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Everything that there is on the cultures of
bair at this moment. I will be treating each in depth, but this is what is
there for now
The history of life on Bair is a
difficult study to say the least. To study it one can only look through the
eight thousand year old Ezleg records and try and decipher the small amount of
archaeological evidence from them. Imagine the difficulties our scientists have
had in discovering the ‘missing link’ and add to that the fact that the peoples
of Bair are using eight thousand year old archaeological records, and then one
may vaguely understand the situation governing the historical studies of life
on Bair. However, with these records and the help of the Minare, a large amount
of information can be discerned.
Another problem is that the Ezleg
calendar is almost a full stop on history. Very little is known before it.
Indeed the Ezleg themselves did think that their beginning was the beginning until
they learned more of the ways of the world. However many Mavine have taken the
Ezleg calendar as if its beginning was the beginning. In truth the Ezleg
calendar corresponds more with the coming of the Minare. Indeed, it was they
who first helped the Ezleg organise it.
So if Bair existed before the
Ezleg calendar, how old is the world? The peoples of the fourth era made many
guesses beyond reason, but more are made in guess or else to justify legends
than with facts. Even the Minare and the Ezleg, with far more information
available to them than perhaps any other race save perhaps only the Aranixara,
could not give any real estimate. Hiare reckons, that due to the differences
between related races, that life must be several hundred thousand years old at the
very least, and that the age of the world must be much more than this.
We have only two different sources
for history before the Ezleg calendar, both coming from the same race. The
first is a testimony of the only Kulezi ever to be found alive. She was found
by the Ezleg in the Avinkazag in the fifth century. She was very old, but she
told the Ezleg all she could, including giving them access to her language,
which was vital for deciphering the second source. She died not long after the
Ezleg found her, but she said that others of her race may well have survived,
but so far, none had ever been found.
The second source was found by the
Ezleg in the Avin Alak. They discovered in the sixth century, many great Kulezi
tombs. Some were only around a thousand years old, others were tens of
thousands. Inside one, they found a collection of sixty gold tablets which
recorded the history of the Kulezi, as well as many other tablets recording
other information about that people. Thanks to the old Kulezi that they had
found years before, they were able to decipher the tablets and a vast
historical/legendary history was revealed. Those tablets revealed more about
the past than every other source put together.
The tablets refer back over thirty
thousand years, but much of that is referred to only in legend. The oldest
known Kulezi tomb dates back to around –15000 FE, and the final one, in which
the tablets were found, dates to around –600 FE
The most important aspect of the
tablets however is that they claim that all intelligent life on Bair was
related. The Kulezi refer to may other races, including the Ezleg in brief, who
were related to them, and to others who were said to be much more distantly
related, but none the less still were.
This formed the basis for the following
classification. All Intelligent life is grouped under the Kaldon title; Lamarpelara “people of history” this in
turn is devised into two different groups, the Zakwalith “mind beings” and the Kalrem
“speakers of power” This would of course be pure speculation, but the Minare
and the Rempelara have the ability to see genetic similarities, and thus they
have confirmed it. The only race which does not fit the pattern at all is the
Nikarin, but since they are still an intelligent race, they are included here.
The below table sets out the
relations of the different races as far as can be told. It does not show time
in the general sense, for the all the natural divisions save one {the Korsiano
and the Hloridvalm} Took place so far back in the past that we can never give a
date to it.
The Zakwalith are seemingly the
older of the two groups, and the descendant races are usually much larger in
physical size than the Kalrem peoples. The oddity here is the Kalrathen, who
are much closer in size to the Kalrem, but they are certainly part of that
group as they are closer to the Kulezi ancestors than to any Kalrem people. All
these races are very resistant to disease, rarely suffering from illnesses from
bacteria or virus, though they are not utterly immune. In physical strength and
endurance they are also quite often stronger than the Kalrem, but intelligence
differs between them, and they do not have any true advantage in that respect.
The Kalrem are of much slighter
builds than the Zakwalith, but all have a telepathic ability of some degree
which none of the Zakwalith have. The Mavine can be Rempelari and are often
empathic. The Seldar are touch telepaths and share mental bonds with their
mates, which passes emotion and feeling between them. The Aranixara are group telepathic
across the entire race, and the Relesar have lost the ability to speak and can
communicate only by telepathy – being by far the most advanced race in such
things save only perhaps the Minare, and the Romine preserve both the emphatic
nature of the Mavine and the touch telepathic nature of the Seldar to a certain
degree.
The unique thing about both groups
is the rate at which they can evolve. In a single generation of the Ezleg,
distinct genetic changes can occur to suit the environment, such as cold and
heat resilience. This ability to adapt is stronger among the Zakwalith, but
effects the Kalrem also. But basic characteristics of race will remain the same
for a long time. It took four thousand years of repression before the
Estermaduran’s began to loose the ability to grow as tall or be as physically
strong. Changes for the most part advance, not reduce, strength and ability.
The Kulezi “The forgotten”
This long lost race are the oldest
mortal beings known to have existed on Bair. Opinions differ on whether or not
they were the original Zakwalith from which all the others developed, but which
ever way one looks the skeletal remains and the one known sighting of one of
them, it must be admitted that they propose a middle ground between the Ezleg
and the Kalrathen, being between both races in their average height. But what
ever their true position in the family tree of peoples, they are none the less
very important in the prehistory of Bair.
Ezlag legends long spoke of this
race as the creators of themselves. The legends say that after they were
created, they were sent away to the north to protect them from the great plague
which afflicted the Kulezi. The legends tell of wars battles and hundreds of
races dying, but much of it is only myth, and most of them were discarded after
the Ezleg met the Minare. In truth the legends were nearly completely
lost. But in the fifth century of the
first era, a group of travellers in the Avinkazag found a surviving Kulezi, who
had hidden up there for nigh a thousand years. They led her to Gleneal, where
the Mina Navim learned her tongue {As the Minare can do in but moments} He
recorded her language and writing, and she told him all she knew of the past, and
much of what was in the Ezleg legends was revealed as true. Before she died,
she told Navim of tombs in the Avin Alak that may tell him more, and she said
that many of her people fled across the oceans to find safety, so that there
may be survivors of her race elsewhere. Then she died, the first and last of
her race ever to be found in recorded history. Navim took her advice, and with
many Ezleg, he went to the Avin Alak and searched. It was no long before the
had discovered hundreds of tombs. In one, the most recent of them all, they
found sixty golden tablets on which was record their legends and history
interwoven, and thanks to Navim recording the Kulezi language, they could read
it. These tablets and the tombs have been vital in discovering the history of
the Kulezi.
They were known to have existed at
least as far back as forty thousand years ago, that is –25000 FE as the older
tombs show. The race may be much older, only that the Kulezi had no come to the
Avin Alak before that date. From all the sources, it is clear that they were a
very advanced race, possessing technologies which were very advanced. For
instance, they saw gold had not “value” as in wealth, but saw its use in that
it is incorruptible, and thus they wrote their histories on it so that it would
be preserved. Traces of their civilisation have been found all over eastern
Bairgarand, but most are so well hidden that very little has been discovered
save from the tombs.
As a race, as said, they propose a
middle ground between the Ezleg and the Kalrathen. The old Kulezi that Navim
met had white hair, and wore long, thick clothes, but if this is a culture
thing or not we cannot be sure. We have little knowledge about culture or
relations between adults and children. In fact the only fact we know is that
they had a massive life span of around two thousand years, longer than any
other mortal race.
But it is clear that they
destroyed themselves first in civil wars, and then they fell to a plague which
began around c. –4000 FE. Certainly they were nigh wiped out by –3000, but the
last tomb dates from c. –600 FE, so they lingered for a time, until they were
lost. However, rumours of this race have been found around Bair, and if what
Navim was told was correct, somewhere out there, the Kulezi could still
survive, perhaps in the great southern continents. Thus they are lost, but are
not yet forgotten.
