Culture
Education
Lifecycle
Magic & Careers
Culture
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Body Language While pouflons communicate primarily by word, and most of their gestures are similar to those of humans, they do have some body languages and behaviors that are specific to them.
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Currency
Pouflon society maintains a coin-based currency, more relevant in larger cities and small towns than in tiny farming villages, where the bargaining of goods and services between neighbors satisfies most needs and requests. There are large influxes of coin, however, in the few cities that engage in frequent trade- Citremery and Velourose in particular having a high amount of moving capital. Chrysanthos and Roseacre, of course, also see a lot of coin.
The type of currencies of the other species in this world varies, as their cultures and societies are each different.
The type of currencies of the other species in this world varies, as their cultures and societies are each different.
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Abbott is the head banker in Crysanthos, he knows how to handle everylon's coins!
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Dance
Traditional pouflon dancing styles are just as lively as their music. A good dancer's whole body is thrown in- they stamp and tap their hooves to the beat, throw and buck their heads, flap and display their wings, and flick their tails for some extra flair.
Wing movements are often the most emphasized part of a dance. They are used like a bird's wings during a courtship dance, to accentuate the dancer's form and physique, or they can be used similar to the way humans use their arms in dancing; in elegant ballroom dances in particular, pouflons may gently hold wings instead of hands as they dance in pairs.
Wing movements are often the most emphasized part of a dance. They are used like a bird's wings during a courtship dance, to accentuate the dancer's form and physique, or they can be used similar to the way humans use their arms in dancing; in elegant ballroom dances in particular, pouflons may gently hold wings instead of hands as they dance in pairs.
Diet
Pouflons are a herbivorous species, eating a wide variety of plants. Flowers are the pouflon's main food source (though they can also eat other plants), and as such much of their culture and use of magic is related to flowers and nature in general. Although they absorb a small amount of magic from all food they eat, flowers naturally contain the most magic. Some flowers are rarer than others, and often give more of a magical boost than more common flowers. These flowers are often coveted for their magical potency.
Flowers are often incorporated into the other foods that pouflons eat- they are used in baking and used to make beverages. There is a big emphasis on fruits, honey, and sweets in pouflon food culture. Many pouflon farmers grow flowers but they will also grow a big variety of fruits and vegetables.
Berries are also important, not only for their vast variety of culinary uses but for their magical properties as well, which are unlocked when they are used in potions- the use of a certain berry can make or break a potent potion. There is a huge amount of different berries in the pouflon world, and those involved with making potions are encouraged to learn about as many as they can!
Flowers are often incorporated into the other foods that pouflons eat- they are used in baking and used to make beverages. There is a big emphasis on fruits, honey, and sweets in pouflon food culture. Many pouflon farmers grow flowers but they will also grow a big variety of fruits and vegetables.
Berries are also important, not only for their vast variety of culinary uses but for their magical properties as well, which are unlocked when they are used in potions- the use of a certain berry can make or break a potent potion. There is a huge amount of different berries in the pouflon world, and those involved with making potions are encouraged to learn about as many as they can!
figure a. Redwick Wanderberry; b. Triocherry; c. Winterberry; d. Wishberry; e. Globoberry
Festivals
Celebrations are huge in pouflon culture, here are a few that are most important to them!
- The Cradle of Crocus - A festival celebrating the first blooming flowers of spring & the end of winter
- The Fete Passing - A bittersweet festival respecting the necessity of the death of flowers at the beginning of winter
Hygiene
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Most pouflons will try to keep their coats very clean, regardless of their circumstances. Grooming their fur and feathers is part of an important daily routine for many!
How a pouflon bathes depends on where they live- in most major cities, there are complex plumbing systems, allowing for running water into private homes and public baths. In more rural areas, pouflons typically heat a tub by the fire to soak in. In even more wild areas, pouflons might just take a dip into a lake or river to wash up! In Citremery specifically, many pouflons enjoy bathing in the warm rock pools by the sea. Many pouflons enjoy using natural shampoos and soaps, made from honey or fragrant plants |
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Education
Options for primary and secondary schooling for young pouflons tend to vary depending on the area- Chrysanthos and Roseacre have many schools to choose from, while most villages in Goldfair will only have one. Early education for pouflons isn't strongly overseen by the state, so every pouflon's educational background is different. Later education is just as varied- there are many institutions dotted across the map for all kinds of pursuits, but the main schools for Knight and Mage careers are as follows:
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Obrille Knight Academy |
The main academy for knight training. A fortified establishment, the Academy doubles as a guard point, watching the pouflon border with the Ebony Wreath. The Academy also services the mining town it's built in- students patrol the mines and are expected to help the miners and the rest of the community as well.
Days are long and regimented for knight students. After a long hearty mix of exercise, weapon practice, and patrolling quotas, most students are wiped out by the time they turn in for the night. Mentors give to and expect much from their students, but a sense of camaraderie between them and all their mentees can be easily felt even by an outsider. Students hold trust in each other and in their mentors, working as a team.
