Star Seer
Star Seers believe in simple lives.
They aim to leave no permanent mark on nature and tend to build biodegradable structures, such as huts made of fabric and plant matter, that only last a few years when left without maintenance.
They avoid using non-constructive magic (such as summoning and war spells) and those few who are gifted with magic are expected to use it for the good of the tribe and, if they are born at a lucky time, have a higher chance of being considered as the Spirit Caller’s apprentice.
The Ancestors
The name of the Star Seer religion comes from their worship of the sky and the stars as ancestral spirits who watch over those still living and protect them from harm. They are known as the Ancestors by the Star Seers, and are worshipped as honoured predecessors and not as gods (which Star Seers do not believe exist).
Star Seers believe that in death they too will join the Ancestors as stars in the sky and gain mystical knowledge beyond mortal comprehension.
The Spirit Caller
Every Star Seer territory has its own Spirit Caller; the Spirit Caller lives at the highest point of the territory (known as the Spirit Grounds).
Spirit Callers go into training when they are 10 eclipses old and will take over the role of Spirit Callers when they turn 20. They will then take on their own apprentice when they are between 25-30 eclipses, and retire at the end of their apprentice’s training.
They have the responsibility to contact the Ancestors and receive prophetic messages. It is believed that they have the power of Prophecy; that the spirits grant a child this power and then tell current Spirit Caller through dreams that this child is to be their apprentice. Those that do not have any inherited prophetic powers go through vigorous training in order to learn the magics and signs that the Ancestors will give them.
Children chosen by the Ancestors are born with amazing power in their hands, and for a Spirit Caller to ignore them and take on a different apprentice is considered a crime against the Ancestors.
Because of the power they hold, Spirit Callers are seen as leaders of all tribes and have the final say when tribes are at odds; their decisions are final and, while they may be questioned by the tribes that follow them, their word is more often than not accepted as law.
This power is not without responsibility, however, and Spirit Callers have many duties such as meeting with their tribes as often as possible; keeping all the tribes safe and dealing with corrupt tribe leaders; and honourably disposing of the dead.
Though it is not encouraged as it can interfere with their responsibilities, Spirit Callers may take partners from Aymna tribes and have children. They usually try and keep these relationships private and hold off having children until after retirement, but it is not always possible to keep their partners secret.
Tribes and Alignments
The Star Seers have thousands of tribes spanning over hundreds of small islands and territories. Some tribes are established and have lasted hundreds of years (such as the alk tribes in Craw’law), while some only last a generation or two (most commonly dassen tribes).
All long-standing tribes and territories will have developed traditions that are unique to their own culture and environment. These traditions can be minor, such as naming their children after real objects such as “Beetle,” “Storm,” and “Twig;” and others are more stand-out, like the Flu’Ta island’s yearly competition for the Teakei tree fruit.
Every tribe member is aligned firstly with the Spirit Caller and are expected to do all they can to serve them, even if it means leaving their birth tribe or family.
Next, a tribe member’s loyalty should be to the tribe they serve; they should do what they can to protect and serve their people.
The last important alignment is that of tribes who serve under the same Spirit Caller; tribes who serve a different Caller are given no second thought and considered unimportant.
History
The Star Seer Tribes are believed to have originated from the Rel’ili island in the Rendi. In the beginning, Star Seer tribes were all alk. But as time went on other races moved onto the island and took up the religion and culture. In response to this, many Rel’ili alk joined together to make the Akaski tribe and declared their leader the Spirit Caller; owner of the island.
The other races retaliated by forming their own tribes; Galkimani were a dassen tribe, Ruyama were a kurloke tribe, and Myrrvasac were a nurlak tribe. They went to war over which tribe should appoint the Spirit Caller’s next apprentice; all tribes believed it was their own kind who should have been the next Spirit Caller as they all believed they had equal claim to Rel’ili.
During this war a rebellious tribe formed; the Sene Ki tribe. It was formed people of all different races and aimed to end the war and remind the others that they were supposed to be people of peace.
In the end the Spirit Caller took an apprentice from each tribe and, eventually, they all went on to be Spirit Callers for their people; separating into different territories and creating the tribal alignments currently followed.
After the war ended many of the tribes mixed together, eventually shedding their old names, and created alliances and laws to keep their descendants safe. The Sene Ki tribe renamed themselves the Aymna and trained as healers so they could help those affected by the war to recover.
Aymna tribes are now known as tribes formed completely of healers, injured or disabled people, and any others people who are willing to dedicate their lives to supporting the disabled and the healers. They generally live with the Spirit Caller; or at least close enough to the Spirit Caller to reach them within an hour’s travel.
Other
Usually a Star Seer territory spans over the entirety of a small island, though there are some Star Seer communities on large continents. Generally, continent-bound Star Seer communities will fence off their territories from other cultures so that they can live the way they please in their tribal societies.
This is not to say they cut themselves off; Star Seers tend to be extremely welcoming of outsiders; provided their territories and ways of life are shown respect.
Star Seers have unique names for the three moons.
North Finder: The blue moon. Always leading to the north, it provides light to those who are lost and guides them home.
Strength Giver: The pink moon. Its magic light weakens evil spirits and protects the living from things that would wish them harm.
Harvest Guide: The silver moon. Lights the sky for night-hunters and gatherers, bringing abundances of food to the tribes.