Pentalithic Ramblings

The cubi (singular cubus) are an unusual offshoot of humanity. It’s not clear whether they are a subspecies or just humans with a congenital condition, but they have been around for thousands of years, and are reflected in myths as the incubus and succubus, among others. Indeed, the name “cubus” is derived from those two mythological …

Appearance The aishineh are humanoid. They average a little shorter than humans, at around 140 cm (4.5 ft) when standing fully erect, and their slightly more hunched posture makes the difference even more obvious. They are sufficiently similar to humans to pass as one in a costume. Aishineh sport a pair of curved horns emerging from …

The word silessi, singular siless, means “person” in the chief language of the species (it’s often spelled silȯssı). Their name for themselves as a species is solonoss (plural solonossı), but this never caught on among English speakers. Another term that may sometimes be used to describe them is Shasskheznı, but this is more properly the name …

Leannán Sí (Seelie) The leannán sí, or “fairy lover”, is a beautiful fae who takes a human lover, granting them inspiration in exchange for their life force - a sort of vampiric muse. English speakers often drop the “si”, shortening the name to “leannan”. (In fact, speakers of many other non-Celtic languages also do this, taking …

Kitsune (Seelie Fae) The mischievous kitsune are a type of fox capable of taking human form. They may act friendly, but be careful - they’re probably thinking up a prank of some kind! Appearance A kitsune appears like an ordinary fox with at least one extra tail. Red and white are the most common fur colours. …

Shyde (Seelie) An enigmatic fae similar to both pixies and the ancient Danaanites, the shyde is thought to be one of the more recent additions to the ranks of the fae. Appearance For the most part human, usually beautiful, with slightly pointed ears (just like an elf) and large wings made of semi-transparent film, similar to …

The Six Elements Pentalithia has a system of six elements, rather than four. The elements are Light, Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and Mystery or Darkness. Many people associate the elements with basic states of water, such as liquid, solid, gas, and plasma. With this association, light represents energy, and mystery represents a super-cooled state. Others associate …

Pixies (sometimes called “fairies” or “sprites”) are a class of small winged fey mostly associated with flowers and other plants. There are many types of pixie; some scholars suggest every flower has an associated pixie, though this is not a widely accepted belief, as the number of flowers with no known associated pixie greatly outnumbers the …

The Fair Folk, the oldest of the fae, have many, many names. In Ireland they have been called Tuatha dé Danaan, Daione Sídhe, Aos Sí, and similar names. In Scotland they were usually known as the Daoine Sith. In Wales they were known as the Bendith y Mamau, Gwyllion, or Ellyllon. And they were known outside …

Appearance The Qalinoris are an ancient, very long-lived humanoid species. They are among the oldest surviving races (only the conway and claximander predate them), and their extremely long lives have allowed them to make extraordinary advances in science and magic. An average Qalinori (often anglicized as “Thalinor”, though the Q more properly represents a voiceless retroflex …