House Silma

[SmartScout 392]

The Silma

A comprehensive and complete guide to the Silma House

Written by Elros Silma, 

5th Keeper of Malin’s Flame of the Siolian Line

 

Summary

The Silma are an Elder House of Elves who currently reside in Siramenor in Elvenesse. While they generally followers of a blend of Wood Elven and Almenodrim culture, they have their own traditions and rules beyond the Sea Tenants and welcome any child of Malin to their ranks, regardless of subrace and culture, so long as their ideals align. The Silma, as a house, focus on defending and aiding other elves however they may, whether through skill at arms or knowledge of the world and its ways. They hold themselves to high standards of honor, humility, and hold traditional elven values strong to this day. They are led by the Keeper of Malin’s Flame and see themselves as guardians of the Elven people and the traditions of Malin.

 

Foundation and Ancient History

The Silma are an ancient house of Elves whom were founded by Siol, the Second Son of Malin. Many of them were originally a tightly bound company of warriors called the Silmarion, whom were organized by Siol to protect the children of Malin as they escaped from the Demonic Hordes of Iblees. Many died working towards this task. They stood before the demons, their swords, bows, and spears held at the ready and their formations tight, though they were often outnumbered twenty or more to one by the Undead. Overtime, Siol began to see his companions not as simple brothers and sisters in arms, but as family. Hence held them to high standards of honor and humility throughout the war, the same standards to which he would hold himself or his own kin. He adopted many of them over the course of the war, with them taking on his surname of Silma. With the end of the War and the Fall of Iblees, Malin promptly disappeared into his exile, and Siol disappeared soon after. Why he left the people he cared so much for is unknown, but it is thought that he felt some sort of guilt for his father’s self exile and for the many elves that died despite his efforts.

 

After the departure of Siol, the Silma were left in the hands of Siol’s two sons, Skale and Loriens. They held the unit together as best they could, staying in the city of old Malinor while watching over the elves who resided there and trying to mediate some form of order. The Ichorian departure came very soon after Malin’s death, and due to this early abandonment of Malinor and the Ichorian’s quest for power and to pursue traditions that the Silma saw as savage, few or no Silma joined them. A few decades later, when the Irrinites departed, some Silma did accompany them, led by Skale. They admired the Seeds and were largely Aspectist, and hence wished to leave the walls of the city and rejoin nature as the Irrinites did. They left on good terms with the rest of the house who, led by Loriens, stayed in Malinor as its population dwindled.

 

Eventually, when the population of Malinor was sparse and few besides the Silma and remained, Edrahil Sylvaeri and his company returned from their adventures and the famous dragonslaying. At this point the Silma met him at the gates with some degree of hostility due to Sylvaen’s Kinslaying. However, after some form of atonement from Edrahil, the details of which have been lost to time (at least to my knowledge), and taken with the honor of Edrahil and the oath he and his brothers swore to avoid the sins of their father, the Silma and remaining elves joined him in his quest across the sea. The Siolian culture slowly blended with the Almenodrim’s as the years went on, the two houses residing together in Old Aegrothond off the coast of Atlas until it was abandoned and the Almenodrim rejoined the other Elven splinter groups in the reformed Malinor.

 

The Silma then lived in Malinor through its existence, though they started to slowly grow apart as the years went on. This is due to the Silma being less necessary when Malin’s children were at their strongest with no great enemy to fight. Loriens, however, kept what traditions he could and passed them to his three daughters, Lûthil, Hâdhel, and Esgalneth in Anthos. Loriens believed all three, along with his wife, were lost in the flood. This was, however, not entirely the case, and led to a further fragmentation of the House. Then next section will follow the happenings among the branches of Loriens’ children before returning to the Siolian line which persists today. Large portions of the account of Arben’s line are taken verbatim from the histories of Haston Silma, which were given to me by Haust when he rejoined the main line of Silma a few years ago.

