The Five Kels
The House of Omt’or
The House of Omt’or is the wealthiest, most populous and probably the most influential of all the Seomish kels. The domain of Omt’or is the great sea Omt’orkel, bounded by the currents of Tchor and the hills of the Serpentines in the east and south, by the currents of Pomt’or and the house of ice to the west and north. It occupies most of the northwest and north central regions on the map.
Omt’or is perhaps most distinguished for the calm detachment of its people and their grace and elaborate manners, a result, it is said, of the Great Daughter Omt’or’s attempt to seduce the Father Shooki.
Omt’or has produced at least half of Seome’s scientific advances, including the development of the tekn’een drugs. However, the kel has not been as aggressive as others in applying its knowledge. In fact, other kels consider Omt’or to be somewhat arrogant and elitist. But the Omtorish seem content merely to accumulate and refine their ever-growing store of knowledge. Their cultural achievements, especially in the scent and echo arts, are widely copied.
The House of Sk’ort
The Sk’ortel is a warm, sluggish sea that occupies the southwest part of the map. The domain of the Sk’ort is principally encompassed by this sea. The eastern boundary is the lower Serpentines and the Sk’ork current. The western boundary is sometimes disputed with the Orketish but is usually taken to be a line extending directly north and south of the vast Klatko Trench in the equatorial zone.
Many of the other kels look down on the Skortish as lazy and indolent, though this opinion is unfair. The warm and occasionally hot, slow-moving waters of the sea contribute to this feeling of enervation. The Skortish roam less often and more slowly than any other kel, many preferring to simply float with the currents. To the others, this is laziness.
The Skortish subdivide themselves into two great branches: the Tostah and the Kekah. The Tostah are the smaller of the two, residing mainly in and around the city of Tostah, near the seething Sk’ortoo lava trench. Many of them make their living harvesting the valuable coral-like material ting, which grows abundantly in the hot, mineral-rich waters. Their kel-mates, the Kekah, live hundreds of kilometers to the south among the angular ridges of Kekonk Tenk, where most of them are renowned as miners, working the immense veins of ore in the mountains and canyons that encircle that city.
The Skortish are generally indifferent to the opinions of their neighbors, particularly the Orketish. They feel that the other kels do not understand them or don’t want to. The Skortish pride themselves as great thinkers (though they have produced few great thoughts) and as connoisseurs of an elegant way if life based on physical contact rather than roaming. This puts them at odds with much of Seome.
The House of Ponk’et
The great, ice-cold murky northeastern sea is called the Ponk’el and is home to the kel Ponk’et. Bounded to the north by the polar ice pack, to the east by the ridge T’kel, to the south by the ridge-chain Orkn’t and to the west by the long sinuous Serpentine, the Ponkti are aloof, relatively militant in their outlook and generally untrustworthy. They usually keep to themselves preferring to refine their martial skills. The Ponkti are renowned as the originators and masters of the deadly dance of combat called tuk.
Because of their self-imposed isolation, little is known about the Ponkti and this adds to the climate of uncertainty and fear that has in the past led to disputes, misunderstandings, even military clashes. Despite this, the Ponkti do engage in some trade with the rest of Seome, out of necessity. Their principal economic activity is growing cultures of the industrial bacterium terpoh, which flourish in the caves of the kel’s only city, Ponk’t (Seomish industry depends almost entirely on chemical and biological means of shaping, forming and molding materials, since fire is unknown to them).
The presence of the central religious shrine of Seome, the Pillars of Shooki, is another source of revenue. The Ponkti have negotiated a contract which remunerates them for maintaining this shrine. In return, they permit kel pilgrims from across Seome to travel unimpeded through Ponkti waters to and from the shrine. Further profit is made by serving and housing these pilgrims. It’s a classic example of Ponkti hypocrisy: they are certain that Shooki ignores the prayers of the pilgrims and view the visitors as misguided but wealthy fools, ripe for the plucking.
The House of Eep’kos
This is the smallest kel and in many ways, the most puzzling. Physiologically similar to other Seomish, the Eepkostic are in fact breakaway cousins of the Skortish, but many generations of life in the frigid south polar waters have made them as different from their ancestors as they can be.
