Idayn (Elves)

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World of Aserra
Idayn (Elves)

Post by World of Aserra » Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:09 pm

Idayn
Pronunciation: ih-DAYN. Grammatically, they should be referred to as Idayn in the singular and plural, Idaynian in the possessive (ie; Idaynian fashion, Idaynian culture). Humans often refer to them as elves, as they resemble the fae race that exists on higher planes, but they are not truly elves.

Created by Idraen, the God of Light, the Idayn changed very little from the base form of the elemental races, only given fair features resembling Idraen and Orran’sulani. They were incarnated with the souls of enigmatic spirits of light, giving them the ability for Light Elementalism. After the War of the Gods, the Idayn spread across the world to share Idraen’s Light, but in time these envoys separated from their parent race to become independent races, losing their Light Elementalism and connection to Idraen. The original Idayn still exist in the northeastern forests of Thiskel.
Idayn Sub-Races
Idayn [High Elves] | Eain'Idayn [Centaurs] | Fayl'Idayn [Wood Elves] | Aeul'Idayn [Winter/Snow/Ice Elves] | Ery'Idayn [Desert Elves] | Oir'Idayn [Grass Elves] | Ur'Idayn [Wild Elves]
Discussion Topic for All Idayn Races
World of Aserra

Idayn (High Elves)

Post by World of Aserra » Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:54 pm

Idayn
Pronunciation: ih-DAYN. Grammatically, they should be referred to as the Idayn in the singular and plural, Idaynian in the collective possessive (ie; Idaynian fashion, Idaynian culture). Humans often refer to them erroneously as ‘elves’, as they resemble elder fae races that exist on higher planes, but they are not true elves. The main Idayn race is often referred to as ‘high elves’ specifically.

This is the original race of the Idayn, existing in the same form they were created in thousands of years ago. The truest to their form of all the Idayn races, they have the souls of enigmatic light spirits and wield the magic of Light Elementalism. They inhabit only the forests of northeastern Thiskel; the Eldir and Itray Forests.
Location and Abodes
After their creation by Idraen, the original Idayn were set into the Eldir Forest on the west side of the Ideil mountain range, and eventually spread into settlements across the forest, and expanding across the mountains to settle the coastal Itray Forest. The Itray Forest boasts a smaller population, but is more protected than the Eldir as it is surrounded by mountains, while the Eldir’s borders have been reduced from human incursion over its lifetime. The Eldir still stands as the largest forest on the continent, and boasts the greatest Idayn population.

Idayn cities are wondrous sights, constructed amidst the trees using a material that emits an ephemeral glow. The city starts from the ground up, climbing upward on sturdy, old-growth trees where homes are located. The material is in fact a bio-luminescent form of fungus called andáril that was created by Idraen to allow his people to build with light. Andáril is light weight, but incredibly strong, feeling as solid as stone yet silken-smooth. Idayn architects manipulate and encourage the fungus to grow into smooth shapes with gentle curves and points, instead of allowing it to grow in its natural, rough form. To maintain and nourish it, Idayn compost waste and bury their dead at the base of the andáril. Without extra fertilizer, the andáril may take vital nutrients from the tree supporting it. Every hundred years, the andáril release shimmering spores to establish new colonies, most of which are cultivated by the Idayn, but there is some wild andáril in unsettled and abandoned parts of the forest which doesn’t grow to the impressive sizes as the cultivated andáril. The release of spores is celebrated amongst the Idayn, though it also causes minor allergic irritation in some individuals.

Appearance and Garb
Image
The Idayn have changed very little, if at all, since their creation. They are markedly uniform in appearance; males stand on average, at 6’ (1.82m) tall and females at 5’7” (1.7m), all with lean and willowy frames (light build), pale blond hair, fair eyes, and fair skin. Build-wise, the majority are of uniform height, though some youths may have more variety of a couple inches taller or shorter. Their frame is more slender than the average human; males exhibit less musculature than humans and females are less curvaceous with a small to moderate sized bust (A to C cup). Their hair comes in a few different shades of blonde, but never very dark, and always very straight and sleek. Most Idayn prefer to grow their hair long and unstyled, though more active individuals will prefer to keep it shorter and out of the way. Eye colors are typically blue and green, sometimes violet or gray. Idayn skin is very fair; terms like “porcelain”, “ivory”, and “alabaster” are good descriptors. Most Idayn have flawless skin, lacking in blemishes, moles, and freckles. They tend to be quite graceful. Like all of the elemental races, they have long, tapered ears that extend five to six inches from their head.

Idayn fashions are flowing, sweeping, and clinging. They prefer smooth fabrics (silk, cotton), predominantly in white, or off-white shades and sometimes accented with sashes or mantles of a richer color—usually earthy tones of red, green, blue, and gold. Women wear gowns that cling to the body, but with long trailing bell-sleeves, and long, ground sweeping skirts, though women who are scouts or warriors may wear breeches or shorter skirts as more practical clothing. Men may opt for robes that drape over the body, or for jackets and breeches. Bodices and jackets may be further adorned with embroidery or precious metal embellishments. Idayn jewelry is of simplistic, sweeping designs, including circlets, earrings, necklaces, and rings. Their jewelry is minimal, most women wear only one or two pieces at a time. It is traditional for young Idayn to be given a circlet crafted specifically for them when they reach adulthood. For women, the circlets are much more delicate and unique, sometimes set with gems. Male circlets are thicker, more simplistic and often in the same style, rarely with gem accents. Marriage is also symbolized by matching rings by worn on the left ring finger of both partners. Rings are quite simple, never jeweled, and made of any precious metal (except copper).

Life Span and Reproduction
The Idayn are basically immortal, but not all individuals may be completely immortal. Some have lived for a few millennia before succumbing to aging and dying, yet a few of the original Idayn that survived the War of the Gods still live. Idayn age at the same rate as humans up until the age of twenty-five, at which point their apparent aging ceases. They then began to take on an ageless look as they mature, rather than looking like a twenty-five year old their entire life. For an Idayn who is not destined to be immortal, physical aging will become apparent shortly—years or even months—before their death.

The Idayn reproduce at a slow rate, both due to their discretion with childbearing, and the fact that female Idayn only ovulate for one year out of ten. Considering this obvious fact, most Idayn tend to abstain for this year unless they intend to have a child (though accidents may happen if a woman conceives before her first menses of the year). Most Idayn have only one or two children throughout their lives, and if they have two or more children, they are often spaced out over many decades, or even centuries so that the previous child will have already left home.

They are monogamous, but rarely very sexual or romantic. The first century or two of their lives is often devoted to learning, personal and spiritual growth, and careers. Once that is completed to satisfaction, they may begin to court an ideal partner, but sex and romance are usually reserved until after marriage. Their marriages are not arranged by families, but families may often introduce potential mates to their children. Infidelity is practically unheard of amongst the Idayn. Couples live together, but also give each other a fair bit of space; sleeping in separate rooms and keeping to their own company from time to time. Romances between couples tend to wax and wane, and at times they may be distant, while at other times passions will flare for one another again. Once they have a child together, however, they spend most of that child’s early years together, devoted to nurturing their offspring.

