Spriton

The Spriton ("SPRY-ten") Plains are a collection of rolling, gentle hills and meadows south of the Endless Forest. Their golden-green softness undulates like a sea of grass and wildflowers, rife with creatures big and small, scurrying below in burrows and loping above on long, thin legs. Within each valley are copses of trees gathered around brooks and streams, and in one such wood hides a collection of thatch-roofed Gelfling houses built around a central hearth. This is Sami Thicket, the home of the Spriton clan.
The Spriton are a medium-size Gelfling community with some hundred families cohabiting within Sami Thicket and the surrounding area. While most of the Gelfling in the clan live in the homes that circle their hearth and the Pavilion, many homes can be found dotting the hills and fields beyond the wood. These smaller households are often groups of three to six family members, all of whom take part in cultivating the land near their homestead. Produce is then brought into Sami Thicket, where the families are received warmly by the rest of their clan.
The Spriton have the reputation of being territorial and, in some cases, aggressive and combative. However, this was more talk than truth. Although they have some rivalry with their neighbors—the Stonewood to the north and the Drenchen to the south—generally when Gelfling from beyond Sami Thicket came to visit, they were greeted politely and with respect. Keeping face is of great value among many Gelfling and the Spriton are not any different in this regard. In fact, most of the competitive attitudes were found among the youth, as one might find in any Gelfling community. Spriton younglings spend much of their time refining their riding and hunting skills by participating in games of sport such as bola-throwing contests and knock-knee, a race-and-ball game played from the backs of Landstriders.
Spritons hold generational knowledge in high regard. This is true for any Gelfling community; however, the Spriton’s agricultural livelihoods are largely based upon seasonal events—the trine cycle, of course, but also the greater seasons. The memory of one Gelfling is never as strong as that of many; thus, passing on the wisdom from previous generations becomes ever more important to ensure the success of the crops.
Though they are humble, rugged. and independent, their skills as artisans and taming beasts allows them to enjoy a powerful trading empire. Through trade, the industrious Spriton keep many of the other clans clothed and fed.
Dark haired, the Spriton have calloused hands and sun-worn skin. Most spend their lives working the land and can often be seen wearing simple clothing in sedate earth tones that match their pastoral environment.
Though generally peaceful, the Spriton have been known to engage in disputes with their neighbors, the Stonewood Clan But these sprats rarely rise above name-calling and rumormongering. But otherwise, a Spriton can always be relied on to open their hearth and hom to travelers.
The traditional and shrewd Maudra Mera looks after the Spriton from Sami Thicket, a village nestled in a small wood in the middle of the Spriton Plains. Maudra Mera’s approach to tending her clan begins with enthusiastic loyalty to the Skeksis, in exchange for the blessing of their resources and protection. She will do anything to keep her clan safe.

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Daily Life

The Spriton day begins with the suns rising and ends long after the sky grows dark. These long workdays are filled with the many tasks required to keep the Spriton community thriving. The Spriton have sorted their work into three categories, and as younglings grow into the age of apprenticeship, they are selected by mentors and begin training to participate in their work group of choice. Each group also has two elders who sit on the maudra’s council.
The first group are the hearth workers, whose daily tasks are integrated in the care of the hearth and home. This group includes the caregivers as well as the woodworkers who build and maintain the physical homes in which the Spriton live—and also the song tellers who stoke the flames of the Spriton’s spirits and hearts. Finally, the hearth workers also include the weavers, stitchers, and other artisans. Fine crafts and their creation are integral to the Spriton community, as interwoven with the clan’s way of life as the thousand threads of a tapestry.
The second group are the dirt workers, who protect the land and cultivate the many gardens both within the thicket as well as in the nearby fields. Dirt workers keep the oral records of the seasonal wisdom, mark the passing of time upon the sun-sticks posted in the fields, and are equipped with horticultural and agricultural knowledge of countless generations. Dirt workers also tend to the creatures of the surrounding area, including lowland Fizzgigs and Landstriders, keeping track of their numbers and health, and thus, the health of the land.
The third and last group are the path workers. These Gelfling are responsible for preparing, sorting, counting, and trading the many Spriton products. From the fruits of the gardens to sandals, the path workers are strong with numbers and counting, and are well journeyed beyond Sami Thicket and the surrounding area. They are an adventurous, outgoing bunch with sharp tongues and charismatic smiles. There is a saying, “smooth as a Spriton wagon driver,” which certainly finds its roots in these friendly, intelligent folk.

