Veitkith

Written by World Smithy

Save for thee and thy lessons, man in society would everywhere sink into a sad compound of the fiend and the wild beast; and this fallen world would be as certainly amoral as a natural wilderness.

— Legate Ecclesius Ausonius Lucero

A Short

“Run!”

Another guttural roar boomed through the shrubbery at the edge of the grotto towards Ysha and Esri. Woven baskets full of plump fruit tumbled from their trembling hands as they turned to run, wet thuds trailing off in the grass behind them. A great axe cleaved through the underbrush as a Mákari, a Bear Shaman, exploded through the leaves. The two women screamed in a pitch high enough to shatter glass, break apart ice floes, and, if close enough, rupture an ear drum as they ran towards Hresha village out of the forest, the brute slowly closing in.

“Esri, don't look back, whatever you do,” Ysha called ahead of her, gulping down mouthfuls of air as she reached for the hilt of a dagger at her belt. “No matter what you hear, don't look back, alright, sis?”

Esri didn't reply, but kept her head forward. She was stubborn like that, Ysha knew—or she was too out of breath to speak. Either way, she knew they both were not outrunning the frenzied Mákari behind them, not with their untested legs. Planting her right foot down in the soft loam, she pivoted on her heel and waited, slim dagger drawn in one hand. Either she would meet the Raven today or the Mákari would, it made no difference to her now. At least her sister would be safe.

Beasts Within

Within the blood, the very soul of every Veitkith, an untamed beast dwells and hungers to be released. Those that are able to control their divine gifts at will are called Blóðveitr, the Blood-Knowers, and are dangerous specimens indeed. In a similar vein, there are those that cannot channel their inherited beasts, otherwise known as Hulthir, the Lost Kin. Each Veitkith harbors traits of their divine ancestry, each one different from the last depending on their beast. Children of Hringsvel have the horns and hooves of stags; those of Hroka's brood are winged and covered in blue scales; Skarnraja's nestlings having shimmering yellow eyes and great feathered wings; and so forth for the pantheon.

Work in Progress

Scientific Name

Diviscarum vestigialis—
Vestigial Fragments of the Divine

Origin/Ancestry

The Divine Beasts