Svaald
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Racial Modifiers
- Favored Source: Shamanism, Adept
- Favored Stat: Constitution
- +8 Speed
- +5 Health
- +7 Resistance
- +1 Base Survival
- +1 Base Shamanism OR Choice of Weapon Skill
- Svaald are immune to natural and magical cold equal to their Rank in Magic
Physical Description
Svaald are an ice-dwelling, blue-skinned race with voluminous manes of white hair. They tend to be shorter than the average human, though they live twice as long - up to 200 years. With comparatively long arms for their height, Svaald often appear intimidating, with very broad shoulders and hips, and pronounced musculature. Their skin tones range from deep ocean blue to a lighter sky blue, and their eyes often resemble smoothly polished gems and come in many colors. Due to their thick, almost rubbery skin and inability to sweat, Svaald may struggle to stay comfortable in warm climates.
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Personality
The Svaald are a proud race that value honor, loyalty, and duty to clan above all else. As a result, they tend to use formal duels to settle disputes. Despite this, they tend to be quite pragmatic thanks to the nature of their creation and the harsh and unforgiving environs they inhabit. But perhaps because of this, all Svaald have a deep-seated appreciation for beauty and art. As such, artisans among the Svaald are revered and their crafts are highly prized - to the point where, during the Second God War the Tapeesa, a clan of artisans, were protected by other clans and rather than being expected to fight in the conflict.
Relations
Other races have a tendency to underestimate/look down upon the Svaald and view them as little more than unenlightened barbarians. This is exacerbated by several factors: the Svaald, by necessity, wear very little clothing when traveling in warmer climates; they tend to value wood more highly than gems or quicksilver; and that Svaald is broken up into city-states of different clans rather than being a united country under one rule. Their refusal to worship any of the Blessed Gods is often another source of friction. The Svaald trade with Surriloth and Dakor. Merchant caravans that come into the Wastes are often escorted by Svaald guides.
The political landscape among the clans is ever-changing, with each clan looking for opportunities to get a leg up on the others. Skirmishes between clans are common, as rivalries and feuds tend to be longstanding and not lightly put aside. Alliances are frequently made, or at least cemented by arranged marriages between the children of clan chiefs.
Religion
The Svaald have always had a history of worshiping totem and ancestral spirits. In the past, they had worshipped the Blessed Gods and produced many powerful Channelers, however, the devastation of the second God War left them angry and bitter. As a culture, they began to turn away from the Blessed Gods - most modern Svaald would never even consider worshiping one. Their prior predisposition toward producing channelers has been bred out of the population over time. In the present day, Svaald harbor a deeply ingrained dislike of the Blessed Gods and are unapologetic in their refusal to worship them.
History
The Svaald were created by the Blessed Gods at the tail end of the Elari-Faerie War to serve as ground troops representing the gods themselves. During this time, it was not uncommon for a Svaald to follow one of the Blessed Gods. Despite the ultimate victory of the Blessed Gods and their armies in the God War, the Svaald had become disillusioned and bitter toward their creators. Years of fighting a losing battle against a race that had been created by Kao to be the quintessential warrior took its toll on the Svaald. Their culture began to shift away from worshiping any of the Blessed Gods. It took some time, but as the prevailing sentiment turned more and more Svaald against the gods, those who still followed one of the ten found themselves less than welcome, even amongst their kin. It was a rare clan that did not have some level of contention on this issue, though some managed to navigate these treacherous waters more skillfully than others and kept outright fighting from breaking out. More than one clan was split apart as the dissension degenerated into clashes between various pro- or anti- Blessed Gods factions. Some clans even went so far as to banish those Svaald who continued to worship the Blessed Gods.
The Svaald had at one point captured and bound the white dragon god, Isinar, who was the source of all adept powers, but his location in the Frozen Wastes has long since been lost.
