Shea

the Mystical Trav'lers

color:maroon clr/pine green clr

numbers: 6000-6999

lang: british (cockney, scouse, yorkshire), scottish, irish

A Shea's life is as magical and unexpected as its birth. They are birthed by other clans as a "mistake", by anything, Bards, Donovans, Ingrim, and even Aubrey, although to them it would show imperfection, their worst of nightmares. Some turn out looking normal, like being birthed from Donovan parents the kid will be a Donovan cub too, only weilds magic and is a bit shorter than average. Or they may not be born to look like their parents at all, becoming a "rat-like" animal breed (see the breeds list below). Or they are born partly like their parents, and gain some things that are natural to the "rat-like" spieces, like a tail or ears or their coloring.

Being born a Shea has its ups and downs. Things in favour, are that they are wielders of magic, can sense future events and know the lay of the land very well. They get to know many creatures and have many friends in different parts of the world. They also have many enemies, the nonbelievers. Nonbelievers are the creatures that see their magic as tricks to fool you and have the total amount of skepticism. They either fear Sheas and show it by dodging them..or by angerily throwing stones at them, yelling, cursing them, and sometimes threatening to kill them if they come on their property. Sheas mostly have a longing to belong and be rewarded for helping others. They are very wise, but some think it dangerous because they think they may know a secret that shouldn't be told. The Sheas mysterious nature makes them hated more than loved. Donovans think they are insane, babbling nonsense foresights and perform only illusions and nothing of real magic. You could view them in many perspectives...A travelling "monk" (I use the term lightly), that comes to help you just because it gives them a sense life fulfillment and are happy when others are happy...or they're confined like a prisoner thats bilboed to whatever crime that they or an ancestor commited, so they try to do tons of good things to make a grand impression and clear their name to be trustworthy again...or they want to travel around the world to see everything and the only way they figure they can is to seek payment by serving locals and lodge with them for the night while they go. If you feel you want to be a Shea, just remember the amount of danger that goes with it. Riots against you, being banned from towns, and you may have to bunk with some weird untrustful locals that may try something unexpected.

Sheas carry staves made of hazel wood to show authority and wise judgement and are layed at their side when asleep as it is said to keep snakes away. To Shea Rats, cedar and pine wood is toxic, so they often wear leather "shoes" to avoid contact when traveling. Sheas can induce spells of love, dreams and healing, with the right ingrediance. But they cannot be used on the Sheas themselves, for the spirits will sense the Shea's intentions and will not accept the offering. Sheas be immortal til slain beyond all aid. There is a place which Sheas gather once every new moon, at the sacred place which they call Brigid, where they meet eachother, dance, sing, feast, find mates of their own, and older Sheas teach the younger all their powers. Sheas will only mate with Sheas, in doubt that any other creature would have them, since they are the omega of the Lyzbeth world. Could we actually live without Sheas? Not likely. It would be a rather troubled and unknowledged world if they didn't exist, and their knowledge of medicine helps other Clans a great deal.

Sheas sweat through their feet and paws. Like all Sheas, they don't have extended thumbs and only four "fingers." Both Shea Rats have poor vision and if able, will trade for a special-made pair of glasses, but otherwise they move their heads back and forth, and the motion helps them to see. All Sheas are not color blind, most can actually see color, which helps when their vision is often so fuzzy.

The Diet

They are scavengers and will eat anything that is considered food, and when out travelling they will take down birds, fish and anything that is smaller than themselves. Beggers can't be choosers. They carry jerkey, waybread and anything else that lasts while on their nomadic journies. Whatever lodgings can be found, they eat all their stomach can take in, take what long-lasting food they can carry, then walk off their meal, keeping themselves fit and trim. They may not have another meal for a long while.

The Breeds

Kangaroo Rat, Common Rat, Opossum, English Squirrel, American Squirrels (black, grey, any), raccoon, skunk (striped, spotted).

The Skunks have no "sack" (that holds the foul-smelling spray) as Flegs or Bilegs, making them easy pray to any preditor, which is why they are protected under the Lyzbeth, besides the fact they are 4 1/2ft as Bilegs. Kangaroo Rats are taller than usual, 1ft as Fleg, 3ft as Bileg. C. Rats are about 1 1/2ft as Fleg, 3 1/2 for Bileg. Opossums and all Squirrels are 4ft tall as Bilegs, but 1 1/2 ft tall as Flegs. Coons are about 4ft tall as Bilegs, and 2ft as Flegs. The Flegs are measured at the shoulders, by the way.

