The Sylphim are a beauty obsessed race of insect people. They are ruled over by an empress with absolute power, her word law. They live upon flying islands and are deliberately isolationist, though exiles can be found dwelling amidst the other races.
The bodies of the Sylphim are mostly humanoid, with two insectile features - firstly they possess a carapace upon their backs that shields a set of insect wings. Secondly their faces inevitably have insectile aspects - the vast majority of Sylphim have faceted eyes, many have small antennae, and a sizeable minority exhibit a full facial exoskeleton.
The Sylphim appear rather androgynous to the other races as their sex is primarily displayed via patterning on their carapace and wings. Fashion amidst Sylphim society changes so often that it rarely provides a reliable indicator of gender.
The Sylphim have a lifespan of about fifty years, taking around ten years to reach physical maturity. When other races would begin to experience the degeneration of old age, the Sylphim simply die. They count this as a blessing.
It is an evident truth that the world is not perfect and it is a truth revealed to the Sylphim that the world desires to be perfect. All the essences of nature - Earth, Air, Fire and Water - strive to achieve a more perfect form and they are in constant motion to achieve this. In channelling we simply describe pathways along which this motion occurs. - Teachings of Arjupana
The Sylphim practice the Magic of Channelling. By tracing glyphs they are able to manipulate one of the four essential Elements of the world according to their desires.
Simply put Chitha (/kaɪ,ðə/) is a concept of perfect, universal beauty. It is the purpose of the Sylphim to seek Chitha as individuals and ultimately to achieve Chitha as a people.
Defining beauty is hard enough, defining an all-encompassing, transcendent beauty is an immeasurably more difficult task. Actually realising that conception in this world surely approaches the impossible. Nonetheless Chitha comforts the Sylphim - they know why they are here, can the other races claim to have such purpose?
What is easier: to perfect one thing, or all things? Obviously it is the former, and yet we must strive for the latter. Wherein lies the solution? It is simple: since there is but one state of perfection then should just one person achieve it then we have but to emulate them. Thus one soul can carry the dreams of an entire people.- Teachings of Jujani
Following the End of History, courtiers from seven Families acting on behalf of Empress Pretu scoured the land searching for information on the origins of their own culture. It took three generations but eventually they were able to assemble the following:
For centuries the Sylphim sought to pursue Chitha only as individuals. Each bringing their own particular brand of beauty to the world. However what was beauty to one was an eyesore to others and aesthetic disputes frequently led to brawls, bloodshed and outright war between different artistic traditions. The constant conflict weakened the Sylphim tribes and soon they attracted the attention of other races with territorial ambitions.
It was following the complete destruction of the Gujana tradition at the hands of Kirlsa raiders that the great Philosopher-Sage Jujani stepped forward and proposed the Incarnate solution. Rather than every Sylphim bearing the responsibility of achieving Chitha, a single individual would be empowered to represent the race. Rather than arguing about aesthetics, this individual would be given exposure to every form of beauty and empowered to choose between them. To ensure that there could be no reason for the individual to be less than objective they would be given supreme power - no pressure could ever be brought upon them, no desire could ever be refused them.
Weary from centuries of bickering that had brought them no closer to their goals, the tribes accepted Jujani's proposal. The very next child born to the tribes - a girl named Tapasi, was crowned First Empress of the Perfect Throne, Incarnation of Chitha, Incarnation of the Sylphim. Her line is unbroken ever since.
The Empress is the living embodiment of Chitha and the centre of Sylphim life. Whilst all Sylphim strive for perfect beauty in their lives, the Empress carries the burden of expectation: she is accorded every advantage that the Sylphim race can conceive of and in return she must become the paragon to which all others aspire.
The word of the Empress is absolute law to the Sylphim, to disobey is unconscionable and to fail in a task set by the ruler is at best a crippling humiliation.
The Imperial line is attended by the Incarnate Order which proposes suitable candidates for breeding, educates the royal family and advises the ruler upon arcane matters.
Aysa, fourth of her name, is a young Empress, having succeeded Aysa III only one year ago. While her predecessor had been an even-tempered and considerate ruler, she is an unrelenting perfectionist and intolerant of those who sully her court with incompetence or inelegance.
