History
The Sa’enkeyns are the result of a failed magical experiment conducted by a group of humans and Enkeyns about 50 years after their arrival in Tey’shar. The supposed goal was to develop a process that would allow all Enkeyns to use natural magic, which is currently only available to a very few. It is unknown what the humans were to receive in exchange for this experiment or why the Enkeyns wished to attempt this in the first place.
The experiment was a disaster. The Enkeyns involved were shrunken down to a quarter of their original size, stripped of their ability to use even their life energy for magic, and their memories were mostly wiped. The human mages involved in the experiment fled, leaving the newly created creatures behind them to fend on their own.
A group of Sharians came across the shrunken Enkeyns several days later and returned the survivors to Kenist Miana. The Enkeyns re-taught the newly-dubbed Sa’enkeyns their language and other things they had forgotten, but found the shrunken creatures very unsettling. It was also discovered that they were positively brimming with pent-up natural magic, but they were unable to use it or the life energy that all Enkeyns have access to.
After the initial flurry of concern and mourning for the lost minds of friends and family, the Enkeyns began to regard the Sa’enkeyns much like an irritating but still loved younger sibling. Today Enkeyns are generally indifferent towards Sa’enkeyns, while many of the smaller species yearn to be re-accepted into Enkeyn society.
Several years after the initial failed experiment it was discovered that the method for creating Sa’enkeyns had been passed on to Kysian mages, who were turning Enkeyns into Sa’enkeyns to be sold as ‘pets.’ Despite their indifference towards the free Sa’enkeyns, Enkeyns do actively seek out captive Sa’enkeyns and do everything in their power to free them. This has created some tension between the Enkeyns and other races.
Anatomy and Appearance
Sa’enkeyns are generally smaller versions of Enkeyns but with a larger variety of traits. Their average length is five feet, although they can range anywhere from four to seven feet. The number of limbs a Sa’enkeyn can have also varies widely, but many have four legs or four legs and a pair of wings.
One of the side effects of the pent-up magic within Sa’enkeyns is a tendency towards spontaneous mutations and decorative traits. First-generation Sa’enkeyns tend to have standard Sa’enkeyn traits while their offspring sport a much greater variety. Which traits that occur can be somewhat influenced by exposing a newly-pregnant Sa’enkeyn to pure forms of natural magic, a practice carried out by many Sa’enkeyns. It’s almost as if they’re trying to differentiate themselves from Enkeyns by becoming ever more decorative and fanciful.
Some mutations have a negative effect on a Sa’enkeyn, such as the removal of limbs or horns too large for the head to be held up. These mutations can sometimes be corrected by Enkeyn or Sharian mages, and if they cannot then the Sa’enkeyn is rendered infertile.
There is no limit to the variety of colors and patterns that Sa’enkeyns can display, and these can also be altered with access to natural magic.
Habitat
Sa’enkeyns can be found anywhere that their traits allow them to be comfortable. For example, a Sa’enkeyn with a heavy coat of fur would be found in a colder region while a Sa’enkeyn with large wings and an affinity for flight would prefer a more open area.
Many Sa’enkeyns are comfortable with a more urban setting, settling well into Sharian and human cities and towns with their smaller size allowing them to easily find suitable homes. Urban Sa’enkeyns earn a living doing a variety of jobs and tasks.
Diet
Meat and fish are generally the preferred foods of Sa’enkeyns. Although they prefer fresh and raw, they will also eat cooked or preserved meats. Sa’enkeyns also eat some plants, fruit, grains, and dairy, and some are primarily omnivorous or vegetarian.
Allergies are very uncommon in Sa’enkeyns, likely another side effect of the natural magic they carry. They’re very eager to try new foods and many have a special non-meat item that’s a favorite.
Society
Sa’enkeyns began their existence with a clean slate. Although they had originally hoped to be brought completely into Enkeyn society, only a few have been accepted and even fewer have been allowed to join seyts. As such, Sa’enkeyns have had to find their own way in the world.
Several attempts have been made by several Sa’enkeyns over the years to organize themselves in some way, but most have been given up on after a year or two. Monarchy, democracy, seyt-like clans, tribes, and castes were all tried out and went nowhere as it was impossible to get more than a handful of Sa’enkeyns to agree to each method of organization. The Sa’enkeyns are currently in a disorganized state, and none of them have recently stepped forward to try to bring some form of order.