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Spriton Craft

Spriton magic crafts range from woven textiles and quilts to functional items such as spades, hoes, and even weapons—though their metalwork is not as refined as that of the Stonewood or Vapra due to the dearth of materials. Instead, the Spriton work mainly in charmed wood and fiber, and they are experts at using spells to bind substances of both vegetable and animal sources. Spriton wool, spun from the shed undercoats of various plains creatures, is a widely sought commodity, especially after taking dye from one of the hundreds of pigments made within Sami Thicket.
Spriton textiles are easy to spot, with their extensive variety of magic-enhanced colors, visible stitchwork, and embroidery; these elaborate and magnificent pieces are desired even by the Vapra of Ha’rar. Needlework is a talent highly valued within the Spriton community, as it symbolizes how the Spriton view themselves as “stitchers” of the Gelfling clans through their well-developed trade relationships.
Spriton sandals are particularly famous, and a prime example of how the Spriton transform their powerful commitment to their role among the Gelfling into an item that is sought by Gelfling far and wide. Aside from the sandals’ inexhaustible soles, made from wood and leather, the straps and coverings feature intricate exposed threadwork. While sitting with a circle of sandal-making hearth workers, Spriton stitchers intentionally expose the threadwork on their garments and shoes instead of hiding it between the seams. The reason is that the sinews that bind the sandals are the most crucial element of any shoe. Without them, the sandal would fall apart, no matter how beautiful the coverings or durable the soles. Exposing the stitchwork highlights and respects it, instead of burying it within the shoe or seams.
Another example of this can be found in Spriton pottery. To make the clay more durable, Spriton potters often add tangle-weed to their mixture. This is not a process unique to the Spriton; many Gelfling fortify their clay with vegetation. However, when sculpting, the additives are encouraged toward the interior of the clay, or painted over after curing. It is not so with Spriton pottery. Instead, Spriton potters encourage the tangle-weed—often dyed and bespelled with beautiful, vibrant colors—to surface on the exterior of pots. In this way, like with the stitching, the strength of the clay is visible to all who gaze upon it.
Finally, the Spriton are superb instrument crafters rivaled only by the Stonewood clan. The Spriton Lyre is the best example. Most Gelfling lyres, as you know, have six strings, made from various materials, depending on the availability of natural sources. The Spriton lyre, however, has a seventh string, spun of Vapran metal mined from the mountains near Ha’rar.

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Cohabiting with Podlings

An interesting feature I noted in my time with the Spriton is that, while many Gelfling communities are populated only by Gelfling, the busy life in Sami Thicket is much more diverse. Landstriders wander through the Pavilion, Swoothu flit through the skies bearing messages from neighboring friends, and wild Windsifters make their nests among the trees. Even more remarkable are the number of Podlings who not only partake in daily life in Sami Thicket but have also built homes nestled between the Gelfling buildings and in the fields surrounding the thicket.
Podlings have always happily coexisted with Gelfling, whether in the Spriton lands or beyond, of course. Podlings are seemlessly integrated among the Spriton, sharing in everything from farming tasks where the Gelfling and Podlings worked side by side all the way to a boisterous nursery of young Podlings and Gelfling, minded by a stern Podling mauddy. Many Gelfling have learned the Podling tongue, and most Podlings can speak a bit of Gelfling. The arrangement between the two is one not of necessity but of enthusiasm; the Podlings and Spriton truly care for one another, and with great loyalty and joy call Sami Thicket their collective home.

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The Pavilion

At the center of Sami Thicket is the Spriton Pavilion, a clearing that radiates out from the stone hearth at its core. The Pavilion is a wonder to behold, paved with multicolored stones in red and gray and blue, arranged in a complex mosaic that resembles the twisting branches of a tree intertwined with a river. The hearth itself is ringed with a stone ledge wide enough for several Gelfling to stand on, or in the evenings when music is played, for a band to use as a stage.
Here in the Pavilion, the Spriton gather as a community, both on a daily basis to perform tasks that require large amounts of space (such as tanning leather or tending to the Landstriders’ hooves) as well as to observe special events and occasions. The Pavilion is large enough that all the Spriton, including those who do not live within Sami Thicket, can gather. There is even room for the many Podlings.
Supper is also served at the hearth every evening for any who wish to attend. Hearth workers prepare these meals alongside the dirt workers who provide the food, either fresh crops or pickled produce and tubers, depending on the season. Fire keepers manage the firepit, which is large enough that it usually contains several smaller fires, though on special occasions, felled timber is brought in by wagon and a single fire is lit. When this happens, the flames tower above the village, lighting the entire Pavilion in the night as brightly as if it were day.

