River Folk Origins

        I am very much enjoying everyone's ideas concerning the river folk of the Zola Fel. Since it is stated in published material that similar peoples live all along (at least) the southern coasts of Genertela, does everyone think that the comments thusfar on origins and cultures apply generally?

        For variety within my own game and knowing that the Zola Fel valley has received influxes of different peoples since well before Time, I have tended to view the modern riverfolk as a people of very mixed origins. I currently portray their culture as quite insular (ahem), but they've received both new blood and cultural elements in the past.

        The common origin myth (at least among the group of clans with which my players are familiar) has humans formed from the lifegiving waters washing over the muddy edges of the newly risen land and, as waves will leave ripple patterns along a seashore, forming human and possibly other forms along this margin. Thus, they are a people of both land and water.

        Based on what's available in published material, I think the riverfolk are formed from a base of people who came up the rivers in the mythic age, plus a hearty admixture of earthfolk from Genert's Garden. I've also imagined some smaller elements, like fish hsunchen. Their language and culture are still very much oriented toward the sea and water.

        One of my players is one of those rare river folk who shows much more clearly her 'earth' background. She's more heavily built and has much lighter hair. Her clan shaman has been suspicious of her since her birth, leading the character to be somewhat more outgoing than a typical river person.

        Another character has webbed feet.

        That's how I imagine them.

David Millians