Sefra
The Divine Protectors of the Braided Shore, Sefras are a race of spirits that are both worshipped and feared by locals. They are residents of the Spirit World but are capable of passing into the physical plane to influence worldly events. Sefras are believed to be ruled by Master Spirits, but retain some control over minor spirits such as Shades and Kettem. There are many rumors about Sefra among the Asken.
Sefra additionally provide leadership for the Arch Council within Kasa, where the Arch Sefra both rules and provides direction for the Unions' representatives.
Known Sefras
Lore
Frenzied Sefra suspected behind reports of crazed forest animals!"
...My Sefra sometimes whisper parts of their words of making... Over the seasons I have managed to shape a few entire words from those whispers... Thus I now, at the end of my journey, own some magic of my very own...
There once was a bitter hunter who had not caught any game for a week. The beasts of the forests always seemed to see him first and would trot away before he could ready his bow. The man cursed the Sefra who he thought were warning the animals of his approach.
As he spoke his words of anger, a one-eyed man came wandering through the woods, a heavy bag upon his back and a wicked smile upon his lips. He told the man that he had a way for him to catch all the game he could ever want without ever pulling his bowstring. The wandering trader gave the man a vial of poison which he told to pour over some fig roots in the middle of a glade, for the deer that wandered the forest could not resist the smell of fig. The hunter did as the man asked and it did not take long before a wary doe smelled the roots and approached the poisoned meal. After just one bite the doe fell to the ground and the hunter celebrated, taunting the Sefra of the forest. He butchered the creature and did not even bother with cooking it before he bit down into its flesh. It took but a moment before the man had fallen, afflicted by the poison which was still in the doe's blood.
The Sefra of the forest laughed at the bitter hunter's fate and brought him back to life in the body of a fig-coloured immortal doe, forever to flee from hunters like himself.
This tiny rascal's name comes from the legend of the seacat, a fearsome creature said to have been the descendant of a Varhim beast of war. The seacat terrorized swimmers and ships alike during the Exploration Era. Seeing how much trouble the seacat was causing, a Sefra grabbed a sardine and tied it to the seacat just out of its reach. It is said that the seacat is still chasing its sardine out at sea to this day. Young pranksters sometimes catch sardines and tie string around their fins, tricking anyone who catches it into thinking that the seacat might come for them next.
There was once a smith who prayed to the Sefra, asking for the ability to craft the perfect spear. The Sefra asked him what he could give them in return for this blessing. He said that he would gladly give away his memories, for he had lived a hard life and would be happy to part with them.
The story splits from here, in some versions the smith is blessed but can no longer remember his passion and never crafts his perfect spear. In other stories the smith makes the spear but immediately forgets that he made it, making spear after spear until he became buried in them.
The Twins, two Sefra attached to each other are rumoured to be the heralds of good and bad luck and are worshipped by certain traders and gamblers. A double ring dedicated to the twins is said to keep one's luck stable, and if it begins to turn, one can simply turn the rings around to stabilize one's luck once more.
The Winds birthed us onto hostile shores, alone and afraid. It was the Sefra who raised us, guided us so that we could clothe and feed ourselves from the land of plenty.
There once was a beautiful girl with golden hair who loved the glade outside her house more than anything. She would sit in the grass every day and listen to the birds singing and the Winds slowly blowing through the trees. That night, she made a wish to the Sefra to be able to stay in her favourite glade forever. The next morning, a single golden Calendula flower had sprouted in the middle of the girl's glade. The girl was never seen again.
I know that the roe is tasty but you need to eat the meat as well young man! Haen't I told you about the man who ate so much roe that the Sefra turned him into a fish? Do you want to be a fish? sigh, yes you would still have to do your knot-tying lessons if you had finns."[
There once was an old tailor who could not sew. He tried and tried but alas he could not make anything. He prayed to the Sefra and they gave him a golden needle that would aid his work.
With the golden needle in hand, the old tailor produced magnificent clothing fit for royalty. All across Braided Shore, folk desired to wrap their bodies in the old tailor's clothes.
The old tailor took on every order he got until his small shack was completely filled with unfinished clothing. Then he prayed to the Sefra again, he said that he needed much room. So the Sefra planted the golden needle in the ground and turned it into a mushroom.
The Sefra challenge of Flying Fools is a cider drinking game rumoured to be quite dangerous. The prospect of a drinking game with tremendous rewards is irresistible to many, even if only one person is said to have won a game of Flying Fools against a Sefra.
A cinnabar cape wrapping its wearer in a loving hug. The cape is quite old and some of the scenes embroidered in the fabric haven't stood the test of time. The final image remaining depicted a crowned young man presenting a golden-feathered Sefra with his own eye.
There are those who plant down roots, like the trees, and do not see much of the land in their life. And yet they are content.
So why do some folk hear the call of the roads, why do they feel the Winds that guide explorers and vagabonds alike?
I have travelled roads and forests, I have crossed streams without names and visited cities built on graves. Even after entire Ages of searching I cannot say for sure.
Perhaps another wanderer will find their own answers one day.
Images
The Jade Urn Sefras
The Animal Sefra with deer and wolves.
