I’ve been a fan of Heather Dale‘s music for pretty much the whole of of my adult life. I stumbled upon her music while in college and was hooked. However it wasn’t until recently that I really picking up CDs/mp3s of her music more than just the first few I discovered those many years ago. One of those songs is about an Inuit deity (Native American tribe residing in Canada) named Sedna. I was listening to this song again recently and I decided to write a Legend faction dedicated to the worship of Sedna. Instead of just making the priestly order, I created a guild of swimmers that hunt for their food. All the while I was listening to the song to help inspiration. I also changed the name from Sedna to Sereana simply because I do not want to offend any Inuit or Canadians that may be reading this. I took several artistic liberties and as such decided to change the name. However, the inspiration from Sedna should be quite evident to those familiar with the mythology.
You can listen to the song on this podcast by going here. Find more of Heather Dale’s music at HeatherDale.com.
Today, I’m trying my first attempt at a Legend creature (a seal) and a Heroic Ability. And as always, please let us know of what you think of this faction and any constructive criticism you may have. I hope you enjoy it.
Sereana’s Swimmers (Guild)
The cult of Sereana only permits those born to a priest or priestess to enter the goddess’s cult. They are in charge of swimming deep into the sea to comb the hair of their deity. Her followers, however, largely consist of those that swim the deep waters hunting the animals in the freezing waters hunting food. The guild of Sereana’s Swimmers exists to make offerings to their goddess before and after a hunt and determine who can join the hunts. The guild does not permit hunting in their territorial waters except for approved and tested swimmers.
Each station is named after the animals that the guildsman may hunt. To reach the higher stations, the guildsman, or swimmers as they are called, must prove their worth with a test of his skill. Typically this test ends with the swimmer killing an animal singlehandedly.
Many shark and whale swimmers have long since established their own underwater holds of silver or other valuables. These tend to be in underwater caves or difficult-to-spot nooks in reefs. It is said that many of these swimmers died with none aware of their lost fortune’s location.
Anyone desiring to be a fisher in the areas where Sereana’s worship is plentiful joins the guild. Some join out of devotion to the goddess but most become swimmers simply to gain access to the plentiful fishing waters. However, those that join the guild for easier access to these waters tend to be just as zealous about keeping non-guild members from their territorial waters. This keeps the number of fishers down and the profits of the swimmers high.
The current guild leadership will do whatever it takes to make the goddess happy. Mostly this involves offering regular sacrifices. The most typical of sacrifices include the killing of some fish caught in the sea in a special ceremony. Before hunting shark, the swimmers must draw some blood from their bodies and place a few drops in the sea. However, the cult of Sereana has been asking more of the guild as of late. There have been some lynchings of those accused of angering the goddess. None in the guild know for sure if this is the case, but the cult of Sereana said it was true so the guild members followed. There are rumors of guild members being told to burn ships in neighboring villages that were never seen near Sereana’s waters. To date, there is no member of the guild nor the guild itself stepping up to confirm these tales.
Heroic Abilities: Seal Swimmer
Common Magic: Beast Call (seal), Light, Water Breath
River Fish
To become a river fish, the swimmer must possess Swim and three other guild skills at 30% or more and swim upstream after a heavy rain (-10% situational modifier for terrain) and spear a fish. The swimmer is now allowed to join any river based hunts.
Sea Fish
Before testing to be a sea fish, the swimmer must possess Swim, any Spear style and two other guild skills at a minimum of 50%. The test involves the sea fisher being taken into the territorial fishing sea, sent in the sea with only a spear and swimming to shore with a speared fish.
Seal
In some communities where the worship of Sereana is particularly strong, the test to become a Seal is almost seen as a rite of passage to become one of the area’s elders and more respected members. Besides possessing Swim, any Spear style and two other guild skills at 70%, those testing to become Seal swimmers must swim out into the ocean, cast a Beast Call (seal) spell, kill the seal and make a lone offering to Sereana in the ocean.
Shark
When a swimmer attempts the shark test, the swimmer must possess Swim, any spear style and 4 other guild skills at 90% or higher plus Beast Call (seal) and one other guild spells must be known. The test involves the swimmer being boated out to shark-infested waters, killing a shark and returning with a tooth from its mouth.
Whale
No one has ever attempted the test of the whale alone; most test three or four at a time. Testers must sail out to see, dive below the water’s surface, swim to where an orca is known to reside, kill it with only their handheld spears, secure it to ship and sail it home. Additionally, a swimmer attempting to become a whale must possess Brawn, Shiphandling, Swim, any Spear style and any 2 other guild skills at 100%. All 3 guild spells must be known. There is no limit to the number of Whales there can be at any point in time. Currently, there is one fishing town with 6 whales. No one whales are currently alive.
Guild Skills
Sereana’s Swimmers offer training the in the following skills: Boating, Brawn, Healing, Resilience, Shiphandling, Survival, Swim, any Spear style.
Seal Swimmer
Requirements: Con 17 or higher, Swim 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 8
Duration: One hour or if in combat, a number of melee rounds equal to CON
You have spent considerable time in the sea’s waters and are adept at navigating them. You double your swim speed and you may ignore any and all swim based situational modifiers for terrain. Situational modifiers from other sources still apply (such as from the weather). You may only use Seal Swimmer if not Overloaded, Exhausted or Debilitated.
Seal
STR 1d6+3 (7), CON 1d6+1 (5), SIZ 1d6+3 (7), INT 4 (4), POW 2d6+1 (8), DEX 4d6 (14)
1D20 Hit Location AP/HP
1-3 Right Hind Leg 2/3
4-6 Left Hind Leg 2/3
7-9 Hindquarters 2/4
10-12 Forequarters 2/5
13-15 Right Front Leg 2/3
16-18 Left Front Leg 2/3
19-20 Head 2/3
CA 1 (2 in water), DM -1d4, MP 8, Movement 3m (12 m swim), Strike Rank +9
Typical Armor: Fur and blubber. No Armor Penalty.
Traits: Evasion (in water only), Excellent Swimmer
Skills: Athletics 25%, Evade 14% (in water 60%), Perception 20%, Persistence 16%, Resilience 10%, Swim 70%
Combat Style Bite 26%
Weapon
Type Size Reach Damage AP/HP Range
Bite S T 1D6-1D4 As for Head —
On land, seals lose 1 CA and basic evade is calculated by Dex x 1. Seals have a powerful bite, requiring a 1d6+DM for damage.
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