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Patrons of the Landstrider

The Spriton take the Landstrider as their sigil, honoring its noble disposition, fearlessness, and endurance. Although large beasts, the Landstriders happily wear the saddles as they are treated to fruit and nectar—their favorite meals—for wearing them and accommodating the riders. Many Landstriders are so accustomed to Gelfling riders, in fact, that they whistle and chirp at any Gelfling they see in hopes of exchanging a ride for a delicious snack.
As everyone knows, Landstriders are large creatures and uncomfortable in small spaces (though they do move with surprising stealth and speed through dense forest). While the Spriton care for several large herds of Landstriders at a time, most of this interaction takes place in the valleys outside Sami Thicket, where the earth slopes into several grassy pockets where the Landstriders feel at ease. Here the Spriton have built a few structures to house Landstrider saddles and riding gear, and have erected feeding troughs and dug trenches to bend nearby rivers into the area for fresh water. The Landstriders come and go as they please, many of them find living in the valleys a peaceful and easy life.
Riding is not as easy as it looks from afar. The saddles are made for standing in, with many straps that can easily entangle a novice rider. With such long limbs, the Landstrider’s lope can be jaw-jarring for the uninitiated.
The Landstriders’ most developed sense is their hearing, thanks to their enormous, sensitive ears. This allows the Landstriders to travel as easily at night as during the day: Although their eyesight is poor, they are able to listen to the echoes of their hoofbeats to “see” even at night—not unlike the Hollerbats native to the lightless Caves of Grot. Despite this remarkable ability, however, no Gelfling will recommend the Landstrider as a steed for any nighttime adventure requiring stealth. Their heavy, ungainly bodies can be seen and their loud hoofbeats can be heard from far away.

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Festival of the Sour Squash

Every autumn, the Spriton harvest the sour squash, a fruit of the earth that grows happily in the partial shade of the thicket. The squashes grow from yellow flowers, with thick flesh and rows of black pips along the center that are delicious when roasted. When the flowers are pollinated and transform into their bulbous squash form, they change slowly from green to an amber color. Finally, as they become ripe, they turn bright red. The ripeness of the squash marks the beginning of the harvest season and the coming of winter.
The Festival of the Sour Squash begins with the harvesting of the fruit and the gathering of the entire clan at the hearth. Younglings are given roasting poles heavy with squash, which they roast over the fire until the entire Pavilion is foggy with the sweet-scented smoke. The skin of the squashes grows crispy and flavorful, the inside warm and juicy. Their flavor matches their name; when raw, the sourness of the squash is almost unbearable. However, the roasting brings out a heady sweetness.
The festival celebrates the bounty of the harvest, giving thanks to Thra for its generosity. And so, it is considered very bad luck to decline to share. The roasted squashes are shared with the Podlings, of course, as well as any other creatures attracted by the scent. The tradition is that you must only give the squashes you roast. It is not until one is given to you that you may eat. In their eagerness, younglings with stomachs a-growling run with poles and squash, trying to deliver as many of the fruits as possible in the hopes of being gifted their first of the season in return. They do often discover that the joy of delivering the squash becomes its own reward.

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Life Beyond Sami Thicket

Though most do, many Spriton do not live within Sami Thicket. This is actually surprising, both because it is generally uncommon for Gelfling to live far from their maudra and hearth, and also because of the Spriton’s belief in community and clan above all else. Despite these truths, almost an entire third of the Spriton clan lives in small homesteads built beyond the wood of Sami Thicket—some a distance of more than a day’s journey.
The Spriton who live beyond Sami Thicket are as much a part of their clan as those who live within it. There is no disconnect between the family that lived on the hill and the maudra waiting for them back in the Pavilion. Should they have needed anything, their clan would have provided; in return, they brought vegetables and timber once an unum to provide for the others. And of course, when the entire family made the journey—on special occasions, or just for the practice of traveling—they always arrived to the Sami Thicket Pavilion to a warm and happy reception. Could this be the future of Gelfling life? As the clans grow and spread, certainly they cannot always remain as secluded as they are now.