Why did the Eepkostic break from the Skortish and engineer themselves into a different people? The true answer is probably that there was a serious inter-family dispute but the evidence of it has been lost in the dense metaphors of mythical history which the Eepkostic have created about themselves and their past. Any recorded documentation of the dispute has been eradicated and only an apocryphal legend about a vast marine serpent thousands of kilometers long which cut off a branch of the Skortish from the main body of the family for centuries because it was so long and moved so slowly remains. The story states that the stranded cousins eventually gave up hope that they would ever see their homewaters again and started a new community under the icepack. This will have to suffice as history until more facts are known. Ever since this tale became popular, the Eepkostic consider themselves to have been singled out by God to endure ten thousand mah of punishment by isolation and that is why they live as they do. Note that both the Ponkti and the Eepkostic have formalized a system of beliefs that places each of them at the center of God’s attention, either favorable or displeased. Each kel considers itself an elect people; the Eepkostic view themselves as collective martyrs for all Seomish.
The Eepkostic are fiercely independent and protective of their isolation, much like the Ponkti. To enforce this quarantine, they have engineered an eel-like snake, called a k’orpuh, which is also raised commercially, for military and medical purposes. The chemical base of tekn’een is an extract of the k’orpuh’s blood.
The Eepkostic are proud of their differences, both physical and cultural. They feel the distinctions are marks of superiority. They are especially contemptuous of their distant cousins the Skortish, seeing in them everything that is corrupt and decadent. The harsh polar environment makes the Eepkostic more aware of the struggle for survival—how it heightens and enriches life—something that most other Seomish have never faced. Thus their civilization is not so elaborately mannered as others; their life is cleaner, simpler and more vivid. This makes them ideal candidates for extra-marine exploration.
The House of Ork’et
The domain of Ork’et is the sea Orkn’tel, bounded on the west by the lower Serpentine, on the north by the Orkn’t ridge, on the south by the broad swift Current of Ork’lat and on the east by the agreed-upon boundary with Sk’ort.
Ork’et is known for its even-tempered, profit-minded traders and merchants. The fact that Seome’s most important current, the Ork’lat, neatly bisects Orketish territory, ensures a commercial advantage that few kels possess. The Ork’lat flows halfway around the world across the southern hemisphere before disintegrating in the stormy inter-mountain region known as the Pulkel. The current gives the Orketish speedy access to all parts of the world and their kip’t pilots (see Glossary) are so skilled at navigating the treacherous Pulkel that they have secured a monopoly on transportation of goods there to the irritation of the Ponkti. Trans-Serpentine commerce is very much an Orketish business.
Another occupation virtually unique to Ork’et is the harvesting of the pearl-like potu, which is used as a currency throughout Seome. It follows that finance and banking services, brokerage services, production organization and related activities are principal Orketish concerns. The kel is truly a hub for transport and commerce and its merchants have a reputation, well-deserved,
for persistence and aggressiveness as well as seemingly endless patience. The Orketish are less enamored of the formal way of living so admired by the Omtorish. The main distinction between the two most important and influential kels is that Omtorish are, by nature, great theorists and the Orketish great doers. The Omtorish are more concerned with the ideal, the Orketish with the practical. The people of Ork’et see themselves as the only true practitioners of Ke’shoo and Ke’lee. From this flows the rationale for their impeccable materialism.
Seomish Timekeeping
Time on Seome is defined by the period it takes for the vast hordes of planktonic mah’jeet to complete one pole-to-pole migration cycle. This basic unit is called the mah and is equivalent to about eighteen Terran months.
The mah is further subdivided into six parts, one for each of the Five Daughters and one for the Father Shooki. These subdivisions are called emtemah and each is roughly equivalent to about three Terran months.
The Seomish have no astronomical concept of a “day” (having no knowledge of a sun or planetary bodies or motions) but they are aware of variations in light which penetrates the water. A day-night cycle to them means one cycle of light, then no light, then light again. The words are puh’kel and puh’tchoot. The popular explanation for light is that the surface is full of floating luminescent creatures which shine their radiance into the depths to create the day and then sleep to create the night.
The Seomish call each one thousand mah period a metamah, or epoch. These periods are usually named for the oldest Metah in the world at that time. The current epoch is 735 mah old and was given the designation Tekpotu, for the reigning Metah of Ork’et at that time.
