PtahWithin

The Ceasing Restrained, the Beru'cinhir of Lin'ame devote their aid and assistance to the Mali'aheral. As was said many years ago, the fates of elvenkind are now deeply intertwined. Lin'ame and Haelun'or remain paired in cooperation as under the Second Concordat of Halernor: peace and progress has emerged from this. By consequence, that which threatens Haelun'or threatens the Second Concordat, threatens Lin'ame, threatens progress and peace. The Beru'cinhir shall act to end this danger.

As Elmali'aheral stand with Crimson and Silver, Elmali'ame stand as Bronze alongside them.

 

Name: Arthur Teixeira 

((MCname)): ggteixeira

((Skype ID, this can be PMed to me alternatively)): arthurteixeira7

Age: 20

Are you Mali'ame?: Sure

As under the Second Concordat of Halernor, Lin'ame is forbidden from granting ranks to impure high elves or half-breeds of High Elven blood. Are you either of these?: No

What skill do you possess in martial combat?: I am skilled in all aspects, I will best any soldier you have amongst your ranks (PVP sweg)

You must reside within Lin'ame. Do you?: Sure

The Code of Elberu'cinhir is essential to understanding the role and responsibility of a Restrained. Have you read and familiarized yourself with them?: Sure

The journey from Untested to Beru'cinhir shall test the supremacy of your own will and your willingness to place yourself under the instructions of others and your society. Do you understand this?: Sure

 

Asthil seems troubled that someone so young has applied. Moreover, the elf seems to have a human name. But he concedes, and writes a letter on the back of the application sheet.

"The Mali'ame Arthur Teixeira: I desire to meet you in person to ask you some further questions before admitting you as an Untested. -Asthil Haumel"

 

Name: Zekro Shadowblade

((MCname)): Argetlam23

((Skype ID, this can be PMed to me alternatively)): Argetlam23 (Zekro)

Age: 450

Are you Mali'ame?: Yes

As under the Second Concordat of Halernor, Lin'ame is forbidden from granting ranks to impure high elves or half-breeds of High Elven blood. Are you either of these?: No

What skill do you possess in martial combat?: I am good with a bow and proficient with a sword. I prefer the bow.

You must reside within Lin'ame. Do you?: Yes I do.

The Code of Elberu'cinhir is essential to understanding the role and responsibility of a Restrained. Have you read and familiarized yourself with them?: Yes

The journey from Untested to Beru'cinhir shall test the supremacy of your own will and your willingness to place yourself under the instructions of others and your society. Do you understand this?: Yes

 

The Annilir writes a large 'check' on the back of this application. "This one has met with me personally, and has been admitted as an Untested."

Name: Elrohan

((MCname)): Pureimp10

((Skype ID, this can be PMed to me alternatively)): Kevin Boby

Age: 234

Are you Mali'ame?: Yes

As under the Second Concordat of Halernor, Lin'ame is forbidden from granting ranks to impure high elves or half-breeds of High Elven blood. Are you either of these?: No

What skill do you possess in martial combat?: I am an experienced soldier, I served as Lumi'drim and as a conclave guard.

You must reside within Lin'ame. Do you?: Yes

The Code of Elberu'cinhir is essential to understanding the role and responsibility of a Restrained. Have you read and familiarized yourself with them?: Yes

The journey from Untested to Beru'cinhir shall test the supremacy of your own will and your willingness to place yourself under the instructions of others and your society. Do you understand this?: Understood

Asthil nods, blinking his dark eyes as he sets the application down onto the table in front of him. He motions to the soldier next to him, who hands him a pen. The Annilir writes a response on the back of the application.

