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Description

Hiraeth is a crossroads for different realities-- massive worlds intersecting with one another in a seamless flow. Though the magic of these realms mingling creates new paths and new gates, just entering the depths of the massive woodlands of Hiraeth without any interference can feel like slipping into another dimension where everything of comfort and familiarity is suddenly a world away. Aiding travellers in getting lost is the ever mischievous Sprigatoyos-- tricksters born from the woods. wearing oversized coats made of leaves and donning heavy masks made of tree bark, they aren't hiding their identities as much as they are trying to scare travellers they stumble upon. Each Sprigatoyo carves their own mask, doing their best to make it either as fearsome or as ugly as possible. A horde of Sprigatoyos bursting from the woods hollering, chanting, and dancing is sometimes enough to scare the heartiest of knights if the little pranksters hook their initial surprise. Sprigatoyos have territories where mayhem and pranks become free game, but often they are beckoned by spirits to keep wanderers away from cursed or fragile things.
When out to dispel wanderers, they hang masks and totems from tree branches, as well as carefully position candles they can light at will. From far off bushes, they'll practice the art of mimicry, seeing who can sound like the scarier beast, sometimes igniting nearby animals into a fearful stampede. They also have simpler, more doltish tricks, such as throwing stones at a traveller's back or disguising themselves as part of the ground for unwary wanderers to trip over. Though they thoroughly enjoy basic buffoonery, they also have powerful spells up their leafy sleeves. Taking a leaf to use as a whistle, a Sprigatoyo can perform a quick ditty that causes the trees, bushes, and stones to dance in joy, shifting paths and making landmarks unrecognizable. They also have a longer song they play from the tops of trees or hills, wherein all manner of winged beasts will descend and rush through the trees, bombarding travellers and creating fearsome winds. Magical folk aren't free from their tricks either, as they've also been known to create crude sign posts leading travellers straight into pocket realms where powerful beings are trying to hide away from company.
In ancient times, Sprigatoyos sometimes had to compete against whole villages, plaguing the town with traps and tricks. These prank wars were initiated if a village was built too close to their territory, if something important was happening in the woods that spirits wanted no normal folk to be apart of, or if a tribe of Sprigatoyos were just bored. Knights were often called to try and route the fiends, usually resulting in prolonged, improv slapstick routines. A better person to call are witches or druids, who are more suited at counter pranking the fiends with their own magic. The optimal way to remove Sprigatoyos was actually to call in someone artful in soothsaying, as the Sprigatoyos hate being read to and find their horoscopes dreadfully boring.
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Hiraeth - A World Within (BOOK UPDATE)
8 Facts About Hiraeth

Description

Hiraeth is a crossroads for different realities-- massive worlds intersecting with one another in a seamless flow. Though the magic of these realms mingling creates new paths and new gates, just entering the depths of the massive woodlands of Hiraeth without any interference can feel like slipping into another dimension where everything of comfort and familiarity is suddenly a world away. Aiding travellers in getting lost is the ever mischievous Sprigatoyos-- tricksters born from the woods. wearing oversized coats made of leaves and donning heavy masks made of tree bark, they aren't hiding their identities as much as they are trying to scare travellers they stumble upon. Each Sprigatoyo carves their own mask, doing their best to make it either as fearsome or as ugly as possible. A horde of Sprigatoyos bursting from the woods hollering, chanting, and dancing is sometimes enough to scare the heartiest of knights if the little pranksters hook their initial surprise. Sprigatoyos have territories where mayhem and pranks become free game, but often they are beckoned by spirits to keep wanderers away from cursed or fragile things.
When out to dispel wanderers, they hang masks and totems from tree branches, as well as carefully position candles they can light at will. From far off bushes, they'll practice the art of mimicry, seeing who can sound like the scarier beast, sometimes igniting nearby animals into a fearful stampede. They also have simpler, more doltish tricks, such as throwing stones at a traveller's back or disguising themselves as part of the ground for unwary wanderers to trip over. Though they thoroughly enjoy basic buffoonery, they also have powerful spells up their leafy sleeves. Taking a leaf to use as a whistle, a Sprigatoyo can perform a quick ditty that causes the trees, bushes, and stones to dance in joy, shifting paths and making landmarks unrecognizable. They also have a longer song they play from the tops of trees or hills, wherein all manner of winged beasts will descend and rush through the trees, bombarding travellers and creating fearsome winds. Magical folk aren't free from their tricks either, as they've also been known to create crude sign posts leading travellers straight into pocket realms where powerful beings are trying to hide away from company.
In ancient times, Sprigatoyos sometimes had to compete against whole villages, plaguing the town with traps and tricks. These prank wars were initiated if a village was built too close to their territory, if something important was happening in the woods that spirits wanted no normal folk to be apart of, or if a tribe of Sprigatoyos were just bored. Knights were often called to try and route the fiends, usually resulting in prolonged, improv slapstick routines. A better person to call are witches or druids, who are more suited at counter pranking the fiends with their own magic. The optimal way to remove Sprigatoyos was actually to call in someone artful in soothsaying, as the Sprigatoyos hate being read to and find their horoscopes dreadfully boring.
--------------------------------------------------------
Hiraeth - A World Within (BOOK UPDATE)
8 Facts About Hiraeth