Poseidonus satyrs Ethnicity in Scarterra | World Anvil

Poseidonus satyrs

by Eron12 with Hero Forge
"The only thing worse than a bunch of horny sailors in my bar is a bunch of horny sailors in my bar with actual horns."   -Glimmermoon, bar wench
  The Poseidonus satyrs, colloquially nicknamed "Sea Goats", is a greater herd of satyrs that love the sea. While widely scattered, these satyrs work hard to maintain ties of kinship with their fellow Sea Goats.   Most of Scarterra's main shipping lanes are near the equators so most Poseidonus satyrs have co-dominant watery and fiery traits. This set them apart from physically from the earthy/airy satyrs which are found inland.   A lot of Sea Goats are sailors, fishermen, or pirates out to see the world from a ship while others settle down in busy ports and seek stable jobs in areas where the clientele is a rotating roster of sailors, fishermen and/or pirates.   It is uncommon to find a sailing ship crewed entirely by satyrs or a seaside business staffed entirely by satyrs. Most Sea Goats are most comfortable working with a menagerie of different peoples.   Poseidonus satyrs are pretty well assimilated with human, elf, and dwarf sailors and dock workers and the satyrs embody a lot of general stereotypes of sailors. They are fond of heavy drinking, superstitious, tall tale weaving horn dogs. No sailor looks at the waves with more longing to glimpse a mermaid than a satyr sailor.  

History

  During the Second Age, the Island of Lunatus had some of the most sexually liberated music loving elves in all of Scarterra, so satyrs liked to visit the Lunatan elves often.   During the Second Unmaking, almost every satyr with access to a boat headed for Luntaus and the elves were happy to have extra bodies to fight off the Void demons.   After the dust settled from the Second Unmaking, The Kingdoms of Lunatus became very conservative very fast, morphing into the grey elves of modern times. The cozy relationship between the elves and the satyrs of the island soured. The satyrs took to the seas again, a few resettled elsewhere but most kept plying the seas for generations.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Posideonus satyrs usually learn Elven as their mother tongue.  Given that they travel so much, most Sea Goats make it a point to learn a great many languages.   Since the Sea Goats rely on letter drops to keep in touch with their kin, Poseidonus satyrs have a high rate of literacy relative to other satyrs and most seafaring humans.

Culture and cultural heritage

Like most satyrs, Sea Goats are usually musically inclined.  Scarterrans does not have accordions, so Poseidonus satyrs use older instruments.   Flutes, pan pipes, and fiddles are popular instruments.  Percussion is often accomplished by rhythmic stomping of goat hooves wooden decks or floors.
Comissioned Male Poseidonous Satyr by Zeta Gardner

Common Dress code

female Poseidonous satyr by Zeta Gardner
Regardless of what they do for a living, Poseidonous satyrs have a cultural norm to dress flamboyantly.   Most satyr sailors dress practically but they have a lot of trinkets that are good luck charms and souvenirs from their travelers.  Satyrs that live shoreside still collect a lot of eclectic trinkets from sailors.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Poseidonus satyrs maintain ties with their distant kin through a complex series of letter chains.  Most letters are open letters written to every Sea Goat and posted in satyr hang out spots across ports.  Satyrs stop in to read or leave messages as inspiration takes them.   A common phrase when two Poseidonus satyrs meet for the first time "Hey, I remember reading your letters!"

Birth & Baptismal Rites

On a satyr kid's name day, the Poseidonus satyrs commonly baptize the infant with salt water.

Coming of Age Rites

Poseidonus satyrs are pretty informal about coming of age rites.  A satyr young adult of the age of majority is expected to spend at least six months of their adolescent life on a sailing ship and that is assumed to be adequate seasoning for them to be an adult.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Satyr sailors bury their dead at sea following the funerary customs of the humans or elves they sail with.   A couple times a year, Poseidonus satyrs will gather at prearranged times to have memorial services for all the satyrs who died since their last funeral.  These memorial services follow the same general pattern of other satyr memorial services:  respectful silence followed mournful dirges followed by a wild party.  The only difference is there is usually more than one subject being honored and there is rarely a physical corpse present because they were alreaddy given to the sea in separate funerals.

Ideals

Gender Ideals

For the most part, Sea Goats don't differ a lot along gender lines.  Both he goats and she goats tend to be superstitious, salty talkers given to hyperbole.   There are male satyrs work shoreside there are female satyrs who are full time sailors but the majority of male Sea Goats work on ships and the majority of female Sea Goats work in ports.
Encompassed species
Languages spoken


Cover image: commissioned Posiedonous Satyr couple by Zeta Gardner

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