Skridae Legends

Though distaining to deal with many of the inhabitants of the land, the Skridae are nonetheless a respect people. They are reknown as hunters, and are famous for their song, which is made beautiful and strange because Ksridae have three sets of vocal chords that have separate pitches (see Famous Singers below).

Saltwater Skridae
There are four main pods of saltwater Skridae, each clan with distinctive color markings to indicate what region they are from. There are also, notably, two small pods: those of the River Yormin and those of Haavermark Falls.

Skridae are often characterized by purebloods and mixed bloods within their society. The purebloods of which are characterized by having one long tail, and a dark blue entrance to the egg sacs on the chests of the females. "Mixed blood" Skridae, on the other hand, have an anatomy similar to humans with fins running along their arms and legs, and most still maintain their egg sacks on their chest. Other general physical characteristics of saltwater Skridae are the distinctive black markings under their eyes, similar to the predators on land, to protect their eyes from the glare of the sun. Sunlight, being one of the most damaging effects to Skridae's vision.

The average saltwater Skridae is betwen 5'9" and 6'7" tall. Because both males and females are responsible for hunting and providing for their pods, they have muscular frames and learn hunting skills from an early age. Groups are led by Huntlords, and Skridae often target large groups of fish and shark,

The Black Depths
The Skridae of the Black Depths, the northernmost pod of skridae, are rarely seen by travelers, as they live under the Arctic rocks, and the vast sheets of ice that spread from off them. Known during the 9th to 12th Century as being prone to attack ships in order to protect their hunting grounds from fishermen, this pod now generally keeps to itself.

The Wide Breech
The largest nation of any, skridae or otherwise, the Wide Breech wraps around the entirety of the Amriaños, and goes right up to the Western Kingdoms on one side, and the Eastern Kingdoms on the other.

The Red Tunnels
Just off of the southern lands of the Amriaños, the Red Tunnels are called so both because of the powdered red coral that is the result of the high-pressure waterway that leads from the Ice Spires to the mouths of the Red Tunnels. They are a series of deep grottoes that are heated yearound by the magma bubbling under the ocean floor, hinting at the expansion of the volcano chain to the south.

The Ice Spires
A volcano ridge whose oldest (and inactive) peaks begin somewhere in Nyaliri-Mikano, the newer, more active volcanoes on the other side of the ridge are in the Ice Spires. The ridge surrounds a deep underwater well at the southernmost point of Itaedia, where the freezing temperatures solidify the mixture of saltwater and magma into spikes even as they shoot up from the ocean.

Freshwater Skridae
In large bodies of freshwater, such as the Centre Sea and the River Roaring, large clans of freshwater Skridae have lived for generations. They have been, by men subsequently drowned, likened to salamanders instead of fish. They have four limbs, but are bipedal, and also differ from their salwater cousins in that the females have an eggsac upon their chests which is pink, sometimes red. Unlike the saltwater Skridae, the freshwater ones have slimmer bodies meant more for deep diving and swimming up rivers. Also, their culture is based more on farming rather than hunting, with under water and above ground plots around their lakes and rivers.They also tend to be more secretive, only letting their songs be heard by others in times of joy and mourning.

The River Fhir
Located in Gallia, the River Fhir is known for its

The Lake of Tears
Found in Eshira, the Lake of Tears is the largest lake in the Afrik Isle, and

The River Whystern
Cutting through the heart ofthe Black Forest, the pod of the Whystern is small, but highly regarded among other Huntlords who have traveled there.

The Roarering
Running straight through the Golden Plains, the Roarering is sacred to the Yoonda tribes of the Golden Plains, and they have a long history of respectful trade and alliance with the skridae of that river.

Xic'naotpiclahn
The hot waters from the Ice Spires in the south cool off as they travel up into the Red Tunnels, and lose speed once they enter into the jungles of Hc'rltopotl, where the Xic'naotpiclahn spreads out into hundreds of branches that meet and cross and split among the stone walls of the Nygarian cities.

