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storyteller [The Twilight Realm]
+++ the_world_of_the_sesheyan [2021/12/04 00:39] (current)
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 can challenge VoidCorp’s claim.
+===== Culture & Society =====
+Before VoidCorp’s arrival, sesheyans main-
+tained a simple, tribal culture based around the ex-
+tended family unit. Even two hundred years after the
+Sesheyan Compact and their introduction into galac-
+tic civilization, some sesheyans maintain their old
+customs.
+==== Families & Tribes ====
+Sesheyan families tend to be quite
+large, mainly due to the sesheyan definition of
+“family.” They do not limit family ties to biological
+connections; sesheyan families include extended
+clans with many relationships. Sesheyans do not
+mate for life but instead have many mates and many
+children over a lifetime. A group of sesheyans involved in mating – along with their children, close
+friends, and other relations – make up the whole of a
+family. The sesheyan language includes many terms
+for relations that do not translate into human lan-
+guages.
+A tribe is composed of a group of
+families. The structure of the sesheyan tribe is fluid,
+shifting according to the needs of its members.
+Tribes split when they’ve grown large enough, break-
+ing into two or more tribes that go their separate
+ways. Likewise, sesheyan tribes encountering each
+other might exchange families as a sign of friend-
+ship, strengthening the ties between them before
+moving on. In this way, stories and history are
+spread among widely dispersed tribes. This practice
+also serves to maintain a healthy gene pool.
+Tribal and family loyalties are sup-
+pressed by VoidCorp, which emphasizes loyalty to
+the company above all else. Some tribes on Sheya
+are allowed to maintain their traditional structure, but
+they can be broken up by VoidCorp officials at any
+time to serve the company’s needs. Ghost Walker
+sesheyans do not maintain tribal ties.
+==== Aikei ====
+Sesheyans have as broad a range of
+emotions and expression as humans, if not more, but
+they do not change moods as quickly or as arbitrarily
+as humans do.
+To the sesheyans, every state of be-
+ing is embodied in a mythic archetype from their fa-
+bles, known as an
+aikai
+, meaning ghost or spirit.
+When a sesheyan needs or wants to experience a
+particular state of being, he or she calls up the ap-
+propriate aikai. A sesheyan on the hunt calls upon
+the ghost of the Hunter and, for him, nothing other
+than the pursuit and capture of the prey is important.
+On other occasions, a sesheyan might call upon the
+ghost of the Dreamer, the Dancer, the Traveler, or
+the Maker. Each basic archetype also has dozens, if
+not hundreds of variations associated with particular
+situations. So there is a Patient Hunter, a Feral
+Hunter, a Hunter Who Speak With Spirits, and so
+forth.
+Each of the hundreds of aikei is
+strongly rooted in sesheyan myth. Some are spirits
+or animal totems, while others are based on great
+heroes from legend. Instead of saying, “I am sad,” a
+sesheyan says, “the ghost of sadness is upon me” to
+express sorrow. The elaborate rituals and myths as-
+sociated with various aikei makes it seem – from the
+human point of view – as if a sesheyan has many dif-
+ferent personalities. A sesheyan embodying the
+Brood Mother can be tender and nurturing. The
+same sesheyan can call up the Feral Hunter and kill
+prey with savage abandon.
+VoidCorp officially bans the practice
+of aikei, but it is so strongly rooted in the sesheyan
+psyche that it is nearly impossible to eradicate. Mod-
+ern sesheyans continue to use aikei to express them-
+selves, but the mythic elements have faded almost
+completely.
+==== Clothing and Decoration ====
+Sheya is a temperate world with little
+climatic variation. Sesheyans have little use for
+clothing, often wearing only simple loincloths. Belts
+and harnesses allow them to carry things. Even in
+galactic society, Sesheyans wear little, unless envi-
+ronmental conditions dictate otherwise.
+Sesheyans like to decorate them-
+selves and often wear different kinds of jewelry. Na-
+tive sesheyans tend to wear jewelry made from natu-
+ral materials, particularly carved animal bones and
+teeth, as well as carved and stained wood. Since the
+arrival of VoidCorp, sesheyans also wear metallic
+jewelry, including rings in their ears and pierced
+through the skin of their wings or tails.
