Grey [G]

Color Modifier

Rarity: Rare

Grey is a base coat modifier that desaturates and (optionally) lightens the Rukaan's coat and markings. It is based on the grey gene in horses. In Rukaan there are four expressions or types of grey: Typical, Bloodmarked, Fleabitten and Intermediate.

Like horses, grey Rukaan are born their underlying color and lighten/desaturate as they mature. They will be their fully greyed out color by the time they reach adulthood and grow their first antlers. The fully greyed out color is what will be shown on their import sheet, but you are welcome to show the in-between stages in art depicting them at younger ages.

Grey With Other Base Color Modifiers

Grey will express with other color modifiers by lightening and desaturating just as it would on a normal base. Rukaan with grey and another color modifier can be more saturated than a Rukaan with grey on a normal base.

Universal Rules for Grey

Grey is a modifier and affects the whole coat (including markings), though some areas may be lightened/desaturated more than others
Saturation of the coat is reduced to between 0% and 33% for black, white and red bases. Saturation of the coat is reduced to between 0% and 50% for liver bases, or if other color modifiers such as blue are present. If your program doesn’t use percent, the saturation should be in the bottom ⅓ (or ½ for color modifiers) of whatever scale is used to measure saturation.
Grey typically but doesn’t always lighten the coat. Coat can be lightened all the way to white if desired. Grey cannot darken the coat.
Dapples are common in grey Rukaan but are not required.
It is allowable for variation in the lightening of grey coats to resemble pangare, frosting, points or sooty without these genes being present. This does not mean that other potential effects of these genes (darkening or increasing saturation) are possible with grey. Grey can only lighten and desaturate.
Grey never affects the flesh color of the Rukaan.
Ancient antlers and hooves can match the lightened color of the greyed out Rukaan, or can match the underlying coat they were born with before the grey developed.
Longer hairs in coats like royal, cloaked etc can be lightened more or less than the rest of the coat. Grey cannot darken these hairs, but can lighten them less than the surrounding areas.

Interactions:

White markings go over grey and will always be visible on grey.
Grey will affect all lightening and darkening markings and desaturate/lighten them to the same extent that it desaturates/lightens the base coat.
Grey can but does not have to fade or soften the edges of hard edged lightening and darkening markings.
Lightening markings can be obscured by grey if the grey is white or nearly white. They do not have to be visible on very pale grey coats.
Darkening markings can be lightened by grey but will remain darker than what they sit over.
Grey combined with other color modifiers will desaturate them like a normal base color but they will still be visible.
Grey itself cannot be affected by Tint as it is a color modifier and not a marking.

Grey Phenotype Wording

Every grey Rukaan will be one of the four types of grey, which must be specified in the phenotype of the design. For example: "Black with scorch marks and bloodmarked grey" or "Liver with pangare, roan and typical grey".

Typical Grey

Typical grey can be mid-range grey to white (never darker than the original base color). Often the knees and rump do not lighten as much as the rest of the body. Flesh around the eyes and muzzle generally remains unlightened or less lightened. Dappled areas may resemble sooty and lightened areas can resemble pangare.

Typical Grey on White || Typical Grey on Red || Typical Grey on Black || Typical Grey on Liver

Typical Grey Inspiration

Typical grey is based on advanced grey or dappled grey in horses, but dapples are optional in grey Rukaan.

from Wikimedia Commons

Bloodmarked Grey

Appears as Typical Grey, but causes a hole or “bloodmark” (sometimes called “bloody shoulder”) in the grey showing the unaffected coat underneath.

Bloodmark rules:

Can be as large as the Rukaan’s head, shoulder, or one entire leg.
Must be one contiguous, natural looking, hard- or ticked-edged area on the Rukaan’s body. Is not usually symmetrical.
Shows the underlying color of the Rukaan’s coat. It is not actually blood colored unless the Rukaan is liver underneath the grey.

Bloodmarked Grey on White || Bloodmarked Grey on Red || Bloodmarked Grey on Black || Bloodmarked Grey on Liver

Bloodmarked Grey Inspiration

from Wikimedia Commons

Bloodmarked grey on bay

from Michaela

Bloodmarked grey on bay

Note: In Rukaan, they could have the bloodmark on the hindquarters or on the barrel but not both.

from Horsenation

Bloodmarked grey on black

Fleabitten Grey

Makes the coat a uniform white or light grey, though knees, eyes and muzzle may show soft-edged portions of the underlying coat. Coat is scattered with “fleabits” or ticked areas showing the coat underneath the grey. Fleabits must be smaller than scorch marks and will resemble individual hairs of the underlying coat color and should be scattered over the entire coat. The scattering can be uneven and is often most concentrated on the face, neck, shoulders and haunches. Fleabits cannot clump together to create larger holes in the grey.

