Satyr

Creatures of passion, Satyrs delight in the exploration of the senses. Most Satyrs are devout hedonists, always willing to sample the finest in food, drink, company, and other sensual delights. Satyrs believe in letting their emotions run free; they often speak their mind, and do as they please, and are occasionally mystified by the negative ramifications of their actions. Despite their emotions, Satyrs often maintain a strange detachment from the feelings of others, and the worst among their number seem aloof or cold. Satyrs cannot conceive of not acting in the moment, and expect the same from those around them. While they may feel the pain of a jilted lover, and try and empathize with her, they cannot control their desire to wander, and meet new people. To a Satyr, the whole world is a banquet, and only a fool would not try and sample everything offered.

Despite their love of physical pleasures, many Satyrs have a strong scholastic side. Many among their fey have a great knowledge of history and legend, and Satyrs are often well-versed in classics and arts. The more modernist Satyrs are often drawn to the cutting edge in human fashions and art; even the stodgiest Satyr Grump is willing to listen to a new band, or attend a party with younger mortals or Kithain and hear their points of view on the world.

Debate is highly prized among these fey, and many a night not spend in drunken revelry is whiled away in discussion of politics and philosophy. Satyrs enjoy solitude when they need to be alone with their thoughts, but inevitably return to the company of others, ready to sample what life has to offer once again.

Satyrs often form tightly-bound motleys, referred to as tragos. These circles are extended families and long-lasting friendships, and are always comprised of only Satyrs. Most Satyrs belong to a trago, as well as a motley or Oathcircle of other fey. From time to time, the Satyr will seek out the company of their own kind, believing that only other Satyrs understand the emotions which move them. Many tragos have a strong musical focus; as almost all Satyrs learn to sing, dance, and play music, it comes as no surprise that tragos fulfill the need in a Satyr for music. When a member of the trago falls to old age or wounds, it is the responsibility of his trago-mates to hold a wild wake for him, honoring his death and celebrating his life. The last responsibility of a trago is to assure that no Satyr falls to the Undoing of old age; if necessary, the trago will even hold a massive celebration to pull the Satyr out of encroaching Banality, or else provide him a release at the hands of his own fey. Such euthanasiac practices are reserved only for Satyrs.

Satyrs have a soft spot for beautiful things, but are far from materialistic. A Satyr rarely engages in much sentimentality. Relationships and affairs last as long as is necessary, and then are broken off. A Satyr would rather part while memory is sweet than let unhappiness sour their delight in others. Despite their best intent, these pre-emptive break-ups often anger others who fail to see the logic in Satyr behavior. Many say that Satyrs are better with ideas than emotions. The passions of a Satyr run unchecked because he cannot understand them, and thus control them. Perhaps it is the result of the Song of Pan which flows inside them; Satyrs are at the mercy of the chaotic music in the hearts and heads, which moves them to act as passion dictates, and try to understand later, once the dust settles. While roguish, Satyrs are rarely needlessly violent. Their anger may get the best of them, but even Unseelie Satyrs understand that broken "toys" are less enjoyable, and thus they restrain their worst rages for those who can best endure them.

Satyrs are easy-going companions, for the most part, but their love of challenge and debate can alienate some fey who try and befriend them. Satyrs feel their own emotions so strongly that empathy is never their strong suit; some simply cannot stand their maudlin natures. Nonetheless, most Satyrs possess an attractive quality which is hard to deny; even Redcaps and Sluagh occasionally dally with these fey, and sometimes lengthy friendships are formed with Satyrs that last a lifetime or longer. The Dryads, those Inanimae bound to trees and plants, have the strongest links to the Satyrs. Some ancient and rarely spoken of pact is believed to exist between these two fey, or perhaps it is simply a matter of compatible outlooks on the world around them.

In appearance, all Satyrs have goatish features, some of which may even shine through to their mortal seemings. Satyrs possess horns which vary in size and shape, and often grow longer as the Satyr ages. Most Satyrs are quite hairy; both sexes tend to wear their hair long, and rarely shave, not that it would do much good anyhow. They are shamelessly forward, and prize sensuality in all its forms. Satyrs have goat legs, complete with cloven hooves, and many possess animal tails of various lengths. What clothes a Satyr wears are usually durable and... ahem... easily removed.

-A Satyr is able to draw upon his Dionysian heritage to create surprising results. Singing, music, and dance can be used to draw both fae and mortals out of their shells, and stir them to great excesses.

-Just as a Satyr can become a conduit for emotional energy, so too is he affected by it. Satyrs are a surprisingly emotional lot, prone to greater heights of delight or sadness than others. In sad situations, or even with minimal provocation, a Satyr might explode into a torrent of fury, or a fit of weeping. Similarly, Satyrs have a difficult time resisting temptation when something makes them feel good.