Silkmen

**Silkmen are not based off or related to arachnids and spiders - they’re alien like and classified as anomalies. Kjell’dari is their native biological name while Silkmen is a nickname given to them by the people of Ludwag.**

Silkmen are a humanoid race with a striking resemblance to spiders that come from the swamps of Western Neo-Keleva. While previously united under one banner, disaster struck, leading to a mass exodus from their homes and sending Silkmen all across Azura.

## Silkmen

From left to right: a Lattish Silkman footman and two Silkmen tribals

## Anatomy

Silkmen hold a slim, tall, humanoid appearance, yet they are a unique race compared to most in the world of Azura.

Silkmen are born from eggs that have been described as “spider egg sacs but bigger”. Often only one is born at a time with twins, triplets, etc. being progressively rare in society.

One of the most obvious traits of a Silkmen is that they have multiple eyes, often four but occasionally six. Their mouths possess rows of razor sharp teeth, hinting at them being carnivorous in nature, but they can eat plants as well.

A Silkman’s entire body is supported by their exoskeleton. The exoskeleton supports their height and future growth of a Silkman, assuming it does get taller. Though the process of getting taller involves a Silkman shedding their skin. Silkmen usually have trouble building muscle than humans, and so many choose to do more intense workouts.

Silkmen also possess a second pair of arms just under the top appendages. These arms can grow as long as the upper arms with age and, when cut off, can be regrown over a long process. However, when regrown, they will always be smaller than before. In younger Silkmen, the lower arms tend to be weaker, yet with age they get stronger (assuming one exercises them correctly) before fully ‘developing’ at the age of twenty-five (once more assuming they weren’t chopped or damaged before then, damage can prolong this development).
Their skin has been described as hairy and somewhat rough. These sensitive, almost transparent hairs across a Silkman’s body can track sound using trichobothria, allowing for extreme awareness in the environment they’re in. On the head of a Silkman, these hairs usually aren’t transparent and are longer, but still remain relatively short. Silkmen have stylized these hairs with mohawks being a common style.

## Dimorphism

Female and male Silkmen look similar at first glance and, for other races, it’s often hard to tell the difference. The main giveaway of a female Silkman is that their lower arms are slightly smaller than a male’s. Silkmen release pheromones that can only be picked up between each other to distinguish their gender of male or female. Silkmen have taken up foreign cultures with females often styling their hair in a feminine fashion to further distinguish their genders to non-Silkmen.

## Psychology

In their traditions, the size of a tribe’s members determines their status within it, but to gain the size they desire, one has to show prowess in battle, but in rare instances they can grow tall due to skills in other fields. Their previous social structure was divided into tribes that were all ruled by a larger government at the time. Each house would actively support each other and maintained a peaceful and balanced structure. Their intelligence is comparable to that of a human, which has allowed them to keep a formal structure for centuries. They believe mancy to be heretical, as to them it is restricted to those with Holy power and strength. Those who practice mancy are therefore ‘docked’, a procedure where the lower arms are removed and capped until the one who has been docked can honor themselves again, where afterwards they are allowed to regrow their arms. To determine the status between docked or those with a regular or higher standing; cloth is an important marker one’s status and has become a staple in culture. Although their society has mainly collapsed, some remain excellent tailors, tanners and weavers and when charged for their services, one can expect royally made clothing. Their skills in tailoring has led to a myth that they can create silk and webbing, which has led to their nickname of ‘Silkmen’.

## History

Silkmen originate from the swamps of Western Neo-Keleva. It is here where powerful Silkmen families would subjugate weaker Silkmen, thus making the first houses of their society. For years, the history of the Silkmen was dominated by small, weak, independent houses. This was until the House of Might united the Silkmen houses through force and formed the First Dalom, alternatively simply referred to as the Silkmen Kingdom.

The First Dalom would spend much of their time fighting off rebellions under the last ruler, who expanded their borders considerably. Though, as he left no heir, the First Dalom once more faced a rebellion that thrusted a new ruler onto the throne and resulted in the virtual collapse of the House of Might. This new ruler, Avroldak Primorium, would found the House of Monarchs and the Second Dalom, alternatively called the Silkmen Empire.

To further consolidate his claims he would bestow the House of Judgement, the government body of the Second Dalom that handled most of the legislative duties, and the House of Winter, who’s members served as the main military force of the Dalom. Avroldak’s reign brought along social and economic reforms that would help the Silkmen prosper for nearly three centuries after.

## Silkmen

Silkmen route to Ludwag

This was brought to a sudden halt recently with a mysterious known as “The Cyclone”, a series of massive hurricanes that shook Western Neo-Keleva. It would completely decimate Silkman society along with the House of Monarchs almost being completely wiped out besides for a figure known as the “Chosen One”. This caused the Second Dalom to completely collapse, and this coupled with all the damages caused a mass exodus of Silkmen. Silkmen moved across all of Azura in this mass exodus with their numbers now greatly diminished.

(For an extended timeline of Silkmen society, go to this document: **SilkmenTimeline)**

## Culture and Language

Silkmen society revolved around supporting their society. This usually means supporting one’s family, and by supporting one’s family they support the house they serve under, and by supporting their house they support the entire state, that being the Dalom. While the Dalom is now collapsed, the key ideals of supporting the family and the house remain. This has also made it so that Silkmen who are not a part of any house are looked down upon, and are even further looked down upon if they have no family or simply do not support them.

Height also played a key role in society. For unknown reasons (it’s assumed hormones), the further a Silkman climbs the ranks of importance within their society the taller they grow. Traditionally, getting a higher rank in society was through combat prowess, yet taking up a trade like metalworking or tailoring also seems to be acceptable. For these reasons, Silkmen often have apprenticeships or warrior training pushed onto them from a young age. However, if a Silkman has no society to bound themselves too, they simply do not grow and remain in a neutral state, no matter if they are good at smithing or tailoring.

Mancy was looked down upon in Silkmen society. Wielders of it were seen as trying to become more powerful than the “King of Kings” (or the House of Monarchs’ King). This led to a process known as “docking”, where a Silkman mancer has their lower arms chopped off and capped by the House of Winter until they honor themselves. These docked Silkmen, known as Grouts, brought honor to themselves usually by serving the state through combat. When the House of Winter deems it fit, a Grout is able to regrow their lower arms and transfer out of that caste in society. After the Cyclone and on Ludwag, the Chosen One would officially halt the process of docking. Yet some radical, independent Silkmen groups may still dock Silkman mancers they come across.

### Language

The native language of the Silkmen is Trilabi. Tribali is a language composed mostly of clicking sounds and throat vocalizations, this language, while extremely difficult to understand for someone who isn't a Silkman, can be taught and learned just as any other. Its syntax is simple, and the pitch, frequency and loudness of the clicking sounds and slight vocalizations form the words and phrases. However, in terms of reading and writing, Tribali has proved somewhat easy to learn as the words are short and lack too much complexity.

“Ver’aq” - Greetings

“Sel’aq” - Goodbye

“Kaj” - Yes

“Fal” - No

“Kjell’Tic” - King

“Kjell’Dari” - Silkmen

“Latt’Kjell” - Splicers