Lakesiders

Veth, Lakesider Invoker of Zet'tallan

Rovers of the Pure land, first watch against the ever present threat; these individuals  are the scouts and spies of the unda who utilize the lakes and rivers of Haven to access inland areas quickly and efficiently. Lakesiders are able to quickly identify Aether entities as well as items or beings that may have been infected with energies from the Aether through the use of a third eye on their foreheads. This third eye allows them to be much more perceptive to the world around them, but it also causes a great hindrance to them as the use of arcane arts is too intense for them to see comfortably.

### **Art**

A lot of Lakesiders take up weaving, making fanciful fabrics from materials only known to their kin. Many of the flowing fabrics seen on Unda of all types are weaved by these skilled Lakesiders.

### **Appearance**

Living in the lakes, rivers, and other freshwater areas within the mainland of Haven has left the Lakesiders with scales and gills in shades of green or dark red with brown accents to disguise them from those above the waters. Their third eye is their most notable feature, for obvious reasons, and can be slightly off-putting to other races due to the strangeness of it. When on land, Lakesiders tend to wear functional tunics, dresses, or loose pants; they are not around to make a statement, they are merely there to gather information.

### **Cuisine**

Lakesiders maintain a slightly more varied diet than their sea-dwelling brethren. Although they do still catch and eat lake trout and other fish along with plant life that grows along the shorelines, since they reside inland they will occasionally trade with nearby villages for other meats or fruits. The Lakesider’s farming is nowhere near as vast as the Deep One’s operations since they are usually on the move or stationed in a smaller area, but they do have some small fish farms as well as small strips of farms along the water’s edge to cultivate tubers and other plants that thrive in wet conditions.

### **Trade/Commerce**

The Lakesiders have very minimal trade with the rest of Haven, mainly due to being too busy with other assignments. However, they do trade their fish, tubers, and medicinal plants to nearby villages as well as odd trinkets that they find while traveling the rivers of Haven to new destinations.

### **Geography**

The Lakesiders live in the lakes of Haven, having moved there via the rivers leading from the ocean several years after they arrived on Zet’Tallen’s back. They have small villages that are not built for long term use since they are considered to be scouts by the rest of their people, and the first eyes on land to inform their brethren about Aether attacks. Lakesiders are usually always moving and always keeping an ear (and an extra eye) to the ground to pick up rumours, tales, or threats regarding Aether and their towns reflect that. Many buildings lack any furniture besides a bed and a place to store items so that individuals can move in and out with minimal fuss.

The bottoms of lakes usually do not offer up much in the way of resources besides their fish and occasionally useful plantlife for medicinal purposes. Lakesiders will occasionally find and collect trinkets that denizens of Haven drop into it’s rushing waters, but they do not actively seek these things unless it is essential for them to do so.

### **Traditions and Holidays**

* **The Awakening -** A simple ceremony commemorating the point at which a young Lakesider opens their third eye for the first time (this usually happens between the ages of 7 and 10).This ceremony usually lasts no more than a few hours, allowing the parents of the child to call trainers to assist in the opening process so that the young Lakesider is not overwhelmed by their newfound sight. From this point forwards the child will be trained to fully utilize their newest sense and prepare to begin scouting missions.
* **The Bond -** A sacred and secretive ceremony that is held during the conception of a new Unda child where the family and close friends of the couple create a “shell” for this new life to develop within. Seashells, kelp, flat rocks, and other underwater materials are carefully crafted into a protective shell where the combination of a couple’s ethereal energies is placed after conception. This practice is not discussed outside of couples and the Unda peoples, and is generally seen as rude to question.
* **The Departure -** A ceremony of remembrance for when an Unda dies. As a collective, stories are shared, songs are sung, and memories are continuously passed on through the interconnected minds of the Unda while the body of the deceased Unda dissipates into an ethereal smoke. It is known within the culture that an intelligence of someone never actually dies, but is instead recycled back into the collective for them to reemerge at a later date. This ceremony is not usually mournful, and instead tends to be merely one of respect. However, when Unda truly discover how other races die they can be shocked, disgusted, and sorrowful for those who pass on from other races.

### **Military**

Lakesiders are trained early in life to develop their senses in order for them to become more effective in the realm of information collection. While many of these Unda stick to keeping routine information of Haven’s villages up to date, the most skilled Lakesiders are sent to seek out secret combinations and work more within the underbelly of Haven to root out any nefarious information regarding Aether through covert operations.

## **Social Structure & History**

This is a shared structure and history with the rest of the Unda Inquisition