Kulezi plural Kulezimi is
derived from he verb Kulezinath, but is irregular as it is
Often used in the singular to
refer to the whole race {a common occurrence in
Kaldon} They called themselves
ggatimithoch pl Ikggatimithoch “the people”
The Ezleg, often known as “the
first race”, or “the elder race” are the barometer upon which time has been
measured. Indeed only they, despite a great many disasters over the last
fifteen millennia, have kept a complete historical record of the world
{excluding the Minare of course}Every calendar in Bairgarand is based upon the
Ezleg system, and every mortal culture
on Bairgarand is derived at least in part from theirs. Their language
had remained the lingua franca between all the races of Bairgarand save only
the Mavine, and even many of them use it so. Despite their decline of numbers
over the years due to wars, they are still both culturally and to a large
extent, militarily, the greatest mortal people. Indeed, it has been said that
if it were not for the Ezleg, the Mavine would still be living in caves,
despite what the Minare did. While perhaps a little strong a statement, there
can be little doubt that they have been very important in the history of Bair.
A typical Ezlag stands around ten
to twelve feet tall. In many ways they look very much like a Mavine but twice
the size. However, their arms are longer, and despite their size, they are far
more agile than any Mavine. Their faces are longer, and their eyes are
colourless save only the black pupil. And their fingers, while twice as long as
any Mavine’s, are none the less little thicker, giving them the ability to Make
tools for the Mavine and indeed visa versa. They are long lived, up to six
hundred years some, and outwardly, when at peace, give the impression of a
simple people. However they are far from it. They are far more intelligent than
any Mavine, that is if they are alone to do so. When they are up and about,
they may be matched in that respect, but only by the brainy, but give them time
alone in a quiet place and they could discuss problems that no Mavine could
even contemplate, though why such a dual intelligence happens is unknown. They
possess technologies that the Mavine cannot master, or cannot afford, the
former such as steam power, and the latter such as printing. For the latter,
many Ezleg have set up printers in Mavine cities, as the Mavine simply cannot
work the complex printing devices of the Ezleg, and this is how many of them
gain their knowledge of the Modern world, “I will print your book for a small
sum, if I can read it first” is the general trend, and why the Ezleg who live
in other nations are best known as printers, which however, is only one of may
skills. On this see further in the laws
and customs of the Ezleg. They refuse to use fire powder weapons, but have
made many which are easily as viable. Their ships are the only ones on Bair to
have iron hulls, and their reasonably small fleets have been known to defeat
much stronger forces. Other races have learned not to challenge them.
The Ezleg have often been seen as
the great mediators of the peoples. They live most often rural lives, but in
danger they band together in little time at all, and only those that know
little of them would call them weak. But their loyalty has been tested over the
millennia. They have fought the evils since the beginning of their history, and
many other enemies besides. However, they are not fighters by nature, and have
been drawn into such acts by others, or, in the case of the slavery peoples,
the need to defend the rights of others. These days, their numbers are finally
beginning to rise, thanks largely to many years of peace, but they are still
the smallest in number of all the sane peoples save only the Kalrathen, to whom
they are very good friends and companions, often so much so that the Kalrathen
are content to live under Ezleg rule. Modern Ezleg more often live in cities
than they did in the past, but city life does not bother them, and offers them
safety in numbers.
The Ezleg passed many of their
traits onto other races. Their belief in Equality has passed abroad, and
indeed, those who did not practice it soon did lest they wanted to become
enemies. As told in the laws and customs, they despise repression of any form.
They have a complex, but seemingly incredibly lenient legal system, which if
the Mavine adopted, would lead to anarchy. However it suits Ezleg society fine.
They don’t always mate for life,
but mating and marriage are separated entirely. They have rarely more than two
children in their lives and their children take only twenty years to reach
adult hood, hence the very small amount of children in the population. Also
Parents educate their own children, it is not done communally, though Ezleg
have been known to make fine teachers for other races, and have done so often
in larger cities to teach those who cannot pay to read and write. Such an
attitude shows the kind nature of the Ezleg.
The singular Ezlag was formed irregularly from the plural
Ezleg very early on.
They have no other commonly used names.
The Kalrathen are one of the
“middle peoples” from a casual glance one can see that they are much closer
related to the Ezlag than the Mavine or Seldar. But they are nonetheless very
different. They are seemingly unique amongst the Zakwalith in that they are of
a lesser bodily size than the Kulezi. They stand only as tall as a very tall
Mavine at slightly more than six feet six. Why this race is the only one of the
Zakwalith to have reduced in size is unknown. They have no subterranean
heritage, and in all ways they live above ground. They do prefer the hills and
other reasonably high lands, and have a high susceptibility to warm climates,
they struggle to survive in the long term in climates where the day time
temperature rises above around twenty five degrees. Thus this is why they
generally choose the highlands and the northern lowland regions. Of course a
single day or two of such temperatures they can last out, but long term it will
wipe them out.
By look they look very heavily
built for their size, almost as if a much taller creature had been squashed.
They are very “beefy” and are considered by the Mavine and Seldar to look very
over weight, but this is their natural size. The females are distinct from the
males in that they have no hair on their heads, while the males have only
sparse lank hair. Their faces are somewhat constricted and if they had had
their nose squashed. Their skin is red, and they have no hair on their faces,
and the males hair is white. In the eyes of other races, they are very ugly
indeed. However they are very loyal to alliances and friendships with other races.
And their chief product of trade has always been skins of mountain beasts and
their collections of great medicinal herbs which they cultivate, for though
they, as one of the Zakwalith family rarely need such substances, they have
long supplied them for the Mavine. They live around two hundred and fifty years
– over a hundred less if they live in countries where the temperature is twenty
five degrees or warmer. They mate for life with only a single partner – if that
partner dies, they will not mate again. They usually have two children at a
time, and they take around thirty years to reach adulthood. They have no system
of “Marriage” as such, and don’t believe that they can sexually choose their
partner before having children, which is actually quite rare amongst the
speaking peoples.
Their name “Speak skill” does not
refer to any true general skill of this race, but to their skill in battle.
they have very advanced and bloody tactics for battle. They have scythe like
weapons which they strap to each arm with a shield over the elbow. With these
claw like weapons, they are deadly, and a single Kalrathen can always defeat a
single Mavine. However, those two races have rarely come to conflict, unlike
another race…
The one distinguishing feature of
the Karathen is the fact that though they do not eat very often, once every two
days or so, they can only eat meat, raw meat. This instantly conflicts with the
Seldar who cannot eat meat. The Seldar hate this and dislike the Kalrathen
appearance. The Kalrathen for their part believe that any race which can see
the future – even if it is their own death, are evil, and the fact that the
Seldar never eat meat made these two races deeply distrustful from the very
beginning. Through out the first era there were several small scuffles until
nigh the end, their squabbles became violent in the midst of a battle. the
defeat which followed they each blamed on each other. Since then they have had
many small wars, and occasionally have been on the same side against a greater
evil, however, both sides have never fought within a miles of each other on the
same side since the first era, the Ezleg know what could happen, as do the
Mavine.
Despite this nature, the Kalrathen
easily form friendships with other peoples. Mavine and Ezleg have often been
their close friends, close enough to trek through the wilds together in any
case. They are often hired as bodyguards by Mavine along with the Ezleg, as
their loyalty is superb, they will not be bribed or corrupted. They often live
inside Ezleg realms, and are always bilingual in Kaldon. However, little is
known about their own tongue, which they keep to themselves. Only a few people
of close friendship to them ever have the change to learn it
Kalrathen “Speak skill” has no plural, this is because the
Kalrathen’s own tongue0
does not make plural
nouns in the normal sense. it is believed that they added
their own “race” marker –en to Kaldon Kal-Rathe
“speak-skill”
The Orglag are the race seemingly
the closest in relation to the Ezleg. In truth, looking at two of their
skeletons, one would see only a few differences. However both races are now
much different, but much of the difference is now clear to be not because of
evolution, but due to corruption.
The original home of the Orglag
seems to be along the eastern slopes of the Lainad Bair, and in the lands to
the east of the mountains. This is deduced because there are none, and never
have been any living west of the Lainad Bair, but they had to have been
living near there around the beginning of the Ezleg calendar. No one has ever
done any excavations that far east and so we have never found any early Orglag
skeletons, which badly limits our analysis of this race. But what ever they
were originally like, they soon became much different from, because it was to
their homeland that the Evils originally came.
