#alvernia

[huntingtonnow]

College News: Students Earn Degrees, Win Honors

Local students have completed their degrees and won honors at colleges around the country. York College Teresa McDavid, of Melville graduated with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, majoring in Nursing Practice. During the ceremony, graduates earned associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. SUNY Oneonta Seven hundred and one SUNY Oneonta students completed the requirements for a…

College News: Students Earn Degrees, Win Honors

[scripture-pictures]

[cento40battute]

La regione Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi ci aspetta

La regione Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi ci aspetta

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[maloubelou]

Antichi vicoli a Orcival (Alvernia) by Fabrizio Buoso

[rychillacases]

Alvernian Fairies - Magic and Physiology

Originally, my designs for fairies in the world of Alvernia were more-or-less miniature humans, with butterfly-style wings.  The only things that really set them apart from humans was that they were 1/6 the size, and had a closer affinity with magic. After seeing some art of fairies and dryads, it got me thinking about how I could make the fairies more unique.

Magic in my stories is elemental, with the elements being air, water, ground, fire and flora. I figured that the elemental magic would transform them, and bring them closer to their element. So here's what I've come up with:

From about the age of 9 or 10, they start to feel drawn to their element.  When they hold a crystal of their element for the first time, they get a bit of a jolt through them.  It clicks, and they know it's their element.  From this point on, the magic starts to infuse into them, and it causes the fairy's body to undergo certain changes.  These changes take 1-2 months, and when they're complete, the effects are permanent.  This series of changes is known as their ‘gleaning’.

However, some fairies don't seem to have an element.  They don't have this instinctive draw towards one or another, and none of the five elements' crystals create that buzz for them.  These fairies are known as 'nokinds', and there are a few of them in each village.  They're able to learn magic through intense study, the same way that a dualkind learns their second element, however they don't undergo the gleaning that the others do.  (With dualkinds, only their 'natural' element affects their appearance).  Some nokinds choose to use magic, others choose to go without.

As far as the physical changes go, there are several common characteristics that each fairy retains:

Two butterfly-shaped wings.

Humanoid figure - i.e. two arms, two legs, five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot.

Are around 30cm/1 foot tall - i.e. 1/6 the size of humans.

Cannot eat meat, but are vegetarian.

Have unique, two-tone patterns on the wings, formed from a lighter shade and a darker shade of the same colour.  These patterns are retained through the gleaning and are replicated afterwards, with whatever their wings have taken on (scales, feathers, leaves, etc.).  Each wing pattern is unique (like a fingerprint) and mirrored (like a butterfly).

One general rule for the elemental changes is that the wings take on texture, but retain their pattern.  Skin changes colour, and may change texture/nature to suit as well.

Any changes that draw from the local area/region take those characteristics from wherever the fairy is when their gleaning occurs.  The changes that each element goes through are as follows:

Nokinds & younglings (those who haven't undergone their gleaning, in other words)

This is the 'base case', as they are fairies who've grown up without undergoing the gleaning.

They're essentially miniature (1/6) humans with proprtionately-sized butterfly wings.

Their hair can be red (ginger), blonde, brown or black.

Eye colours can be blue, green or brown.

Regular hair - pretty much human hair.

Don't have a prefix on their name.

Ears are moderately pointy.  Not as rounded as those of the humans, but not as pointy as those of a florakind.

In this state, fairies from different locations have different colours on their wings:

South Alken Forest - medium-blue.

Alkentoft - aquamarine (slightly on the green side).

Verbore Island - deep yellow (almost orange).

Elori Forest - pale pastel purple.

Skin colour is a spectrum from white to very dark brown, with most fairies falling in the middle.

Hair colours are blonde (various shades), ginger/red and brown (various shades).  Eye colours are brown, blue and green (all in various shades).

Florakinds (Coastal)

Have the prefix 'Yae' added to their name.

Hair becomes wide and flat, tapering to a point at the end of each strand - resembling the fronds of a palm tree, although not as stiff. Colour turns naturally green, ranging from light-medium to dark.

Goes from 3-6mm wide at the head end, to approx 0.5mm wide at the tapered end.

If it's trimmed, then it will naturally taper itself overnight (but only if the fairy is alive).

Ears become pointier than those of a nokind.

Eyes will change colour to green or brown, if they're not that colour already.

Wings will retain their pattern, but they will take on the texture of a coconut shell.  Darker parts of the original pattern will be in the dark brown of a coconut shell, lighter parts in a tan brown colour (almost pastel pale brown).

Nose remains the same.

Mouth & jawline remain the same.

Skin changes colour to greyish-brown, a colour similar to tree bark (with slight variation, of course).  Can be described as 'tree-bark brown'.

Fingers grow longer and thinner (slightly - not as much as for firekinds)

Fingernails turn a creamy, off-white colour and remain smooth - it's the colour of the inside of a coconut.

Arms grow longer, by approximately 1cm - i.e. longer proportions than a nokind.

Torso becomes a bit thinner, front-to-back.

Legs become slightly thinner.

Feet remain unchanged, aside from toenails.

Toenails change to match fingernails.

