Evanuri

i've loved rahar ever since i found out about him. it was sort of an instant click into ghilean as a character, so i'm very excited i get to use him in this lore piece. i'm glad to pleasantly surprise :)

MUSIC: –════ 𓆩⟡𓆪 ════– SHRINETENDERS OF ELD Among Malin’s children was Seldras the First, who parted ways with the rest of his siblings. He traveled to an ancient weald far removed from the Eaves of Malinor. There, he toiled, carving into the massive redwoods which thrived within the forest, and chiseling into the stones which bore their way from the earth. Seldras’ devotion, year by year, gathered more of his wandering, clanless brothers and sisters in that heavenly wood. To his growing number, Seldras taught the values of the written word to portray their spiritual beliefs. Their community attracted those who desire the role of shrine wardens, protectors of holy lands in which those of the Wild Faith place their worship. Those who seek to stand before the sanctums of both Aspects and Mani, willing to lay their lives, became known as the Alhanavir; Dedicated individuals who used their expressions of faith to provide liturgy to the ancient culture in which they maintained. As their shrines and faithful creations amassed, they dubbed their sacred weald ‘Dhru’an’dahlen’, or in common ‘the temple-woods’, for the towering redwood trees that housed countless shrines; massive murals and prayer tablets carved into the trunks of the sacred trees, and the proud, scattered Menhir– Standing stones, in which holes were carved in such a way that they would sing when a breeze passed through them. Through the wood meandered a mighty river, dubbed Lan’dahlen, Blood of The Forest. This river was considered a giver of prosperity, of which the Seed sought their very livelihoods, the food they ate and water they drank sourced there. And, as such, developed a culture of river hunters. The Alhanavir were, by all accounts, the holy guardians of the Dhru’an’dahlen. –════ 𓆩⟡𓆪 ════– W A Y S O F L I F E An elder with a mane that measures as tall as he is. DIET & EXERCISE The Shrinetenders were and still are extremely in tune with where they settle and what is available to them. Foraged plants and bread are staples, with simple farms set up to harvest wild grain for the time that they would stay in that one place. The redwoods were home to plenty of nests within their high branches, in which foragers precariously scale up to emptied or abandoned nests so as to not steal brood from the avians. Such was rare, making eggs a delicacy and important to the Seed as they were thought to house the secrets and intricacies of life itself. Hunting was often the most important part of building community as well as gathering food. Young Alhanavir on the verge of adulthood would attend these hunts to both provide for their families and hone their skill against the brutal nature of the world. Spearfishing was the preferred way of obtaining fish, whilst larger hunts were organized to take down the likes of large boar or wolves. Deer were considered a sacred prey as they are kin to Amaethon and were typically only hunted for special occasions, such as coming-of-ages. GROOMING & HYGIENE As a people, the Alhanavir have always put value in their presentation, partially to pay tribute to the imposing mantle of antlers of the Stag. As such, the ‘crown’ of their head and their heads in general are extremely important to them. Hair is a holy part of the Alhanavir as it is said to contain all the experiences and memories of the body. Hair ornamentation and personalization is highly encouraged as it allows each member of the seed to express themselves whilst still paying tribute to their Patrons. Braids, beads, patterns, and hairstyles are all practices that are emboldened to make each member stand out on their own. As such, one’s physical upkeep and expression was considered their own worship to their Patrons and to the world around them - groups of Alhanavir would have joined together as a community by the riverside to take care of each other, typically reserved between family, partners, or close friends. Oils were also used as their version of ‘perfume’ - rubbed into the hair, temple and skin. These oils were often derived from plants and trees in the area, both meant to smell more appropriate as well as mask their own scent while hunting, blending in with the forest to bolster the element of surprise. Elders typically wear their hair the longest - a symbol of their experience and their longevity. In times of tragedy such as death, or mourning, their hair may be cut as an offering or sacrifice - offering pieces of themselves along with the dead. –════ 𓆩⟡𓆪 ════– EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH FAITHBOUND Among all the revered parables of the