What happened next is all to
obvious. They conquered this race before they even had the gift of writing
civilisation. In just a few years, the evils had changed them beyond all
recognition. The powers of Latanzhear, if misused, can have mutating effects
which the Ukarak used in a way that has never again been repeated. Within only
a few years, the Orglag had become as they would remain, but even the Ezleg
could see that through the corruption, this race had once been like them.
Physically the Orglag stand around
ten foot tall, they would be slightly taller, but they are heavily hunched
forward, giving a somewhat awkward look about them. Their main difference from
the Ezleg is obvious in their skin colour, which is generally a dark green. No
other intelligent race has such a skin colour, all others are from red through
to blue. This, coupled with flabby, but thick leathery skin, gives them a most
unpleasant appearance. Their eyes are large and red, and they have sharp teeth
the bottom of which stick outwards. Their “hands,” have thick, and very sharp
tearing claws, and they do not where any clothes. Males and females are
basically the same in height and general appearance. The female is known to
give birth to three live young at a time, but little is known about such
matters.
They are, contrary to some
beliefs, intelligent. Though their mental strength generally falls lower than a
normal Mavine, it is not that much lower. Though illiterate, they have their
own languages, one of which Ikkilidhuk, is used {in the fourth era} as a
standard with which aspiring dark following warlords use to communicate with
them. however their aptitude for language is generally low. Although their own
tongues are complex, they are virtually incapable of learning second languages,
even if one so wished. This is largely due to the one over riding drive for
these creatures, to kill. Their mating drive is strong, but never as strong as
their urge to kill. For both food and pleasure they kill. It seems they have
been bred to believe that the Ezleg especially are parasites which have to be
destroyed.
For their size they need
remarkably little food, and do not need water on its own. It is because of this
that they can become so numerous, they are not averse to cannibalism if they
come close to starving, but seemingly Ezleg and Mavine flesh they crave. Why
these two races cause this is unknown. They live only around forty years, and
their young can care for themselves from birth, and each female will continue
to fight during their seemingly very short pregnancy if needs be, and they may
have over forty litters in their short lives, which last only about thirty
years at best.
But if all Orglag were like this,
they would be more of a threat to each other than anyone else. They are
unimaginative in battle, merely charging forward unless controlled. The Mavine
Rempelara, and a few other races can control them if they wished, but that was
not known until the third era. Their own leaders are called Orglag Arak “the
black Orglag”
Around one in a hundred Births of
this race is a black Orglag. They are seemingly genderless and infertile, but
show much more intelligence than any normal Orglag. They stand around twelve
foot tall, and their skin is not green but black, hence their name. They live
much longer, some hundred years or more, and these are the leaders of the
Orglag. They show a vicious cunning and all other Orglag obey them willingly,
the reason why is not known. But two black Orglag in a small area will always
fight, and even when controlling whole armies, they have to be restrained from
killing each other. They are also different from the normal Orglag in that they
use weapons to fight with, usually barbed swords.
Thus are the Orglag, the first
race to fall to the evils, however, they were not the last to be blighted by
them.
The word Orglag is believed to derive from an Orglag word
*Oragalag of unknown
Meaning – it was probably shouted in battle. in Kaldon it
has acquired the meaning
“To Damn” As a independent lexical entry Orglagath.
It is usually used
in the singular to refer to the plural. There are many
other words
for them, but none as widespread as this.
The Korsiano
Known by the Kaldon name Valmarak “the dark riders”
The Korsiano are historically the
same race as the Hloridvalm, though both races have since diverged from each
other. At first appearance they are like a cross between a massive horse and a
bear, but with no body hair. They are some fifteen feet long and stand on all
fours at all times, but they do have their own languages, and are very cunning.
It is unfortunate that this race is counted as one of the children of darkness
because it has long been enslaved by the Orglag. They are used to bear the dark
Mavine and sometimes Orglag into battle, often carrying three Orglag or five
Mavine on a great restraining saddle, at a time. However, they do not seem to
do this willingly, and the Orglag especially must be very careful not to go
anywhere near the great teeth of this creature in fear of loosing a arm, as the
Korsiano despise them. The Korsiano are very vicious and will eat almost
anything that comes within reach of them.
However, we know very little about
them first hand. most of what we do know has been told to us by the
Hloridvalmi, who are historically the same race. Thus many features, such as
how they mate and how long they live, are believed to be the same, or at least
similar between the two races. However, the Korsiano have a killing lust easily
comparable to the Orglag. Killing them is not easy, their skin is very thick
and they will survive many arrows. However, they have no real resilience
against the Rempelari, and it is often left to them to stop these beasts.
Most of what we do know is given
under the Hlorivalmi, thus see below.
They are called in Kaldon Valmarak “Dark riders” plural
Valmaraki.
The name Korsiano {singular Korsia} is the Hloridvalm’s own
term
For them, meaning, it is said “The sins”
There is a famous story in the
Ardylamar dealing with the beginning of this race, which shall be repeated here
in brief.
The Original home of the
Korsiano was to the east, in Daizagul we believe. And as such they were quickly
captured by the evils. However, corruption of an entire race does not happen
quickly, as the Dark Mavine showed. And in the second century of the first era,
they were still fighting against their conquerors, but were already used in
battle due to their usefulness. However, since, unlike the Orglag, they were a
culturally advance people, they fought much harder. However, as the modern
Korsiano show, most were unsuccessful, and they were finally lost. however, a
few did escape the clutches of the evils. Thus it was, that a Vrolevili patrol
including the Ezlag Belzeg came upon a party of Orglag with these creatures,
they set them free, and the creatures ran free, slaying the Orglag. However,
all of Belzeg’s party will killed save him, and he was knocked out.
When he awoke, the surviving
creatures were gathered around him. They were a few hundred, but they would not
leave the last of those who had set them free, such is their belief that debts
must be repaid. They offered to serve him forever, but he refused. Instead he
asked them only to help the Vrolevili in their fight against the evils and to
never turn against the Ezleg. Ever since then, where the Ezleg, especially the
Vrolevili have gone, the Hloridvalmi have gone also, and have never wavered
from their alliance to the Ezleg. They were thus given their name Hloridvalmi
“honour riders”
The Hloridvalmi now differ much
from the Korsiano. The former have lived often in peace and held onto their
dignity, the latter however have been reduced to mindless monsters in a barren
land. The Korsiano have lost all their body fur, while the Hloridvalmi retain a
thick pelt. The Hloridvalmi are also somewhat larger, some eighteen feet long,
probably because they have a much better diet than the Korsiano could ever hope
to have. They are great creatures if their ever was one.
They are very intelligent,
having their own tongues, as well as the ability to learn others. Indeed they
learn languages very fast indeed, by their eighth year they will know Kaldon,
which they learn for the sake of their savours who they still aid. In other
ways they are much like the Korisano. However they have no wish to kill, and
are generally quiet creatures.
In theory, they could have
their own true civilisations, but they have never had them. they have basic
homes, gatherings in mountain areas, or in better days, open fields. They don’t
read however, but have a strange fondness for spoken stories of the past. Any
inspiring poet is welcome with them. They are not that well disposed towards other
races however. They are tolerant of the Seldar, but are quite hostile to the
Mavine and Kalrathen, as they do not always treat the land with respect. They
do have a fondness for the Rempelari, and of course, they let a few Mavine
scholars and poets come to them. however, since it would take at least fifty
well armed Mavine to take down one of these creatures, they keep their distance
if they are in battle.
They still bear the Ezleg into
battle however, some, especially the young, that is those between their
fiftieth and two hundredth year, sometimes spend their days at Ezleg cities. If
the Ezleg need them in mass, they can merely go and find them, as there is
usually a gathering within a couple of days of large city. They will them come
to the city and fight, bearing usually twelve Ezleg into
They have only a few children
like the Korisano, one every hundred years, however, they are impervious to
disease, never has one of these creatures been known to have died from disease.
The females are actually slightly larger than the males, which is probably due
to how large the young are, about a third of their adult size. However, both
sexes fight and are ridden
.
