Post by Head Moderator on Jan 25, 2013 15:43:23 GMT -5
Seafolk greet good friends by pressing their noses together, a ritual called hongi. Carved houses serve as centers of meeting and ceremony, often with intricately decorated totem poles lining the paths. The extended family is the basis of Seafolk society. Little distinction is made between 'mother' and 'aunt' or 'father' and 'uncle' aboard a seafolk vessel. A ship is a family unit, it is both their home and their livelihood. Men stay with their family's ship while women are traded between ships. Polygamy is common, and couples who are infertile or have recently lost a child are often given a child by relatives (usually a child of a different race). A seafolk can go their entire lives without setting foot on land. The captain of a ship is always female, and elected by the females of the ship, but it is the men who choose which females will come aboard a ship by choosing their wives. Since marriage is not always a love match, inter-species marriages are not unusual. Children are adopted in such cases.
Seafolk as a rule do not wage war among themselves. They will defend themselves against others, though the speed of their deep sea vessels tends to end fights. In the conflicts of other nations they have a strict code of neutrality. Spellborn are common among the seafolk, but there are few mages or artificers among their numbers. Anytime two ships meet is a reason for a festival. In addition to the six gods of OH, the Seafolk have a strong tradition of ancestor worship. The dead are returned to the sea, and offerings are made to them. They speak "Sea Common" which is very similar to Thieves Cant.
Seafolk as a rule do not wage war among themselves. They will defend themselves against others, though the speed of their deep sea vessels tends to end fights. In the conflicts of other nations they have a strict code of neutrality. Spellborn are common among the seafolk, but there are few mages or artificers among their numbers. Anytime two ships meet is a reason for a festival. In addition to the six gods of OH, the Seafolk have a strong tradition of ancestor worship. The dead are returned to the sea, and offerings are made to them. They speak "Sea Common" which is very similar to Thieves Cant.