Legends of Belariath
Sheyka
The Sheyka are a nomadic race, moving their tribe from place to place seasonally, following a traditional route that is known to keep them with enough food to supply their camp. It is rare to see them for any length of time and, more so, to see one planted firmly by means of purchasing their own land and/or building a house. They are often confused with Dark Elves, but have subtle differences if one pays attention. They are taller than most Dark Elves, but they have a similar build, usually ranging from six to seven feet tall. They are customarily lean from the hard way they live. Skin tones range anywhere from brown to a dark ebony with hair that is typically white, but other colors have been seen upon occasion. They have rounded ears, a feature that further differentiates them from Dark Elves. Sheyka tend to have extraordinary eyes, vibrant violet or muted blue orbs that can be seen through the masks the nomadic folk are known for wearing when socializing outside of their own tribe; one of many rituals that remain deeply seeded within their traditions.
Character Creation
Starter Classes: Warrior, Ranger, Druid, Shaman, Bard, Artisan, Entertainer, Laymen, Healer
Advanced Classes: Warlord, Mist Raider, Necromancer, Hierophant, Earth Mage
Starting Stats:
| STR | INT | AGI | RES | STA | SPL | LFE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Stats | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 7 |
Details
Customs
TThe Sheyka are divided into many tribes none of which are alike the others except the climates that they seem to find as preferable camping grounds.
The Sheyka seem to find the plains lands, the forests, and the mountains to be more preferable climates in which to establish themselves. The plains Sheyka are nomadic never staying in one place for every long they move across the plains of Belariath following the packs of wild horses and the plains animals from which they take their main source of nourishment. The plainsmen normally abide in the teeja or teepee which is three poles lashed together which provides basic support for a piece of animal cloth wrapped tightly around the poles providing shelter. These dwellings are easily taken down and moves from place to place following the tribes life source whether it be the horses or the animals. The Sheyka of the plains society is based around a triumvirate of leaders... A chieftain, A shaman, and a Warrior. The tribal council rules on all major changes that take place within the tribe.
Sheyka follow the Ways of the Protector Spirits. Every member of the camp is given to a Protector Spirit at birth. When a young man is ready to become a full warrior of the Sheyka, he seeks to find a warrior's Protector Spirit. After a fasting and ritual, the Protector Spirits judge whether the young man is worthy then one Spirit will choose to be that warrior's Protector Spirit. Only the worst of acts of dishonor can cause a warrior to loose his Protector Spirit.
Ritual Combat
The day to day activities of the tribe are handled between the tribal members themselves settling small disputes amongst themselves. This is handled in many ways from the trade of goods to appease the abused party to tests of strength and courage. There is no set ways as how to handle these instances where tempers are riled or where a party is hurt but one thing is set into stone no one kills anyone in the tribe without first taking the case to the tribal council and if the parties wish to settle it in combat then the council will reign as judges for the contest of mortal combat. If a grievance is so bad that it is to be settled through the trials of physical combat then these fights are done in three ways- first blood, till yield, or to the death.
The Ritual of mortal combat within this tribe begins with the 2 combatants walking up and presenting themselves and their arms to the council where each man is blooded the blood running down into a bowl where it is collected. The blood is then taken out to where the fight is to take places and used to draw a circle on the ground marking where each fighter is to start the contest. The warriors then retire to their homes for the span of an hour there they are to meditate as their slaves, wives, or spirit women of the clan circle them with incense and take the dyes from plants and draw the marks of the warrior's spirit guardian on their bodies. The time of combat is started by the sounding of a horn at the time both of the combatants exit their teejas dressed in only a loincloth and their weapon in hand and their bodies decorated with the marks of their spirit. The combatants then present themselves before the council again where it is reaffirmed that they will like to go through with this fight. If both agree that yes then the warriors enter the circle and face each other. With the sounding of the horn again both combatants then engage each other and proceed to fight until the conditions of victory are achieved. In the case of the terms of first blood or yield the loser takes his weapon and lays it at the feet of the winner and kisses their feet before standing and moving bowing to the council and then he is free to retreat to his teeja to tend his wounds. If in the case that the loser lost by dieing the victor is to lay his weapon aside and pick his opponent up and take him to his won teeja there laying him inside and then moving off into the are surrounding the camp and build there a funeral pyre to the dead. The council will oversee the building of this pyre and once they are satisfied with the construction of it the victor returns and takes the body of his opponent and lays him on the pyre. There on are his weapons laid, his mask, and his armor all to be burned with the warrior for use in the afterlife. The tribe will gather around the pyre and sing lamentations to the dead for an indefinite amount of time. When the Shaman has deemed the spirit of the departed is ready to move on the victor will move out saying a last word of honor to the dead the pyre is lit. The tribe will stand around singing songs of praise to send the warrior off right into the enxt world until the pyre is but ashes and glowing embers. When the pyre has gone down the ashes of the warrior will be collected and taken to be sealed into a clay jar sealed with wax until the spirit of the warrior is needed again at a later time. The ashes of warriors of the tribe are kept until the time when the tribe goes to war at that time the ashes are opened and mixed with water and made into a paste with which the warriors of the tribe will paint their bodies with. The point of this is to infuse themselves with the blessings of the fallen warrior in combat. The warriors will sing songs praise to the fallen asking the fallen to infuse the warrior who bears his ashes with pride with his strength, speed, and wisdom. The first in line for this honor will be the son of the fallen one of he bore one in his time here with his tribe. A Sheyka tribe going to war is a fearsome sight to behold with their bodies painted in the signs of their spirit guides and the grey ashes of their fallen warriors they almost seem to be ghosts or dark shades riding off to bring retribution to those who have offended these honorable and proud people known as they Sheyka. Many are the enemies who have found themselves looking about for their fellows in arms when the Sheyka ride down on them the sight of so many shades bring a wave of fear with them.
