#unicorn lore

[dept-of-monster-affairs]

The Department of Monster Affairs would like to remind everybody that unicorns are an invasive species on the North American continent. If you encounter any unicorns in our national parks, please contact a ranger as soon as possible so we can arrange for their proper capture and relocation to their natural habitat in Europe and the Middle East.

[theechoeffect101]

So, one of my players gave me an idea about Unicorn lore, and I just spent the last... two-ish hours writing an in-world account about it and, given I'm already sharing it will my players cuz it has no bearing on the plot of my campaign, and because I want to share my - imho - very well written lore, Imma share that shit here >:]

And so, enjoy a solid 1100 words of Funky Unicorn Lore.

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Unicorns - Their Purpose and Uses

An Account by Målfrid Æsc Edvartsen - 182 P.E.

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All throughout history, Unicorns have been understood as symbols of purity, beauty, and the Magick of the Gods - containing vast Celestia Magicks that empower them to protect the various forests and glades they are often found within.

For millennia, our understanding has been that they were, in some respect, agents of the Gods - maintaining and caring for forests blessed by the Gods. However, in their separation borne in the wake of the war, some of us have found a profession in uncovering the secrets once held by the gods - secrets found by the hunting of certain magical creatures once considered 'blessed' by the Gods. Ones no longer under the protection of the Gods.

After some thorough research, I have come to the conclusion that Unicorns are less creatures made and summoned by the Gods, and more a result of the blessings given to certain forests - the concentrations of Celestia Magicks having borne forth the Unicorns. Not only that, but it's actually the magicks, and the forests themselves, that cause the Unicorns to be created.

It appears that Unicorns are actually borne from a kind of flower - not unlike the Dryads that fulfill a similar role in forests suffused with Natura Magicks. The species of flower seems inconsequential, as long as it's suffused with enough Celestia Magicks, and the forest 'deems' it's in need of a guardian, a Unicorn will be borne forth to fulfill that need. As part of their unique biology, Unicorns don't eat, or even sleep - engaging in a kind of photosynthesis and only needing to consume water to sustain themselves. It seems that the kind of 'radiant glow' that has been reported upon viewing is actually a kind of visual representation of their photosynthesis, and not a show of their innate Celestia Magicks.

It has been seen that, on average, there can be anywhere between one to four Unicorns in any given forest suffused with Celestia Magicks - sometimes upwards of 10, depending on how 'holy' the grounds are. It's believed that forests in the Celestial Realms would contain a vast population due to the immensely high concentrations of Celestia Magicks - as once would imagine the Celestial Realms would have - but it's impossible to confirm this due to the aforementioned separation of the Mortal Realms, and those of the Divine.

Upon close inspection of a Unicorn's biology, it seems that for the most part the body is little more than a shell - no organs to speak of, outside of optical and sensory, a nervous system that appears capable of sensing stimuli outside of the range of Mortals, and a mind capable of limited telepathy and intelligent thought.

Despite the lack of organs, Unicorns are still a treasure trove of useful components and materials. Their body has it's uses, though it's more like that of a plant than that a creature;

Their 'meat' has no real similarities to that of a normal creature, nor a particularly pleasant taste, but it's still filled with highly potent Celestia Magicks, perfect for rituals, or for consumption when ones' mana is low - it's yet to be seen if prolonged exposure yields any benefits or downsides.

Their skin is something of the Divine, the silkiest thing you will ever touch. It is also quite brittle, easy to tear and wont give much protection by itself - quite useful in terms of weaving magical garments for mages, capable of empowering the capability of it's wearer. Just make sure you're working with a skilled artisan.

Their hair, as those familiar with Magicks would be able to attest, is something of great power. Hair has always been a source of power and spellcasting, so hair so suffused with Celestia makes for an immensely powerful catalyst and amplifier - but due to it's rarity, it's best saved for either specific rituals, or as a desperate last measure.

Last but not least, their horns. By itself, a Unicorn's horn is potentially capable of being used in place of spells once reserved for only the most pious - potentially capable of being used to cast spells that would bring back the dead, no matter how long their soul has been parted from us, in perfect condition. Even outside of that, Unicorn horns are one of the most durable and tough materials I have ever seen; If forged as part of a weapon, a Unicorns horn will never dull, and will naturally infuse the weapon with powerful Celestia Magicks; even outside of weaponry, a Unicorn horn crushed, with significant effort, can be used in all sorts of spells and rituals, either as a substitute for other materials, or as something all on it's own.

Even rarer than the Unicorn itself, the growing buds of their flowers are something all their own. Nicknamed 'Foal Flowers' by my compatriots, they're something that one would have an immensely difficult time obtaining. Hidden deep within the forests they grow in, I've only ever seen a total of three in all my years - two of which wilted the instant I tried to obtain them. They don't seem to have any specific appearance, and could be assumed to play a part in the overall appearance of the Unicorn once grown due to the variance seen in various specimens.

Of the three I have personally seen, the only one I was successful in obtaining was grown from some kind of orchid, and sadly only survived a week - but the three samples we were able to obtain inform much of my research into the biology of the Unicorn, as present earlier in this text. The only use I could find for these 'Foal Flowers', outside of letting them grow to obtain a grown Unicorn, was in a tea.