They are very social
creatures, speaking much amongst both
their own kind and with the Ezleg, but in truth their intellect, which is
easily comparable to that of the Ezleg, is not heavily needed. They often go on
runs which last weeks and cross hundreds upon hundreds of miles. They also
fight the Evils on their own if they are near. Generally a race which is not
seem by many people apart from the Ezleg and the few others who are allowed
near them. They have their own tales, stories and legends from the past, which
only the Ezleg have generally heard. However, their one single thing they seem
to show is remorse over the lost of most of their race to the evils. They are
indeed a sorrowful people. they seem to number perhaps half a million all told
at the end of the fourth era.
The name Hloridvalm, plural
Hloridvalmi means “Honour riders”
They no longer use their own
name, Korsiano, leaving that as
The name of their lost kin
Known by the Kaldon name Guluhlom “fire body”
The Dalari are in form, a huge
beast the size of a very large elephant. They stand some twenty feet tall, with
great claws on each hand that can tear an Ezlag apart with ease. Their Kaldon
name comes from the fact that save by using hundreds of arrows or spears, the
only sure way to kill these creatures is by using fire, as they burn easily –
their thick leathery skin been easily susceptible to little else. Generally
however we know very little about these creatures. We know they speak a tongue
which is nigh incomprehensible to any other race. They have been used in battle
by the Evils from the third era onwards. But where they live, how they breed
and how intelligent they are is unknown, and we have only a few bodies to gain
our information from. They are believed to be a creature of the plains of
Borlag-line-Bair, which would explain why we cannot get much information from
them. Since they do have their own language and are at least partially
intelligent, they are grouped into the Zakwalith peoples, simply because they
could never be Kalrem. But we still have much to learn of this race save only
their actions in battle.
Dalari is one of the names by which the evils call them,
Always in the plural. The Kaldon term Guluhlom
“Fire body” plural Guluhlomi, is less used
The Kalrem
The Aranixari “the rulers of water”
Despite the fact that this race
is part of the Kalrem group, it has ever been set apart from all others because
they live in the sea. The Ezleg have long known them since the days of the
voyage of Beldaron, as had the Minare, and they have been at peace ever since.
However, save one major, and several minor incursions into affairs on dry land,
this race has always been somewhat of a mystery to the eyes of Mavine.
Their recorded history goes
back at least twenty thousand years, which is five thousand years further back
than the Ezleg. However, the few who have studied their history are
disappointed to see how little it says about Bairgarand, only a few mentions of
the Kulezi are noted. In dealing with the Aranixari themselves however, their
own histories tell much of their early days, and reveal a culture that has
hardly changed at all in all that time.
At the beginning of their recorded history, their homewaters were in the west
of Bair, in the seas between Araklare and Elmare. Since them they have spread
throughout the oceans, and now are widespread in most of the Arinika ocean, and
are also present in the waters around south and western Bairgarand. In modern
times they have a few beaches in southern Daizagul {see below} and they trade
often with Var’mina, but more often than not will rather keep a low profile in
the face of other races.
The race is vaguely human in
appearance, evidence of their relatedness to the Seldar and Mavine. They are
shorter than most Mavine, standing around five foot ten, to six foot tall in
adult hood. But their bodily forms show their mix of land and sea based
heritage. They have a remarkable ten webbed fingers on each hand, but no toes. They
wall upright on land and use their hands as any land based creature would.
Their skin is a very pale grey to a very pale blue, with blotches of darker
colour running up and down the sides of the bodies. They have thick and long
hair on their heads, which is a remarkable blue colour.
Since they spend most of their
time underwater, their bodies are well adapted to it. Their skin is very thick
with virtually no fat, making them difficult to wound with a normal knife, and
it would take a very strong person indeed to kill them with one. Their arms and
legs have three fins on each, which aids in speed in water, though are not
essential. They can naturally breathe underwater, though by organs in the
throat rather than gills. However, their children, hatched from eggs, cannot do
so until over two years old. Hence their need for settlements on land, which is
of course their great weakness. They live about eighty years, but reach
adulthood in only eight. They are a very individual people, and do not mate for
life. Once every five years, they will search for a mate if they so wish {this
differs by birth year, hence one fifth of the species will do this a year}After
mating, a hundred days will pass before the female will lay three eggs. And
they will hatch a further month later. After a single year the female will
depart, and responsibility for the children rests solely on the father. Indeed
as a race, only a very few ever remain together for life. Also they are not
very social. They have their own tongue for when they are above water, but only
a few would ever remain close together as friends.
Though they could live their
entire lives above water, most never did so. Males less so than females, as it
is the females who make up the larger number of those who defend the beaches. A
few others indulged in trades of sorts, and only with the Ezleg. Their main
items of trade were pearls, a few metals, and certain species of fish. They
have no currency, and ask in return only for tools and in certain cases,
knowledge.
Of course there are always the
odd ones out. A few of their races spent their whole race on land, several
stories tell of explorers, and it is true that this has happened. This trend
has slowly increased across time. The only trouble is that they cannot last
very long without water, a day without any will kill them. Others live above
water, a few stay in Var’mina, and indulge in crafts which their race would
seem inept at.
If this was all, the Aranixari
would neither be a threat to anyone, nor even a true civilisation. There are
three things that prevent this from being so.
Firstly the entire race is
group telepathic. It is strongest though relations, but should a few dozen cry
for help or die at once, all Aranixari would feel it. This keeps the race as
one, truly all for one and one for all. They can also speak directly through
telepathy under water, all they have to do is face each other.
Secondly knowledge is not only
learned, it is genetic. Basic race and family memories, as well as a vague
knowledge of the race history are given by the mother before the children even
hatch. The more intense memories are learned from the father. This prevents
knowledge from being lost across time.
Thirdly race identity is
supreme. A harm to one is indeed a harm to all there are no separate nations,
they see themselves wholly as only one people. thus strife between them is
virtually nil, but in revenge, he entire race becomes involved. This had a
great effect on the events at the end of the second era.
In that time the Orglag and the
rest of the evils were slowly conquering all of Bair. In Bairgarand the empire
of Ivsraln was slowly crushing the western nations, and in Araklare the
Kordilan were reeling. Then the Orglag overstepped themselves, and attacked
several of the Aranixari’s beaches, killing hundreds of children. This act
caused what is remembered as the holy war of the Aranixari. Hundreds of
thousands of them attacked the Orglag in Araklare, and a massive force invaded
Daizagul, slaughtering the Orglag. Despite fearsome losses themselves, they
joined with the other nations of Bairgarand and the Kordilan and finally
crushed Ivrasln. The Evils took three thousand years to rebuild their strength,
and never again did the Orglag dare touch the beaches of the Aranixari. For
their part, the Aranixari still fight the evils, but do so on their own, and
only where they threaten their own race.
As a final note, the race
naturally do not usually ware clothes, but when above water they ware thick
cloaks, as they find the dry land to be
cold even in the height of Elmëgazar, even when they are dying of thrist in a
desert they will still thing the lands are cold.
The Newen “the travellers”
Originally, the Newen were
Aranixari, and indeed, they still are basically the same race with only a few
genetic differences. Basically, the Newen are those of the Aranixari who don’t
want a life which is so unloving. In other words, they are those who want to
mate for life. The Aranixari never held it against them, and they have never
been at conflict for their beliefs, it is just that they are different.
However, some of the race has been separate for at least eighteen thousand
years, and as such, they are slowly changing their genetics. They are not yet
genetically incompatible, and indeed, certain Aranaxari who have the same views
do still come and join them, they have never been numerous, perhaps around
twenty or thirty thousand. However, they are becoming distinct. Their skin is
more blue than the Aranixari’s and their hair is quite often red, yellow or
orange. However, their culture is certainly different. They mate for life {or
in some cases, don’t at all, but they still hold the same views} and are much
more caring for the individual than the race, though they still feel the race
togetherness of the Aranixari {however, it is said to be beginning to weaken
between them} They mate for life, and both parents look after the children, not
just the father. However, they are Biologically, much the same as the
Aranixari. However, they are called the travellers, as they spend much more
time on land than any Aranixari, chances are, if any Mavine thinks they saw a
Aranixari on land, it was much more likely a Newen. The Aranixari for their
part, don’t believe the Newen to be a separate race, just a very strange part
of their own, something the Newen dispute, and as such they have adopted the
Kaldon term for them. Another thing to note, is that they have no fixed beaches
of their own, and are thus nomadic in all ways of life. They are also much less
inclined to fight than even the Aranixari. They will defend themselves, but
will never attack anyone for any other reason. The only actual source of
bitterness between the Newen and the Aranixari is that the Newen will tell
their history to other races, where as the Aranixari believe it should be kept
to themselves.