Clothing
The plains Sheyka dress very light when on the move in the warmer months. Generally would probably be loincloths and light leather vests. The warriors will wear their masks at all times when moving about as they are never sure when some stranger will wonder by. When the tribe has stopped for the day and the teejas are assembled it is not uncommon to see Sheyka warriors and non warriors alike walking about in naught but a loincloth. The tribe will normally do it's best to camp near to a source of water. Once the tribe has set up camp for the night they Sheyka go about setting up their teejas. If a warrior has a slave the slave will do this work if not the warrior will do it himself. In order to tell slaves apart from the rest of the tribe, they only have one braid. The rest of hte tribe has more intricate braids, with warriors having the most stylized. The plains Sheyka really have no qualms about being naked in front of each other if the ones who are being seen naked are of age to mate. Outside of the camp Sheyka wear hoods or masks in order for outsiders to not see thier face.
Relationships
Once a female of the tribe has reached the appointed age she comes to be as other cultures call it " married " but to the plains Sheyka it is known as life mating. To the Sheyka the process of taking a life mate is a very serious thing and one to not be moved into lightly. There is 2 ways to be life mated within the society of the plains Sheyka... one is that 2 Sheyka love each other that they pledge themselves to be together for eternity for it is believed that life mates will find one another on the great plains of the hereafter. The second way is the father of a Sheyka child will offer up one of his daughters in offer to appease a debt or as a reward to the warrior who won a fight against the man. If a woman is put into life mating in this way she is expected to stay by her mate in all things whether she loves him or not she is his mate now and forever though in most cases spending so much time with each other they grow to become close if not actually love each other. Once a woman is life mated she is expected to become the more submissive of the pair at least to the obvious public eye once they are inside the teeja that is a different story. The womanly duties include the setting up of the teeja, braiding the warriors hair if he is a warrior and even if not, the upkeep of the teeja, and seeing that their mate is very pleased. The male is to be the more dominant in the tribe or if it is a double female relationship the stronger of the two is decided by a private fight before the council.
The more dominant role of the mated pair is to make sure his mate is taken care of, that she has food and clothing, to be the hunter of the two, and to take place in the matter of combat if it arrives because the pair have offended someone or aggrieved someone. The ceremony to celebrate the mating of the pair is a long affair lasting for 5 full turns of the sun and moon.
The first night is a night of celebration for the whole tribe. A huge bonfire is made and the tribe will gather round it and sing and dance the night away. On this night the 2 that will be mated are kept apart from each other and tempted by the other members of the tribe if either of them fail and willingly give themselves to another then their hopes of becoming life mated are over. The second night is the night on which a large hall is erected near where the tribe has camped it is in general several large teejas all lashed together. The tribe will meet in this hall and there will be a night of feasting and drinking and again on this night the two would be mates are kept apart and tempted again. If all goes well then on the third night the tribe will meet within the confines of the hall again. This is to be a night of special things- a night of storytelling. Each of the 2 to be mated will come forth and give a story of their family or one of importance to the tribe. After the two would e mates have finishes the shaman of the tribe will step forth and begin a tale that will last long into the night- the tale of the beginning of the Sheyka. This is a very important part of this process of life mating as it lets the two life mates know where their people come from and why the rituals are as they are. Once the story is finished the tribe will leave the two would be mates in the large teeja with the shaman. The shaman will take them through the histories of the very ritual they are going through now and explain to them why they must be tested so... this is different than the telling before the tribe this is very direct and to the point almost to the point of bashing it into the would be mates heads. Once the shaman has finished the mates retire to their separate teejas again. The fourth day is a day of celebration akin to the first day though on this day the mates are to remain inside their teejas in deep mediation and in communication with their guardian spirits asking for guidance to make sure this mating should take place. The fifth day is a day of nervousness for the 2 mates as this is the day they will go before the tribe and the council and be bonded together. The warriors of the tribe all dress in their armor and masks and carry their weapons openly. The women dress in their finest attires as they all go out to the area in front of the large teeja that was set up. The 2 would be mates enter the teeja and present themselves before the council either proclaiming they are ready to be joined or the spirits do not will this joining. If it is to take place then they will bow on their knees before the council as the shaman moves about them confiding in the spirits that these two Sheyka are now mated and may the spirits guide their souls together forever. At this point a ceremonial knife is taken and each of the two mates right palms are slit just a tiny bit and they clasp hands. the mixing of the blood signifies that their lives have become one. Once this is done they exit the large teeja and pass through the waiting throng of other Sheyka well wishers and then to the dominant's teeja there inside the prepare for a trip. Once prepared they depart for 3 days into the area around the tribe's campsite there to become acquainted together.