Diet, Agriculture, and Hunting
The Idayn neither farm en masse or hunt, and are entirely vegetarian. Individuals and small communities will maintain gardens in which vegetables,fruits, and grains are grown, as well as plant fruit and nut bearing trees around the community. They eat most of their food raw, but also bake breads, pastries, and roast vegetables. Visitors often find their food to be bland, lacking in spice.

Religion
The Idayn are the children of Idraen, the God of Light and King of the Gods. They hold the other elemental gods in high regard and generally ignore the third generation gods, but only Idraen is honored by them. However, the Idayn do not worship their god as much as they simply honor him. Idraen is sometimes prayed to for guidance and boons, but the majority of Idayn instead seek to honor him by being true to the virtues their element is considered to hold.

Magic and Abilities
The Idayn have the ability of Light Elementalism, borne of the light elementals bound to their souls. Applications of Light Elementalism are more limited than some other forms of elementalism, but the Idayn apply it toward construction with the bio-luminescent andáril, in combat as a distraction and as a weapon through the use of hon’em—hilt-like objects that allow the Idayn to focus light into a blade, bow, or other weapon. Light Elementalism can also be employed for illusions, and is often used by scouts to hide, or to misdirect trespassers that venture too close to Idayn villages.

Like most of the elemental races, their long ears (in part) allow for better hearing than humans, but their other senses are not too different from the average human. Physically, they are typically weaker than humans, but more agile and graceful.

Personality
The Idayn are considered to be arrogant and aloof by most other races that come in contact with them. Alignment-wise, they would fall into ‘lawful good’, and they are strongly focused on purity to the point of homogeneity amongst each other. Though arrogant and superior, they are typically peaceful unless provoked. They are also known for their poise and grace, and their long lives often bring them boundless patience.

Relations
The Idayn share their forests with many tribes of Ochae’nafod and Dra’nafod, with whom they have pleasant relations, as well as with the Brech’mar and Zaedyn living in the Ideil Mountains. However, their attitudes keep most neighbors at arm’s length. Humans are often treated with disdain and distrust, but well-meaning individuals can sometimes be tolerated. Neighboring Kuzo and Iengi are regarded as little more than troublesome beasts and are often exterminated if they venture too close to Idayn communities.

As for their many sub-races, the Idayn are vaguely aware of most, though perhaps not all, of them. With the exception of Eain’Idayn living in the Eldir and Itray Forests, these sub-races have lost their connection to Idraen and the Idayn consider them as children much in the way of humans, but with more respect for them. The Eain’Idayn, on the other hand, live alongside the Idayn in many communities and have the same rights and privileges as the Idayn—though romance between Idayn and Eain’Idayn is considered taboo.

When it comes to romance, love found outside of their race is shunned by the community, and any children born of such a union are not readily accepted—and even if they are socially accepted, they will rarely find a spouse of their own. Most half-Idayn will gravitate toward their other race—or humanity—where their bloodline will be able to continue.

Play-ability
The cloistered ways of the Idayn make them poorly suited for role-plays taking place outside of their forests. Even youths rarely leave the comforts of home. Idayn characters should be rare in the open world.
Last edited by J. M. Vincent on Thu Mar 15, 2012 4:02 pm, edited 9 times in total.
Reason: Revised from Adun to Aserra
World of Aserra

Eain'Idayn (Centaurs)

Post by World of Aserra » Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:18 pm

Eain'Idayn
Pronunciation: e-AYN ih-DAYN. Grammatically, they should be referred to as Eain’Idayn, both singular and plural. The collective possessive noun is Eain’Idaynian (as in, Eain’Idaynian culture). Though long, the name should not be shortened to Eain, as this is the Idaynian word for ‘horse’. Eain’Idayn are equivalent to centaurs, but that term would not be used by Aserrans.

This half-Idayn, half-horse offshoot of the Idayn race certainly stands out amongst their brethren. They were created during the War of the Gods from an Idayn cavalry mounted on the graceful and intelligent Eain horse bred by the Idayn. Wanting a more deeper than the already telepathic connection to their mounts, the cavalry prayed to Idraen for a boon, which he granted by merging horse and Idayn into one creature.

The Eain’Idayn race is broken into two different groups; the original race that remains in the Eldir and Itray Forests alongside the Idayn, and the descendants of those who spread across the world which have lost the scrutiny of Idraen and their Light Elementalism.
Location and Abodes
The Eain’Idayn, in horse-like fashion, call their communities ‘herds’. The population is originally based in the Eldir Forest, alongside the Idayn, but has spread outward across northern Thiskel and Kalesten. They are a reclusive race though, and stick to regions where there are less humans. Most herds live within forests, so long as there are open pastures nearby. In Kalesten, they are considered a rare and almost mythical being to human nations of Kalesten. Small herds live within the Ardir Forest, some in the forests on the west coast of the Lands of Kaius (though the barbarians are more familiar with them than other Kalestans), and in the Beon Forest. More herds live on the open prairies of the unclaimed land between Chawoven, Belvon, and Serdenaugh in Kalesten, and further south in the grasslands of the isthmus between north and south Kalesten, but they avoid trade routes where humans travel.

For Eain’Idayn living amongst the Idayn, their homes are made of the same bio-luminescent fungus the Idayn use; andáril. As they are capable of using Light Elementalism, they can also manipulate the andáril’s growth to form their homes. Of course, while the Idayn live in the trees, the Eain’Idayn live on the forest floor, often around the bases of trees that the Idayn build their homes in, using the foundation of the andáril of their homes to build theirs as well. Their homes are of a similar architecture, but have higher ceilings and wider berths in halls and thresholds to accommodate their size.

The Eain’Idayn living elsewhere instead make huts of materials from the forest. They are typically simple structures; tall enough for them to stand upright in, large enough to fit a family, but of a single room.

Appearance and Garb
The most remarkable trait of the Eain’Idayn is of course the fact that they have the upper body of an Idayn merged with the body of a horse from the withers down. Their humanoid hips meld into the shoulders of the horse, and the spines are merged. As a chimera-like creation, there are some redundancies between the two forms internally, but Idraen’s careful merging and time have managed to streamline the Eain’Idayn body. Equine traits are not apparent on the upper body, however, and they appear as normal Idayn (disregarding hair colors) from the waist up with their attractive features and long, tapered ears.

The original Eain’Idayn population is truest to their original form. They are light of build in both their Idayn and equine halves, as the Eain is a light and graceful breed of horse (similar to thoroughbreds in build), much as the Idayn people themselves. The Eain, and Eain’Idayn stand at around 15 hands high (60” or 152cm, or 5’ or 1.5m) at the withers (the standard measurement of horses), give or take a couple inches (1 hand = 4” or about 10cm), and including their Idayn torso, which adds about two and a half feet of height, puts the original Eain’Idayn at about 7’5” feet (2.2m) tall. The Eain breed and Eain’Idayn both have a light build, putting the weight of both around 900 to 1,000lbs (about 410 to 450kg) depending on muscle mass. The Eain breed is leggy, with light feathering on the fetlocks, and are renowned for long, luxurious manes and tails, traits (sans manes) which are carried on in the original Eain’Idayn.

