Selkie

Description

Selkies (also spelled silkie, selchie) are a Fae race. They live as seals in the sea, but can shed their seal skin to take on a human appearance. The pelt is the only thing that allows a selkie to switch back and forth between appearing as a seal and as a human. A selkie's pelt is their most cherished possession, and they will protect it fiercely. It is said that a selkie's pelt is a part of their soul, and if someone were to steal the selkie's pelt they gain some control over the selkie.

Selkies are inherently wild creatures. They are often unversed in the details of human life and some have a hard time fitting in. Others assimilate quite well into human cultures and can travel unnoticed among humans. Like most fae, Selkies have a certain fascination with human cultures, but refuse to be tamed or bounded by them.

Despite their fae nature, Selkies have very little control over magic or glamour, and only manage small magics when needed. They can disguise their homes to avoid detection, and will often disguise their pelts when wandering among other races on land. Though Selkies are strongly tied to the sea and prefer not to stray too far from the coast, they can wander anywhere they choose so long as they have their pelt. However, should they be separated from their pelt, their strength and will fades the further and further they get from the sea.

Selkies tend to be more benevolent than others among the Fae. They usually keep to themselves, but have been known to rescue drowning sailors. However, it is said that Selkies were not always such gentle spirits of the sea, and may have had a darker history. Indeed, even today some Selkies harbor no love for other races and will actively lead sailors astray or sometimes even to their deaths given the opportunity. Rumors circulate that some Selkies actively abduct humans from the shoreline, though for what reason no one can say for sure.

Many Selkies are skilled navigators and astronomers. Far out to sea, the only way to navigate is by the stars, leading Selkies to learn much about the night sky and how to travel by it. Selkies also have a great love of music and singing.

Racial Traits and Signifiers

Selkies are almost indistinguishable from humans. However, key traits to look for in identifying a Selkie are the presence of a seal pelt and possible facial markings. Bear in mind, Selkies try to avoid detection when possible, and so may have disguised their pelt as a coat or some innocuous item of clothing.

Religion

Creation
After the creation of the world, the gods began to design and give life to the races of the world. So many races were placed upon the earth suddenly, and with no care as to who went where. War erupted across the face of the earth, with each race vying to be the best. It was a chaotic and violent time, filled with bloodshed.

Ruuna, the Mother, had spent a great deal of time creating her perfect children, and knew that the world was no place for them in its current state. She feared for their safety should she put them on earth with the other races. So instead she held on to them, refraining from breathing life into them with the world so full of suffering. She would bide her time, hoping that one day she too could bring her children to the world and give them life.

How long the world continued like this is hard to say; time means little to the gods. But there came a time when the other gods, in their desperation and out of fear for their own beloved creations, pleaded to create defined homelands to stop the wars and give each race a place where they truly belonged. Thus arose the contest among the gods: they would cast stones upon the world, and wherever their stone should fall, there would be the homeland of their respective creatures.

Ruuna knew this was her chance to claim a homeland for her children so she could finally bring them to life. She had only to cast a stone, and there her people could dwell in relative safety. The gods drew lots to determine in which order they would cast their stones, and many other gods preceded her in the contest. Ruuna watched with anxiety as all the best places in the world were slowly claimed by falling stones. When her turn finally came to cast her own stone, Ruuna aimed for the land along the coast, knowing that bountiful fish would be readily available to her children there. Yet as the stone fell, it broke in half. One half landed in the shallow seas, and the other on land. The other gods laughed at her poor choice of stone, wondering just how her children could possibly live in the sea and on the shore.

Embarrassed and disappointed, Ruuna sat at the edge of the sea for many days and nights, wondering how her children could possibly succeed in the narrow band of the shoreline. To live one place or the other was simple, but to be able to truly take advantage of both?

After some time, Ruuna had an idea. And so she finally brought her children to life, standing on the shore where the waves lapped at their ankles. They asked her how they could possibly live in such a place, but she gently hushed them and told them to be patient. Once they were all standing before her, she gifted each of them a seal pelt. With this, she told them, they could freely access both parts of their domain. All they had to do was simply put on or remove their coat, and they could move as freely in the sea as they could on land. This is part of you, she warned them. Do not let it fall into enemy hands, or you will be trapped on shore, unable to return to the sea.

Thus Selkies were born and exist as we know them today.

Deities
Selkies favor Ruuna, their creator, before all other gods. She gave them life, gifted them their magic pelts, and taught them all they know. To them, she is their Mother. Thus Selkies often call her Máthair, out of love and respect.

Other
Pending

Populations

Selkies are found on any coastline with seals. That being said, there are a few notable populations with unique attributes worth mentioning:

• Eastern Sea Selkies
  
• Frozen Sea Selkies
  
• Lake Selkies
  

Eastern Sea Selkies

Not to be confused with Lake Selkies, Eastern Sea Selkies have moved inland. Driven out of their native homeland by overfishing, seal hunters, war, and fishermen wanting to add Selkie blood to the family tree, the Selkies of the Eastern Sea left to find a better and safer home elsewhere. After a long and hard voyage, they found alpine lakes not yet marred by humans. They settled in small colonies in different lakes, and protected their new homes with fae magic. No humans could ever find the lakes, and that meant that the Selkies were safe in their new home.

Living inland proved a much different life for the Eastern Sea Selkies. While they missed their home, they knew it was safer to live in the mountain lakes. Along with the change in location came a large change in lifestyle. The Selkies began spending more and more of their time in their human forms, and learned to incorporate more than just fish into their diet.

Frozen Sea Selkies

Arguably the scariest of the known Selkie races, Frozen Sea Selkies are larger and fiercer than their smaller, northern cousins. They fit in well with the leopard seals of the southern seas, and do not tend to be disturbed by humans or many other races in their frozen home. Yes, they eat penguins.

Lake Selkies

No one really knows how the Lake Selkies came to be where they are, but they are the only truly freshwater Selkie. While Eastern Sea Selkies moved inland, Lake Selkies have always lived in freshwater. As far as anyone knows, they are restricted to one large, inland lake. Few races seem to bother the Selkies themselves, but overfishing has proven to be a recent threat to their livelihood.

Known Selkies

Emeldir Talrein

Misconceptions

Many people harbor several misconceptions about Selkies and how they work. This is not a complete list of misconceptions, but is an effort to try and address a few of the largest ones.

• Selkies do not turn into seals upon getting wet. The amount of water you douse a Selkie with does not matter. The pelt is the only thing that enables a Selkie to change between human and seal form.
• Selkies do not turn into seals when they sleep. See above point about pelts