 

The Quenching of the Hearths

In the years leading toward the dawn of the modern age, three distinct lines of Silma came together in preparation for the oncoming storm of Ibleesian servants. During this time it is said that the matriarchs of these lines, daughters of the then missing Loriens, became twisted in their ideologies. The eldest sister between them, Lûthil, remained most closely tied to Siolian customs. The younger, Hâdhel, proved the opposite. Marrying a man of ‘aheral nobility proved to eviscerate the woman’s love for her kin, as soon concepts of purity and superiority prevailed over her mind. Hâdhel became a soul afflicted by vile whispers of treachery - yet still she could not bear to see her kin slain. In desperation to repair cultural hostilities growing between the two Lines, Lûthil summoned for her sister’s kin. This did not, however, ended in hostility, starting a great and long feud among these lines, leaving only Arben and his sister Tirnel and a handful of others alive at its

 

At first, the meeting tense though peaceful, with Hâdhel being cold to her sister and not receptive to her ways, being set in the ways of the Thill. However, this was soon to change, as Cailion Saedus, Hâdhel’s husband, had secretly followed his wife with some of his kin, and used the meeting as an opportunity to eradicate some of the Thill’s greatest detractors. When the first Silma was killed by her husband’s hand, Hâdhel was shocked into realization, and begged forgiveness from her sister for what had happened, frantically hoping to make up for what she had done. However, it was short lived, as both sisters were struck down, Lûthil on Cailion’s sword and Hâdhel was killed in the chaotic fighting, though which side stuck her down and whether she was forgiven and redeemed is unknown. By the end of the meeting, all the true Silma in attendance were dead, though many had escaped to various Sanctuaries about the world. Cailion, who blamed the death of his wife on the Silma in his twisted mind, swore to kill all the Silma he could, until all their hearths were quenched, literally and metaphorically.

 

This murderous sentiment sparked a war between the two bloodlines lasting several decades, where one by one each Sanctuary fell to the forces of the Thill and the Silma within were killed and their hearth quenched, though each time heavy casualties were inflicted on the Saedus pretenders as well. It came down to the very last Sanctuary, the last Hearth, with Ârben and Tirnel, the children of Lûthil defending it with the last of the Silma. The fighting was fierce and long, and after hours, with the walls breached and the Saedus in the keep and the sacred sanctuary itself, the last of the Silma were finally able to defeat the Thill, though with innumerable losses to their men, and with the final Hearth being quenched moments before the victory. It was here that Ârben swore on the unlit hearth to reform his house, to assure nothing like this wretched slaying which left hundreds of true and corrupted Silma dead would ever happen again. This led to the far harsher way that he led the house, as he believed the ways passed down to his mother by Loriens were too weak to allow the house to last going forward. Hence the Arbenian line was formed, far more insular, strict, harsh, and dogmatic than its predecessor, forged by conflict and quenched in blood.

 

The Arbenian Line

    The Line of Ârben began briefly after the first blood-feud between opposing lines of Silma. In the diminishing and rapidly darkening days thereafter would the son of Lûthil, a woman hardened by the tragedies of the First Ibleesian war, emerge to lead his few remaining Kin. Much like his mother, Ârben had been forged by conflict, though evermore was he plagued by his earliest days of combat. Later within his life, he was given a Sister - an elfess brought into the Siolian ranks during the earlier days of the blood-feud. It was said that she provided the voice of mercy, a motherly figure to those who found serving alongside Ârben as too exhausting. While Ârben remained the sole Keeper of his line, much credit is given to Tirnel for keeping the few remaining survivors of the feud united. 

 

    Above all, Ârben taught those who remained under his protection the art of discipline. To be a Silma was to become a greater guardian of Malin’s Children. An honor that befell a relative few, Ârben commanded a guard of Elites that rarely numbered higher than seventy-five men. The distraction of war brought by conflict between the Descendants was not the primary focus of the Line, after all. The Siolians of the early modern age most often placed familial Halls wherever able, creating a network of sorts between Elven settlements of varying size and importance. There was a time in which the Halls of Siol represented a safety of sorts to citizenry - an elder brother of sorts to watch over not only the nobility, but the peasantry as well. Despite whatever poise the Siolians of Ârben’s line seemed to achieve, humility oftentimes shrouded the true magnitude of heroic deeds performed by the ever standing guard. Vanguards against evils greater than the pursuits of lesser men - Ârben’s Line became the unsung champions of their time.

 

    Of course, the strength of one’s sword arm means little against certain creatures of the abyss. It was for this reason that Ârben anointed many outside of the bloodline Silma. Specialists of every variety were once as equally demanded as warrior of great reputation. It was for this reason that the followers of Ârben became split into two distinct branches; those who were guided by Tirnel, the sister of Ârben, and those who fought alongside Ârben himself. Tirnel acted as a guide for Siolians delving into scholarly, diplomatic, and creative pursuits. It was beneath her that the true upkeeping of the family took place, the Seer branch being ever important stewards of familial Halls and courtrooms. 

