THE
MULLOG
RACE
("SWAMPDWELLERS") |
A relatively new race in the world of Caelereth, Mullogs derive from both orcs and hobbits. In the aftermath of the War for Ancyros, a group of hobbits fled into the Silvermarshes. Years later, the dwindling population was disturbed by a party of orcs, who had deserted their own kin. Bound on continuing their lineage, the orcs, who where all male, captured some of the hobbit females and raped them. From this forced combination of two races a new race sprang, the Mullog. Being better suited for the Silvermarshes, the Mullogs eventually remained, while the hobbits and orcs vanished from the marshes.
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Centuries of
isolation from the rest of the world, combined with the harsh conditions of the
Silvermarshes resulted in an even
better suitability to their environment, until the point where the ties with
their orcish and hobbit
ancestry have become only distant features.
Generally avoiding contact with the rest of the world, the Mullogs have only a
faint idea of the things going on outside their swamps. Similarly, the Mullogs
themselves have become the subject of myths and legends told by other races
inhabiting the areas surrounding the Silvermarshes and are often referred to as
“Swampdwellers”.
Appearance. Mullogs
are a particularly small race, rarely exceeding one
ped in height. Due to a
lack of larger prey-animals but an abundance of smaller prey, which is still
hard to catch, conditions in their environment seem to favour smaller bodies.
While people of larger stature would have to invest a lot of time and energy
into getting enough food, Mullogs can do with less, and can thus spend their
time more efficiently, giving them an edge at hunting
and gathering.
With slender but muscular bodies and a brown or greenish skin, they are appear
somewhat like the imp
creatures, which are of
magical origin, however, they display none of the
imp's
mischievous behaviour. Although small in stature,
Mullogs can even convey a noble or charming image to human
standards, depending on the occasion.
The Mullog's body is slightly out of proportion, because they have somewhat
large heads compared to the rest of their body and because their arms are
normally the same size as their legs. Nonetheless, they are able to display
great dexterity and agility when moving through their home, the
Silvermarshes, while they are
simultaneously able to camouflage themselves within the terrain. Relatively
large eyes, varying in colour from gray to brown, provide excellent central
vision during daytime, but also quite good peripheral vision in the dark, which
makes it slightly easier to discern between solid ground and bogs during night
time. Still, Mullogs don't like to venture out at night, mainly because of the
risk of running into
swamp stalkers. During day time, it is
possible for a Mullog to discern between a
stalkers
and a normal tree. At night however, it is not as easy to note the difference,
and one might fall prey to this predating creature.
With sharp nails and teeth, Mullogs are able to hunt without the use of tools or
weapons, although they prefer not doing so.
Living in hostile environmental conditions, Mullogs have developed a
particularly well constitution over time. Though not completely immune to
poisons or venoms, Mullogs still display great resistances against them. It is
believed this is due to exposure to aggressive agents from birth. Only the
strong and resilient Mullogs survived, providing them with a resistant
bloodline. Also, it has been suggested that individuals develop resistances
against poisons and venoms when the doses they receive gradually increase from
birth on, as is the case with Mullogs. Having a thick, almost leather-like skin
also serves as a natural means of protection against environmental hostilities
and helps to remain warm during cold periods, but the lack of hair also prevents
them from heating-up too much during the warmer times of the year.
The differences between female and male Mullogs are few, but nonetheless
distinctive. Usually, male Mullogs are almost completely hairless, while females
tend to have accentuated brows. Furthermore, Mullog males display small veins of
green within their eyes, a trait which is not existent among females. Aside from
this, the only differences are the ordinary gender-related ones; males have a
slightly more muscular stature and are somewhat taller, but the differences are
only small.
Territory. The only region in the world where Mullogs reside are the Silvermarshes in the province of Nermeran, on the southern Sarvonian continent. They occupy the lower and southern part of the Silvermarshes, to which they refer themselves as “Ga-lum-be”, but to which halflings refer as "Wetholm". Living in these more hostile areas of the marshes, they are only rarely disturbed by members of the other races, which is something the Mullogs are completely satisfied with. Their way of living allows them to live in places where none of the other races want to live, thus they have no need for expansion at other's expense.
