The Selwyn Dynasty
Many generations ago a small, but hardy group of wolves claimed the Selwyn Mountains as their own. Due to the remote nature of their territory the clan was reclusive and spent years gaining strength, numbers and developing strict rules that helped govern their growing society. It was these foundations and their rigid sense of morality that enabled them to become a prestigious, influential clan, that's name carried great weight in the Yukon.
Several generations passed and the revered family wasn't as great as it once was. Infighting and lazy leadership had caused the clan's numbers to dwindle, and those who remained had little incentive or drive to restore the pack to it's former glory. Or at least that was the case until Terrel Selwyn took up the mantel as patriarch. Ousting his lout of a Father-but allowing his bastard brothers to remain- Terrel made quick work of righting his Father's wrongs.
With his position as leader secure, Terrel turned his attention to his legacy and his pack's place in the tumultuous north. After a long while of deliberation, Terrel approached the Kluanes-yet another prestigious northern pack- with a tempting offer. In exchange for taking the leader's eldest daughter as his mate, the two packs would be sworn allies till the end of their days. The Kluane King was reluctant, as he was aware of the clan's less than stellar reputation.
Jen Kluane, on the other hand, fell head over heels for her stoic suitor and begged her Father to accept the offer. Which he eventually did. The next spring, Jen gave birth to a litter of four pups, three girls and one boy. Their birth heralded a new age for the Selwyn Dynasty. So much so that many of the clan's elders believed it was a sure sign that the dark past was behind them and that only good things were yet to come.
And they were right, things were good for a time. Terrel raised three of his four children to adulthood and was in the process of preparing his son, Askan, to take his place as the pack's monarch when it all started to go wrong. After a heated argument with his father, Askan ran away from home. The Selwyns assumed he was throwing a tantrum, that he'd come back within a few days with his tail tucked between his legs. But he never did return and instead continued south till he arrived in the land of Relic Lore.
With his succession plans torn to shreds, Terrel turned his attention to his nephew, Elias. Even though they were unrelated, Terrel had always had a soft spot for the young man, who was everything his son was not. A perfect Selwyn in all but blood. However, many Selwyns did not approve of Terrel's choice, Savion in particular took great offence to his brother's decision. After all, the Selwyn King often stressed the importance of being a pure Selwyn , but now an outsider could rule over the mountain just because he said so? Appalled by his brother's hypocrisy, Savion stormed from the mountain. However, unlike his cousin he soon returned, but he was not alone,
The wolves who followed Savion were nothing more than bandits and deviants, a show of force to prove that he was serious. The way Savion saw it, if his baby brother would not listen, then he would make him. Unsurprisingly, Terrel agreed to meet with him and the two opposing factions gathered on the mountain to negotiate. Everything went downhill from there.
Though it's impossible to say who actually initiated the massacre, one thing is for certain: without Savion's permission his lackeys ruthlessly attacked the Selwyns, slaughtering and enslaving whoever they could get their paws on. It was the end of an era and the beginning of Savion's short reign.
Fortunately, a few Selwyns managed to escape relatively unscathed. They waited in the shadows of the mountain, for the perfect time to strike so they could retake their home. It was only when they realised that Savion went missing- murdered by Reyes- did they attack. The remaining Selwyns all banded together and, through sheer force of will, chased the invaders from the mountain. It was over, they had reclaimed their homeland and it was time to rebuild.
Today, the Selwyns have established themselves as a prominent family within Relic Lore. Regardless of how long they stayed within the Lore, this library article includes all wolves that have visited the site.
Notable Facts
- Whether they carry the Selwyn name or not, wolves of the Selwyn Dynasty almost always have bright Selwyn yellow eyes. There are only a couple of known exceptions to this rule.
- The family motto is "Ex nihilo nihil fit." Which translates into "Nothing comes from nothing."
- Selwyn wolves tend to have dark coats, ranging from various tones of brown to black. However,in the more recent generations other, lighter colours have been introduced into the family.
- Wolves that were born without the blessing of the pack's patriarch are refered to as bastards, and so-despite the fact they carry the name-they are not considered to be to 'proper' Selwyns.
- Most Selwyn's are-or at least claim to be- pure Yukon wolves. But as of late the bloodline has mixed with various other sub-species, such as Arctic, Mackenzie and Plains wolves.
- Older generation Selwyns tend to be deeply religious. They believe that-as the legends say- their ancestors were God's literal children, angels who descended from heaven to make the world a better place. And that once they die, they will be allowed to return to their true ancestral home, heaven. Younger generation Selwyns tend to be dismissive of these legends.
- The Selwyn Clan laws demand that their members are both loyal and obedient. Those who are unwilling to follow pack law are exiled and are given no second chances.
- Selwyns are expected to be decent and righteous and as such, most tend to fall into the 'good or neutral 'alignments.
- As their territory consists of alpine tundra , many of the Selwyns who entered Relic Lore stayed in Larkcall Lowlands for some time before moving south.