 

The Siolian Line

Loriens persisted on after Anthos, thinking the whole of his line was dead, not knowing of Arben or of the Quenching. He would go look for his families over the descendants time in Athera and Vailor before coming to the Dominion of Malin in Axios and joining their guard force, trying to reconnect with his past and his old reason for being. In Atlas, Loriens met with Skale again and the two decided to reform the Silma, for a brief time as a banner house of the Sylvaeri and then as their own house as they were in the past.

 

The two brothers blended the old Ame idea of a Seed with the traditions of Malinor and the original Silma in this new iteration of the house, which made it grow quite quickly. Loriens then succeeded Belestram Sylveari as the Third High Prince of the Dominion of Malin after it’s reformation, and he led the nation for a brief time, trying his best to further improve things for Malin’s Children, though internal and external turmoil hindered his efforts. The stress of the position slowly got to him, eventually leading him to step down and go back to simply being the Keeper of Malin’s Flame. Eventually he left even that position, appointing Skale as the new Keeper and going forth to wander and clear his head, occasionally coming back to check on the family he had formed. Skale then left after a relatively short and uneventful term as Keeper leaving Miklaeil as his successor. 

 

Miklaeil led the Silma well in his time, with his term stretching over the fall of the Dominion and the migration of the Silma to Aegrothond, to rejoin the Sylvaeri there as they had in ancient times. In his term, though the family grew and flourished in several family units that had been adopted in since the reformation of the House, the strong sense of duty and the purpose of the family were somewhat put by the wayside in favor of being a standard but inviting Almenodrim house. When Miklaeil stepped down and, after a tight election, I was chosen to succeed him. It was then my goal to rebuild the Silma with the sense of purpose we had lost over the years, aided by the last notes of Loriens and the history of the Arbenian line. The following are the codes and traditions of today’s Silma, which will hopefully allow us to thrive and continue in our purpose with a lesser risk of misunderstandings, family divisions, and ideological breaks tearing us apart, as happened in the quenching and in the decline that occurred in recent years due to the interbreeding of certain members with other descendant races and the way which many modern Silma lost sight of the ideals and morals that made the Silma what they were since the times of Siol. These codes are a compilation of the codes of Siol and Arben’s ancient codes with modifications to better suit modern times.

 

Family Tree

 

Note to reader that many on the family tree are adopted, and that all those noted as Siol’s Children, outside of Loriens and Skale, along with Renee Silma, are all adpoted and are simply noted as how Loriens would have referred to them. Whether they are Blood Siolians is questionable, though some (Aewion, Annil, and myself, for example) exhibit some signs such as the line’s characteristic red hair and paler skin than many mali’ame. This could represent some distant relation, perhaps through the Skaelian, Arbenian, or Hâdhelian lines, or through some Silma where either no wife/husband is noted or by some unmentioned, deceased line.

 

Hierarchy

The hierarchy is fairly simple, with the Keeper of Malin’s Flame as the leader of the house, the Elders as leaders of safehouses or simply being senior and respected members of the family, and the members being brethren in name and in purpose. All in the house can voice their disputes, but the Keeper and Elders will always have the final say, unless they directly break the Codes. When a Keeper steps down, he is the choose his successor from among the Elders. The Elders can overturn the appointment only if they can demonstrate that the candidate directly broke the codes, in which case a new successor will be chosen. If the Keeper dies before naming a successor, then the Elders and family will decide on the new Keeper in an election. The Current Keeper of Malin’s Flame is Haust Silma (YourFriendKota), and the current Elder is Elros Silma (SmartScout).

