Scothyr

## Description:

The Scothyr, or the Raandeese in their native language, are a race of bipedal aquatic humanoids native to the Elemental Realm of Water that resemble sharks in some physical features. Being sharkmen, the Scothyr are a water-dwelling race that cannot survive above water for more than a day at a time; similarly, living in freshwater will make Scothyr sick. While they are not native to the Material Realm, Scothyr are relatively common sights on Earth's oceans, especially in the Atlantic Ocean and the oceans of the Continent of Pilbo and its Drahran Archipelago. Scothyr are also known to have many settlements in and around the Bermuda Triangle, and are frequently blamed for many of the disappearances within that anomalous zone. Scothyr are generally larger than humans, standing at around six (6) to seven (7) feet in height and weighing in at around two over three hundred (300) pounds; Scothyr are physically imposing carnivores with a taste for humanoid flesh and naturally powerful, athletic bodies with large amounts of muscle mass.

Scothyr eyes are usually black, grey, or reddish in color. Unlike most other aquatic races, Scothyr lack body hair entirely, their shark-like hides smooth and durable to resist the pressures of the deep, cold oceans; Scothyr skin ranges in shades of blues, greys, whites, etc., with most Scothyr being two-toned like the sharks of the Material Realm, allowing them to blend in with the water from above and the sky from below. Occultists and JPCU researchers propose that the Scothyr are genetically similar in some ways to the Deep Ones, although no link has been identified.

Scothyr are considered physically repulsive by most other races of K2. Their consumption of humanoid flesh and violent, unpredictable behavior only add to their poor reputation, compounded by their nature as foreigners to the Material Realm. Most other races, particularly the Sea Elves and Atlanteans, consider Scothyr to be monsters and abominations; Sea Elves and Atlanteans actively wage wars against the Scothyr in an attempt to rid Earth's oceans of their corrupting influence and occult practices.

Scothyr are generally considered to be slightly less intelligent than the average human; the animalistic instincts of the Scothyr, combined with their hostilities towards other races and the hindering Psionic influence on their minds by the Kraken, leave them with little interest in technology or great feats of mental acuity. Might makes right in Scothyr communities, all of whom sustain themselves primarily by raiding coastal villages/towns/cities of other races and hunting the few fish that dare swim too close to their residences. Scothyr are also thought to be exceptionally unwise, their savagery and disinterest in social development removing any desire or need for philosophy or deeper questions; their gods (and Kraken) provide the answers they need. Scothyr are a technologically inferior race compared to most others, relying on scavenged metals to supplement their seashells and whittled rocks; their armor commonly consists of scavenged materials stolen from raids or torn from the rusting hulls of shipwrecks, and they frequently destroy sources of electricity whenever able. Scothyr, like most sharks, possess a degree of electroreception which is believed to drive them into a kind of frenzy when overwhelmed with the powerful electrical signals created by more advanced pieces of technology; it is unknown if this aversion to electricity was a purposeful inclusion into their genetics by their gods or an accidental development over time. Scothyr possess no innate Magic, but do commonly have access to Kraken Priests or similar spiritualists that serve a spellcaster's role, drawing on the Psionics or Magic of Kraken or the Scothyr's gods to accomplish their limited feats of mysticism.

Like sharks, Scothyr reproduce sexually via the internal insemination of eggs within a female. Scothyr mating periods are very unique compared to most other creatures, with females able to give birth only once every two (2) years; females give birth to three (3) offspring at a time, two (2) females and (1) male. Infant Scothyr appear like small sharks shortly after birth, but grow arms and legs after a couple of days of life; Scothyr achieve biological maturity at the age of twenty (20). Children are treated as burdens until they reach maturity, and parents are known to cannibalize their offspring if overpopulation or starvation becomes an issue within their community.

Scothyr live, on average, around seven hundred (700) years, although very few of their kind live long enough to die of old age due to the race's very violent lifestyle and culture. Scothyr do not possess the technological ability to extend their lives, although the application of Psionics or Magic could achieve that goal without issue.

### Personality:

Scothyr possess very few goals in their long lives - survive to reproduce and venerate their gods. Scothyr are violently carnivorous and will embark their communities on raids to kidnap or kill humanoids living along the coasts of large bodies of water and will attack ships that come too close to their communities, sinking the vessels with Magic or boarding parties before feasting on the sailors that are thrown into the water. All tools and Magic that Scothyr employ are used to improve their chances of success while out on raids, and the rest is used to better exalt their gods.

Scothyr are notoriously hot-tempered, even with members of their own race, although their attitude of wanton hostility towards other humanoids tends to prevent any negotiations from starting in the first place. Scothyr do not consider themselves superior to any races other than Sea Elves and Atlanteans, who are seen by the Scothyr as unworthy of receiving the gifts of the ocean; Scothyr value themselves only inasmuch as their community and gods value them, foregoing any semblance of conventional ego. However, stronger members of Scothyr society are notably more confident and likely to hold leadership positions than the weaker members, implying the potential for egoes to develop amongst the powerful of their race.

