Linarlinae

Summary

• Name: Linarlinae (Lyn-R-Lyn-a-e)
• Nickname: Lin
• Gender:Male
• Species: River Spirit
• Manifestation: Variable size naga-like being.

Physical Description

Note: The following colors are Lin's summer colors. His colors vary with the season.

Lin's body has a lot in common with a naga except that his humanoid upper body has fur far more suited to an otter than a human. With dark brown fur on his back and near black fur on his chest and belly, he has an easy time hiding himself among the trees that line his river. A black ferret like mask makes his golden eyes stand outs. Rounded pupils make him look more mammalian, but his muzzle is long and angular with two slits for nostrils, and many sharp teeth in his mouth including a pair of venom bearing fangs. While his arms looks slender, they are quite strong, and his fingers end in stout claws better for digging than for slashing. About the hip area is where the ship from fur to scales happens. Lin has beautiful if somewhat dark blue-green scales over most of his serpentine body with lighter patches making diamonds on either side. A thin line of amber scales separates the smaller blue-green scales from the larger teal belly scales.

Lin's length varies from six inches to one hundred feet or more when he feels it necessary. He usually uses smaller sizes for subtlety, and he will use larger sizes for mostly defensive purposes. He is not above chomping down a bunch of offenders as a larger being if they don't get the clue.

Ohakinoma Valley

Ancient Days

Long before the valley was occupied by civilization, it was a realm not unlike others in that it was filled with spirit and creatures of all forms. Like most creatures, the spirits too had territories they staked out and protected. Lin was the spirit of the Linarlae River which entered the valley via a waterfall, flowed in a lazy path along the valley floor to a large and unusually deep lake before the water entered a series of caves barely accessible from the surface where it became a swiftly blowing subterranean river.

Lin made his home in the caves where few woulds bother him, and most that tried to would be claimed by the river. As a water spirit, he protected his flowing body from malicious spirits, and as one of the most powerful spirits in the valley, he held back most foul entities by himself while permitting nearly all other beings to freely access the life giving water. Rivers change with time, and so do people, and people indeed finally found this secluded valley.

Initial Settlements

The first people to find the valley were simple hunters and gatherers that found the fertile valley and settled on the banks of the river. At first Line saw them as nothing more than a new animal, and he let them be. As they made camps and began to live off the land, he grew more watchful. These new animals were curious and observant. They were coordinated hunters, keen eyes foragers, and somehow they seemed to still have a pulse on the spiritual essence of the valley.

Eventually, they came across Lin as he rested on the rocks near the river to enjoy the summer sun. He waited unafraid of them when the younger ones approached, and he watched when the adults drew them back. Eventually, one of those young ones would come to reach him and find the spirit amused and otherwise harmless. When the child was found safe in the coils of the serpent, the elders made contact with him.

Lin came to enjoy company, and the elders recognized what he was. At that point, Lin became more central to the village that was growing, and he guided them in the use of the waters such that all live in the valley remained in balance. For a time, the village flourished without fear, but where anything succeeds, there are always those that would take it from them.

Malicious spirits seized on the weaknesses of the settlers, and they slowly started to take hold in the valley. It was up to Lin to protect the valley, but such efforts were wearing on him, and as he suffered, so did the river. The settlers decided something drastic had to be done to save their homes, their lives, and the spirit they relied on.

Sacrifices and Guardians

The practice of sacrificing sentient beings to Lin was not his design but that of the settlers. They understood the threats they faced, but they lacked the power to defend themselves, and Lin could not protect them from their own weaknesses. The first to offer themselves to Lin came seeking aid, and they were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep their people safe.

Lin was opposed at first because he knew the only way for them to successfully combat their enemies was to be spirits like himself, and that meant casting off their mortal shells. Te very first were taken into his cavernous home and never seen again by mortal eyes, but it was there that Lin claimed their bodies and empowered their souls to persist in the valley and fight the monstrosities that had crept in.

After hundreds of years, the reason a person is sent every two years to the cavern was lost to all but Lin. Lin chose a time of two years because it would not strain the population, and he foresaw the need to acclimate those that came to him to their new role. It was generally considered an ill omen for someone to come back from the cave, and no one really did regardless of how frightened they were. Lin was a gracious host and spent a full year caring for the ones that came to him to ensure they were ready. While it is true that he consumed them, none of them were taken against their will nor did they suffer.

