CREATURE
n. the name given to the animals that appear to and bond with every person in the world of Edhel. They range in shape, size, and species but they appear to everyone and remain with their person until said person's death.
NAME
Every Creature has a name, once it learns to speak (typically when it's human begins to) it will tell them it's name. Usually the name of the creature is of the same cultural background as their human, i.e. a person from the Doune would have a scottish name and so would their Creature, or someone from the East Island would have an Asian name and so would their Creature.
There are exceptions to this rule, for instance if someone is of a different cultural background from their birthplace, i.e. a person who's parents are from the Dry Lands but they are born on a trip in the Crags, they may have a Creature with a nordic name.
ARRIVAL
They say that in the old days, when the Old Ones were still the only people of Edhel, Creatures were just another kind of magic. Now, in a world where real magic is non-existent, they have a less impressive explanation of where these animals come from. They say that these are somehow just normal animals that have bonded with their chosen human. While most accept this they usually also think it's wrong somehow but don't know why, and there are a number of alternate theories.
Everyone develops or receives a Creature at approximately six months of age, and always at night. A mother will lay her son down to sleep and wake up to find him clutching a baby rabbit or tiger, or bear and will not be surprised. It is expected of the parents and their own Creatures are expected to care for the child's Creature. For the most part they can take care of themselves after a certain age or if they are a certain species, but some require a little more care.
LIFE
Although Creatures are almost the same as their wild counterparts, with the exception of human speech, they are entirely different in one way. Their life span is significantly longer than it would normally be, even under the best conditions. Species that would normally live just a few hours or years live as long as their human.
When a human dies their Creature also dies, although the manner of the death can be widly varied from the human or very similar. When a person dies suddenly their Creature will sometimes simply vanish, other times they will find the Creature laying dead as well.
If the Creature dies the person will survive but they develop a condition that has become known as 'the looking'. The person will constantly stop what they are doing and look around or over their shoulder as if something is missing and they can't find it. It is also typically accompanied by some sort of madness, which is generally referred to as 'the losing'.
Touching someone else's Creature is frowned upon. While it isn't illegal or necessarily deadly, it is considered a breach of personal space and incredibly rude. Everyone reacts differently, some people giggle, some faint, some vomit, but a few have been known to have near death experiences. If someone holds onto another person's Creature for too long it has resulted in death, but it takes some time for that, and depending on the person may be unfeasible.
There is not regular distance that Creatures can move from their people, it all depends on the individual. Some people can only go a few feet from their creature, some people can go a few dozen yards, some people can go miles from their Creatures although those are typically Oarlings. It's said that the best scouts can go as far from their creatures as is necessary, they also say the best soldiers can't go more than a few feet but who knows.
TRAITS
The following are some traits that a person may have and the possible animals that could be their Creatures based on those traits.
Loyalty: Horse, tiger, dog, wolf (non alpha), pot belly pig, albatross, prarie vole, bee, ant, turtle dove, bald eagle, french angel fish, swan, gibbon, lion, chimp dolphin, elephant, barn owl, penguin.
Leadership: Mountain lion, wolf (alpha), lion, boar, raven, owl, stag.
Patience: Ant, chameleon, owls, possum, panther, angler fish, turtle, blue harron, horse, dog, praying mantis, frog, trap door spider.
Protective: Aligator, bear, elephant, dog, wolf, badger, cat, crab, dolphin, fox, raven, seal, snake, Tasmanian devil, wolverine, shark, orca, snail, beaver, woodpecker.
Intelligent: Coyoty, eagle, fox, pig, dolphin, wolf, cat, elephant, orca, chimp, squid, baboon, racoon, monkey, owls, parrots, crane.
Cunning: Fox, coyote, cougar, pig, panther, wolf, adder, badger, bear, crow, racoon, cat, weasle.
Strength: Buffalo, bull, deer, eagle, elephant, orca, elk, horse, leopard, snow leopard, lion, moose, tiger, wolf, heron.
Stubborn: Mule, bull, rhino, moose, walrus, goat, pig, duck, geese, aligator.
Aggressive: Wolverine, porcupine (inside), wolf, big cats, alligator, bear, shark, badger, hippo, water buffalo, baboon, chimp, badger, heron, gazelle.
Timid: Rabbit, fish, mouse, antelope, dragonfly.
Courage: Badger, bear, cougar, dog, eagle, lion, raven, seahorse, hummingbird.
Curiosity: Anteater, racoon, ram, coyote, bear, boar, otter, panther, sheep.
Cocky: Peacock, penguine, bull, tasmanian devil, badger.
Traveler: Caribou, buffalo, salmon, shark, horse, kangaroo, hummingbird, llama, rabbit, roadrunner, bear, goose, falcon.
EXCEPTIONS
Keep in mind the list presented here does not represent all the possibilities and there will always be some people that do not follow the norm. You could have someone, for instance, with a guard dog creature that looks tough but is actually a coward, or a person with a horse creature who hates traveling or their family. It is also possible for someone to have the same animal as another person for an entirely different reason, such as two people having wolves while one is very loyal and the other is fiercely independent.
It is not, however, possible for a person to live without ever having a creature, they can die resulting in 'the looking' or 'the losing' but they must have existed at least for a time. Please remember to mention in the application if the creature is no longer alive and how this has affected the character.
