Selkies

Ireland is the home of numerous myths and an ancient people. Over the ages the legends of the green isle have spawned many myths, including the Leprechauns, the Sidhe, Banshee and many others.

It has also been discovered that many of these creatures are no longer the stuff of myth and legend. Small diminutive monsters known as the Leps seemed to have had their origins there, same with other creatures that were thought to be nothing more than stories.

Chris Van Deelen is the author of the Skirmisher Publishing LLC sourcebook Creatures of the Tropical Wastes sourcebook, co-author of its Wisdom from the Wastelands game supplement and contributor to the 'Sword of Kos: Hekaton' Anthology.

No. Enc: 2d4 or 10d8 in communities
Alignment:  Lawful
Movement: 90’ (30’)
                     180’ (60’) swimming
AC: 5 or by armor
HD: 6
Attacks: by weapon or bite, claw, claw
Damage: by weapon or 2d4+2, 1d6+2 / 1d6+2
Save: L6
Morale: 8
Hoard Class:1d4 various weapons, Armor (75%), 1, II, V, VIII, XVI

Ireland is the home of numerous myths and an ancient people. Over the ages the legends of the green isle have spawned many myths, including the Leprechauns, the Sidhe, Banshee and many others.

It has also been discovered that many of these creatures are no longer the stuff of myth and legend. Small diminutive monsters known as the Leps seemed to have had their origins there, same with other creatures that were thought to be nothing more than stories.

As they are apt to do, scholars of the wastelands have debated and speculated on the origins of these creatures. One well known fact is that many of the Ancient scientists had a habit of using genetic engineering to create actual living representatives of these creatures of myth. It is also speculated that many of these creatures are older than many would believe, having been created by the same alien races that helped spawn the Hybrids, among others.

This particular group of creatures is still hotly debated among the learned and scholarly of the many communities that dot Ireland. Some are certain that they are natural occurring mutations that appeared in the decades following the final wars, through the Uplift Virus (see Wisdom from the Wastelands issue 6: Factions), others scoff at this and say that these creatures are nothing more than Exotics, humans that have the physical appearance of the ancient mythological creatures (see Wisdom from the Wasteland issue 4: New Races).  And another faction say that they are like the Hybrids, genetically engineered millennia ago by aliens to serve them.

The creatures themselves have never answered the questions that have been posed to them. If they know the origin of their race, they are either keeping it mum, or just do not care!

Physically these creatures appear to be human-sized and shaped Otters or even seals. Many different sub-species appear to exist, and all live in different climates, some as far as the arctic, while others have been found along the temperate coastlines, and even in the tropics. But one thing that they do all have in common is  the physical build. Males typically having very well defined musculature, while the females are lean and sleek. The hands are very human, but have very hard and sharp claws instead of fingernails.

Both sexes have animal-like heads and features, with large black eyes and small, almost non-existent ears. Their faces are elongated like that of their supposed ancestors and they have mouths filled with sharp cutting teeth. Both sexes are also covered with short but thick fur, which is excellent at keeping in body heat and protecting them from the cold and other elements.

Like humans, the females gestate for nine months, and give birth to a single offspring, although again like humans, it is not uncommon for the creatures to give birth to twins.  Also like humans, the young grow and mature sexually at the same rate, typically hitting puberty between the ages of ten and thirteen.

These creatures also possess a very human-like social and familiar structure. They form communities in which each member plays a role, be it a hunter, laborer, teacher, guardian, or ruler. Families are equal affairs with the males and females caring for the children equally and sharing the domestic chores with equality as well. If the female is a better hunter, she provides the food, if the male is the better nurturer, he raises the children. Sex has no hand in what roles they take. It is not uncommon for a family to have several generations living together in one group. There could be great-grandparents, grandparents, and aunts, uncles etc. all sharing the same dwelling.

A community is made up of typically several dozen of these familiar groups, and each community is made up not by the eldest, but by the smartest and most experienced members, although more often than not this does mean that the rules are in fact the elders. They make all their decisions and choices on what is best for the community, with a single figure being the arbitrator when it comes to deadlocks. Surprisingly enough, this form of government seems to work very well for these creatures.

One thing that they do share in common with the creatures of legend is that they tend to make their homes in airtight underwater cavern systems, ruins or in secluded areas on the coastlines, away from other communities. Many also construct large rafts or other floating homes that are amazing feats of engineering and seem to be able to withstand the worst the seas can throw at them.

They also are quite ready and willing to use ancient technology, although a lot of the items they use has to be carefully maintained due to their closeness with the oceans, since so much technology is easily ruined or destroyed by the water. It is not uncommon for the creatures to wield high-tech weapons and even armor, since it does not require much in the way of modification for them to use it.

As one might suspect, these creatures are also quite shy and are slightly xenophobic. They prefer to deal only with others of their own kind, but at the same time they are also more than willing to help those who share the oceans with them. They will often arrive in the nick of time to help the survivors of shipwrecks, or even help a sea-side community fight off the incursion or assault of the more deadly denizens of the oceans.

They are also willing to trade with other groups, but only if it is for something that they really need or have an abundance of. And typically its only with groups that they have had dealings with in the past, as they are slow to trust and even slower to form bonds with. But it can be done if one has the patience to attempt to do so.

Unlike the legends that seemed to have spawned them, they are not capable of shapeshifting into human form, and cannot be taken captive and forced to wed and mate with humans. Anyone foolish enough to attempt such an act usually discovers just how deadly these creatures can be. And it should also be noted that they are not interested in mating with any creature that is not of their own species.

These creatures are also capable of holding their breath and staying underwater for extremely long periods of time, but they cannot breath water, they still need oxygen. They can hold their breath for 10+2d6 minutes before they need to surface and breathe. And due to their fur, they are far less susceptible to cold-based attacks than other creatures. They gain a +4 to any saves involving cold and have a damage resistance of 10 towards any cold-based attack.

Mutations: Aberrant form (xenomorphism, natural weapons), increased senses (sight, smell), thermal vision

Source: Mark Ellis’s Outlander series.