+Sesheyans also use paints to deco-
+rate their bodies. Particular patterns of decoration
+are often associated with particular aikei, so seshey-
+ans wanting to invoke the ghost of the Hunter paint
+their bodies accordingly. Sesheyans use tattooing to
+decorate themselves in a more permanent fashion,
+usually something related to a great accomplishment or a patron spirit. Sesheyan shamans are often tat-
+tooed in this manner. Patterns tattooed on the skin of
+their wings are the most common.
+Sesheyans living in galactic society
+tend to eschew many of the personal decorations
+worn on Sheya. This is mostly out of deference to
+VoidCorp policy, which prefers employees maintain
+an appropriately “businesslike” appearance.
+Sesheyans employed by VoidCorp as scouts and
+spies are given greater leeway and often wear more
+decorations.
+==== Outside Influences ====
+Sesheyan culture has been irrevoca-
+bly changed by contact with galactic civilization. Al-
+though the old ways are still practiced by tribes on
+Sheya, sesheyans living away from their homeworld
+must adopt human mannerisms and abandon or
+hide their traditional customs and rituals to fit in.
+Many sesheyans fear that continual suppression of
+their culture by VoidCorp will cause them to lose their
+unique cultural identity entirely.
+Since the Compact, sesheyan soci-
+ety has split into three fairly distinct segments: the
+esosha
+(Free Hearts), the
+aikaya
+(Ghost Walkers),
+and the
+huraikai
+(Wind Spirits). Free Hearts are
+those sesheyans still living on Sheya. The Ghost
+Walkers are sesheyans in the employ of VoidCorp.
+Sesheyans who escape from VoidCorp become
+Wind Spirits. Wind Spirits are considered outlaws
+throughout the galactic arm, and even other stellar
+nations cannot always shelter a Wind Spirit from the
+vengeance of VoidCorp.
+The split between these three fac-
+tions of sesheyan culture is even deeper than most
+people realize. After two hundred years as galactic
+citizens, the sesheyans cannot return home. The dif-
+ferences between the Free Hearts and the other of
+their race are substantial. Free Hearts cling to the
+ancient culture and traditions of Sheya, permitted to
+do so by VoidCorp. They have little comprehension
+of the vastness of galactic space or the true nature of
+VoidCorp. Many Free Hearts remain as primitive as
+their pre-compact ancestors. To sesheyans born
+away from their home world, Free Heart life seems
+either idyllic or hopelessly primitive. Having learned
+so much, the galactic sesheyans cannot return to a
+blissful state of ignorance.
+Despite the claims of the Wind Spir-
+its, many Ghost Walkers are content with their lot as
+employees of VoidCorp. Raised since birth to honor
+and appreciate the company, these sesheyans are
+completely loyal to VoidCorp. They look with pity on
+the primitive Free Hearts, who are unaware of the
+wonders of life among the stars, and with disgust on
+the Wind Spirits, who betrayed their benefactors. A
+few Ghost Walkers harbor misgivings about Void-
+Corp and the Compact, but most are as loyal as
+VoidCorp’s human employees.
+The Wind Spirits have benefited from
+modern education and technology. They claim to
+understand the nature of interstellar politics in a way
+their ancestors could not have imagined when they
+agreed to the Sesheyan Compact. Wind Spirits
+range from pirates and renegades to political activ-
+ists who claim VoidCorp illegally and immorally en-
+slaved their race. Either way, VoidCorp considers
+them criminals to be hunted down.
+==== Government ====
+Before the arrival of VoidCorp, sesheyan
+tribes were governed by a council of the eldest mem-
+bers, usually including their greatest hunters and the
+tribe’s shaman. Matters were decided by simple
+vote, usually involving various rituals to call upon
+helpful ghosts and a divination by the shaman to
+read any omens.
