Unicorn

Everyone sees themselves as pure of heart...
...right until they get a hoof shoved in their ribcage.

— Stableboy

The Unicorn is the fabled horned equine of the Faelands, a being said to undo curses and purify the lands, though only few have truly seen one up close. They are a priced creature on other worlds sought after for their miracles, either as a mighty steed or as the cure to any ailment.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Classified as a Fae, the Unicorn looks like the common horse found in the Material Plane with a silver coat, while their manes have a chromatic effect when viewed in light. Most are nimble in their appearance, having long feathering on their legs.

Their distinct feature is the singular horn, protruding straight from their forehead. These sharpened spirals act a sensory organ, connecting to the brain to pick up magical elements in their surroundings. It also acts as a defensive tool against threats by piercing opponents.

Magic

Like many Fae creatures, Unicorns also have a natural affinity to magic. They can channel this through their horn, using it as a natural wand to direct spells to specific targets.

To compensate for their lack of verbal communication, they can use a short-range telepathy to make up for it. Few actually have offensive spells within their arsenal, though instances do exist of them learning them from fellow Fae or travelling spellcasters.

Habitat

Unicorns prefer living within open forests, giving them enough space to prance around without being seen by others. Though some sightings exist of them moving around fields and more open spaces, though never too far away from any terrain providing cover.

They are solitary creatures, rarely sharing their grounds with a fellow Unicorn unless it is either a mate or their child. Should one enter their territory, they tend to duel their opponents to drive them out, usually with a stab wound as a warning. Those that still refuse to leave meet their end being either gutted or trampled by the equines, left as a warning for others.

To know where an Unicorn's territory lies, each one has a preferred stone they sharpen their horns upon. These "whetstone" landmarks stand out from the scratched surfaces, often with faint arcane residue in the air from the accumulated horn dust.

Dietary Needs

Like their material plane cousins, Unicorns are herbivores living off a diet of fibres they get from grass, grains and other plants. Some do question if they do need it for sustenance however, as some specimens have shown to go days without either food or drink.

Unique to them is also their ability to eat negative energy from curses and other ailments. As magical beings, they can gain sustenance from absorbing more magic, finding quite a specific taste in corruptive and destructive powers. This allows them to cure people with a mere touch, though it depends on the Unicorn how effective the remedy can be.

A side effect is that their waste is dangerous to handle, containing residue in it that can curse others when exposed. Effects can include bad luck, severe illness and more.