LunarTotems/Fish

Introduction

Blood was still dripping from the shattered remains of the caravans. Kamaria, her curling black hair tied away from her unnaturally white face, turned her face away from the carnage, away from the stench.

Body parts and chunks of flesh were strewn throughout the area, the blood already congealing and pooling in small dips on the road. The sound of lazily buzzing flies, feasting on the remains was ever present. And all around, dripping from the remains, covering the corpses, was slime, a clear indication of his presence.

Slowly, she tiptoed over the slaughterfield, looking for the survivor. He always left a survivor. It was his way of rebelling, his way of fighting for his own humanity. She heard his terrified mutterings, and she shifted a collapsed side of a wagon to find him. He shuddered at the light, moaning in terror at her presence.

This was not unusual. She found simple questions were best.

"Which way? Which way did he go?"

Trembling, the man lifted his finger to point.

North. Of course. Always towards the realm.

layed her hands on his forehead, casting the spell that would steal from him the harmful memory. It was the least she could do.

Nayeli had gone too far this time. Her mistreatment of this new lunar had left him insane, drowning in the flood of his own instincts, believing his humanity was lost to him. It was the Shadow Sorceress's way of crafting a living, Exalted weapon.

When Kamaria found him, she would restore him to Luna's true path, restoring his humanity.

"Where are you, Rasp?"

Rasp

Symbolism : feminine energy, fertility, abundance

The fish is a sacred symbol to many peoples and has assumed the form of deities and other supernatural beings. As a creature of the water, it is associated with feminine, life giving energies and is often a character of creation myths. The Trio, a tribe from the tropical rain forests of Brazil, tell the story of Paraparawa, a fisherman who is visited by a spirit woman that rises from the body of a fish; the spirit woman shows Paraparawa how to cultivate plants and how to cook them. To the Pech Indians of Honduras, the nine-eyed mermaid Sirena is the mother of all fish. The Pech people would have psecial ceremonies before fishing to ask Sirena for permission to take some of her offspring.

Charms : Finding the Spirit's Shape : Giant Hagfish
Ox-body (4 x -2s)
Deadly Beastman Transformation (2)
Body Weapon Technique
Deadly Claw Blow
Claws of the Silver Moon
Monkey Arm Style
Startling Tentacle Attack

Hagfish Form : Strength 2, Stamina 3, generate copious amounts of slime, burrowing, tying self into knots, and breathing/swimming well in water.

Beastman Form : Strength +2, Dex +3, Fearsome Appearance, Terrifying Bestial Visage, Resilience of Nature.

Tell : Generates slime in all forms (eeewww)

The hagfish is awesome. Real creature. However, it is debatable if it is "as large as a housecat" or not, so I chose to make it a "giant" hagfish to eliminate such debate.

This character is to show how FREAKY a Lunar can be in a fight. Slitehring tentacles, a hideous, mind bending visage. Just imagine what a nine foot, raging, hagfish/human hybrid might look like. Then have it try ot kill you.

This character also violates alot of basic tenets of combat Lunar design : He relies on his fearsome appearance to defend himself, and then focuses on attack, making him an awesome extra slayer. This is just another example of how many varieties of tactics are available to your Lunar characters.

I also wanted to show "the monster." Many shapeshifter myths, particularly out of europe, deal with it as a curse, an idea capitalized upon by Hollywood. There's no reason that you couldn't have your Lunar ALSO believing he's cursed, driven by the beast within, struggling to find his humanity as he lashes out at those around him. It would be an interesting change.

Finally... the fish. What a totem. I chose the hag-fish because it's NOT what most people would think of. But what WOULD people choose when it comes to creatures of the sea? The variety is unbelievable! From the wise, wandering tortoise to the raging, frenzied Great White. From the cunning, evil barracuda to the beautiful and poisonous Anenome. From the colorful and creative octopus to the wish granting carp...

Electric eels, moses souls, Morays, slamon, jellyfish, starfish, clams, the freaky things from the bottom of the sea (have you ever seen the TEETH on those things!!)

The variety, the possiblity, is ENDLESS!