The Legend of the Toto
Generally, when people think of the creatures of Hyrnedhna, they think of fearsome beasts. This is of course true: the wolves, panthers, stags, bears, and great birds that once followed her command mirror the goddess’s own wildness. With razor claws and mighty stride, they hunt and stalk the world with the same ferocity as the Wild Queen. However, when Hynerdhna was Queen of Beasts, not all her creatures were quite so terrible. In fact, meekest among them were the beings called Toto.
The Toto are creatures most mortals would not recognize. Since as long as anyone can remember, they have been not only rare but nearly legendary. Even in the old days, long before even Hyrnedhna’s ascension, the Toto were rarely seen. People say this is because they are shy and, moreover, wary of Mortal ways.
The Toto are referred to with many different words: sprite, troll, fairy, and even goblin. Many call them simply The Little Ones, as the Toto are (almost) universally tiny. They can perhaps best be understood as creatures of the forest–while they look like strange combinations of bears, rabbits, and cats, they are uniquely their own creature. Every Toto looks slightly different and, it is assumed, that there are likely unseen Toto. The Toto are highly intelligent and empathetic: they speak not Mortal tongue aloud, but seem to understand everything mortals say. Indeed, some Toto will develop fondness for mortals, particularly children, and leave them small gifts of seeds, acorns, and leaves.
The Toto are also preternaturally long-lived. Some families will recount that there are stories of the same Toto that have existed in their family for generations and generations. Free of Mortal intervention, it is believed the Toto can live as long as the Gods themselves.
This does not mean Toto are invulnerable to harm. This was proven quite starkly during The Blood War: during The War, the Toto were under the purview of Hyrnedhna. However, unlike many of her beasts, they were incapable of the violence enacted by the Hyrnedhnai and other Gods’ followers alike. The Toto, despite their capacity for illusion magic, were frequently incidental casualties of the fires, flood, and battles that accompanied the War.
It is suspected that many Toto were lost in the War, and the larger population decimated. Most stories suggest that the Toto King–an especially rare and giant Toto–commanded the remaining Toto into hiding. For this reason, when Beodhen took the title King of Beasts, the Toto did not fall under his Reign. (There is also suggestion that Steramestei, as the deity of dreams, offered help to the Toto King so that Beodhen was not able to claim the magical beasts as his own.)
In any event, Toto are among the most unique of Circadia’s creatures. Very few have seen them, but everyone knows that to be visited by a Toto is one of life’s most unlikely gifts.
Zealot Larp 