Sharians, humans, and Kysians generally find Sa’enkeyns easier to relate to, thanks to the similarity in size, and they are welcome in most of their realms. It’s rare to find a settlement made entirely of Sa’enkeyns and much more common to find them living with other species.
Most Sa’enkeyns form pair bonds and remain with their partner for life. Families are usually made up of an adult pair with related pups and adults of various ages, and groups are usually made up of several family units. Once young adults leave their parents, they tend to travel in solitude for a while before finding a mate and starting a family.
Communication
Sa’enkeyns are very good at learning languages and many know two or three. The most common languages are Common and Sharian, and a simplified version of the Enkeyn language Kelelian is known by many. Although all of the original Sa’enkeyns were taught Kelelian by the Enkeyns, they did not all pass it down to their offspring and it’s usually considered more of a secondary language.
Thanks to the natural magic they hold, Sa’enkeyns can also communicate using simplified mind-speech only with other Sa’enkeyns. Emotions and pictures can be shared with other Sa’enkeyns in a small area, although it’s difficult for them to use one-on-one mind-speech.
Naming
Sa’enkeyn names don’t follow a particular pattern or system. The original Sa’enkeyns were given new names in Kelelian, but later generations were given names in a variety of languages. Surnames are not used, only given names.
As a rule, Sa’enkeyns cannot be given ‘real’ names (eg Sarah, Bob, Joe), names based on fictional characters (eg Sephiroth, Captain Picard), or names with non-English words (eg Fleur, Sakura).
Life Cycle
The typical gestation period is ten months, usually resulting in a single pup. Twins are rare but not unheard of, and there have only been one or two cases of triplets. Sa’enkeyn pups are also kept from other Sa’enkeyns for their first few months of life, tended and hidden by their mother and father. The parents can choose to celebrate their pup’s introduction to the world quietly or make a large celebration out of it.
Pups develop quickly and are considered adults at ten years of age. Many pups remain with their parents for several years after they reach maturity before heading out on their own.
Magic
Although all Sa’enkeyns are born filled with natural magic, they are unable to use it consciously. This seems to be a side effect from the failed experiment that created them, but nobody has been able to figure out why the magical energy is drawn to them and why it remains there. Sa’enkeyns are born with magic taken from their mother, and draw on the magic of the surrounding area for their first few years of life until they’re filled to capacity. Their magic level stays more or less the same their entire lives.
One effect of having so much energy within them is that Sa’enkeyn pups are very prone to random mutations, whether of traits, colors, of patterns. Exposure to pure forms of a particular strain of magic can have a specific effect on an unborn Sa’enkeyn.
Another effect is that if a Sa’enkeyn has a majority of a particular type of magic within them, such as Water, they can become sickly for a few days if they travel to an area lacking in that element, such as a desert. The weakness and nausea that goes with the sickness disappears with no lasting effects as the magic within the Sa’enkeyn balances out.
The final most notable affect is an affinity with nature and the land in general. Sa’enkeyns are, on a whole, able to accurately predict weather patterns, sense water and particular plants or animals, know where certain gems or ores could be found, and so on. The downside is that these senses occur randomly and cannot be controlled, but they are helpful when they do occur.
Religion
Sa’enkeyns are very mixed when it comes to religion. Some follow the Enkeyn gods, some believe in the religions and gods of other races, some believe in nothing at all. Religion is rarely a point of contention between Sa’enkeyns unless one is particularly invested in their interpretation of it.
One form of religion that has stuck is the Ascendant Cult. This group of Sa’enkeyns believes that they will be able to return to Enkeyn size and stature if they commit themselves entirely to the Kysian god Daystar, the god of destruction and rebirth. The Cult demands regular sacrifices – usually something small, such as a few feathers, and occasionally a life. Most Sa’enkeyns are eager to avoid Cult members, but their promises of redemption are tempting to some…
Another popular religious view is the worship of nature. Sa’enkeyns are all aware of the natural magic that they carry within them and the effects that it has on them, and some believe that nature itself has some plan in store for them. Why else would it be natural magic within them? Sa’enkeyns that follow the Path of Nature prefer natural areas over urban ones and spend time examining and appreciating the natural world while trying to figure out what is planned for them.