Because they can always depend on the bounty of the sea, selkies are capable of thriving in lands where other heritages would struggle to get by. Consequently, selkie communities in such places can become culturally insulated, tending them toward a more conservative and traditional outlook. The quintessential expression of this tendency is the selkie commune. While outside commentators often envision these secluded, familial bastions as exotic domains of luxury and idleness, the reality is more complex. While privacy and protection allow selkie communes to cultivate a rich tradition of ne arts and strict social mores, they are constantly alive with the innumerable activities required to maintain a great household. Moreover, behind the scenes, there are more dangerous games at play.
Selkie communes are polygamous, at least at the highest echelons of society, with the lord of a given house keeping several wives and concubines, to say nothing of other servants and their families. However, although a lord’s authority may be absolute, it is never secure; aside from his chief responsibility to defend his household from external threats, at any time another male selkie may challenge a lord to a duel for both his possessions and his family (which are closely linked, as only women in selkie communes may own property). Consequently, wealth and prestige tend to concentrate in the hands of the most aggressive and jealous.
However, one should not assume that women are passive players in selkie communes. Many a concubine has laid the groundwork for her preferred paramour to usurp her lord’s title, promoting her to a position of favor. Meanwhile, those currently in power must remain constantly vigilant to dismantle such plots before they come to fruition, which includes tempering their lord’s bellicose tendencies before they inspire resentment.
Characters raised in the selkie commune culture share a variety of traits in common with one another.
Arts of the Court. You are procient in Performance, and you gain your choice of either a Performance specialty or prociency in a musical instrument.
Code of Honor. You are accustomed to having your conduct closely scrutinized and have learned to regulate yourself accordingly. You gain an expertise die on saving throws to resist being charmed or frightened.
Commune Politics. You have learned to survive, navigate, and occasionally orchestrate changes in favor and power. Choose one of the following:
Authority: You are procient in Intimidation and Persuasion.
Intrigue: You are procient in Deception and Insight.
Secluded Society. You value your privacy, and do not appreciate those who insert themselves in your affairs. Choose one of the following options:
Get Out: You know the Imposing Glare maneuver, and may activate it once per short or long rest without spending exertion.
Slip Away: You are procient in Stealth.
Watery Veil: You know the fog cloud spell, and may cast it once per long rest without a spell slot.
Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common and one other language of your choice.
The need to fight fiercely for their families and possessions drives many selkie lords to become Reckless Protector berserker. Those under their stewardship must nd ways to temper those aggressive impulses when they would be inopportune, which, combined with a strong artistic tradition, leads many to become Soul Soother bards.
DESIGNER’S NOTE: SELKIES, GENDER, AND OBJECTIFICATION
Traditional selkie lore almost always protrays selkies, male or female, both as a mysterious “other” and as objects of romantic and sexual desire (emphasis on “objects”). This may be serviceable in mythology, but when translating selkies into the role of protagonists, I believed it was important to “advance the myth” and reimagine selkies as they might imagine themselves: as creatures with individual agency, autonomy, and identities. Simultaneously, I could not simply strip selkies of the motifs of sex and gender without loosing something fundamental to their narrative and appeal. As such, it is my hope that Secrets of the Selkies will allow players and Narrators to tell stories that encourage productive conversations about the roles of sex and gender by providing options with the potential to highlight the differences between men and women without forcing any particular interpretation or answers.