Newe plural Newen is Kaldon for
“Travellers” and the Newen took
This word over a native one to
show that they were no longer
Aranixari
The Relesar
Known by the Kaldon name
Balithikal “Mind speakers”
This race is one of the
strangest of the mortal peoples, and indeed, they are very different from the
others. They are a marine people, and their closest relations are indeed the
Aranixari, but they are in fact very much different from them. They look somewhat
darker than the Aranixari, with a somewhat yellow tinge to their skin that
makes them look almost sickly to unknowing eyes. they have only a short amount
of orange hair, which never grows very long. They have only three fingers {and
no thumbs} on each hand, and unlike the Aranixari, their skin feels damp at all
times. Because of this they cannot survive out of water for more than a few
days in their true form {see below} They reach adult hood in only two years,
and only live to around sixty. If they mate, they do so for life, and the
female can only have three children during her life, the first female, and the
second male, and the third can be either. They give birth to live young,
but unlike the Aranixari, can do so
underwater, as the new born children can survive underwater. As such they need
no beaches like the Aranixari.
There are two things which
makes this race seemingly unique, and the first is of course the fact that they
cannot speak. That is, not vocally. Seemingly their ancestors spent so long
underwater that they lost the ability to do so. However, the loss of vocal
speech has been replaced by very strong telepathic communication. No race on
Bair save perhaps only the Minare have such strong telepathic drives. But the
Minare only talk to themselves in such a manner, and not even always then. But
the Relesar speak to all races telepathically. They can pick out a single
person within a mile, and communicate with them, and the other creature can
talk back through their mind, and there is never any language barrier. They
cannot however read thoughts or, unless willed, join into another conversation.
They also seem to be the only race except for the Mavine to be able to use the
Spectrum in any form, although in their case, it is only in healing, and in no
other form.
The second thing, which is
possibly stranger, is that they can mimic other races, but only to their height
{of around five ten} to change their appearance, they huddle themselves into a
kind of “coccon” over night, and the next morning, they will appear as that
race, perfect in form save for the fact that they still cannot speak. However,
this bizarre feature has its disadvantages. They can only mimic creatures of
basically the same height or build. That means they can mimic the Mavine, the
Seldar, the Romine, The Aranixari, and at a pinch, the Kalrathen. However, an
Orglag or Ezlag would be impossible, save perhaps the form of a child. However,
this change of form, cannot last indefinitely. After some twenty days, their
body begins to revert back to normal, and after that they need some time before
they can do it again. However, they never do this to cause harm, they in fact,
hardly ever fight at all. It is just that this strange feature has given the
appearance that they are in some way evil, which is certainly not true.
A strange fact about these
creatures is that they often hide among the other races shown above, merely
watching. They enjoy watching it seems, but they are absolutely terrified of
being confronted by more than a dozen or so people. they will happily walk
through the streets amongst hundreds or even thousands, but if twelve people
start shouting at them, they will panic and flee, letting out the only vocal
sound they can, a incredibly high pitched wail that will shatter the ear drums
of a Mavine if they stand next to them.
Seemingly then, there is no
better spy. However, their values are utterly alien to all other races. They
seemingly do not care for the individual, only everyone else. They also seem to
have little notion of “good” and “evil” They however have very good notions of
“happy” and “sad” if people are generally happy, they will be happy themselves,
if people are sad, they will feel distressed. Thus in some respects this does
apply to the good and evils sense. However, if someone is happy because they
are killing dozens of people, but the Relesar does not know why, then they will
find that good. However, their mincing mature has been used on a few occasions.
The Minare seem to be the only people who have ever got this people to do any
“spying” and then only in very rare occasions. Perhaps the two races telepathic
nature holds them akin.
Also there are a few stories of
Mavine falling in love with these creatures. Whether they are completely true
or not cannot be said, but both races have been found to be genetically
compatible, and any children are like the Relesar. However, this is basically
all we know of this most strange and bizarre race.
A Seldarinisation of Kaldon Zildara “day of dooms”
The
Seldar, are the second most numerous of the races of Bair. Their history goes
right back into the first era when they were discovered by the Minare. After
the Mavine they are the largest race of people on Bair, at one time having
realms from Bairgarand in the east to Elmare and Alaklare to the west and being
the most numerious. In the recent times of the fourth era they have been
assailed in many of their lands and their population has slowly declined, but
are still the second largest race of beings upon Bair excluding the children of
darkness. Their culture is vast, and they are well remembered to be the closest
race in friendship with the Mavine.
But
beneath all their achievements, there comes their one great curse – or one
great gift depending on how you look at it. It is no secret that the Seldar can
see their own death, and basically all their culture and civilisation circles
around this fact.
What
people do not often understand is that the view is limited, both naturally and
by gender. Females can see when they will die, males can see how
they will die. Neither is exact however. A female will know when they will die
only to within about a year. A male with now how they die, i.e. by an axe, by a
knife or so, but not, if it is murder for example, who killed them, though they
will know that they will be murdered, or that they will die peacefully, or in
great pain or what ever. They know this inherently and often dream about it. In
addition no Seldar will ever try to cheat death, even if their foreseen end is
very disturbing, they may well go and fight for a just cause somewhere, but
they will never try and cheat their end, believing that in their next life they
will have a far worse time.
In
many ways people have said that the females get the better end of this. When
one knows when, it means you can plan your life around the fact that everything
must be done by a certain time. Knowing how is little use to anyone, least of
all the male. Male Seldar are often very paranoid, and many give the appearance
of being scared to death of certain things or places – knowing that they will
be involved in their death.
Because of this Seldarin society is
distinctively Matriarchal. This is not to say it is sexist against the males.
The males can rule clans, but the balance falls towards the females in
organisation and more “Large” tasks. For example there are many male and female
Seldarin writers and scribes, but many more women take part in government or
building projects and such. Again it must be emphasised that these are trends
not rules or laws or even customs in which a male shouldn’t do something. If a
male wants to help build buildings, so good for them.
Seldarin society is clan based, at least
for the majority. A few men, often those who foresee distinctly horrible ends
will sometimes be quite antisocial, and these will often spend their lives
fighting for one cause or another. The clan consists, in law, of five
generations of a family at the least, and ten to the most. Thus a tenth cousin
is still counted as part of a certain clan, and can continue to be called so at
a longer remove. Of course a person can be a member of many clans, but they
take the one that their mother is born into as their “first clan” Matters of
clans are not based on allegiance, but on togetherness. Only together do the
Seldar truly feel that they are in their place. A clan will often have several
thousand people or more. The clan names are taken from a) Seldarin legends, and
more commonly, b) Old heroes. Usually a clan will begin after a old hero dies,
and the heroes decadents will be made into a new clan – the heroes other
relatives, nieces, cousins, brothers etc will remain in the old clan.
Clans often come and go. War is the
biggest leveller of clans. Clans go to war together and thus a single defeat
can often destroy a clan. When a clan is devastated so the survivors usually
abandon the clan and join to the one that they are closest in relation to. If
they are saved by another clan in battle, they may also join that clan.
The clan is a community controlled thing,
but there is a head speaker, as said, most usually a woman, who makes the final
decision.
The clan structure is a part of Seldarin
society that can never be broken, and at times it has hindered civilisation.
Rarely do the Seldar build cities, often each clan will be based in one town.
