(1) The Search Begins

It has been an honor making the journey into Skyrim for my people. To think, with my help, we might all be able to settle somewhere more hospitable. If I do not find a sufficient place, it will mean misfortune for my whole tribe. Yet, I have confidence in myself and a strong hope for the Vaska-Rah.

This journey has proven long thus far and I feel as though I have only begun. It’s been days now and no sign of a large or secluded enough place. The first place I stumbled upon was a seemingly large cave. It was full of barbaric men, bandits presumably. I made quick work of them and made my exit. The cave was much too small to hold my people.

Not to mention the exterior. The scenery was beautiful and the game was plenty, but it was riddled with unspeakable things. Burned bodies on pikes, animal bones littered carelessly. This would not be suitable for the Vaska-Rah.

Upon exiting the cave, I took some time to rest. I sat down by the waterfall, drinking fully and resting my weary feet. It had been a long day. It had been a long night, rather. In fact, it would be dusk soon.  

Something startled me from my relaxation, however. It was a noise. Some sort of animalistic growl, though it was not threatening in the least. Looking around, I spotted a sabre cat. We had them in the mountains as well, and my people had opted to tame them.

With illusion spells, temporarily calming an otherwise hostile animal is easy enough. This sabre cat didn’t prove to be a problem at all. In fact, it was even somewhat friendly. However, I didn’t choose to linger because I knew at any moment the spell would wear off.

Making my way away from the large cat, I was soon met with some men on the road. They told me to hand over all of my money and valuables. More bandits? So far, Skyrim has proven to be a rather inhospitable place. Hopefully, I will actually be able to find decent people and my tribe will be able to defend against the bandits.

They left me with no choice but to dispose of them. I have always been taught to make peace whenever possible. My people do not believe in senseless violence. I do not wish to harm anyone that I do not have to, but they would have killed me had I not killed them first. It was a shame, really, because they stood no chance. When I made my leave, my people gave me several precious artifacts which would help me in battle.

One was the Hood of Blun, which was blessed with enhanced magic, Another was the Ring of Rzec, which allowed me to be faster with a blade and more stealthy. And finally, the Fang of Rzec. This dagger holds the power of Rzec himself, and is said to be forged from one of his many fangs. 

As soon as the fight begun, it was already over. After the battle, I noticed a sign. It was a road sign, pointing in the direction of some of Skyrim’s major cities.

I had no idea about any of the cities. However, I decided I would make my way in the direction of Whiterun. Hopefully, it would be close, and Ri’Zago did mention it was one of the more notable cities in Skyrim for trade.

My people probably would have preferred that I avoid the cities, but they seemed like a good place to start. If anything, maybe someone knew of an area that could be used for settling. The tribe did not have to be totally secluded.

This day was a fair bit warmer than the previous one. It was also much less exciting. No matter where I turned, I kept being attacked by wolves. They were easy to deal with, of course, but I just felt sorry for the poor creatures. There were so many of them and they were all so underfed.

Finally, though, I came upon some commotion that was not caused by wolves or the occasional rogue skeever. Instead, it was actually some men. Altmer, from what I could tell, and they were fighting some Nords.   

I had no idea why they were fighting. In fact, I had never even seen another race, other than the one Khajiit that is a part of our tribe. Everyone else I know are all Lilmothiits. Ri’Zago, the Khajiit, happened upon our tribe when he was travelling from his homeland into Skyrim. Evidentially, it was his job to help with the skooma operations in Skyrim. Buying and selling drugs was not a life he wished to have, so he instead chose to join our tribe.

My mind couldn’t help but wander to my good Khajiit friend. Ri’Zago is now a wonderful hunter and caretaker. Hunting is something he does very well, but the caretaking is a passion of his. All of the information I have about the rest of Tamriel comes from him. He has a wealth of stories.

Still, I cannot allow myself to miss my home too much. I have a job to complete. I shook myself from my thoughts and fled from the altercation lest I get involved. Nothing good would come of it. What I came across next, though, was much more surprising.

I appeared to be standing in front of some sort of…large burial ground. But what could possibly be large enough to be buried there?

Then the thought occurred to me. Ri’Zago mentioned that dragons used to roam Skyrim. Maybe dragons were buried here? It was possible, I suppose. Gwenta, may your grace be with me, I wish not to encounter any dragons. Ri’Zago said they were all dead, so maybe I shouldn’t worry. Still, I can’t help but do so.

I could not linger any longer at the burial site. Looking off into the distance, I could see what looked like a large city. That must have been Whiterun! Given the distance and the terrain, I would be there by nightfall.

Rejuvenated, I made my way. However, I was quickly halted. Only a short distance from me…were these large…creatures. They looked like large elephants, but with much more fur. And there was a large man with them. A giant, that had to be what it was!

