Siv

Sivs were frog-like, humanoid creatures that lived in the ruins of the marshes of Chelimber. They schemed from the depths of the bog, working in clandestine brotherhoods to rule the swamps from the shadows.

Description
Like the bullywugs, sivs were amphibious humanoids with frog heads and webbed digits, standing tall and weighing. The sivs had clammy, amphibian skin ranging in color from pale green to dark blue. They were very fleet of foot and were known for their graceful movements.

Behavior
Sivs were calculating and tactical, carefully assessing a situation before making a move, and planning very far ahead. They were both highly disciplined and elitist, looking down on other races despite their relative smallness in the world. They had been made cocky by their dominance in their swamp territories, and believed themselves to be a superior race.

Abilities
Siv bodies had grown accustomed to the cold marshes they inhabited, granting them resistance to chilling conditions.

Their most unique ability was their power to walk on water as if it were a solid surface. However, they were capable of losing their footing while running on the water, causing them to sink and requiring them to regain their stance. Water with waves above was too loose for them to run on.

Combat
Sivs did not wade into combat without taking precautions. They would use a combination of nets and slingshot stones to weaken dangerous opposition before directly attacking. They trained siangham-wielding monks and in the use of nets. They ran on top of the water, outmaneuvering those who entered their swamps.

Society
Sivs lived in enigmatic, monastic orders, established in ruins located in their swamps. Sivs preferred to rule from the shadows, orchestrating communities of swamp-going races like lizardfolk and acting as the true ruling powers of such areas. For example, though the lizard king known as King Kront was the nominal ruler of the Marsh of Chelimber, his authority rarely extended beyond his immediate servitors, and it was the siv-dominated Order of the Frog that was the real power behind the throne.

Sivs were believed to have an intense rivalry with bullywugs, especially by the bullywugs themselves, but this was nothing but a façade. They occupied the inner areas of the swamp and only allowed the bullywugs to survive to act as a barrier between them and outside forces, due to their appreciation for privacy and isolation. The other reason was that bullywugs tasted especially palatable to the sivs.

Attempts by the egotistical amphibians to conquer outside lands held by humans and goblinoids always failed, leaving them surprised.

Religion
Siv clerics were relatively few, and took the Law and Evil, as well as Death and Water domains.

History
Sivs were either the creations or descendants of the ancient race known as the batrachi.