Jytselten

"'A lean elk-like being disguises its sheer size under dense coats of fur and winterized wool. It lumbers over many before it, and bears many tribal brand markings and war paint.' - Valengar's Studies on: The Torian Races and Culture"History:

Like the Maisillians, Selts have refused to take part in the historical battles around Tor. However, unlike the Maisillians, the Selts additionally refuse to harbor civilians and help out the injured. Selts keep to themselves and have had countless fights amongst themselves and their various clans, but have never sought to attack the other races. Jazabal's harshly frozen and cavernous climate has so far discouraged any form of settler. Most asides the Selts render the whole island an inhospitable rock, which has kept a mutual disinterest between both the Selts and the rest of the Tor islands.

Culture:

Hardy and traditional, the Selts are a race enveloped in nomadic tribal ways and ancient tradition. They hunt, live in small secluded clans, and keep to themselves away from the rest of the world. They refuse any form of modernization, and engage in brutally harsh rites of passage. At one's adult age (age 15), a Selt is shaved, stripped naked, and placed on the far dangerous side of Jazabal. From their, they must make their way back alive bringing the carcass of a great Jsldan [Zill-dan] Beast in order to be accepted amongst the clan. After a great feast they become one of the tribe, before which they were treated as pets. Most Selts abandon this journey or cannot accomplish it, leaving their former lives in search of a more civilized alternative amongst the other islands of Tor. True Seltic culture values wisdom and respect of natural spirits within all of nature. In their elder ages, they spend all of what's left of their time creating a single massive dreamcatcher-like monumental longhouse in a new location to encompass their whole tribe. After which, the maker is burned along with and inside the previous longhouse and clan site, in a large festive ritual, known as the Tjeyveltsyn [shay-Velt-sin], to release the elder's soul into the island itself. After this ceremony, the clan moves to the newly constructed longhouse to occupy and make a living until the next oldest reaches his end days and performs the ritual once more.