March 2005
- Artisan: Can wear any type of clothing. They can be both plain and modest, or edgy and different looking.
- Sokinai (warrior): Typically dress in sturdy armor and fight with any type of long curved (Asian inspired) sword.
- Maju (mage): They usually wear very ornate clothing that sets them apart from the commoner. Can be any style or color.
Pheerai are named after any kind of naturally occuring element. Various artists were able to choose appropriate names and create characters based on them. I chose Hanami and Momiji: Hanami is, in Japan, the time of year when trees blossom at the very beginning of spring, while Momiji is the Japanese maple and also refers to the time of year, in the fall, when these trees turn stunning shades of deep red.
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Hanami and Momiji background story:
Momiji is a former Sokinai who retired to convert to Swordmaking. While his very real passion and talent for the craft were his official reason for becoming an Artisan, his true motivation was his utter devotion to his younger sister Hanami. A Maju of rare talent, her condition is rather unusual: a near-lethal fall as a child halted the growth of her mind, so that she is intelligent but very innocent, and not world-wise. As long as she was safely cloistered for her long Maju training, Momiji embraced the warrior path of the Sokinai, but gave it up to watch over her when she received her insignia. Where Hanami is sent, Momiji follows like a guarding shadow, along with a power-charged sword he and she made together, and his pet and helper Tsaki.
Momiji found Tsaki in a distant jungle through which he was escorting traders. The curious little creature became attached to him, and the young Sokunai brought it back. Momiji soon discovered that unlike other Shaenalonn beasts, Tsaki's sort were quite capable of understanding Pheerai language and of making themselves understood to them – a fact they both decided to conceal in case it came in handy as a secret advantage.