Coloration for this original population also conforms to Eain breed norms. Grays, especially dappled grays, are highly prized by the Idayn, but bays, chestnuts, and blacks also are normal within the breed. For the Eain’Idayn, this means that the coat of their equine half follows the same rules, but their Idayn skin is still fair and of the same complexion as their Idayn cousins. Their eye colors also also normal for Idayn, commonly blue and green, sometimes violet or gray. Hair color, however, matches the tail color of their equine half. Both gray horses and Eain’Idayn are typically born with a black coat which fades to gray as they get older, as do their manes and tails, until eventually becoming nearly completely white. Underneath their fur, the skin is black (except where there are markings like socks or blazes). Gray Eain’Idayn coats lighten at a similar rate amongst the original population. Born with a black coat and black hair, gray hairs begin to appear during adolescence, lightening progressively to a dappled gray in young adulthood, at which point the graying process slows significantly along with their aging, also causing their hair to come in as a mix of gray and white, often darker at the roots and paling as it grows out due to wear and tear-though the roots will continue to produce less and less pigment as time goes on. There is a subtle lightening that can be noted with each century, until nearing the final century of their life, at which point the aging process will reassert itself and cause their coat to eventually fade to white. (See the entry on gray horses at Wikipedia to understand the process better.)

Eain’Idayn with bay coats (brown or red with black points on the legs, as well as mane and tail) will have black hair, as do those with true black coats. Chestnut coats (a brown or reddish coat with a mane and tail the same shade or lighter than the body’s color) are typically either liver chestnut or reddish or sorrel for the Eain, so chestnut Eain’Idayn will have hair in a dark or medium brown for liver coats or light auburn or reddish-flaxen shade for a sorrel coat. Dappling also occurs in black, liver chestnut, and bay Eain’Idayn and Eain (see the silver dapple gene entry on Wikipedia). They may also have white markings on the lower legs called “socks”. For the Eain, socks are small, never extending as high as the knee, and usually not much higher than the fetlock. The hoof below a sock is light in color rather than dark as it would be otherwise.

The Eain’Idayn that spread elsewhere in the world have developed with more variety than their ancestors. Traits are usually shared throughout regions as herds trade members through marriage or adoption and splitting of existing herds to keep the population from becoming too noticeable. In some regions, Eain’Idayn may be smaller than the original population, standing somewhere around 14hh at the shoulder, or larger into 16-17hh ranges (no taller than 17hh though, please). These groups may have also varied in build, becoming more muscular or petite than their ancestors. Coloration can include more exotic coats such as dun, palomino, roan, pinto/piebald, and spotted/appaloosa. Keep in mind that they will not be copies of other existing horse breeds, however.

As the majority of their body is covered in fur and animal-like, clothing is not always a necessity or big priority for the Eain’Idayn, except for those in colder regions where their torso must be kept warm, or those living amongst the more modest Idayn. Some Eain’Idayn are content to go bare-chested where the climate allows, even the woman (though some might prefer small tops to keep their breasts contained). Those that do wear clothing usually only bother with clothing for the upper body, of course, though their equine half may be adorned for fashion’s sake, or equipped for battle. However, the herds of the Eldir and Itray often wear full tunics or tops in a similar fashion as Idayn, and even go so far as to wear draping cloaks intended to hide the genitals.

Lifespan and Reproduction
The Eain’Idayn are long-lived, but not potentially immortal like their Idayn ancestors. Their lifespan ranges from 1,000 to 500 years, and tends to be on the shorter end of that spectrum the further they are from the Idayn. The original population maintains a lifespan of around 1,000 years, while Thiskelian off-shoots may see around 800-600 years, and Kalesten herds vary between 700 and 500 years. Like all elemental races, their aging is slowed significantly throughout adulthood. They mature at a rate similar to humans (except during early childhood), and reach complete maturity at age 25, after which point apparent aging ceases, but they begin to take a more ageless appearance over the course of their lives rather than looking like a 25 year old for several hundred years. Apparent aging continues a few decades before death, and continues at a rate similar to humans until their body simply succumbs to age or illness.

Early childhood development is much different than other elemental races, however, taking into consideration their combined form with an animal that bears young that can walk and run shortly after birth. Unlike the other elemental races with nine month gestations and horses with eleven month gestations, Eain’Idayn pregnancies last for twenty months to accommodate both the time for both halves to grow to their birth size and to encourage mental development longer so the child will not be as helpless as an Idayn infant. An Eain’Idayn foal is born more mature than an Idayn or human child, appearing to be a young child set onto the body of a normal-sized foal, and with the mental capacity of a young toddler (enough to follow basic vocal cues from its mother). Within a few months after birth, the child has the same mental faculties of a two or three year old Idayn. After this point, their physical growth is slow, but their mental growth is on par with Idayn a couple years older than them. Their Idayn half matures physically at a similar rate as their Idayn peers, but their equine half’s growth is stunted in comparison to horses, only growing as much as needed to support the Idayn body. As they reach teenage years, their equine half reaches the size of a yearling foal, slowly reaching full physical equine maturity (equal to 6 years of a horse’s life) by time they reach their early twenties.

Relationships with the Eain’Idayn may vary between populations. The Eldir and Itray herds are true monogamists like the Idayn, but outlying herds may adopt polygamy (typically polygyny, rarely polyandry) to a lesser degree than horses (which function in harem-like herds) with males taking one or two wives, rarely more than three. Most Eain’Idayn eventually find a spouse between the age of 100 and 200 (sometimes younger for short-lived outlying herds). Females have a staggered ovulation cycle like other elemental races, ovulating one year out of every ten, and most couples only have one to three foals throughout their lives. Twins are rare, but occur with the same probability factors as in horses, perhaps slightly lower even.

Eain’Idayn cannot reproduce with other races, or horses, though romances can occur between either. Interracial romances are considered taboo, but relations with horses are considered even worse—though when they do happen, it’s not typically due to a romantic infatuation with the animal, but rather a lonely individual with sexual desires and no partner to satiate them. Often times, due to physical incompatibilities such romances are chaste, but there are always individuals willing to breach the taboo.

Diet, Agriculture and Hunting
Eain’Idayn are initially a vegetarian race, and they remain as such in their ancestral homeland, but outlying herds turned to an omnivorous diet as it was the easiest and most practical way to supplement their diet, and their bodies adapted to suit it. Eain’Idayn of the Eldir and Itray, however, find the idea of meat-eating abhorrent (much like the Idayn) and instead they eat substantial amounts of food compared to the Idayn to sustain their larger bodies.

Outlying Eain’Idayn herds sometimes have varied opinion on hunting and prey animals. Some prefer poultry over red meat (mammals), some have rituals to ease guilt, others just do what is necessary to survive.

Religion
Between the two groups of Eain’Idayn there are different idols. The Eain’Idayn of the Eldir and Itray Forests are devote followers of Idraen alongside their Idayn cousins, while outlying herds have turned to shamanistic traditions, and other herds may favor Entra. Occasionally herds have come up with unique and independent religious systems such as honoring ancestors, or adopting specific third-generation gods. Only the Eain’Idayn of the original population are still incarnated with the Light Elemental souls, while the rest of the Eain’Idayn are incarnated with normal souls, thus lacking the ability for Light elementalism as well.

