el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
So my local group is on the cusp of starting U3 - The Final Enemy as it appears in Ghosts of Saltmarsh with some changes and additions. Before this happens they will be attending a council of the various allies (humans, dwarves, lizardfolk, sea elves, locathah, and merfolk), where they will be various political shenanigans (including a backdoor link to my own version of White Plume Mountain, which is not relevant here, but I am proud of) - and during the three days of preparation and meetings, a trio of elves will show up unannounced bearing lore about the foe these different communities have bound together to resist. In my setting, elves are reclusive and on the decline - rarely seen, even more rarely talked to - so their arrival is a big deal.
Essentially, they come to honor a promise made long ago to their shorter lived and estranged aquatic kin, which was to hold fast to the lore of the sahuagin who have been known to disappear for centuries and then re-emerge in conquering numbers. Since sea elf lore and literature is oral and not literate, things can be more easily forgotten or twisted. In the old days, the bonds between different elf groups were used to make up for each other's weaknesses and complement their strengths - thus such lore was entrusted to much longer lived kin who tend to write things down.
Rather than read through the list of things myself, I plan to share the info below on a handout (And we may go around the table and each read one aloud that strikes us as important). And this can be the basis for any other questions the PCs may have for their prep for the scouting raid they have been asked to undertake.
Not everything here is necessary relevant or 100% accurate and I plan to remind the players that this info is from the PoV of ancient (from the PC's perspective) elves).
Any feedback? Anything you think I should add? Anything that is either a part of traditional D&D sahuagin lore or that might be cool to consider? This is meant to be general lore about sahuagin that could be useful, but not specifically about the lair to be raided (though some bits of lore - like there is an arena for bloodsport - will be relevant).
Essentially, they come to honor a promise made long ago to their shorter lived and estranged aquatic kin, which was to hold fast to the lore of the sahuagin who have been known to disappear for centuries and then re-emerge in conquering numbers. Since sea elf lore and literature is oral and not literate, things can be more easily forgotten or twisted. In the old days, the bonds between different elf groups were used to make up for each other's weaknesses and complement their strengths - thus such lore was entrusted to much longer lived kin who tend to write things down.
Rather than read through the list of things myself, I plan to share the info below on a handout (And we may go around the table and each read one aloud that strikes us as important). And this can be the basis for any other questions the PCs may have for their prep for the scouting raid they have been asked to undertake.
Not everything here is necessary relevant or 100% accurate and I plan to remind the players that this info is from the PoV of ancient (from the PC's perspective) elves).
Lore of the Sahuagin People (as Recorded in Silverstand on Behalf of Our Shimmaré Kin)
- Sahuagin were created by the God Sekolah (known as Tiburon in some realms) who is sometimes depicted as a gargantuan shark and other times as a gluttonous and bloody maw surrounded by countless tentacles.
- There is no record of the sahuagin ever making alliances with other peoples.
- Sahuagin conquer, devour, and destroy. They thrive in toxic and poisonous waters. It is not uncommon to find monstrous mutations among them. These mutants are considered the blessed of Sekolah.
- Sahuagin raise different kinds of sharks and brand them to mark ownership. They use them for defense, hunting, and eating.
- Like sharks, Sahuagin can enter a frenzy when the taste of blood is on the water.
- They eschew creation and have little respect for labor, stealing any resources they need and making use of slave labor that is usually worked to death. Rather than build, they take over spaces created by other beings and convert them for their own uses.
- Aside from slaves, they also take prisoners to make them fight monsters or each other for the community’s amusement.
- There are no known distinctions in sahuagin social roles based on gender.
- Sahuagin cannot live outside of water for more than about 24 hours at a time without becoming gradually weaker and eventually dying horribly within an additional 24 hours.
- Sahuagin are organized in pods based on when they hatch, not families. They recognize no paternal or maternal bonds.
- While Sahuagin eggs can survive centuries before hatching whole new communities at once, typically they hatch almost immediately and reach full adulthood in about six to nine months—eating others of their pod and rival pods to gain strength and respect. Only about 1 in 6 sahuagin young live to adulthood.
- Sahuagin communities are usually led by mutated specimens called “Barons.”
- Sahuagin has an incredibly hierarchal society based on an explicit caste system. Any disobedience or deviance is punishable by summary execution and being devoured.
- Sahuagin are not known to have wizards among their number, and while there are records of some sahuagin sorcerers, they are not as common (or powerful) as their priests .
Any feedback? Anything you think I should add? Anything that is either a part of traditional D&D sahuagin lore or that might be cool to consider? This is meant to be general lore about sahuagin that could be useful, but not specifically about the lair to be raided (though some bits of lore - like there is an arena for bloodsport - will be relevant).