"The Mali'ame Elrohan: your experience within the Lumidrim and the guard force of the Conclave is encouraging. You are hereby given the title of Untested. Speak with me and my Beru'cinhir, and we shall determine the trials that you must pass to become Beru'cinhir yourself. -Annilir Asthil Haumel"

Name: Solenoden

((MC Name)): Solenoden

((Skype ID)): Gavin De Bruyn

Age: 200

Are you Mali'ame: Yes

As under the Second Concordant...: No

What skills do you posses in Martial Combat: I apparently served in the Lumi'drim, Bowman, I am also a healer

Do you reside within Lin'ame: Yes

The code of Elberun'cinhir...: Yes

The journey from untested to Beru'cinhir...: Understood

 

((Sorry for the sloppy work, I can't seem to copy and paste the application))

Asthil hands the previous application to the guard, who hands him the second application afterwords. He leans in to whisper in Asthil's ear, and the Annilir seems perturbed. After reading through the application, Asthil turns it over and begins to write.

"The Mali'ame Solenoden: the art of healing is a valuable skill, though what you say about 'apparently' serving in the Lumidrim confuses me. Have you or have you not? Further, I have been informed that you have been ejected from Lin'ame, and to my knowledge this remains the case. I must confer with the Dove Druid Elorna before affirming or rejecting your application. -Annilir Asthil Haumel"

ELBERU'CINHIR

The Ceasing Restrained

Not long after the Bronze Law was disseminated amongst the Mali'ame, Asthil Haumel orchestrated the formation of the Ceasing Restrained (often referred to simply as the Restrained). Serving as the defensive force for the Wood Elven settlement of Lin'ame, the Restrained are composed of only the most stalwart and unbreaking in will.

But those clad in bronze are not warriors in the traditional sense. They do not have dreams of wealth or fame - theirs is the duty, theirs is the inhibition. This is exemplified in the Code of Elberu'cinhir, which lays the physical and philosophical foundation of the Restrained.

The Code of Elberu'cinhir

I. All instability and grief that elvenkind has endured, all Turmoil that it has suffered, can be sourced in the loss of a Mali's self-control and adoption of the destructively passionate or the depraved. It is not possible for a Mali to commit a vile offense against sanity without the Mali themselves being insane. The Restrained must act to protect the people of Lin'ame from insanity and violence, whether from within or without the city. The enemy is vile. The enemy is the deranged and irrational. This is the First Code of Elberu'cinhir.

II. This lack of control over one's actions can be remedied: the counter to Turmoil is Restraint. The Beru'cinhir must be the avatars of Restraint, possessing absolute internal supremacy over their minds and souls. They shall be those whom the Mali'ame citizenry shall aspire to emulate, and the Restrained themselves must follow the orders of their superiors to demonstrate this. The enemy is conquerable. To win the war within the mind is to instill resolve within allies and dread within the enemy. This is the Second Code of Elberu'cinhir.

III. Conflict is to be indulged at a distance and without passion or blood-madness. Restrained who shout unsolicited battle-cries on the field of battle are to be stripped of rank and ejected from Elberu'cinhir. They may be welcomed back once their sanity and Restraint is assured to exist again. Conflict is hell, and there is no place within the Beru'cinhir for those who are at home in hell. The enemy is insideous. To lose the war within the mind is to be defeated by the enemy. This is the Third Code of Elberu'cinhir.

Ranking Structure

Annilir - The leader of the Restrained, he is charged with directing their actions for the preservation of the Wood Elves and for the avoidance of Turmoil. The literall translation from elven is "One who Guides/Directs".

Halerir - The preeminent soldiers and officers of the Restrained. They oversee the enforcement of order and law within Lin'ame, as well as are the primary instructors for new recruits. Their elven title translates to "One who is Oathed".

Beru'cinhir - The soldiery itself, forming the essential backbone of the military. To be given the title of "Ceasing Restrained" is to be recognized as a formal member of the Restrained.

Untested - Aspiring Mali who desire to become part of the Restrained. They must pass numerous trials of the body and mind, given to them by the Annilir and Haleriran.

