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| Species | Ahti |
| Family | Akh |
| Classification | Spirit Folk |
| Sphere | Destruction |
| Patron | the Floodbringer |
| Origin | The Beyond |
| Lifespan | 200 years |
| Habitat | The Beyond/Deep rivers |
| Food | Souls of the dead/normal hippopotamus fare |
| Description | Ahtis appear to be a mixture of a wasp and a hippopotamus in anthropomorphic form. They are bipedal, with the legs of a hippo, the hands of a human, the body and face of a hippo, but with the eyes, mandibles, and wings of a wasp. They stand about 8' tall and on average weigh 2,000 lbs. |
| Procreation | Ahtis mate with one another, laying eggs. Procreation with other akhs is possible, but rare. With other spirit folk, it varies, but it is generally not possible without supernatural intervention. This goes for non-spirit folk as well. |
| Esoterica | Ahtis are beings of poarta and rending power. They can use mostsupernatural energies. They most commonly use soul energy, doom, misfortune, b'qar, d'qiarsea, water aether, bestial aether, desert whispers aether, swamp aether, vile energy, oalkhaylaoataa, nourishment, mijjit, gebvel, mansam, shebv heya, fate, and kor. |
| Special Powers | Ahtis have the ability to swim in any kind of water and remain underwater for hours at a time (though they do eventually need air). Their skin is almost impossible to pierce or slash with any mundane weapon--or most magical ones. They have a poisonous bite via their mandibles that causes intense pain, but is not generally fatal for those of moderate or better health. |
| The Dead | Like all akhs, ahtis can send undead if they are not in the Beyond, see souls while in the Beyond or not, and guide any souls in the Beyond to their destination if need be. However, they usually do not partake in psychopompery; instead, they are known as destroyers of souls, and their mandibles are capable of tearing the souls of the dead to shreds (this remains so even on Shem, though not if the soul is within a body). |
| Funerals | Funerals hold a special place in the culture of all akhs. Because they come from the Beyond, where death means the souls imply leaves the body but remains visible and active, funerals there were simply ceremonies where souls were directed into new bodies while old bodies were disposed of (devoured). However, on Shem, funerals are different and have developed a few other customs. The custom of having a funeral immediately or as soon as possible after death remains. Like all akhs, ahits are born without souls. Upon the first funeral past the birth of a child, they gain the soul of the subject of the funeral. If more than one child needs a soul, they all share the soul, which will split and yet be whole. Because souls are influenced by experiences, they will develop into unique souls over the course of the life of the individual, but they will also retain some memories, experiences, and powers of the previous owner(s). It takes seven years for the new soul to develop in the young ahti, but at the end of this time, there is a ritual coming of age ceremony wherein the ahti is given a new name. In the Beyond, after the guiding of the soul into a new body, the old body is prepared and feasted upon by the whole tribe, with a tribute of the heart being made to the Reapers. On Shem, the old body is prepared and feasted upon by the whole tribe, with the heart being offered to the Queen of the River. If a soulless child is not present or ready for a soul when an ahti dies, their soul is preserved along with their heart in a jar of honey to await the first available child. If an ahti dies away from their tribe or others of their culture, their soul moves on, which is considered a grievous loss. |
| Weaknesses | Foundation energy will turn them into mundane hippopotamuses. |
| Reaper Culture | In the Beyond, the ahtis are nomadic, moving up and down great nether-rivers, devouring the dead and serving as the final judgment for those who do not follow the rules of the Beyond. Their culture falls under the hegemony of the Reapers, as do all akhs within that realm. They serve as punishers and enforcers. |
| National Culture | Those ahtis who left the Beyond and came to Shem dwell in northeastern Taggarus along the great rivers and swamps and deserts. On Shem, they remain river nomads, but they tend to eat and drink as hippos (and to some extent, wasps) more than soul-destroyers. Their homes are large rivercraft, which they tow along with their own strength, with up to six ahtis swimming in harnesses to pull the house barges along. At night, they beach along the river banks to form large camps and tell tales of their exodus from the Beyond or the barely remembered times before the Reapers. The keepers of this history within their culture are called nohem. Each tribe is led by a small group of aht-dhals (captains) who own the barges; the tribes collectively answer to Ahti-Shepar, the Queen of the River. Ahti-Shepar (which is a title that subsumes any name of any individual ahti who takes it) rules from a massive barge with 24 servants drawing it along and over 400 servants and soldiers aboard. Her authority extends as far as she can enforce, however, and as such, many aht-dhals make their own rules when she and/or her enforcers are not around. Upon birth, a young ahti is immediately buried at the bottom of the river, under thick mud, for an hour, to cleanse them. Their birthing parent does this, then swims up with them an hour later to present them to the leader of the tribe (or, if they are the leader, to the rest of the tribe). If the leader and/or tribe decides the child is worthy, they will raise their left arm in a fist and unleash a harsh buzzing sound with their wings. If they decide the child is unworthy (because of omens, because of physical deformities, because of prejudices, because of politics, for any reason), they will raise their right arm and unleash a hippo-bellow. The child will then be forcibly taken and devoured by the leader or the tribe. As it had no soul, it is not given a funeral, but its bones are cast into the river mud. If the child is found worthy, the birthing parent names them and raises them until the next funeral, at which time, they gain a soul and go through a coming-of-age ceremony, receiving a new name (their birth name becomes, then, their surname). Thus a child named Atunuhkhtah by their mother and then named Gufuru by the tribe after gaining a soul would be Gufuru Atunukhhtah. After this ceremony, the child is trained for seven years by their birthing parent and close relatives. During this time, the child learns customs of the tribe and the roles expected of it. Until this point, the child would be referred to with gender neutral terms, but after this, the child's gender is determined not by their body, but by the soul they gained. There are three genders among the ahti: male (who are slaves, servants, farmers, hunters, and soldiers); female (who are queens, aht-dhals, generals, hunt leaders, and merchants); and neuters (who are crafters, esotericists, artists, and scholars). Since they now have a gender, they begin training for a proper role. Those who object to the gender they are given are eaten and have their bones cast into the river mud, and their soul is given to one more deserving. Marriage is common between men and women and forbidden for neuters. Any who deviate from this are eaten, their bones cast into the river mud, and their souls given to one more deserving. After seven years, the ahti is considered a full adult. They then take service with an aht-dhal or become seconded to one (if they are due to be one themselves) or to Ahti-Shepar. Every year, there are three festivals: one to celebrate their arrival on Shem; one to celebrate the current Ahti-Shepar; and one to celebrate the new year. The new year festival is one of renewal, and it is seen as a chance for old souls to remember past lives and set aside old grievances. The celebration of Ahti-Shepar is a feast wherein everyone brings tribute to her barge; all tribes celebrate this at once. And the celebration of the Arrival is a time of thanksgiving and feasting and telling of the oldest tales. If two tribes have conflict with one another, it is seen as fitting that they go to war, take the souls of their enemies, and destroy the soul of the enemy leader. Unless Ahti-Shepar steps in, these wars are legal and considered matters of honor. Ahti tribes are also known for raiding along the river banks, capturing food, materials, and so on. Ahtis are often stereotyped as spiteful, petty, vicious, but they vary as much as any individuals. |
| Religion | Ahtis worship a Divine they call the Floodbringer, which they envision as a hippo with a wasp's head, whom they believe to be the one who raises and lowers the water levels, thus bringing destruction to the landdwellers and provenance to the ahti. |
| Mortal Interactions | Ahtis are feared by other nations who dwell near them. If a stretch of river is controlled by them, others will avoid that area unless they have business there. Outside of northeastern Taggarus, ahtis are rarer and less well known, and therefore less feared. If an ahti is out in the world, they will usually find themselves assumed to be an Agikaani halfbreed, and thus subject to prejudice, but not to fear. In Agikaan or Stolzen, they are killed on sight. |
| Notable Occupations | Nohem, Aht-Dhal, Ahti-Shepar, |
| Notables | Gufuru Atunukhhtah, a culture hero who led them out of the Beyond, then sacrificed herself to keep the Reapers from catching them. Ahti-Shepar is the Floodbringer's vessel in the mortal realms, and the nohem in each tribe doubles as a priest, who leads funeral services, marriages, and coming-of-age ceremonies, as well as festivals and nightly storytelling. |
| Sample statistics | PRO ATH STR AWA WIL ROG Skills |
GrandGuignol
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