Isetsu
Isetsu are a hardy and enigmatic species of crabfolk that dwell primarily in the coastal reefs and deep trenches of The Sapphire Sea and Azure Ocean. With chitinous shells ranging in hues from sapphire-blue to stormy gray and blood-red, Isetsu possess a formidable appearance — their limbs ending in strong pincers, their faces marked by rigid mandibles, and their backs protected by ridged carapaces adorned with barnacle-like growths or coral patterns that signify age and status.
Culturally, the Isetsu are a people of deep tradition and silence, preferring measured words and meaningful rituals over excess and frivolity. They believe in the sanctity of cycles — of tides, life, and time — and often use tidal patterns to guide their calendars, ceremonies, and even war strategies. Great decisions are made during high tide, births are celebrated at low tide, and the passing of a soul is mourned only when the moon is full.
Isetsu settlements are often constructed among coral reefs, cliffside crevasses, or underwater ruins, their homes shaped from stone, coral, and polished shell. These aquatic bastions are self-sustaining and fortified, warding off abyssal threats and sea leviathans. Some of their cities are mobile, built atop the backs of ancient sea turtles or submerged constructs known as driftforts that move slowly across the ocean floor.
The Isetsu have a deep respect for ancestral spirits, often invoking their blessings through shell-etched runes and songs performed with clacking claws and conch-horns. Their shamans, called Tidecallers, are said to commune with the ocean itself, drawing power from deep currents and the echoes of sunken worlds. While Isetsu are not overtly hostile, they are wary of outsiders and slow to trust, viewing rapid change as dangerous and disrespectful to the rhythm of the sea.
However, when their territory is threatened, or an oath broken, Isetsu warriors become a tide of vengeance. Clad in coral armor and wielding weapons crafted from volcanic glass, shark bone, and pearlsteel, they fight with calculated brutality. Many captains fear earning the ire of an Isetsu flotilla, for when the crabfolk march, they do so with the weight of the ocean behind them.
Some Isetsu have begun trading or journeying beyond their reef-cities, particularly since The Fracture War disrupted many of their sacred underwater pathways. These wanderers often serve as enforcers, artisans, or deep-sea guides, ever carrying fragments of their homeland in the form of carved shells, salt rituals, and songs of the endless tide.
