Storm Panthers:Suli Notes

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Cultural and racial musings

The Sooth Tabi are semi-nomadic reindeer herders; moving seasonally but bedding down for the harsh Winters of the North when the weather turns.

Mostly human, the Sooth Tabi revere the primal spirits of world like many such people. But the families of the Sooth Tabi differ from most in worship of their patron spirit: The Crimson Moon.

The Crimson Moon is hailed as a watcher or sentinel with ties to blood, memory, the night, guidance of the lost and light’s hope against evil.

And those touched, blessed or chosen by The Crimson Moon become…a peculiar sort of vampire.

Not truly undead in the way other vampires tend to be, those chosen by the Crimson Moon – the vampires of the Sooth Tabi – occupy a respected (if rigid) position in their society.

In blood you find memory and in memory the soul lives on is a tenant of Sooth Tabi belief.

A vampire who sups your blood feels themselves to be familiar with you, one who drinks deep takes your memories for their own, and one who drains you dry takes you fully into themselves.

In this way, Sooth Tabi vampires preserve knowledge over generations, and allow the brave and worthy to protect their tribe even in death.

As with the tribal elders of other societies, these vampires draw on their long and varied memories to advise their families. They do so alongside the Sooth Tabi shamans…

…for it is known that vampires cannot be shamans (it is the job of the living to talk with the spirits – and the vampires are viewed as a kind of ‘corporeal spirit’ so they cannot intercede or negotiate the way shamans can).

And in addition to this counsel, these vampires perform two other functions:

They are the guardians of their families when terrible foes threaten them (but this is a risk for so much wisdom might be lost if the worst comes to pass);

And they also raise the families’ children – the oldest teach the youngest, and the youngest remind the oldest what it means to live in the world.

The clear role delineation in the Sooth Tabi is a necessarily aggressive egalitarianism. They are culturally avoiding dominance hierarchies of any kind because a society prone to dominance hierarchies is a society incredibly prone to being 'ruled' by vampires. The Sooth vampires need important roles removed from the day-to-day (and religious) decision making of the families. And this has the knock-on effect that the Sooth Tabi lack dominance hierarchies entirely and all members of the families are notably equal; with those who start to get out of line handled in a variety of ways.

Sayings and idioms

• What is separate above the lake may be entwined below (things aren't always obviously connected).
• It's just a shooting star (a coincidence; not connected despite appearances).