Komonsai
The only real lake in Nyaliri-Mikano, Komonsai skridae are especially known for painting their scales different colors to compliment the aquatic flowers in their gardens.

Courtship and Child Rearing
Because of their lives being nearly twice as long as humans, the need for mating and reproduction is very low in skridae pods. The course for courtship alone is rigorous and follows strict ettiquette. It is not only males who have to compete, but females as well. It is this rigorous tradition that is credited to keeping pairs bond for life, and secure the strongest and healthiest of children.

Courtship
The rutting season only occurs every three years and begins with males and females seperating, and intesively trainning for competition. Many sailors and spectators often travel for days to see this display, and is credited to being something of an Olympics of the Seas. After strength, agility and dexterity trainning for at least thirteen days, as customary,the mating competition actually begins.

For the next thirteen days, the atmosphere almost becomes an epic battle, with males and females nearly killing eachother for the chance to mate. Both genders are extremely competitive, looking for the bravest and strongest of mates securing the best children. Once most of the damage has been done and pairs have broken off, the courtship between pairs begins.

The final thirteen days consists of the courtship rituals, which involve gifts, song and feats of bravery. In the year of the Red Moon, a young male by the name of Toushuun attempted to impress a potential mate by battling an orca whale. Despite losing an arm in the process, he was able to claim his bride and produced nine children with his three brides (a feat amoung skridae, who rarely have more than three). If both the male and female are impressed, than the two will pair for a brief period. However, it will be another two years before the pair will actually begin to reproduce.

While some pair stay together, the notion of romantic love does not truly exsist in skridae culture.

Famous Singers
Several half-Skridae and those with SKridae blood have, due to the singluar nature of their throats, won some great fame on land as singers. Two such famous singers are Metraartha the Beautiful and Lady Odette.

Metraartha the Beautiful
Metraartha was the daughter of the Yetiess Gramuuuungh, of the Herd of the Warm Stones, and the Skridae Huntlord J'imorphikakt, of a saltwater pod of the Black Depths. Sailors would sail form all over Scandala and Iriiv to hear her sing on the shores of the Arctic, where she dedicated most of her melodies to the moon and the Lights of the Long Night.

Having attracted the attention of some of the Elite of Goroth, a party of dignitaries and their wives famously made a voyage in order to hear Metraartha sing. Moved by her voice, which sang in mezzo-soprano, contralto, and tenor, the ladies of the dignitaries offered to bring Metraartha to Krythrnn Poc with them. The journey would take her through Goroth, Scandala, Porchiis, Eshara, Libain, and the Ghobi Wastes. Enthralled by the prospect, Metraartha agreed on the condition that she may return home.

The journey began with much pomp and circumstance, and letters came pouring in for Metraartha, requesting that she return home by way of The Star City, Aukland, Nyaliri-Mikano, the Black Forest, Kgik, and Yazorah, so that they too could host her and hear her voice. It was during the first stage of her tour, in Porchiis, that she was given a circlet of mother-of-pearl and called Metraartha the Beautiful. As Porchiis was considered the capital of opera, art, fashion, and all similar facets of culture, the name became official.

On her way along the White Path to Krythrnn Poc, Metraartha heard of the divine Giants of the Ghobi, and wished to pay her respects to them. The detour took them to one of the smaller monastaries first, and Metraartha, mystified by the Giant's chants, asked to be taught some of them on her way to the Grand Temple. One of the monks there, Olongin, volunteered to both be their guide and her tutor, and they set off.

As Olongin taught Metraartha, love blossomed between the two, which was forbidden among the monks there. Upon reaching the Grand Temple, the Fathers could see what had happened, and forbade Olongin from leaving the Great Temple, or from interacting with Metraartha further. It was a very sad departure from the monastary, and before her traveling party had left, Metraartha called out to Olongin on the steps of the Great Temple and swore to Mother Cold that she would marry him and bring him to the Warm Rocks.