 

The Codes of the Silma

• The Children of Malin are to be regarded as a precious resource in the realm, and are to be guarded accordingly. 
  • Traitors to the race (e.g, murderers, tyrants), are to be detained if found and brought before either the court of the nation whom they attacked or to the Keeper for judgement. If found guilty, these individuals are deemed to have abandoned Malin, and thusly no longer fall beneath the protection of the Silma. If one is found guilty of causing great harm to Malin’s Children (kinslayers and slavers especially), the Keeper and the Silma are to suggest death as a punishment, and carry such a punishment out if it is possible and reasonable to do so.
  • Elves beneath the age of 50 are exempt from this process, as they juvenile.
• The Family and its goals must take precedence before one’s personal pursuits. 
• Elven customs of all cultures are to be tolerated, lest such customs interfere with the greater safety of Malin’s Children.
• Any Mali’ to declare themselves ‘King’ by right or claim is to be treated as a traitor to the one King of Elves, Malin.
• To serve Elven royalty beyond the Silma is permitted, so long as no oath binding the individual from acting in accordance with the word of the Keeper or the Codes listed.
• Our ancestors are to be held in reverence. Fallen Silma are to be laid within a canoe and set to sea, then to be cremated.
• Interbreeding or engaging in intimate relationships with other Descendants is not to be tolerated in the Silma.  Elven blood may mingle, but the race is to be kept free of halfbreeds, for it is a great curse and leads to much grief for the parents and children, in the end. 
  • Born halfbreeds are to be treated with pity. These individuals are victim enough already to the two curses that afflict them.
• Silma are expected to maintain dignity and poise in their public life. Being a representative of Siol’s will is no task to be taken lightly. Discipline or expulsion will follow any act deemed disgraceful to the family by the Keeper.
• The practice of magic is permitted, so long as it does not endanger the greater safety of Malin’s Children or the world at large.
• Any Keeper or Elder within the Silma who gives an order that directly violates these codes is to be disciplined as found necessary by the Keeper and/or Elders (depending on whom gave such an order)
• The Silma are to obey local laws and traditions when they are afield unless they directly violate one of these codes, in which they are to voice their opinion and act on it, though with discretion.

 

Traditions of the Silma

Trials for Entry

 

The Silma require anyone who seeks to join the House to complete 4 trials in order to prove their dedication to the Children of Malin and the ideals of the Silma. The first 3 may be completed in any order, though the fourth one must be done last.

 

1. Trial of Knowledge: The goal of the Silma is to aid and protect other Elves, so hence they are to learn of the different Children of Malin, and their customs. For this trial a Silma initiate should ask a member of each race and culture of Malin’s children to speak of their people and traditions, and the initiate should then report of what they learned to an Elder or the Keeper in either writing or speech to show they know the state of Elvenesse in their time.
2. Trial of Craft: A Silma must use their talents to help Malin’s people, hence they should create something with their talents to glorify the legacy and home of the elves. It can be food, music, literature, poetry, woodwork, smithwork, scholarly work, or any other craft, so long as it is tied into the history and heritage of the Mali or to their present cultures, homes, or lifestyles.
3. Trial of Family: An initiate must know of the Silma and their history and meaning, so for this trial they must speak with the Keeper or an Elder about the history of the Silma and about events in one’s life that display what it is to be a Silma.
4. Trial of Honor: A Silma must help their kin with honor, and in this trial the Silma must demonstrate they are willing to do this. Here, an initiate must do some service for the Mali as a whole, whether it be freeing Mali slaves, defending a Mali nation, healing wounded, brokering peace, or otherwise working for the betterment of Malin’s Children. Once this trial is complete one has proven themself to be a worthy Silma and may receive the mark.

 

Malin’s Flame

Malin’s Flame is, in literal terms, the hearth kept by the Keeper or Elders of the Silma house. There can be multiple physical hearths that hold the flame, as any Silma manor or safehouse will hold the hearth, and even the hearths commonly found in the rooms or homes of the Silma could be considered to be lit with the Flame. However, it is much more than a simple ordinary fire found in a Silma-owned hearth, but a concept central to the Silma ideology. The Flame represents the will of Malin himself, and by extension represents tradition, knowledge, wisdom, justice, morality, and strength. A Silma may often bid someone farewell by saying “May Malin’s Flame Guide You.” or some variation of such, as a form of blessing upon a traveler, hoping that they find wisdom and safety in their journey. The concept of the Flame is central to the Silma ideology, so it should never be doused if at all possible. Even within Aegrothond and the Almenodrim culture at large, Malin’s Flame and the Silma’s adherence to it is well known, with Silma generally being respected as wise and as being the moral compass of Elvenesse. As is said in a stanza of traditional Almenodrim verse: “Kaeronins keep the sails strung high, until the break of day. The Crown of Storms will steer the ship, and Silma light the way.”