The six emtemah are called, in order: Shookem, Omtorem, Skortem, Epkosem, Orketem and Ponketem.
The Seomish have two other words which they use to divide the year into halves. These words refer to the condition of the water at the time of the mah’jeet migration. They are lit’kel (clear water) and mah’kel (fiery water). Since mah’jeet can be dangerous, mah’kel is a time to remain in the cities.
In the Terran-Standard numbering system, the current Seomish mah would be written as follows: 735.5 Tk, meaning the fifth emtemah of the seven hundred thirty fifth mah in the epoch of Tekpotu.
Following is a brief timeline of major events in contemporary Seomish history.
Highlights of the Current Historical Epoch of Tekpotu
Mah Event
22.1 The Peace of Tekpotu…putting an end to a 30-mah long period of isolation and border disputes between Omt’or and Ponk’et.
105.6 Extraction, isolation and synthesis of the memory drug tekn’een by Omtorish scientists
357-9 Metah of Sk’ort dies; Eepkostic plot charged; live k’orpuh released in Kekah--many deaths; Skortish retaliate by melting ice; truce comes
405.2 Berserk seamother kills pilgrims at Pillars of Shooki; extermination attempt fails when beast leaves water (first recorded case in current epoch)
622.1 Discovery of Unknown Relic in Opuhte of Ponk’el; disputes over custody; theory of ancient, unrecorded marine civilization
628.4 Ponkti restrict access to Pillars, leading to confrontation at Serpentine; sporadic clashes
629.6-630.5 Ponk’et agrees to discuss situation, leading to Shrine Treaty and Agreement of Puh’t
649-651 Pal’penk herds decimated by disease, traced to new mutation in mah’jeet; Seomish deaths lead to antidote after Ponkti efforts to exterminate mah’jeet are blocked by Omt’or
700-705 Potu shortage as a result of Orketish kip’t accident, spilling toxic wastes into potu beds; monetary panic ensues and inter-kel trade drops off until stocks increase
719.1 Death of Hildrah tu, Metah of Omt’or; succession of Iltereedah luk’t
721.6 Student in Ketuvishtek rite encounters seamother carcass south of Klatko Trench with strange, non-Seomish remains inside torn belly; theories abound
Glossary
AK’LOOSH: The Ponkti doctrine that predicts the end of the world by a giant, globe-circling tidal wave. According to most interpretations, the Ponkti are chosen by Shooki to survive the catastrophe, by burying themselves underground, until the danger is passed, after which they will rule the world. Ak’loosh is the reason usually given as explanation for the tendency of the Ponkti to isolation.
ARCTOSS: A four-player game common to Omt’or in which the participants float at the corners of a square with three or more open cones in the middle. The object is to toss weighted balls into the cones in such a way as to amass the most points. Sometimes played with artificial current generators to stir things up.
AZHTU: In Seomish mythology, a terrible serpent granted dominion by Shooki over the Notwater, the Highwater and the Deepwater, in exchange for peace and tranquility in the Middlewater. More generally, any form of evil especially in unknown waters. There are legends of renegade kels roaming the Serpentines who worship Azhtu.
BEAT: An echo unit of distance.
EM’KEL: A basic subdivision of the kel, usually based on mutual interest, often enduring for hundreds of mah. Em’kels are egalitarian, communal groups, in effect, families since the kel itself is too large to provide much care.
EMTEMAH: A unit of time—one sixth of a mah (see MAH). About three Terran months.
EM’TOO: The berth space or home chamber of the em’kel. Usually a domicile not partitioned physically but by “curtains” of sound and/or scent. Em’kels often share the same housing pod or space including cooking, cleaning and other facilities but sleeping, meeting and work areas are always separate.
FREE-BOND: The act of spiritually binding any member of the kel to the will of the Metah for a specified period of time. Basically a contractual relationship entered into for the purpose of doing something the Metah would rather not be associated with. Free-bonds can be used for anything but have come to be employed in espionage and intelligence work in modern times, thus a certain social stigma results from the public knowing a person is bound this way. Failure to carry out the stipulations requires the bound one to take his own life in shame. The bond is cemented by consuming a vial, called a pot’l, of the Metah’s blood. The incentives are many: loyalty, patriotism, special favors from the Metah.