Regrettably, Metraartha was neither to ever wed Olongin nor return to the Arctic Rocks. Upon leaving the Star City, her traveling party was beset by bandits, and she was killed. Hearing of the disaster, Olongin hunted down the riders responsible and killed them, which forced him to leave the Cult of the Friars. He took Metraartha's body and went into the wildest parts of the Ghobi Wastes, and it wasn't until ten years later that he would hear the pleas of Metraartha's family and give them back her body for burial. Olongin committed suicide soon after, and his body, curiously, was so preserved by the sands and the heat that a mournful wind howls through it where it rests in the Wastes.

Lady Odette
Raised by her mother, Huntlord Riiguna, off the Moon Rocks in the Great Reef of Aukland, Odette was destined to be a great Huntlord of her people. However, at the age of twelve the Prima Ballerina of Zakav, Yana Rivelda of House Rivkt, discovered her singing when she was vacationing on the Aukland beaches. In particular, Yana Rivelda was impressed by Odette's eyes, which she recognized as the golden amber of the Wolf family, of the House Von Brakkish. Despite precedence, Riiguna allowed her daughter to leave the tribe and explore the world of men, giving Yana Rivelda tokens of introduction to Odette's father, the famous composer Herr Aladrich Wolf. It was he who gave Odette her name, as her traditional Skridae name was unpronounceable to him.

As the last in the Von Brakkish line, the aging Herr Wolf showered all of his affections upon his regained daughter, composing complex pieces for her to sing in her three voices: soprano, mezzo-soprano, and alto. He even famously began an opera, tragically unfinished, about his lover Riigunda. The opera is written to be sung entirely by Skridae, and was meant to be five acts, though only three are written. No other such opera has ever been known to have been attempted.

Her first performance was in a revival of Mozart's The Magic Flute in the role of Pamina, at the age of seventeen. In her aria she enthralled the audience by performing in all three of her voices. It been the first time in years that a skridae of this talent had performed, and her reception with the public went wild.


 * Odette quickly rose as a star in the opera world, and in particular was favored by the courts in Scandala, Porchiis, and Zavak. Memorably, Odette was openly courted by the famous war hero Sir Bascot Gruber before he was called into service on the front lines of the War of the Visitor, on behalf of his oaths to various clans of WereKin. Regrettably, at the height of Lady Odette's career her reputation was marred by scandal, and she disappeared into obscurity.

Oral History
It is somewhat remarkable that both the freshwater and saltwater clans of the Skridae have similar origin stories, there are a few marked differences once the legends reach into the time when the two split. While no one is quite sure where the Skridaie people first descended from, there are a few versions of this story...

It was said long ago, the mother of all living things and the seven seas, Nyai Roro, gave birth to seven immortal daughters. Each was stronger, wiser and more beautiful than the rest. Nyai Roro gave them magic, and told them they were to guard the souls of the dead, and guide them to the Spirit realm. She warned them not to get involved with the affairs of man, for they were mortal and full of folly.

However, the seven daughters each grew lonely, and began to take up human lovers. When their lovers and children began to die, they wept. So they split their lives and began to share their immortality with them. When Nyai Roro learned of what her daughters were doing, she was enraged. She began to kill off the half-bred offspring one by one, so her daughters, their husbands, and their remaining children began to fled to the sea. They all drowned, and Nyai Roro wept for what she had done to them, so breathed life into them once again and their spirits became one with the water. She placed each daughter and their families in each of the seven seas, so they could continue their work of protecting the souls of man.

Haavermark
Though they tend to not pay attention to the dealings of land-dwellers, the Breechlords of Haavermark present a special case to the Skridae. Recently become a haven for Skridae outcasts and the more violent skridae halfbreeds, Haavermark was built right around a reef held sacred by the Skridae of the Wide Breech. Moreover, the Breechlords of Haavermark frequently stir up bad blood between the saltwater pods, and there are few Huntlords who haven't sworn vengence on some Breechlord or other.