Region & Society
The Svaald live in the region of Trevas referred to as the Northern Wastes. They share a border with Suriloth, "city of the gods." While Svaald will occasionally travel outside the wastes, it becomes increasingly unpleasant for them the further south they go. Their thick, insulating skin and lack of sweat glands mean that summers in the southernmost regions of the world can actually be deadly. As a general rule, they feel most comfortable at below-freezing temperatures. Those who travel south wear progressively less clothing as they go. Even before the temperatures become deadly, Svaald may suffer fatigue or other penalties to skill rolls, particularly with strenuous activities.
There are also communities of Svaald who have been living in Vicisi for some time. Their society does not differ much from those Svaald who live on the main continent, however those in Vicisi are somewhat more adapted to warmer climes since there is nothing comparable to the wastes there.
To the Svaald, family and clan are everything. Those without a clan, whether through exile or the destruction of their clan, are looked down upon. The amount of dislike for the clanless varies widely among the clans, ranging from condescending pity to severe disgust. Fighting prowess and magical power are highly valued in Svaald society. While they are both Adepts and Shaman, those in positions of power within the clans are almost always Shaman.
Svaald fall in love quickly and engagements are of short duration. Once betrothed, it is not frowned upon for the couple to engage in sexual activity - and for a woman to be with child during her wedding is not remarkable. However, it is almost unthinkable to break off an engagement; this is rarely considered except in extreme circumstances. Marriages are frequently arranged for the children of the clan chiefs.
Svaald can interbreed with both humans and elves. Such unions are rare, and finding their resulting children in Svaald is even rarer. Not all of them will inherit the Svaald parent's resistance to cold.
Clan leadership is passed down from parent to child and is not restricted by gender. Each clan has a Sangilak, who is their greatest warrior. Most Sangilaks will probably be heavy fighters, simply because that is the fighting style that the race favors. That being said, there have been a number of Sangilaks that achieved their station through cunning and intelligence rather than by being able to bash things into the ground. The position is not restricted by gender, though Sangilaks tend to be male, as the most commonly taught fighting styles favor male Svaald.
Language
The Svaald language is based on the Inuit languages. Below are some set terms.
- Nukilik: a hunter of the Svaald
- Illiivat: chief shaman of the Svaald "person who is learning something"
- Ek Chua: Chief spirit of merchants
- Keelut: evil spirit with appearance of a dog/wolf
- Sangilak: "Strongest of all" (great warrior / hunter among the Svaald)
- Piktaungitok Tartok: "Evil without light" (A named black dragon)
- Tonrar: devil; ghost/spirit
- Torngasak: good spirit/soul
Here are a couple of links to translation and dictionary websites that you may find useful.
http://www.freelang.net/online/inuit.php?lg=gb
http://alaskool.uaa.alaska.edu/language/dictionaries/inupiaq/dictionary.htm (This one is the easiest to find what you need...when it is working. Frequently you can't use the search feature and only the browse by letter or category options will be available.)
Names
- Male Names: Adlartok, Aglakti, Eska, Hanta, Ikiaq, Qannik, Unnuk
- Female Names: Aguta, Aujaq, Miki, Nuniq, Osha, Sesi, Yuka
These resources may be useful when choosing a Svaald name:
http://www.goodnamegenerator.com/inuit-names.php
http://www.behindthename.com/submit/names/usage/inuit
http://fantasynamegenerators.com/inuit-names.php#.V8Cbo_krJmM
Equipment
The Svaald traditionally favor spears and axes though swords are not uncommon in the present day. One of their unique weapons is the Ice Axe which doubles as a climbing tool with a sharp metal spike on the back. As wood is an extremely precious commodity in Svaald, any weapon that would normally involve the use of wood is made out of steel or quicksilver instead. This, in addition to the sub-zero temperatures which freeze and break gut strings, makes archery virtually impossible in the Northern Wastes. Use of bows and crossbows is not completely unheard of when traveling in the warmer lands of the other races but would be considered unusual.
Quicksilver is plentiful in Svaald and so its use in armor and weaponry is far more common than in human lands.
Magic & Lore
The white dragon god, Isanar, is frozen in the wastes of the Svaald lands. He is the source of the Adept powers.
Icari Scatha ("scales of the wyrm"): There is a prophecy that one who masters the white dragon will create a Svaald Empire, with all the clans united as the scales of a great dragon.