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Swoothu Training

Swoothu and Windsifters are both creatures that can be trained to carry messages and items over long distances. However, the two have very different strengths; while a Windsifter may reach its destination much more quickly and without fail, they are more aloof, preferring to heed the Song of Thra rather than fulfill more mundane tasks set forth by Gelfling.
Swoothu, as an alternative, are slightly more convincible creatures motivated by food and shelter. They are able to understand some aspects of Gelfling speech, as well as able to remember multiple destination requests. In addition, they are bigger than Windsifters and can carry more than small items or a single letter. This added bulk means Swoothu are slower and can sometimes take unum to arrive; however, many Gelfling prefer them to Windsifters because of their generally amiable dispositions.
The training of Swoothu is something in which Spriton dirt workers excel. Swoothu nests are built throughout the wood of Sami Thicket, allowing the winged creatures to rest after their long journeys, as well as eat, drink, find a mate, and raise offspring, all in the protected safety of the thicket. The Swoothu prefer covered dens high in the trees; in the wild they build such nests from mud and sticks. The Spriton-built dens are crafted from twine, clay, and sanded board, filled with hay and other bedding, which the Swoothu seem to enjoy immensely.
For training, Spriton work alongside several Swoothu at once, teaching them Gelfling language commands in exchange for morsels of roasted fruit. The Swoothu will do almost anything for the treats, flying in complex patterns on their transparent, buzzing wings. The process teaches the Swoothu that Gelfling can be trusted and, perhaps more importantly, the benefit of living among them. As the Swoothu grow older, their adoration of their Gelfling partners is exhibited in frequent visits, even when no messages are being delivered.
When Swoothu are ready to begin their work flying between major Gelfling locations—namely Stone-in-the-Wood, the Castle of the Crystal, Sami Thicket, and Ha’rar—they accompany Spriton traders on their voyages. The choice to depart is always left to the Swoothu. Many young Swoothu are fearful of the area beyond the thicket, but there comes a time when their curiosity exceeds their caution. Many Swoothu will travel with their Spriton hosts for unum before they are ready to make the journeys on their own.

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Food

The Spriton’s long tradition of agricultural wisdom is known by all the seven clans; most of the produce found in larger Gelfling villages originates from the Spriton’s cleverly irrigated fields and robust crops. Thanks to countless generations perfecting the art of gardening and communing with Thra, the Spriton have developed ways to elongate growing seasons and yield bigger crops. They have even found methods of growing fruits and vegetables that do not normally grow in their region, whether due to climate or environment.
Due to the bounty of their agriculture practices, the Spriton’s diet is traditionally heavy on fruit and vegetables. They rarely eat meat, and when they do, it is from a carefully chosen creature that is slaughtered swiftly and with great respect. Living in harmony with plants and creatures is a tenet of Spriton culture, possibly springing from the legend of the Six Sisters, a song that sings of the seven tasks assigned to the first maudra.
Spriton cuisine is often in the form of greens mixed with vegetables and fruits, sometimes marinated in a tangy sauce or seasoned with fire-toasted seeds or nuts. Although the Spriton rarely eat meat, their cheeses are a treasure of great variety, ranging from soft, spreadable kinds to those as hard as rocks and better suited to grating and melting. Such products are widely sought, and fetch good prices, especially in places like Ha’rar, where they are hard to come by.

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Songs of the Spriton

Podling Funeral Song

Tindyebo Bekna Staba doga alori

Shyata-oyo zeshaba aduma doda avi

Yamda bi kiraba Vapa So shi

Dze Aslampia ’pida ya utomshi

Boka babi, yamda shoshi ashao

Ada bao temar mots nyotyano

“Yeta ’pida soraro?” bao temar’ashai

Aslampia shyayo adado vatai

“Apada arwe shi. Apadido dana

Aslam mala-ga sazaba ya Thra”

Within the Endless Forest I wandered

I met a creature dressed in bone white

Its eyes were bright like the Silver Sea

I knew it was Death come for me

I fell to my knees in front of him and cried

Still he didn’t listen to my sad request

“Why me?” I asked in a tearful voice

He sighed before he replied

“I’m merely a servant performing my duty

It is Thra that is calling you home”

The Mysterious Shadows of the Mystic Valley
Somewhat to the north, between Sami Thicket and the Endless Forest, is a natural ravine formed by a long-evaporated river. Here, the rumors go, many Gelfling have spotted strange figures, their spidery silhouettes cast long and dark against the golden walls of the valley. At night, the rumors sing, droning howls and chants echo from within like a chorus of wailing spirits.
The valley itself is quite beautiful, flowing almost like a river and full of stones. The wind calls in strange refrains, rushing through the contours of the ravine. When the suns set, the trees that grow from the top of the ravine throw their shadows along the walls, stretching them in sometimes ominous proportions.
Songs claim the valley is the birthplace of the Hunter, the beast told of in many Spriton and Stonewood tales. One version of this song is one that tells of the way in which the Hunter became such a bloodthirsty ghoul that he used a sharp rock to cut away his soul, rendering him without a heart. His disembodied spirit remains in the valley and moans for his body’s return.

