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BENDITH Y' MAMAU (By WebWarlock)

The Bendith Y' Mamau ("The Mother's Blessing", pronounced "Ben-dith uh Momay") is a rather unpleasant clan of Welsh fairies.

Appearance: They steal children and substitute them for their own ugly ones, called Crimbils. Through the intervention of a witch, the parents can regain the stolen child, who will remember nothing of its time with the Bendith Y' Mamau, except for a vague recollection of sweet music.

They are ugly creatures, and sometimes regarded as the result of interbreeding between goblins and fairies. They have the ill-disposition and ugly appearance of goblins, but the magic of faeries.

The adult Bendith Y' Mamau are a stunted and ugly kith; short, with twisted limbs and grayish skin. Their eyes are puckered and inscrutable and their noses large and bulbous. Their mouths are usually grim with their lower lip protruding over their upper, much like the mouths gurners are so fond of pulling. Their hair is thick and wiry, usually ginger in color, with the male grumps invariably going bald. Their ears are large and round, sticking out, and their eyebrows resemble large thick tufts of ginger hair. Their redeeming feature is their voice which is rich and resonant (the males) of sweet and lilting (the females).

Bendith children (called Crimbils) are, if anything, even uglier than the adults. They quickly show an aptitude for music and song, reveling in the attention it garners. When not practicing their arts they tend to live lonely childhoods, shunned by other children and becoming jealous of their attractive classmates. Despite this, Crimbils are surprisingly calm of temperament

Combat: Bendith Y' Mamau do not normally enter into combat. If pressed they can use the following magical abilities once per day at will: Invisibility, Levitation, Shape Change, and Shrink.

Like all members of the faerie race, Bendith Y' Mamau can only be struck or harmed by cold forged iron.

Habitat/Society: They usually live in clans, in underground caverns, and do not enjoy the company of humans. Bendith Y' Mamau go out of their way to make people's lives unpleasant, stealing cattle and children, killing farm animals, and breaking important tools are some of their favorite pastimes. Bowls of milk were put out for them to prevent them from causing mischief.

Its not that the Bendith Y' Mamau are evil, but they are generally very selfish, caring little for the distress they cause the family. The Seelie Court has made efforts to curb this activity, citing that it could attract unwelcome attention, and the Bendith that wish to join the Seelie Court (and there are a few) must swear an Oath never to partake in any such activities.

Wilder Bendith are passionate musicians, constantly frustrated by their inability to reach the heights they know are just beyond their skills. They use their musical gifts to compensate for their homely mien, only meeting with very limited success. Thus, they are often frustrated and angry, driving themselves harder into their music.

Ecology: Like most of the faerie races, Bendith Y' Mamau, are not a burden on their local ecology.

Variants: None