The Ses'h are insect-like humanoid creatures known for their ability to walk on water, found only in the swamps and wetlands of northern Orela, particularly the Hooktongue Slough region of Alterra Vita.
The wide stance of a ses'h’s four legs displaces its weight over any body of water by maintaining the surface tension with a cushion of air trapped beneath several small ridges on each foot. While not dissimilar to the motion of minute water-striding insects, for ses'h the motion is aided by some manner of innate magic or other supernatural relationship with the water. Regardless of the source of this ability, it allows them to literally walk on water, though they can also fully submerge and hide below the surface if they desire.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A narrow, beetle-like creature with four brown, spindly legs. It stands just over five feet (1.52 meters) tall, holding its head and thorax upright and possessing two clawed forelimbs. Powerful mandibles adorn its mouth, with two reed-thin antennae upon its head.
Genetics and Reproduction
Ses'h reproduce during specific seasonal and astrological cycles that occur only two to three times during their entire lifespan —detecting their moment of peak fertility through changes in the weather and tidal effects upon large bodies of water. Thereafter, pregnant females lay a clutch of four to ten eggs, keeping them submerged and guarding against predators until they hatch six months later.
Growth Rate & Stages
The younglings cling to their mother for the first three months of their lives as they learn the rudiments of survival and socialization within their tribe. Unfortunately, predators (intelligent or otherwise) often view ses'h eggs and younglings as easy prey. Hatcheries suffer attacks by crocodiles and giant frogs, while birds of prey, boggards, and human hunters pick off younglings who stray from their mothers on the open water.
Ecology and Habitats
Ses'h can survive in all but the coldest of climes, living their entire lives on the rivers, lakes, and bogs where they make their homes.
Dietary Needs and Habits
A ses'h’s diet consists almost entirely of meat. They routinely hunt for fish, crustaceans, or snakes, and occasionally hunt for birds, giant wasps, or dragonflies. They particularly excel at spearfishing and snaring airborne prey with thrown nets.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Ses'h are limited in distribution to the wetlands of Orela, specifically the Hooktongue Slough of Alterra Vita.
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Ses'h society focuses primarily on survival due to the depredations of natural predators and wars with lizardfolk and boggards. Each member of a Ses'h tribe, both male and female, learns to defend the tribe at the earliest possible age. In addition, everyone must develop a skill that contributes to the community’s prosperity, and by extension, the continued survival of their species.
Females serve as the builders of Ses'h society. They weave large mats of reeds, rushes, and netting that they coat in waterproof tree sap to trap pockets of air below the water’s surface where they can safely build and hide their villages. When not looking after their young, the females continuously expand or replace flooded sections of these communities. Meanwhile, male Ses'h act as hunters and gatherers, bringing back enough food to last through harsh winters and times of drought. They also scout the waterways for threats to their community, leaving those who pass through their territory unmolested but fighting off those who attempt to stay or exploit the same resources they depend upon. Frequently small bands also venture far from their native lands, seeking to find new, uninhabited waterways where their imperiled communities might be left in peace.
Seer-queens rule over multiple Ses'h communities to form secluded tribal unions, acting as religious leaders and reading the river currents or tides to divine the will of their gods. Because seer-queens lose their personal markings like any other elder, they are difficult to distinguish from the rest of their community. They often use this advantage to hide among their own people, both to thwart those who would target them and to mingle more freely among their subjects.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Ses'h are traditionally solitary creatures, rarely gathering in pairs or bands of three to twelve. One rare settlement of Ses'h exists south of Hooktongue Lake, known as Tok-Nikrat.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
As a result of their reproductive challenges, ses'h struggle to keep pace with other swamp-dwelling cultures, suffering through periods of decline and near extinction. These difficulties make them increasingly insular and territorial, meeting interlopers with spears more often than diplomacy.
Scientific Name
Reference Race: Bog Strider
Lifespan
Ses'h who survive into adulthood can live up to 60 years.
Conservation Status
The Ses'h are limited to less than three-hundred remaining individuals, down from a peak of nearly two-thousand.
Average Height
5'0" to 5'5" or 1.524 to 1.651 meters
Average Weight
135 to 150 pounds or 61.234 to 68.038 kilograms
Average Length
3'7" to 3'9" or 1.09 to 1.14 meters
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Each youngling develops a varied pattern of mottled gray and brown coloration across its carapace, uniquely distinguishing it from others. These spots tend to fade as ses'h age, causing their elders to all look alike.
Comments