Ròn (rɔːn)

"Stay vigilant. Those bastards in Selsdýr will take any opportunity to attack that we give them." - Deòrsa NicRaghnaid

Ròn is a community of Dòbhran Selkies on the east coast of the island of Seula in the Arcaibh Islands. It is one of two villages on the island, with the other being Selsdýr just under eight and a half miles away on Seula's west coast. Selsdýr is an Eyjamaður village with connections to the Kingdom of Suðya. Both villages claim that they are the rightful owners of Seula, and hostilities between the two communities have been escalating for years. Most recently, the people of Ròn have accused the people of Selsdýr of engaging in the Selkie Skin Trade, which they deny having any part in. This accusation has the potential to ignite a larger regional conflict between the Dòbhran of the Arcaibh Islands and the Kingdom of Suðya, which nobody at this point seems to be trying to avoid.

Demographics

The population of Ròn changes through the course of the year. In the summer, many of the Dòbhran will spend most of their time on their floes, fishing and hunting to prepare for winter. During this season, there might be only a few dozen residents of the village, mostly the very old and the very young, although recently there are always a group of healthy adults left behind to defend them.

In winter, the Dòbhran of Ròn return to the village, increasing the population to around two hundred and fifty. All of the villagers are Selkies from the Dòbhran ethnicity, and they tend to be suspicious of other species who attempt to visit.

Government

Ròn is the territory of Clan Raghnaid, and was founded by them centuries ago. The village is run much like other Dòbhran communities, with the clan matriarch holding near absolute authority, tempered by the other clan elders. This system is based in tradition, and is not very formal - in practice, the matriarch's goal is to ensure that the clan survives, and she manages the work that supports their survival.

The current matriarch of the clan is Deòrsa NicRaghnaid. She is new to the role, having only become matriarch when her aunt died last winter. Some of the elders worry that she is too aggressive with the Eyjamaður of Selsdýr, and this may lead the clan into a disastrous war. However, none doubt her love for and commitment to the clan.

Type
Village
Location under
Geographic Details
Location: Seula, Northeastern Region
Latitude: 59.37 degrees North
Longitude: 71.03 degrees East
Routes
Land Sea
  • Selkyre: Sail east towards Motha, and then around the Hoycandle peninsula, past Hoycandle Lighthouse, then west into Selkyre harbor. ~52 miles.

Related Articles

Seula
Geographic Location | Dec 31, 2024

The second-largest of the Arcaibh Islands

Selkie Skin Trade
Myth | Dec 31, 2024

The rumor that Selkies are being skinned for profit

This article is a stub, and will eventually be updated with more complete information. Let me know in the comments if you would like me to prioritize it!

This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
Spooktober Central
Generic article | May 2, 2025

A list of all my Spooktober articles


This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
Spooktober Central
Generic article | May 2, 2025

A list of all my Spooktober articles


Comments

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Jan 8, 2025 23:47 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Definitely feels as though these communities could escalate into war with only slight provocation. :( I do love the idea that the village becomes truly alive in the winter when all the people return from hunting on the ice floes.

Emy x
Explore Etrea | March of 31 Tales
Jan 10, 2025 00:35

Yeah, this is on my list of likely world events when I start rolling history forward.

Jan 11, 2025 18:42 by Alan Byers

I love the idea of an amphibious lifestyle for a sentient species; typically I only see the concept applied to wildlife. Fascinating.

Explore Waking Materia and the myriad planes of the Eridún Crux Region.
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Jan 15, 2025 19:40

Thanks! I was playing around with alternative merfolk concepts a while back and settled on seal-otter people as a fully mammalian version, then made them a little more human like so they would integrate into rpg groups better. So far, they have been a very popular choice for my players.

Jan 16, 2025 13:49 by Alan Byers

I can imagine!

Explore Waking Materia and the myriad planes of the Eridún Crux Region.
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