Familiars
The others within ourselves.
As with accessories, familiars are not separate entities from the esk but are actually a part of their being. Think of them as imaginary friends or internal voices that have materialized as part of the esk's form. Despite this, esk can build relationships with their familiars as individuals; they will get to know their familiars as part of the process of getting to know themselves. Familiars follow the same rules as nature features, they are part of the spirit form and are able to take physical form or become ethereal or invisible. They do not age or die, they are not actual organisms and have no need to feed or carry out normal animal behaviors. They are a spirit companion to your esk and can have a fully fleshed out personality, understanding the relationship between esk and familiars is open to creative interpretation.
Familiars are tied to the biome.
Familiars must be appropriate for the esk's home biome. Species should be selected based on where they are realistically found on Earth and what types of habitats they would typically live in. Please make thoughtful choices when selecting species for your esk.
Familiars are also energetically tied to the biome and they will vanish when an esk is roaming in other biomes. How a familiar is affected during the transition to other regions or in the overlapping areas is open to creative interpretation.
As with accessories, familiars are not separate entities from the esk but are actually a part of their being. Think of them as imaginary friends or internal voices that have materialized as part of the esk's form. Despite this, esk can build relationships with their familiars as individuals; they will get to know their familiars as part of the process of getting to know themselves. Familiars follow the same rules as nature features, they are part of the spirit form and are able to take physical form or become ethereal or invisible. They do not age or die, they are not actual organisms and have no need to feed or carry out normal animal behaviors. They are a spirit companion to your esk and can have a fully fleshed out personality, understanding the relationship between esk and familiars is open to creative interpretation.
Familiars are tied to the biome.
Familiars must be appropriate for the esk's home biome. Species should be selected based on where they are realistically found on Earth and what types of habitats they would typically live in. Please make thoughtful choices when selecting species for your esk.
Familiars are also energetically tied to the biome and they will vanish when an esk is roaming in other biomes. How a familiar is affected during the transition to other regions or in the overlapping areas is open to creative interpretation.
Limitations on familiars
- Familiars must be based on real animals and not mythical creatures like unicorns or dragons.
- Familiars cannot be fictionalized versions of real animals, like a cat with wings or a dog with three heads.
- Familiars must have a natural appearance that is true to the species appearance in real life unless they have an enchantment. Enchantments allow a familiar to have unusual coloring, glowing, or auras.
- Familiars cannot have mutations other than those that are naturally occurring in the species (like piebaldism, etc). Mutations, deformities, or malformations that would cause an animal to suffer or die will not be accepted.
- Familiars must be appropriate for the esk's biome. Arid esk cannot have fish familiars and Forest esk cannot have penguins, etc.
Swarms: the hive mind.
Esk can also manifest swarms of familiars large or small. Swarms operate as a single familiar with a single personality like a hive mind. The esk can only summon the swarm in a group (3 or more), never individually. Esk are still able to have multiple individual familiars of the same type or species, but they will not be a swarm if they do not operate as a hive mind. Individual familiars each have their own personality while swarms are a single personality comprised of multiple parts.
Community familiars are like mini ecosystems.
Some esk can manifest complex systems of familiars that function as a community. These familiars are much like swarms in that they operate as a single unit and not as singular personalities or individuals. Community familiars are like ecosystems with great variety in the types of animals that are present. The collection of animals should all be true to how they would be found in nature in a shared habitat and not be a collection of randomly selected species. Community familiars also must be summoned in a group of 3 or more.
Applying an enchantment.
If your esk has a familiar you may apply an enchantment to it in order to give it magical properties. This can give the familiar a mystical appearance and allows it to have a magical effect or ability.
Mutations cannot be applied to familiars.
Esk can also manifest swarms of familiars large or small. Swarms operate as a single familiar with a single personality like a hive mind. The esk can only summon the swarm in a group (3 or more), never individually. Esk are still able to have multiple individual familiars of the same type or species, but they will not be a swarm if they do not operate as a hive mind. Individual familiars each have their own personality while swarms are a single personality comprised of multiple parts.
Community familiars are like mini ecosystems.