+The Sesheyan Compact officially dissolved
+all political and social organizations on Sheya and
+replaced them with VoidCorp institutions. Teaching
+and practicing sesheyan traditions is banned by
+VoidCorp, except in certain areas of Sheya where
+company scientists study the sesheyans’ native cul-
+ture.
+Since the Compact, all sesheyans are con-
+sidered citizens (employees) of VoidCorp from the
+moment of birth, just like all other sentients in Void-
+Corp space. The sesheyans are governed by the
+same set of rules and regulations as any other Void-
+Corp employee. They are assigned Employee Identi-
+fication Numbers at birth and may apply for positions
+with VoidCorp. VoidCorp holds the dozen or so
+sesheyan Vice Presidents in the company as exam-
+ples of what the sesheyans can achieve, as well as
+showing their equal treatment.
+In practice, it is often difficult for sesheyans
+to advance within VoidCorp. Some sesheyans man-
+age to overcome the limitations of their culture and
+background to rise in the ranks, but they do so at the
+cost of their cultural heritage and traditions.
+==== Religion ====
+Religion and ritual have been central to
+sesheyan life throughout their history, but they are
+vanishing due to the influence of VoidCorp. The
+tribes on Sheya still follow the old ways and keep
+their traditions alive, mostly as a “living laboratory”
+for VoidCorp scientists to study. Elsewhere in Void-
+Corp space, however, the practice of any religion is
+banned. Possession of religious icons or artifacts is
+subject to heavy fines and other penalties. Still, the
+practice of sesheyan religion continues in secret
+among some, particularly the Wind Spirits.
+Sesheyan religion is based around stories
+told by their shamans. The fables revolve around im-
+portant figures from myth and history, and they pro-
+vide the framework for the many different ghosts the
+sesheyans believe in. The practice of fable animism
+involves telling the various stories at the correct
+times, often in conjunction with certain rituals to
+honor the ghosts of the tale, particularly reenact-
+ments of legendary events and rituals intended to
+maintain things like the movement of the celestial
+bodies and the continued prosperity of the hunt.
+“And so Neshii’en found himself trapped in
+the heart of the Ska Mother’s lair when she returned.
+Thinking quickly, Neshii’en covered himself with the
+scent of the cubs, knowing the Ska Mother’s sight
+was weak. He rolled on the ground and imitated the
+mewling noises of the other cubs as the great Ska
+Mother came closer. She nuzzled the cubs with her
+head, and Neshii’en lay still, calling on the ghost of
+the Great Ska to be with him, making him like a ska
+cub. The Ska Mother did not notice him among her
+children and so dropped the prey she captured for
+them and lay down to sleep. While the Ska Mother
+slept, Neshii’en spirited away one of the cubs to be-
+come his friend and companion. He named the cub
+Nura the Brave, and she became Neshii’en’s good
+friend.”
+– from “The Tale of Neshii’en the Trickster
+and the Great Ska Mother,” a traditional sesheyan fable
+“Neshii’en found himself in great trouble
+when the Manager returned to her office unexpect-
+edly. Thinking quickly, Neshii’en wrapped a cord
+from his pouch around his neck, folded his wings,
+and bowed his head, his eyes cast down as the Man-
+ager entered. Neshii’en called for the ghost of the
+Humble Servant to be upon him as the Manager
+asked him what he was doing in her office.
+“’A thousand pardons, SZ472 556XX,’ he said,
+‘I come on an errand for Vice-President KG228
+ZA. He requests an immediate update on the
+status of...your project.’ The Manager regarded Ne-
+shii’en for a long moment, but she saw nothing but
+the Humble Servant, eager to do his employer’s bid-
+ding. She told Neshii’en to return to Vice-President
+KG228 712ZA and tell him an update would be im-
+mediately forthcoming. Dipping his head in obedi-
+ence, Neshii’en backed out of the room, his folded
+wings concealing the information chips taken from
+the Manager’s safe. The manager’s anger was great
+when she discovered what Neshii’en had done, but
+the Trickster had already vanished like a shadow
+among the trees.”