Magic and Abilities
Eain’Idayn of the Eldir and Itray Forests still maintain the ability of Light Elementalism, as they are incarnated with the souls of Light Elementals, just like the Idayn. However, this is dependent on a direct line of pure-blooded female ancestors, at this point. So, for example, if a stallion of a herd from the Eldir Forest took a wife from an outlying tribe, a foal born of their union would not have the ability for Light Elementalism.

The Eain’Idayn of these outlying herds often turn to shamanism as a form of replacement magic, but otherwise the have no inherent magic. They gain no bonuses to their senses from their equine halves, but they do have greater stamina and running speed, as well as pulling strength. In combat, they prefer pole-arms and archery as they allow for greater range with less risk to their bodies (since they make a pretty big target).

Personality
The original populations of Eain’Idayn are more righteous and aloof like the Idayn, but the outlying herds are harder to define to character archetypes. In general, they are a people forming small communities and concerned for the welfare of those communities, as well as wary of the threat of humans who may see them as monsters or a novelty to be captured and enslaved. These factors should always be considered for Eain’Idayn characters, specifically for outlying herds.

Relations
Of course, for the Eldir and Itray herds, they are close to the Idayn. Despite physical differences, they regard each other as equals (but not so much as they would intermarry) and share in the same duties expected of them in their society. However, they do still keep themselves separate from the Idayn and maintain their own community privately beneath the treetop homes of the Idayn. Outlying herds, on the other hand, are often considered to be “feral” by the Idayn and old Eain’Idayn, thus earning less respect from both groups still possessed of a Light Elemental soul.

The outlying herds are secretive, mainly to avoid only humans. They do readily befriend Ochae’nafod, Dra’nafod, Fayl’Idayn, and Oir’Idayn in the areas they inhabit, and sometimes human societies that respect them. Their seclusion has successfully convinced many humans (especially in Kalesten) that they are little more than a myth, but if discovered they often face the threat of being killed as a monster, or captured as a novelty to be studied or sold.

Play-Ability
A rare race in the open world, they should be played sparingly in such settings. However, in any setting where they would be native to they would be easily acceptable.
Last edited by J. M. Vincent on Thu Mar 15, 2012 4:02 pm, edited 9 times in total.
Reason: Revised from Adun to Aserra
World of Aserra

Fayl'Idayn (Wood Elves)

Post by World of Aserra » Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:32 pm

Fayl’Idayn
Pronunciation: FAYL ih-DAYN. Grammatically, they should be referred to as Fayl’Idayn in the singular and plural. The collective possessive would be Fayl’Idaynian (e.g.; Fayl’Idaynian culture, Fayl’Idaynian bow). As humans have taken to calling the Idayn races ‘elves’, the Fayl’Idayn specifically are referred to as “wood elves”.

An off-shoot of the Idayn, the Fayl’Idayn began as one of many groups of Idayn that were sent out to explore the world. They settled in the Ardir Forest in Kalesten and mingled amongst Ochae’nafod and Dra’nafod, eventually slipping away from Idraen and into the arms of Entra. Adopted by the Goddess of Life, they were then reincarnated with the souls of faeries and became a new race.
Location and Abodes
The Fayl’Idayn are limited to the massive Ardir Forest (often simply called “The Ardir”) in Kalesten, located on the plateau above Ertia, south of the Green Sea and the nation of Kosony on northern Kalesten. Kosony has threatened incursion into the Ardir in the past, which resulted in a war between the nation and the Fayl’Idayn which has since secured the southern border of Kosony, and the political border of the Ardir’s inhabitants.

Within the Ardir, the Fayl’Idayn arrange themselves into small villages throughout. Like the Idayn, they live in tree-top houses, but rather than being constructed of the andáril fungus that the Idayn use, the Fayl’Idayn coax the trees to grow to their whims. Their homes are gall-like structures, growing out from the massive trunks of old-growth trees. Villages are almost entirely in the trees, connected by rope and plank bridges, but there are manual lifts and stairs down to the forest floor.

Appearance and Garb
The Fayl’Idayn, much like the Idayn, tend towards being slim, lithe, and graceful. They have the long, tapered ears of the elemental races, and are remarked to be quite beautiful. However, they are not as uniform as their Idayn forebearers, considering the fact that they are of a mixed heritage themselves with Idayn, Ochae’nafod, Dra’nafod, and even human backgrounds. Their heights vary, but on average males stand at 5’10” (1.7m) and females at 5’4” (1.6m), and their builds tend from light to medium, allowing for slightly more musculature on men and more shapely figures on women than the Idayn.

Coloration is far more varied amongst the Fayl’Idayn compared to the Idayn; blonde shades are still common amongst them, but red, brown, and black shades occur, even the strange colors native to the Dra’nafod. Eye colors are commonly blue, green, violet, and gold, with other colors occurring rarely, depending on the mixed background of the individual. Their skin, on the other hand, is predominantly fair, ranging from ivory white to lightly tanned.

Fayl’Idayn clothes are often well-tailored outfits made of cotton and other plant fibers, and dyed with any available colors with which their clothing can be dyed. As a vegetarian race, they do not use leather, fur, or any animal parts. They also have limited mining resources, so when they do wear armor, it is often scavenged and refitted, or made of wood. Unlike the Idayn, they are not afraid of color, nor are they as modest. The long, flowing gowns of the Idayn are not seen on the Fayl’Idayn, as they favor a little more practicality in their clothing. Women in active roles often wear short skirts and breeches—though skirts become increasingly longer with a woman’s age. Men stick with tunics, breeches, and jackets. Elders and magic focused individuals who are highly respected may wear more formal robes. Precious metals do make an appearance in their clothing and jewelry, but they do not actively mine for it.

Lifespan and Reproduction
The Fayl’Idayn have a lifespan of around 1,000 years. Like the other elemental races, their apparent aging ceases in adulthood, but they mature at the same rate as humans until the age of 25, at which point their apparent aging stops, but they eventually take on a more ‘ageless’ appearance as they mature. Aging does not continue until several decades before the end of their lives.

Fayl’Idayn relationships take more cues from the Dra’nafod than the monogamous ways of the Idayn. Many Fayl’Idayn have a collection of partners that they drift between as romances wax and wane. They marry these partners, though their marriages are far less ceremonious than human or Idayn affairs, and sometimes are even recognized more as ‘common law’ after a time when no one bothers to actually hold a wedding for a couple. Each individual in a Fayl’Idayn marriage may have one or or more other partners, but they stay loyal to one at a time until boredom or conflict drives them apart. Most romances are rekindled in time, but occasionally they do burn out all together.

Most Fayl’Idayn couples have at least one child between them, which can have a woman bearing two to four children throughout her lifetime. They have the same reproduction cycles as Idayn—women only ovulate one year out of every ten—but have more children on average than the Idayn.

As noted above, their heritage is built on mixed-blood, and while most modern Fayl’Idayn take other Fayl’Idayn as lovers, romances with Dra’nafod and Ochae’nafod are not uncommon, leading to mixed children. Occasionally humans even become partners of the Fayl’Idayn, though there are social complications to the relationship on either side.

