For what it's worth, Leveticus keeps it deliberately unclear as to whether there's a sexual thing with the waifs, and he seems to be grooming Alyce more as his successor than his partner... Maybe I'm just giving Wyrd the benefit of the doubt.
Waifs The
According to the fluff, he's slowly loosing more and more of his soul every time he resurrects himself. I feel like that is going to be more of an important plot point going forward. Basically becoming more akin to his own waifs.
I'm basing this on the first two editions description of Levi and the waifs, so I have probably missed some parts. You can get some of those stories from the breach side broadcast, but the general bios are only in the books as far as I know.
The waifs are dead people specifically prepared to allow Levi to cheat death. I can't find any reason why they are women, but it does seem to annoy Alyce who has been known to destroy some of them when they were left around. Most of malifaux are unaware of Leviticus's power to cheat death, and don't know about the waif existence.
I'm not sure if the waifs have to be killed is a special manner or if he can use already dead bodies in his ritual. Neither are great, but malifaux doesn't really have good guys, the best you get is morally dubious.
The stated reason for the waifs being women is 1. That Leveticus likes looking at them but also 2. because he finds that people are less likely to be aggressive toward them as pretty girls (Source: Crossroads- "Sacrifice")
The waifs are dead people specifically prepared to allow Levi to cheat death. I can't find any reason why they are women, but it does seem to annoy Alyce who has been known to destroy some of them when they were left around. Most of malifaux are unaware of Leveticus's power to cheat death, and don't know about the waif existence.
WaifsSpecies informationEye colourVariesSkinVariesHairNoneSubspeciesBarkwaifs
Blackwaifs
Bloodwaifs
Blue waifs
Copperwaifs
Flitterwaifs
Ghostwaifs
Greywaifs
Leechwaifs
Mistwaifs
Mottled waifs
Nightwaifs
Serpentwaifs
Waterwaifs
Woodwaifs
Yellow-eared waifs
Native rangeNightwoodsAppearancesAppearancesThe Winter Knights
Clash of the Sky Galleons
Stormchaser
Midnight Over Sanctaphrax
The Last of the Sky Pirates
Vox
Freeglader
The Blooding of Rufus Filatine
The Immortals
Doombringer
The Descenders
Weird New Worlds
[Source]Waifs were beings that originated in the Nightwoods. They were quite rare during the First and Second Ages of Flight, and were renowned for their unique ability to hear thoughts.
Most waifs had smooth skin, while some, such as mottled waifs and greywaifs, had blotchy, mottled skin. Some, such as waterwaifs and blackwaifs, had scales covering their bodies. Waterwaifs also had webbed fingers. Waifs had thick, black blood.
Flitterwaifs were very different to any other kind of waif. They were closely related to bats, and were the only waifs with wings. They were small enough to perch on a fourthling's arm, but were also quite primitive, not displaying the same brain-power as other varieties of waif. They also had long fangs to drain their victims' blood.
Waifs' ears were huge and batlike. They were so large, in fact, that they enabled waifs to hear the thoughts of those around them, and also project their own thoughts to others. This meant that two waifs could silently converse without anyone else knowing about it. Some waifs, such as Amberfuce, mastered this ability to such an extent they were able to manipulate the minds and thoughts of others with their own.
This telepathy was both a blessing and a curse for waifs. In the Nightwoods, it was an essential tool for them to "see" through the darkness, but in cities, it made them untrustworthy, ruining many friendships.
Before the construction of the Waif Trail and Thorn Gate, waifs lived wild, solitary lifestyles in the Nightwoods. Life was very harsh, and if they showed any weakness, they would be attacked by fellow hungry waifs. During this period, many were desperate to flee their home, and attempted to escape through the Thorn Forests. Few who tried actually made it, as the Thorn Forests and Deepwoods were dangerous places for such frail creatures.
After the construction of the Waif Trail and Thorn Gate, the waifs of the Nightwoods had a link to the outside world, allowing them to trade freely, and leave their dark homes, if they wished. They built a huge city at Riverrise, ruled by Golderayce One-Eye and his Custodians. Although most waifs chose to live at Riverrise, some more primitive species still lived wild in the Nightwoods, preying on unwary travellers on the Waif Trail. Some of these species were flitterwaifs, barkwaifs, leechwaifs and bloodwaifs. Many waifs considered descending heresy and were sharply opposed to it.
The few waifs who did manage to survive the journey through the Thorn Forests found themselves in the Deepwoods. In order to travel to the cities of Undertown and Sanctaphrax, they would need to travel on a sky ship over the Twilight Woods and the Mire. The Twilight Woods, while dangerous to all beings (except shrykes), were especially treacherous to waifs, filling their heads with the strangest visions and sounds, even from considerable distances away.
Upon reaching Undertown, waifs would find that they were untrusted, and avoided by most other citizens. Because of this, many waifs were tempted to choose lives of secrecy or even evil. Those waifs who could be trusted were known to be dedicated and loyal, determined to show that not all waifs were bad.
During the Third Age of Flight, Waif Glen expanded, and an even larger population of waifs lived there. Many waifs lived in other areas of Great Glade, as well as in smaller settlements like the Farrow Ridges.
Because of their diminutive stature, waifs tended not to use large, powerful weapons. In the Nightwoods, they used blow-darts dipped in blackroot oil, a deadly poison readily available to them. Waif assassins outside the Nightwoods generally used daggers to kill their victims. Flitterwaifs couldn't use weapons, so they used their needle-sharp fangs to subdue their prey.
The naming convention for waterwaifs was far different to those of any other species of waif. Waterwaif names typically were a combination of a tree-related word and a word relating to aquatic life.[10]
Pictures and comment in the Parisian journals made the homeless waifs the idols of the warm-hearted French. Some enterprising merchant fashioned a Siamese-twin-like yarn doll representing a boy and a girl which was immediately seized upon by the Poilu as a good luck fetish to be worn around the neck. Soon everyone wore them in every Allied army. 2ff7e9595c
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