Satyr
From Istaria Lexica
During the Age of the Gods, it was thought that the Gods themselves sought to create a perfect race to act as their seed upon the Prime. Such a genesis is thought to be the reason behind the existence of the Satyr, a mysterious race native to the lands of eastern Aradoth. The Satyr date back to the Age of the Gods, as they are thought to have taken part in the struggles between the races during that time. Carved images of armor-clad goat men wielding spears and bows are present in what archaeological discoveries from this time have been uncovered. The history of the Satyrs from the Age of the Dragon and on, however, diverges sharply in comparison to the other Living Races. Their home lands in eastern Aradoth were far enough away from the rest of the Living Races that they were never under the influence of the powers that be at the time, and as a result the Satyr remained loyal to their chosen deity, Bachanatus. In fact, legend tells of Bachanatus himself invoking powerful magic upon the world that caused the other races to forget about the existence of the Satyr. While such an act is debatable, it does serve as a colloquial means of explaining the Satyr’s virtual non-involvement in the affairs of the other Living Races.
The nature of the Satyr is pleasure-oriented - whether it be the expansion of mental faculties through the pursuit of the arts, or by way of revelry and the like. They were thought to be the greatest of artists and scholars during their association with the other Living Races; fitting then that they remained sworn to their chosen deity, the God of Artistry and Revelry. The Satyr of the past were a very self-centered race, though not a malicious one. In what few records there are of Satyr involvement amongst the other races, never once did they take a position that could be deemed anything different than neutral. The Satyr chose to keep to themselves, focusing on the propagation of their own set of values amongst their own kind. It is thought that perhaps the Satyr and the Elves once lived side-by-side in the ancient forests that covered much of the continent at one time. Why the Elves left their lands in the east is not known, but the records of such an event may still remain in the libraries of lost Bachan.
The Satyr have only recently re-emerged as part of the Living Races. For many years the only contact was with those members of the race still under the domination of the Withered Aegis via mind control devices on four distant islands. The Gifted were able to destroy the artifacts of this mind control which freed many of the Satyr in Aradoth. But many scholars still believe that the bulk of the Satyr population remains subjugated to the will of the Withered Aegis in the lands beyond the Great Barrier, in lost Bachan. If a way can be found to gain access to the Eastern Continent, it is thought, or rather hoped that some way can be found to break the terrible control the Withered Aegis has on the Satyr. If this can be done, the Living Races would potentially have a tremendous ally against the Withered Aegis, and a foothold in the mysterious lands of eastern Aradoth.
Physically, the Satyr have the rough shape of humans with the grace and countenance of the Elves. The most distinguishing features of the Satyr, however, are their fur-covered legs, cloven feet, and their goat-like horns. Both the male and female Satyr share their resemblances to "goat-men" as they are sometimes called. The Satyr’s skin is smooth, yet thought to be much more resilient than appearances would have. Much like the Fiends, the Satyr take great pride in their horns, though the horns of a Satyr very closely resemble those of a goat. It is believed that for the males, larger horns are a sign of more power and station within their society. For the female Satyr, horns are typically intricate in nature, relying on one’s station within Satyr society to afford fragile and elegant horns. Satyr in general are more in tune with grace and poise than brute strength, and the same is said of their practice of magic.
The racial city of Bachan is home to the Satyr, but this city is beyond the Great Barrier and cannot be access by the Living Races.
Base attributes[edit]
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Racial abilities
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Spoken Phrases, Utterings, Prayers and Curses[edit]
- Baccatae – Crazy, unhinged, demented. Usually translated as “wine-crazed”. Satyr berserkers translate it as "divine madness" and claim that it is the gift of Bachanatus to them in battle. In that context, also referred to as The Frenzy. Ex: "Have you gone baccatae?” “Fafnir charged us, and I gave myself to The Frenzy."
- Io Evohe, Evohe – Hail, welcome, well met. Expression of warm greeting between friends. Ex: "Evohe! Good to see you again. Have some wine, you must be thirsty!"
Source: www.istaria.com