Magic Power

To see future events isn't like gazing into the future in your crystal ball seeing a full 15 minutes of live footage like a video tape running inside it. In reality, they get a realisation, of a creatures face, a picture of a place, or a visual of a name will linger in their mind at any given moment. They must make sense of it, either knowing to go to that person or place, or that they must stay away. Most expirienced Sheas can understand right away. Their perception is very strong when sensing of a future event comes to them, and it is based on your nerves and feelings registered in your mind when you view that creature or place. If they get a feeling of warmth and calmness when it happens, they know that it's safe to go to that place or that they need to be there right now. But if their heart beat quickens and they expirience the feeling of worry, they know that something is wrong, or they must stay away from that creature or place, or that trouble is surrounding the thing envisioned, depending on how harsh the fear is when you feel it. If its a face or place they haven't seen in a long time, they will know that they will be drawn to them sooner or later. It mainly forcuses on one person or one place at that time, and then maybe they will recieve a second vision later that day or the next, of something else of concern. Most expirience these visions while travelling and in places where they feel serene. But some of them can only have visions while they sleep when they dream. Their mind seems to dwell on it and look close at a place or creature in that dream, and when they awaken, they know for certain in that day or week they will cross paths with that place or creature.

They have the power to move object and to alter weather. It is basically just an understanding between the Shea and an object. The Shea will ask of it to do something, and if their understanding is strong enough, the object will do as its told. They have the ability to move objects, by hand/paw actions directing it of where to go. They also can make things light up, make things compress themselves and cause weather changes. They cannot make things appear out of the air! When they speak to an object, its all in the mind, thinking with a clear head and direct concentration on the object they want to move or change, and willing it by thinking of few words like "come." while keeping strained eye contact upon the object, or "harder!" when you wish the rain to quicken or wind to blow harder. The feeling when doing this magic is as if your spirit extends out a hand and is pulling that object towards you. You feel a certain bond and understanding between you and the object. You look at the sky, push clouds around and compact them, and as the clouds get darker you may get rain as they compact. It's all a matter of science and knowing how things work, which is why Sheas seem so wise about the natural world, they are only being observant and information is passed to them from other Sheas about what they've learned.

As for your love, dream, and healing spells, they are really not spells at all! It deals with the senses inside us and how the smell of things can alter your mind. As the smell of lavender naturally makes you tired, a bit of this could sooth an insomniac to sleep. The scent of vanilla or other favorite scents could, while you sleep, destroy nightmares. Love potions have a combination of natural ingrediance which the smell arouses the wearer as well as the Lyzzies around them, which makes them fall into seemingly a state of "love". As for healing spells, depending on the type of pain, will cure a person. Pain is all in the mind, and if you are taught to have the will to ignore the thought of pain, your body can endure anything. For the healing of scrapes and cuts, a medication of aloe is squeezed onto an aloe leaf and placd on the cut, then a bandage is wrapped around it so the leaf doesnt fall off. Its all quite natural, but the fact is that most Lyzzies do not know of these ingrediance, making it only seem like it is magic.

The Sheas Homes

They have every home with a welcome mat at its doorstep! Nomads, wandering in search of job oppertunities, from those who seek service of witches, warlocks and wizards. They snuggle at the foot of trees, within caves, or by boulders when no friendly home is available.

Common Tradition

To serve whoever calls upon them, and to not harm those who harm them. This way they might gain the trust of the nonbelievers that hurt them. If they retaliate by using their magic against the nonbelievers, their image would become even more tarnished, so most decide not to take that chance. Of course that rule doesn't apply to the short-fused and strong-willed ones. The travelling is a common tradition and one their well-known for.

What's In?

Wizard gear. Females don't really care for what witches look like in the human-perspective (which is the whole buckled shoes, pointy hat, black cat, broomstick riding stereotypes). Both male and female do wear black to escape the eye of townspeople in the night. They wear travel gear as well, like a food purse, a good sturdy staff, a hooded cape or robe, and cloth-wraps and bandages from being stung by thorns or getting objects thrown at them. They nearly always carry a staff of some sort, to help them get across the creeks and streams to use as a third or fifth foot and use their magic upon. some have a glass orb of sorts on their staffs end, on which two or more sheas cast a spell and allows them to summon each other as communication device, which helps when lost in the wood or they have a riddle that cannot be solved for a Believer. a shea's cape and clothing is usually dark, this includes the colors deep purple, maroon, forest or dark green, dark brown, navy blue, and black. they usually try to covor up as much fur as possible if they are white and tan, sometimes all but their face would be covored, or if they have a bad reputation, leave all covored but their eyes.

Here is some vocabulary help with the names. you'll find the 'ah' sound is common in their speech, and they sound british or cornish for the most part. the males names are first on the list. Yvan sounds like 'iee-vahn', Abelar is 'ah-bee-lar', Averill is 'ah-vril', Launce is 'lah-ns', Yorack is 'yoor-ahk', Greer has a slight roll of the tongue on the r's like a scotsman or irishman would say it, and Sook has an 'oo' sound instead of 'uh', like 'book' would in uk verbage. the rules are quite simple, 'a' makes an 'ah' sound, 'sia' is a 'sheh' sound, 'y' makes a short 'i' sound, and if the 'e' is at the end of a name it remains silent or if its in a name it carries a short 'e' sound unless near an 'i'.

Their last names are having to do with nature, like Rivers, Brooks, Horne, Banks, Ringwood, Fernwood, Ford, Hallow, House, Grass, Bass, Burrows, Downs, Crabtree, Hivehouse, Wellswater, Travers and so on. Some live alone by abandonment, so they create a name for themselves. Others are forced to change their last name because their ancestor or maybe themselves may have shamed their family somehow.

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