Despite her fearsome reputation the ascension of the Empress has been a cause of much excitement to the Sylphim, for a new ruler promises a new, more complete, conception of Chitha, and an opportunity for artists and their patrons to find favour.
I am sorry my lord, but the test is conclusive. The child is a fire channeller. I must take her to the Chithana.
Take it…we'll let it be known that the girl died in childbirth. Please go; I have to find a way to tell my wife.
Of course my lord, and again, my condolences.
The Sylphim are tested for their magical aptitude at a young age, and the results of the testing have a crucial effect upon their lives.
The ability to channel the Air allows the delicate wings of the Sylphim to carry them into the air. The vast majority of the Sylphim possess this form of channelling and those who don't are viewed with pity by their fellows. By Imperial Decree these 'grubs' are not permitted to have offspring and their wings are ritually torn to ensure that they cannot deceive the Trueborn.
To channel water is to direct the tides, to draw up water from deep underground or to nourish crops with regularly rainfall. Abilities that are entirely unnecessary upon the utopian isles of the Sylphim but which are of great value to the lesser races. As a result the water grubs are encouraged to leave the Isles to live amongst those below: the information they gather on the ground is of value to the Empress.
Whilst officially mere grubs the Earth channellers are highly valued by the Trueborn, their ability to manipulate stone and metal renders them exquisite craftsmen. Of course, the Incarnate Order teaches, they lack the natural aesthetic appreciation of a Trueborn, but they are excellent tools to implement the vision of their patrons.
Fire channellers are greatly feared as the touch of flame can easily mar a Trueborn's wings, leaving his social status forever in doubt. As a result all Fire channellers are conscripted into the Imperial Chithana and spend their lives in direct service of the Empress' protection.
Of course not everybody is content in the rigid society of the Sylphim. There are those who believe that the teachings of the Incarnate Order are misguided, and that the tyrannical rule of the Empress is itself a gross imperfection on the beauty of the Sylphim race.
Still others are troubled by the divisions between the Trueborn and the Grubs, and reject the view that a Sylphim who can't fly is any less worthy than one who can. This opinion is obviously popular amongst the Grubs themselves, but there are many amongst the Trueborn who are uncomfortable with the current arrangement.
Finally there is a very small minority of Sylphim who don't care at all about Chitha and believe that the monomaniacal focus of the rest of their race is a disturbing obsession. Some even suggest that the pull of Chitha is not a natural part of Sylphim life but rather the result of tampering by some powerful malicious entity. Even most dissidents hold this group to be dangerously insane.
Over the years Sylphim naming conventions have varied considerably. The current fashion is to have a single name which the individual refines every year on the Empress' birthday.
Whilst occasionally (frequently) inconvenient, this saves the Sylphim from the horror of being stuck with a name that clashes with the image they wish to display to the world. That the practice is infuriating and appalling to the Teklo is a minor benefit.
Since Chithana don't need to worry about the aesthetics of their appellation, they are not permitted to change their name.
The Sylphim are ill-suited to battle. Their bodies are weak and fragile compared to the hulking Kirlsa or the rugged Becquerel, and they lack the discipline that marks the armies of the Teklo or the Aquienos' War Fleet. More importantly than this however, the Sylphim lack the inclination to fight. Battle is bloody, random and artless; it has no place in the pursuit of Chitha.
The solution to this is simple: don't fight. On their floating isles the Sylphim are nigh unassailable and past Empress' have shown no territorial ambitions that would require land on the ground to be held. When diplomacy with the other races fails, the Sylphim have found it far more productive to simply withdraw than to engage in open battle.
Still sometimes an example has to be made, and under these circumstances the Imperial Chithana is despatched. Under cover of night a Battle Isle will be sent down carrying a small group of commandos who will then proceed to slaughter the opponents in their beds and fly back to safety before the alarm can be raised.
The Floating Isles of the Sylphim are one of the great wonders of the world. The methods by which they are kept aloft are a great mystery known only to the upper echelons of the Incarnate Order though common speculation is that it is Air Channelling on a vast scale.
