Location and General Information The Portunes are a type of faery found almost anywhere where farmland is present, though more often in rural areas as the owners of farmland around cities are less friendly to creatures of magic. Description The Portunes look like old men with long beards that they tie around their necks when working and have abnormally large ears. They often wear coats covered in pockets, presumably for keeping the strange things they find on their journeys. They are roughly the size of a finger in height, however the record height for a Portune was two and a half fingers (a Barthum Mugnus, who died at the age of twelve-hundred and seven; his name was given to him by a farmer that thought he looked remarkably like his deceased grandfather). Sometimes they have extra large noses instead of ears, but this is very rare. They are remarkably friendly during the day and helpful. At night, however, they become a nuisance, unable to resist engaging in acts of mischief (such as leading tired travelers into ditches or ponds, and other such cruel, but relatively harmless activities). As such, they are often locked up at night by farmers; the Portunes don’t like it, but they usually forget about it when the sun rises. Magic The Portunes don’t technically have any magic to speak of. They are exceptional gardeners and are of great use to farmers who need a little extra hand in the fields. Whether this is just a natural talent or actual magic isn’t exactly known. The only magical thing about them, if one must have something to say, is that they live an average of four-thousand years. Creation Mud is the life force of the Portunes. That’s where they are born and that’s where they like to sleep. Humans who see Portunes regularly are always surprised by how clean they are, and they should be, for Portunes never shower; they are just naturally clean. During the fall of every year, just when the rains start to kick in, new Portunes appear from the mud, growing like little weeds until they are whole and can walk. Humans have to be careful of them from time to time because they have a tendency to grow on roads and it’s considered a bad omen to kill a growing Portune, knowingly or not. Culture The Portunes have a simplistic culture that revolves entirely around the farmlands they live in. Because they are mischievous at night and hard workers during the day, they don’t really have the time to come up with anything on their own, so they follow their human “friends” as best they can, mimicking them during the day. This becomes a bit of a joke among humans who find it rather funny to see the little creatures trying to act the part of housewife or farmer.

Location and General InformationSmall creatures made of various materials (usually clay). They come to life almost exclusively at night, however they have the ability to awaken during the day if they deem it necessary. Most gnomes, however, only awaken at night, for they are incapable of daylight travel and remain as structures of whatever material they were constructed of (such as a clay statue). They are notoriously vicious when careless humans injure them or destroy their property. They can be found just about anywhere, though they are more common in the more rural areas of cities and especially among those with at least modest wealth. They are mostly unknown to people, remaining more as folklore. Few people take the tales of their existence seriously as gnomes are quite good at remaining hidden; that and one can never know which lawn gnomes are likely to come alive. DescriptionThey are usually in and around two feet tall, rarely larger, and occasionally shorter. Large white beards extend from their faces–even the females–and they tend to wear little farm suits with pointed red caps, though they sometimes wear other things, depending on who creates them. They are rosy-cheeked and look similar to miniature Santa Clauses. Basically, a standard lawn gnome. MagicFor the most part the only magical thing about gnomes is that they are alive. Gnomes do have a natural ability to regenerate: all they need to do is consume the substance they are created from or the blood and flesh of a human being. Their kisses do have healing properties. They almost never have any other forms of magic. CreationGnomes are created almost exclusively by accident. Usually humans are responsible for their creation, though other sentient creatures have been known to create gnomes. Whenever someone creates a gnome for their yard or home there is a high likelihood that that gnome will be born. Much like werewolves, gnomes who will come to life do so on the first night after their creation. After that, they will either awake whenever they want, or every night. Rarely do they work on a lunar cycle where the full moon is the activator. You build them and they will come to life. CultureGnomes are incredibly territorial. As such, they tend to be exceedingly violent towards outsiders. Owners of lawn gnomes who attempt to bring in new gnomes that aren’t created in the same manner as those currently residing in a yard will find either the local gnomes cut up to pieces or the new gnomes in the same position.Beyond that, however, gnomes in the same group tend to live relatively peaceful lives. They like to party in the manner of ancient times, smoke pipes filled with herbs considered toxic to most anyone else, and prefer the comfort of miniature homes built from their own hard work rather than from the hands of humans. They also perform mock-courting ceremonies in which two gnomes engage in low-contact acts–what one might see with young teens today. Because gnomes are predominantly heterosexual, this can be a jarring experience for them and for humans. Gnomes look practically identical, meaning that even the gnomes cannot differentiate between male and female, and it is considered extremely rude, if not horribly offensive to ask if a gnome is of a particular sex–hence the courting ceremonies, which tend to lead to the discovery of the true sex of an individual. Of course, it is also very embarrassing for a gnome to find out that they have been courting a member of the same sex, which is made possible by the fact that males and females may court at any time, without any restriction. It is generally considered wrong among gnomes for there to be discrimination against sexes, not to mention that it would be incredibly difficult to isolate one group from another.

Location and General InformationThe bugganes are curious creatures who tend to be bad omens wherever they are found, no matter the circumstances. They inhabit regions less populated, for there they are more likely to remain unnoticed for a time and the relatively small population of remote areas is less able to deal with a buggane properly. Finding bugganes in large city complexes is rare, and when it does happen the buggane is almost always destroyed within twenty-four hours as cities tend to have specialized keepers of the peace who deal with incidents of the odd or magical. Unfortunately for the bugganes, they are quite easy to kill: anything that can kill a human works on a buggane, though more easily considering that the bugganes tend to be rather frail in the first place. DescriptionThey are tall creatures covered in long, greasy hair that extends from their heads to their feet. Whether they always wear clothing is unknown. Sometimes they are seen wearing tattered robes and other times it is impossible to tell amidst the loose skin and long hair. Their arms are especially long, with long fingers and fingernails and their teeth are lenghty and sharp, creating a jaw that looks inhuman and menacing. Bugganes, however, are not intentionally violent and rarely attack people unless provoked, which is almost always anyway. MagicWhat makes bugganes particularly hated among the creatures of Altern is their uncontrollable ability to affect fate. They are attuned to the magic that flows through Altern, which results in their bodies becoming conduits through which accidents of potentially lethal consequence can occur. When they are around, people tend to die or fall victim to horrible accidents: such as falling off ladders, landing head first on a table full of knives, or even having a tree randomly uproot itself and crash on top of you. Beyond that, the bugganes contain no other magic. CreationWhere the bugganes come from isn’t entirely clear. A few humans believe that they are part of the spirit world, existing on Altern as markers of individuals who committed horrible crimes and got away with it, for one who bears the secret of horrible acts is unlikely to reach heaven in one piece. Other humans believe they are mean spirits sent from darker reaches of Altern to annoy and punish humans, though the people who believe this are rarely capable of arguing a logical reason for this. Generally it is accepted that the bugganes are simply extensions of the magic that exists in Altern as sort of “bubbles” of excess negativity that just happens to be condensed into a buggane as a way of releasing tension. It is known, however, that the bugganes do not reproduce. CultureFor the most part the bugganes have no significant culture. They rarely interact with one another and never interact with humans. Even if they did interact with someone other than themselves they would barely be able to do more than mumble considering their exceedingly full, toothy mouths. They are more like sentient creatures who wander and cause accidental havoc.