GISU: A fruit plant, cultivated for its potent juice extract and tasty pulp. It can be eaten whole (the rind is slightly stimulating) but the popular way is to poke a hole and suck. The taste is tart and lingering.
HOLDPOD: Any synthetic pod, sac or drum used to hold personal items. Often made of plastic, these vessels are among the most common of domestic utensils and are also used as luggage on long trips. The true holdpod is a small, oval egg-shaped container that opens and closes like a clam shell.
JEE’OT: A form of punishment, practiced by the kel against an offender as designated by the Metah. Fairly serious, it is a period of time in which the offender is ignored, not spoken to and treated as if he didn’t exist. The effect of this varies but it usually creates frustration at the very least and forces the recipient to examine his character in some detail.
KEK’OT: The warrior-select that each generation creates to do battle with Azhtu. A form of ritual sacrifice.
KEL: Any of the five great nation-families—Omt’or, Ork’et, Ponk’et, Sk’ort or Eep’kos. Can also mean life itself, or water, comfort, home or any of several dozen other similar meanings. The root word “kel” is the most commonly used component of words in the Seomish language.
KE’LEE: One of the three most important moral-ethical doctrines in Seomish philosophy. It is usually defined as sexual productivity or fertility but has acquired the connotation of appetite and satisfaction in the abstract sense over the centuries. It is a ritualized form of honor, even a form of cannibalism that is invested with a great deal more meaning than merely eating. Simply put, the Seomish believe that when they consume one of their friends, they take on the best qualities of that friend. It is considered a high honor to be asked this, a w
ay of merging personalities so that the friendship will last forever. There are other motives for Ke’lee involving shame and disgrace but this kind of love is the main one.
KEL’EM: The gathering of all chosen em’kel representatives once each mah. Their main task is to advise the Metah on the state of opinion. In Ork’et, the Kel’em also has the authority to consider any agreements made between Orketish em'kels or between Ork’et and other kels and pass judgment. Most kels restrict the Kel’em to an advisory capacity only. It exists in Omt’or mainly to ensure that all em’kels have an equal voice before the Metah and not just the older, more established groups.
KELKE: A citizen, resident, member of the kel, people in general.
KELKTOO: Normally the most influential em’kel in any kel. The function differs slightly from kel to kel, but in most cases, the Kelktoo is a grouping of the most learned scholars and teachers. In effect, a school or academy of learning, the Kelktoo is the only em’kel in which mandatory membership is the rule. This holds for all kelke, for at least a few mah. Some Kelktoo also hold responsibility for research activities.
KEPIDAH: A genetically engineered crustacean that extrudes a soft, waxy substance that hardens over time. Used as a building material, the kepidah is one of many bioforming agents that can be programmed to create any desired structural pattern.
KE’SHOO: The second most important moral-ethical principle. Commonly taken to mean friendship, fraternity, caring, concern for others, companionship. Ke’shoo is the glue of the em’kel and great effort is expended on nurturing and preserving relationships, with all the intensity and enthusiasm possible. Seomish sit in instant judgment of each other’s attitudes and emotions (easy enough to do with an echo-location sense that can penetrate the body and “read” feelings and reactions) and consider it a duty to know each other in as much detail as they can. The affection and emotional well-being of a friend, according to the dictates of his doctrine, transcend all personal concerns, except where there is obvious conflict with Ke’lee or Shoo’kel. Resolving these conflicts have occupied Seomish philosophers for centuries.
KE’TEEOH: The normal gatherings of the em’kel to air grievances, discuss plans, assign duties, etc. Often loud and boisterous, even when conducted in one of the many formal argumentative disciplines (see SHKEKTOO).
KETUVISHTEK: The ritual of the globe circling, a rite of passage that confirms Seomish midlings as adults. It occurs on or near the 20th mah birthday. The midling must circumnavigate the world, collecting rock and plant specimens as proof and return safely before he considered fully mature enough to form his own em’kel.
KIP’T: A small, electrically powered sled, often used for transport within the kel and occasionally, for long-distance travel. Usually enclosed, with minimal comforts.
KONG’PELU: A rigorous game, native to Eep’kos, but popular throughout Seome. Often played by teams of twenty or more, it involves the use of long blunt poles to score and defend. The object is to snap a weighted sack over the head of as many opponents as possible. Used by the Eep’kostic as a form of combat training.