Scothyr do not take slaves, although not out of a sense of morality. Scothyr are carnivorous and consume the flesh of humanoids as their preferred food source; as such, they prefer to kill and eat humanoids rather than take them prisoner or use them for free labor. Scothyr communities are usually too small and low-tech to allow for the economical application of large-scale slave operations. Scothyr are known, however, to take Atlanteans or Sea Elves as prisoners of war to use for gathering intelligence on their enemies, a rare tactical maneuver only employed by well-led and organized groups of Scothyr.

The low technological capabilities, animalistic nature, and religious fervor of the Scothyr prevent them from maintaining hedonistic lives; the consumption of humanoid flesh is the closest thing to hedonism a Scothyr will achieve. Scothyr have almost no culture of their own outside of their unique language and religious practices; their art is stolen from others or made by the Kraken for the Kraken, and their traditions exist only inasmuch as they venerate the gods.

Scothyr are outwardly hostile to almost every other humanoid race in K2, the Sea Elves and Atlanteans especially. As such, their paranoia towards other races is extreme and expressed through violence.

### Abilities:

Scothyr are physically superior to humans and even some non-human races of K2, able to bend steel bars with their bare hands and swim at incredible speeds; Scothyr, like the Sea Elves and other aquatic humanoid races, are able to breathe water (saltwater is preferred) and move, attack, hear, talk, feel, etc. unhindered when underwater. Similarly, Scothyr can see excellently in the dark, are resistant to the intense pressures of the deep ocean, and are resistant to the cold.

Scothyr possess no innate talent for Magic of any kind, except that Magic which is gifted to them by the Kraken and their gods. However, Scothyr are known to possess the innate ability to communicate with aquatic life, sharks most commonly, and are excellent at domesticating and training large groups of sharks. Larger sharks, including Megalodon-sized sea monsters, are used during raids and as transportation across large distances.

### Culture:

Scothyr culture, what little exists of it, is dedicated to the perpetuation of their species, the conquering of Earth's oceans in the name of the Kraken and their gods, and the veneration of the Kraken and other gods within the Scothyr's savage pantheon. Religion is central to every Scothyr community, with those religious "scholars" and shaman/priests commonly serving the role as defacto leader.

Scothyr are tribal in nature, defaulting to a very brutal might-makes-right method of governance within their tribes. Tribes are organized into families; gender roles are strict and harshly enforced, with the men made to be warriors while the females remain in the communities to tend to the children and domestic tasks. Members of other races often find it impossible to distinguish male Scothyr from females, as both are physically imposing and deadly in combat.

Scothyr often speak two (2) languages: Kraken, and Scothyr, their race's ancestral tongue. Only those communities which venerate Kraken are given the knowledge of the Kraken's primordial tongue. Members of land-dwelling races, and even Mermaids, find it nigh-impossible to effectively learn and speak Scothyr; only large Sea Elf and Atlantean settlements have scholars trained in the shark-men's language.

#### Cuisine:

Scothyr cuisine exists in two (2) forms: well-prepared humanoid flesh, and the meat of fish/sealife. Scothyr subsist primarily on sealife they are able to hunt and kill, although their raiding parties will be sent to gather humanoid flesh to replenish food stores, compensate for periods of poor fishing, etc. The hunting of humanoids is also increased for holidays and mating periods among Scothyr communities, which can result in predictable attacks and waves of raids on coastal communities.

#### Military:

Scothyr do not possess an organized military force of any kind, even when under the direct leadership of a Kraken overlord. Instead, Scothyr arrange themselves into raiding parties, usually of around a dozen or so (~12) members; these raiding parties will attack ships, raid coastal villages, and hunt sealife to be brought back to their home village for consumption and use. Larger raiding parties are organized between multiple tribes to take on large ships, larger villages, etc.; these larger raiding parties are also known to demand tribute of surface-dwelling settlements, requiring them to hand over food, goods, or members of their community every so often in order to avoid the Scothyr's wrath. Raiding parties are disorganized and led by a single member, either the oldest, strongest, or most blessed member of the group; the bands are brutal, violent, and barbaric. Massed armies of Scothyr only exist in the Elemental Realm of Water, where their Kraken overlords can directly influence the minds of their servants and direct them towards a sizeable enemy force with which they will do battle.

### Religion:

Scothyr communities are divided primarily along the lines of religious belief; most communities worship one (1) or more Kraken, while others (primarily those that have lived in the Material Realm for more than a few generations) worship Raandaii-B'nk or one of the other shark-like deities in the Scothyr's original pantheon. Both types of religious beliefs are polytheistic and inwards-focused, dealing with the personal veneration of their gods regardless of the actions of outsiders. Both types of religious beliefs involve an excessive amount of holidays, celebrations, rituals, and requirements that take precedence over the thoughts or deeds of the individual; Afterlife for the Scothyr is rarely considered, although the ancestral pantheon of the Scothyr seems to emphasize some form of reincarnation while the Kraken-centered faith involves some promised communion with their Kraken masters in death. The supernatural exists everywhere for the Scothyr, most of whom do not seem to comprehend the forces of nature in any way which resembles science; Scothyr consider the ocean itself to be supernatural and the surface world to be an evil alternate world akin to Hell. Holidays are numerous and celebrate everything from important historical events, days of the year, seasonal changes, weather/astrological patterns, signs and omens, requests for blessings, requests for successful raids, thanksgiving for a successful raid, etc.

