Seltien

Summary

In the times of the Astral Crusades, Nioss, the god of inspiration, made three separate legions, each of which had the goal of supporting and inspiring the other legions in their own unique ways. Each of these legions would become a separate strain of Seltien with an appearance and set of Mannerisms based on their original design, all united by the goal of searching the world for inspiration to share with the inhabitants of Tor'Saarn. Each of these sub-species can travel the world for decades, returning to their homes only to catalogue their sources of inspiration for a short few years before setting out into the vast reaches of Tor'Saarn once again.
They live much longer lives than most sentient species, with Herost-Seltien and Celcene-Seltien typically living for over 400 years, and Aior-Seltien can live to be almost 600. The older members of the Seltien species are seen as quite valuable by societies across Tor'Saarn, and find themselves in positions of power that allow them to make use of their vast wealth of knowledge and ideas.
The Seltien Subspecies (as are currently accepted by scholars) are: The Herost-Seltien, the Celcene-Seltien and the Aior-Seltien

Physical Description

The Seltien are tall Near-Humans, who could easily pass as humans were it not for their primary identifying feature, their horns. Their horns are made from a natural crystalline structure, and always match the color of their eyes. The exact specifics of their physical form and the shape of their horns varies greatly between subspecies.

Psychological Description

The Seltien's psychology varies between the subraces considerably, however they all share the same primary psychological traits. They all share a sense of wonder, however when, where and how they express this is almost wholly dependent on the ethnicity of the individual. In addition to their crystal horns they have a small group of hexagonal gems (often on their palms and spine) that help them 'ground' themselves.

Range of Habitation

Many of their homelands are today found in Hyeros, as at the end of the Sethiri conflicts many of the displaced Seltien were welcomed into Kilric's land as an act of friendship by the Godcaster. However before their displacement at the hands of the Tiorath Hierarchy they lived in the lands now known as the Barren hills. Their former kingdoms were Aior, Celcene and Herost. They still control Melnir.

Cultural Basics

Their Seltien adapt to the philosophy and cultures they find the most alluring to them, and thus have a rich, but difficult to follow culture. The most obvious commonality between the different sub-cultures is their thirst for inspirations and knowledge, and the adventurous nature that desire requires to quench. The Seltien are travelers by nature, seldom staying in one place for long. However their meditation period requires a stable home, and they employ members of their sister race the Malruun to maintain their homelands.
Starting at adulthood the Seltien begin embarking on pilgrimages that can last decades, and are only broken up by brief periods in their homeland to translate and record any knowledge gained throughout their pilgrimage. During these journeys the Seltien gathering knowledge and inspiration from the peoples of Tor'Saarn.

History

The Seltien were created during the Astral crusades, and helped the gods to design the Realms of the Gods alongside their master Nioss. They were one of the earliest races to make their way into the realms of the gods, arriving not long after the Kiari.
In times of antiquity they once maintained a large empire joined by common objective rather than conquest, however due to their nomadic nature their homeland was sparsely inhabited during Tiorath's conquest of the region. The Tiorath Hierarchy's arrival in this land sparked the beginning of genuine violence in Tiorath's conquest of Tor'Saarn and intense battles that would only be matched by the stalemate in Felsaed.
Before the arrival of Tiorathan forces the lands were known as the Harmadi Elran, and was made up of four kingdoms separated by now dried up rivers that fed the long dead forests of the kingdoms, of which one remains, Melnir, and is under the Vassalage of Hyeros.

Advanced Physiology

Skeletal and Muscular Structures The Skeletal structure of the Seltien is similar to that of humans, however they have small crystalline growths that pierce the skin in a few locations, in addition to their horns.
Diet Similar to humans.
Grounding The Seltien do not require as much sleep as humans, requiring roughly half the amount of sleep that a comparably aged human would (typically 4 hours a day). The rest of their resting needs is made up through a process called grounding, during which they lay on the ground with their face to the sky. Their palms, the base of their neck and the base of their spine are placed in contact with the ground, connecting them to the earth.
The Seltien require a total of 40 hours Grounding in a 4 week period, which is typically broken up into smaller grounding sessions that are at least half an hour in length. The Seltien can get accelerated results from shorter grounding sessions if they are performed at an ideal location, however the specifics of this location vary from ethnicity to ethnicity.

Arrival in Tor'Saarn

Unknown

Parental god

Nioss

Worshipped gods

Nioss, Gessar

Native regions

Melnir, Herost, Celcene, Aior

Lifespan

400 years, 600 for the Aior Seltien

Height

Herost: 170-196cm
Celcene: Just shy of Human height.
Aior: 180-200cm

Weight

Herost: 60-90kg
Celcene: 50-75kg
Aior: 65-95kg

Related Organizations

• The Knights of Discernment