Posts by Iceclawwing

Okay, I admit, I found this on another website, but they said it was potential. And that it was not probably going to be run by them. [i]And it was locked. So... what if the world isn't quite what it appears to be? I don't mean, like, forests of walking toadstools, or houses actually being alive and eating people. I mean, the people themselves.
Every culture has stories of beasts, mystical creatures, fae, demons, and the like. Well, what if they are not stories? What if the mystical, magical beings of folk lore used to exist? And, what's more, what if they still do?
Because they do.
They are all over the place, but people just don't see them. Sometimes it's because the human mind doesn't want to accept them so it forgets seeing them. Most times though, it's magic.
You see, a very long time ago, when fantastic creatures roamed around freely, humanity decided that it didn't like the idea of other species being just as smart or inventive as they were, and fearing anything different, began to kill the others wherever they were found. Of course, this was down to one or two individuals rabble-rousing, and the population at large was indifferent. So, the non-humans got together and crafter magical amulets en masse for those who wanted to slip into human society. Others, of course, just hid themselves away - which is why stores of Nessie, Bigfoot, El Chupacabra and the like still exist today
The magic of the medallions was so powerful that it bound the user into a human form and, with these human forms, they integrated themselves into human society. Mostly it was for survival, but as time went on, relationships started to occur
Now, normally you would expect the child of, say, a human and a Nemian lion to be some sort of hybrid. Wrong. The magic of the image, combined with that of the progenitor, meant that the child looked, behaved, and believed that it was a human. Of course, this being magic, their true self could be revealed and, due to some quirk of genetics (or maybe more magic), the child would, more often than not, not be a human but, rather, the next generation of mystical beast
Generally, it was down to the parents if they revealed not only their own true form to their child, but their child's form as well. Some did and took pride in their nature. Others didn't, and the knowledge of what they truly are became lost down the generations.
Skip forward several hundred years, and you have the modern day. Lots of people, big cities, etc. Only within these cities are smaller, hidden places that act as havens to those mystical beings who have found out what they truly are. Generally, there is peace in them. The inhabitants only leave in human guise, and true humans don't wander in, due to magic hiding the nature of the places.
Now comes the fun. Remember about the child of a creature and a human looking like a human? Well, that illusion can be broken
The original amulets still have all their power and, when the right amulet comes into contact with the right person, the birth spell will be broken, and replaced with one from the amulet. It's around this time that the person finds out that they aren’t really human after all. Especially when they go to sleep, and wake up with a horse's body where their legs used to be, or find out that they are actually a giant cat. This is termed the Awakening.
Not everyone can awaken. Some people are just that - pure humans. Others are such rare creatures that all the amulets have been lots and so there is nothing to trigger it. But when it does happen, it can be... confusing.
Imagine if you will, a human. At the age of 16, they have an apparently normal family and life. Then, one day, an amulet comes into their possession. The physical illusion of being a human vanishes, but those 16 years of human life are still there. 16 years of being human, and one day of being a fantastical creature. One day that turns into two, then three, then a week, then a month.....
So... what are you?