Khellan

The Men of the Marshes

In the steaming wetlands of South Eastern Veskar, among shifting river channels and vast swaths of dense reeds,live the Khellans. Their way of life mirrors the Dendorians to the north, but where the Dendorians brave freezing forests, the Khellans contend with heat, humidity, and the constant threat of drowning or being eaten.

Both cultures share a fierce pragmatism, shaped by harsh environments and lurking predators. But the Khellans are distinct in their rhythm of life—slower, warmer, and teeming with buzzing insects and crocodilian monsters. It is a place of mud, moss, and survival.

Khellans value strength, courage, and sacrifice. To protect one’s kin and put food on the table is seen not just as a duty, but the highest calling of character. To fail in this is to bring shame upon yourself and your family.

“A good man brings meat. A strong woman keeps the peace.”

Organization

Khellan society is organized around the household, with role division based deeply in tradition. While men spend most of their time hunting, fishing, and gathering resources, sometimes being gone for days, women manage domestic life, trade goods, and oversee social and political affairs. The degree to which they do this depends on the status of the family.

Wives of village chiefs often act as de facto diplomats, negotiating marriages, resolving disputes, and keeping peace between tribes. Their influence is immense—no alliance is made without a wife’s consent, and few feuds are ended without their words.

This gender balance is rarely questioned. It is simply what works. Men risk their lives to feed the village, and women ensure the village is worth coming back to.

Coming of Age

When a Khellan child turns twelve, they are considered adults, and in order for this transition to become official, they have to undergo a coming of age ritual, not unlike that of the Dendorians. Unlike their Dendorian cousins, who face the wilds alone, Khellan youths undergo their rite of passage as a group.

They are sent into the marsh together, tasked with tracking and killing a dangerous beast, typically a hippo. These creatures are massive, territorial, and aggressive. Not even a fully grown man could take one down alone. Cooperation is not just encouraged—it is essential.

The ritual tests hunting skills, coordination, and mutual reliance. The youths must stalk, strike, and butcher the creature, then carry its meat and bones back home. The trial may last days. Injuries are common. Death is not unexpected.

In smaller villages, this rite may be delayed until there are enough youths to form a proper hunting party, in order to give them the best chance.

“The marsh has no mercy. That is why we must have it for each other.”

Ethicities

There are three main Khellan Ethnicities, each given form by their unique landscape, and place in the marshes.

Highlanders

What are called the highlanders are actually just the people living on the slopes of the mountains, a place much lower in elevation than the continental average, but above the average elevation of the marsh.
They are the largest of the three. This is because they have by far the most arable land, eleven if its quality is questionable. They use this land to cultivate rice, as well as an assortment of other vegetables that can survive the soil.
Their houses are built from stone, mud, and wood, with straw roofs.

Lake Men

The lake men are those living on the water. They still have some modest amount of farmland, but they spend most of their time on the river, hunting crocodiles and hippos, or fishing for one of the many fish species that thrive here.

They build their houses suspended on tall poles, because the water level here is rarely stable. These poles are made from the branches of the larger types of red vegetation that grow in this marsh.
The rest of their homes are built from thin sheets of woven grass, made more windproof with animal skins sewn to them on the outside. Their roofs are generally made from dried leaves.

Besides the lakes, they also traverse the rivers, although these are often blocked by large hippo herds.

Delta Culture

There are two marshlander cities built on the two river deltas. The surrounding marshes here are some of the most waterlogged and the most dangerous, so they clustered around the few pieces of dry land. The rivers can be navigated landward, but again, not for long, thanks to hippo's. This forced them to row downstream instead, towards the ocean.
Over time, the ocean became a much safer and lucrative source of food. It was also a great way to come in contact with foreign traders, who like using the villages in the deltas as stopping points between the east and the west, using them to resupply and rest.
This influx of trade, over time, allowed two city-states to develop, which are known for harboring pirates and smugglers.

Read more in: Fellkarth