#ettins

Our general term for a person of any intelligent species as a wight. These we distinguish between seelie and unseelie. Seelie wights live in societies with each other, while unseelie wights live mostly solitary existences and seek each other out only for specific purposes.

The umbral species is made up of two very different alternating generations. Large, deliberate trolls meet and mate and lay huge clutches of eggs, from which hatch many small, energetic goblins. Goblins are sexless, but those who manage to live and thrive for long enough (and most do not) die when they begin to germinate into an infant troll.

Though trolls grow to be massive and can have a great variety of adult shapes (and some are have even been known to change their shape), goblins are short, lithe bipeds with little hair or cartilage but many sharp teeth. Their complexions range from tallow yellow to sea-green and are often mottled or speckled with other hues. 

The complex mismatch between generations of the umbral species means that trolls are uniquely ill-suited to caring for their goblin children, and goblins ill-equipped to the task of raising the occasional infant troll. The peculiar demands of umbral reproductive labor is responsible for the existence of the Penumbral Exchange.

The terms of the penumbral exchange require that an infant troll be given in exchange for an infant of another species. The exchange itself is an ancient piece of blood magic that causes these changelings, called ettins (or occaisionally giants, on account of their somewhat-above-average size) to take after their adoptive parents. After the first few weeks are past, they look for all the world like rough-cut versions their adoptive species. Ettins are still biologically trolls, however; they are unusually long-lived, cannot reproduce with their adoptive species and have troll internal anatomy.

Although stories abound of children stolen from their cradles and replaced by unscrupulous goblins or elves, the blood magic that enables changelings to survive the exchange requires the human parents (if living) to knowingly accept the bargain.

The penumbral exchange is an exchange; the seelie infant taken is raised by trolls on drops of their blood and undergoes goblinization. Humans, as seelie wights, often take part in the penumbral exchange; a goblinized human is called an elf. The child of two elves will be an elf, and so they are able to populate their own communities, only occasionally bringing in fresh blood in the form of changeling-elves. 

I loved this game as a kid. I would spend hours playing it and I really enjoyed experimenting with the norn breeds, teaching them how to speak and trying to help them survive and be entertained. I managed to play the older versions (Creatures 1 and 2) as well as the spinoff (Creatures Village). But as computers began changing, I eventually wasn’t able to play Creatures anymore. Not many games these days I would play on hours for and I still wish there was more games like Creatures.

When I visted GOG.com though, guess what I found?

That’s right, I found a version of Creatures I could play again! My brother payed for the game and now I have it on my laptop. After so many years, I still enjoy the game and it doesn’t feel much different to what I had originally. I admit that I didn’t expect the new norn breeds but I’m not complaining.

I even made a family tree that I am working on.

As you can see, there’s quite a lot of creatures. >3>

Okunn, The Blade in the Fog (By arkion-king-of-clubs)

While little is known of Fog Giants, tales have been told of massive behemoths able to melt into the fog, showing great cunning and stealth for creatures of such incredible size. Fiercely loyal and protective of their Cloud Giant cousins due to their ability to summon fog and mist, Fog Giants are adept hunters and warriors, preferring to ambush their prey in the pre-dawn hours, when heavy fog rolls off the mountains they call home. The most noteworthy of these creatures is the one called Okunn, renowned throughout the land as not only a cunning warrior, but an accomplished assassin and theif.

Okunn stands only 15 feet tall, with milky white skin and piercing ice-blue eyes, framed by silver hair. Considered to be the runt of his band, and given a low place in the ordning because of it. Turning his resentment at his low rank into ambition, Okunn worked tirelessly to perfect his unique style of combat. Knowing that he could never beat his kin in a battle of strength, he learned to use his opponent’s own weight against them, preferring to stay light on his feet and redirect or dodge a blow rather than simply take it. He preferred shortswords to the clubs and hammers most commonly used by his kin (a shortsword to a giant would be equivalent to a human warrior’s greatsword). He would sneak around the valleys of his mountain home during all hours of the day and night, becoming quite good at remaining unseen.

He began to work his way up the ordning and up the ranks of his tribe, through the amassing of wealth as his Cloud Giant cousins do, and through the fulfilling of contracts given to him, which he keeps bound in a massive tome in his home cave, more of a proper house than an alcove crudely hewn from rock.

Eventually becoming his chieftain’s right hand, Okunn was gifted with a set of white dragonhide armor and a pair of ornately carved, ivory-hilted shortswords from a Cloud Giant benefactor. These swords contain lustrous pearls in the hilts capable of generating massive clouds of fog, in order to aid Okunn on his missions.

So when a Cloud Giant is in need of more material wealth, is coveting something that another Cloud Giant has, or needs someone or something taken care of, an offering and a contract are given to Okunn in exchange for his services. So if you manage to draw the ire of those towering creatures that live high above the land, fear the morning mists, for you know not what lies within…

Brifur, The Blade Returned (By arkion-king-of-clubs)

In his youth, Brifur was a frost giant gifted with immense size and strength. Standing head and shoulders above his peers at 25 feet tall, Brifur earned a high rank within the ordning due to his immense strength. It was always Brifur that would provide his herd with the most food and gold from every raid, always being the first in and the last out. He would train daily to hone his skills to a razor’s edge, as he was constantly being challenged for his rank in the ordning.

Brifur was undefeated, routing his challengers with relative ease due to his size and sheer power. With every victory, his pride would swell, Brifur thinking himself invincible. His arrogance would prove to be his downfall, as a few of his brothers went to a local human settlement to make a deal.

The next day, that very village was raided by the herd, Brifur at the front as always. Everything went as it usually did, except the humans seemed to put up even more of a fight then usual. Brifur relished the challenge, taking arrow after arrow but never faltering. Like always, the village was taken and it’s supplies taken back to the herd. It was then that Brifur began to feel quite strange. Waving it off as exhaustion, he continued about his duties.

It was then that one of the runts of his herd, a low-ranking giant named Grimin, had the audacity to challenge Brifur. Brifur accepted, thinking that this would be the perfect way to shake off his tiredness.

As Brifur stood, he could tell something was not right. He could barely keep a good grip on his ax, and his breath was labored, every exhale sending pain racing through his body. Even in his weakened state, Brifur fought with all of his might, but it was not enough. Grimin claimed victory, and Brifur was exiled from the herd, thrown out into the frozen wastes to die.

He wandered the tundra in search of a place to rest, so he could regain his strength and take revenge on the humans that poisoned him, and the giants who had wronged him.

As he crashed to the hard white floor of the tundra, Brifur prepared himself for death, his hatred burning white-hot but unable to move his body. Before he succumbed, he heard a whisper in his ear. The voice promised revenge and power beyond his wildest dreams, and Brifur got up one last time to heed the voice’s call. He stumbled his way into an ancient cave, where a massive, black-bladed ax lay next to the long-dead bones of another giant. Before Brifur slipped away, his hands closed around the haft of the ax….