MAH: The basic unit of time on Seome, a year. It lasts from the beginning of one mah’jeet migration cycle to the beginning of the next. Comparable to about 18 Terran months.
MEKLI: One of the Shookian priestesses, usually quartered at the Pillars of Shooki. Although the Pillars are in Ponkti territory, the Mekli owe their allegiance to no kel. Their stations are hereditary and so they are considered to be a separate, holy family, although not large enough to be termed a kel. The Mekli claim to be descended from the Shkulee, an extinct species of fish that legend says Shooki created to provide the ancient Seomish with omens and portents of what was to come. The skin of the shkulee was often marked in bright, colorful spiral patterns, which were studied for clues to the future.
MEKTOO: Usually the eldest and most sexually productive female of the largest em’kel. The Mektoo is the Kel’em’s voice before the Metah and is often granted considerable decision-making authority in day-to-day matters. Much of her work consists of arbitrating em’kel disputes and arguments.
METAMAH: A thousand mah, an epoch.
METAH: The eldest female of the entire kel and nominal head of the family. Her full title is Metashooklet (The One Who Lives in God) and she is always the moral and spiritual leader of the kel. Some Metahs involve themselves in kel politics more than others. The Metah is considered to embody the essence of the kel and her death is a time for great mourning.
OOTKEEOR: The deep-lying thermal, sound-reflecting layer that channels messages around the world. Repeating stations are strategically located to boost the signal as it bounces along. Depending on conditions, sounds can travel upwards of 50 kilometers unamplified in parts of Seome.
OOTSTEK: Also known as a repeater, the ootstek form one of the most important of all em’kels. Their work is lonely and demanding, requiring them to back up the automatic functioning of the ootkeeor. Repeaters roam on station in the boundary waters between the kels and, when the ootkeeor is not working properly, it is their duty to listen for and repeat any and all messages that come through. Repeaters are traditionally possessed of magnificent voices as well as acute hearing.
OPUH’TE: A whirlpool, a vortex.
OT’LUM: Also called a scentbulb. The ot’lum is a device that captures and holds any kind of scent for periods that can extend into centuries. A small, plastic sphere, the ot’lum carries coded olfactory information which can be used and re-used many times before losing its potency. It is a primary means of storing information as well as a major art form.
P’TEK: (also P’TCHOOT) The unknown, the frontier, any sea that is unexplored or unmapped.
PAK’OH: A commodity agent or anyone who organizes the production of a commodity for sale. The principal work of the pak’oh is in contracting for work done by manufacturing or service em’kels and seeing that the product or service is distributed to where it is needed. Most Seomish industry is organized along craft lines so extra-em’kel agents are needed to bring production and consumption of goods together. Pak’oh also organize themselves into em’kels and it is these groups that function as rudimentary corporations.
PUL’KE: Death, the end, finality, a state or condition of no water or that same feeling.
SCENTBULB: See OT’LUM.
SHAME-BOND: The act of binding any individual to any other for the purpose of humiliating him. Shame-bound have usually committed a serious breach of etiquette or custom, thus injuring the dignity of a person or group of persons. It is customary for the individual who has been injured to require some humiliating task of his shame-bound, the theory being that by suffering the contempt of his peers, the offender will learn the value of proper manners and the importance of personal dignity. Some kels frown on this practice.
SHOO’KEL: The desirable state of keeping one’s inner fluids in balance so that any pulse of you is clean and regular. Any other state is vulgar or obscene. This is the third great moral principle that is important to the Seomish. A form of personal honor and dignity. Control of excessive emotion is necessary to efficient and accurate pulsing. Also used in a general or universal sense to mean tranquility, peace, the natural order of things, stability, etc.
SHKEKTOO: One of several argumentative disciplines employed in em’kel gatherings or even in more formal assemblies. Rhetoric is a highly respected art on Seome and shkektoo is one of the higher and more respected forms of it. Seomish employ these techniques of exchange for many reasons, among them are a great love for words and talk and a desire to keep all arguments and verbal confrontations within the bounds of propriety, thus preserving dignity. In the case of shkektoo, the exchange proceeds along a line of rhetorical questions and interrogative suppositions, according to an ancient technique of particularizing from universal first principles.