Cautiously, I snuck up a bit closer. I had to get a better look at these beasts. Not that I had to get too much closer, they were huge!

Deciding not to test my luck any further, I left the giant and the furry elephants be. If they came after me, I doubt I would survive. Plus, Whiterun was only a short distance away. I had to keep going.

When I got closer, it occurred to me that a bath would be a good idea. Fortunately, rivers and streams are not difficult to find in this area. These plains are beautiful, and not at all snowy like my tribe’s current settlement.

Finding a small body of water, I removed my clothing and cleaned up. It had been days since my last bath and my fur was starting to mat up a bit from all the dirt, blood and sweat.

A relaxing bath and a couple hours of walking later, I was in Whiterun. It was late, so I quickly found the city’s inn and asked to use their cooking supplies. On my journey, I managed to kill several deer. I would be eating venison chops tonight!

The cooking facilities were sub-par compared to what I was used to. Then again, cooking was my job within the tribe. Not to mention I was raised by my uncle Veisio, our tribe’s most talented chef. Still, it was nice to be able to cook up some dinner for the night and the next couple days.

Next, I went to the innkeeper and rented a room for the night. Having a good night’s rest indoors sounded wonderful. One thing I had missed during my trip was a warm bed. The bed roll I had was sufficient, of course, but nothing like a real bed.

I took a short while to enjoy the music being performed by the inn’s bard and have my dinner. This place was surprisingly cozy. And I didn’t get too many odd stares. I’m sure many of them were too drunk to notice that I wasn’t a khajiit, though.

Soon enough, it was bedtime. Going into the room I rented, I practically passed out. It had truly been a long last couple days.

 

Character Bio

Name: Helark

Age: 27

Sex: Male

Race: Lilmothiit

Birthplace: Southern Skyrim mountain range

Primary skills: Alchemy, One-Handed, Illusion, Light Armor
Secondary skills: Smithing, Conjuration
General skills: Hunting, cooking
Personality:  Helark is quiet, but terribly curious. He is a dutiful lilmothiit and endlessly loyal to his people. The lilmothiit knows little of the world around him, but is eager to learn. Even though Helark is curious, he is by no means foolhardy. Caution is something that Helark values greatly. 
Speaking to others is not a strong suit of Helark's. He can communicate well in the kitchen or on a hunt, but social interaction with no purpose attached eludes him completely. His uncle has tried to teach him, but the concept is just...forlorn to the lilmothiit.   
General History: When Helark was still very young, his parents met their end by means of a sabre cat attack. From that point on, Helark was raised by his uncle, Veisio. Veisio is the Vaska-Rah's head shaman and cook, so he holds a place in the tribe council. Because Veisio is a talented cook and alchemist, these are the trades Helark has always been most comfortable with. However, he has always enjoyed a great deal of hunting as well, always going out with the hunters. 
When the Vulpa spoke of a need for a scout to travel further into Skyrim and find a new settlement for the Vaska-Rah, Helark was the first to volunteer. He knew this was something that had to be done for the sake of his people.  

Establishing the Lore

Obligatory Introduction and Canon Lore
Let me first begin by stating that very little in known about the Lilmothiit. What is known, though, includes the following:

-The Lilmothiit are an ancient vulpine beast race which originated in Black Marsh.

-Specifically, the Lilmothiit are believed to be from the southern Coast of Black marsh.

-For an unknown reason, the Lilmothiit disappeared from Black Marsh long ago. 

-Some suspect that they fled Black Marsh due to the Argonians driving them out. 

-The Lilmothiit are a tribal society. 

And that is literally all the lore available on the Lilmothiit. So, in order to develop an effective Lilmothiit roleplay character, I had to get a little creative. With that in mind, I thought it was necessary that I establish a little of my own lore. In this post, I will go over the history, government and culture I have created for this ancient beast race. Hope you enjoy! 

Basic Information

As a tribal society, the Lilmothiit stand upon a large amount of ritual within their culture. They have ceremonies for just about anything imaginable. Most notable is the Calling of the Storm ceremony. In this particular ceremony, the Lilmothiit tribe sings an ancient, many-versed song to call upon the elements. There is a reverse ceremony, Ceasing of the Storm, which was of great assistance to the ancient Lilmothiit sailors of Black Marsh.

Also, the Gods the Lilmothiit worship varies quite drastically from the rest of Tamriel's races (more about that in the "culture" section). Within the Lilmothiit tribes, family and peace are the greatest of virtues. Though well-trained in combat, the Lilmothiit would much prefer to keep the peace rather than fight. 

