spreading in the East.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
In the East, there is a sort of camaraderie between the fauns and the other demi-humans. It's quite common to see them intermixed with other species in a travelling caravan or in small shanty towns outside of cities.
In the West, fauns' most common allies are the elves. They interact with vargis and freyr rarely, more often trying to avoid them due to their resemblance to predatory animals.
Lifespan
150 years
Average Height
4'7" - 5'8" from head to hoof
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Skin tones can range from tawny to brown, and almost always with dark freckles. Fur on the hind quarters, ears, and tail will resemble that of either a fully grown deer or a fawn, depending on age.
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Related Ethnicities
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