Erli is the first of the floating Isles and the greatest. Fully half of the island is given over to the Imperial palace whilst the rest now serves as grand estates to members of the Imperial court.
The Isle is in a constant state of flux as it is remodelled to the designs of the Empress and her current favoured artists of the court. Teams of Earth channellers labour beneath the surface to reshape the isle itself to the demands of its ruler. Past centuries have seen the land accurately model the face of Empress Rani, flatten into a perfect disc and work is currently underway to transform it into an orchid.
Hanging from the underside of the isle, suspended by great chains, is the barracks of the Imperial 13th Battalion; here the Empire's fire channellers are taught their craft safely away from the general populace and conveniently detachable should they ever plot dissent against the Empress.
Fylapur is the home of the majority of the Sylphim and is where the 'work' of the race happens. Crops are grown, tools are shaped and all that is required in Erli is made available by the labours of Fylapur.
The Isle is governed by the Gurani family, who were banished from Erli around 150 years ago when a sky-dancer enjoying the family's sponsorship allowed his shadow to fall over the Empress. Since that time the family have worked fanatically to earn their way back into Imperial favour, however they have proven so effective in the administration of Fylapur, and in the elimination of any who might rival their competence, that their return to Erli might well destroy the Sylphim economy.
Vyse is less than two centuries old and still unfinished. The original designs for the isle were exceptionally ambitious and completing the work has proved to be beyond the stamina of generations of craftsmen. Still they labour on in the knowledge that once the island is completed it will take the Sylphim a step closer to Chitha.
Living on an imperfect land is not conducive to personal betterment so only three groups of people dwell in Vyse. First are the labourers and artists involved in the construction. Second are the impoverished and ungifted; those without the means to live on Fyla. Last are the criminals who prey on the other groups; thieves, murderers and worst of all political malcontents hide here, where the ugliness of their existence is less likely to be noticed.
The Swarm is an archipelago of small floating isles and islets which are not generally inhabited by the Sylphim. Instead islets from the swarm are borrowed for use in art displays, appropriated for exploration or equipped by the Imperial Chithana as Battle-isles.
Since the destruction of Parabai, much of the Skerry Swarm has been given over to horticulturists to preserve the fantastic flower breeds that were rescued from the doomed isle. Since the islets are both beautiful and private they have become a popular location for Sylphim to bring lovers from the lesser races.
“Son, I have great news! The Empress has decreed the House of Taja is to provide her with a pedigree Xyrack, and it has been decided that you will have the honour of fulfilling her request.”
“Thank you father, I won't let you down! Just one question: what's a Xyrack?”
“I have no idea. You have three days.”
Fourteen Families serve the Empress. So it has been since some past Empress pronounced fourteen a pleasing number, and so it will remain until a future Empress reveals some deeper insight into Chitha. The day to day duties of a Courtier are many and varied - securing entertainment for the Court, organising trade between the Isles and the ground, ensuring that one is up to date with the latest developments in fashion, verse and occasionally world affairs.
Most crucially a courtier must provide for the Empress whatever she desires, whenever she desires it. Since the Empress's needs are rarely mundane, this invariably involves breaking into some ancient tomb to recover a magical ruby, or working out how to kill some indestructible acid-spitting monster because the Empress heard its eyes were a particularly striking shade of green.
The greatest honour a courtier can aspire to is to assist the Empress in achieving a new realisation on Chitha, the greatest disgrace is to have been given such an opportunity and failing.
Courtiers must be Air Channellers.
Courtiers take either Dungeoneer or Researcher as their favoured skill.
Blessed are we who feel the flow
Towards Chitha all things go
Earth and Air voice their desire
Water guards from hungry Fire.
'Til perfection's shape we know.
- Sylphim nursery rhyme
Those Sylphim who are fortunate enough to be able to Channel more than one element are inducted into the Incarnate Order. Members of the Order are expected to devote themselves to an ascetic lifestyle, to spend a couple of decades meditating upon the inherent imperfections of themselves and the world, and then to assist the Empress in her pursuit of Chitha.