Females are especially revered amongst the Lilmothiit. Because females are so revered, the tribe leader must be female. Males are not necessarily seen as inferior, but they do not bring about the miracle of birth. In the eyes of the Lilmothiit, birth is a sacred thing and the males only assist in this miracle. Thus, the role of assistance is mirrored in the male Lilmothiit's societal position. Rarely are males allowed to be members of the tribe council, but most of them are fine with lesser roles. 

History

As many have suspected, the reason the Lilmothiit fled Black Marsh so long ago was due to the Argonians. When the Lilmothiit fled, they did so all at once. However, all of the tribes set off in different directions. Few tribes were able to establish a new living place without conflict. Many were forced into slavery. 

The tribe mentioned in this roleplay, the Vaska-Diir, were more fortunate, though. The Vaska-Diir fled north of Black Marsh, eventually settling in a virtually uninhabited part of Morrowind. No one bothered them there and that suited them just fine. As a whole, the Lilmothiit prefer solitude over anything else. The conditions in their settlement were harsh and it was often difficult to maintain the large tribe, but they succeeded. 

However, with the erruption of the Red Mountain many, many years later, the Vaska-Diir were forced to leave their home, once again heading north. This time, they wound up in the southern-most mountains of Skyrim. The Vaska-Diir were surprised to meet a smaller group of their own kind hulled away in those mountains. This tribe, the Duiin-Rah, ended up merging with the Vaska-Diir. 

To indicate their unison, the merged tribe was referred to as Vaska-Rah. They would be a strong force to be reckoned with now, but the mountain range would not efficiently support the enlarged tribe for much longer. As a result, the Vaska-Rah's leader was left with no choice but to send a scout to search Skyrim for a suitable new home. 

  

Government

The remaining Lilmothiit are a tribal, matriarchal society. Also, though each tribe is a separate entity, they all follow a basic form of government within their tribes. This unified form of government makes the merging of tribes much easier.Each tribe is overseen by a council of elders with the matriarch, known as the Vulpa, being in charge of the council.

The Council

The council is made up of the Vulpa, and four other members. These members consist of:  the Sciam, the Riegro, the Verzor and the Fondt. Each of the four other members oversee specific duties within the tribe while the matriarch ensures peace and order amongst her people.  

-Sciam- The Sciam is both the tribe’s shaman as well as the head cook. It is the responsibility of the Sciam to oversee all medical and culinary needs of the tribe. As the tribe's shaman, the Sciam is also in charge of ritual. The current council member under the title of Sciam is male, and is the only male council member. His name is Veisio.

-Riegro- The Riegro is in charge of the warriors. The warriors generally do not have to defend the tribe from threats and are thus mostly hunters. It is the job of the Riegro to ensure the warriors are prepared for battle and that the Lilmothiit tribe keeps a reasonable stock of meat. The current council member under this title is named Shisei.

-Verzor- The Verzor is in charge of all the caretaking that goes on within the tribe. While the other members of the tribe work, the caretakers are in charge of tending to the young and the old. The Verzon works closely with the Sciam in tending to the sick. The current Verzor is called Whisper. 

-Fondt- The Fondt oversees all construction and blacksmithing within the tribe. If something is not constructed or smithed to perfection, the Fondt will have something to say about it. As a general rule, the title of Fondt is granted to the tribe's most skilled blacksmith. The name of the current Fondt is Steel-Eye. 

 

Culture
Culture is an important part of Lilmothiit tribal life. Lilmothiit culture is priarily based upon folklore and ritual. With almost every activity, the ancient beast race has some sort of ritual or ceremony to perform. Religion is also a large staple in the lives of many within the tribe. 

Ceremonies
Calling/Ceasing of the Storm- If the land had no received rain in some time and the crops were drying up, Calling of the Storm may be used to call forth a plentiful rain. 
On the flip side, if sailors were out at sea during a storm, they may utilize the Ceasing of the Storm to aid them. 
Both ceremonies are performed via song and little to no dance or other ritualistic behavior.  
-as more ceremonies are mentioned, I will add a description-

Religion
Unlike the other races who all worship many gods as well as their fair share of Daedric princes, the Lilmothiit only worship three dieties. These dieties are known as Rzec, Gwenta and Blun. 
Rzec- Known simply as the beast, Rzec is depicted as a cross between a werewolf and a Lilmothiit. He is solid black in color and a hunter with a keen nose and a quick blade. He is the diety hunting and fine feasts. It is Rzec, according to the hunters, that guide them to their prey.
Gwenta- It is said that Gwenta is the maker of all Lilmothiit, and all living things in general. She is the diety who presides over creation/birth, generosity and marriage. She is depicted as a mere warm presence, not having a tangible form. 
Blun- In the simplest of senses, Blun is nature. Depicted, Blun appears to be the most beautiful of flowers, always in full bloom. It, as Blun has no definite sex, is the deity of agriculture. It is also said that Blun has control over the rain and the snow.