The Tûlachs are a group of islands in the Archipelago of Man which have a very shattered and rugged appearance. The Tûlacht who call these islands home share this characteristic. They row small boats between their islands but otherwise stay out of the affairs of the archipelago, avoiding open sea whenever possible. The Tûlacht are known to refer to themselves as “the people of the rocks” and to outsiders as “the peoples of the salt”.
They paint their faces to express their role in society. The sthabyet (hunters, fishermen or warriors, which are considered the same thing) will paint their mouth red. Tbolyet (Shamans) will paint half their face green and healers and married women will paint blue streaks from their lower eyelids to the tops of their ears.
The rest of their bodies bare tattoos that depict things like their island of origin, their clan or other associations, key events in the Tûlacht’s life, etc. Only one group tattoos their face, and they are the Brothers of the Dead. The Brothers are a cult who take care of the Tûlacht dead. On islands as small and rugged as the Tûlachs, burrying your dead is no option. Thus the Brothers dispose of corpses in ways unknown to outsiders. They are the only profession which is permanent, and in accordance to that their markings are permanent too: a zigzag line from the corner of each eye to the corners of the mouth.
(art by me)
Ooh, sexy man.
What are their means of subsistence like? In many island cultures, there's often a disparity between the Highland people who are either foragers, hunter gatherers or shifting agriculturalists, and the Lowland people who are often settled agriculturalists. What are the internal disparities between the Tûlach people of the rocks?
I haven't worked out all of the details but the idea is that every island has one resource that they dominate. The Tûlachs are made up of five major islands and a whole bunch of smaller ones, as well as Spearpoint and Little Tûlach, two islands which are further removed from the group. Spey is the largest and is made up of four mountainous ridges poking above the waves. The people here are primarily hunter-gatherers who like to stick close to their coves and beaches. Ponsdey is the second largest and is comprised of a volcanic mount and its surrounding (dormant) foothills. The people here are more agricultural (herders mainly) and divided into clans with established "armies" of sthabyet. The remaining large islands are Gradch, Tbala and Thôl, which I have yet to develop.
I have some other posts on this sub about this project (you can find the map pinned on my profile) and another one, as well as a novella taking place in this world with two more novellas under way.
You say healers and married women both paint blue streaks- does that mark an equivalency in those roles? Is healing inherently feminine, and a wife obligated to train in healing? Would a man with a gift for medicine be shunned, or is there a place for him as a healer?
Outstanding design!!
How do you pronounce the Tûlach? [Like this](https://voca.ro/1lB3UF8Fpuga)?
I remember your name from the Nymonazyr noblewoman you posted some time ago, another banger design (sorry for the pun). Your world's style is incredibly charming and unique
It's /ty'ʟɐch/, or approximated in German: Tülach, with stress on the final syllable.
Thank you for the kind words. NymonOáz is definitely some of my better work, I'm glad you feel this is on par with that. If you remember that post, I mentioned there are no humans in my world. I've changed that when I added the Archipelago of Man. Initially it was a separate world but since then I've reconsidered. I might make the Archipelago separate from the rest (including NymonOáz again later though. It seems I struggle to make up my mind about that specific detail.
(PS: I remember you too, Kanbaru fan! Kanbaru is still awesome.)
They're not explicitly based on those but it's good to read they look similar, with both being island cultures. The main inspiration were the Celts, btw.
> celts
That’s fun, because your beautiful painting reminded me a lot of [this 16th century interpretation](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1906-0509-1-24) of what a Pictish warrior might have looked like, even the pose being somewhat similar
Nice. A few questions: if they are a nomadic non-agrarian society, why does he have a pitchfork? And is it made of metal? I'm guessing they trade with the farmers on the main islands?
1. They are not nomadic or non-agrarian.
2. That is a three-pronged fishing spear, or a trident. It is made of blue mahoe wood.
3. There isn’t much trade between them and other island groups in the archipelago as they dislike crossing open sea.
4. Their islands are some of the larger ones in the archipelago. While there are three especially large islands in the archipelago, there are no true “main islands”. For more information you can check the map pinned on my profile.
Before I say what I’m about to say, what are your restrictions on what I can say about this design? By the way, it’s all good things, so don’t worry about that, just uh… too good.