Everything of course comes back to their
doom. The trouble is that over many years it may well change slowly and slightly,
and the Seldar do not usually notice it. But in any case it gives them one
great advantage when they need it, they are utterly fearless. If you know you
are not going to die, you will fight, if you know you are going to die, you
will fight anyway and do what you can before you fall. The Mavine have
marvelled as Seldarin armies have stood against impossible odds and have
survived, or in some cases, have not.
But the most important things is that the
Seldar do not tell their doom to any but the very closest in their lives. It is
something that is shared only then, and very rarely else.
The Seldar stand about six foot two to six
foot five in height, though there is a little leeway either side. They always
look remarkably thin, but not so thin as to be gaunt. Their skin is very pale,
but not so much that to Mavine eyes it looks strange, beautiful is a better
term, and their hair is always a magnificent silver. Not a grey silver of age,
but a beautiful “proper” silver, which shines in sunlight. This is always left
long, down to shoulder height, male or female. They have, strangely, five
fingers and a thumb on each hand, and their finger nails are always white. They
have the same amount of toes.
There is little apparent difference
between males and female to human eyes. the female face is slightly smoother,
and they are very slightly taller. Their breasts are smaller than a Mavine
females, and the only real way to tell male and female apart a first is to
listen to their voices. A male voice is musical but quite deep, a female voice
is not made for singing, but is quite high pitched. It is very distinctive, and
one cannot mistake it. Also there is some difference in the clothes and hair.
Females always tie back their hair, males only do that when it is necessary,
such as in a battle. The males usually ware brown, red or green colours,
females ware yellow, blue and white. Black is never worn, but other colours are
worn by both sexes.
In baring children the Seldar are more
like the Mavine than any other race, and indeed can interbreed. The Seldar can
only have children in the winter months {applies to both sexes} the pregnancy
lasts a whole year. The birth is much easier for a female Seldan than for a
female Mavine. The child ages quickly for its first year – in a year growing to
what would be about aged four for a Mavine child. But then the child slows its
ageing. It takes thirty years to reach adulthood from birth, and not until
their fiftieth year or so can they have their own children. A Seldan, if no
misfortune comes upon them, will easily live six hundred years, but unlike the
Ezleg, and more like the Mavine age does hit them, but not until much later
than in Mavine. “adult hood and middle age” so to speak follows until the
Seldan is around five hundred and fifty, then they will decline like a human
would into old age. It is remarkable that almost all Seldar will die, if not
killed first, within two years of their six hundredth year.
As said the Seldar can mate with humans. A
“half Seldar” child will retain the silver hair of the Seldan parent, but not
the vision of their death. They will live around three hundred years. Their own
children will be respectively human or Seldan depending on their own mate. But
the visages of that union will carry on through the ages. Occasionally a child
will have the silver hair on the human side, and occasionally as Seldan will
look In face slightly more human than normal, but it is rare.
The Seldar never marry in the Mavine sense
of the word, nor even in the Ezleg sense. though, since they can control birth
by the time of the year, the “free love” ideal works with them, as soon as they
have a child, they will almost always stay together. But because of their long
lives, they may well spend several years apart at a time. There is no pressure
on two Seldar having children, about one in five never have children. Some will
live together their whole lives without having children, and the Seldar believe
that two Seldar should believe that they are sexually suited before having
children.
The Seldar in the realm of disease and
infection are somewhere between the Mavine and the Ezleg. They don’t get the
more mundane problems like colds, flu, and such minor ailments. But
septicaemia, though rare, can be caused in bad wounds, and a few more exotic
diseases often cause problems. But they are generally very resistant to ills.
The Seldar never eat meat as they cannot
digest it. But they can eat basically any type of plant in existence, many of
which would be poisonous to Mavine. Thus they rarely keep any animals save the
horse, though they much prefer to walk, and they do not make good cavalry,
though they have been known to fight thus. But it is through this issue of
eating meat that many of their problems with other races come from. They find
it distasteful to say the least, but in most cases they can put it aside as a
minor problem, such as when the Mavine east meat. But with the Kalrathen they
cannot, because they east raw meat, and nothing else. This is probably the root
of all the problems between the two races, and one that has never truly been
resolved.
The Seldar are susceptible to corruption
by the Evils, and there was several instances of this, but never in mass, only
the occasional Seldan will side with the Evils, most are its staunch enemies.
None the less, paranoia of the corruption had more than once cause civil strife
amongst the Seldar.
The Seldarin tongue [I will get this done]
is a nightmare for the Mavine to learn. It is a agglutinative tongue with lots
of vowels and very difficult long joined words. It has changed quite a lot over
time, and three different language groups are now spoken across Bair, not all
of which are mutually intelligible. To Mavine ears, despite the difficulty of
learning the tongues, they sound very beautiful indeed
The Original Kaldon terms for this race was Zildar “Day of
doom” plural Zildara
The Seldar borrowed
it as Selidan plural Selidar {-an singular –ar plural} and
It came back into Kaldon as Seldar, and because the Mavine
and Minare
Pronounced it that was also, it entered Kaldon in that
form, the only
occurrence of the sound /s/ in the Kaldon sound system
The Mavine “the young ones”
The “Mavine” are the youngest of
the mortal peoples, and are commonly called “Humans” in truth though they are
not truly human, as, a) the “primate” species has never existed on Bair, and a)
they seem much more advanced, perhaps as we may be in a future stage of
evolution. All of this is quite aside from the Rempelari abilities, because
even excusing them, they are quite different than us.
Visually one can see the
difference. Though heights naturally vary between different ethnic groups, the
Mavine of Bair are on average taller than we are. If we look at the entire
race, the average height works out at about 6 foot 2 for men and 6 foot 3 for
women. While the Othlite and Kordilan people are noticeably taller, averaging
at least 6 foot 5. Instantly notable then is that women are usually taller than
men. Also, the difference between the sheer physical strength of both sexes is
negligible, although if one must come to the crunch women are very slightly
weaker. The reason that this is so must be due to the constant years of
fighting by both sexes in long wars.
Eye colours differ more than ours
do – yellow, grey, black, blue, brown, black and green eyes. hair colour
differs more also, notably a brown-green colour in some, and silver from the
influence of Seldarin blood.
Notably is that the internal
organs differ. They have no spleen and no appendix, and the heart and lungs are
larger. In addition women can only have children at two times of the year,
midsummer and midwinter.
Most notably however is how they
age. Puberty begins younger, at about ten of our years, but the time of
adolescents lasts longer, until about twenty. Early adult hood lasts up to
forty years, and in this time neither sex seems to age. Then, at about sixty,
they begin to age more, but still slowly. Old age does not really begin in most
Mavine until their hundredth year, and the average age is about one hundred and
twenty. There are exceptions. Few of the slavery peoples ever live beyond
fifty, and a few of the Othlites have been known at times to reach their two
hundredth year, though most die by one hundred and sixty five. In certain
families, due to some other influence their ages can be more, such as in part
Seldarin families. Rempelari of course live much longer.
If you look at behaviour, there
are certain traits that differ from our own. Firstly the sexes are much closer
in behaviour. Men are less power or money hungry, and women are much more
assertive, and this in turn leads to the equality between the sexes even from
the beginning. Men care much more for their own children and women are much
more involved in political matters. Also all Mavine have an instinctive will to
“learn” they will do it, or at least try to even if not specially taught. Thus
can most Mavine read, through self initiative, and generally they are more
intelligent than us, and not so self centred.
Since the Mavine of Bair are as
diverse as us, this is not the places to chart the history or diversity of
their cultures. The Mavine are now the most numerous of all the races on
Bairgarand, existing on every continent natively save only Elmare, where they
now live in several cities to trade with the Seldar. Their longer lives than
terrestrial humans means that both their culture and their languages change
slower than ours. Of course both do change, just at a slower pace. In the
language stakes it has taken around fourteen thousand years to change the
Prtoto-vinotz language group as much as Indo-European has changed in the last
six thousand. A greater difference is that on Bairgarand, thanks to much older
races than them, they know much more of their early culture than would be otherwise
known. Also, the fact that the Proto-Vintotz peoples were much more advanced
than any terrestrial civilisation before industrialisation has strange
consequences, this must partly be an offshoot of their longer lives and their
wish to learn. In any case the Mavine races have, despite the inherent flaw of
constantly fighting amongst themselves unless a greater danger {or a greater
anchor} is present, constantly expanded, and no one is sure what will happen if
they continue to expand in such a fashion.