Other changes:

They develop a bit of an immunity to toxic plants.  Not full immunity, but are a lot more resilient.

Florakinds (Inland)

Same as Coastal Florakinds, but with the following changes: 

Instead of 'palm frond' hair, they have thick (1-2mm) hair that ranges from pale to deep green - resembling vines.

Fingernails and toenails turn a medium to dark-green and take on the texture of the topside of a leaf, but retain their strength 

Wings grow 'leaves' over them, on both sides, with medium-dark green and pale-light green forming the pattern that was there previously.

Waterkinds

Have the prefix 'Nae' added to their name.

Hair retains colour, but grows thicker - about ten to twelve times as thick (i.e. 1-1.2mm diameter) - gives the appearance of tentacles, to scare off predators.

Ears round off - as round as those of a human - and flatten against the side of the head (streamlining).

Eyes turn a shade of blue, from light blue to deep blue - depends on the fairy.

Wings develop a layer of scales (i.e. fish scales) on both sides. Darker parts of the pattern are replicated with scales that match their freckles, and lighter parts with a light-to-medium shade of aquamarine.

Nose flattens down (about 25% flatter), again for streamlining.

Mouth doesn't change, however the chin and jawline comes in a bit, rounding off slightly.

Skin changes colour, to a pale pastel shade somewhere between purplish-blue and medium blue.

They also get a heavy dose of freckles, in a colour that's a darker shade of their skin colour.

Fingers get some webbing, to help swim through water.  This is a thin layer of skin, between the fingers, only as far as the first joint.

Fingernails and toenails remain unchanged.

Arms don't change.

Torso - muscles around the base of the wings bulk up a bit, to allow the wings to be used as fins in water.

Legs get a bit wider, as the muscles in them bulk up slightly (2-3mm extra on diameter) to provide better kicking force in water.

Feet become webbed.  The webbing is a thin layer of skin between the toes, which stops about 2-3mm in from the end of the toes.

Other changes:

They're able to drink a bit more than other subspecies of fairies before feeling full (i.e. they can absorb more liquid).

Airkinds

Have the prefix 'Pae' added to their name

Hair turns a very slightly off-white colour and curly, similar to clouds.  Even if it was straight previously.  Again, there's variations in colour.

Ears remain unchanged.

Eyes develop greater sensitivity, which gives them better vision - they're able to spot smaller objects from further away.  Eye colour remains unchanged.

Wings grow feathers over them, which replicate the pattern in sky blue (lighter) and medium-gray (darker - about 55% gray).

Nose remains unchanged.

Mouth remains unchanged.

Jawline and chin become a bit sharper.

Skin becomes a shade of pale pastel blue (i.e. the colour of the sky).

Fingers remain unchanged.

Fingernails turn a pale yellow colour (sunlight).

Arms remain unchanged.

Torso thins out a little, for streamlining.

Legs become a little bit narrower (less drag)

Feet shrink slightly, by about 8-10%, for the same reason as the legs narrowing.

Toenails change to match fingernails.

Other Changes:

Their bones are a bit lighter than other fairies, so they're a bit more maneuverable in the air.  This also means that they're more fragile than the others.

They're super-sensitive to caffeine, to the point where what any other fairy could have, could be almost-fatal to them.  A very strong coffee, could indeed be deadly.

Groundkinds

Have the prefix 'Kae' added to their name

Hair becomes short and spiky, but retains colour.

Ears remain as pointed as a nokind, but they flatten out slightly (although not as much as a waterkind).

Eyes gain bigger pupils - about 10% bigger - to let more light in when in dark areas, like caves and tunnels.

Downside is that they're a bit more sensitive to light, including glare.

Wings take on a texture as though they're covered in dirt (think medium-grit sandpaper - 120 grit or so).  They take on the colour of the dirt of the region, which varies from reddish-ochre to brown.  The 'dark' colour is the dirt colour, the 'light' colour is a pale version of it.

Nose remains unchanged.

Mouth remains unchanged.

Skin takes on the colour of the dirt of the region, same as the dark colour of the wings.  If they're from regions with reddish-ochre dirt, the skin colour can sometimes cause them to be confused for firekinds, at least from a distance.

Fingers become thicker, and the hand gets wider - to help with digging.  They also develop very thick skin (i.e. calluses) on the fingertips.

Arms get bulkier (5-6mm extra on diameter) due to muscle bulk, for digging.

Torso becomes stockier.

Legs remain unchanged.

Feet develop very thick skin (i.e. callus thick) on the underside, as well as calluses on the toes.

Other changes:

They have an increased tolerance to caffeine, and coffee especially.  A very strong cup is what they consider average, and extra strong is what they'd call strong.  (Naturally, you don't want to mix them up with coffee for airkinds.)  They tend to develop addictions to caffeine and coffee in particular.  Especially when it's freshly ground ;-).

Firekinds

Have the prefix 'Tae' added to their name

Hair colour takes on the colour of burnt wood (i.e. charcoal black), but otherwise remains unchanged.

Ears become slightly rounded - about halfway between a nokind and a human.

Eyes change to a reddish-brown colour - the colour of an ember.  Brightness of colour varies from fairy to fairy.

