The Ak'thri

Cultural event

The Ak'thri, a tecuhtli tribe on the western coast of Kalmasa, develop a close relationship with the nearby ulan commune and in time adapt the biomantic arts of the ulan for themselves, learning how to enhance and change their bodies to suit their purposes and to pass on desired traits to their progeny.

Over the centuries, the coastal excultid peoples across Torvalen passed down folk tales of the strange water-folk. Some worshipped them while others feared them. A few recognized them as simply another kind of people and treated them with respect untainted by awe. One of these tribes, the Ak'thri, a tecuhtli tribe living on the western central coasts of Kalmasa, developed an especially close relationship with the nearby ulan commune.

The two peoples traded gifts, stories and knowledge, growing culturally richer and intertwined. Ulan visited their villages and sometimes used their magic to heal. Some of the Ak'thri, especially those who dived for shellfish, became especially close to the ulan and some received the gift of a bite from the Ama, enabling them to stay underwater for longer and to swim stronger.

Their children inherited their abilities. In time, the Ak'thri began to experiment with the control of their own physiologies as the amas did. To the surprise of the ulan, some were successful, though the results were cruder and sometimes deadly. This ability, though exceedingly difficult, could be taught and the knowledge spread throughout the Ak'thri tribe.