© Daniel S. Wall, April 7, 2026.
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“To the great and noble Sage, Hadin Kes,
As of the writing of this letter, your emissaries are enjoying the hospitality of my residence. As they have conveyed to me your wishes to learn more of my people and to establish long term connections between your kingdom and our own, I thought I should take the time to answer your questions directly. I will entrust the contents of this letter to your envoys and bid them farewell tomorrow morning. We here have no wish to keep such faithful and worthy servants from their master any longer than necessary. I shall try my best to answer all of your questions about my people and speed your trusty servants back home to you with what gifts we can manage to serve as humble tokens of our goodwill.
First, as I understand it, your knowledge of my Kindred is based largely upon rumor. When you read this, I hope you will count the rumors of our existence as confirmed. Yes, we do indeed exist. I further hope that you will not burden yourselves and your loyal servants with any further efforts on our behalf.. The road betwixt our lands can be quite dangerous, and I detest to hear that innocent lives have been placed at hazard without good cause. Please my friend, I pray that you will find my answers sufficient and rest knowing that you do indeed have a friend this side of the mountains, even if that friend is a distant presence. Though I may never look upon your face, I shall imagine you smiling when you read this. I pray once again that you will be content to do the same.
Now, as to your first question, it is indeed true that our Kindred bears not two but four genders. I must impress upon you that we do not merely have 2 additional genders, the extras being added as it were to the male and female which I suspect you have imagined us to possess. Rather, we have four distinct genders, each of which has been named for the seasons of the year. I myself am an ‘Autumn’. I have tried many times to explain the differences between each gender to your servants. It seems they find it a difficult concept. Though the evidence is plainly visible in the face and hands of each Ligén as well as our behavior. Sadly, your emissaries have proven themselves unable to master the difference between us. It is no fault of their own; our nature simply does not fit into the world in which they themselves live.
I must tell you that I find several of your questions regarding this matter to be quite indiscrete. Your representatives have also been quite rude on this point, albeit perhaps unintentionally so, but I am sorry to say that we grow tired of their curiosity. It is enough to know that all four genders of Ligén are essential to the act of procreation, and that all four parents play an equal role in the raising of any progeny resulting from this act. Please, we do not wish to know more about the happenings of your own sky-tables, I ask that you leave our personal affairs to us.
Regarding matters of commerce, I can assure you that we are quite self-sufficient for our own part, and that there are no resources with which we are sufficiently blessed to enjoy surplus for trade. I shall extend to you a few gifts, which I fear that you will find quite common enough for your own kingdom. Sadly, there is little to be gained from extended trade amongst our people.
As much distance as lies between us in this world – as much distance as will always lie between us in this world – I shall consider you just quite close to me in my spirit. I pray only that you will accept this and consider that it is enough.”
– K’endil Gnaine, Elder of the Ligén.
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Postscript: It is really not very important, but in the interests of truthfulness, I thought I should tell you that the letter ‘l’ of your alphabet does not precisely match the sound which begins the name of our people, the Ligén. To make the sound properly, one places his tongue against the roof of the mouth just behind the teeth (much as you would when making the ‘l’ sound), but instead of setting the vocal cords to work on the matter you simply force air about both sides of the tongue, hissing as it were while keeping the tongue in that position. I have instructed your servants on the matter, and they have proven themselves capable of making the sound properly.”
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Ligén are a mysterious kindred, tending to settle in remote parts of the world. They appear to be androgynous humanoids with strange conical heads and almond shaped eyes. They possess no hair. Their skin tone comes in four different hues. The pupils of a Ligén range in color from silver to bronze, the latter being thought particularly attractive among the Ligén themselves.
There are indeed four genders among this kindred, each named after a different season. While no-one outside this Kindred has ever grasped the physical differences between the genders of the Ligén, each enjoys somewhat different powers. Ligén marry for life and dwell together in a common home. Children appear in small broods (3d8-2), and Ligén consciously space the births of their children 3-11 years apart.
Questions about all marital affairs among the Ligén have been met with cross words and little in the way of answers.
A typical residence for the Ligén will consist of 4 square rooms all adjacent to one another. A circular room occupies the center of the house, as if carving a small corner our of each of the squares. This common area is separated from the rest of each room by a thin layer of curtains. Each of the four rooms empties directly out into a larger common area surrounding their outside walls, offering access to each of the squares within by means of two separate curtained doorways. The outer wall of the dwelling is thus a circle containing the four square rooms which themselves contain a circle in the center. Four separate doors will be located along the outside wall of a Ligen home, each positioned roughly adjacent to one of the four inside squares. This is fourse the most basic schema common to every Ligen household. With minor variations, one can expect this of pretty much every Ligen household.
A brood of children will live and sleep within the walls of the outer circle. Parents in a Ligén household take turns cooking for the whole family (often with the assistance of their mates or older children). A fireplace is located in the wall separating each of the four sleeping quarters from the common area to the outside.
Only the most trusted outsiders have ever been invited into the homes of a Ligén, and then only to eat and chat. Overnight guests are always lodged in the community town hall, which always has a few well-kept bedrooms set aside for that purpose. It is commonly supposed that a guest in one Ligén home is a guest to the entire community. As one may imagine, this custom also makes it easier to keep an eye on such outsiders.
On rare occasions, Ligén will travel about other regions, usually in pursuit of knowledge or magical power. Ligén are often the first to learn of any major threat to an entire region, and they will often take the initiative to inform others and provide assistance in meeting such dangers.
Ligén make good spell casters for the obvious reason that each is inherently capable of using a single school of magic. Ligén are also relatively good in close quarters combat. Unfortunately, the Kindred is also known for its clumsiness. Whether casting spells or fighting in melee, Ligén seem to fail spectacularly with an unusual frequency.
