Skaanah

Mind
 Social
 Common Skills

*“If the temples of my homeland are finely carved stone, coaxed into the fearsome visages of the old spirits, leering out at the Kalín jungles, surely this work pales in comparison to the artistry of Skaanah workmen. Logs of the great trees inland are floated by river to the coast, where they are pulled ashore and smoked, sometimes for a year, to dry them and impart the rich colors wanted in the wood. When the log is ready, a carving hut is built around it of animal skins and driftwood, and the real artistry begins.”*

**Art as Craft: Practical Artistry Around the World**

#### Appearance

The Skaanah are the hardy folk of the Western Reach. Short and stocky, and with a great humor, they live along the coasts of the great sea and the rivers that spread through the snowy inland forests of the Reach. Their skins are ruddy and leathery, some nearly as red as a Kalín, and their hair, like the Nialli across the mountains, is usually black, though sometimes grey, and almost always kept long. Their eyes are dark, seemingly all pupil.

#### Culture

Skaanah culture focuses on creativity and the giving of gifts. They worship or venerate various animals, especially sea creatures. Complex rituals mark various landmarks in a Skaanah's life, usualy revolving around the Skaanah receiving gifts from a long line of tribe members and afterwards the celebrated (or his or her family) giving gifts to all who attended. These gifts range from elaborate carvings, ritually decorated skins, rights to specific hunting grounds, to a year' supply of foods.

The Skaanah are seldom far from the water, except when venturing inland to gather supplies, and even then they tend to follow rivers. Despite frigid temperatures in the area, the Skaanah seem most comfortable in the water and will often refer to swimming in the cold waters as “warming up” or “putting on my coat,” but on land they wear heavy coats made of skins, mostly seal. Rumors persist that the Skaanah are Skinchangers, able to take on the form of animals through ritual.

#### Intercultural relations

The Skaanah trade freely with most who can reach them, especially richly colored wood carvings. They frequently give gifts to traders as well, and are upset if they aren't accepted. Strangely they often refuse gifts, or destroy those they take. That said, they do not trade with Nialli, who they see as wide-eyed, sun bitten madmen. Nialli likewise distrust Skaanahi people, whom they see as manipulative, duplicitous, and secretive. Several people have made notice that the Skaanah and Murian languages are surprisingly similar.

#### Creating a Skaanahi Character

When creating a Skannah character, choose a single animal from the region (arctic/ocean) and list it on your sheet under skills with a level of 1. This costs nothing, but you must level it up as normal. Additional forms may be bought as skills in the normal way. You may use this skill to shift into that form as an action.

Names: Skaanah names are similar to Murian ones. The Ch and Sh sounds of Murian are often replaced by harder K or T sounds. Some have picked up names from Traders, such as Pigeon or Little Wolf

Male: Kolma, Tuan, Kot, Kua, Tok, Little Wolf

Female: Tua, Ki, Jija, Ko, Pigeon