The Empress is always the head of the Incarnate Order, however since Imperial Candidates are tutored by the Order from childhood, the effective leadership of the Order traditionally falls to whichever priests the current Empress favoured most strongly.
The Order is the spiritual authority of the Sylphim but gladly cedes temporal power to the Court, so long as it is used in the Empress' interests.
Incarnate priests are expected to split their time between educating upon and enforcing Incarnationist doctrine, along with pursuing their personal Chitha. As masters of Channelling they are expected to assist any large scale magical projects, and particularly to oversee the activities of the Imperial Chithana.
Priests of Incarnate Order may learn to channel all of the elements.
Priests of the Incarnate Order take any one of the Sylphim magics as their favoured skill.
“For twenty years I toiled. They said I was mad, that it couldn't be done! But I'll show them, I'll show them all! When the Empress sees it she'll understand. I have created perfection!” - Sindakar, Bradha breeder
To make the world a more beautiful place is to become more beautiful oneself. No surprise then that so many of the Sylphim dedicate themselves to lives of art. To the Sylphim the term is rather broader than it may be to other races; poets, dancers, painters and sculptors are certainly artists, but so too are smiths, builders, chefs and tailors.
Not everything a craftsman fashions is art, any more than every word from a poet's mouth is. In a world where they still seek Chitha then concessions have to be made to practicality. When war rears its head a smith can't afford to spend ten years fashioning a single blade (would that she could), nor should an architect design himself a palace to live in, when a tent will keep the rain off tomorrow.
Nevertheless most artists will have at least one piece of true Art on the go at any given time, and will sink every spare moment into the project. To a large extent it is the artists' desire for the finest ingredients, the most exotic materials, novel experiences and the greatest audience that ensures that the Sylphim retain their connections to the lands below.
Artists can channel any 1 element from: Water, Air, Earth.
Artists take either Diplomat or Craftsman as their favoured skill.
“I am sorry, my friend. I should never have sent a poet.” - Empress Pretu following Imperial Muse Drani's recounting of the Battle of Broken Peak.
The Chithana are those who have forsaken the pursuit of Chitha, either willingly or by decree of the Incarnate Order. The greatest example of the former are the military of the Sylphim: the Imperial Chithana. Ever since Empress Pretu declared that bloodshed stained the soul those who would devote themselves to the arts of war have had to accept that doing so severs them from obtaining personal Chitha.
Another result of Pretu's decree is that those who would fully devote themselves to the field of medicine also end up amongst the Chithana. After all, if bloodshed stains the soul then being up to your elbows in someone else's innards must also leave an indelible mark.
Such a great sacrifice for the protection of the people is worthy of respect but most Sylphim can't comprehend such a mindset.
Finally there are those who are Chithana not by choice but by action - those who maim or murder another, those who destroy art or act against the wishes of the Empress. These individuals are decreed Chithana, for by their deeds they have proven themselves ugly creatures.
Irrespective of their origins, Chithana perform dirty jobs that the rest of Sylphim society does not wish to be aware of. Whether it's discretely eliminating a rebel cell or gutting some noble for his purse, the Chithana are neither seen nor heard.
Chithana can channel any 1 element.
Chithana take either Master of Shadows or Healer as their favoured skill.
The Sylphim know themselves to be superior to the other races; all it takes is a glance to see how tragically far from Chitha the forms of the others are. Still beauty is, of course, more than skin deep and there are those amongst the pitiful groundlings who can yet enrich the world despite the misfortune of their blood.
Past Empresses have often decreed that promising artists be taken from their people to a realm where they can flourish, and every few years a Courtier will take it into his head to impress the Empress by 'rescuing' a groundling child and raising them in the Sylphim way. Naturally such liberations are conducted with the utmost discretion but nevertheless Sylphim are occasionally captured with a baby stashed amongst their belongings, and the ground races rarely understand their noble intentions.
Little is known of the Becquerel. Occasionally a Trueborn whose wings have been damaged will set out to seek their fabled healers and hope to be restored. Generally they return dejected, having suffering the travails and dangers of the journey for little reward, but occasionally they return in triumph, one of the little barbarians captured and brought back to civilisation.
