The Slegorians

 The Slegorians 

Home Nations/Region: The Greater Island Nations of Ascendant Slegorians

Life span:

Comparable to humans in lifespan, they are considered physically mature in their mid-teens though they generally cannot breed until their late 20’s and their breeding cycle is six months.  Physical Appearance:

Indistinguishable from humans except for abnormally large hands. They prefer to wear loud colors, such as orange, yellow, and bright blue, especially in combination. Due to the warm climate of their island they wear baggy pants that help keep them cool and tight, normally sleeveless shirts that do not interfere with their movement. Jewelry is normally reserved to hunting trophies.

Origin: It is commonly believed that the first Slegorian was the offspring of an Ascendent inhabited by the spirit of the Champion himself through the seed of his avatar, The Marshall Slegor. Though the name of this child has been lost to history, she is revered as the First Matron and her title is often used to curse the enemies of her descendants. (The First Matron damn you and your seed to depths!)  Faith:

Many worship the Champion and his avatars though some Broods have shrines to the Hero as well.

Culture:

This nation resides on a small island off the coast of the mainland. Due to the brutal social structure that focuses completely on warrior pride the population is rarely large. They divide themselves into matriarchal Broods, each named after a fantastical beast or monster. It is a complicated, caste based society made up of four distinct levels.

The lowest caste is made up of two distinct classes, the Unbrooded and the Unblooded. The Unbrooded are the least fortunate of the Slegorians for they are doomed to a life lacking in glory. This class is primarily made up of those not fit to be warriors either due to specific breeding or because they are born of pairings not requested by the Matron. In certain circumstances, a Slegorian who proves themselves too weak to complete their training will be barred from achieving warrior status and will instead be forced to face life as an Unbrooded. While they are not considered full members of the Brood, they are not mistreated. They fill in the many non-warrior roles looked down upon by the Slegorians such as crafters, farmers, and merchants. They are barred from reproducing but in rare circumstances a Breeder will sleep with a skilled craftsmen for the purpose of adding an Unblooded to their House

In contrast, the Unblooded are those Slegorians born in matches approved of by the Matron in order to produce the strongest generation of warriors. From a young age young Slegorians are trained to sail the seas and to fight the monsters beneath its waves. This training is so rigorous that most do not survive to see their Polemistis, the presentation of their warrior name. Only in exceptional circumstances are the deaths of the young mourned for as the Slegorians only find excellence worthy of attention. Upon completing their training they are tasked with bringing a pound of worth flesh back to their Brood. This flesh must be taken from either a great beast of the sea or from an enemy of the Slegorians. Once this task has been completed, they are brought before the Matron and given a warrior’s name.

The second caste are the named Slegorians who are called the Blooded and are tasked with bringing glory to both themselves and their Brood. This is true for both men and women as every Slegorian must prove their worth through combat though the number of Slegorian women is significantly lower than men as only a small handful of girls are born into each generation. Because of this and due to their status as potential Matrons within a Brood, they are given the best training.

The third caste are the Slegorians who have survived long enough to physically be able to breed and have earned enough honor to be allowed to do so by their Matron. When a Slegorian woman receives the gift of Toketos, her first moon flow generally around the age of 26, she becomes either a Breeder within her own Brood with intent to take her Matron’s place or, for younger daughters, they join the Anatorfi with their male counterparts where aging Matrons without daughters of their own can adopt them into their Broods. Similarly, male warriors who achieve the age of 30 and have proven their strength through many exploits are chosen by their Matron to represent their Brood during the Anatrofi and earn the right to father young warriors.

The Anatrofi occurs twice a year upon the rise and fall of Eredon when the Broods gather to compare their strength, resolve disputes through blood sports, and ensure their lines do not become stagnant. In the same way Breeders are chosen by daughterless Matrons, the chosen males regale themselves in trophies proving both their might and cunning and are inspected and auctioned off to become the Brooded whose job is to sire children with their new Matron and her Breeders and train them up in the ways of the warrior. Some identify this tradition as slavery but it is a goal for most Brooded to earn the pampered life promised to them if they are found worthy.

Men can rise no higher than being a Brooded but those few Breeders who prove both their ability in battle and in bearing strong children may be raised to the role of Matron, the highest caste, who is responsible for her Broods standing in Slegorian culture and the management of its stock. Marriage is unheard of in this society as all matings are dictated by the Matron between her Breeders and the Brooded. Any offspring born outside the established pairings for the season are forced to be Unbrooded. Often this means a Breeder found a lover in either a Blooded or an Unbrooded but some Brooded and Breeder pairings grow too attached and attempt to defy their Matron’s desire for them to have children with others. In rare circumstances, a young Unbrooded has been known to perform some outstanding act proving their worth and earning them the chance to train in attempt to become a Blooded.

Few laws govern the Slegorians but when one of these laws is found to be broken they are exacting in their retribution. If a Matron is found guilty of treason, breeding with a non-Slegorian, or using treachery instead of her brood to solve conflicts all who share blood with her in any Brood, no matter how remote, are put to the sword with no judgement. The Matron’s punishment is even greater. The gift that allowed her to rise to her rank is forcibly taken from her as she is sterilized and exiled to the Thirio Trench where it is said the most vile of the depths lay in wait. Little history is recorded of the place as none have ever returned from the Trench.

Brood pride is considered a commendable trait but most warriors will come together and fight for their nation as a whole. This is not true for a Brood said to lurk amongst the people. Away from their island home they are known as the “Deep Calllers.” They have formed fiendish pacts with terrible monsters of the deep, promising their allegiance in exchange for gruesome gifts and foul mutations of the flesh. Many sailors, both Slegorian and non, found somehow still alive and surrounded by the wreckage of their ships recount seeing the prominent black sails and hearing low murmured chants before coming face to face with an unknown leviathan. It is widely believed that they have abandoned the island entirely in pursuit of their own glory but many Brooded advise their Unblooded to tread carefully, even at home, lest they find themselves a member of the cult against their will.