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Within their territory, Mullogs construct their villages and hamlets
scattered among the more solid islands that exist within the
Silvermarshes.
Though not very large, these islands still provide enough space for a few houses
and communal buildings to be constructed. The island’s higher ground is vital,
as it does not only allow the construction of proper buildings, but also
provides a basic protection from carnivorous
water dwellers and poisonous mists that sometimes float above more boggy
areas.
Although not aggressive by nature, Mullogs have a great disliking of anyone
trespassing on their territory. Due to incidents in the past, and their origin
as refugees and victims, Mullogs are fearful of the other races. Unless
travelling in large groups, intruders in Mullog territory have a habit of
"mystically" disappearing. As a result, barges that move through Mullog
territory to carry goods are well-manned and usually armed as well. Still,
sometimes Mullogs lay traps for their visitors, designed to cause distraction
and allow the Mullogs to steal goods from the barge while the crew is
distracted, as Mullogs will never seek a direct confrontation. - There are,
however, two exceptions to this way of guarding their territory:
For once, Mullogs will never intentionally harm a child, unless they are forced
to do so. They consider children to be innocent and thus they should not be
harmed. When a child somehow enters the marshes and is found by Mullogs, they
will try to return it to the nearest civilized outpost.
Secondly, refugees or hunted people will be allowed to pass freely, while their
pursuers can expect trouble. However, it must be noted that on both occasions,
Mullogs first tend to "listen to the spirits", to see if intervention is wise or
not. The spirits will then give advice on whether the trespasser is an innocent
refugee or not and Mullogs will always comply to the spirit’s advice in these
cases. If the spirits should speak in favour of the hunted trespasser, the
Mullogs will protected the refugee, and kill the pursuers.
Mode of Living/Habits. Not having
access to any metal or ore deposits and living in a condition unfavourable to
great structures, Mullogs have kept their way of living basic and simple. They
construct their houses from wood, plants and animal-hides. Due to its abundance,
lifereed is
always used to build huts. Woven into a watertight pattern,
lifereed
forms the outer structure of a hut or shack, though it
is sometimes used for the skeleton as well. Because of the durability and
strength of lifereed
Mullog buildings are well constructed and provide
enduring shelter and protection from the hostile
Silvermarshes.
Once a new building needs to be constructed, whether it be a communal or private
one, the whole community will assist in building it. This ensures the building
is finished quite quickly, which is important, as good building conditions never
last long.
Their equipment is made similarly to their homes; only from the most
basic materials. Wooden sticks, sometimes reinforced with a stone or bone point,
serve as spears for the hunt. A trident or
forked stick is used for fishing. Likewise, stone, bone or wooden equipment is
used to make tools such as hammers, axes and
knives.
Mullogs make their clothes from the hides and skins of animals and might also
use certain plants to make clothing.
Another important resource for Mullogs is dried turf. Taken from certain parts
of the Silvermarshes, peat bog is
stored and dried during the warmer seasons and used as a fuel for
fire. Even though there are trees present
in the marshes, these are usually too wet and moist to be suitable for making
fire. Instead,
dried turf provides a workable alternative, though it requires somewhat more
labour to make it usable, turf is much easier to use and more abundant than
wood.
Most of Mullog common household wares are created from
lifereed. This
durable, strong yet flexible reed is woven into watertight patterns which can be
used to create baskets, mats, but also crates and chests used for storage.
Furthermore, talismans and other religious or communal tokens are usually
created from lifereed.
These special tokens are the best display of Mullog craftsmanship with the
weaving of reed.
Family, Society and Culture.
At the core of Mullog society stands the family. The most basic and important
things concerning the life of a Mullog are almost all family-related. This
ranges from living, hunting and eating together to ancestral worship and
celebrating rituals.
Each Mullog family consists of about thirty individuals, all part of the same
family line. Five to ten of these families together make up a community. It is
estimated that there exist about twenty of such communities, which together make
up for the entire Mullog population.
Each community is usually led by a single shaman and a council of elders which
is made up of the leader of each family. The daily affairs are handled by the
shaman, while the council assembles on special occasions or events.
