Geheimsvaak

The Geheimsvaak consider themselves separate and distinct from other Malvanians.  They live in harmony with nature, making their homes in the swampwoods located in some of the most remote parts of Malvania.

 

 

Their settlements are always built around a communal mud-pool.  They build sleeping huts from woven vines smeared with mud.  They divide their time between caring for their children, hunting wild animals and foraging for edible plants.  Grandparents often act as teachers for their grandchildren.  Older siblings also look after younger siblings.

 

 

They are isolationist by nature and avoid contact with other Malvanians.  In fact, the majority of Malvanians remain unaware of their existence.  The name they give themselves comes from one of the ancient Malvanian dialects and means Secret People.

Their physiology allows them to consume swamp mud.  It forms the main part of their diet and is supplemented by edible roots and fungi which they harvest from the swampwoods and the wild animals which they hunt for food.

Some Geheimsvaak merge with the symbiotic serpent vines.  There are several ways of merging — swallowing a seed and growing a vine, allowing a mature vine to merge with them or being born with a vine already growing.

They shun all forms of technology.  Most Geheimsvaak don’t even use written forms of language.  Their historical accounts and works of literature are preserved by means of sorcery in glass spheres known as whisper jars.  Vast collections of these jars are stored in huge underground archives.  These archives are tended by volunteers who undertake to merge with a vine and swear an oath of silence.  They only communicate via telepathy.

 

 

Geheimsvaak family relationships are extremely complex.  Each adult may take several partners, known as heart-holders.  There is no restriction on the amount of heart-holders permitted but most only take two or three due to the difficulty of maintaining the multiple relationships and caring for all the children produced by each partner.