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Salana (Sal-anaa)

Dwarves native to Vatenrelm, Salanas are hearty, and are covered with thick mangy hair. While some can be found in the Frost Hold and the Kingdom of Wave, many prefer to sail the seas of The Lawless Surf, with the only rule being the rule of their captain.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Salanas speak Aquan instead of Terran.

Shared customary codes and values

Salanas are much more free-spirited than other dwarves, acting more chaotic than their more stoic land-dwelling cousins.

Average technological level

Salanas have mastered the art of brewing, able to create powerful drinks that are sought after the world over.

Common Etiquette rules

Salanas are gruff, not caring for pleasantries and flattery. They prefer action, daring and bravado, and those who hesitate are viewed as cowardly.

Common Dress code

Salanas prefer to garb themselves mostly in traditional sailor gear, as they spend most of their life onboard their mighty boats.

Art & Architecture

Salanas are believed to have been the first ones to carve boats and set out upon the great seas. They have perfected the art of shipbuilding, and salana crafted boats are the finest in the realm.

Foods & Cuisine

Salanan ale is sought after world-wide, as they are known to be master brewers.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Salanas have a penchant for burying their treasure to return for it later or to hide it from their enemies. Such practices bring them in constant conflict with pinchlings, who often utilize their ability to sense valuables to unearth salana hordes.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

The first thing a young salana receives after birth is a drop of ale, so that they can immediately taste the blessing of Kìlf.

Coming of Age Rites

When a salana comes of age, they are sent away to understudy on a ship, usually starting as a deckhand and working their way up the ranks.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Salanas "bury" their dead by embalming them and interring them in the sides of their boats, allowing their spirit to forever watch over the surviving crew.

Common Taboos

A salana who betrays their crew will be strapped to a cannon or other large object and dropped into the ocean to drown in the depths. A salana who can't hold its ale will be considered a weakling and likely shunned.

Common Myths and Legends

A majority of the Salana worship Kìlf, the dwarven god of ale and the sea, but can sometimes be found paying tribute to the other members of the dwarven pantheon or even gods related to treasure and wealth.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Due to the rugged life of a sailor and often even a life of crime, the salana care little about looking prim and proper. They instead value grit, muscle, and treasure over land-lubber concerns of beauty and status.

Gender Ideals

Females are the brewers and chefs of salana society, often remaining on ships designed specifically for brewing, or on the few land settlements that the salana maintain, while male salanas venture out to gain treasure and glory

Courtship Ideals

Male salanas bring gifts of treasure and gems discovered on their ventures to woo females, and often will engage in ale drinking competitions with potential rivals or even the female themselves to prove their worth.

Relationship Ideals

Salanas are fiercely loyal to their friends, but are quite superstitious, meaning that they are slow to trust outsiders. A salana's crewmates are viewed as its family, with captain is treated as the head of the house. While at sea, a salana captains word is absolute law, although few salana captains enforce such edicts on their crews.

Major organizations

Many salana can be found working on pirate crews in The Lawless Surf, and are credited with aiding in the creation of the mobile fleet-city of Lapperto

Random Salana Homelands
% Rolled Homeland Trait Gained
01-25 Ship-City Natural Born Sailor
25-50 Island Brewmaster
51-75 Coastline Pirate
76-86 Tundra Tundra Child
87-94 Underwater City Goldsniffer
95-00 Unusual Homeland (Roll on Unusual Homeland Table)
Encompassed species
Related Locations
A salana replaces the standard Dwarf traits of Defensive Training, Hatred, and Stonecunning with the following traits:   Salt Dwarf: Salanas gain a +2 to Profession (Sailor) checks and Survival checks while at sea, and gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC against creatures with the Aquatic or Water subtypes. These bonus increase by 1 for every 4 hit dice the salana possesses beyond the 1st.   Treasuresense: A salanas greed racial trait only applies to treasure found on or under the water, but applies to all such treasure, even those without gemstones.

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