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 Argonians of Western Solstice |
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| ID | 8491 | ||
| Collection | Solstice Summations | ||
A report on the Tide-Born tribe and their villages that I have made contact with in the name of the Stirk Fellowship. The Tide-Born are spread across the western shores in loose, porous villages. From my observations, they generally consist of kind fisherfolk and artisans, but there are a number of distinct sub-tribes and villages to take note of, as detailed below.
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Shell-Tide Village
A hub for trade and cultural teachings, Shell-Tide is the largest Argonian settlement on the eastern side of the island, and the de facto capital of the Tide-Born people. The village hatchery tends to clutches from across the island, something that must greatly benefit the more nomadic sub-tribes, and may also explain the large number of warriors that are trained here. Their leader, though that word may be inaccurate (perhaps religious guide?), is Tide-Reader Suhath. A kind and patient Argonian who also refuses to suffer fools.
Salt-Cured
A fishing group that spends most of their lives on the water in large, twin hulled canoes that feature a platform for living areas spanning the space between the canoes. They generally stick to the reefs in a loose flotilla, but will travel toward deeper water when following the fish. They employ smaller boats to travel back to the island to trade goods with other sub-tribes and in the village of Shell-Tide.
Palm-Backed
The conservators of Solstice, this roaming group of Tide-Born has dedicated their lives to tending the island's sandbars and tidal flats, fearing that one day the island may disappear altogether. If you walk the shoreline and see walking bushes or ambulatory palms, do not fear. It isn't the sun's heat frying your scales, it's merely the island's caretakers planting their cuttings and saplings along the berm's edge.
Mihuitleel
While I wasn't able to confirm their existence, the other villages tell me of the Mihuitleel, their name meaning "feathered people." Villagers explained that they are extremely reclusive and even keep their distance from other Tide-Born. They can sometimes be spotted at the tops of palm trees, where their iridescent green feathers keep them hidden from untrained eyes. Locals tell stories of how the Mihuitleel have "swooped in" to save them from beasts and, lately, even cultists. Curiously, I spotted several hatchlings playing with feathered dolls and all of them, every single one, played with them as if they could fly.
A Note on Death-Dancers, or Xul-Kat
These are not a sub-tribe, but rather a role placed on the scales of a handful of island Argonians. I have met only one in my travels, but he was more than happy to sit and speak with me. Teerad explained that Death-Dancers act as avatars of death in times of need. Whether that means bringing mercy to the suffering or terminally ill, or justice to the rare few who are deemed guilty of crimes befitting death depends on circumstances and necessity. They do not relish their role as executioners, but understand that it is necessary to the cycle of death, change, and new beginnings on an island where the Hist no longer provides guidance. In its absence, the Death-Dancers, and Tide-Born overall, have developed a strong connection to Sithis. Even the Death-Dancer role, of which there are never more than six members, is structured so that "his reach will never falter and no Argonian is left in the darkness alone." As I understand it, there are also Death-Dancers among the Stone-Nest of eastern Solstice, but due to current circumstances, I have yet to meet or talk to any from that tribe.
A Note on the Naga
I have noticed a number of Naga scattered among the Tide-Born villages, but no evidence of a village or community consisting only of Naga. Moreover, the Argonians grow skittish when I ask why that is. It seems, at some point, the Naga had a larger population on the island, but over the centuries their numbers have dwindled and that it wasn't until recently that they were accepted into other villages. There are some old writings that mention a Shark-Tooth tribe, which may have once been the home of these Naga, but it has since been lost to time and the tides.