© Daniel S. Wall, April 21, 2026.

“That one, living up the stairs, she is a strange one, you know. With one eye blue and another green, she don’t look right. A friend visits her from time to time. He don’t have half the fingernails on his right hand, that friend of hers. The way that woman looks at you? Sends a creepy feeling all over. The way she looked at our cat too, I tell you, no-one oughtta hate a dumb animal the way she does. If little Mittens comes up missing, I’ll know who to ask. She pays her room and board alright, but I just don’t know. Sometimes a coin ain’t worth it. Makes your whole life creepy, having someone like that around. Gonna ask her to leave tomorrow, I am, if’n I can work up the courage.”

– Gavin Stinsel, Inn-Keeper

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Illustration by David Michael Wright

It is said that the Setihím are descended from Angels driven from the heavens for reasons long since forgotten. A trace of goodness remains within every Setihím, a natural birthright of sorts, and yet few of this kindred can be said to embrace the values which should go with that quality. Setihím tend towards selfish conduct. Often they can be quite cruel. This kindred does not wreak havoc and plunder the land as orcs or goblins might, but Setihím do tend to bring a trace of mistery to those around them.

Were it not for their inability (or unwillingness) to fully cooperate with each other, this kindred could quickly come to dominate the affairs of men. But Setihím rarely trust or care about anyone, least of all their own kind.

Setihím typically dwell in small communities among men, isolating their own neighborhoods  through subtle barriers. A Setihím community could take the form of a small hamlet just off the road in a well-populated region of the countryside, or it could be a cluster of buildings just up a one-way ally in a major city. If nothing else works, Setihím will isolate themselves with social barriers from other peoples.

Setihím are typically aloof and unresponsive to friendly gestures from those around them. They show little affection, even among their own kindred. Indeed, it is a misnomer to speak of such neighborhoods as communities at all. It would be more appropriate to describe them as collections of individuals utterly devoid of any personal connection to one another. Apparently the members of this kindred band together for the sole purpose of keeping others out.

Setihím appear as tall and skinny humans, but every Setihím has at least one unusual physical characteristic. It may be a very prominent birthmark, a sixth finger, a vestigial tail, oddly shaped ears, or any number of unusual physical characteristics. Some few of this kindred actually possess the vestigial wings of their angelic ancestors. Vestigial wings aside, the oddities of a physical appearance among Setihím are not usually so strange as to suggest an obvious supernatural origin, but the sheer quantity of such quirks can be one means of determining when one has entered a community of Setihím. …that and the utter absence of human warmth in such a place. …and of course the absence of pets. Setihím shun animals of all kinds, and a community of Setihím will not tolerate the presence of any domestic animals. They are also scrupulously clean. It is as though the dirt and clutter of this world is unbearable to them.

For all their anti-social tendencies, Setihím are impressive creatures in their own way. The disconcerting qualities of this kindred appear to keep the interest of those around them, Whether intimidating her enemies or speaking in support of an ally, a Setihím is usually successful in achieving her intended effect.