Unicorns

Abstract

Unicorns are wingless Alicorns, comparable in all their strengths and weaknesses, with great power and vast intellectual resources. Most likely because Unicorns have had to deal with mortals more frequently than their skybound bretheren, they have a fierce distaste for seeing animals domesticated and are stern defenders of nature.

History

When Aelyria was still covered almost completely with vast tracts of forest, when the continent was still young, the Unicorns prospered. The Unicorns however were inexplicably tied to the forest, and as it died so did they. Just as the once healthy forest diminished, fading into the many smaller, separate forests that all Aelyrians know today, so too did the Unicorns fade. It was then that the Unicorns began to take up their positions as guardians of these forests, retreating to their very hearts, where they could protect and nurture them, and thereby ensure their own survival. When the Cyraxians invaded, they captured or slew the Unicorns who were in their way and the forests which had been guarded began to slowly wither and die, until another claimed the forest as their own, and vowed under Carmelya to protect it.

Physical Appearance

A Unicorn, though equine in nature, holds an appearance that is more of a hybrid between that of a noble steed and the great forest Hart; this is of course due to the greater neck musculature needed to support its horn. Beyond that they are possessed of gleaming coats of the purest white; their eyes usually a deep blue, though they can also be found in a light lavender. Long, silky white strands of hair hang down from the mane and forelock. A single ivory colored horn, two to three feet in length, spirals up from each Unicorn's forehead. The white beard beneath the chin distinguishes the male. The females are identified by their slimmer and more elegant musculature. Unicorn hooves are cloven and a silver-ivory color. Unicorns keep their youthful appearances throughout their lives, though the actual life span of a Unicorn has yet to be recorded. They are believed to live for thousands of patterns.

Organization

Unicorns live in small family groups consisting of the parents and one or two foals. Unicorns mate for life, and they make their homes in several small glades within the forest which they protect, though in the heart of the forest is a glade that you could consider their true home. It is always here that they will return to when in danger, and it is here that they are most connected with the forest. Other Unicorns will not enter the forest of another, unless the forest is particularly large. Within the boles of the trees the Unicorns will etch a small glyph signifying to other Unicorns and to any other creature with the knowledge to recognize the glyph that the forest is under that particular family group's protection. Travellers may pass through a forest under a Unicorn's protection freely and even be allowed to hunt or chop down trees for lumber. Should they hunt purely for the sport of it, or out of cruelty, or remove any other trees than the ones that were weak or suffering from disease and the Unicorn be nearby, then they will be driven from the forest. The ferocity of these attacks is determined by the severity of the actions that the Unicorn is punishing. Truant youths throwing stones at animals are driven out with only a few minor bruises as a reminder. Marauding Orcs on the other hand would be hunted down and slain.

Diet

Unicorns are herbivores, surviving on tender grasses and leaves. They have also been known to encourage the growth of berries and other such things in the glade that they call their home. Using a form of Druidism, they have also created what other races would consider orchards or herb gardens within the glades. This is usually preceding the birth of a foal, as the extra food is needed to help it mature.

Climate and Terrain

Unicorns prefer temperate forests far away from the intrusion of most sentient races. They are capable of living in harmony with the Sylvan races, such as the Fae or the Elves. They are sometimes known to live in darker, colder forests, but these are usually the habitats of young Unicorns, intent on nurturing the forests back to health. There are even rumors of a Unicorn or Unicorns who, in cooperation with a coven of Druids, seek to reclaim the remnants of forest about the Arakmat Desert. This is merely rumor and is yet to be proven though. Another rumor has them in the various snow-covered forests of Aelyria. It is believed that these can be recognized by their heavier coats and fuller manes, though this is also merely conjecture and rumor.

Combat

Thanks to their close ties to the forest in which they live, Unicorns are capable of sensing the creatures about them for about two hundred yards. This is possibly due to their ability to feel what the forest feels; every swish of grass, or branch pushed to the side, the unicorn feels. In combat they can powerfully kick with their front or rear hooves. They are also capable of thrusting with their horns. Their status as a forest-based creature is underlined by their ability to move without a sound, which enables them to defend their domain against any invaders with ease. Their physical capacity to attack is the least of their strengths though. It is well know that Unicorns are blessed with a natural affinity for Arcana.

Special Abilities

All Unicorns are born with an affinity for Druidism and Thaumaturgy, most attaining up to a Masters level in these crafts, and it is not all that uncommon for one to attain the status of Archmage in one sphere and up to advanced in the other. Using Arcana comes almost as naturally to an adult Unicorn as talking comes to an Elf, or cooking to a Hobbit. On a rare occasion a Unicorn may instead focus his or her efforts on learning the art of Ikos. These rare few use the tips of their horns to etch the runes in the air or on the trunks of trees. In addition to these magics, Unicorns have a few other natural abilities worthy of note. The strong magic of their horns allow them to teleport at will within their forest, and to return to the very edge of their forest should they be caught outside of it, similar to the sorcerer's spell. A Unicorn is also able to sense the nature of a person. The only people whom a Unicorn would even dream of approaching would be those in possession of a clean pure soul. This, of course, is an extremely rare occurrence.

Inherent Resistances and Immunities

Unicorns have inherent immunities to most poisons which are credited to the power of the horn, a belief backed up by the fact that any who carries a Unicorn's horn inherits this resistance. They also have a resistance to most forms of arcane based attacks. The exception to this would be Necromancy as its nature is the complete opposite to the Unicorns. While Unicorns draw upon purity, light and the power of their forest homes, Necromancy is the power of corruption and has a weakening effect on them.

Weaknesses

It is hard to place any specifics when it comes to weaknesses that a Unicorn may possess. The most obvious would deal with their extremely close ties to the forest that they live in and protect. Their lives are bound to it, so harm caused to the forest is harm caused to them and vice versa. Also, should they travel, their strength diminishes as they journey further away; their natural Arcana growing weaker with every turn of the road. Also their bodies are vulnerable when it comes to the corrupting magic of Necromancy, but on the same note, the pure soul of a Unicorn is capable of staving off any attempt to corrupt and taint, and will in fact strike back, harming those who would attempt to blight it. One of their greatest strengths can also become their greatest weakness. The soul of a Unicorn is pure and innocent, but only with the wisdom of age can a Unicorn learn to perceive truly and with discretion the souls of other creatures. The young and naive Unicorn will believe in all creatures that it meets, and whilst it will invariably be naturally drawn to a pure soul, unfortunately not all those creatures it encounters will keep their purity, causing many a young Unicorn to be betrayed by one it originally believed in, as the person's sheen of purity has been replaced with jealousy and greed.

The Horn

A Unicorn's horn stands about two to three feet long, It appears almost as if two strands of a silvery ivory have grown upward, spiraling about each other. A Unicorn's age can actually only really be determined by the amount of spirals, as Unicorns keep their youth until the day they die. The horn is prized by many, as possessing it infers their natural immunity to poisons. A side note worth mentioning is the idea that if a Unicorn's horn can protect its wearer from poison, then perhaps it would infer the same benefit to any liquid or food that it is immersed in – a theory that has not been tested, nor would I wish it to be, as it would be an affront to the noble creature. The Unicorn's horn is also an object of very powerful Arcana, and is prized by the most skilled of Mages. As for why the Unicorns possess this horn, and how it comes to be, there are several beliefs. The followers of Carmelya believe it is a gift from their goddess to the noblest of steeds for some great service it has performed in her name. Others believe it to be merely the focal point of the great internal Arcana of the Unicorn; a crystalline pure arcane energy.