Wings thicken slightly and develop reptilian scales, which are fire-resistant.  Skin coloured scales cover what was the darker part of the pattern, with scales in a pale pastel shade of it replicating the lighter part of the pattern.

Nose becomes slightly larger, to accommodate wider nostrils - to help smell fires in the distance, or that may be forming.

Mouth - lips take on a colour slightly darker than the skin colour.

Skin thickens and becomes leathery, which is able to withstand fire without taking damage easily.

Skin colour goes from dark orange to dark red (i.e. dark maroon).

Fingers become long and thin, more so than for florakinds, but not freakishly long - similar to the flames rising from a fire.

Fingernails take on a smoky gray colour.  Not the one colour, it actually looks like smoke in the colour of the fingernail itself - like a close-up photo of smoke, with swirls of lighter and darker gray mixing together (marbling).  As the fingernails grow, the patterns on each nail change.

Arms remain unchanged.

Torso remains unchanged.

Legs remain unchanged.

Feet remain unchanged.

Toenails change to match the fingernails.

Other changes:

In addition to the fire resistance from their skin, they can also eat hot food (both heat and spicy) with reduced effects - i.e. they have a higher tolerance for heat and spiciness in their mouth.

[rychillacases]

Worldbuilding - Currency

One thing I realised I would need for my stories was a system of currency.  Several systems, in fact, one for each race or nationality.  I wanted to avoid the standard ‘gold coin’ and ‘silver coin’.  After considering the backgrounds of each race/nation, this is what I’ve come up with.

Rychillan Currency

- Originally started out as tokens of debt.  Early Rychillan farmers would make them from tree resin, and set some grains from their crops into them to represent what they owed.  These early coins also included dirt, as they were made in the fields.  The tree resin was set by dehydrating it.

- Later on, the tokens began to have value in themselves, and the government realised these needed to be regulated for consistency.  Having a fixed currency would make things easier for trade, etc.  Merchants' guild pushed for this as well.  Took them a while to standardise across the kingdom.

- Method for making coins evolved over the years.  Coloured dyes were added to them when dyes were developed.

- Shortly after the dawn of the Age of Magic, powdered spent crystals were added to the coins, as an anti-counterfeiting measure.  Despite this, quite a few of the older coins (with dirt and no dye/crystal) are still in circulation.  However, some shopkeepers and service providers refuse to accept the older ones.

- Counterfeit coins are usually made from coloured/dyed glass with grains set in them.  Giveaways are air bubbles and a lack of 'sparkle' from the powdered crystals.  They look like the older coins (which is why some people don't accept them), however they don't have the 'texture' (scuff marks, scratches, etc.) that the older coins come with age - another giveaway.

- Modern coins are made in a mint, using florakind and waterkind magic (for setting).  The actual details of the process are a closely-guarded secret, with the full process known only to a few high-ranking mint officials.

- The resin and powdered crystal supplies (especially the powdered crystal) are kept under tight security.

- Alkentoft has a mint.

- This also means that there are banks and bankers.  To be more than just a teller in a bank (teller is entry-level job for bankers), you must be a tenil.

- These are Victorian-esque banks, with proper vaults, safety boxes, big geared and mechanical vault doors, etc.  Real steampunk vaults.

- There are three coins used:

     - Kerlum - octagonal, and 1" diameter.  These are dyed maroon.

     - Kerlar - square, worth 1/4 of a Kerlum.  These are dyed orange.

     - Kerlo - circular, worth 1/4 of a Kerlar.  These are dyed yellow.

     - Each coin is 1/2 of the size of the next one up.  I.e. the Kerlar are 1/2" across and the Kerlo is 1/4".

Druhlashi Currency

- Coins are made from bone from hunted animals, edged with metals.  There are two denominations:

     - Tiam - edged with silver.

     - Dyam - edged with bronze, and is worth 1/5 of a Tiam.

- The two materials used in the coins represent the two drivers of the Druhlashi economy - hunting and mining.

Fairic Currency

- Fairies don't have coinage and currency per se.  They're more communal when it comes to providing food and accommodation.

- If they do need to use coinage, they'll use whatever the 'local' human currency is.

- Closest thing they have to it is favours.  They take this very seriously, with records being kept of who owes who 'one'.  They do have both small and large favours, with strict definitions of each.

Universal Currency

Crystals are a universal currency, and can be bartered between the different nations and races.  As well as this, they also serve as a measure of the exchange rate - it takes so many Kerlum to buy a particular crystal, which can also be bought for the same amount of Tiam.

[affascinailtuocuore]

G.Simenon-IL CASO SAINT FIACRE e il ritorno all'infanzia.

G.Simenon-IL CASO SAINT FIACRE e il ritorno all’infanzia.

Maigret torna nei luoghi della sua infanzia, che lo vedono spettatore-quasi complice del riscatto morale e del  recupero di dignità da parte del rampollo scapestrato di una delle figure dominanti del suo immaginario di bambino, il conte  di  Saint Fiacre. Torna a Saint Fiacrenei giorni dedicati ai morti, con più di un  compito da svolgere: intimo e personale quello che prevede la visita ai suoi…

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