+– from “The Tale of Neshii’en and the Foolish
+Manager,” a modern sesheyan fable
+Shamanism
+The central figure in sesheyan religion is the
+shaman, known as the
+losaika
+, or “keeper of ghosts.”
+VoidCorp xenologists have noted remarkable simi-
+larities between sesheyan shamanism and that prac-
+ticed by primitive human cultures. In essence, a sha-
+man is “called” to the profession by a sign from the
+spirits, often an omen or an illness in which the sha-
+man has visions. Many neophyte shamans spend
+lengthy periods alone in the jungle seeking such vi-
+sions.
+The student is apprenticed to an experi-
+enced shaman, who teaches the various stories, leg-
+ends, and rituals the new shaman needs to know.
+The process takes several standard years, at which
+time the new shaman is presented to the tribe in a
+special ritual.
+Sesheyan shamans have considerable au-
+thority in their tribes, since they are believed to be in
+closest contact with the ghosts and their wisdom.
+Scientists have discovered that some sesheyan sha-
+mans possess psionic abilities, which they often use
+to aid their rituals and perform their duties. They
+speculate that the emergence of psionic abilities, es-
+pecially telepathy and clairsentience, may induce the
+“visions” required to become a shaman. These abili-
+ties most likely account for sesheyan tales of the fan-
+tastic powers of their shamans. Psionically-gifted
+sesheyans are high on VoidCorp’s recruitment list.
+==== Weapons & Technology ====
+Before the arrival of VoidCorp, sesheyan
+technology was limited to bone knives and simple
+snares woven from jungle vines. The sesheyans had
+not even discovered the use of fire, due to damp con-
+ditions in the jungles and their efficient night-vision
+which precluded the need for artificial lighting. All
+advanced technology on Sheya is imported by Void-
+Corp to supply their own operations and is kept
+strictly under control, out of the hands of any possible
+sesheyan rebels. Sesheyan employees of VoidCorp
+have access to all of the company’s advanced tech-
+nology, the same as any other employee.
+The pre-existing sesheyan technology is still
+effective. Many people who have scoffed at the im-
+age of sesheyans wielding bone knives and simple
+spears have discovered just how effective, to their
+own regret.
+==== Weapons ====
+The standard sesheyan tool and weapon is
+the
+jaeja
+(dagger). Sesheyan daggers are typically
+carved out of bone and curved, with a point and a
+single cutting edge, about 20-30 cm in length. Some
+sesheyans also make use of straight, double-edged
+daggers chipped out of stone. Since the arrival of
+VoidCorp, nearly every sesheyan hunter carries a
+metal dagger on a leather belt around the waist.
+The short spear is another common
+sesheyan weapon. Originally tipped with bone or
+stone, modern spearheads are made of metal.
+Sesheyan hunters can hurl spears with deadly accu-
+racy from the air, and spears are a preferred
+weapon for occasions when tribes go to war with
+each other. While hunting, sesheyans also use vari-
+ous types of darts, made of wood or bone. Small
+darts are fired from a blowgun made of hollowed out
+wood, while heavier darts are thrown.
+A native sesheyan weapon is the
+hureja
+, or
+wind claw, a melee/throwing weapon that consists of
+a short wooden shaft ending in two blades of bone
+(metal for modern versions) that curve in opposite
+directions. The wind claw is grasped and wielded
+from the middle of the shaft. It can be thrown a con-siderable distance by a skilled hunter.
+Sesheyan hunters also use a weapon similar
+to an Earth bola: three or four round stones tied to-
+gether by tough cords. The bola can be thrown a
+considerable distance by a capable hunter and can
+entangle the limbs or wings of small prey animals.
+In addition to their various native weapons,
+sesheyans have proven adept with modern 26
+th
+-
+century weapons. Their sharp eyesight makes them
+capable marksmen, once they become accustomed
+to the feel of a modern gun. An airborne sesheyan
+with a laser pistol is a formidable opponent.