Tools for the Ceasing of Life

The Glaive - A broad blade upon a long staff, exclusively two-handed. The favored weapon of the Restrained, it is used as a weapon of small skirmishes, as well as in ceremony.

 

The Spear - A metal point upon another long staff, which can be wielded with either one or both hands. A natural complement to the agility of a Wood Elf: paired with a shield, it is effective at keeping enemies at a distance while darting the point towards vulnerable areas.

 

The Falcata - A blade resembling a sword, yet curved such that it does not slash but chops as an axe would. Wielded in one hand, every Beru'cinhir has one as part of their required armaments.

 

The Bow - Used to fire arrows and end life from afar. All within the Restrained are required to train archery and maintain at least a moderate skill with it.

Ceremonies

To be added.

Members

Annilir - Asthil Haumel ((Asthileh))

Halerir - Phaedrus ((wardog4445))

Beru'cinhir - Artimec Camoryn ((LeoWarrior14)), Phanes ((GreatSmirvonus)), Elrohan ((Pureimp10)), Zekro Shadowblade ((Argetlam23))

Untested - Laandri ((Italian_Assassin)), Mentecor ((Jtheo2016))

Application

Name:

((MCname)):

((Skype ID, this can be PMed to me alternatively)):

Age:

Are you Mali'ame?:

As under the Second Concordat of Halernor, Lin'ame is forbidden from granting ranks to impure high elves or half-breeds of High Elven blood. Are you either of these?:

What skill do you possess in martial combat?:

You must reside within Lin'ame. Do you?:

The Code of Elberu'cinhir is essential to understanding the role and responsibility of a Restrained. Have you read and familiarized yourself with them?:

The journey from Untested to Beru'cinhir shall test the supremacy of your own will and your willingness to place yourself under the instructions of others and your society. Do you understand this?:

'Acrebound' has been tentatively renamed to Highlander. Please continue providing suggestions if you think there can be a better name.

Adunians shall be moved under the Highlander group, and the Northerner culture has been added to there as well.

Whoever is writing the Kaedreni lore: would you rather have that culture grouped under Heartlander or Highlander?

I still need confirmation on the placement of the Auvergnian culture from whoever controls it.

Should the Salvians be added?

Lastly, I am having some trouble categorizing the Southerons as I described in the main post. Where do you all think they should go?

Highlander is my personal favorite out of those three I proposed, since it gives a contrast to the more soft "Heartlander" and elaborates on the rugged traditions fostered by said cultures. As founder of Raevir culture, I think it'd also be fair to categorize them under Frostfolk, since the rply inhabited the Aegan North which was naturally cold. Northmen is obviously the easiest one, but it also is difficult to utilize when maps are switched and Northmen end up in a frosty south.

 

I'll try to think of others as well, but Acrebound seems a bit soft and out of pattern. Still a great job on taking initiative though; this should've been done a long time ago.

I'd prefer not to have two of the names contain '-lander', just to keep them apart. If we do adopt Highlander, then perhaps Heartlander should be changed. Frostfolk I would rather not have since it makes a presumption about the geographic origins of the cultures, which may not be true for others. Northmen, as you said, can make things confusing as maps change.

Can you also send me a link to the Raevir lore?

Pretty good! It's better than most systems which either fail to categorize the sub-races or borrow IRL classifications to a frustrating extent.

 

All I can advocate is a renaming for "Acrebound"; it seems a bit off compared to the other two. Northmen? Frostfolk? Highlanders? I'd prefer something which continues the theme of [prefix][cluster of humans] like Heart-lander or Far-Folk.

I believed that the name was alright, and I struggled to find one. It has to be able to be something that everyone between simple peasants and hardy viking-esque warriors would we proud to be called. Those three suggestions favor the latter and do not describe the former very well. Would it make sense to call a Raevir a Frostfolk, for example?

But, I am willing to hear more alternatives.

