Legends of Belariath
Sithians
Sithians are an ancient race with the upper bodies resembling humans and lower that of a snake's, once claiming a huge expansive region of land as their own when the climate of Belariath was warmer. Their ruins can be seen throughout Belariath; crumbling funerary mounds with serpentine runes etched upon stone, and grassy hills that are in actuality pyramids eroded away by time. In the modern age, they have grown low in number, and have been isolated in their jungle homes, protecting their land unyieldingly with deadly force. They are creatures of sensuality and bestial savagery, bound by their rituals to serve their hungry and ancient god Tepictuc, the ravenous god of earth. There are those among the Sithian race who do not worship Tepictuc, and these few are regarded as outcasts.
Character Creation
Starter Classes: Warrior, Knight, Thief, Shaman, Cleric, Artisan, Entertainer, Laymen, Healer, Mage
Advanced Classes: Warrior Mage, Priest/Priestess, Paladins, Necromacer, Any Elemental Mage, Seductress
Starting Stats:
| STR | INT | AGI | RES | STA | SPL | LFE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Stats | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
Appearance
Sithians live quite a long time; some 500 years, and never physically age visibly, as they shed their skin yearly. Males and females are divided more so then other races; for females are dominant and males are visibly weaker and less conspicuous. Females can grow as long as 14 feet in length (5 foot body, 9 foot tail) and males 12 (4 foot body, 8 foot tail). The females are most noted by their large colorful wings, and males by their lack of such. As serpents, they are more similar to boa constrictors then of venomous snakes; they lack fangs and give birth to live young.
Sithians appear to be creatures with the torso of a human and the lower half of a serpent, extending from their thighs downwards. Their bodies are covered with an array of scales which range from dark, earthy brown to jewel colors of jade, Ruby and sapphire. They are partially warm blooded, give birth to live young, and grow long black hair on their heads which is usually straight but occasionally curly. Females have wings (14' wingspan) that have feathers of many varying tropical colors.
Special Powers
Sithian Females are born with a pair of wings, and with training and practice they are able to fly short distances; mostly for 1d10 turns depending if there is an updraft. Since they cannot get enough speed for flight, females must climb up trees or branches and leap off in order to fly. The process of doing this is considered a right of passage by females; and is also a leading cause of death among females. Both males and females possess Infravision via a small nodule of special tissue within their nostrils, they are quite literally able to 'smell' heat around them. They also have very sensitive bellies, being creatures almost wholly connected to the earth, they can detect vibrations of approaching creatures with ease.
Penalties
Because of their serpentine bodies, they cannot wear anything more complex or hard then leather or studded leather armor. Also because of their serpentine bodies, Sithians find it hard to maneuver in combat, being slow moving beings. They also take up far more space then the average race, being far more vulnerable to physical attacks to their tails, which (unlike lizards) cannot be naturally re-grown if damaged. Because of their physiology, Sithians are hypersensitive to alcohol. They get drowsy and dizzy, reacting badly to the drink, and can do little else but seek out a place to sleep and sleep there. This process can be halted with a cure poison spell.
Caste system (surname)
For City dwelling Sithians, a caste system has been built and maintained over the last thousand years. According to the edicts of their religious text, the worthiness of one’s ‘soul’ or ‘karma’ chooses what family they are born into. Though the occupation of the family does not choose the class, it does shape how the child is taught and brought up. Surnames are usually taken with a family name and then the caste name hyphenated: Lutax-Lyxteric, Kykrij-Kukliss. See below for a list of the classes.
Lyxteric: Priesthood
Kukliss: Noble family
Ku-Kirix: Warrior
Lys-terij: merchant/artisan
Braka: Worker
Pataj: Pariah/slave
It should be noted that the Outcasts are all considered Pataj when entering the cities, and that they do not practice the caste system within their own society.
Taboos
Though conflict occurs between two Sithians, no two Sithians are allowed to fight eachother in violent combat. Killing another Sithian is an absolute crime.
Entertainment
General entertainment: Sithians enjoy sensual pleasure immensely, enjoying many forms of sex, and enjoying spicy flavored food. Sithians despise drinking and alcohol, and even the smell of the drink makes them nauseous.
Holidays
Tyl’Emmisj: This is a ritual done at the end of the month by Sithian priestesses, involving the hunting and capture of ‘lesser’ races and the sacrifice of those races above an inferno, which represents the Bal’toc (vagina/mouth) of Tepictuc from whence everything sprang.
Tyl’Emmeri: Celebrated only by the ‘outcasts’ of the Sithians, worshippers of Brastli, this is rather similar to Tyl’Emmisj: involving a bon fire and a sacrifice. The sacrifice is of a domesticated animal and the roasting of that animal over the fire. The animal is then consumed and thanks is given to Brastli.
Taj’Meri’kzí: This is the New year festival which occurs in the middle of summer. Since there are no seasons where the Sithians live, this holiday is not chosen after winter. For the outcast worshippers of Brastli, this day occurs after winter, as is usually the custom to do. Regardless, it requires a day of celebration, and usually involves an orgy (it is regarded as a fertility festival).
Society
There are two major factions in Sithian culture; the outcasts and the city dwellers. City Dwellers live in massive city states in the rainforests in the middle of Belariath, they are organized in a feudal hierarchy, where land owners provide for servants to cultivate and tend to the land. The land owners are deigned land owners by the royal family, and a single matriarch that rules over the entirety of the land. Though Sithian culture was once an egalitarian culture, with the appeasement of Tepictuc (quieting of the land from earthquakes) things changed vastly as once family, the royal family, was seen as responsible for the appeasement of Tepictuc. Sithian cities tend to be high in population.
For the outcasts, things are more or less traditional. They live in an egalitarian society, living in mud huts around circular fields of wheat and barley which they cultivate and guard fiercely. There is a council that makes decisions, and every voice is heard within their society, and no decision is past unless all agree. The drawback to having a egalitarian culture is that the population is usually low, just a handful of families at most.