Section Four- Rules for Character Creation
Q. What kind of Characters can I play?
A. The following is a list of Species that may be chosen from. Please note that all of these characters are canon to the books.
Vale/Plains Unicorn: Unicorns from the Firebringer Trilogy are characterized thusly: They are very equine (horse-like) in their size, shape and over-all look with long legs, and slender build. They have silky beards on their chins, feathery tufts on the tips of their ears, fringed fetlocks, full manes, lion-like tasseled tails, cloven hooves and a single spiral skewer horn that sprouts from the middle of their forehead.* (Please refer to page Five of the FAQ for further explanation of the different types of unicorns allowed based on the approved background).
Scouts of Halla: The Scouts of Halla are decendants of the Unicorns of the Hallow Hills. Because of their secluded life (and limited breeding) growing up in the Smoking Hills, they've developed a bit differently than regular unicorns. Scouts are shorter and stouter than normal unicorns and are very sure footed, almost like mountain goats. They tend to have 'shaggy' coats, manes that stand up a few inches along thier necks before falling over, and they are generally limited in colors to reds, blues, browns and golds in coloration.
Gryphon: The Gryphons are a very particular species made up of a combination of a Raptor (like a large hawk or Eagle) and a Pard (Very much like a Mountain Lion/Cougar). Their forequarters, head (including beak -although they do have pard ears), frontlegs and wings are all those of an Eagle, while their rearquarters, back legs, and tail are those of a pard. Gryphons are distinctly colored as well. Femal Gryphons (Formels) are larger and are always colored with Blue feathers and tawny bodies, while Male Gryphons (Tercels) are Green feathered and Gold bodied.
Pan: Pans are goat-bodied creatures that stand up on their two rear, goatling legs (which have cloven hooves like a goat) and have very 'human' like forearms (with two fingers much like hooves) and torso. Their heads are as much like a human as they are a goat, and they are shaggy bodied.
Da: The Da, which originate from the City of the Firekeepers, are much like normal (albeit somewhat prehistoric) horses. They are generally very dull in color (mud browns, dull greys, chestnut, etc...) and they have full horse tails, round hooves and their manes stand upright along their necks - like a 'brush'.
Dayan Unicorn: A Dayan Unicorn is a Da that has drunk from the Mere of the Moon and become a Unicorn. While they still retain many da-like characteristics (The full tails, brush-like mane and round hooves), the waters of the mere give them a horn and also tend to 'enhance' their colors. (Making a simple chestnut mare a bright copper.) They are also beardless, and do not have the tufted ears that unicorns have.
First Generation Dayan/Unicorn Cross: These are a cross between Unicorns and Dayan Unicorns. In the offspring of a normal Unicorn and a Dayan Unicorn, the unicorn characteristics tend to be stronger. This results in a Unicorn that may possess Dayan traits (such as a full tail, or rounded hooves) but looks predominantly like a Unicorn.
Wyvern: Wyvern's are serpentine, reptilian creatures. They have stubby, badger like forlegs with claws, long sinuous tails that are barbed with poison stings, and ruffled gills aroud their throats. Their mouths are filled with needle sharp teeth, and as they grow older they can grow additional heads. (The Oldest known Wyvern, Lynex, had seven heads). They are all a uniformly white-ish silvery color. *** (See Note)
Dragon: The most mysterious of all the creatures in the Firebringer Trilogy, Dragons are a very rare creature indeed. They are very large with long, serpentine necks, and powerful bodies. They are all red-colored females, with the exception of one male, colored black, that is hatched only once in many generrations. Dragons almost never leave their homes beneath the Smoking Hills. *** (See Note)
Hippogryphs: While never established as an actual species in the FT, hyppogryphs (a cross between a Unicorn and a Gryphon) were hinted at in the books. These are NOT winged unicorns or 'alicorns' - they have the characteristics of both a Unicorn as well as a Gryphon. *** (See Note)
* Unicorns may also be larger bodied (like draft horses) but generally these types of characters must have an approved background or come from an approved location.
*** These characters may NOT be played without Manager approval, and then ONLY with an extremely feasible background and storyline. Due to the plot provided by the series, it is unlikely that a Dragon would ever be seen again, Wyverns have been vanquished, or have left in search of new homes, and Hippogryphs have not been currently introduced as a species.
Q. What if I'd like to play a unicorn falling in love with a gryphon, or vice versa, like Lell and Illishar in The Son of Summer Stars? Can I do that?
A. Yes, you certainly can! However, at this time a gryphon and a unicorn pairing may not produce children.
Q. Can I play any other species of character other than those listed above?
A. As of this time, No. If you feel you have a character that is different from those listed above that you'd like to introduce, contact the staff. If it is feasible for the RPG world, and if you have a VERY thoroughly developed background and storyline, Vale staff may consider allowing a species other than those listed above. But the connection between that species and the world of the FT must be VERY specific, and there is no guarantee of acceptance no matter how much time and effort is put in. Please be aware of that when submitting.
Note: You will NOT be allowed to play a human or humaniod at all... so please do not ask.
This concludes Section Four of the Vale FAQ. To move onto Section Five -
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