#### List of the Scothyr Gods:

1. Kraken: Primordial entities of shapeshifting, vaguely octopoidal, nature with intense Psionic capabilities known to psychically influence Scothyr within the Elemental Realm of Water to worship them as gods, therefore granting the worshipped Kraken additional powers; innumerable Kraken are worshipped by innumerable Scothyr for uncountable reasons, but none are kind or benevolent.
2. Raandaii-B'nk: God of Sharks, savagery, raiding, battle, associated with the ritual sacrifice and consumption of humanoids; believed to have created the Scothyr in his image, and expressed his will from the Elemental Realm of Water upon the Material Realm by creating all sharks.
3. [REDACTED]

#### Clergy:

Just as their religious beliefs are divided, so too are the clergy of the Scothyr. The clergy of both faiths are responsible for leading their communities, imparting blessings upon loyal followers, leading rituals and ceremonies, aiding in healing and raiding, etc.

The clergy generally live lives slightly higher in quality than other Scothyr, likely a result of their increased intelligence thanks to the blessings of their gods, whether they be Kraken or otherwise. Scothyr priests and shamans will adorn themselves in trinkets, fetishes, and jewelry of all kinds, most of it stolen from raids or scavenged from shipwrecks. Scothyr priests have families like the rest of Scothyr society.

#### Cultural Aspects:

Scothyr faiths generally feature shark teeth, shark fins, and similar imagery as their symbols; similarly, a deep blue or grey-blue is treated as the holy color of shamans and priests. Learning is passed down via oral tradition or direct contact with their gods/Kraken masters, which often leads to the rapid degredation of knowledge within Scothyr communities that live outside of the Elemental Realm of Water. Scothyr creation myths claim that either Kraken or Raandaii-B'nk created their people long ago in the Elemental Realm of Water.

Cowardice, weakness, and disbelief are considered deadly sins while the opposite, courage, strength, and unwavering belief are treated as virtues.

Scothyr undergo their coming-of-age ritual upon reaching twenty (20) years old. This ritual involves the Scothyr's first time out raiding, a special occasion which requires the aspiring adult to slay at least one (1) opponent; killing many opponents on one's first raid is considered a good omen adn a sign of great power.

Scothyr marriage is generally uncommon; pairs of Scothyr mate and live with one another and raise children, but there are no known ceremonies which dictate the rules of marriage. In villages that worship Kraken or deal with Kraken directly, Scothyr are forced to mate with one another in order to swell their ranks for combat and further servitude.

Death in Scothyr society is considered the beginning of a new era or a new life, and is treated as a somewhat pleasant experience, assuming the recently deceased lived a full and devout life which will be rewarded by their gods.

## History:

Created by their god, Raandaii-B'nk, in the Elemental Realm of Water some many ages ago, the Scothyr were native to that foreign Realm before the Kraken wormed their way into the minds of the sharkmen. Driven to work against the savagery of their original pantheon, these mind-controlled, brainwashed Scothyr fell victim to the near-divine power of the Kraken.

Forced into eternal servitude, the Scothyr became a slave race for the Kraken's neverending schemes and plans to invade the Material Realm. Raandaii-B'nk, however, has a nefarious intelligence of his own, and manifested his will within the Material Realm to create sharks; these he would use to strike terror in the hearts of mortals across the world. The great shark god then gathered a cult of shark-worshipping mortals to his side within the Material Realm and had them summon him, body and spirit, into the Material Realm; now free of the Kraken's direct influence, the god of sharklike savagery began drawing his Scothyr to himself.

Over time, the Kraken's plots to invade the Material Realm came to fruition, and portals to the Material Realm were found and exploited. Thousands of Scothyr were sent through into the Material Realm, the orders of the Kraken still echoing in their cavernous minds as they crossed between the boundaries of reality. The screams of their overlords became whispers in this new Realm, however, diminishing the Kraken's potential influence over their servant army and giving Raandaii-B'nk the opportunity he needed to sway his people back to him.

The Kraken discovered the old god's plan, of course, and sought to stop him. Using othe rmonsters and servants, the Kraken's cultists and monsters did battle with an army of Scothyr and their monstrous diety. The Kraken hunted and sealed Raandaii-B'nk away in [REDACTED]; now, the god slumbers in what is now known as [REDACTED], forced into a deathlike sleep by his Kraken foes.

Despite his apparent defeat, Raandaii-B'nk still exerts a limited amount of will upon those Scothyr that live in the Material Realm. Scothyr who live in the Material Realm for multiple generations will gradually drift back towards worshipping the slumbering Father of All Sharks, forgetting about the previous influence of the Kraken altogether. The Kraken continue to search for the comatose corpse of their foe in the hopes of slaying him once and for all, while the slumbering Great Shark is moved to and fro by his most loyal followers and non-Scothyr cultists around the world. And so it is that this Great Hunt has continued for millennia and shall continue forevermore...