Windsoul - Daughters of the Air
Windsoul - Daughters of the Air
Extreme Solo - Dhi & MdG
Setting
Planescape, Fantasy, Steampunk
Plot Summary
The blossoming relationship between an Air Genasi mother and daughter set against the backdrop of the world of trading guilds on the Elemental Plane of Air.
Characters
Player Characters
Baydzar-tal-Diyyan
Appearance
Behind long lashes to protect against the wind, Baydzar's barely glimpsed eyes glint like stars in the night that never comes to the elemental plane of air. She is long and lean, suited for a world where the wind pushes to separate and scatter, and like weathered stone, not a hard shadow exists on her buffeted body. A body which is feminine in matronly manner and studious grooming rather than crude shape is a sky white at first glance, but branded by Lichtenberg figures in lavender marbling almost too faint to see. Like many who have been burned, she is more cautious now, and less prone to smile.
Integral to her lineage are the long fingers and toes, each a fully articulated tool with triple a human's neural map, making her a tactile creature more than a visual one, able to read wind and moisture and temperature with a wave of her hand. But for a powerful woman to have such delicate and thin ends to her long limbs does not suggest strength to outsiders, so each nimble digit is weighted down with thick, sometimes multi-part rings sparkling with wealth, rendering them sexual in their secrecy.
As her hair grows out, the bright white of elemental radiance expunged through hair follicles fades to her hair's natural violet color, creating a gradient of color often pooled down her back. When she cares to make an appearance, her hair is instead pinned tightly at the crown and twisted into a bun styled as a tiered whirlwind.
Most distinct of all are her fashions, which take cue from atmospheric events whose power is synonymous with size. Her personal space can occupy many of the rooms of her personal ship with ringing lattices of lighter-than-air gossamer, ribbons delicately tethered to living butterflies, body jewelry chained to levitating jewels, and illusory- or perhaps just nonmaterial- streams of satin that flow from her like water to conceal her nudity and lend the sleek hint of curvature a rain-slick appearance.
Background
Baydzar's life is told in fables to would-be buyers in the quiet moments between the carnival acts of a sale. The familiar tale is of a promising young trader, wed to a fleeted half-djinn to increase the holdings of tal-Diyyan. What is known is that a single daughter, Amejyl, was begat by this union before the half-djinn was disseminated for conspiracy to bind the Grand Elder Opalescent Wāli. Many more of the half-djinn's daughters Baydzar claims to have carried after her husband's death, a queen bee curse suffered on her by the fleer's nearness to the bountiful plane of radiance. Each of these daughters Baydzar claims to have married off to the strange and varied company she exchanges favors with, and it is true that she occasionally receives visits from young women calling her mother, but there is no evidence of blood relation.
Twice as often told are the tales of her scrabble to build an empire from nothing, and each seems more fantasy than the last, with the only certain kernels of truth found in the grudges she forever holds against those who've done her wrong. A timeless mask, which could inspire terror with a glance, stolen from her collection and retrieved only by clever use of mirrors. Riddling cultists of the Wind Who Whispers, who played a convoluted game to steal Baydzar's legendary fertility for their dark purposes. A manuscript, whose ashes scatter through the endless sky, whose text contained the secret whims of the vortices and the winds for all time. To say that Baydzar holds sole memory of this manuscript gives perhaps undue credit to her reputation, but it is true that three times, her seemingly baseless advice at council has steered the Mistral Flock away from certain destruction.
She does not tell of the cult of personality inspired in her wake, for it is not in her interest to acknowledge it. She does not tell of her rivals aboard the Mistral Flock, lest they learn who they are. And Baydzar does not tell much of her closest daughter, zaftig Amejyl, save that she is a talented girl- oh yes, quite talented- who is slowly outgrowing her youthful notions of bohemian living and maturing into the sort of woman who would make a fine successor. If there is a wistful remorse in her voice when she speaks of her daughter, most would attribute it to their never seeing eye to eye. The truth of Baydzar's relationship with her daughter is more shocking than any fable she might weave.
Amejyl-tal-Diyyan ("Mej")
Appearance
The Elemental Plane of Air experiences a multitude of atmospheric conditions, ranging from the deadest calm to the mightiest hurricane. A similar range of humours is transmitted by its planar influence into those races who, having lived upon its very margins for millennia, assume particular characteristics. Amejyl has the auspice of a humid, subtropical breeze of the kind that rushes into the dusty scrubland in late summer.
