The Folk of Harmony
Two men in white robes and dragon masks blocked the road from the campsite at dawn.
The caravan leader stood opposite them, arms crossed.
Sara and Ishikawa peeked from their tent, blocking the way in.
“We require inspection of the premises,” the masked men stated.
“Why?” demanded the Whistler leader, feathers bristling.
“Our reasons are our own.”
“That’s nice. This is my caravan.”
“You will comply.”
Ishikawa glanced at Sara and whispered an explanation. “They are rude, even for the white masked Inspectors. Plus, no writ of inspection. What royal inspector forgets his paperwork?”
“Royal inspector?”
“The armed authority of the Queen herself.”
Despite his easy smile, Ishikawa gripped the edge of the tent tightly, and she noticed he wore several pieces of jewelry wrapped around his wrists. The gems gleamed as if alive…
“Quite unrelated, the penalty for impersonating a royal inspector is death,” he whispered.
He let his hand fall to her back, urging her to face forward as she heard the tent rip behind them.
She stiffened but forced herself not to look back. Loud enough to cover the noise, she asked, “Why are they here?”
The dragon-masked men turned their snarled visage directly at Sara.
“Do not mind her. She was stricken in Rhin and lost her memories,” Ishikawa explained, placid under their baleful glare.
Sara offered her shaky curtsy.
Disinterested, the men turned back to the caravan leader. “We will inspect the premises.”
Taking a step forward.
Suddenly the camp bristled with Whistler men, all armed.
“You’d break the Law of Hospitality?” challenged the Whistler leader.
The white masks contemplated the crowd.
They’re confident, two against twenty. What are these guys?!
Clenching her fists, Sara forced an innocent tone. “But the Law of Hospitality is one of the great covenants of the Kingdom! Why, breaking the Law of Hospitality would be…”
“…inconvenient,” admitted the white-masked man reluctantly. Snorting, he stepped back. “Very well. For now.”
They departed, and the camp released their collective breath.
“Tia?” Sara whispered.
Ishikawa turned back to the tent. Tia and her things were gone through a crude hole in the back. “Fang will do what he can to cover her. We should hurry; they will return with a forged writ.”
Officially, the Whistlers detained any suspects that matched the writ: a party of four, two men and two girls.
Unofficially, a Whistler woman escorted Sara and Ishikawa along a dark path. Somehow, they emerged miles away in a matter of minutes.
It was not enough.
First came the sharp snap of a tripwire breaking. Then Sara sagged, her legs suddenly numb. Her limbs swiftly turned to molasses, and she collapsed.
Ishikawa dodged the tripwires, but more traps sprang. There were nets, which he burned with flashes of his fists as his gemstones blazed; then masked men in the underbrush…
Struggling to remain lucid, Sara thought – for a moment – that she heard a dragon roaring with Ishikawa’s every strike as he stood over her numb body.
But there were so many…and her eyes…were so heavy…
Seln is home to a bedazzling array of sentient creatures, some nicer than others. Here we will consider only the folk that take part in Alora’s song of Harmony: five lineages and their innumerable clans.
Lineages are biological: an Aloran’s dusting of scales or a Floran’s flower-blooming hair come from lineage. Despite these differences, the lineages share a familiar, humanoid template. The lineages can interbreed; whether the Lineages are separate species or not is an argument for biologists.
Clans, on the other hand, are the basic family unit of the Kingdom. As a family unit, clans can span multiple Lineages through adoption or marriage, though most clans stay within a single Lineage.
Each section will cover the Lineage in its own words. This will result in contradictory information on occasion. The lineages themselves are not in full agreement on these things!
Make your own
We only have space here for five Lineages and a few clans. These are examples and inspiration, but the best lineage or clan is the one you make!