After this thread emerged, I spent some time speaking with Knox about what to do. Humans by far have the largest variety of cultures, yet almost all identify as one of the original subraces: Northerner. This is not because most of those players actually identify with the culture of the Northerner or the idea of it, but because it is the only human subrace that isn't short and isn't black. The Halflings have never had strong connections with the human playerbase, which both sides are perfectly fine with. Southerons are immensely outnumbered by 'Northerners', and have always been. How can the most diverse of the four races have the vast majority of its players identify as only one of three of its subraces?

In my talk with Knox about this, we searched for ways to resolve this. One can understand that Southerons are different from Renatians, and both are different from the Raevir, or the Subudai: but how do you apportion the human cultures into sensible groups? I believe I have found the answer: scale them by distance from civilization. Reform the human subraces into the cultural groups of Heartlander, Highlander and Farfolk.

HEARTLANDER

If your culture is urban-based, has a refined nobility that values aesthetics, and has or could allow a merchant class, then they fall into the Heartlander cultural group. Heartlanders make up the metropolitan masses of humanity, and are often more intellectual and sociable.

Proposed Heartlander cultures:

• Renatian - The archetypical urban human. But perhaps this group is not necessary - one could simply call oneself a Heartlander and be done with it.
• Auvergnian (link) - A recreation of French culture.
• Illatian (link) - An adaption of Italian or Venetian culture, they fit well within this group.
• Salvian (searching for link) - The people of the former Kingdom of Salvus

HIGHLANDER

If your culture is rural or based in the wilderness, has farmers and craftsmen, and has some focus on ancestral tradition, then they fall into the Highlander cultural group. Highlanders are the more unrefined and rustic of the human race, favoring skills of survival, craft and strength.

Proposed Highlander cultures:

• Raevir (searching for link) - Having similarities with Slavic and Russian culture, the Raevir arguably fit the best within this group for their large agrarian peasantry.
• Hansetian (link) - As they have traditionally lived within colder climates, Hansetians fit into this culture group due to their remote and independent lifestyle.
• Adunian (searching for link) - Though they have some elven ancestry, Adunians have been part of human society for many years and so are considered a human culture.
• Northerner (link) - The 'actual' Northerners of the old system who follow the lore as it is described on the wiki.
• Kaedreni (searching for link) - The Kaedreni could be placed within Heartlander, but they have had traditionally a hardy soldiery based far from large population centers.

FARFOLK

If your culture is thought of as coming from a distant or exotic land, is not based on a medieval european one, and may have uncommon appearance, then they fall into the Farfolk cultural group. Farfolk is the general term that humans use for all humans that are culturally and possibly historically foreign. Their defining characteristics are a heavy emphasis on peculiar traditions, often with a social structure unlike either the Heartlanders or the Highlanders.

Proposed Farfolk cultures:

• Subudai (searching for link) - As they fill out all of the factors to their fullest extent, the Subudai and their descendants fit well within the Farfolk cultural group.
• Southeron (link) - Tied with their black skin, they seem a possible candidate for Farfolk. However, their lore says they are considered mostly farmers, and so they could be wiithin the Highlander group. More confusing still, they are said to live almost entirely within cities and are renowned for their social skills, which should place them as Heartlanders! I am uncertain what to do about them: should their lore be rewritten? Should they be replaced with a similar yet more definite culture?

Italicized cultures indicate that there may be issues with placement that must be resolved. It is likely that I have missed some human cultures, and so if you know of one do please post what it is, as well as links to any relevant lore posts. From there, we can sort out placement.

There are also a number of cultures which I have intentionally left off of all of these lists:

• Halfling - They have, and likely always will, remain separate from the human playerbase in all aspects. Indeed, they already have their own race in the persona plugin, and their own subforum, and so I see no reason to include them in this system.
• Easterner - I have learned that this culture is not in fact human in origin at all: according to their lore, the Easterners were founded by a group of wood elves. They do take humans into the culture, but the majority of its players are elven and I do not think it can be argued that they qualify as a human culture at all.

