Nebuluis

Nebuluis or Nebulie are a mysterious and enigmatic race of fey, exceptionally rare they are connected to the stars, insomuch as they have a rather otherworldly appearance, more so than other fey creatures in some cases, they are typically characterized by their feminine bodies, genderless and fluidic nature, a single curved horn growing from their forehead, hooves instead of feet, and elf or animal like ears, some are covered in soft fur, especially at a young age, or have non earthly skin tones.

This species has close ties with an ancient starlight fey known as Lady Thalassia, who is seen as the first and eldest of their kind. As such the species is connected to cosmic magics, most commonly coming in the form of having a natural affinity for light based magic and healing magic. This affinity may evolve into higher forms of magic, including but not limited to gravity, or dark energy or other forms of cosmic magics.

Physical Characteristics

Nebulie look rather strange compared to other races or Fae, often having one singular horn rising from their foreheads, hooves, and beautiful feminine frames and bodies, despite their sex being able to change at will. As children they are often covered in a thin layer of semi-opaque fur, often colored white or some other light color, the color does eventually fade and the fur thins even more or fades entirely save for the ankles down to their hooves where the fur often thickens. Leaving behind their native unnatural beauty for all to view.

Life Cycle

A typical life cycle for a Nebulie starts rather oddly, they are born of mortal parents, raised to mortal adulthood, and live mostly normal lives. Then in their mid to late 20s of their mortal life, the Nebuluis experience an awakening. A process where they go to sleep human, but spiritually connect with their mother and matron of their species, Lady Thalessia.

The awakening process takes only 8 hours, when they awake they are made anew and are children again, usually around preteen age by human standards. And grow from there. Upon reaching 100 years of age they are seen as teenagers, and upon reaching 200 they enter the adult stage of life. Total life expectancy is anywhere from 1000 years to 100,000 years or more

Personality and Traits

Nebulie tend to be shy and timid by nature, especially as children, as they develop the develop a natural unearthly grace and glamor about them in their behaviors and personality, behaving like queens in a celestial court

Culture and Society

Nebulie often live in alone or in small communities, this is mostly due to the rarity of their species, and feelings of never truly fitting in, along with their shy nature as children. They do grow to view Lady Thalessia as their mother, over time and any that they live in their small colonies or communities, they will often refer to each other as sisters.

These small colonies are often lead by the eldest of the colony, who provides wisdom and guidance, often guiding and teaching their younger and newly awakened sisters, while the other adults go out, work and provide for their homes and food for their tables.

Often a single adult will take responsibility for a single younger sister, and will care for her needs for clothing, food and shelter, while also providing a nurturing shoulder to help them through the first few months post awakening.

Romance, Courtship, and Love

Nebulie often regard romance, and love as a force of nature as real as gravity itself, a natural force that cannot be fought against or ignored, that said they are also cautious, earning one’s love is no easy feat but when it is earned, there is no love more pure than that coming from a Nebuluis.

Marriage and Child Rearing

They see marriage as a lifelong partnership, even if they are married to a mortal, they will be affectionate and loving towards their spouse, and immensely loyal. As far as children go, they can reproduce sexually. If they are married to a mortal their child will look like the same race as a member of the mortal race as the mortal parent is. They tend to be motherly towards children and those they view as children, tending to nurture and provide strong both motherly and fatherly figures, eventually their children will awaken to their Nebulie nature as all Nebulie eventually do and embark on their own journey.

For those Nebulie who were not born from a mortal Nebuluis bond, they are often adopted by either single or other Nebuluis families to help them both adjust to their new lives and also to help raise them to adulthood

Gender Roles

Nebulie are an adaptive species, able to fill a variety of roles, as male or female, but they are primarily a matriarchal people, due to their generally feminine appearance no matter if they decide to be male or female and how long they decide to be such.

Special Attributes

Aetherial Absorption: Nebulie naturally absorb aether and magic from starlight and moonlight, this naturally leads to their naturally having access to magics relating to light and the forces of gravity. This absorbed magic is stored in their horn and gives off a pleasant and warm glow, making their horns valuable on the black market as portable nexuses for magic users.
Light Magic Afinity: All Nebulie have access to light magic which allows them to both heal and cast light based spells and magic.

Economics

They aren’t nearly numerous enough to be a society within themselves, most times even small colonies or the bigger colonies behave very much like a family unit or extended family unit, working in favors, sharing, and mutual responsibility, as well as personal responsibility, and hard work. That said they may find areas of work within a larger civilization and will participate within that civilization’s economic system, though this is more rare, seeing as they tend to try to live separate from other civilizations.

Politics

There isn’t really much of a political system, leaders of a given colony or community are the eldest sister in the community, usually that’s the eldest adult sister, this individual is expected to teach and guide newborns in their new life, and act as a community leader and host for various community gatherings and events. Leaders are also expected to be peacemakers within the community.

Religious / Spiritual Beliefs

All Nebulie, though they may have started out different in their reborn childhood, end up revering Lady Thalassia as their mother, in a spiritual aspect at the very least. As such they often see her as the first of their kind and the greatest of them all, it’s not uncommon for them to refer to her solely as mother, in reverence of her name. While they may not exactly prey to her, many do meditate and often commune in their sleep with Lady Thalassia, many say she’s warm as a summer’s day with a voice that twinkles the stars in the night sky

Rituals and Practices

The Festival of Stars: An major meteor shower events, Nebulie gather together to sing and dance amid the meteor shower, which they often refer as falling stars, the event is energizing and a big deal
Ceremony of Rebirth: When a newborn is found and welcomed into the community that day is considered the newborns new birthday, the ending of their old life and the beginning of the new, it’s a celebration of their rebirth and welcoming them to the family, during this ceremony a new name may be chosen, and the newborn is brought to a new home to be guided and cared for. After the ceremony is performed a party follows, and that party is again hosted upon that newborn’s birthday.
Sol-Eclipses: Nebulie measure time differently than other races, namely in solar eclipses, or Sol-Eclipses or Eclipses for short, a newborn that is 1 Eclipse old has seen 1 total eclipse in their reborn lifetime.
Burial and mourning: On occasion Nebulie do die, there is an intense mourning period for them, a ceremony is held and a mourning period is shown, a bonfire for the body of the deceased, the bonfire symbolizes the return to the stars, during the ceremony a series of torches around the bonfire are set forming a constellation, and slowly as the rite is completed, one by one the lit torches are extinguished, leaving everyone at the bonfire, admiring and remembering the one they lost. The bonfire symbolizes the star burning bright, and that the Nebuluis who has passed has returned to the stars, for stardust they are and stardust they shall return.