The petals of the flowers, once brewed and consumed, grant those who imbibe it a vision. The vision seems different depending on the person, and have no clear connection on a case-by-case basis. The vision doesn't appear to always be prophetic, as it can be one of your past, present, or future - or even something outside of that, something vague or generally unspecific to yourself. Due to my limited samples, I sadly can't be as thorough as I'd like, but I will continue my studies nonetheless.

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ADDENDUM

To be added in continued publishing - post The Great Culling of 531 P.E.

Unicorns are to be considered an endangered species. Any continued hunting will result in the severance of any magical capability you may posses, and a life sentence under Section 31-U "Celestiaside" as decreed by the Wriht. Målfrid Æsc Edvartsen has been apprehended and will be reprimanded to the highest measure for the duration of his magically-enhanced lifespan.

Publishing of this text will only continue as part as a preservation of our history, our continued understanding of magical creatures, and how it has advanced since the time of the texts original creation.

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[camelidae]

Humans who act as healers for unicorn herds have a reputation for being infinitely patient with their youngest charges - which is good, because unicorn mothers tend to have a very finite amount of patience.

[themusicmansstuff]

Yet i know you’ll never understand my point of view

[wonderloste-archive]

omg i woke up feeling ~shy~ when i looked at this blog wrow that hasn’t happened in 500 years KJNMEKHRJNM ANW. GOOD MORNING. TIME 2 WAKE UP & WRITE.

[roast-ifs]

(Uhh feel free to ignore this if it's a duplicate but I just realized tumblr never gave me a notification telling me it sent. The obsessive spell checking and refusal to be bothered with cleaning out my clipboard actually came in handy! whaddya know. ANYWAY)

Hello! I promise I have an ACTUAL question, but I want to say that you could release a giant Hyrule Historia-esque trilogy filled with nothing but art and lore and even if it cost umpteenmillion dollars I would jump on that SO fast you have no idea. I sometimes forget this is a horror game because I'm ME and I get caught up in all the other cool, shiny details on this blog and then I actually replay the demo (again) and its eerie and atmospheric and I get delighted all over again. Thank you for this wonderful antique cosmic horror, the patreon notification earlier this morning made my day!

Now for the question! If a unicorn were to purify a pigment would it nullify the toxicity of things like uranium, cinnabar and arsenic or would it just remove the dangerous compound and ruin the color? Are there jars "100% purified Vermillion!" Or "Non-toxic true lead-white!" Floating around, genuine or not?

Thank you so much!! I could probably fill a book with story and world lore once I polish it all up lol and I have had people say how fun it would be to have a smoke & velvet ttrpg--I think the world suits well to expansion, you know?

Hmmm I’ve been thinking about this question since I got the first message (it wasn’t on anon so I’m assuming you want this one to be published instead ;P) what a unicorn’s magic is picking and removing parts of a material that either doesn’t belong or isn’t wanted.

In regards to lead, since what causes it to be bad news is that it interferes with other metals in the body, and changes the shapes of your protein molecules. So, lead, in and of itself, is what’s poisonous, not just certain parts of it on a molecular level so I’d say it’s a material that can’t be purified because the whole thing is just yikes.

I do think that other materials that are traditionally toxic have the potential to be nullified by a unicorn it just really depends on how stable the material is without that dangerous compound bc without that compound it would inherently change the material so it might not have the same properties as what made it useful in the first place! Plus, for a unicorn to really dive in and tear something apart at a finite molecular level would require better technology than we’re at here in 1913 and a better understanding of science.

In the future, unicorn doctors would def be able to isolate malignant pathogens within the body, bad cells, etc. to perform non-intrusive procedures on patients but it would take years upon years of practice, a lot of magical power, and quite a bit of cash.

I could, however, totally see con artists selling off ‘non-toxic true lead white’ claiming it to be unicorn purified XD

[daily-rayless]

1/5: The Wild Woman and the Unicorn

Among the woman and unicorn tropes, the wild woman is a rare find. Here, both the woman and the unicorn are wild creatures of the forest, the woman naked but for her long hair and a pelt of fur, the unicorn her only companion. Though occasionally glimpsed by outsiders, they remain a society unto themselves, defiantly living beyond the reach of civilization.

In Nier: Automata, I felt a hitch of apprehension the first time I ran past a herd of animals and realized one of them wasn’t an animal. It’s not like the machine was threatening me; there was just something so deeply off about it, and its innocuous behavior only made the moment weirder. Because I like my unicorns a little eldritch, I based this on the quadrupedal machine design, though I made it lighter and more graceful. Maybe the machines aren’t satisfied with imitating animals and humans, but are now trying to create beasts that even humans never saw.

[roast-ifs]

How do unicorns say hi with another unicorn?

I mean there’s no real body language inherent like there is with hellhounds or the cultural handshake with basilisks.

I generally see unicorns more about the checking in with each other than the actual greeting. They can sense a lot of things other species can’t because of their attunement with magic and seeing another unicorn is a pleasant surprise but no different from meeting another stranger.

That being said, unicorns are more likely to magically check in with each other, permission willing, essentially reading their fellow’s magical makeup to see how they’re doing.

This is more common if the horn color is obviously off and they’re not fresh from a purification job as that could mean other health problems.

So strangers, I think, have an inherent connection because its culturally significant, that meeting of magics, but not plainly obvious like a hellhound’s tail wag.