+Sesheyans normally wear little or no armor,
+since it tends to interfere with their wings and weighs
+them down. They can wear light, modern body ar-
+mor specially tailored to accommodate their body
+structure and wings, however. This armor is gener-
+ally limited to softsuits and similar light, flexible mate-
+rials. Cerametal armor and bodytanks modified to fit
+sesheyans are extremely rare, and sesheyans don’t
+generally like wearing them. A deflection harness is
+perhaps the ultimate armor for a sesheyan: light, un-
+encumbering, and capable of being built into a pair
+of bracelets, a belt, or an amulet.
+==== The Sesheyan Homeworld ====
+Sheya is the fourth and largest moon of the
+gas giant Gamma Leonis III. Although it orbits more
+than ten times the distance from its star than Earth
+orbits its sun, GLIII puts out considerable heat,
+warming the surface of Sheya and making it quite
+habitable.
+The moon is cut with a network of deep val-
+leys. While the higher altitudes are cold and arid, the
+valleys are warm and lush. Native plant-life grows
+riotously throughout the lowlands, forming a heavy
+jungle canopy that soaks up the heat and limited
+light that falls on the surface of Sheya, cloaking the
+ground below in perpetual twilight. Sheya’s ecosys-
+tem is filled with various lifeforms, of which the
+sesheyans are the top of the food chain. Sesheyan
+hunters stalk wild game in the jungles, from snake-
+like reptiles to large, sleek jungle predators and
+game animals.
+Sheya
+Primary Gamma Leonis III
+Planetary Class Class 1
+Gravity G1 (0.84g)
+Radiation R1 (9 rem/yr)
+Atmosphere A2 (N, O, CO2)
+Pressure P3 (1.12)
+Heat H2 (22° C)
+Orbital Distance 10.2 AU
+Diameter 5,840 km
+Year (Earth days) 6,716 days
+Day (standard hours) 22.4 hours
+Axial Tilt 8°
+Density 1.07
+# Satellites: None
+==== Sesheyan Weapons ====
+Weapon
+Skill
+Acc
+Md
+Range
+Type
+Damage (O/G/A)
+Actions
+Hide
+Cost
+Bone Dagger Melee-
+blade
+- Personal LI/O d4s/d4w/d4+1w 4 +3 10
+Metal Dagger Melee-
+blade
+- Personal LI/O d4w/d4+1w/d4+2w 4 +3 20
+Spear Melee-
+blade
+- Personal LI/O d4w/d4+2w/d4m 3 - 15
+Blowgun Ranged-
+blowgun
+F per STR
+LI/O 1s/d4s/d4w, plus poison 1 +1 10
+Dart Athletics-
+throw
+F per STR
+LI/O d4s/d4w/d4+1w, plus poison 2 +4 5
+Wind Claw Athletics-
+throw
+F per STR
+LI/O d4w/d4+2w/d4m 4 +2 15
+Bola Athletics-
+throw
+F per STR
+LI/O 1s/d4s/d4+1s, plus entangle* 1 +3 20
+Special Effect – Entangle: The weapon entraps the target, restricting movement. Each level of success applies a +1
+modifier to the target’s actions, so an Amazing success imposes a +3 penalty. Bolas affect only actions involving
+use of the entangled limb(s). Getting out of the entanglement requires a Strength or Dexterity feat (including the en-
+tanglement penalty).
+New Careers
+VoidCorp Assassin
+One of the many areas in which VoidCorp
+employs sesheyans is in a contemporary model of
+their role as hunters. Skilled and patient hunters able
+to fly silently and stalk prey in the dead of night,
+sesheyans make superlative assassins. Once given
+an assignment, the archetypical sesheyan assassin
+never gives up until either successful or dead. The
+activities of such assassins outside of VoidCorp
+space has not helped to endear the sesheyans to
+other stellar nations, which suits VoidCorp (and many
+sesheyans) just fine.
+Signature Equipment: laser rifle, CF softsuit
+Free Agent Core Skills (25 points): Ranged
+Weapons, Mod-
+rifle
+, Security-
+security devices
+,
+Stealth-
+hide
+.
