Coats

Coats are a special kind of artifact, mostly done by whisperers. They're marks, applied along the body's vertical side axis, down the flanks and over the soles, and some emphasise certain body parts. Coats are meant to be permanent, and one needs to be very skilled to make a coat that works, and can be taken off. They are to be tattooed, burnt, or cut in, but with lots of work, they can be made with less crippling methods.
A coat basically turns the wearer into an artifact; she is subject to Signs and makes a bit more noise in the Fifth Power, but the benefits justify these small comfort problems.

"It's a lot of work closing the coats on the children every morning, but I can't let them outside without Firecoats and not die of worry. I hear the Xom burn them in after birth."
— Vahir Daquinor, Sawan whisperer

Coats each do one thing, albeit very thoroughly. The most popular are Dry Coats, that prevent the wearer from losing water by breathing or sweating; Flying Coats, that make one able to "swim" in the air; and Firecoats, which enable wearers to go even through boiling lava.
A coat must be a continuous line around the wearer, and because of their violent making and unique inks, are unmistakable and can rarely be hidden.

"Using a Shadowcoat makes this crime especially treacherous, and therefore the purpetraitor shall be put to death by fall, to be executed in one week's time, unless proven guiltless."
— Pe-kalhaniar judgement

Artists' notes
"Mantel" translates to both cloak and coat. I decided to call it coat to not invoke the idea this might be a cape or any other sort of clothing, but coat, as in an animal's pelt. Sometimes I worry that I might lose perspective on the intended nature of Genius Loci and make it too grim, too dark and frightening. But, people do weird things to fit in, to get a bonus, to appeal to someone, and while some customs in my world are strange, I think none of them border on human sacrifice, crusades, or unvalued life as seen in other settings.

Art on deviantArt: Gubra and the Great forest caravan

Two new artworks are now published on deviantArt with new quotes: A concept of the gubra, and a caravan trekking through the mid-level of the Great Green forest. Both have their own articles in the blog as well, which the gubras share with their Lord Gahatenge, while the forest has more room to itself.

Seafolk

"If you think the Star Sea is littered with treasure islands, you really have no idea what it looks like under the surface. Let me show you."
— Krriinana, seagirl

Seafolk live in the seas, of course, preferring saltwater, but they live in brackwater as well. They are humanoid, but with an long, sluglike tail instead of legs. Seafolk have a skin pattern of filled irregular dots, six webbed fingers, and large black eyes. They don't have to breathe air, are weak but agile, and have good senses.

"Some had been worried after the construction of the canals, how the seafolk would fit in. But the children, of course, used the basins and flooded steps to be jolly with the seafolk kids, and when they grew up, seafolk seemed quite normal."
— Wyrnan, Avnidaran

Seafolk live with the other species where they can, as normal members of society. While being limited to saltwater, architecture often accomodates for them with tiny canals or stacked basins, and some rich cities even built waterfilled tunnels and elevators for them, like the Greater Talash-Kehs capital, Mourinor.
Off the coasts, the seafolk harvest the treasures of the seas; they farm algae and clams and herd fish, they act as pilots for ships, and as midwifes for garren - who have certain ideas about their eggs - and of course they find pearls and corals. Famous products are the clam soap made from fat clams, and algae silk.


Artists' notes
Of course there are mermaids in my setting. They're just not the tradiotic vixens luring seafarers to their death, they're people. I most enjoy the idea of cities with tunnels and canals and fountains so seafolk can be about with everyone else. I wonder what their relationship with the fleeters may be, as those prefer freshwater and the seafolk lives in the oceans.

Pendulors

Pendulum makers create many items used in supernatural affairs; pendulums for mappers and travellers to find their way, or totems and echo tubes for spirit collectors in which they trap the deads' spirits. The items themselves aren't enchanted in any way, or at least don't need to be, but the tiny details can make a speaker's or collector's life much easier, like the proper colour and quality.

"Buy from Trenan in Southern Third Street, his totems are reasonably strong. Those from the fourth floor pendulors are too difficult to burn in cleansings."
— Gajikar, to a fellow collector

Pendulums can be used to find all sorts of things related to what they're made of, and can be surprisingly precise. The craftsmanship doesn't really matter, a clam on a string will do, but will find too many things. This is the real art of pendulum-making; to create a pendulum that will find only what is sought.

Artists' notes
When I invented totems, it was clear that not just every idiot could make good ones, and I doubted all collectors had the time to make them themselves, and so "Pendelmacher" were invented. I always liked the idea of holding pendulums over maps to find a specific site or item. And because many gems and metals have certain esoteric properties, there would be someone who makes special pendulums for finding water or Area thresholds or whatever. 

Art on deviantArt: Tribal shankeh, Northeastern Blades, Plasmats

More speedpaintings of different subjects are published on deviantArt now: a portrait of a tribal shankeh, the Northeastern Blades - a powerful set of artifacts -, and the plasmat concept. You can also learn more about them in their respective blog articles about shankeh, artifacts, and the plasmats.

Halfbreeds

Elves, humans, dwarves, and beja can have children together. Children of elves are all elves themselves, there are no half-elves. This leaves three kinds of halfbreeds to be considered.
It's been in debate for millenia what influence the mental traits of the parents have, if any.

Kelromes are children of humans and beja. They have four eyes, which all see normally, without the beja's sight of ultraviolet. Their skin is dark, and the humans' fitness is easily inherited; unlike humans, kelromes do not get a cold. The extra eyes are lost in the second generation, unless both parents are kelromes.

"No, my hair is rather docile, thank the spirits. My father shaves twice daily and cuts his hair with what can only be called a shortsword."
— Martel, verkenor

Parunees have dwarven and beja parents. They have two eyes, the thick hair of dwarves, and slightly darker skin. Their hair stops growing at some point and isn't quite as colourful as a pureblooded dwarf's, tending to darker tones. Parunees are strongly built, can see through stone like their dwarven parents, and live much longer than beja.

"I serve alongside raganaj in the guard, that's not something just anyone can handle. Thanks be to mother for her strong bones, and to father for his height."
— Aldjagran, guard

Verkenors are children of dwarves and humans. They can see at night as well as dwarves but not through stone, their hair is long and thick but of plain colours. Especially with northern humans, they are strong, their height is between both parents. Like parunees, verkenors live for very long.


Artists' notes
Just like there are tiny differences between the single appearances of the species, so are halfbreeds not entirely the same. Most of the mixed-blood traits are lost in the second generation unless the second parent is also the same halfbreed. Racism being considered insane in most places, I can't imagine people being called names for being not pureblooded. It will be interesting to see what Kitaians think about the new halfbreed possibilities, with shapeshifter spells on the march.

Art on deviantArt: Mapper and beja bard

The illustration shown previously for the article on mappers was posted on deviantArt, as well as a new piece of a beja bard that I like very much, especially as I painted animals in that image (there are, oh, so many animals, and I rarely get around to paint any).
Mapper on deviantArt, and mappers on the blog
Beja bard on deviantArt, and beja on the blog