Unicorn (Larkspur)

Larkspur's unicorns are quite like the stereotypical medieval image of a unicorn. They were invented by Herm with input from Vespers.

Appearance

Always white-furred, white-maned and blue-eyed. Resemble a gangly deer-like horse, but with a daintier muzzle, including goat-like beard. (The head only is as shown in this painting: [1]).

Long, flowing mane. Lion-like tail. (The tail only is similar to those in these images: [2] [3]) Cloven hooves fringed by longer hair.

The horn is a single spiral horn in the middle of the forehead.

They have a palpable aura of magic, holiness and wildness that quite overwhelms any sense of ridiculousness at their gangling builds and those jolly unwieldy-looking horns. They never, ever 'feel' tame, even if caged.

Unicorns are never seen dirty or dishevelled unless captured or killed.

Properties

Unicorns are found worldwide, in most regions of Larkspur.

Unicorns are solitary with territories generally encompassing a forest. A resident unicorn is what enables other magical creatures (hobgoblins, boggarts, brownies, sprites etc - it hasn't yet been decided which of these are found on Larkspur) to live in the surrounding area.

Purity and knights

Unicorns are connected with purity. They especially like virgin sapients.

There is a tradition, stretching back into legend and continuing into present times, of knights keeping themselves pure, going and finding a unicorn, and riding it on a quest. Generally when the monster is slain and the maiden rescued, the unicorn makes a hasty exit.

Unicorns are connected with purity in other ways: for example, they can purify water by dipping their horns into it, and indeed always do this before they drink.

Unicorns are not affected by any illusion magic native to Larkspur: you can't disguise one, neither can you fool one.

Imprisonment

An imprisoned unicorn will fade out of existence over a number of weeks, all the while rematerialising back in its territory. It will subsequently be very angry.

An imprisoned unicorn's aura changes to suggest a feeling of outrage and sacrilege to any onlooker.

Biology

Unicorns do not breed. One waits until the moonlight has polished a white rock to a mirrorlike sheen, then strikes it three times with its horn. The rock then splits and another adult unicorn steps daintily out.

Unicorns can be killed if you want to incur a godly curse on yourself and your entire bloodline. Once killed, they are usually dead.

The horn of a dead unicorn has no special properties whatsoever. A chip from the horn of a live unicorn has very many special properties indeed. Just watch out that the unicorn doesn't die while you're using your unicorn-ivory-tipped wand.

Natural enemies

Creatures of evil gods. Sexually inexperienced people could be said to be a natural enemy, given the ease with which these can lure a unicorn - although this doesn't generally matter, given that the unicorn cannot be imprisoned for any length of time.