Nafod

The Nafod (næ.fɒd) were the creation of Entra, Goddess of Life. Their original form was similar to the Idayn with an elfin beauty and long, tapered ears on an otherwise human body. They were given the souls of Nymphs and the ability to shape-shift.

Among the Nymphs chosen were also Dryads and Nereids, which drove the first generations of Nafod to assemble themselves in three groups. Those with Nymph souls gravitated towards shape-shifting into animals to become the Ochae'nafod, while Dryad-souls took to trees and became Dra'nafod, and the Nereid-souls were drawn to the ocean to become Marfod.

Biology

With the exception of their ability to shape-shift, the original Nafod were quite similar to Idayn. Their shape-shifting began as an ability to take the form of another living thing, flora or fauna, or mimicking certain traits or aspects, such as manifesting a coat of fur or changing skin to bark, or shifting their ears to match an animal with better hearing to gain that ability. Nafod shape-shifting comes easily, but the more minute changes to the body required focus and practice.

The early generations of Nafod had a genetic mutability that made them quick to adapt and find their own niches over just a handful of generations--albeit long-lived generations. This led to Ochae'nafod locking their shape-shifting down to specific species and forming tribes and clans around that species. Dra'nafod did the same with species of tree. Marfod, however, gradually adapted to a fully aquatic lifestyle and their shape-shifting became only a means to camouflage their skin.

Appearance

In general, the Nafod tend to be attractive by most standards with fine-boned, androgynous, or more feminized features. Dra'nafod in particular tend towards very feminine appearances, even in males. This is due to the fact that Nymph spirits are only female, and influenced their mortal forms thus.

The original Nafod were quite similiar to the Idayn with long, tapered ears on an otherwise idealized human form, but they were typically a few inches shorter, slightly more delicate, and less sexually dimorphic. They also had more variety in coloration, whereas the Idayn were all fair-skinned, light-eyed, and light-haired like Idraen.

Lifespan

All Nafod, like the Idayn, have a lifespan of approximately 1,000 years. Like the other long-lived elemental races, they mature at the same rate as humans until around the age of twenty-five, at which point apparent aging ceases until the individual reaches the final fifty or so years of their life. From that point on, aging continues until death. However, their natural magic can be used to intervene with the natural process of aging, but very few choose to do this.