Lake People
| |
| Lake People | |
| INFORMATION | |
| Lineage Name(s): |
Lake People, Deepfellings |
| Homeland: |
City of Deepfell (and surrounding) |
| Political Posture: |
Rugged Frontiersmen, Scum & Villainy |
| Law/Anarchy Axis: |
Pragmatism is the most common |
| Altruism/Greed Axis: |
Varies but Neutral is common |
| First Impressions: |
Blunt, rugged, unsophisticated |
| Government: |
Guild and Merchant (moneyed) Oligarchy |
| Language(s): |
Deepfell |
| Currency: |
Deepfell Tags (rectangular gold, silver and copper tags on strings) |
| Trait Advantages: |
Rugged & Resilient |
| Trait Hindrances: |
Unsophisticated; Vice-ridden |
| Unusual Traits: |
All Deepfellings know how to navigate and repair river boats, can make and repair rope, and know how to Swim.
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| Spell-like Abilities: |
None |
| Magic Capable?: |
Lake People can be any magic class, but on average all magic is rare in Deepfell.
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| Favored Weapons: |
Knives and blunt wooden weapons such as cudgels, belaying pins and mallets |
| END | |
| Template:Lineages | |
Average Appearance
Lake People ancestors homogenized- but continues to change. They have a habit of being an "average" of several different groups. Lake People usually have lank or wavy dark brown or black hair and dark eyes- browns, hazels and dark green are most common. In these cold, damp northern climes with little sun, they have a tendency to be fair-skinned, with sallow or ruddy hues. In the summer months, most Lake People gain deep tans after their first sunburn.
Men
Male Fashion
Women
Female Fashion
Lineage Traits
Deepfellings are known for being rugged, and by Cold Harbor standards, seem unsophisticated and blunt. The "frontier colony" has clung to the city like a damp fog. Their town, while successful and having brisk trade, has always been rough around the edges. All Lake People know how to swim, have knowledge of navigating and repairing river boats, know how to use and make rope, and may know some basic carpentry/shipwright skills. Most have knowledge of knives and wooden blunt weapons like mallets and belaying pins. Very few Lake People have extensive experience with horses. Their native language is Deepfell, a pidgin language of Harborer, Veldtmen, High Clan, and various other loan words.
Materialism
Envy and Greed
Rugged
Unsophisticated
Individualistic
Psychology
Common Personality Traits
Superstition
Self-Reliance
Pragmatism
Typical Alignments
Lake People don't have a strong, public moral compass to fall back on so they tend to be islands unto themselves. Personal Scopes are common. Social people may be relatively new to the city or may look at their city's relative lack of morals and want to change it. The Antisocial types who hang on are often left alone, but many of them leave rather than suffer the city. A strong tendency toward Pragmatic alignments exists as few have been beholden to harsh letters of the law and those that are Lawful may adhere to family or professional traditions. Anarchy is common enough but they are often slapped down by their more Pragmatic cousins.
Typical Vice
Like all Humans, Lake People have a predilection for Vice and are very fractious. The most common Vice among Lake People is Greed. Deepfell is a merchant and trade-oriented hub and the currency of the realm is gold. Envy is also quite common, as the Have Nots crave what the Haves, have.
Arcane Magic and Theurgy
While Deepfell has a few Churches to various Gods- most oriented to trade, travel and seafaring- Magic is not that common in Deepfell. An act of magic will surprise a Lake Person and their response could range from distrust to curiosity, to avoidance. Between Arcane magick and Theurgy (divine magic), Lake People are slightly more comfortable with Theurgy as long as it comes from a benign source. Deepfell has no native Arcane schools outside of Alchemy and thus, such trained people- even if once Native- probably had to go to Cold Harbor, go abroad or find a local master to apprentice with.
Clerics and Paladins
Lake People tend to be blase about religion and the divine in general, but they are also a superstitious lot. If you can get a God on your side for a safe voyage or a good business deal, then why not pay lip service? These Theurgists get the most leeway in the city and may be given favors or reduced fares for blessings and help. Being among these is the most likely path to magic that is looked on favorably by the populace at large, despite being seen as slightly odd.
Druids
Few Deepfellings "go native" and become Druids. Druidism is more common along the Veldtmen and the High Clan lineages. But Druids can gain respect from Deepfellings- especially if their magicks are oriented to plants and water. Druids are just seen as odd and "backward" but the generally Pragmatic Lake People give most Druids a pass, judging them individually.
Sorcerors and Warlocks
Superstition backed by dark history make Lake People deeply suspect of those that make pacts with the unknown, or have somehow been cursed. Deepfell has had to dislodge the cultists of The Deep Ones more than once. Sea, Annis, Storm, and Green Hag Covens are mythical problems for the town. And the fickleness of the Fey is remembered in Bardsong. But there is also a degree of envy here: Lake People don't like people having patrons that give potential rivals an edge. Most Warlocks and Sorcerors have to keep their true origins under wraps or they could be expelled. Warlocks and Sorcerors known to belong to the Deep Ones are summarily dealt with in the Fell Cages.
Abjurers and Diviners
These Arcane Spellcasters, while not having any native schools to learn at, are often imported and employed by the local Merchant Houses and Guilds. Guilds and merchants like to protect their businesses and forecast their fortunes. Both of these wizard types can find a comfortable life in Deepfell and will seldom want for the business. Their usefulness tends to dominate in the generally superstitious populace. But the average Lake Person, who cannot hope to pay their fees, may treat these Wizards with respect on the face- and charge them double. And there are always the overly envious who dislike these magic users based on their abilities alone.
Necromancers and Evocationists
Would you like a slow, muddy, suffocating death by drowning? Then throw around fireballs or walk into town with undead servants. The Lake People have a Fell Cage waiting for you, no pesky trial necessary! While Deepfelling hatred for necromancers is entirely based on stories and myths, their hatred of fire wizards is one of pure practicality. Their city is almost overwhelmingly made of wood and rope, built on timber. The hatred toward death wizards is much less formed and seems to be a kneejerk, residual reverence for the dead. Here, Lake People pragmatism seems to take a back seat. Corpses are somehow not just an empty shell. And Lake People are superstitious of ghosts and spirits.
Alchemists
Despite an overall dodgy reputation, Alchemists are a welcome form of homebrewed arcane user. Perhaps it is the concrete understanding that a potion is a bottled, one-use spell that anyone can use avoids the typical envy towards other Arcanists. Its a solid example of magic, not ethereal guesswork. Apothecaries are a necessary fixture in society, as healers. Brewers are a natural outgrowing of the distilling and beer businesses. And Poisoners find a ready business for the envious and upwardly mobile Merchants and Guilds- not for murder, of course. Just to temporarily get a rival out of the way. And if ever an Alchemist could truly transmute lead into gold? The only Alchemists who are likely to be run out of town or sent to a Fell Cage are those that dabble in Black Powder.