Days are long and regimented for knight students. After a long hearty mix of exercise, weapon practice, and patrolling quotas, most students are wiped out by the time they turn in for the night. Mentors give to and expect much from their students, but a sense of camaraderie between them and all their mentees can be easily felt even by an outsider. Students hold trust in each other and in their mentors, working as a team.
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Asterfall Mage College |
The most prestigious option for mage training. Tuition is high, but young pouflons are encouraged to attend as Asterfall's curriculum is generally considered to be the standard all other schools are held to. Students' days start early and are packed with mandatory courses in their first year, leaving them with only a few leftover hours in the day to study, but schedules begin to loosen up slightly in later years when students are allowed to choose which courses they attend according to their magical interests.
Walking the old halls of the college and studying the works of well-established mages, students feel a strong pressure to perform. The rigorous schooling is enough to drive some students out, but those that weather their courses emerge as confident mages, well read and versed in all manners of classical magic. These respectable alumni almost always easily find an application for their magical expertise working with the state or with the school.
Walking the old halls of the college and studying the works of well-established mages, students feel a strong pressure to perform. The rigorous schooling is enough to drive some students out, but those that weather their courses emerge as confident mages, well read and versed in all manners of classical magic. These respectable alumni almost always easily find an application for their magical expertise working with the state or with the school.
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Riddlelock Mage School |
An alternative option for mage training. A much more affordable option than Asterfall Mage College, student schedules are also more flexible and there is an emphasis on individual, self-driven learning. Classes are quite small and teachers and students usually forge close relationships. The school's vast library holds various editions of well-known books as well as more obscure, unregulated reading material that wouldn't be found in Asterfall.
Students of this school tend to become more experimental and innovative mages, building on the work of their elders and peers, and contributing new ideas to the active magical field of study. They are just as welcome to pursue their own unique areas of interest and often become specialized in largely unknown applications of magic, sometimes even delving into darker magics.
A much younger institution than Asterfall Mage College, Riddlelock Mage School has yet to earn a full sense of respect and acknowledgement from its counterpart- though exceptional students are sometimes headhunted from Riddlelock's ranks and offered a place at Asterfall. A fundamental difference in attitudes towards magical study maintains an air of tension between the schools.
Students of this school tend to become more experimental and innovative mages, building on the work of their elders and peers, and contributing new ideas to the active magical field of study. They are just as welcome to pursue their own unique areas of interest and often become specialized in largely unknown applications of magic, sometimes even delving into darker magics.
A much younger institution than Asterfall Mage College, Riddlelock Mage School has yet to earn a full sense of respect and acknowledgement from its counterpart- though exceptional students are sometimes headhunted from Riddlelock's ranks and offered a place at Asterfall. A fundamental difference in attitudes towards magical study maintains an air of tension between the schools.
Lifecycle
When pouflons love each other and have a very strong desire to raise a child, the magic of their will manifests in a mysterious, ancient love spell that requests their respective runic flowers to pollinate, creating a baby pouflon. The love spell itself is quite capricious, and is not successful every time; some couples have to wish for weeks until it works, and in some cases, lovestruck pouflons will accidentally wish themselves a surprise baby. The former situation is very rare as the spell requires intense parental feelings beyond flighty crushes. That being said, individuals who are either not very adept at magic or otherwise have their magical capabilities compromised will find it harder to correctly perform the spell. It is possible to have more than two pouflons perform the spell with each other, in the case of polyamorous relationships.
If the spell is successful, the Dawn Garden's keepers nurture and care for the pouflon bud until it blooms into a baby pouflon! At this point, a message is delivered to the parents summoning them to the palace to receive their newborn gift. If the parents do not show up, the baby is given to the kingdom's orphanage - not as bad a fate as you would expect, as the orphanage ensures all orphan pouflons are offered job positions either in the palace or somewhere in the kingdom. This clause ruffles the feathers of some aristocratic pouflons, but as it was enacted by Queen Nouvel, it remains unchallenged.
The Lifecycle of a pouflon goes as follows:
The Lifecycle of a pouflon goes as follows:
- Bud - A baby pouflon blooms from its bud! A baby pouflon's coat is only one color with none or very simple or large color-block markings. Baby pouflons are also quite clumsy - physically and magically. It might take them a few weeks to perfect walking and running, and even longer to perfect their magical abilities. Babies are born with a collar of petals resembling their runic flower's around their neck- this sheds around age 5, but can take longer for some late-bloomers.
- Blossom - A pouflon becomes completely mature at about 20 years of age. At this point, their markings have grown in to be fully apparent, and most are comfortable with their magical capabilities.
- Wilt - The average pouflon has a very long lifespan - around 100 to 150 human years or so, with some exceptions. When a pouflon passes away, their runic flower wilts, marking the end of their life.