Fleabitten Grey on White || Fleabitten Grey on Red || Fleabitten Grey on Black || Fleabitten Grey on Liver

Fleabitten Grey Inspiration

from Wikimedia Commons

Extensive Fleabit

from Wikimedia Commons

Subtle Fleabit

from Wikimedia Commons

Fleabit Closeup

from Wikimedia Commons

Fleabitten Grey with Piebald (Tobiano)

Intermediate Grey

An intermediate expression similar to horses who have partially but not fully greyed out. In Rukaan, this can be their final adult expression and they don’t have to lighten further. Individuals with mostly black or dark grey showing through are sometimes referred to as “Steel Grey” while individuals with desaturated brown or red are referred to as “Mahogany Grey” or “Rose Grey”.

Intermediate Grey on White || Intermediate Grey on Red || Intermediate Grey on Black || Intermediate Grey on Liver

Intermediate Grey Inspiration

An intermediate expression similar to young adult horses who have partially but not fully greyed out.

from Wikimedia Commons

Steel Grey with Piebald (Tobiano)

Interactions

Flesh and Eye Color

Grey has no effect on skin, flesh or eye color. For more information, please refer to skin and flesh journal.

Ancient Element

Grey can either lighten an ancient element Rukaan's antlers and hooves to match their final greyed out color or leave them the original un-greyed color.

R-2066

Fleabitten Grey with Ancient element antlers and hooves lightened by grey

R-2067 Gerd

Typical Grey with Ancient element antlers not lightened by grey but matching their original underlying color

Coat Types

On coats with longer hairs, grey can either lighten the hairs more, less, or the same amount as the surrounding coat. It cannot darken the hairs, but can lighten them relatively less.

R-2067 Gerd

Grey lightening the tips of the beard and mane more than the base

R-2063 Maeve

Grey lightening the long hairs of the beard less than the neighboring area of the belly.

R-2062 Geralt

Longer hairs of the stockings are the same color as the surrounding areas of the leg.

Color Modifiers

Typical Grey on Blue White || Fleabitten Grey on Champagne Red || Intermediate Grey on Wine Black || Bloodmarked Grey on Olive Liver

White Markings

White markings go over grey and will always be visible on grey.
White markings will not be softened at the edges by grey.

Typical Grey on Piebald White || Fleabitten Grey on Splash Accents (white marking type) Red || Intermediate Grey on Blanket Appaloosa Black || Bloodmarked Grey on Leopard Appaloosa Liver

Typical Markings

Grey will affect all lightening and darkening markings and desaturate/lighten them to the same extent that it desaturates/lightens the base coat.
Grey can but does not have to fade or soften the edges of hard edged lightening and darkening markings.
Lightening markings can be obscured by grey if the grey is white or nearly white. They do not have to be visible on very pale grey coats.
Darkening markings can be lightened by grey but will remain darker than what they sit over.

Typical Grey on White with Skunk || Fleabitten Grey on Red with Snowline and minimally visible Pangare || Intermediate Grey on Black with faded-edged Okapi || Bloodmarked Grey on Liver with Fawn and Pangare

Typical Grey on White with soft edged Black Accents|| Fleabitten Grey on Red with Sooty || Intermediate Grey on Black with Scorch Marks || Bloodmarked Grey on Liver with Points

Swatches

Colors do not have to be picked from the swatches, but they should give you an idea of the range of acceptable colors. All can lighten further than shown in the swatches if desired. Note: Colors do not have to be picked directly from the swatch but the must be within the range of hue, value/brightness and saturation shown.

Saturation of the coat is reduced to between 0% and 33% for black, white and red bases. Saturation of the coat is reduced to between 0% and 50% for liver bases. Saturation of the coat is reduced to between 0% and 50% if other color modifiers such as blue are present.

Bloodmarks and fleabit marks (which are holes in the grey coat) do not take the color of these swatches, but show what the coat would be without grey.