The word “Mavine” is derived from the Kaldon Adjective
Mavinez “young” and as such the word Mavine has
Taken on the meaning “Young people” the singular
Is Mavin, the treu plural is Mavini, but Mavine is
Used as a collective
The
Batërakleara “Night fighters”
This race is one of Bair’s lesser
known races. Indeed few know about their existence save only in history, or in
most cases, legend. The legends tell of a shadow race which was nigh destroyed
by the evils, and the few survivors have took it upon themselves to fight them
unto the death, and defend those who cannot. It is perhaps remarkable then,
that a large amount of the legends are quite true, but of course, there is much
more to it than that.
This race, as one of the Kalrem
peoples, shares many affinities with the rest of the group, which are all in
all, very close genetically. This is very much true of the Batërakleara, who
are somewhat of a middle ground between the other Kalrem peoples in certain
respects, for example, though they are now completely land dwelling, they
retain the ability to breathe under water, though they find that it is a very
unpleasant thing for them to do. They stand around six foot tall, male and
female, and are magnificent climbers. Their hands can secrete a sticky
substance with which they use to climb almost any substance, be it rock, metal,
trees or ice, they can climb it better than any other. It is not surprising
that their legends speak of “the father” who seems to be Hifylar, who after
all, was a climber. He said little on this, but it is believed that he did find
them, but to what he actually did, only the legends now tell. However, their
great climbing ability is not their most intriguing feature, that is their
chameleonic ability.
For some reason unknown, they are
able to change their skin colour to blend in with almost any substance, and it
is for this reason that they are little known, as they rarely have to show
themselves to do what they want. However, normal clothes does prevent this, and
to prevent the need of striping naked to blend in, they have long since
developed a cloth which changes colour with them, and they make their
essentials out of this, warring normal clothes on top, which can be removed in
need. This ability is there from birth, but is confused in the child’s first
years, not until ten years can they control it properly.
When unchanged, they look
remarkably like the Mavine. Indeed, it is believed that the two races can
interbreed, but for this we have only rumours. They seem much slighter, if not
in height, in presence, than the Mavine, and even the Seldar. Their skin is
more variable than some, from very pale, to deep brown, depending on climate.
However, their one distinguishing feature in looks is their flaming red hair.
Which is very bright indeed, and is kept long by males and females. It is quite
strange in that it curls much more than in the Mavine, some have said that
their hair reflects their mood. However, their chameleonic abilities do not
mean that they can change their hair colour, or their skin colour for that
matter, they can only blend in. thus they are not averse to dying their hair
when they need to go into Mavine lands. Their bodies are otherwise little
different from the Mavine. The females have no breasts, as their children can
feed themselves from birth, but that is all.
They are also somewhat telepathic,
the hallmark of a Kalrem race. However, it is more like that of the Seldar than
that of the Relesar. They are empathic, and share bonds with their mates, which
can be felt over great distances, and any great massacre of their race will be
felt by a dire sadness, but their abilities do not go further than that.
They live around a hundred and
thirty years, and reach adult hood in fifteen. Nearly every one of this race
mates, and they do it early, usually before their twentieth year, as,
strangely, they cannot have children after their thirtieth. Their live children
are much more advanced than Mavine or Seldan children, in most way being
miniature four year olds in Mavine ages their first years show incredible
growth. However, we know precious little about their culture as they will not
speak of it. They are very sociable, and have a strong sense of honour, and
though a practical people, they love tales of battles and heroes. Their language
however, is very strange to other races. To them, speech and handsignals are
integrated into one system which cannot be separated – in the dark, when one
cannot see each other, they cannot communicate properly. Basically, all nouns
and adjectives are spoken, the verbs and grammar are done using the
handsignals. They have a highly developed form of writing with which to record
this. It has been learned by others, indeed it is not as difficult as Seldarin.
However, it is still difficult. However, the Batërakleara can learn other
languages where it is only the spoken word that matters. To them, it feels flat
and drab language like this, as they cannot express enough. But they manage
well enough, and are good learners of other tongues, as they have a remarkable
ability to pronounce different sounds, so much so that their own tongue has
many different consonants.
Their name comes from their
history. It is believed that the evils once did something to them that is no
longer spoken by them to others. Their homelands are spread thinly across
Bairgarand and Daizagul, but though the legends of them date from the first era
{indeed, there is a famous incident in the Ardylamar}they did not officially
speak to any other race until the second era. Their homes are rarely found as
they will live nigh anywhere where any other race is not. As civilisations have
advanced, they have not reduced their homes, as they have never been a numerous
people, perhaps two hundred thousand is all that they are. But they do not hide
from true foes, they are superb warriors, assassin like, and indeed, they are
not averse to that art. Their name has been gained by searching out evils in
cities and border lands in small groups, or alone, and butchering them without
mercy. On occasion, they show themselves in great and important battles, always
asking permission to fight alongside the allied armies, and disappearing after
the fighting. They have never fought between themselves.
This race is always known by their Kaldon name Batëraklear
plural Batërakleara
“Night fighters” though they have taught others their
language, they never
reveal their true name in that tongue, for what reason is
unknown.
The Romine “Flying-Mavine”
Known as the unfortunate
This race is in many respects a gifted race,
blessed with abilities only the spirits can emulate. But for all their gifts
they are from the very beginning an unfortunate race, for as is told below,
Nikarin males often, if none of their own females will relent, rape the females
of other races. Only the Mavine and Seldar can beget children by these
creatures, and these half breed offspring are called Romine.
The
mother will go through the pregnancy as if all is normal until the birth
itself, during which, racked with pain and agony, will almost always die. The
child will seen perfectly normal, depending upon whether the mother was Mavine
or a Seldan. In the case of the Mavine, until the child reaches adolescence,
everything will seem fine, save that the child will often be bed ridden by an
unseen illness. In the case of Seldarin children, there are more differences.
The child will age faster than normal {it usually takes twenty five years for a
Seldan child to reach puberty} reaching that stage by their eighteenth year. A
Seldarin child will also have no visions of their death, and thus be free of
that burden. But until puberty the children of both races will look just like a
normal child on the outside. At puberty, the child will experience much greater
illness, vomiting, chills, sudden fits, which last, on and off, for about a
year. Then, at any moment, wings will burst from the child’s back, and in the
case of both races, their hair will quickly turn jet black.
The
Romine have, and always will be, a quite secretive race. Of old they hid away
in mountains. Though during the second and third eras, the were remembered as
allies by all, with the loss of older knowledge, they are shunned, feared, and
even hated by Mavine, Seldar, and Kalrathen, with only the Ezleg and Minare
remembering their ancient alliance.
At
first all Romine were merely half breeds, but from there on, though more join
them in such ways, they are also self sufficient as a people, and are able to
have their own children, usually only by their own race, but occasionally by
another. Their children grow the same way as they themselves, they birth only
one child at a time, with a pregnancy of only three months, but are, strangely
enough, born in an egg, the only sane race known to be so. This merely
heightened the distrust the other race saw of them. but by which means they are
an amalgamation of Seldarin and Mavine looks, and all are by nature very
handsome people, though all have the same jet black hair. If a Romine mates
with either a Mavine or Seldan, the child, will always be of the non Romine’s
race, and no decedent will ever be Romine, but such instances are rare indeed,
with only a few known across history.
The
most prominent part of a Romine’s nature, is without a doubt their sheer anger
against all the children of darkness, and especially against the Nikarin. It is
without precedent, and is strong even before puberty. A Romine will sense a
Child of darkness from over a mile away, and few can turn away such a chase.
They are some of the most fearsome warriors known, the entire race lives with
the ability to wield a weapon in born, and will usually be called upon to use
it. Such is their ferocity, that in the Battle of the nations in the first era,
barely a thousand Romine routed and destroyed ten times their number of Nikarin
and then turned upon the Orglag below causing massive loss.
The
Romine are superb flyers, able to do so only a few days after they have wings.
