[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/mldj6yC.gif[/img][/center]

[color=337C85][b][u]Name[/u][/b][/color]
The Seolhi
[sub](Shoal-ee)[/sub]

[color=337C85][b][u]Location[/u][/b][/color]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/d1mltO9.png[/img]

The Seolhi are notoriously poor at keeping land that is not coastal, and prefer to spend their winters living on ice floes where food is more plentiful and Dryfolk are further away. Their reliance on the seal as a hunting animal and sailing as a method of travel also leads them to stay as close to the ocean as possible. Because the Seolhi have no true "homeland", many travel nomadically between the Seolhi islands and coastline depending on the fishing season.

[color=337C85][b][u]Background[/u][/b][/color]
Each faction of Aeldarsee fancies themselves the chosen people of their faiths, and the Seolhi are no exception; They were supposedly borne from the sea and lived for some time as seals before being given legs by their moon-goddess [i]Eshkag[/i] and being sent to the land by her will. Early Seolhi legends are recorded in little more than drawings on cave walls, though otherwise the Seolhi have recorded remarkably little of their history. The Seolhi generally prefer to pass down their history and culture with storytelling and depictions of events carved into ivory.

Approximately five centuries ago, the Seolhi developed a written alphabet to mark territory and ownership over property such as livestock, weapons, or boats. Since this development, the Seolhi have changed very little. They follow a Sea King chosen by divine right as they always have, and will one day follow his son. Of the generations of Sea Kings, few have contributed to Seolhi innovations outside of fishing and sailing techniques, leaving the Seolhi on a comfortable stone-age plateau of technology.

That being said, the Seolhi are not without their talents. Through time immemorial, the Seolhi have hunted, fished, and travelled alongside seals. The animal is so crucial in their culture that it has become a de facto symbol for the Seolhi, featured in every facet of their life; A man's belongings are guarded by his seal, hunting is always accompanied by a team of seals, and canoes are pulled by  seals to make sharper turns. The Seolhi breed fat seals to eat, wrinkled seals to wear, and docile seals to ride in warm, shallow waters. As such, it is considered a grievous sin to abuse a seal, leading to a culture of reverence around the creatures -- Rather than as masters and servants, the Seolhi view the dynamic between themselves and their seals as those of mutual beneficial equals.

Currently, the Seolhi are seen as the savages on the outskirts of Aeldarsee society -- Viewed as less of a society and more of a factor in the danger in travelling alone. Seolhi warriors tend to rely on ambushes, traps, and by travelling in large numbers to make up for their inferior weaponry and armor, and though they typically fight swordsmen with clubs made from jawbones and spears of sharpened stone, the Seolhi are typically viewed with a level of fear for their savagery and preference for taking prisoners to use as slaves.

[hider=Appearance]

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/dR97m1S.jpg[/img][/center]

The differences between the Seolhi and outsiders, known as Dryfolk or Wertrak in the Seolhi tongue, are as numerous as they are extreme. As such, they are one of the most easily recognizable peoples, though this is marked through their way of dress rather than their features. For the limited breeding pool they have, the Seolhi are actually remarkably different in appearance from family to family, though it can be agreed that on average, the Seolhi are shorter and skinnier than their well-fed Dryfolk neighbors. Some are tan and dark-haired, others are pale and light-haired, others still are a mix of the two.

However, these features are usually hard to surmise due to the Seolhi's custom manner of dress. The Seolhi cover themselves in a thin paste of ash and mud each morning, which is used to protect them from being sunburned by the light reflected in the snow and water they spend most of their lives near. Aside from their protective layer of mud, the Seolhi will also occasionally cover themselves in animal blood before important battles and hunts, which is used as a rudimentary form of psychological warfare. The men typically cut their hair into short mohawks, while women similarly shave the sides of their heads while keeping their hair long enough to pull into a bun or ponytail.

In lieu of fabrics, the Seolhi dress exclusively in leather and furs -- particularly seal pelts -- which are usually waterproofed with whale blubber. Many Seolhi wear bone and ivory jewelry in the form of necklaces and piercings, which are either in their earlobes or through their nasal septums. In addition to their piercings and jewelry, some Seolhi file their most visible teeth to points. Due to the lax stance on cannibalism held by the Seolhi, many have varying degrees of Hermit's Fever and can be recognized by their yellowing sclera and tremors. This is frequent enough in the Seolhi to make their name in the Skrælingjar native language "Stavkinre", which translates roughly to "Stewers of Kin"[/hider]

[hider=Culture]

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/8ol0h4y.jpg[/img][/center]

To an outsider, from what little is known about the Seolhi it is easy to assume they live short, wretched lives. Their diets subsist almost entirely of fish, scavenged from the shore during low tide, caught by hand, or harpooned with barbed spears of sharpened stone. They have no nets, nor boats any more advanced than canoes, and what little agriculture they have is mostly done by their thralls who formerly worked as farmers. The Seolhi live in mud huts with thatched roofs and dirt floors, and rarely speak more than a few words of the common tongue. Though they are the most primitive peoples, their strange, barbaric customs and extremely territorial nature have always kept Dryfolk at a safe distance.

Seolhi culture is effectively that of a hunter gatherer people, revolving around their domesticated seals. Their dung is burned as a fuel source, their milk is churned into butter, and their speed is used in Seolhi hunts. Even in death, seal meat makes up a staple of Seolhi meals, while their bones are used for medicines and their skins are turned into clothes. Many Seolhi claim to be able to speak to the seals and whether or not this is true, it is unarguable that they are at the very least, skilled trainers -- The Seolhi have taught seals to pull boats, to be ridden by men like horses, and to attack on command. As part of some hunts or battles, Seolhi seals dive down for several hours, and almost always miraculously return being chased by several whales, which they use to capsize boats by darting around the water's surface, inciting the whales to leap up and out of the water.

In spite of their primitive amphibious lifestyles, the Seolhi are not without innovation. They have a complex language with developed dialects, antiquated phrases, and a multitude of idioms and expressions -- The Seolhi language is arguably so developed that it has hindered their ability to speak the common language. Aside from their developed linguistics and storytelling, the Seolhi were among the earliest musicians and artists, and though they lack paint, brushes, or textiles, the Seolhi use squid ink on tanned seal skin to depict events, as well as scrimshaw carvings and cave paintings.[/hider]