Diet, Agriculture, and Hunting
The Fayl’Idayn are a vegetarian race and subsist on various fruits, vegetables, nuts, grain, fungi, and plants native to the forest. Some communities have taken to fishing if they are near a body of water, or keeping fowl for eggs for extra nutrition. They do not farm for mass production, but maintain personal and community gardens, as well as cultivate fruit-bearing trees and shrubs in the area. Much of their food is also gathered free-growing in the forest. They also accomplished beekeepers and harvest honey from their hives. Fayl’Idayn foods are often lacking in spice and savory flavors, but are very sweet.

Religion
The focus of Fayl’Idayn focus switched from Idraen to Entra a couple generations after the first Idayn settlers made a home for themselves in the Ardir. After becoming closely reliant and intermarried with the Dra’nafod and Ochae’nafod, the remaining Idayn adopted Entra as their patron goddess, and from then on, their children were incarnated with the souls of faeries as opposed to light elementals.

Magic and Abilities
With their faerie souls, Fayl’Idayn inherit the talent for fae magic, if born of a direct female Idayn line (e,g; if you were to trace their maternal line, their mother, mother’s mother, mother’s mother’s mother, and so on would all be traced back to an Idayn woman). Though, when born to a direct female Nafod line, they will inherit Life Elementalism. Fae magic can also be learned by any individuals born of a direct female human line, but it will not be as easy to one with human blood. Occasionally, a child may be born with an apparent faerie soul if from a distant direct female human or Nafod line if Entra takes notice of too many non-faerie Fayl’Idayn being born.

Like the Idayn, they are a graceful and agile people, their combat abilities usually relying on speed and skill rather that brute strength. Thanks in part to their long ears, their hearing is better than human hearing, like many other elemental races, but their other senses are hardly improved compared to humans, unless Ochae’nafod blood is to blame for a heightened sense of smell or improved eyesight.

Some Fayl’Idayn with Ochae’nafod backgrounds may have limited shape-shifting abilities, but these usually disappear in the second or third generation. (See the entry on half-Ochae’nafod for more information.)

Personality
Lacking the aloof arrogance of the Idayn, the Fayl’Idayn in general are a free-spirited, nature-loving, affectionate people. They are capable of violence still, but prefer not to exercise it unless necessary. Being a mix of so many backgrounds, however, they are not as easy as other elemental races to define.

Relations
The Fayl’Idayn live alongside in peace and harmony with the Ochae’nafod, Dra’nafod, and Eain’Idayn with whom they share their forest. They are usually welcoming to most other elemental races (save Danaij), but their relations with humans are tenuous. After Kosony attempted to clear their forest centuries, they went to war with the nation, and succeeded in driving out the humans. Since, humans and Fayl’Idayn keep to their own sides of the border, and the Fayl’Idayn keep scouts on the borders to make sure no humans trespass. They are open to considering relations with individuals or small groups of humans, however. The Kuzo are another race that troubles them, much as they trouble other races, and Fayl’Idayn have on occasion sought to eradicate entire clans if they cause trouble.

Play-ability
Fayl’Idayn are rather rare in the open world, though they are more likely to be seen in Kalesten than Thiskel, and more often in Kosony than other nations. Young Fayl’Idayn may often venture into human society for a short time, and sometimes envoys are learn about the going-ons of human nations and other societies.
Last edited by J. M. Vincent on Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:09 am, edited 6 times in total.
Reason: Revised from Adun to Aserra
World of Aserra

Aeul'Idayn (Winter Elves)

Post by World of Aserra » Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:09 pm

Aeul’Idayn
Pronunciation: ay-OOL ih-DAYN. Grammatically, they should be referred to as Aeul’Idayn in the singular and plural. In the possessive collective, Aeul’Idaynian (e.g.; Aeul’Idaynian culture, Aeul’Idaynian fashion). Humans have taken to calling them “winter-, “snow- or “ice elves”.

An offshoot of the Idayn, the Aeul’Idayn are descended of Idayn explorers that settled on the northern continent of Athok. As they struggled to the survive as the climate cooled after the cataclysms of the War of the Gods, they struggled to survive until the Goddess of Winter, Fria, adopted them as her people and incarnated their children with the souls of Lycia, her elemental spirit of ice, which granted them mastery of their frozen homeland. Location and Abodes
The Aeul’Idayn inhabit the arctic continent of Athok, making their homes on the southernmost peninsula. There are several fishing villages scattered around the southern coastline, but the heart of their society is the magnificent ice city of Druill, which lays right on the arctic circle and sits upon the slopes of the southern end of the Undryn mountain range.

The coastal villages are build of stone and often reinforced with ice structures. Homes are low-lying and mostly single-story. Druill, however, is a city shaped from ice, built upon thousands of years of foundations. Over the generations, it has grown outward and upward to accommodate the growing population. Druill is a highly aesthetic construct, solid as a fortress, but artistically sculpted with sweeping spires and curvacious forms.

Appearance and Garb
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Much like the Idayn, they are tall and lithe in form, and quite uniform in appearance. Males stand at an average height of 6’ (1.82m) tall and females at 5’7” (1.7m), both genders with lean, sinewy forms. What makes the Aeul’Idayn most remarkable amongst their peers is their excessive paleness. Their skin is a moon-white, almost luminescent, and their hair color is exceptionally pale as well, often being white, silvery white, or platinum blonde. Their eye color is slightly more varied than the Idayn, often coming in pale, muted shades of blue, green, gray, gold, or lavender. Like the other elemental races, and their Idayn forebearers, they have long, tapered ears, but coastal dwelling Aeul’Idayn may have ears that are a bit shorter than their city dwelling kin.

The Aeul’Idayn have a fascination with white clothing; either for aesthetics or practicality. Hunters wear white furs and bleached leathers to blend in with the snow while hunting in the colder months (though in the summer, if the snows recede enough, they may don browns and grays). More fashion conscious Druillites wear woven fabrics (usually from wool or traded from outside Athok) along with bleached leather and white fur. Jewelry is either of carved bone and ivory, or silver and platinum metals with pale gems.

Life Span and Reproduction
The Aeul’Idayn have a lifespan reduced to around five hundred years. Like the other elemental races, their apparent aging ceases in adulthood, but they mature at the same rate as humans until the age of twenty-five, at which point apparent aging stops and they eventually take on an ‘ageless’ appearance until several decades before their eventual death, at which point the aging process continues.

Along with their lifespan, their reproductive cycle is shortened to five year cycles; females are only fertile for one year out of every five. Those on the coasts often take every advantage of those cycles as the land is harsh, costing the lives of children often. Druillites, on the other hand, are protected within their city and rarely suffer the lose of children due to the elements.

They are a monogamous race like the Idayn. Those in the coastal settlements often marry young—by the age of fifty. Druillites approach marriage with a bit less haste, often settling down around the age of one hundred. Interracial relationships are rare, considering the fact that they are quite isolated, but human sailors often visiting the coasts of Athok in the summer, occasionally allowing for liaisons between the two races.

