Svefra Pods
From Mizahar Lore
As a part of their social structure, the Svefra are divided into tightly-knit groups known as Svefra Pods. A pod consists of a matriarchal leader called as the Lia and her children, as well as the children of her female descendants. Males are free to move between pods to follow a particular individual/mate, while females more or less stay with their pods at all times.
Svefra Pods are tightly-knit groups were all the members are forced by sheer necessity to trust one another explicitly. Shipwrecks, ocean animals, and land-dwellers can also pose a threat to their lives, and thus the svefra of a pod must always watch one another's back.
There is immense variation between each and every pod, as is to be expected from a wildly independent race like the Svefra. While an untrained observer might see one pod and think all pods are like that one example, encountering one or more of these pods will quickly erase that thought from their minds. Each pod is unique. One thing all pods seem to share, however, is an intense love for the ocean and a footloose attitude towards life.
Starting a Pod is relatively simple, but can only be done by a female Svefra. They must meditate and pray to Laviku for his blessing, which comes in the form of a "Pardisa". What the Pardisa is differs in every pod; but oftentimes the Pardisa is a living creature, becoming something akin to a Tavan to the new Lia.