The Hunter’s Knife

Creeping in the shadow valley, the Hunter walks in pain

His bloodlust overpowers him, his rage he can’t contain

Yet even in his breast, a shriveled heart remains

And so he finds a sharpened rock and fashions him a knife

To stop the bleating of his heart every time he takes a life

To cut away the soul that cannot bear his destiny of strife

He strikes upon his shadow, wields the knife upon his soul

Crying tears of misery, longing to be un-whole

Then splits away his heart, leaving red a gaping hole

His severed spirit flickers weak, like light within a glass

Pain and sorrow, heart and soul, forevermore outcast

Through a grin of victory, the wicked Hunter laughs

“With this done, it’s over now—from pain finally free

From one, two made! All split and rent asunder we

No longer whole, no longer us. Now, just you and me”

The Hunter runs and leaves him there, beating out in pain

Writhing with four wretched arms, miserably cleft in twain

Howling in the shadow valley, the Hunter’s heart remains

Day of the Great Sun
Most Gelfling celebrate the Day of the Great Sun with traditional summer activities—carrying water, taking a day of rest, and the like. Among the Spriton, who name this celebration The Longest Day, this event is observed with what they call “sun filling.” In the days leading up to Longest Day, the Spriton cut back the trees surrounding Sami Thicket and remove the thatching from their roofs so only the rafters remain. This way, when the Great Sun takes his longest journey across the sky, his light can fill the homes of the Spriton—enough, the hope is, to last the rest of the summer and through winter until the next trine.
During the course of Longest Day, any old or discarded items that have been cleaned out are gathered in the Spriton hearth and burned. The fire rages for the entire day, in effigy of that which is no longer needed or desired. Finally, homes sorted and dusted and filled with sun, the head of each household takes a small handful of ash from the hearth and sprinkles it atop their re-thatched roofs. In this way, the first coat of dust is a respectful reminder of the old.
Here is a song sung during sun filling, in particular when beating out heavy quilts and mats so they may be filled with sun instead of dust.

Sun-Filling Song

Hey-oh, aye-yo, hey

Blessed Longest Day

Yea-oh, hey-oh, yo

Gray burned up by gold

Fie-fey, hi-ho, fie

Grass of greenest green

Hi-ho, yea-hey, hi

Clearest bluest sky

Mun-yo, hi-ha, mun

Fill up with the sun

Hey-oh, aye-yo, hey

Blessed Longest Day

Nenadi-Staba, The Low Tree
Sami Thicket is a small wood with two hearts; one is the Spriton Pavilion, where the hearth and homes are. The other nexus is a short walk through the wood, where the ground dips lower toward a winding brook. At the bottom of this bowl-like valley is a squat tree with fat, bulging roots and thin, reedy branches ruffled with hand-shaped golden leaves. This is the Low Tree, the Spriton’s patron tree. Its roots are as gnarled as Aughra’s knuckles, rising above the ground so one can wander beneath in a maze of dangling roots and vines. Youngling Spriton play here, and elders meditate in its shade. Sami means “to rest”.

Ode to the Low Tree

Come sleep beneath the swaying boughs

Of the Low Tree in the wood

Roots that bind the earth to stone

Of the Low Tree in the wood

Rest your head on her knee and dream

Oh, the Low Tree in the wood

Water drink up from the crystal stream

Oh, the Low Tree in the wood

Hear songs whispered within the leaves

Of the Low Tree in the wood

Proud maudra of the flower fields

Oh, the Low Tree in the wood

Basic Information

Clan Name: The Spriton
Hometown: Sami Thicket
Region: Spriton Plains
Maudra: Maudra Mera
Totem animal: Landstrider

Colors

Core element: Earth
Clan color: Green
Sigil color: Green
Pennant color: Beige with gold & green detail

Spelling & Style

Noun singular: Spriton
Noun plural: Spriton
Adjective: Spriton

Spriton Character Traits

• Independent
• Hard-working
• Strategic
• Selfish
• ParticularOld-fashioned