Blooms Blooms are baby pouflons! They each have their own personalities but are generally playful, rambunctious, and clumsy. They can't fly, and don't yet have control of their magic.
A baby pouflon will usually follow either of the body types of their parents, but this is not always the case- in some situations, the baby is a mix of their parents' body types, or a completely different body type. |
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Blooms always have four distinct colors which include their knee/cheek spots, plus their runic color. Their horns are always nubby and small as they haven't grown in yet! Their traits are always common as well. As blooms grow, their colors grow as well!
For information on growing up your bloom in game, please peek here!
Magic & Careers
Pouflons can choose from a wide range of professions limited only by their determination or proficiency in magic. A pouflon can pursue any kind of career, including agriculture, magic, botany, business, knighthood, and more! You can check out the skill prompts here:
Magic is a very important aspect of pouflon society - it is used for everything from aiding small domestic tasks to performing complex spells and making potions. While some pouflons are naturally born with a talent for magic, it is possible for pouflons to study and practice with magic to improve their skills. Magic as it is used by mages is categorized into different tiers of complexity; the first tier is mostly innate magic, whereas the others require some amount of magical training. Pouflons accomplished in magic can prove their accomplishments by taking a magic assessment in Chrysanthos,
Knights are the driving force of pouflon society- they do everything from running errands to deliveries to upholding justice across the land. Pouflons that are serious about a career as a guard often travel to Obrille, a mining town renowned for their knight training academy.
Magic is a very important aspect of pouflon society - it is used for everything from aiding small domestic tasks to performing complex spells and making potions. While some pouflons are naturally born with a talent for magic, it is possible for pouflons to study and practice with magic to improve their skills. Magic as it is used by mages is categorized into different tiers of complexity; the first tier is mostly innate magic, whereas the others require some amount of magical training. Pouflons accomplished in magic can prove their accomplishments by taking a magic assessment in Chrysanthos,
Knights are the driving force of pouflon society- they do everything from running errands to deliveries to upholding justice across the land. Pouflons that are serious about a career as a guard often travel to Obrille, a mining town renowned for their knight training academy.
Runic & Magic
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A pouflon's runic color is the shared color they have on their eyes, horns, and tongue. A pouflon's runic color is a surprise when it is born; the runic colors of a pouflon's parents have no influence over it. Runic colors have more than an aesthetic significance. While they do not signify a pouflon's personality or the type of magic they would be proficient in, when a pouflon casts a particularly involved spell, their runic color may glow faintly- if they happen to be a pouflon with an ability to retain extraordinary amounts of magic, their runic color may glow or even sparkle perpetually. The other magical species in the pouflon world also display runic colors of their own, but the placement and amount of runic areas differ from species to species.
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Magic in Bellacoste
Magic is an underlying principle of the pouflon world, just as much an unwavering force as gravity. While it has shaped every society in this world, pouflons as a species are the most heavily involved with magic, and it is the most essential in their lives. It has allowed them to grasp objects without touching them, to build, craft, and create, even to fly, all of which would be completely impossible for them to do had they not been granted so much power over it. Among all the species that live in their world, pouflons take advantage of the most diverse pool of magical uses, their mages being the best-versed in all kinds of elemental magics - though some other species may be better practiced and more advanced with a specific element of magic.
But as a general rule, magic governs all species in this world. Ancient spells of love bind the members of all species as the only way for any of them to reproduce, and every species is invariably tied to their unique magical Hearth. While all species take magic for granted as a constant aspect of their lives, the actual origins and workings of magic itself are still largely unknown.
But as a general rule, magic governs all species in this world. Ancient spells of love bind the members of all species as the only way for any of them to reproduce, and every species is invariably tied to their unique magical Hearth. While all species take magic for granted as a constant aspect of their lives, the actual origins and workings of magic itself are still largely unknown.
Materials
Pouflons have access to materials like milk and leather, but they derive them solely from plants instead of animals. They create leather from treating mushrooms or tree bark, and they obtain milk alternatives from nuts or fruits.
Transportation
Most pouflon transportation happens on hoof, or by flight. For longer journeys, or trips through and between cities, pouflons can also travel by magic-drawn carriage- the passenger pouflons sit in the carriage, and one pouflon sits in the front acting as the coachman, moving the carriage with their magic. Driver pouflons are always adept with physical magic, in order to be able to move along a whole carriage!
Transportation by water is also commonly used to traverse the rivers across Bellacoste, moving both pouflons and goods in barges. Cities near the sea, such as Citremery and Velourose, have large populations of sailor pouflons that go out to sea in ships that range in size from small drifters to huge galleons.
Transportation by water is also commonly used to traverse the rivers across Bellacoste, moving both pouflons and goods in barges. Cities near the sea, such as Citremery and Velourose, have large populations of sailor pouflons that go out to sea in ships that range in size from small drifters to huge galleons.