Diet, Agriculture, and Hunting
Unlike the Idayn, the Aeul’Idayn have adopted an omnivorous diet due to the harsh conditions in which they live. Edible vegetation is hard to come by, so they rely on fishing and hunting the native wildlife. Some hardy plants are farmed on the warmer coasts, quickly harvested in summer and rationed between Druill and the locals. Reindeer and yaks are kept by the Aeul’Idayn, which they use for labor, milk, wool (from the yaks), and meat when the animals grow too old to work. They are very frugal with all their resources, and when they kill an animal, they make use of every part and pay homage to the animal.

Religion
Fria, the Goddess of Winter, is the patron goddess of the Aeul’Idayn, responsible for their reincarnation cycle. They honor her above all others, but acknowledge Idraen and the other elemental gods. Aside from Fria, they ignore the third generation gods and are ignorant of most of them.

Magic and Abilities
The Aeul’Idayn have the ability for Ice Elementalism, an ability that allows them to create freezing conditions in the same way the other elemental races manipulate their element. In their world, ice has many applications, and it allows them to survive as a part of their oft-frozen environment.

Aeul’Idayn have a high tolerance of cold temperatures, but they feel very uncomfortable in even the mildest heat of spring, and find the winters of the temperate climates balmy. Their sense of hearing is better than humans’, much like the other elemental races, but their other senses are not too different from humans.

Personality
The Aeul’Idayn are, as expected, a cold people, but not to say they entirely lack passion. Typically, they are proud and hardy, grateful for what they have rather than longing for what they do not have. When their passions do flare, they tend to pursue their goals with intense focus and overwhelming fortitude.

Relations
As secluded as they are, the Aeul’Idayn encounter few other people than human sailors that visit their lands. They are aware of their Idayn ancestors, and the other elemental races, though most of their knowledge is historical, or based on accounts of the few individuals that venture south. Their relations with humans often depend on history. Certain trading companies from the south commonly make stops at the Athok ports, and are trusted by the Aeul’Idayn, but they also have to contend with pirates and less scrupulous companies that have been known to kidnap their people as slaves, and over-hunt the wildlife. So, Aeul’Idayn are typically wary of newcomers, and can be outright aggressive if necessary to defend their people and food supply.

Play-Ability
Aeul’Idayn should be very uncommon in the open world. Individuals outside of Athok will require good reason to be away from home as they do not actively travel outside their lands.
Last edited by J. M. Vincent on Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:12 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Reason: Revised from Adun to Aserra
World of Aserra

Ery'Idayn (Desert Elves)

Post by World of Aserra » Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:35 am

Ery’Idayn
Pronunciation: eh-REE ih-DAYN. They should be called Ery’Idayn in the singular and plural. The collective possessive is Ery’Idaynian (e.g.; Ery’Idaynian culture, Ery’Idaynian weapons). Humans in the region often refer to them as “Ery” or “Eries” for short, but the rest of humanity is apt to call them “desert elves”.

An off-shoot of the Idayn, descending of explorers sent to the Great Desert. They settled here and became their own culture.
Location and Abodes
The Ery’Idayn inhabit the Great Desert of Thiskel, broken up into clans throughout the desert, some living deeper into the wastes that humans dare to venture, while others live alongside humans.

Residences vary between clans. Some are nomadic and wander through the desert following water supplies and prey animals, and live in tents. Others live near stable oasis in permanent homes made of mud and thatch. Some others yet live alongside the mountains ringing the desert in cities carved out of the cliffs. Finally, others living near humans will take advantage of their settlements.

Appearance and Garb
Ery’Idayn have some variety to their appearance due to intermixing with the local human populations. Pure-blooded Ery’Idayn are much taller and hardier than their Idayn ancestors. Males stand at an average of 6’5” (1.95m), and females at 6’ (1.83m), both with lean, sinewy builds, but a bit thicker than Idayn. Females have sinuous builds, with small busts and often well-toned physiques. Males are moderately broad-shouldered, lanky, and more muscular than their Idayn forebearers, but not to the extent humans are capable of bulking up. They have the long, tapered ears of other elemental races, and a facial structure that is more severe than the delicate Idayn features. Pure-bloods have a deep bronzed complexion and straight blonde to white hair, which is often bleached by the sun. Their eye color is often pale as well, coming in shades of blue, green, violet, and gold, often lightened by sun exposure as well.

Many Ery’Idayn clans are well-mixed with the local human populations, which brings a varying amount of traits, including varied heights (though still typically tall as their human neighbors are taller than average), different body types, darker hair and eye colors, and different hair textures. The people of the Great Desert are swarthy, with deep brown complexions, straight to curly black and brown hair, and brown, hazel, or gold eyes. Mixed race individuals will also have varied ear lengths, from half the length of a pure-blood, to only a few centimeters shorter than average.

The Ery’Idayn clothe themselves in cottons, mostly, either in white or sandy colored—though more colorful clothing is reserved for special occasions. White is preferred as it reflects the sun and keeps them cooler, while sandy garb is reserved for hunters as camouflage. Armor is made of skins and leathers, and chitinous plates from giant scorpions that inhabit the desert. The exact fashions are similar to the humans out of necessity for protection from sun and heat, or adopted from human culture.

Lifespan and Reproduction
The Ery’Idayn lifespan varies between pure-bloods and mixed bloods. Pure-blooded Ery’Idayn may live up to five hundred years, while mixed individuals can live between five to two hundred and fifty years depending on percentage of human blood. Like the other elemental races, they mature at the same rate as humans until the age of twenty-five, at which point apparent aging ceases, though the individual will eventually take on an ageless appearance. Several decades before their eventual death, the Ery’Idayn will continue to age again at a normal rate again.

Pure-blooded women ovulate over the course of an entire month once every season, while mixed-blood women may ovulate more often. Bearing many children is considered crucial in their culture, as the harsh conditions often lead to infant and child mortality more commonly amongst the Ery’Idayn than the Idayn. Their genders are considered equal, and women may chose the same careers as men, but they are often encouraged to be domestic and bear many children. Women who opt for more masculine lifestyles bear less children, but usually have at least one child in their life.

The Ery’Idayn are polygynous; men take multiple wives. Though women aren’t usually allowed the same privilege as taking more than one husband, the arrangement is made on socially equal footing. Wives usually come one at a time, gradually collected throughout the husband’s life. The women must approve of each other, and if the current wives do not take a liking to a new addition she won’t join the family. For clans near humans, human women are often integrated into these families. This arrangement also allows for female hunters to have a stable home to return to, while their husband has the company of other wives. Men generally accrue no more than four wives throughout their lives, and sire as many children as possible with them.

Diet, Agriculture, and Hunting
Due to their environment, the Ery’Idayn resorted to an omnivorous, and predominantly carnivorous, diet unlike their vegetarian Idayn ancestors. They hunt for many prey animals, though they prefer lighter meats from reptiles and giant scorpions. Many Ery’Idayn took to keeping goats for meat and milk after interacting with humans. They also keep small gardens where they cultivate edible native plants. Those that live near humans may take advantage of their agricultural yields as well. Water is the most valuable resource to the Ery’Idayn, and they do not waste even a single drop. They always live near a source of water in the desert; be it oasis springs, underground springs, or mountain run-off from the northern mountains.

