Qigami Species History
Qigami are considered an ancient subset of eastern oriental dragons. Usually nature spirits, each individual governs a concept within a territory. A very young qigami might be guardian of the trees of a single forest or the predators of a single valley. A typical adult controls a territory the size of a mountain, while an elder qigami who has grown to the size of a mountain might look after all the births and deaths in an entire mountain range or vast desert.

Let it be noted that qigami are not able to govern artifical constructs such as good, evil, happiness or fortune. Though godlike in stature, they are just as susceptible to luck and emotion as any other being.

Qigami Breed Standard
Head should be broad and square, with a wide muzzle and flat cheeks.

Skull should be heavy, with the root of the upper canines anchoring near the eye. Dirk teeth and saber teeth are acceptable, but they must be even and the upper canines must be larger than the lower.

Nose should be deerlike, extending down to the upper lip. Lips should be even and there should be no overhanging jowls when the mouth is closed. Black, or pink is preferred, but any color is acceptable so long as it matches the pads and harmonizes well with the rest of the individual.

Eyes should be relatively small and widely spaced. The pupil should be small and round, with a piercing expression that is not too fierce. Iris may be of any color. Heterochromia is allowed, but not desirable.

No external ears should be visible.

The front paws may be of any conformation, but they must have usable digits and opposable thumbs that do not touch the ground when walking.

Claws must be clearly present. They should be long and curved, but may be made of any substance and in any color.

The shoulder begins high on the back and the shoulder blades are set at a wide angle. The upper arm is relatively long, making the entire limb very dexterous. The ribcage is round and the body is long. Hips should be small, but strong and the back legs well muscled. Back feet may be of any conformation. The tail should be at least as long as the body, and must be tipped with a long tuft of fur.

Patches of scales are acceptable, but the body covering overall must be furry. The mane and tail tuft must be long hairs.

Antlers should curve forward and in with tines. An individual with less than 2 tines is considered an adolescent. Antlers may be made of any substance, but living wood branches with leafy growth is preferred. Palmate antlers or non-antler horns are a disqualification.

The animal may be of any coat color or pattern, so long as no writing or other artificial symbols such as swastikas, pentacles, hazard markers, crossbones, or religious icons appear. Natural patterns such as pawprints, lighting bolts, hearts, and leaves are acceptable but not preferred. Mane and tail which are of a distinctly different color than the overall coat color is preferred.

Individuals will vary greatly in size, as they do not stop growing for their entire lives. Adults smaller than 30 hands high at the shoulder are disqualified.

No individuals have a physical or chromosomal sex, as they reproduce asexually.

Qigami Life Cycle
They are born from the fruit of a tree, after 12 years of gestation. The parent qigami assigns a portion of his or her territory to the offspring at the time of planting, and they are generally able to assume the responsibility within hours of birth. Though lacking experience, they are born fully independent and require no parental care, but may need a great deal of guidance from an older and more experienced qigami.

A qigami may also capture and tame lesser nature spirits to be his or her vassals or advisers. An adult qigami often has a large court of wildlife within its loyalty.

Qigami power is in the breath. They have the ability to give or take the breath of life from any being within their territory. Keeping the balance of lives is part of their responsibility. Though mortals have sometimes been saved by qigami after praying for their help, the decision is ultimately based on the health of the territory. Areas without a ruling qigami will quickly let populations fall out of balance and begin to deteriorate.

Though any individual can be masculine or feminine, qigami have no physical sex and no external genitalia. When they wish to reproduce, they shed their antlers and plant them in the ground. One antler is given the breath of life and from the other it is taken. The living antler will then sprout into a tree and bear fruit from which the new qigami is born.

Creating A Qigami
As qigami are conceptual and spiritual beings, care should be taken not to make the qigami disproportionately powerful. Each tine of the antlers should represent a significant moment such as a personal epiphany or coming of age, associated with either increased maturity or increased power.

Valid Examples: Earning a degree or accreditation, marriage, birth of first child, a significant promotion, completing an apprenticeship, completing a masterpiece, reaching the age of majority, a religious epiphany, or finding the meaning of life.

Invalid Examples: A first sexual encounter, first time traveling, a personal tragedy lacking an accompanying epiphany, the purchase of material possessions such as a new car, and the general feeling of being mature

It is up to the maker whether or not to disclose the meaning of each tine, but it is encouraged to build the qigami based on realistic power level rather than an expectation of future power, or the qigami will not be able to grow with the maker as intended.

Qigami names should not be specific to any particular language. Though a qigami may have nicknames, its name must be a true name following the meaning, "The word whose definition is yourself" rather than "A set of syllables used to refer to a specific person".

Example: A qigami may be named "Snow" as a concept, but may not be named "Yuki" specifically. The qigami may referred to as "Yuki" only when the language and context is Japanese, and must be referred to as "Snow" when the language and context is English, or as "Neige" when the context and language are French.

To create a qigami, sketch out or write up a design and send to Springdragon via FA notes for approval against breed standard. Qigami are a completely open species, whose only requirement is that you follow the lore and breed standards. In the rare case that you have created a design which is not approved, you may use it anyway, so long as you do not adopt the lore or call it a qigami or breath god.

If you sell a qigami design, the new purchaser must be aware of the above requirements. However, due to the personal nature of the antlers, design sales are highly discouraged.