 

The Burning of the Mark

If a Silma departs the house for reasons of differing ideology, or if they are determined by the Keeper to have betrayed the goals and traditions of the Silma, or brings great dishonor to the House through their actions, then a Silma is to have their tattoo burned off their back with either conventional fire or with the fire of a pyromancer or fire elementalist. This is to forever be a mark of shame on them, and to show that what they are giving up or what they have betrayed is something that they will likely never attain again. It is meant to be a deterrent, a warning, and a sign to any seeking to join the Silma of the severity of such an infraction and the high standards the house holds themselves too. Those leaving due to marriage or a similar situation where the ideologies of the Silma will still be adhered to and only the name itself is dropped do not have the mark burnt off, but in any case of betrayed or disputed ideology where a member leaves or is kicked out, the mark must be burnt.

 

Funerary Rites

A deceased Silma is to be laid onto a pile of straw soaked in oil in a small wooden boat (rafts, canoes, or other small boats are all acceptable) and then pushed out to sea. Once they are a fair distance out, a flaming arrow lit from the Silma Hearth (directly or through a torch lit from the Hearth) is to be shot into the boat, igniting the straw so that Malin’s Flame may claim the body and lead them to the next world. Silma who were close to the deceased, or all the Silma in the case of the death of a present or former Keeper of Malin’s Flame or a great Elven hero, traditionally douse the hearth in their home, though the main communal hearths are to be kept lit at all times.

 

Rites of Hospitality

The Silma are protectors, guardians, and friends to all Mali, so hence the doors of their safehouses and manors to be kept open to any who seek refuge, food, shelter, or even simple conversation. If in times of peace, the doors of the main manor are to be kept unlocked. In times of war, or where there is an open threat to a Silma, they are to be kept locked, but are to be open if any of peaceful intent come to them. To violate the hospitality of the Silma, whether by committing a crime, causing disorder, or other such mischief is not acceptable, and will be punished to a level fitting of the crime, with being thrown out for a time being a common punishment for smaller infractions and arrest, execution, and/or the waiving of one’s rights to the protection of the Silma being punishments for serious crimes (murder, slaving, kidnapping, and other such actions). If a state similar to Malinor or the Dominion is ever reestablished, where all races of Elves live in close proximity, the Silma should seek to have a Sanctuary in each city or district, to allow them to help each group of mali effectively and offer hospitality and protection quickly and effectively. Also, it allows for Silma of each culture and race to live among their people and provide for them as best they can.

 

The Silmarion

While currently defunct, as the house is quite small at the moment and could not support it, there has historically been a concept of having other houses or induviduals who are affilated with the Silma due to shared goals without taking on the Silma name. The most recent example was the Demetriou family serving as banner seed under the Silma, though examples stretch back to original members of Siol’s comapny during the Iblessian Wars, and it is a concept tha tcoule be revitilized if there is interest in the future.

 

Final Notes from the Author

Some of the text is of my hand and some is more ancient, though parts of the older transcripts have been edited and names changed so it is easier to read and understand for the modern reader. For example, Loriens and Skale went by different names in ancient times, so their names were change so those of our Era would recognize that they were being spoken of. The history section in general is based of a mix of Silma Oral Tradition, old tomes I have found upon my travels, the histories of the Arbenian Line that my nephew Haust granted me, the Oral Traditions and histories of the Sylvaeri, and some archeological evidence I have found throughout my life. Note that some of this information may be flawed, as some of it is based on logical inferences. Simply note that I tried my hardest to portray events as accurately as I could to history, and our morals as true to the words and Last Will and Testament of Loriens and to the Codes of Arben as I could. Finally, I offer a short note to any who find this tome, identify it, and seek to join us. I can relate with your feelings, as I felt them as well when I first heard of the house and saw the actions of Loriens in the Dominion, and I would encourage you to come and seek me out, for you will be welcomed with open arms so long as you respect our principles. I am often found in Aegrothond though I like to wander, so perhaps you will find me elsewhere. Even if you do not seek true entry to the House, we always seek brothers and sisters in our goals, and would welcome you as friends and allies should you not take the name, echoing the Silmarion of old. May Malin’s Flame Guide Your Path, – E.S.

 

OOC Notes

Spoiler

If you are interested in joining, rping, or asking for help, feel free to bird YourFriendKota or SmartScout ingame, or pm one of the elders on on discord at kota#2222 or SmartScout#0501. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day!

 

[Elad™ 560]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

If you feel this is a mistake, please contact myself or any FM and we'll restore it.