Their wings look much the same as a Nikarin’s, but have no hair upon them and
are smaller and more flexible, meaning that they fold to the back when on land.
In such a way by warring a cloak, a Romine can seem as a Mavine very easily.
But such actions of course can only be undertaken in colder regions, and so in
later eras the Romine have favoured the colder northern lands, where they can
at times show themselves to the outside world.
There
are slightly fewer male than female Romine, though not by a large margin. But
only a small part of the population actually have their own children, most
merely fight their lives away. They have very long lives however, of about four
hundred years, and they retain their strength unto the end, not growing overly
weak towards the end so that they can still fly. May their injustices be
revenged.
The word Romine is derived from *Romin-Mavine “Flying
Mavine”
{for it is often forgotten that they are also descended
from the Seldar}
They have many different names for themselves.
Other races not part of the Lamarpelara
The
name Nikarin is Kaldon for “sly knife” which is one of the many names this race
have been given, but since it is the accepted Kaldon term, it is the name by
which they are most often known. They are, as the Ardylamar tells, one of the
“children of darkness” races, though their true origin is unknown. They were
first seen during the breaking of the siege of Xland, in which they played a
major role in breaking Iviseal’s defences. For in that battle they came upon
their pray from above, even as they still do, causing confusion and chaos while
the Orglag break the disorganised ranks apart. It is largely because of them
that the armies of Arillirus achieved far greater success in the later years of
the first era than in the earlier times.
The
race, perhaps more vicious than the Orglag, are certainly unrelated to that
race. In truth we do not know their true source. They stand much shorter, at
about seven feet tall. Their bodies, both male and female, are covered with a
thin layer of black hair. Their long arms are distinctive, as are the three
razor sharp claws on each hand. but this means that they cannot use any weapons
or tools, for they cannot hold them. Their most distinctive mark however is
their great, bat-like wings which arch out from just below their shoulder
blades. These wings, with over a three meter span, cause them to be most
unwieldy on the ground, and a grounded Nikarin is no match for any foe on a
battle field. In the air however, they are deadly, only the Romine better them,
and to take down a flying Nikarin from the ground is a fearsome proposition for
even the greatest of warriors. Their faces look almost human, save only their
sharp fangs which contain a weak venom, and the somewhat angular nature of
their face. Such is their likeness, that if a Nikarin had the intelligence, it
could at a distance pass off for a Seldan or a tall Mavine, but the Nikarin are
unintelligent creatures, the females are smarter, and a few have been known to
disguise themselves thus, but the males live on black instinct alone.
It is
this black, lustful instinct that makes the Nikarin a hated race indeed, beyond
what they do in battle. for the females, more intelligent, rarely want a mate.
Thus the males rely on rape, but since the females are themselves apt at battle
to defend themselves, many males die, and this is perhaps why there have never
been anywhere near as many Nikarin as Orglag, for, though this is but a guess,
it is believed that over half of all males die trying to mate. But the Nikarin
male does not care what race they mate with, and if they cannot mate with one
of heir own, as the Seldar and Mavine found out, the Nikarin are apt to rape
other peoples too, and in such an evil act produce the Romine, the children of
the twilight, of both races. It is not known why only those two races can bear
such children, and why the Ezleg and Kalrathen cannot, but in the end it is any
evil thing come what may.
The
female’s lay a clutch of around five eggs, which take perhaps a month to hatch.
The Nikarin reach maturity in around three years, but, if not slain, can live
much longer than that. Some have been known to live up to one hundred and
eighty years, but very few make it past their hundredth year because they are
not at all civilised and when aged will loose the strength to hunt.
The
Nikarin are not cannibals, but will eat almost anything else, though they will
not touch the flesh of the Mavine or Kalrathen. They are absolutely terrified
of the spirits, and also greatly fear the Romine, for that race burns with a
vengeance against them, and slay them mercilessly. May they all one day be
destroyed for their savagery.
Nikarin is from Nike-Zarin
“sly-knife” they are almost always known by this name
The
Ixandizhpelara “the lizard people”
Together with the
Ixandizhlmadog “the lizard disease”
These creatures, and the parasite which
creates them, are in some ways the strangest of Bair’s strange creatures.
Firstly, there is the Ixandizhlmadog “the lizard disease/parasite” which
originates from, as it is believed, from Borlag-line-Bair. It is only the size,
and rough shape, of a leech, though it is yellow in colour and has the ability
to jump very far, up to three yards.
Despite the fact it never moves save to lunge at it’s pray, it is not known how
it has travelled enough to be found in a few places outside the
Borlag-line-Bair. It lives for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, and can
wait decades for pray without moving an inch. It senses movement nearby, and
will lunge at any creature within reach. It sucks the blood from animals, and
kills them doing so, and will breed after feeding by doubling itself. However,
since they can only survive in high mountains, they often die after around a
hundred years have passed without food. This is a great blessing, and because
of it, very places are known were they exist.
If this was all the parasite does then
there would be deaths surely, but there are many things in Borlag-line-bair
which cause many more deaths than these. These creatures will kill and devour
any creature which it finds except for the Mavine. If one of these things
attacks a Mavine, it will die in a few seconds from something unknown in Mavine
blood. But in turn it will infect any
Mavine with something terrible.
The wound will not heal, and will fester
and the Mavine will go into a fever. This will kill older Mavine, but any
children, adults, or early middle aged people will survive. For twenty eight
days they will be racked with fever, and will devour every last morsel of food
which they can get their hands on. The fever will not stop them doing this.
After that time, the wound, still unhealed, will start sprouting webby silk,
which cannot be torn, no matter what the Mavin tires. They will instinctively
find a hidden place, and the silk will form a cocoon, staring feet up. This
will take seven days from start to finish.
There follows sixty days of incubation,
and then the cocoon will hatch. The creature is strange to say the least, an
amalgamation of the Mavine with a reptile. Their body will remain basically in
the Mavine form, however, much of their body will be covered by scales, though
they are not thick, it is almost as if the skin had been tattooed, though they
are somewhat rough. The face and head will remain normal, though the hair will
be very short male or female. However perhaps the strangest thing is that no
matter what age the person was in the first place, they will emerge looking, if
they were skill a Mavine, as if they were only about sixteen years of age
though their face would be much the same. Their since of touch and sight is
much stronger, though if the person was Rempelar, they would not be so any
longer.
These creatures, the Ixandizhpelara.
Though seemingly still like Mavine in looks, are not so otherwise. Indeed they
could still pass as Mavine in the street, their entire mental set up is much
different. They are social, and amongst others who they know as friends they
are very friendly. However, they are absolutely terrified of crowds of
strangers. They feel sick to the stomach in a crowd unless they have a strong
reason to be there. This does not seem to happen with others of their own race,
or with stranger who they know will not hurt them. it seems to be a thing of
fear. In all respects they have very little self confidence and very little
malice or hate. Since they can still speak and such, it seems that they get
plunged into very deep loneliness. This is not for friendship, but for a mate.
Only with a mate are they ever truly happy. Occasionally they find another of
their kind, and following an incident in Engradure, the rulers gave a small
group of uninhabited islands to them, things have improved somewhat in that
they know where to go. However, many still do not know of this, and for many
thousands of years this was not possible. As such, they tried to find a mate amongst
the Mavine. They have almost no violence, and the wish is not for sex, but for
a mate, so rape have never occurred. Thus they, since they are always seemingly
young, look for those who have lost everything. They are unique in that they
produce strong chemicals which will soften the reaction of others to them, so
occasionally they do find other maters. Only if their mate dies by the hand of
someone do they ever show anger. Or in defence of their children
The children of these unions are strange
as well. They can only have children in the winter, and the female had a
pregnancy lasting three months, and she will lay three eggs, which will hatch a
further month on. The children take ten years to reach adulthood, and are
always like their Ixandizhpelar parent. They live around a hundred years, and
can have children until they are ninety. It is said that when their mate dies,
they often loose the will to live themselves. They can be found in deep forests
or mountains, out of the way of civilisation. Their numbers are not many, as
more often than not, if discovered they are destroyed. Eight hundred went to
the Engradurian island in a year, and across Bair their may be between ten and
twenty thousand.