Jadawin
Updated: September, 18th, 1997
Welcome wanderer !
Lay off your garb, cast a spell or two and plunge into the next pond to visit my home.
I hope you're not too surprised to see me breathing underwater (I am a Shuluri, after all).
Since it's highly improbable for you to have seen more of my people lately, I deem it necessary to tell you something of my race.
As rare as elves are among humans, are the Shuluri among the Elder People. We live in secluded areas of the great oceans, close to the surface. No deeper than 25 meters, we build our cities, although I am aware of shuluri structures from ages past that reach down into depths without sunlight. I've seen keeps so immensely huge that their tops are called islands by the unknowing land-lubbers, but of these fortresses, we speak not (Note: I'll add something on underwater-keeps soon.) to foreigners.
Since we love the sun and the moon just as much as our landbound brethren, coral reefs often serve as the foundation for our villages. Growing coral gardens as humans grow flower we decorate our houses with beautiful corals in all colours imaginable. Within a couple of human generations, our cities are nigh invisible among the reefs and sometimes fishermen become our neighbours and live for centuries without even guessing at our proximity.
But even among elven kind, we often roam unnoticed, hiding our abilities and physical features quite aptly.
Improbable as this notin might be to you, think about it for a second of your life. Long flowing garments with shawls or capes hide our gill slits on our necks (A really sensitive spot, as some of my acquaintances [or lovers] have found out over the years.) and our stronger frames and bulging muscles . . . That reminds me of the Bear Tribe Barbarians, sitting and laughing at the corner table of one of my favourite taverns in Norek. They constantly teased the 'whimpy dandelion eater', as they so loved to call me. After I shoved one of them through a table, face first, they curiously stopped laughing at all. But back to business . . .
Now train to hide the slight webbing of your hands by either hiding your hands altogether, moving them sparsely out of the sleeves of your robe or gesturing only with your full hand, not only some fingers, and you are, at first view indistinguishable from an Elf.
Since perils and enemies under water are only comparable to the life of the toughest desert people, the shuluri community is based on sharing all available resources. After all, oceans are essentially gigantic deserts without a single drop of drinkable water for hundreds of miles (even we need sweetwater), filled with death.
Raptors, large as bears, able to smell blood over dozens of miles, faster than a horse, unrelenting in pursuit (yes I mean sharks) allied with their humanoid brethren and trained to attack any Aquatic Elf they encounter are just as deadly as getting lost and falling asleep miles away from land (in every direction).
This philosophy of Sharing goes far ... very far. We do not know the concept of private property as you land people do. For you, it may seem strange, but we share everything we have, whenever necessary. You could describe our philosophy like this:
We have a clear definition of personal property, we trade with other people. What distinguishes our sense of property from yours is the idea of sharing.
Should I really need a not-magical item such as food, weapons, clothing, tools, etc. I may take it without immediate payment or compensation. Magical items require an explicit permission from the current owner. Every good I so take has a specific value in Community Time. I have to work for the community to reduce my Community Time total. This work includes production of goods, guard duty, hunting, and any other productive work. The Arts such as sculpting, composing, singing, writing and magic count as community service as well. As you can see from this regulation, we hold our artists and spell users in high regard. Since Magicians are only partly effective under water (try a Firebolt or Fireball spell ;-) ), most of our combat mages are Archmages or Arcists. Some retained their Mage abilities and substituted a Plasma, Electricity or other Elemental Companion spell list for the Fire Law.
Should the Community Time total go beyond an acceptable measure (usually a year's worktime), a Thing would be called, to discuss, whether I am to be allowed to remain within the community or not. In an Aquatic Elven society, exile means almost certain death or immigration onto the land - a fate, worse than death for some of us. This fate is so very bad for most of us, since we have learned through experience only to trust and depend on our own people.
Well, that's about all about my people, that I intend to reveal for now. You'll learn more over time.
For those, still interested in me, here is a shore survey of my life until now:
I was born 179 years ago in a laege underwater community called Purple Bay in your language. Since Shuluri is a language suited for underwater communication, it is really useless above the surface, so I'll not bother you with the real name.
I grew up as the son of a family of Speakers, as we call our traders, since they have to learn to speak your languages. FOr a community as isolated as mine, traders also serve as intelligence gatherers, simply called spies.
My family was quite respected, and as the time of choosing came, I applied to one of our most esteemed mages. Already at an early age had I shown considerable talent at all things magical, so it seemed a natural choice.
After some years of training, I faced, again, an outraged teacher. He had found out that I had tried to pry loose some information on clerical magic from his library. Not for the first time, he started tiscussing the neccessity of a pure and focused mind. The neccessity to strictly obey the rules of the craft.
This time, I did not remain silent, and in a moment of rage at these stupidities, I told him to stop... which he surprisingly did. A friend of my father, a Magus, had told me a magical Power Word, when I was a small child. In my rage, I had screamed this word at my teacher! I was deadly afraid of the consequences of attacking a master of the Magical Arts.
After he regained his senses, he - friendly - asked me, what I had done, After stammering an explanation, he told me to stay where I were, until he returned.
He came back some two hours later, in the company of a tall Surface Elf in Multi-coloured robes. He introduced us and I learned that this Elf was an Archmage of a neighboring elven tribe.
My teacher had asked this Elf, whose name is Fingolfindas, whether he would teach me the Magic of All Realms. Fingolfindas agreed, but required me to promise, never to stun him, when I was angry with him. With a smile but steel in his eyes, he told me that he would surely kill me. I promised and we took off.
The apprenticeship to Fingolfindas was much more interesting than to my other teacher and the lore he taught me muxh better fitted my views.
But when it came to decide on the spell lists to choose as my Base Lists, I could not make up my mind. I studied in Fingolfindas's library for over two weeks, only to come to no conclusion at all.
After a delay of about six months, I was off to another teacher, a human this time, an Arcist. My restless strife for full diversity of abilities, my inability to decide on one given course ahd lead me to a human!
To reach him, I had to travel far, further away than I had ever been from my people. But by now, I had become accustomed to life on the dry soil and had begun to like the people living there.
By now, I was about 89 and eager to finally finish my education.
I will not say anything about my third teacher, everyone is entitled to his privacy, but after another 12 years, I left, ready to absorb all knowledge of the world.
In the profession of Arcist, I have found my true destiny. I am capable of every magical feat in every realm of magic, if I so desire.
For the next years I travelled the countryside, never looking back, always learning , always searching.
Then, on this one fateful evening, in the city of Ar, I met her. Since then, my life has never been dull again.
Of her and all the things since we met, I'll speak later. For now, I am hungry and will look about for a nice large Blue-Back King Crab. You may very well join me for dinner. I'll see you at the hotel.
Rolemaster Additions concerning Aquatic Elves
| +100 Swimming | Since water is their natural environment, Aquatic elves receive a +50 bonus to swimmung during their adolescence and again +50 during apprenticeship skill development. |
| Max. 4 Skill ranks Survival: Land or Region Lore: Land | During Character Creation, Shuluri characters may only gain up to four ranks of non-water based Survival, Region Lore or similar skills. Although shuluri youths are raised to independance, survival under water is more difficult than on land. Therefore, only extraordinary circumstances allow a shuluri youngster to explore the land in an adequate way (to gain skill ranks) and survive the perils of his basic environment relatively unhurt. Note: This may seem overrestrictive to some GM's, but it does simulate the Shuluri's lack of knowledge on the land-based world and creates a lot of fun catching up with local customs (nudity, eating manners, private property, etc.). |
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