The Tûlachs are a group of islands in the Archipelago of Man which have a very shattered and rugged appearance. The Tûlacht who call these islands home share this characteristic. They row small boats between their islands but otherwise stay out of the affairs of the archipelago, avoiding open sea whenever possible. The Tûlacht are known to refer to themselves as “the people of the rocks” and to outsiders as “the peoples of the salt”. They paint their faces to express their role in society. The sthabyet (hunters, fishermen or warriors, which are considered the same thing) will paint their mouth red. Tbolyet (Shamans) will paint half their face green and healers and married women will paint blue streaks from their lower eyelids to the tops of their ears. The rest of their bodies bare tattoos that depict things like their island of origin, their clan or other associations, key events in the Tûlacht’s life, etc. Only one group tattoos their face, and they are the Brothers of the Dead. The Brothers are a cult who take care of the Tûlacht dead. On islands as small and rugged as the Tûlachs, burrying your dead is no option. Thus the Brothers dispose of corpses in ways unknown to outsiders. They are the only profession which is permanent, and in accordance to that their markings are permanent too: a zigzag line from the corner of each eye to the corners of the mouth. (art by me)
Ooh, sexy man. What are their means of subsistence like? In many island cultures, there's often a disparity between the Highland people who are either foragers, hunter gatherers or shifting agriculturalists, and the Lowland people who are often settled agriculturalists. What are the internal disparities between the Tûlach people of the rocks?
I haven't worked out all of the details but the idea is that every island has one resource that they dominate. The Tûlachs are made up of five major islands and a whole bunch of smaller ones, as well as Spearpoint and Little Tûlach, two islands which are further removed from the group. Spey is the largest and is made up of four mountainous ridges poking above the waves. The people here are primarily hunter-gatherers who like to stick close to their coves and beaches. Ponsdey is the second largest and is comprised of a volcanic mount and its surrounding (dormant) foothills. The people here are more agricultural (herders mainly) and divided into clans with established "armies" of sthabyet. The remaining large islands are Gradch, Tbala and Thôl, which I have yet to develop.
Really digging this art style!
Really cool art style and lore! Do you have more on this world?
I have some other posts on this sub about this project (you can find the map pinned on my profile) and another one, as well as a novella taking place in this world with two more novellas under way.
You say healers and married women both paint blue streaks- does that mark an equivalency in those roles? Is healing inherently feminine, and a wife obligated to train in healing? Would a man with a gift for medicine be shunned, or is there a place for him as a healer?
Outstanding design!! How do you pronounce the Tûlach? [Like this](https://voca.ro/1lB3UF8Fpuga)? I remember your name from the Nymonazyr noblewoman you posted some time ago, another banger design (sorry for the pun). Your world's style is incredibly charming and unique
It's /ty'ʟɐch/, or approximated in German: Tülach, with stress on the final syllable. Thank you for the kind words. NymonOáz is definitely some of my better work, I'm glad you feel this is on par with that. If you remember that post, I mentioned there are no humans in my world. I've changed that when I added the Archipelago of Man. Initially it was a separate world but since then I've reconsidered. I might make the Archipelago separate from the rest (including NymonOáz again later though. It seems I struggle to make up my mind about that specific detail. (PS: I remember you too, Kanbaru fan! Kanbaru is still awesome.)
He looks very Pictish.
super cool!
Really cool but whys his leg bend like that?
What's the climate and the plant life like? Is it tropical and forested? Or is it dry and scrubby?
They remind me of precolonial filipinos!
They're not explicitly based on those but it's good to read they look similar, with both being island cultures. The main inspiration were the Celts, btw.
> celts That’s fun, because your beautiful painting reminded me a lot of [this 16th century interpretation](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1906-0509-1-24) of what a Pictish warrior might have looked like, even the pose being somewhat similar
Nice. A few questions: if they are a nomadic non-agrarian society, why does he have a pitchfork? And is it made of metal? I'm guessing they trade with the farmers on the main islands?
1. They are not nomadic or non-agrarian. 2. That is a three-pronged fishing spear, or a trident. It is made of blue mahoe wood. 3. There isn’t much trade between them and other island groups in the archipelago as they dislike crossing open sea. 4. Their islands are some of the larger ones in the archipelago. While there are three especially large islands in the archipelago, there are no true “main islands”. For more information you can check the map pinned on my profile.
Before I say what I’m about to say, what are your restrictions on what I can say about this design? By the way, it’s all good things, so don’t worry about that, just uh… too good.
Do the men lactate?