So she is relatively short at 5'4", but with long, elegant limbs, fingers and toes, and milky white skin with a light lapis tint, which blushes cobalt when she is angry or excited. Her face is youthful, sprightly and energetic with high, sharp cheekbones, but otherwise softer features than many of her people. Her eyes are lilac, which she accents with violet kohl, and she tends to hide her slightly pointed ears behind her shoulder length silver hair streaked with vivid shocks of blue. In keeping with the current fashion on the Mistral Flock, she paints her pale lips a striking cerulean blue.
But it is her shape that is most striking: opulent and indulgently fleshy, with heavy, rounded breasts, full hips, and firm, but fleshy thighs. The curve of her belly is accented with a turquoise pendant, but fuller still is the lush, odalisque curve of her bottom.
Background
The firstborn daughter of Baydzar-tal-Diyyani, mistress of one of a successful merchant rigs of the Mistral Flock, Amejyl was destined to succeed to the ancestral tal-Diyyan tradition of crafting and commerce. With a successful family brand and business behind her, together with careful instruction in history, aesthetics, the art of appraising, keeping accounts, and, most importantly, following the Prime Streams, her fate had always been to ride the trackless expanse of the Elemental Plane of Air like her foremothers had. Many came and went. Some sought to lay some claim on her birthright and called themselves her mother's daughters. But Amejyl alone was recognised as such. She soon showed no small aptitude for crafting, her specialty being fine wands producing showy, pyrotechnic effects, and a keen eye for value and taste in making purchases from the most disparate customers. But the rest never quite went according to her mother's plans.
Amejyl's earliest conscious memory was feeling out of place. She never conformed to Windsoul standards of beauty and she always felt a greater connection to the people Groundside. Her most eye-opening experiences were from the Mistral Flock's frequent trade missions to Sigil, where she finally found a teeming, cosmopolitan multitude where she no longer stood out. For the first time she felt secure, and desirable, and accepted. She was one of many - the biggest market in the Multiverse. And that gave her an idea. She would take the family business Groundside once and for all, set up shop in Sigil, and abandon the endless travels of generations of her family. Sigil is the future - the place where the tal-Diyyan name would make itself anew.
Of course, Amejyl's ambition is unmentionable to her mother, who is loath to set a painstakingly pedicured foot on terra firma and who fears that there will be no one to inherit her ship. But now that she is being groomed to take an even greater role in the business, tensions are close to breaking point. Her mother can no longer tolerate her shy, awkward manner with the patrician trading rigs of the Mistral Flock, with whom she must seal lifelong relationships of trust if the business is to survive.
This time, on the eve of the first exhibition to be curated exclusively by Amejyl, she knows she will be cast out into the cyclone, untethered.
The World of the Air Genasi
Air Genasi
Descendants of humans, elves, and others who in times past interbred with djinn and sylphs, Air Genasi are born of bloodlines forever changed by the powerful elemental influences of the Plane of Air. Although the term 'genasi' is freely used by humans, the Air Genasi themselves consider this at best neutral and at worst offensive and gauche. Generally, they refer to themselves as Windsoul, Djinn-born, or Sylphkin in both their native tongue and any others they may speak.
The Mistral Flock
Windsoul society on the Elemental Plane of Air is based on large fleets of airships and balloons tethered together, like herd animals, for mutual protection against pirates and the occasional Astral Dragon. These are the basic units of their society, like cities Groundside. The Mistral Flock is an ancient and distinguished fleet, with a long history of commerce and exploration.
The Mistral Flock is commercially successful, and it has decided to expand operations in alliance with the Riptide, a Water Genasi trading guild and syndicate. They have exchanged trade representatives, with the Riptide envoy having earned a great deal of respect and admiration for her financial acumen.
Soar Whale
Vast, long-lived leviathans of the Elemental Plane, Soar Whales have been domesticated by djinn since time immemorial. Soar Whale husbandry subsequently spread to the Air Genasi, who have since made these colossal but gentle creatures an important source of locomotion and structural integrity for their fleets. The Mistral Flock has several Soar Whales, of which the oldest has apparently served since before written records began.
The Skeinfore
The tal-Diyyan family airship. A sleek rig optimised for commerce, she has been in the family since time immemorial - perhaps since the end of the last Great Squall. She is a classic trader's vessel, powered by a bound elemental spirit and capable of sailing for numerous Inversions (the day cycle in the Elemental Plane of Air, in the absence of night, calculated by reference to the amount of time it takes an ampule of water vapour to condense at constant temperature) autonomously from the fleet in an emergency.
Lower Deck
The lower deck houses towards the stern the elemental-spirit driven flotation engine, which navigates on a constant air cushion, modulated according to pressure and speed and direction of airflow. The bow section contains the spacious cargo bay, where magical items and assorted objets d'art are stored are stored in neat, orderly rows and, where necessary, in containment fields.
