Selder

SEVARRAN BRANDING

Sevrants are the result of sevrran branding, which is practiced only by the Werisian Clan. They are pacts sealed upon a selder's body: "They are inscribed through carving and rune-etching, and through the burning of substances into the flesh. The selder who receive them do not suffer from the branding. Not once the strain has passed, and the pain has ebbed. Unless, of course, the branding is interrupted.”   [B1.C18]

While many sevrants are bonds between selder and mountain, others may be pacts formed with other selders, mountain beasts, or ethereal forces, each carrying its own obligations and consequences. "They may be of gratitude, when a selder has aided. Or debt, when the beast demands return.” [B1.C18]

They are permanent once fully kindled, enduring even as the body ages, though incomplete or interrupted sevrants may fade, leaving the recipient vulnerable or broken. They may grant specific abilities, from heightened senses that detect the subtlest shifts in snow and stone, to ephemeral powers like the Phantom Flame, a fire that warms the selder’s body while feeding on their essence. Repayment is given in many forms. The breach of a pact, improper branding or the rejection of unworthy individuals can result in serious harm, including physical collapse or spiritual fragmentation.

APPEARANCE

To Yu, who had never seen sevrants before, those of Samsira's guide looked like witch runes:

"Between the strands, from his shoulder blades down to his hip, ran a pattern. It was neither of natural colouring, nor paint. Not healing like wounds but also not raised like scars. Not quite a tattoo. Something between all those things; a network of deliberate markings coiled just beneath the skin. The shapes were geometric: circles nested within circles, lines with sharp angles cutting across symmetrical curves. The fur had not been cut or torn out, but because it was white, just like the skin beneath, the lines shone clearly through. They were distinguished by different colours. Grays, pale oranges and muted blues marked what looked like separate symbols seeping upward from the inside. They were etched close, with individual lines of one symbol often running into the empty spaces around the other shapes, though never crossing."   [B1.C18]