Vaipni

The Vaipni /vàípni/ are an order of lesser dieties that act as servents to the gods. The Vaipni are tree spirits that have the form of men or women, albeit with their own idiosyncratic features that may cause them to look unhuman. The exact abilities of an individual Vaipni depends heavily on what type of tree it is associated with and which god it serves.

Etymology
The Old Sumrë term vaipni is from Proto-Sumric *vaepne (cf Hajec Vaepn and Old Tuura Vajebnie) which itself is from Proto-Sumric *va- (“prefix which forms names of groups associated with the noun”) and *epne- (“seed”) (cf Hajec epn (“seed”), Old Tuura iebnie (“seed”) and Old Sumrë ipni (“seed”)).

Origin
The Vaipni were created by Anepi when he gathered the seeds of fourteen trees and spread them across the eight realms. From each seed an immortal tree grew. Each tree bore fruit and from each fruit emerged a Vaipni. When the Vaipni emerged they each devoted themselves to a god, acting as servents and followers of that god.

Character and Traits
The traits and abilities of each Vaipni dpeends heavily on which tree they were born from and also which god they serve. Each of the fourteen trees has its own associated traits and abilities, they also have associated animals which the Vaipni can shapeshift into. The Vaipni are divided into fourteen subsets based on the trees that they originate from. The name of each subset comes from the tree name plus the suffix -či ("derives names of groups and collections of people").

HAJEK USES AKCOTIBIAN LOANS FOR THE NAMES OF THE SUBSETS

Lembici

 * Natart (“he who overwhelms”)
 * Uhadab (“danger in paths”) - Uhadab lives around known routes and often terrorizes travellers.

Baenci

 * Tuibniskohtika (“knowing chin”) - Has the ability to answer any question asked to him so long as he rubs his chin.

Psainci

 * Awutt (“plaything”) - Lures children away into forests with games and keeps them young forever. It generally has the appearance of a small child with green skin and little horns.

Bhipici

 * Houbijo (“yawn ritual”) - Defends sleeping people, he is also the source of why sleeping next to birches is considered safe and even good luck.

Džaupci

 * Jaraco (“knapping ritual”) - Lives near shale deposits.

Gĕitaci

 * Dyrjăsdăn (“looks like a heron”)
 * Ȯnnüdürjüs (“that which came from a heron”) - The fruit that became this Vaipni was swallowed and then shat out by a heron.

Tuáksunnurci

 * Hadmart (“he who is rhythm”) - Has the ability to make anyone who hears his songs happy.