Mullog culture is not as sophisticated as the other races', but it still has
some distinctive and interesting features. Although not excelling in it as real
artists, Mullog family craftsmen are good sculptors and weavers and can create
artistic stuff with the most basic of instruments. These figures serve for
religious or communal purposes, but some have found their way to the outside
world as tokens given to trespassing refugees.
Also, there exists a lively oral tradition in Mullog society, where tales, myths
and legends have been passed down from generation to generation. Storytelling,
or the reciting of poems is considered a craft and those who possess it are held
in high regard. Although being a skilled storyteller is not regarded as a
separate profession, such as a bard, it is still possible for an able
storyteller to get a relief from other communal duties, such as cooking or
hunting in exchange for the recital of stories or poems during the evening-diner
or on other occasions. When a celebration or religious ritual is being held
communally, poets and storytellers recite stories and traditions of ancient
times to explain the meaning and background of this particular event. And so,
the poets are in a way the collective memory of the Mullogs, keeping their myths
and legends alive through generations.
Because the content of the stories does not change drastically, the emphasis is
more on the manner in which a story is told. Skilled poets and storytellers are
recognized by their abilities to improvise on existing themes without altering
the original work too much, and to keep the audience’s attention even though it
has heard the story many times before.
An additional reason for the importance of oral traditions is the lack of
written records. While Mullogs do use a rudimentary symbolic language, they have
never created a formal written script and thus never laid down their history.
The lack of a formal script has been explained by the absence of reasons for
such a way of communicating. The Mullog community is small, and therefore
doesn’t need official administration of affairs that would require script.
Ancestors from former generations can still be asked for their wisdom, and so
there was never any need for writing important things down, as the ancestors and
storytellers would be able to successfully maintain the collective knowledge of
their history.
The only form of non-oral language consists of symbols Mullogs use to navigate
through the swamp, or to leave messages for other Mullogs. For instance, if a
treacherous bog pit is discovered up ahead, a passing Mullog will leave a
warning sign on a tree to warn other Mullogs of danger. There exist a number of
these symbols for various occasions, ranging from the presence of prey to
possible disease among certain plants or trees. After a while, when a symbol has
no longer any meaning, the first passing Mullog will erase or change it.
Diet.
Though humans consider most of the plants and fungi in
the Silvermarshes to
be inedible, Mullogs gather a wide range of them to provide themselves with
nutrition. Fungi are carefully selected, lest the poisonous ones be eaten.
Still, many of the poisons that affect humans
or hobbits don’t seem to
affect Mullogs, as their constitution has adapted greatly to the available food.
As a result, fungi such as the
squilla or the
frent
mushroom constitute an important part of Mullog
diet, even though other races find the latter to be
quite too poisonous to be edible. The
koeken is another highly valued mushroom, as it
can be stored for quite some time, contrary to many other kinds of food. Thus,
Mullogs always try to keep a certain amount of
koeken
as a reserve, in case the community runs low on food
for some reason.
Plants and herbs, such as younger pondpads,
are gathered, but not cultivated. Because the natural growth of herbs and plants
provides for sufficient food, Mullogs have never domesticated any of the plants
they use. The abundance of lifereed
provides them with enough harvestable plants to fill their storage.
There are however some animals that have been tamed or domesticated by Mullogs.
They have, for instance, been able to occasionally tame some
bogsnappers. Although these creatures
are not very large, they can still serve as a pack-animal for Mullogs, to assist
them in transporting goods over longer distances. On rare occasions,
bogsnappers might even be used as
steeds, but normally Mullogs rather rely on their own means of movement than
being hauled around by an animal.
Another semi-domesticated animal is actually an insect: the
whistling beetle. For Mullogs,
insects constitute another important source of food, something which is rarely
seen among other races. Although
whistling beetle have recently been introduced as a delicacy in the outside
world.
The domestication was possible because the shell of the beetles prevents them
from crossing water. Mullogs created small
ponds with little isles, where the beetles are kept, taken care for by children
or elder people. This way, they cannot escape and be used by Mullogs whenever
they see fit.
