skerta

Skerta is a term used in world-building to denote a fictional ethnolinguistic group commonly portrayed in speculative fiction and tabletop role-playing settings. It refers to a mountain-dwelling community characterized by a distinct language, social structure, and customary practices. The concept is used across multiple works as a template rather than a single canonical people, with details varying by author.

The name Skerta is a constructed designation; there is no universally agreed origin, and authors often indicate that the term has multiple historical layers within their worlds. In many depictions, Skerta settlements occupy highland plateaus or secluded valleys, featuring stone houses, terraced fields, and footpaths that wind between villages.

The Skerta language is usually described as agglutinative with extensive case marking and verb serialization. Some portrayals include vowel harmony or phonotactic restrictions that distinguish it from neighboring languages.

Skerta society is frequently organized around clans or extended families, with elders playing a central role in governance and ritual. Craft traditions such as weaving, metalwork, and pottery are emphasized, and hospitality is a core value. Ritual life often centers on harvests, ancestral memory, and nature spirits.

Mythic histories commonly recount migrations into the highlands, periods of conflict or isolation, and selective contact with neighboring groups. These elements serve as a flexible backdrop for narratives rather than a fixed history. In culture and media, the Skerta appear in multiple fictional works and game settings, where they are used to explore themes of resilience, tradition, and change.

See also: list of fictional ethnic groups, fictional languages, worldbuilding.