Selchi

The Selchi are a large, family-based society of hardy warriors. They are renowned for their large and bustling cities, their seafaring skill (shallow seas only), their trade and craftsmanship, and their constant warfare with one another.

Appearance

Selchi are tall, with women being around 5' 8 and men around 5' 10, and always quite thin. They are almost universally blonde, though eye color varies. Hair is worn short on men and married women - unmarried women wear long braids. They dress in stiff, hardy clothing of ornate design. Families wear their colors, the lower class wears browns and other base tones - their clothes are never dyed.

Society / Government

The society of the Selchi is dominated by the 19 families - 17 landed and two landless (see below for details). These families are really more like clans, as they include many many people in an extended line, and intermarriage is common due to the large pool.

Only members of the 17 families are permitted to own land, and only those who are members of the 19 have a last name. Everyone else is either a merchant, a craftsman, or a farmer - all of them live on land owned by the families. This is especially important to farmers, as they are working the land of their lords, and the lord has final rights.

At the top of the social ladder is the Lord, or Principe, of each family. He technically owns all of the land owned by members of his family. He has absolute control over all family matters, over everyone in the family. He will often arrange marriages, start wars, decide policy - He is essentially the king. Internal squabbles are common, so he will often have members of his own family killed or exiled for various reasons. Exile for a set number of years is common, but a very harsh punishment is the removal of one's name, casting you out of the family and into the lower class.

Directly below the Principe are his heirs. He usually has more than one named (often five or more, sometimes into the twenties), so that he does not have to worry so much about being killed by one of his sons. He keeps his actual choice secret in a prearranged, guarded spot, to be revealed upon his death. For this reason, his heirs must all try to curry favor, whereas if there was one they might just kill him to assume the throne.

Below the heirs are the Favori, a selection of a few hundred special retainers to the Prince. All heirs are automatically Favori as well. Favori have a number of special rights, including the right to use bows, swords, and marry multiple women. They also have dispensation to kill anyone not in the family unless they are specifically ordered not to. The Favori are usually easily identified, by some special mark or other sign, depending on family.

The next class down are the rest of the family. They are generally aristocrats, artists, skilled craftsmen, professionals, and sometimes merchants. They rule the city and compose the main force of the army. They are allowed to use, own, and carry any weapons except for the sword and bow.

The lower class, or the Nameless (because they have no last name), are all others in the society.

Role of Women

Blah blah blah.

When a woman's husband dies, however, there is actually a legal and religious process, called Oltus Muti, that allows her to officially become her dead husband, though it is very seldom performed. After a complex ceremony, she ritually disfigures herself in the manner her husband died (if beheaded, she will scar around her neck - if shot with arrows, she will scar the location of the wounds). She takes on his appearance - this includes adding identifying marks, such as scars or birthmarks, adding false facial hair, and dressing in his clothes. She legally takes his name and control of his estate. If he had any other wives, she is now married to them. In the eyes of the state, the people, and the entire society, she is now her dead husband.

There are some cases of a daughter performing the Oltus Muti, but this is very rare.

Skills

Profession

Common divisions of Profession are:

Knowledge

Common divisions of Knowledge are:

Perform

Common divisions of Perform are:

Other

The Selchi are primarily seafaring people - they have few animals and are actually afraid of horses. Thus Handle Animal is a very rare skill for them, and ride even rarer.

On the other hand, they are all good swimmers - all but the most indolent will have several ranks in Athletics (Swim).

19 Families

Landless

Spada Selchi

Mercenaries