Fishing is another important source of food for Mullogs. Using
spears, forks or tridents, they impale fishes
or other water-dwelling animals, such as
the kyck-kyck or
hollup. The same technique is also
applied to small land-living animals, although there
slings or
blowpipes are also applied.
Most of the time, Mullogs hunt solitary and aim for smaller animals. However,
every once in a while bigger hunting parties are formed and larger animals are
hunted. In such hunting parties, Mullogs hunt for
kaimuns and
stilted elks. The former are an
important source of materials for Mullogs.
Kaimun flesh can be eaten, and their skin, teeth and bones are used to make
tools, clothes, equipment and sometimes decorative items.
Stilted elks are not primarily hunted
for their meat or hides, though these things are rather useful. Their massive
size makes it hard for even a party of Mullogs to kill such a beast. However,
the elks sometimes trample through Mullog
communities, thereby destroying houses, or eating their food supplies. To
prevent this, Mullogs usually try to keep the vicinity of their community free
of elks.
Even though Mullogs have the ability to set traps, they do not use such things
to catch animals. It seems that they consider hunting as a personal challenge
between prey and hunter, and that setting traps are a way of “cheating”, and
thus considered dishonourable. However, they do use traps to initiate in small
“raids” on barges that pass through their territory. They either use the trap to
make a small portion of the barges’ cargo fall into the
water, or to create enough distraction for
them to steal some things from the ship themselves. As the barges usually carry
foodstuffs, they provide the Mullogs with more uncommon sorts of food, such as
fruits or vegetables grown in hobbit orchards,
various kinds of wine, and with
additional meat from the animals that the Mullogs hunt themselves as well.
Wine is not consumed directly by
Mullogs, as they are very susceptible to the influence of alcohol, but instead
they may use it as a dye or for religious purposes such as sacrificial
offerings.
However, Mullogs are determined not to become dependant on any of the goods
procured from raids, and thus these goods will only serve as alternative or
secondary good or resource.
Mullogs prepare and eat their meals with their entire family. After the hunt a
few Mullogs prepare different types of food, so that each meal consists of fish,
meat, fungi and vegetables, ensuring a varied diet. Meat and fish are usually
roasted above an open campfire, but might be cooked into a stew with vegetables
or fungi. The later two are usually cooked or stewed, but might occasionally be
baked or roasted as well, depending on the type of ingredient.
If no fire is available, Mullogs can also
eat their food raw without suffering any nauseating effects from this. However,
they prefer to actually prepare their food, regarding this as one of the most
important attributes of sentient creatures.
Beliefs.
Mullog religion is made up of two central components; animism and ancestral
worship. Their beliefs are shaped by their environment, Mullogs know the
existence of a spirit, or soul, within every creature, plant or object. Mullogs
think even stones, or the water itself,
has a spirit within it. Each spirit has its own attributes, consistent with the
object it is bound to. Still, all spirits are elementary similar.
As an extension to their beliefs in spirits, Mullogs also believe that the
spirits of their ancestors still watch over them, and are worthy of worshipping.
Each Mullog family owns a family-altar where the ancestors are revered and where
religious sacrifices are given. Mullogs can seek the counsel or guidance of
their ancestors, which is mainly done by asking the ancestor to give a message
through a dream.
At the centre of Mullog belief and worship stands the shaman. The shaman is the
religious leader of a community, but most of the time also serves as the worldly
leader and counsellor. The shaman provides spiritual counselling, performs
rituals and occasionally acts as a seer. Each new shaman is chosen by the former
one, who is told in dreams to select and adopt a pupil. This selection follows a
particular pattern. Sometimes youngsters are chosen, sometimes adults. Both male
and female Mullogs can be chosen as shaman.
The shaman's most important skill is what the Mullogs call "Ohs-er Dan", which
is translated as "dreamtravel". This means the shaman goes into a deep
meditative trance through which he is able to visit the spirit or ancestral
world. There, he can communicate directly with the spirits or ancestors to seek
information and answers to important questions. This enables a shaman to draw
from the vast knowledge of the spirits and ancestors and has on numerous
occasions prevented disaster from striking the Mullog society.