Religion
The Ery’Idayn have long since been abandoned by Idraen, and religious practices vary a bit between clans. Often, they are a shamanistic culture. Individuals with a strong spiritual connection are readily trained to be shamans, putting them in the position of spiritual leaders of their clan. The community beneath them respect the spirits and do their best to win their favor. They rely on shamans to locate water sources.

Ery’Idayn living nearer to human society may adopt their worship of third generation gods, often in conjunction with shamanistic worship.

Magic and Abilities
The ability for Light Elementalism was lost to the Ery’Idayn many centuries ago when they broke from the Idayn, now they no longer have any inherent form of magic. They now are born with the same souls as humans. Individuals with a higher spiritual capacity are usually trained as shamans.

Like other elemental races, their hearing is far better than humans’, but their other senses are often on par with humans. Due to their environment, they are a hardy and capable people. They have a high tolerance for heat and require less water to thrive than other races, but they are easily chilled when they travel to temperate regions of Aserra.

Physically they are quite strong, fast, and agile. Though they do lack the potential for utter brute strength that humans can reach, they are often so thoroughly trained in martial talents, no matter their station in life, that their combination of strength, speed, and agility is far superior to the average human. Hunters are the most thoroughly trained and physically imposing, while shamans, domestics, and other non-combatants are even trained in at least self-defense techniques, and practice martial forms in the event that they must defend their home from dangerous wildlife or desert raiders.

Personality
A culture of survivalists, the Ery’Idayn value strength, honor, and discipline. The weak do not survive the desert, leaving only the strong. Those that do survive grow up in a regimented society where everyone is a capable and contributing member by fulfilling a duty and protecting the community’s best interests and livelihood.

Relations
The Ery’Idayn’s main relations are with the local human populations, with whom they are often friendly with, and even intermarry with, and Asath communities. Occasionally they do have conflicts over resources or some slight with human and Asath communities, and even other Ery’Idayn clans, but none that affect they entire race. With other races of Aserra, the Ery’Idayn have little to no opinion.

Play-ability
The Ery’Idayn rarely leave their desert, making them rare in the open world, but they should be quite common in any RPs set in the Great Desert.
Last edited by J. M. Vincent on Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:12 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Reason: Revised from Adun to Aserra
World of Aserra

Oir'Idayn (Grass Elves)

Post by World of Aserra » Fri Sep 19, 2008 2:51 pm

Oir'Idayn
Pronunciation: oh-EIR ih-DAYN. Grammatically, they should be referred to as Oir’Idayn in the singular and plural. The collective possessive is Oir’Idaynian (e.g.; Oir’Idaynian culture, Oir’Idaynian fashion, etc.). Humans have taken to calling them “grass elves”.

An Idayn sub-race, they are descended of explorers that settled into the grasslands of the central Kalesten isthmus. Abandoned by Idraen, they have become a shamanistic culture.
Location and Abodes
The Oir’Idayn inhabit central Kalesten’s isthmus between the northern and southern parts of the continent. The long and narrow spit of land falls between the tropics, making it quite warm, ranging between prairie, tropical grassland, and coastal scrub-land.

Oir’Idayn homes are huts of mud and stone walls and grass thatch roofs. Wood is a hard-to-come-by commodity, but there are often small groves of trees and shrubs that can provide wood for various uses. They arrange themselves into small communities, maintaining small, scattered populations to conserve resources.

Appearance and Garb
The Oir’Idayn have a uniform appearance; short, compact, lean, tan, and blonde. Males stand an average of 5’5” to 5’7” (1.65m-1.7m) and females at 5’ to 5’3” (1.52m-1.6m). They have a more compact and muscular body than the Idayn, but their musculature is still lean and cannot compare with human potential for muscle bulk. Females typically have a pear-shaped body with a small to medium bust and wide hips, while the male figure is straight and lean. Their skin color is deeply tanned to bronzed, and their hair a light shade of blonde, often bleached further by the sun. Eye color ranges through green, blue, gray, violet, or gold. Like other elemental races, they have the long, tapered ears of their Idayn ancestors.

Their clothing is reminiscent of Idayn fashions, but cooler, simpler, and more practical. Cotton is a favored fabric, usually left natural with accents of dyed earthy shades of green, gold, blue, and red. Hunters will wear leather and bone armor, and most of their weapons are made of wood or bone. They adorn themselves with jewelry strung of string and sinew and of carved wood or bone, set with colorful polished stones.

Lifespan and Reproduction
The Oir’Idayn have a five-hundred year lifespan. Like other elemental races, they mature at the same rate as humans, until the age of twenty-five when apparent aging stops until several decades before death, at which point aging continues at the same pace as humans. They eventually take on an ageless appearance throughout life.

Oir’Idayn women are fertile one year out of every five, in which they undergo a menses like human women until a child is conceived or the year is up. They usually bear no more than two or three children throughout their lives.

Oir’Idayn are a monogamous race, though they are not always perfectly monogamous. Usually, their first romantic partner is their spouse, but males and sometimes females seek extra-marital romance though it is considered taboo. They typically marry before their 50th year, often to an individual they have been close to since childhood. When parents recognize a potential union, the children are considered betrothed and married as they enter adulthood, but if a match can’t be made in childhood they may arrange a marriage within their village, or with another village. Betrothals may also be abandoned if one of the pair finds a more suitable partner before the planned marriage.

Diet, Agriculture, and Hunting
The Oir’Idayn rely on a diet of predominantly vegetation, fruit, grain, and fungi, supplemented with meat, fish, and eggs. They hunt mostly small game, and fish if a major water supply is nearby. In their villages, they cultivate native edible plants in both community maintained gardens, and small personal gardens. They also keep and train rhea (a large flightless bird native to the isthmus) for labor, eggs, and meat. Most families keep at least one female rhea, while there are one or two males kept in the village for breeding. Some male rhea and female rhea that are past their prime are eventually killed for their meat.

Religion
The Oir’Idayn were forgotten by Idraen many, many centuries ago, and most have forgotten him. Instead, the Oir’Idayn have become a predominantly shamanistic culture. Individuals of a high spiritual aptitude are trained as shamans, while the rest of the community regard them as spiritual leaders and do their best to respect the spirits in their everyday life, and pay homage to them in hopes of garnering their favor.

Magic and Abilities
The Oir’Idayn have lost their ancestor’s ability for light elementalism. They commonly practice shamanism, however. Individuals of significant spiritual power are quickly taken under the wing of experienced shamans to learn the art.

Like other elemental races, their long ears, in part, allow them greater hearing. Compared to humans and other Idayn, their vision is more acute, and able to see over further distances. Otherwise, their physical senses are no greater than humans. They are a hardy and self-sufficient race. Oir’Idayn are quick and agile, stronger than some Idayn races, but not as potentially strong as humans. Weapon-wise, they rely on bone daggers, spears, bows and arrows, bolas, and other weapons that can be fashioned out of available resources, but they are unfamiliar with swords.

Personality
The Oir’Idayn are a reclusive race, usually preferring to keep to their own kind and their own traditions. On the surface, they are usually friendly, but keep others at arm’s length. Among their own, they are a hard-working and reliable people.

Relations
The Oir’Idayn are rare outside of their region as they rarely leave home, but they should be readily available in any RPs taking place on the isthmus.