Advantages
Born Tracker
Sheyka are natural born Trackers; having lived and grown up on the move, usually following food sources as they travel. One would think that from the moment they are born, the Sheyka begin training their youth however, it's that intrinsic gift that flows in their blood. Sheyka rate among the best tackers in the lands. No matter the terrain or location, these nomads are able to track a quarry that might otherwise be lost. Where a skilled tracker can follow a trail a few days old, Sheyka can follow one weeks old. Of course, even the most robust tracker will sometimes fail.
OOC Mechanics: The player will do a roll !r 1d10 to determine their success. On a successful roll of 3-10, the sheyka has located the most recent trail and can locate the quarry within a short time. On a roll of 1-2, the sheyka has lost the trail due to some unforeseen circumstance and has gone off track on a wild goose chase and must have a second roll to see if they can regain the trail, a subsequent failure means the trail is unrecoverable and, they must start the search again another day.
Spirit Protector
Sheyka are one of the few races with an intimate connection to the spirit world. When they turn of age they go on a quest to find the spirit that will protect them for the rest of their life. In times past, it would be an animal and, the things they were warned about were how to hunt and when to move on. Nowadays it's usually an honored ancestor that looks over their shoulder. This leads to them having protection when normally they would not. When they are in danger the spirit sends a feeling of unease to the Sheyka and makes sure they are warned. It does not tell the source of the danger, or even who caused it. It's a way to let the Shekya know something is wrong.
Disadvantages
Ritualistic Combat
Sheyka are honorable, and more so when it comes to combat. This means that if they have cause to initiate combat with another, they will seek that person out and demand combat with them. Their honor demands them to warn the opponent. It demands that they at least allow the person they are attacking time to draw a weapon or ready themselves. If they do not allow this to happen they suffer a weakness that comes from going against the Shekya's nature.
OOC Mechanic: It does not cause the Shekya to lose on Initiative. Instead if the Shekya surprise attacks the enemy, the Sheyka gets -5 to their attack roll for three rounds. This penalty will not allow the attack roll to drop below 1.
Death before Dishonor
Sheyka are an honorable race. This boils down to even the spirits that protect them. They are judged all the time, and if found wanting by the spirits they will abandon them until they are redeemed. This does not mean that they cannot rape. Rather it means that the Sheyka will not betray. They will not do anything to harm those who are true to them, or the spirit will leave. When the spirit does leave because of the Sheyka dishonors itself it will do so for a period of time. This period of time is one week to begin with and for each consecutive offense it will stay away for a week longer each time. This means that the first offense is one week, second offense is two weeks, and third offense is three weeks. The time the protector spirit spends away is to allow the Sheyka to reflect on their actions, and atone for their sins. It does not mean they have to become friends with the person they harmed, but just that the act must be balanced out in the eyes of the spirit.
Combat Modifiers
| Type: | Attack | Defense | Init | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloPhy | RanPhy | CloMag | RanMag | CloPhy | RanPhy | CloMag | RanMag | ||
| Sight | -30% | -100% | -30% | -100% | -30% | -30% | -30% | -30% | -50% |
| Hearing | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | -25% | -25% | -25% | -25% | -25% |
| Speech | N/A | N/A | -100% | -100% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Hands/Arms*** | -25% | -25% | -50% | -50% | -25% | -25% | -25% | -25% | -20% |
| Legs/Feet*** | -25% | -10% | -25% | -N/A | -25% | -20% | -25% | -25% | -25% |
|
* Attack/Defense Enchantments are not effected, penalties apply to base stats. * Those temporarily blinded in one eye will receive half penalties for blindness to all attacks. ** All penalties are cumulative. *** Penalties are cumulative per limb. |
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