+In the Verge: VoidCorp assassins go wher-
+ever they are ordered by the company. VoidCorp’s
+strong interest in many systems of the Verge
+(particularly Corrivale) is enough to warrant the atten-
+tion of a trained assassin when a precise strike is
+needed.
+==== Sesheyan Shaman ====
+Sesheyan shamans are the spiritual leaders of their people, keepers of sacred lore and history. While most shamans do not leave Sheya, some have found their way to the stars as employees of VoidCorp, especially shamans who possess skills useful to the company, or those potential rebels VoidCorp prefers to have off Sheya. Sesheyans continue to pass on the traditions and teachings of shamanism, even though such things are banned by VoidCorp.
+Signature Equipment: dagger, bone necklace, talismans, and sacred items
+Diplomat Core Skills (20 points): Knowledge-first aid 2; Deception-bluff; Entertainment; Leadership inspire.
+In the Verge: Sesheyan shamans can often be found in the jungles or Girth, helping guide the tribes while working to maintain the traditions and rituals of their people.
+Using Aikei
+sing Aikei
+sing Aikei
+sing Aikei
+The best means of simulating the
+sesheyan use of aikei is through the Faith perk
+(
+Player’s Handbook
+, page 104). The perk allows a
+sesheyan hero a greater chance of success when in-
+voking the appropriate ghost in a situation. Not all
+sesheyans have this perk, only those with consider-
+able faith and skill with the old ways (particularly sha-
+mans). The use of the perk is limited to actions suit-
+able to primitive sesheyans, not for actions involving
+modern technology or ideas. A sesheyan might use
+aikei to improve a use of Melee Weapons-
+blade
+, but
+not Melee Weapons-
+powered
+or Computer Science.
+Example:
+Example:
+Example:
+Example:
+Edolan, a sesheyan hunter, is try-
+ing to sneak past a Hatire guard on Grith. She calls
+upon the ghost of the Silent Stalker, focusing entirely
+on making her movements as quiet as a jungle
+stalker. Edolan has the Faith perk and rolls a Good
+success on her perk check. This gives her an im-
+provement of two degrees of success on her sneak
+check result.
+==== What The Sesheyans Think ====
+Since their first fateful encounter with humans,
+sesheyans have been exposed to many different races.
+Although individual views vary, here is what the two main
+sesheyan factions generally think of the other major races
+of the STAR*DRIVE setting:
+Fraal: “The fraal understand the value of
+technology. They assisted humans in reaching the
+stars much the same way humans later assisted
+us.” –
+Ghost Walker
+“There is a quiet wisdom to these people,
+much like the most enlightened of us. Although they
+are not hunters or warriors, they have a great inner
+strength.” –
+Wind Spirit
+Humans: “Humans were our patrons and
+guides to the stars. They are a clever and inventive
+people. We still have much to learn from them.” –
+Ghost Walker
+“Humans are as changeable as the wind,
+and as dangerous as ska. They have equally great
+capacities for kindness and cruelty.” –
+Wind Spirit
+Mechalus: “A capable and industrious race,
+with an understanding of technology that makes them
+valuable business partners.” –
+Ghost Walker
+“The Mechalus are fine examples of a race
+that has put aside their need for violence, but they
+have merged too much with their machines and lost
+the fire of their spirit.” –
+Wind Spirit
+T’sa: “The t’sa foolishly reject all outsiders. If
+their inventive and industrious nature could only be
+harnessed, they could become truly productive mem-
+bers of galactic society.” –
+Ghost Walker
+“The t’sa saw the dangers in accepting hu-
+man aid and kept their independence. The question
+is, are they willing to aid others in regaining what they
+have?” –
+Wind Spirit
+Weren: “Brutal fighters, useful as mercenar-
+ies, but they refuse to learn the lessons offered by su-
+perior cultures.” –
+Ghost Walker
+“They have no idea how fortunate they are to
+have the Orlamu rather than VoidCorp as patrons.
+May their blood philosophy help them walk the dan-
+gerous path between independence and slavery.” –
+Wind Spirit
+{{tag>canon dragon sesheyan species}}

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