Play-Ability
The Oir’Idayn are rare outside of their region as they rarely leave home, but they should be readily available in any RPs taking place on the isthmus.
Last edited by J. M. Vincent on Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:13 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Reason: Revised from Adun to Aserra
World of Aserra

Ur'Idayn (Wild Elves)

Post by World of Aserra » Fri Mar 09, 2012 7:37 pm

Ur’Idayn
Pronunciation: UHR ih-DAYN Grammatically, they should be the Ur’Idayn in the singular and plural, and Ur’Idaynian applies to the collective possessive (e.g.; Ur’Idaynian culture, Ur’Idaynian fashion). Humans have taken to calling them “wild elves”.

An off-shoot of the Idayn race, the Ur’Idayn the furthest disconnected from their parent race. They have become a feral race that slaughtered and bred out the humans native to the forests of southern Kalesten.
Location and Abodes
The Ur’Idayn inhabit the rain forests of southern Kalesten, broken into clans throughout the forests. They prefer an arboreal lifestyle, and make their homes high in the canopy of the forest. Their homes are built of a variety of materials gathered from the forest. Most of the larger trees can support two or three homes. Villages are connected by rope and wood bridges. The forest floor can be reached by make-shift manual elevators, ropes, or steps. There are outposts on the forest floor for scouts and hunters so that they do not have to make the journey back up to the canopy every day.

Appearance and Garb
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The Ur’Idayn have lost the fair features of their Idayn ancestors, and today are a swarthy people with red-brown skin, black hair, and brown, gold, or red eyes. Though mixed with humans, they have achieved homogeneity between the dark features of the humans they bred out, and the elemental features of their Idayn ancestors. Males stand an average of 5’9” (1.75m) and females at 5’4” (1.62m). They have lean, sinewy builds, usually slender and taut with muscle for fighters, though non-combatants are a little softer. Females have slender to slightly curvy figures with small to moderate sized busts. Males have slender builds, sometimes with broad shoulders. Like all elemental races, their ears are long and tapered, and have returned to the full length typical of other Idayn after generations of human heritage.

Their red-brown complexion and black hair can be attributed to human ancestry. The Ur’Idayn once shared their forests with a promising tribal culture of humans, but the Ur’Idayn were not pleased with the way they treated the forest. In vengeance, they decided to wipe out the humans. Many were slaughtered, but many other humans whom were deemed attractive enough were captured and kept as slaves by the Ur’Idayn. Children born into the unions were accepted into Ur’Idayn society, and the traits of the human culture they annihilated lived on them. Occasionally, old Idayn traits will surface, giving an individual light hair, light eyes, or light features all together.

Their garb is made of what the forests provides; animal skins. The Ur’Idayn wear little, however, due to the warm climate, and instead it is common for men and women to wear little more than loincloths. Women often go top-less, though more active busty females may opt for a small top to keep their breasts contained. Shoes are rare, but they may wear sandals of leather and wood to protect their feet when walking on the ground. Women adorn themselves with colorful parrot feathers, flowers, and beaded necklaces, bracelets, and anklets of wood, seed, bone, or tooth beads. Men often wear necklaces with similar beads, but less color, except for shamans and clan leaders. Different clans may identify themselves with tribal tattoos and piercings with bone or wood plugs.

Lifespan and Reproduction
The lifespan of the Ur’Idayn is greatly reduced to a mere two-hundred years. As they other elemental races, Ur’Idayn mature at the same rate as humans until the age of twenty-five, at which point their apparent aging ceases for the next 125 years, though they may eventually take on an ageless appearance. At around 150 years of age, the aging process continues until eventual death.

Female Ur’Idayn ovulate once every two months, or twice a season, only slightly longer than humans, but far more frequent than any other Idayn race. Infant mortality is high, so they must keep their population strong. These female hunters have less children as they focus on their work, but most women have as many children as possible. They are a polygamous culture, which is typically polygynous, but some influential women have been known to take multiple husbands. Usually, men are hunters and women are domestics, but they do not begrudge a capable woman of joining the hunt. Individuals are considered married once they consummate a courtship, so when a man takes another partner aside from his wife, the second woman becomes his wife too. Marriages are usually formed in the twenties, rarely later than 30 years old, except for female hunters and devoted shamans.

Diet, Agriculture, and Hunting
A predominantly hunter-gatherer culture, the Ur’Idayn hunt and fish for meat, and gather fruits, nuts, fungi, and plants. Many foods can be found in the canopy alone, and some food is cultivated in or near the village in the canopy.

Religion
The Ur’Idayn are a predominantly shamanistic culture, but some are also dragon worshipers. Shamans are highly revered and the most spiritual powerful individuals. Clans honor spirits by living as one with the forest and never taking more than they need.

As for the dragon worshipers, there are many green dragons in the rain forests, and though they are more fond of the Samiss, they sometimes accept Ur’Idayn as followers. Their followers are expected to adhere to the dragonメs wisdom, and provide the dragon with offerings in exchange for its protection.

Magic and Abilities
The Ur’Idayn have long since abandoned Idraen and been forgotten by him, and thus have fallen into shamanic traditions. They have no inherent ability for magic, but some individuals have higher spiritual power and are sought out as children to be groomed as shamans.

Like other elemental races, their long ears, in part, provide them with better hearing than humans. Their sense of smell is also especially keen, but their other senses are little better than those of humans. Ur’Idayn are quite agile with their arboreal lifestyle, but their brute strength doesn’t quite match up with other races with more raw strength potential.

Their weapons are made of all natural material, as they have no forging ability. Materials can include wood, bone, volcanic rock, and leather. Spears, bows, throwing darts or blowdarts (sometimes poisoned), bolas, boomerangs, and other primitive weapons are used by them. Any swords or other metal weapons they may have would be stolen from trespassers.

Because they hunt in the canopy, ranged weapons are often the best, this includes bows, bone throwing darts or blow darts (often poisoned), bolas, boomerangs, and throwing spears. For melee, they use variations of punch claws often made with bone or actual animal claws, spears, and a unique weapon with a scythe-like blade on a rope or chain. They rarely use swords (all of which would have been stolen from trespassers), and have very little skill with them, as swords do not fit their fighting style.

Personality
Ur’Idayn are feral at best. They do not conform to the personality of the Idayn, but they do have a spiritual nature that lends itself to a close connection to the natural and spiritual worlds. They are aggressive, passionate, and hardy people.

Relations
The Ur’Idayn have neighbors in various tribes of Ochae’nafod, and Samiss, as well as some Zaedyn in the mountains. Humans native to the forest were completely wiped out by the Ur’Idayn, but they still have a low opinion of them when adventurers come to challenge their forests. The Ochae’nafod and Samiss are wary of their wrath, and even Ur’Idayn clans may come into conflict over territory or doctrine. Romance between Ur'Idayn and Ochae’nafod is known to occur, but rarely as the Ochae’nafod are a more peaceful race.

Play-ability
The Ur’Idayn rarely venture out of their forests, so they should be exceedingly rare in the open world, to the point that very few should even know of their existence. Any RPs taking place within their forest will most definitely involve them, however.
Last edited by J. M. Vincent on Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:13 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Reason: Revised from Adun to Aserra
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