LunarTotems/Swan

Introduction

http://abymage.free.fr/exalted/nymphe.jpg

There was someone else in the forest with him. The young man tensed his bow string, suddenly nervous. Heart pounding in his throat, he crept further down the path, taking pains to be silent. He lifted his hand, and pulled aside a fern to see what was happening on the other side.

A clearing opened up before him, in the center of which lay a still, mirror-glass pond, reflecting the light of the moon. Around him, the trees sighed contentedly in the wind, the scent of pine hanging in the air.

The water rippled faintly as she moved through it, and he felt his heart break.

She had locks of luxurious black hair that shimmered in the moonlight. Her skin was ivory perfection, creamy and smooth. Soft lines of silver traced over that skin, outlining every perfect feature. As she moved through the water, a cloak of white feathers, shimmering in the silver light of the moon, spread out behind her.

Unthinking, he stepped into the clearing, awestruck by her beauty, just wanting to know her name.

The twig snapped beneath his foot, and she turned to see him.

There was a fluttering of wings, and the swan flew away, leaving the boy alone by a still pond, with the only a precious memory of the experience.

Naomi of the Ivory Throat

Symbology : Transformation, loss of innocent, beauty. This painting of a swan maiden represents a common motif found in mythologies and folktales of many cultures around the glove -- from Native American to Slavic. Although the story varies from place to place, the basic plot is the same: a young man finds a feathered robe or skin of a swan maiden -- a goddess-like creature -- which she has temporarily shed to assume a human form. Although the youth attempts to hide the feathers from the maiden, which allows him to possess her, the swan finds her feathers, assumes her animal form, and leaves the youth. The lost swan thus symbolizes the departure from youthful innocence and the passage into maturity. In some versions of the story, the swan dies. In Greek mythology the "swan song" is the beatiful song sung by the swan just before death.

Charms : Finding the Spirit's Form: Swan
Unspeaking Aura of Dread
Attention Demanding Presence
Beast Calming Method
Tale Spinning Mastery
Emotion Shaping Technique
Infection Resisting Prana
Lick Wound
Bowing Reed Technique

Swan Form : Strength 2, Stamina 2, Can fly, swims well, maintains normal beauty (5)

Tell : Cloak of white feathers.

I like the story about the feathered cloak, so chose to use it with this character. This brings to mind a beautiful woman, who is kindly and gentle. This is a very social oriented character, one that would likely have a high compassion, and not be very combat oriented. Many people think that Lunars just fight, but even following the Silver Way will not always require you to fight... it just demands that you do not surrender, that you protect your own. There are many ways to not surrender and to protect your own other than just killing the other guy, and Naomi fits the bill.

She also FEELS very mythical.

One could easily make other thought processes. The "swan's song" suggests an association with death. A New moon could easily be made as a go-between for his/her tribe, tending to those that have died or moved on.

And anyone who really knows Swans knows that they can be nasty if they want to be. A full moon is definitly possible. One could easily imagine a graceful, powerful warrior with a curving, elegant neck and powerful wings.