Sehwns

Sehwns are a fictional humanoid ethnicity commonly depicted in speculative fiction and role-playing campaigns. In many settings they inhabit coastal and island regions, where seafaring and trade define daily life and social structure. The term Sehwns often functions as an umbrella for several related communities that share language, maritime practice, and ceremonial traditions.

Physically, Sehwns are described as lean to medium in build, with heights typically ranging from about 1.6 to 1.8 meters. Hair and eye color vary widely, reflecting a long history of contact and intermarriage with neighboring groups. Their skin tones span bronze to olive, and many depictions emphasize adaptability to varied climates and sea air.

Society is usually organized around city-states or port towns connected by a mercantile confederation. Leadership tends to be plural and pragmatic, often led by merchant councils with rotating chairpeople and supplemented by councils of elders in each locale. Lineage and inheritance practices vary, but property and status frequently reward seamanship, trade acumen, and public service.

Culture centers on navigation, shipbuilding, poetry, and oral history. Sehwns prize accurate charts, storm lore, and commemoration of successful voyages. Their language, Sehwan, is typically portrayed as agglutinative with a rich evidential system, used alongside regional linguae francae for trade. Storytelling and festival cycles tie communities together through shared rituals of tides, harvests, and fleet departures.

History in various narratives presents Sehwns as early maritime traders who built resilient exchange networks and resilient craft industries. They are commonly portrayed as skilled negotiators and cultural intermediaries between inland and coastal peoples. In modern fiction and gaming, Sehwns serve as a flexible backdrop for exploration, alliance-building, and maritime adventure.