Schjern (She-yer-n)
Gnome-born Tieflings and Axions of Urro, typically of Asuran descent. Like all of the Cosmic Races, their appearance and abilities can vary wildly, but most Schjern have bone-like skin, with spikey protrusions that are quite sharp emerging from them.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Schjern mostly speak Gnommish, Urrok Common, and Infernal.
Culture and cultural heritage
The Schjern originally turned to atheism in the hopes of creating a better world devoid of mistakes and needless suffering, however their association with the asura have corrupted this noble goal. While some remain determined to unmake the world so that it can be remade better, most have let their bitterness against the unfairness of the world consume them. They turning to crafting traps and engineering "mistakes" in order to point out just how bad and disorderly the world has become, and to highlight that the chance is the only thing keeping most mortals alive, not the protection of the divine.
Average technological level
The Schjern are naturally-gifted trap makers, and they love to construct and connive new technology to help aid in their deadly games.
Common Etiquette rules
Attempting to push or even talk about ones one religious beliefs often make the Schjern angry, and thus it is wise to avoid mentioning them unless speaking in agreement. Refusing to participate in activities with them (regardless of how dangerous or obviously trapped said activity may be) is also seen as not only extremely rude, but also cowardly and is likely to get the Schjern and potentially its friends to gang up to torment you.
Common Dress code
The Schjern often wear longer and darker clothes meant to conceal their bone-white skin while slinking through the swamp. They often let their cloths fall into disarray, allowing their bony protrusions to stick out and harm anyone who would attempt to grab them.
Art & Architecture
Most Schjern dwell in communal monastery temples scattered throughout the Drutmire, under the watchful eye of an asura. Those that live on their own or with a small family usually craft easily concealed hobble holes out of mud, utilizing their impressive engineering skills to create much larger underground areas than the hole would appear.
Foods & Cuisine
Most Schjern are incredibly wary against eating anything not prepared by themselves, as it is common for attempted poisonings to occur. The Drutmire is home to many toxic creatures that the Schjern have built up an immunity to, including the Spine-Fish. The Drut Spine-Fish is said to be one of the most delicious foods known to mortal life when prepared correctly, but such a task is incredibly difficult to do safely. Most of the money Drutmire makes comes in exporting these Spine-Fish, but many Schjern secretly contaminate or ruin the fish in subtly ways, leading to the deaths of brave nobles in other nations. These acts often lead to retaliation attempts by the families of said nobles, but this usually leads those nobles (or adventurers they hire) to untimely demises to the many beasts and traps of the Drutmire, which in turn only encourages the Schjern to continue their schemes.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Schjern birth rites focus more on the woman rather than the child, with men remain with their woman throughout the whole birthing process, encouraging them through the birth. This is also a survival tactic alive, as it is incredibly common for others to set deadly traps around the area in an attempt to demonstrate the unfairness of the universe by depriving the newborn of their father. If either survive, it shows off the strength of the mortal Schjern, while if one or more of them perish, it helps to reinforce their rage against the divine beings who allow such tragedy to happen.
Coming of Age Rites
To be considered an adult Schjern must craft some sort of device that leads to the maiming or death of another, preferably in some sort of tragic accident. This can be as simple as a concealed hole with poisoned spikes, to an elaborate tripwire that causes a bridge to collapse while someone is walking over it. This leads the usual targets to be their Schjern's siblings or even parents if they are raised together, but many are raised communally in a asuran monastery, and thus their targets become their fellow students. This usually means that the graduating class of the monastery is constantly wittled down, with only a handful of the students remaining alive at the end.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Due to their relatively solitary natures, many Schjern die alone, and thus are reclaimed by the swamp. Due to their penchant for deadly traps, many Schjern even fall prey to their own kinds contraptions. A Schjern who finds the remains of another in one of their devices often polishes the bones and either displays them in its home, or utilizes its parts in another devious trap. Other Schjern often utilize magic to ensure that the bodies of their family members rise from the dead should their home be trespassed upon.
Common Taboos
The Schjern hate the idea of divine worship - save for the blasphemous worship of Asura and his servants, and many state that even that is just a means to an end. Thus those who preach religion and service to divine beings earn the ire of the Schjern. They believe that creatures must make their own mark on history through their own power.
Common Myths and Legends
Nearly all Schjern worship Asuren, the Fiendish Lords of Mistakes and the Asura. When the Age of Conflict began, Asuren was cast onto the swampland, corrupting and twisting its heart with his very nature. As the Age of Conflict raged, many sought out both a safe area to hide and questioned to why the world was in such disarray; how could the gods with all of their powerful might allow for such destruction? The gnomes who made up a majority the builders and crafters of the Realm were especially mortified, and Asuren provided them an answer. The gods had no true grand plan, the gods themselves were also susceptible to the whims of fate, and they cared not for what their mistakes could cost mortals living now. The gnomes, looking at the state of the world, agreed, and swore that with the help of the Asura, they could remake the world into a much better version. Thus, they became his loyal followers, and slowly over time, transformed into the Schjern of today.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The Schjern have a strange relationship with beauty. They simultaneously admire and despise those who are unmarred by the worlds misfortune, while both extolling and pitying those with damage bodies as proof of the worlds uncaring nature. Those who are beautiful quickly become the targets of their jealous peers, while those who are maimed become little more than tools to showcase the Schjerns beliefs. Thus, most Schjern prefer to be in the unremarkable camp, with perhaps a bit of cosmetic damage or scarring, but not enough to actually hinder day-to-day life.
Gender Ideals
The Schjern have relatively equal gender roles, and females are viewed as a bit of a martyr caste, due to their tendency to die in childbirth. Thus, pregnant woman are often very sheltered and pampered, at least by Schjern standards.
Courtship Ideals
Schjern courtships often begin in secret, and lead to elaborate games. Usually a male will begin pining after a female, and attempting to remove any potential rivals through traps, maiming's, and pranks, while attempting to survive themselves. Once this has gone on for a good amount of time, the female then attempts to identify which traps were set by whom, and among the survivors, whose attempts she liked the most. Once she has successfully revealed the perpetrator, they attempt to start a family, although many rivals don't cease their attempts on one of the pairs life. It is even common for one of them (or even their children) to fall prey to an trap set by an old rival after marriage, and then for the surviving spouse to quickly remarry that old rival.
Relationship Ideals
The Schjern are incredibly untrusting, yet still are heavily social with each other, as they view hiding away from all the potential "accidents" the world might throw at them as cowardly. They grieve deeply when one of their own tragically dies, even when it was their own machinations that led to that person's demise in the first place. However, if one truly befriends a Schjern, they often find that they are incredibly loyal, albeit in devious and often malicious ways.
Major organizations
Most Schjern live in the foul swamp of Drutmire, and serve under an Asuran master. Drutmire is divided among many Schjern tribes who lay countless traps for each other and those who would invade their territory.
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