Some would question the wisdom of changing them in this way. Most of them aren't very physically different from each other, and not nearly as much as the physical differences of the elven subraces. However, one must realize that the humans are in a unique and precarious situation. They are the most populous of the four races, and the most diverse yet the most constrained by their subraces. We must adopt a more sensible notion of subracehood as groups of cultures in order to:

1. Reduce the confusion of new players with regards to human cultures,
2. Not disenfranchise existing human cultures,
3. Allow for the smooth categorization and existence of human cultures yet to come, for we know that they shall emerge.

What do you think?

Asthil Haumel peers at the poster, plastered upon the gates of Lin'ame. He reads it, and his lips contort. His stoicism drops, and the wood elf lets out a chuckle. And a second one, a third, until his laughter echoes through the settlement. Some turn to see: is the Bronze Elf, the Restrained himself, laughing?

He turns swiftly from the poster, facing those who listen. "So they linger! Yes, the old glory, the old fall, the old madness. I can see them even now." More elves gather, perturbed at the unusual sight of the stoic Annilir expressing himself so openly. "I give my blessing to them! Their bravery is admirable, and one wonders where it was when the cancer of Malinor spread and ate its own people. We did nothing as the deranged grew in number. We are all cowards. We are all guilty. Strength, prestige? Sinners do not deserve these. The cursed do not deserve these. Regretful murderers cannot bring back the dead. And so they will fail. And my blessings are worthless for I have only curses within me.

"This is the torment of elvenkind. Know your sins. Give penance for them, for you cannot undo them."

definitely fake. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-iWLiXtt4w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ickzGMtREFk

You've got a strange list there. Lin'ame is a small town that lives on High Elven Land. In contrast, Alras is an independent sovereign nation that only happens to live on the upper tier of the  Dwarven plateau, and most assuredly owns the land it is placed on.

So whats the verdict on it now..?

After asking the LT and getting a variety of responses, it looks like we'll have to sort this all out.

It's because in Aegis, it was the Orcs and them alone who had knowledge of steel-smithing. However, it seems people either forgot that or it was never made entirely clear.

Bit cruel?

I am a vengeful and jealous god.

As penance, you must come up with 30 terrible puns and speak them before a group of no less than 10 people who you respect and care about.

These posters are not supported by the signator names of the settlement of Lin'ame. They are to be destroyed wherever seen and the Beru'cinhir shall investigate to find their originator and dully reprimand him. This is no longer Malinor: a citizen does not speak for a state.

It seems like the arguments against this sum up to the following:

1. There's no point.
2. They all aren't that physically different from each other.

1. is just stupid. If the humans think it is necessary, who are we to decide for them that they should not arrange their cultures under different subraces? 2. has some argumentative value, but that ignores the question: perhaps differences could be made?

((Syrio is not the King of the Dwarves.))

I've conferred with the Lore Team, and we're not aware of any plan to remove Southerners / Southerons from human subracehood.

Sure. So what kind of differences do you propose? Skin color, hair color, height, build?

Does it matter if they are separated by subrace or culture? Surely organizing by either will let new players decide more easily what they want to be.

If you want, I can give you my assistance as a lore master to help you sort this all out.

Do something like with the elves. You can immediately tell a Dark Elf from a High Elf, or either of those from a Wood Elf -

If it is done properly. There's been a problem where many have made Wood Elves without tanned skin, and so it can be confusing to identify them. If you give each subrace of humans a clear identifier, like elves have with skin color, you'd have to OOCly and ICly enforce it. I'm not sure what you can use though: most humans are generically white, so skin color doesn't seem like a good candidate. Hair? Anyone can have any hair color. Eyes? Same. Perhaps some combination of these in specific? Maybe...

If the requirement is to hand an unverifiable list of 20 people's names, then the wood elves and dark elves are more than willing to oblidge.