Sea-Folk (Water)

Octopus

Chasün

Background Questions

Which sect trained you - Faith, Law, or Trade - and what did it demand of you?

What knowledge are you chasing that your council warned you away from?

Whose name on a contract still makes your stomach tighten?

What surface city do you understand better than most outsiders expect?

Lore

The Chasün are deep-ocean octopus whose civilization is shaped by the pursuit of knowledge and the advancement of three pillars: Trade, Faith, and Law. They are organized into eight great ocean city-centers - the Chasün Eight - each a major seat of population, shipbuilding, learning, and governance. No single city rules the others; unity is maintained through shared standards, treaties, and the authority of the Tri-Council when it gathers.

The mariner suit

Chasün cannot live on land. When they must walk above the waves or work at pressures that would crush an unprotected body, they do so in mariner suits - sealed exosuits refined through gnome collaboration and Chasün craft. A suit is equipment, but it is also a registered mark of lawful identity: maintained daily, tied to ship service, and recognized by Chasün courts.

Many suits use treated glass that throws glare and reflection. Outsiders often describe them as faceless. Chasün consider that normal.

The three sects

Most Chasün are raised into one of three sects. Each is a life-path, not a hobby.

Those of Faith

The Faith sect studies magic, omens, and the will of the gods, seeking the single truth that sits beneath the world's moving parts. They worship CÜLOSH and NAROSH, and their priests are teachers and oath-keepers: they train novices, preserve rites, and oversee the vows sailors swear before long runs.

Common rites include:

Knot-Oaths. vows spoken while tying a set pattern of knots; the knot is kept until the vow is fulfilled.

Tide-Vigils. brief gatherings before departure where crews swear clean terms and lawful passage.

Rudder-Prayers. short prayers before unknown currents, new bargains, or dangerous parley.

Faith taboo (strongest). breaking the tenets of CÜLOSH - using passage, oath, or trade as a mask for coercion, cruelty, or deceit.

Those of Law

The Law sect studies how cultures govern, how courts function, and how order breaks. They refine Chasün law by comparison, bringing back frameworks that work and stripping out what fails. They draft charters, enforce registry standards, define what counts as lane theft, and maintain the legal language that makes Chasün contracts feared and respected.

Law taboo (strongest). forging authority, falsifying registry, or twisting rulings for private circles.

Those of Trade

The Trade sect are captains, brokers, and route-masters who keep the sea-lanes alive. They compete through results: partnerships secured, rare goods acquired, and routes kept profitable without destabilizing the network. The most prized routes are those that run through central Reth, trading into the Capital and along the Celaethal to its river-cities. Captains are expected to return home with the most lucrative, innovative, and uncommon goods they can lawfully obtain.

Trade taboo (strongest). lane theft - deviating into another captain's lane without sanction, or poisoning a trade partner through reckless conduct. Punishment typically includes loss of charter and blacklisting.

Chasün'Sasot, Chasün'Sail, Chasün'Sassit

The Chasün Eight are governed through three councils, each with 8 members serving 8-year terms.

Chasün'Sasot (Economic Council) - state-commerce administrators

Sasot assigns lane charters, sets route standards, controls supply priorities, and keeps commerce stable across the Eight. It values continuity over personal profit; a captain who enriches themselves while destabilizing a lane is treated as a threat.

Chasün'Sail (Religious Council)

Sail controls religious instruction, recognized rites, priestly orders, and judgment on breaches of religious tenets under CÜLOSH and NAROSH.

Chasün'Sassit (Civil and Law Council)

Sassit runs courts, registry, and enforcement. If a captain is tried, a charter is revoked, or a suit registry is challenged, Sassit holds the legal blade.

The Tide-Lock Muster (Capital)

The Tide-Lock Muster is held at the Capital and presided over by all three councils - Sasot, Sail, and Sassit. Captains present formal reports of their runs: goods acquired, alliances strengthened, routes threatened, and disputes arising. The Muster decides charter renewals, restrictions, and removals, and it is where a captain's reputation can rise or die.

The Chasün Eight (City-centers)

The Chasün Eight:

Northwatch Tide

Barrenwatch Anchorage

Eastern Current Post

Scaleshore Post

Southwind Deep

Shatterport

Western Reach

Mistbreaker Lookout

Known vessel

Icewake crew. Captain Vur'Saell Kethra (Chasün), First Mate Tolla Brinewhistle (Gnome engineer), Bosun Korvash (Beetlefolk), Security Enforcer Drekkar (Black-scaled Dragool), plus Chasün engineers and deckhands.

Homeland: The Chasün Eight (deep-ocean city-centers)

Principal Cities: Northwatch Tide; Barrenwatch Anchorage; Eastern Current Post; Scaleshore Post; Southwind Deep; Shatterport; Western Reach; Mistbreaker Lookout

Exports: Memory Ink- Magical rare ink used for spell components but also has the ability to recreate before the reader a recreation of the authors memory of what they are writing about if they witnessed it first hand. Swirling before them in ink form.

Imports: Precision parts (gnome trade), malleable metals, treated glass, dry goods for surface work

Diet: Crustacean stew, giant crab steaks, fish skewers

Society: Plutocracy governed by a Tri-Council (Economic / Religious / Civil & Law), 8 members each, 8-year terms; three sects (Trade, Faith, Law)

Buildings: Coral districts, registry halls, dock-vaults, glass observatories, arcane workshops, contract halls, shipyards

Allies: Gnomes; lawful trade partners along central lanes

Enemies: Illithids; pirates and lane-poachers; rivals who seize routes by force

Lore & Background