However, the shaman does not act as a constant intermediate between a Mullog and
the world of the spirits. Although the shaman has special abilities and
functions, all other Mullogs are also capable of connecting themselves with the
spirits around them, a skill which is passed on from parent to child. Thus, a
Mullog listens to the spirits around him and seeks their counsel if necessary,
finding his answers among the trees, brooks and stones.
And although Mullogs do believe the spirits to be neutral, they also believe
they should always be treated with respect, lest they become angered. When the
spirits have been angered, a Mullog believes he must in some way correct his
offence against them. In some cases, the shaman then acts as an intermediate or
counsellor to correct the mistakes made.
Origin.
The Mullog origin is one of cruelty, despair and violence. Both their
orcish and
halfling ancestors sought
refuge within the Silvermarshes from
the wrath of their own kin and the human race
respectively. Yet even those two groups of refugees could not coexist peacefully
together. The orcish warriors
violently raped the few remaining
hobbit females, and from that dreadful act the first Mullogs were
born. Even though they were part orc,
the hobbits did not expel
the Mullogs from their dwindling community. And while the
orcs did not recognize
the Mullogs and thus could not procreate and disappeared, and the
hobbits eventually
succumbed to the hostile Silvermarshes,
the Mullogs remained.
As Mullogs are said can communicate with their ancestors, they can trace their
line back as far as the
hobbit
mothers and
orc
fathers from which they were first born. Further into their ancestry they cannot
look, probably because
orcish
and
hobbit
spirits are unable to contact the living. Only the parental bond of these
mothers and fathers connects them to the spirits of all the Mullogs that have
passed since.
Mullogs themselves thus attribute their existence to ancestors known to them as
“The Great Ones”, when referring to
orcs,
and “The Tender Ones”, when referring to
halflings. The ties to their
orcish
ancestors are not commonly mentioned and Mullogs still regard
orcs
with at least as much suspicion as humans. But although
they maintain suspicion of all other races as well, Mullogs have never forgotten
their hobbit
ancestry and to this day sometimes a Mullog and
hobbit couple is formed.
Language. The language of the Mullog race
consists of a set of commonly used words that
denominate the most important aspects of Mullog life. Other words are
constructed by either combining these existing words, or by altering the stress
and intonation of it.
For instance, the Mullog word for hunting is “Úhmbë”, with “Uhm” as the stressed
syllable and pronounced with the tone slightly increasing. The word used for
"hunter" is then “Uhmmbe”,
with more stress on the “hmm” and again with the tone increasing slightly. And
the word for "prey" is
formed by using the same root, but now stressing the last syllable and
pronouncing it while changing the tone from high to low, thus saying “Uhmbê”.
[1]
Due to this heavy reliance upon understanding of tonal pronunciation, Mullog
language is quite hard to understand for outsiders, thus creating yet another
barrier between the Mullogs and the rest of the world. However, there are a few
known cases in which children of mixed birth, being both Mullog and
hobbit, have had the
opportunity to learn both Mullog and Tharian, which enabled them to function as
translators.
Researchers.
Much of the research on Mullogs was performed by Lumbe Bloggson, himself half
Mullog half hobbit.
His ability to speak Mullog language enabled him to perform as a translator at
the rare occasions when contact between Mullogs and
hobbits was sought. More
important however was his lineage to a Mullog family, which has given him the
chance to visit them freely and participate in Mullog social affairs.
There are other scholars as well, who either studied Mullogs by collecting all
available information on them and storing it, or were at some time able to visit
the Mullog communities themselves. The combined reports of these people have
provided a reasonable accurate description of the Mullog way of living. The most
famous and important translator concerning Mullog language is Lumbe Bloggson.
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Footnotes:
[1] Author's note: A rightward
accent (á) is used to indicate the stressed syllable. A trema (ä) is used to
indicate a rise in tone, while an accent circumflex (â) is used for a fall in
tone. Both signs to indicate the tone are placed on the last syllable of a word.
In the event that the last syllable is also the stressed syllable, the rightward
accent is used for a rise in tone, while the leftward accent (à) is used to
indicate fall in tone. [Return]
Information provided by
Theodorus Holzman
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