Whistler
The bright-plumed Whistlers are the pre-eminent traders of Seln. Whistler caravans, festooned with chimes, draw a crowd of onlookers and merchants as they enter every Aloran town. Migratory by their avian nature, the Whistlers have turned their half-remembered ancestral migrations into a robust network of hostels and trading posts. No one travels further, faster, and smarter than a Whistler.
Origins
Long have we traveled, yet still the way remains before us. The Road we travel is time and life and memory and fate. We walk because we are alive, and we live because we walk.
Before this land? Well, before this land, we drifted over the endless sea. We rode the clouds, chasing the sun! When at last our wings grew too heavy and our strength seemed to fail, we spied this land and descended to make new haven.
Our home? Home is where you rest in peace with friends. Home is all around you!
Ah, you mean the land of our origin? Alas, even we no longer remember. We left that nest and do not look back. An empty nest is nothing but dirt and stone, after all.
We are here now, and the sea seethes at our trespass. It is a jealous master, hungry to steal and loathe to part with its prizes. By wing alone we will not escape this gravity, and for now we make our nests in Seln.
But listen well, my child. The Road cannot be so easily tamed, and we will find it once more in time.
Stature
You are a Whistler, horizon-blessed traveler of Seln. Your lineage takes its name from your travel songs, accompanied by whistling or flutes and used to keep the caravan in time.
About you:
- Height: 160 to 180 cm, tallest lineage of the land
- Build: Sturdy and weather-hardened
- Skin tone: Naturally tanned
- Hair: Instead of hair, your lineage sports feathers atop your scalp!
Lineage markings:
- Men sport tufts of colorful feathers at the throat, scalp and forearms
- Women share the same placement but with quieter colors
Additionally, your clan is known for extremely sharp eyesight. A Whistler with glasses is a rare sight indeed! Most can read a sign from a hundred meters away.
Naming conventions
Your clan chooses names that exult in the wind, the road, and other good omens.
Common names for girls: Alma, Esmerelda, Fara, Felicia, Kiara, Penny, Pearl
Common names for boys: Bran, Callum, Efron, Finch, Kevalin, Raahi, Swift, Wren, Ulysses
As nomads, your clan often adopt local names. You might go by Oak in Flora, Titus in Alora, and Hiro in Izu! These names are not meant to be secrets or false identities; rather, you wish to set your new friends at ease by adopting their customs while in their company.
Role – Explorers of the wilds
Driven to roam, your lineage turn your sharp sight beyond the safety of the wards. You are the first to brave the storms and the first to reap the reward of sights unknown.
Whistlers know more of navigating the secret ways of Seln than any other save perhaps the spirits.
You can be proud that:
- Your clan knows more of the secret ways of Seln than any other folk
- Your efforts have lead the Kingdom to many bountiful groves, grottos, and crystal dens
- You spread news and trade to every corner of the Kingdom, invigorating all the clans
Under pressure you might admit that:
- Your clans have little use for the loyalty of nation and place, going where you please
- Your wandering nature makes it easier to consort with other Whistlers
- Your economic activity can sometimes be illegal according to the current whim of this or that magistrate. Who can really keep track?
Your Song
Hospitality
As wanderers and nomads, you have created a shared set of rules known as the Laws of Hospitality. These state:
- There shall be peace where you gather
- Let no dispute be raised between those who have broken bread together this night
- If you meet a hungry man, feed him
Your camps and hostels are neutral ground, exempt from the petty conflicts of clans and lineages. The nature of the dispute is immaterial; it must be set aside for the duration of the visit.
Those who violate Hospitality find themselves banished from every Whistler service. In extreme cases, they may run into an accident while on the road.
A logical extension of this rule regards bandits. As travelers, you and your kin encounter more bandits, thieves, and corrupt officials than any other lineage. Your answer is simple: crimes of property may be forgiven with a payment in kind; crimes of blood must be met with death.
This is no idle threat! You and your kin also remove more bandits and thieves than any other lineage!
Merchants, spies, and doctors
Your clans walk the length and breadth of the Kingdom, bringing vital services to outlying areas otherwise ignored by the clans.
At the same time, your clan often conveniently “forgets” about the Crown’s economic dispensations to individual clans. This can provide a desperately needed alternative to captured markets, though you of course charge a small fee.
As you travel, you learn many interesting secrets. Despite a lackadaisical attitude towards royal decrees, your kin are often employed as the ears of the Crown!
Finally, as a self-sufficient band, your clan must learn all the arts of survival. Your clan’s medical care may not quite as scholarly as an Izu surgeon or quite as fine as a Floran healer, but you can perform your services anywhere and any time!
All of these combine to make a Whistler a welcome sight on a lonely road!
Harmony on the road
Your caravans must brave the wild ways beyond even the outer wards. The solution? You carry Harmony with you!
Every Whistler caravan hosts jingling charms on the wagons. These are not ornamental! Each is a tiny ward, centered on the caravan! Together, these charms effectively extend the reach of Harmony far beyond the wards.
Admittedly, the effect grows weaker as one moves away from the Kingdom. Still, your caravans have traveled furthest across this land.
Anyone can learn to whistle
As travelers, you place little weight on the heritage of place. Lineage is an accident of parenthood; clan the same. Folk don’t get to choose their circumstances of birth, but they can choose what comes after.
As such, you and your kin welcome all clans and kin.
To help cement this point, your parents likely kicked you out of the clan when you reached adulthood! That way, you must see the world through your own eyes as you wander!
On the other side, Whistler clans will welcome any who impress them. Factors such as clan, age, gender, and criminal status are irrelevant! This is a fresh start for many desperate folk, surrendering home for belonging on the road.
When challenged on this equitable outlook, you might smile and shrug. “Why not? Anyone can learn to whistle.”