Nunnehi
Creating a Nunnehi character works in exactly the same way as creating a Kithain character. The only differences are that Nunnehi receive one additional dot of Medicine at character creation, and have some different Backgrounds available to them.
Where a Nunnehi differs from her Kithain counterparts is in her Kiths, Courts (Camps), and Legacies.
Nunnehi Kiths:
Canotili (The Lakota and other midwestern tribes have many tales of the canotili. In some stories, these forest spirits were helpful and gave good luck and sure aim to hunters, and they are also credited with helping with the harvest of tree-grown fruits and nuts. Other stories speak of these forest tricksters causing travelers to become lost or frightening away game animals.)
Inuas (The northernmost native tribes, the Inuit and Aleuts, believed that all things, whether animate or inanimate, contained a spirit. The inuas were the conduits and guides who assisted their shamans in communicating with these spirits. They also served as the guardians of tradition and ensured that no one in the community broke any taboos.)
Kachinas (The kachinas are living representatives of the songs and dances of the Hopi and Zuni.)
May-may-gwya-shi (The people of the Abnaki have long told tales of the of the mischievous may-may-gwya-shi hiding in rocky places along the shore or behind secluded waterfalls. Notorious fish thieves, they made daring raids on the nets and even smoking fires of nearby villages. When pursued with their ill-gotten gains, they would vanish into the rock face of a cliff or ledge.)
Nanehi (The nanehi have always had a special closeness with their mortal kin and, by extension, all Native Americans. They often go out of their way to help humans who are in distress, helping those lost in the forest to find the trail again and aiding the sick and the wounded, especially those stricken in isolated places. Their helpfulness and generosity is so widely known that the name of the nanehi came to be the basis for the word that describes Native American fae, the Nunnehi Nations.)
Nümüzo’ho (Western tribes have legends of fearsome giants who terrorize intruders on their lands. Reputed to be cannibals, and feared for their destructive and malicious tempers, they are also respected for their strength and honored as reminders of the power of nature to destroy as well as create.)
Pu’gwis (Perhaps one of the most tragic of the Nunnehi, these fae have truly hideous and loathsome physical forms, but hearts full of love.)
Rock Giants (Iroquois and Seneca legends of rock giants feature them in the role of terrible cannibalistic foes, who wreak great havoc and destruction on all they encounter. Yet other tales tell of kindly giants who might befriend a worthy warrior by fighting alongside him against all enemies — even to the death.)
Surems (Yaqui stories speak of quiet and helpful “little people” who brought peace wherever they came. Today, they are known as the peacemakers among the Nunnehi.)
Tunghat (These goblin-like Nunnehi are known to the tribes of the plains, plateau, and basin regions as the masters of animals.)
Water Babies (Best known by the Shoshone, Washoe, Nez Percés, and the Northern Paiute, water babies have a fearsome reputation for kidnapping children and drowning victims who venture near their waters.)
Yunwi Amai’yine’hi (Cherokee legends speak of the “people of the water” who dwell in rivers and lakes through the Southeast. Fishermen would pray to these fae for help with filling their nets, and stories circulate of these beings rescuing people from drowning.)
Yunwi Tsunsdi (The yunwi tsunsdi, or “little people,” are respected by the Cherokee and other tribes of the southeast as invisible helpers and agents of the spirit world. They are also known to be pranksters and the watchers and judges of mortal behavior.)
Nunnehi Camps
- Rock (Winter)
- Dogwood (Summer)
- Laurel (Midseason)
Nunnehi Legacies
Summer Legacies
- Chief
- Grower
- Healer
- Hunter
- Maker
- Scout
- Spiritguide
- Storyteller
- Warrior
- Wise One
Winter Legacies
- Cannibal
- Fool
- Forked-Tongue
- Hoarder
- Outcast
- Raider
- Scalp-Taker
- Spoiler
- Troublemaker
- Witch
Midseason Legacies
- Trickster
- Watcher
Nunnehi Backgrounds
A Nunnehi character can have any of the standard Backgrounds available to the Kithain. However, some Backgrounds like Title would not make sense. In addition, there are specific Nunnehi Backgrounds available:
- Circle
- Spirit Companion
- Totem (see list below)
- Vision
Nunnehi Totems
- Birch (2)
- Cottonwood (5)
- Dogwood (3)
- Fir (2)
- Fireweed (2)
- Granite (3)
- Maize (3)
- Saguaro Cactus (2)
- Sandstone (2)
- Tobacco (4)
- Whitewater (1)
The Worlds of the Nunnehi
The Nunnehi believe in three “worlds” that make up all of creation: the Upper World, the Middle World, and the Lower World.
The Upper World is the realm of spirits. The Higher Hunting Grounds, the Nunnehi realms within Arcadia, are cut off to them, but they can still enter the Upper World to interact with spirits. The different Families interact with the Upper world to varying degrees. Some, such as the surems and kachinas, spend a great deal of time there, conducting rituals and speaking with the spirits. Others, such as the rock giants and tunghat are more grounded in the Middle World. Other beings of the night, such as werewolves and mages, know the Upper World as the Umbra.
The Middle World is the physical realm. Most humans spend their entire lives in the Middle World, unaware that any other worlds exist around them.
The Lower World is the realm of the dead. Few Nunnehi have direct interactions with this realm, though they are all aware of its existence. It is believed that once, long ago, the nanehi traveled the Lower World and acted as guides for recently-deceased mortal spirits, guiding them on their proper path and preventing them from becoming hungry ghosts. However, this ability was lost along with their connection to the Higher Hunting Grounds.