SHOOKI: The Great Father, God, the Creator of the Ocean. Also an archaic expression for clear, calm water. Sho
o’ke means literally “The Loving One.”
SH’PONT: A truncated, flat-topped seamount (guyot) often used by kels as extra storage or living space, as well as for observation, communication, and kip’t handling. In ancient times, most kels lived underground in caves and tunnels beneath the sh’pont and as they expanded in size, gradually moved out into the open sea and built larger, free-standing cities. However, ancestral ties to the sh’pont are still strong and the seamounts are almost always the center of life for most kels.
TEKMA: A special envoy, hired for the purpose of conveying a message of great importance. Tekma are one of the most elite of all em’kels, and one of the most demanding. The couriers must be of the utmost integrity and character, as they are usually entrusted with dispatches too critical to be sent by ootkeeor. The word comes from tekmetah, meaning “Arm of the Metah.”
TEKN’EEN: The memory drug, given most often to the Metah, for the purpose of improving and enhancing her recall of facts. Extracted from the blood of the k’orpuh.
THOUGHT-BOND: The act of mentally binding two minds so that thought may be shared. Attitudes about this vary among the kels.
T’ING: A valuable, coral-like material that is native to the waters of Sk’ort. Useful as an electrical material and as decorative ornamentation.
TONKRO: An 8-player Omtorish game that involves the assembly of a complicated, open-frame pyramid structure in as short a time as possible.
T’SHOO: The feel of water flowing across one’s skin; a kind of ecstasy.
TUK: The Ponkti martial dance believed to have originated in the days before spoken language, as a means of telling stories and teaching children. Over the ages, it has become stylized and ritualized into both an art and a combat discipline, as well as a sport. It consists of an exceedingly complex series of body movements, including kicks, tail whips and punches, that must be performed from memory in exactly the right sequence, with grace and style, in order to win.
TU’LE: The practice (from the word metor’tule) of doing favors and giving extravagant gifts to friends and guests. Discretion, taste and expense are the canons of judgment in these ritual gestures of affection and indulgence. The root word means “frenzied waters.”
VIK’T: A verb form meaning “to go against the current.”
VISH: A verb form meaning “to go with the current.”
VISHTU: One of the oldest customs of the Seomish, the vishtu or companionship roam, is very much in the traditions of Ke’shoo and typically involves two people although there is no set number. Roams can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, even longer, with the average being a few hours. Debate and talk is usually discouraged during the roam in order to let the physical beauty of the landscape work its magic. Often a prelude to some intense, emotionally draining activity, such as sexual intercourse, the fine points and protocol of a roam are learned by Seomish at an early age.
Key Words Denoting Important Water Conditions
EEKOOT’ORKELTE: Water of minimum pressure for life
EET’ORKELTE: Water with salt content too low for comfort or safety
LITOR’KEL: Calm water, usually temperate
MEETOR’KEL: Water of rough, mixing currents, but good visibility
M’TKELTE: Rough, mixing water with poor visibility
MUH’PULTE: Water infested with mah’jeet. Also called M’JEET.
OM’ORKEL: Water of moderate turbidity, otherwise calm
ONK’KELTE: Water with salt content too high for comfort or safety
P’OMORTE: Water of high turbidity
P’RHUMORKEL: Water of moderate turbulence
ROT’OOT’ORKELTE: Water under extremely high pressure
SHOO’KEL: Clear, calm water (archaic form)
SKOR’KELTE: Fiery hot but calm water
TCHOR’KELTE: Ice cold, numbing but calm water
VISHM’TEL: Smoothly flowing, fast current
About the Author
Philip Bosshardt is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He works for a large company that makes products everyone uses…just check out the drinks aisle at your grocery store. He’s been happily married for 25 years. He’s also a Georgia Tech graduate in Industrial Engineering. He loves water sports in any form and swims 3-4 miles a week in anything resembling water. He and his wife have no children. They do, however, have one terribly spoiled Keeshond dog named Kelsey.
To get a peek at Philip Bosshardt’s upcoming work, recent reviews, excerpts and general updates on the writing life, visit his blog The Word Shed at: https://thewdshed.blogspot.com.
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