Saturnids
The Saturnids are the breed of Gannwyll Gwydd who inhabit Eskern, and are the first known "offshoot" culture. They also inhabit Pestilentia and Sealtland, though many of those in Sealtland identify as Druwits.
Who are they and what do they look like?
- Flesh-coloured skin ranging from pale peach to dark brown, golden tinges
- Their skin often develops rosacaea, freckles, rashes, or greyish pallor
- Their hair greys/silvers early in life, otherwise it is often dark brown/black
- Eyes are usually orange/amber brown, sometimes greyish hazel at lightest
- SOME have compound attributes to their eyes, which causes vision problems
What are their senses or perceptions?
- Create silk from their secretions
- They have extremely good senses of smell
- They tolerate contamination and poison well, their body rejects it and thus they can be poisonous to touch
Where are they in your setting?
- They are everywhere, though different locations have their own distinct (yet connected) cultures
- They mainly live in Eskern and Cargast, spinning environments out of siilk. They also live in Sealtland
- Some also live in Wychazel, so although they are outnumbered by the Larches in the Midlands they do factor into the population there
How do they survive in their environment?
- They thrive through trade and conquest due to their ability to mobilize and coordinate over distances
- They themselves have a limited army and rely on Kubeleya a lot for auxillaries
- Their ability to generate light and warmth through Flint magic does them ample amounts of help
- The most technologically widespread and advanced infrastructure
What is their general attitude?
- Imperialistic and favour assimilation over diversity
- Fertility cults, matrilineal society, gender roles based on fecundity
- Proud, patriotic, often seen as "taking things that don't belong to them" and "changing history to suit themselves"
- Very devout and religious, often proselytizing
- Not concerned with genetic ancestry aside from certain upper castes where fecundity plays a role
- Very welcoming to asylum seekers and adoptees, so long as you follow their rules
How do they feel about the other peoples?
- They feel the other Urkommen are less civilized, and are particularly hostile to many of the Kubeleya
- The one exception to this is the Latrodectes tribe in Rhudd
- They happily assimilated into Larchwold culture and gave birth to the Solanine people
- They have a long history with Cambion and Nachtkommen, that they are always desperate to sanitize as the winds of favour change across the Island
- They are the main maintainers of Hexen and in particular, are seen as the people who created Double Walkers
Culture
Average technological level
The Gannwyll Gwydd are known for their ability to innovate with energy, being the only people who consistently use electric light and heat/refrigeration. They also use radio to speak across long distances, and some areas (typically illicitly) have Far-Sight, which has video communication too. They are also the only culture to widely use computers of any kind.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
The Gannwyll Gwydd follow an agricultural cycle, dividing their festivals by season. They have a 12 month calendar that has an intercalendary month every three years. The months are organized by major tasks for the betterment of the community, similar to the "labours of the month".
There are three major holidays - Gwanwen, the spring festival, Litha, the midsummer festival, and Nymphablot, the culling/harvesting festival.
The week leading up to Winter is known as Maudrawic, and is a week-long festival honoring Carna Penarddun (Khelekeras) the mother of Bel. The night before winter starts is called Maudranacht.
Coming of Age Rites
All uncastrated youth have to undergo a fertility test before their official gender is determined and they are sorted into classes. There is a very strong fertility/virility cult and only people determined to be fecund can be heads of a household/family.
Common Taboos
There is a taboo around the health of hair, and so having your head shaved is considered a harsh punishment. Parents can get fined for not taking care of their children's hair, or for cutting it recklessly. There is a stigma around hair loss and thinning, as it's considered a reflection of your deeds.
Comments