Some esk can manifest complex systems of familiars that function as a community. These familiars are much like swarms in that they operate as a single unit and not as singular personalities or individuals. Community familiars are like ecosystems with great variety in the types of animals that are present. The collection of animals should all be true to how they would be found in nature in a shared habitat and not be a collection of randomly selected species. Community familiars also must be summoned in a group of 3 or more.
Applying an enchantment.
If your esk has a familiar you may apply an enchantment to it in order to give it magical properties. This can give the familiar a mystical appearance and allows it to have a magical effect or ability.
Mutations cannot be applied to familiars.
New: A shared identity.
Since familiars are a part of an esk's being, they can manifest with a special identifier that connects them to their esk. This identifier can either be a single small nature feature or transformation reward.
The esk must have the nature feature or transformation reward in order for it to be used as an identifier on a familiar. For nature features, the species must be exactly the same, but the same species can be repeated across familiars. For transformation rewards, the item must be one earned by the esk, and does not repeat — for example, if the esk has only earned one crystal, then only one familiar can have a crystal.
Each familiar can only have one identifier each — they cannot have both a nature feature and a transformation reward.
Since familiars are a part of an esk's being, they can manifest with a special identifier that connects them to their esk. This identifier can either be a single small nature feature or transformation reward.
The esk must have the nature feature or transformation reward in order for it to be used as an identifier on a familiar. For nature features, the species must be exactly the same, but the same species can be repeated across familiars. For transformation rewards, the item must be one earned by the esk, and does not repeat — for example, if the esk has only earned one crystal, then only one familiar can have a crystal.
Each familiar can only have one identifier each — they cannot have both a nature feature and a transformation reward.
The familiar's nature feature can appear as a single piece (such as a single flower or twig) or as a single clump (such as a patch of leaves or a clump of flowers). The nature feature cannot be spread around the body in multiple places. How the nature feature manifests on the familiar does not have to match the esk — for example, the esk can have just the flowers and the familiar can manifest the leaves instead as long as they are the same exact species. Nature features will appear in only one small area on the familiar where it can be fixed to the body or floating above the body. Floating nature features on familiars do not move around to other parts of the body, they stay fixed by hovering in a single location. Since familiars are an extension of the esk itself they do not need to have nature features touching their body — if nature features touch the esk's body then that is sufficient.
Nature features on familiars may undergo changes similarly to how they do on an esk, meaning that they can turn colors with the season, or wilt.
Familiars presenting a single nature feature cannot have more purchased for them through the energy exchange, they will always have the single nature feature functioning as a name-tag to connect them to their esk. Once a familiar has manifested a nature feature or transformation reward, they cannot change how it appears without a purchase in the energy exchange.
Familiar nature features basics:
- Nature feature must match one of the species the esk carries, or match one of their esk's transformation rewards.
- Matching must be precise. If an esk has white roses, the familiar also has white roses. The familiar could not have red, pink, or other colors. The structures and growth stages, however, can vary. If the esk has white roses, the familiar could have stems and leaves, or white rosebuds.
- Familiars must choose between a nature feature and a transformation reward, they cannot have both.
- Nature feature must appear as a single piece (single flower, single twig) or as a single clump (patch of leaves, cluster of flowers). See the visual examples.
- The nature feature/transformation reward remains in a fixed location, even if it floats. It cannot move around the body or disappear and reappear in a new location.
- Once manifested, the familiar cannot change how the nature feature or transformation reward appears without a purchase in the Energy Exchange first. Standard nature feature changes like leaves changing color in autumn or leaves wilting do not require a purchase and are allowed.
- Additional nature features cannot be purchased in the Energy Exchange, they just get one.
- Familiars cannot have overgrowth or ravaging growth.
- If the familiar manifests with a transformation reward it can be a replica or piece of the original. For example, if your esk received a quartz crystal reward from a transformation you can display a quartz crystal on the esk and on the familiar, or you could put a quartz crystal on the esk and just a crystal shard on the familiar.
- Nature features on familiar must match displayed nature features on the esk. For example using the white rose esk, you cannot buy that esk yellow rose nature features and then put yellow roses on the familiar without adding them to the esk. Matching their features is how they communicate that they are energetically connected to each other.
- Transformation rewards are the exception to the rule — if your esk receives a quartz crystal reward they are allowed to have the familiar carry it without it manifesting on the esk itself.