Upper Deck
The upper deck houses the living quarters, including a drawing room with viewing deck at the centre, which doubles as an exhibition space and a venue for social functions. Towards the stern is the bathing chamber, a tiled, circular space where condensed moisture is swept like rainwater by controlled winds onto the bathers. This is the preferred Windsoul method of bathing. The bow section has two bedrooms, which double as studies, and, to the fore, a small bridge, with a viewing space and fine, djinn-crafted navigational instruments.
The Prime Streams
The main currents on the Elemental Plane of Air. Knowing how to navigate their treacherous, forking paths is extremely complex, but a vital skill for any trader. Knowledge of the often subtle paths they take is preserved in intricate windcharts, which are often the heirlooms of a ship.
Art
Air Genasi culture is obsessed with aesthetics. They are second to none in the arts of textile weaving, jewellery, airship building, and precision instruments (a necessity for a nomadic people). The search for beauty and perfection is tireless. That said, their aesthetic often strikes other cultures as minimalistic. They are most colourful when it comes to body art, where cosmetic paint is used to complement and emphasise jewellery, which is often very fine and worn by both sexes.
Furniture is a highly developed craft, often melding with textile arts. Air Genasi sleep, sit, and eat on the floor, and cushions, low tables, and recessed ottomans feature prominently.
Religion
The captive spirit of each ship is the object of ancestral devotion. Lip service is paid to the Infinite Sky, a monotheistic creator goddess, but Windsouls are rarely religious, though shipboard ritual and the maintenance of the traditions of each Fleet are vitally important.
Dance
Ethereally slender and graceful by human standards, they have a passion for dance, which is often stylised and balletic, making ample use of magical levitation and slow gliding. The most prized practitioners are those who can convincingly invert gender roles, with male actors playing female characters and vice-versa. Music is, needless to say, mainly woodwind with some percussion, and few can match an expert Windsoul flautist.
Independence
A fiercely individualistic people, most aspire to be merchants and artisans. To be "grounded" is gauche, unseemly, and the height of bad taste. Society is somewhere between anarchic capitalism and consensual democracy, with decisions being made collectively and dissenters free to break their ship free of the Flock, and find another. Status is not inherited by birth, but gained by showing material success and good taste.
Family
Family is vital to Air Genasi life. Not having much of a social superstructure above bonds of kinship. Inheritance is matrilineal, with the eldest daughter inheriting two thirds of any estate, and younger daughters dividing the rest. Generally, daughters remain with their mothers and are expected to learn and carry on the family trade, whilst sons must seek their own fortune. The only measure of kinship is also matrilineal. Paternity is considered irrelevant.
Sexuality
Reflecting their independent ethos, Air Genasi have few sexual taboos. They rarely, if ever, mate for life.
Fashion
Inside their ships, Air Genasi wear loose, gauzy fabrics allowing for the greatest freedom of movement, often varying widely in cut and style depending on the wearer's taste and personal aesthetic. Footwear is the height of being "grounded" and avoided, and toe rings and anklets are widely popular instead. For this reason, living areas are usually richly carpeted. On formal occasions, both women and men prefer to leave their torsos bare (and it should be noted that sexual dimorphism is limited compared to humans, with women often appearing androgynous by human standards) and richly decorated with artistic body paint and jewelry.
Outside, protective gear is worn to cope with the often extreme conditions on the Elemental Plane, including goggles to shield against any Glares (sudden bursts from the Paraelemental Plane of Radiance, which may strike at any time), and insulated fabric jackets and breeches to protect against sudden fluctuations in temperature. Protective clothing is, characteristically, crafted as elegantly as practicality permits.
Physiognomy
On average, Air Genasi are more slender and weigh considerably less than a similarly sized human. Their limbs are long and delicate, their fingers particularly swift and dextrous. Skin colour is typically pale white with an almost imperceptible blue / violet tint, to azure. Hair colour ranges from silver, to blue, to violet, with eye colour following similar patterns. Facial features tend to be sharp, with high cheekbones, and lightly pointed ears. Compared to humans, Air Genasi have lower oxygen requirements and have a greater resistance to cold and light, but are otherwise vulnerable to the natural hazards of their environment.
Cuisine
The Air Genasi diet is largely based on airborne fungus and the legless birds that streak across the Elemental Plane in great flocks. Dishes are served raw, which is why most ships lack a kitchen. Most ships have extensive stores of dried rations and the wealthier merchant ships will have extensive wine and water cellars (True-Water, as opposed to condensed moisture, being a great luxury).