These fortunate Becquerel, exposed to civilised life for the first time, often seem shocked by the experience even to the point of ill health. Still from what little they can be persuaded to tell, the Sylphim know them to be an anarchic band of misfits - seemingly happy to lead a life entirely without direction or civilised comfort.
Big, ugly and utterly unconcerned with aesthetics, the Kirlsa are one of the reasons that the Sylphim were delighted to leave the ground behind. Their cultural obsession with strength has made them a society ruled by brutes, and in such an environment beauty withers and dies.
Still they are not without all virtue: certainly the Kirlsa's martial prowess is worthy of respect, just like any other dangerous animal. More importantly their craftsmen, the so-called Infirm, demonstrate a devotion to their work that leaves hope that one day they could be rescued from their situation and permitted to express themselves as artists.
Once it was hoped that the Teklo could be guided on the path towards Chitha; with their marvellous voices they seemed well suited to the pursuit of art and beauty. However history has revealed the truth: although they wear the garb of civilisation the Teklo are savages.
They declared war upon the Sylphim, pulled the garden-isle of Parabai from the skies and then butchered its inhabitants. The Empress ordered that vengeance be taken, and so the greatest Earth Channellers of the day were called forth to serve. They came upon the City of Raksan, sealed it away from the outside world and then set it moving so that the Teklo miners would not recover their brethren. It was a double tragedy both for the loss of life, and for the talented artisans who were rendered Chithana by the act.
So do not let their smooth words deceive you. The Teklo may be fair spoken but they have the souls of ogres. If they were all lost beneath the earth the world would not be diminished.
Of all the lesser races the Aquienos are the most agreeable. Their reverence for the stars is an understandable obsession with one of nature's wonders and their amusing armada-cities are like a child's imitation of the floating isles.
Best of all however the Aquienos often find new and worthwhile treasures to enrich the lives of the Sylphim. They do the hard work of scouring the seas for its greatest prizes and then are content to trade them away for prosaic goods and the services of the water grubs.
“First form a circle with your hands. Now imagine an element within the circle, doesn't matter which one, a circle is so simple it will channel any of them. There we go. Now drop a finger down so that it's going through the middle of the circle; do it slowly mind, otherwise the stuff you're channelling will tear it off. Okay, so now you have two semi-circles: that cuts your channel in half so you have half the flow but through the same area, you see? No? Okay, let's start over.” - Laput, tutor for the Incarnate Order
Air is a subtle force and is suited to subtle uses. Most Sylphim learn to channel the air beneath their wings, granting them the power necessary to lift their bodies skywards, however this is a tiring activity for all bar the truly adept. More delicate uses of the element can yield productive results: small objects can be levitated, distant conversations can be brought to the Trueborn's ears and the noise of one's own movements dispersed.
Channelling Air aids Master of Shadows.
More than any other Channellers, water-workers understand the importance of working in conjunction with the natural flow of their element. Working against water's inclination is like swimming against the tide: you get nowhere fast. Pulling water from the air is difficult, pulling rain from a cloud is simple. Stopping a wave is hard, parting it is easier. As a result experienced Water channellers develop an incredible sensitivity to their element; a master can detect the formation of a cloud miles away or a trickle of sweat down an assassin's brow.
Channelling Water aids Ranger.
The earth wishes to move, but it cannot do so quickly; when a channel is opened the element is only too happy to be reshaped. Such enthusiasm can make maintaining control a challenge. As a channeller's ability increases then their ability to change the scale on which they work does too. An apprentice can take an iron bar and shape it into a crude spear, a master can pull entire buildings out of the ground, or work a portrait of herself onto the head of a pin.
Channelling Water aids Craftsman.
Sylphim philosophers have theorised that Fire believes that it already embodies Chitha, and that's why it tries to turn everything else into more fire. It is amazingly easy to turn a tiny spark into an all consuming firestorm, it's significantly harder to get fire to do something that doesn't leave the channeller and his allies as a mass of charred flesh. The tutors of the Imperial Chithana teach fire grubs to be aware of every mote of flame present, and to ensure that not a single spark leaves their control
Channelling Fire aids Weaponsmaster.