While the valley was protected by both Lin and a host of warrior spirits from the village, the enemy they could not stop was known to the rest of the world as the Industrial Revolution. While the spirits and Lin himself could guard against natural terrors and alien entities, they couldn't easily stop new explorers from meddling with the valley, the village, and the rest of Lin's long river body.

Industrial Revolution

The fact that the valley held rich mineral resources in the surrounding mountains and a population of people with little to no technological exposure meant both the people and the valley they lived in were at risk. While most of it happened on the other side of the mountains, efforts were made to establish a railroad into the valley. This forced Lin to act on his own, and when a large serpentine creature asking nicely did not work, he grew to enormous size and destroyed all their machinery. While that earned him some bounty hunters, they were nothing he couldn't manage. In addition, Lin instructed his spirit kin to damage machines until the valley was deemed to be cursed.

That only bought them a few years before a new problem began. A city upstream that supported the mining operations build a dam and dumped toxic materials into the river, something that directly sickened Lin. At this point, Lin knew he had to act but do so in a manner that would not make his settlement dislike him. As before, he made a diplomatic effort, and the fact he appeared so far from the valley also raised awareness again that this fairy tale creature was indeed real. When a few folks decided they would do the threatening, Lin welcomed them to try defeating him.

Guns and blades were about as useful against Lin as they are against the river itself. Rather than go on a rampage, Lin decided to do something dramatic and within his domain: he withdrew access to the river waters by causing then entire river to sink underground. He places a powerful curse on any attempt to access the water without having the same dedication to the river as his village did. It was one of the last things he did as the spirit of the Linarlinae river.

Sealing of the Valley

Lin returned home swiftly so that the city folk would not realized how much hiding the river had weakened him. While he didn't sink the river so far down that it would prevent other natural life, he made sure getting to it would be difficult to the point where the waters would redirect away from any well.

When Lin made it home, he appeared in the village directly. They could see his power was diminished, but he also had one urgent task that would have to be done. Here in his home valley and along the river, he had power enough for one more great feat. It would be this feat that would force him away from him home. Using all his remaining energhy, he sealed the valley to make it impossible for the likes of the outside world to make it in. It would be a safe, sealed region as it always had been, but there would be no river spirit there. Lin would leave the valley and use himself as a sort of lock. Only through Lin could anyone enter the valley, and only the villagers there could leave and return.

Line left the valley on the summer solstice, and when he did, he left behind everything that had made him such a powerful spirit. He now wanders, and he is both learning to live and seeking a place for himself in the world. While he misses his valley and his people, he has enjoyed some of the things he has found in his exploration. For the better part, Lin appears to most as nothing more than an exotic species now.

Special Abilities

While Lin has diminished in power, he is certainly not helpless or without his abilities.

Size Changing

Lin can still vary his size from the size of a small rodent all the way up to lengths over one hundred feet. This chance can be quite rapid, but it always occurs like a swelling or a collapse and not in a poof.

Durability

Beating on Lin physically is challenging because he can diffuse energy about as well as a river would. He is extremely hard to injure with normal guns or melee weapons. However, he is most vulnerable to spirit based attacks, and electrical attacks also tend to be more effective against him.

Color Changing

While Lin normally keeps his colors constant, he can alter his colors to blend in. However, more often, this color shift is tied to the seasons. His scaled will vary in color from the color of fall foliage in the fall, more vibrant greens in spring, and pale ice blues and white fur in the winter. Going against his seasonal colors is actually a challenge for him, so he usually just lets them happen.

Breath Weapons

Lin has a breath that can be somewhat floral, and it carries with it a rather powerful psychoactive effect. Those caught in his breath weapon tend to become relaxed, subject to suggestions, and more honest. It is a fairly pleasant experience most of the time such that those that have felt it might seek it again. He used to use it to calm the villagers that came to him as sacrifices.

Venom

Lin's venom is perhaps the most dangerous aspect of his being. This powerful neurotoxic substance is normally only used by Lin when he is hunting. He has never used it on a person, and he has no intention to. A single bite can easily bring down animals the size of bears, and Lin has a large appetite sometimes. It is effective against other spirits and supernatural beings, and Lin has eaten his share of werewolves, who can be a good match for him, over the years.