Mani, under the sight of the Father, The Alhanavir value the tiger, Rahar, and Amaethon the Stag above all else. From the Tiger, they derive their sense of strength. Many Alhanavir are said to carry a ‘holier than thou’ mentality, in a literal sense. From the Stag, they derive their cause. To the Alhanavir, Amaethon is known as the ‘SHRINEFATHER’, defender of all sacred places. MARKED SENTINELS Among the Alhanavir, no artistry is more exalted than the creation of scriptures and parables. They are, after all, a codified way to walk along the Aspects’ will, stories to strive for and abide by. However, due the advancing oppression of humans, their expansive nature, and propensity for destruction, the Alhanavir were severely limited in the amount of tomes and scrolls they could carry with them. It was from this necessity that they devoted themselves to skin arts, stamping their flesh with the liturgies and parables they lived by in the form of markings. Script was etched very finely into the larger designs and images of their many tattoos, barely perceptible. Ghilean, current ‘First’ of the Alhanavir The Shrinefather’s Hand AV’IN AMELAN The scrolls passed down among the remaining members of the Alhanavir have been difficult to decipher. One may note that their strange words are written in a language far removed from typical Elvish. A sharp, deep script formed of straight lines and dots that arose from the etching of letters into wax and wood, before they were marked in ink. Tender’s Cant was devised by the Alhanavir to communicate with one another without the prying eyes of humans who had learned the greater elvish speech, the same humans the Seed viewed as the cause for the gradual decline of Mali’ame ways and traditions. While it doesn’t have an official name in the greater Elvish language, they have prescribed themselves their own title - Av’in Amelan - Tongue of Keepers, referencing their sacred duty of the Keepers of traditions and the ways of eld. GREETINGS, FARWELLS, CONVERSATIONAL An'daran Atish'an - greetings, ‘the place you go is a safe place’ [used with anyone; formal] Tuelanen i'na - ‘creators be with you’ [used with anyone; formal or informal] Enan'salen - blessings [used with anyone; formal] Savhalla - salutations, hello [used with anyone; informal] Dar'eth - ‘go safely’ [used with anyone; informal Sal sura - ‘be here again, come again’ [used with anyone; informal] Tuelanen ama na - ‘creators protect you’ [used with anyone; formal or informal] Sule sal harthir - ‘until we hear of each other again’ [used with acquaintances; informal] On dhea'him - good afternoon, Good day [used with anyone; day/afternoon] On dhea'lam -good evening [used with anyone; evening/night] On nydha - good night [used with anyone; nighttime, evening, informal] Thu ea? - ‘how are you?’ [used with anyone; formal or informal] Ir abelas - ‘i am sorry.’ Ma serannas - my thanks, thank you [formal or informal] Serannasan ma- ‘i thank you’ [formal] Nuvas ema ir’enastela - ‘may you have great blessings’ [used to say ‘thank you so very much’, extreme gratitude.] Enaste - ‘grace’ or ‘blessings’. Can be coupled with Aspect/Mani of choice (ex. 'Amaethon enaste') Ara melava son’ganem - ‘my time is well-spent’, you are welcome “O’ on’ala saes tiara, Ar’an nuven in var amelanelan, Ar’an myatha na’shivanal, Ar’an gluin’dhama enas var shivasathe, Myathem tarlen in lav'sal'inen, Ghi’la em’an aron ar’an na’nira, En'an'sal em’an aron ar’an sulena melinmar, Amaethon.” “O', great crowned one, We beg of your guardianship, We honor your duty, We kneel in our fealty, Honoured prince of the mantle, Guide us as we exult your patience; Bless us as we sing your name; Amaethon.” [A prayer to The Stag Prince, Amaethon] TITLES & HONORIFICS NUMBERING USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES [By Brennan Massicotte] THE RAS’ADAHL The Smoking Tree, or more commonly known as Ras’adahl or Raell’vulsulin, is considered an integral part of the Alhanavir practices. Every year upon the day of the summer solstice, every member of their seed will migrate from their northern Redwoods and rivers to travel south, towards the scorched and yellowed grasslands. Here, is where the ame’lie tree is most common and most abundant. Each group of Alhanavir may have their own grove within a special part of the savannah, used for rituals or a graveyard for the deceased. There, they will spend a week in the warm climate, collecting the sacred bark and powder referred to as Alas’ala Nisathe, or Desert Powder in the Common language. During this process, they treat this opportunity to teach those about the effects of the tree and their significance to their traditions. The Alhanavir use the warping psychedelic powers of the collected powder in their seed trials and in the creation of stories, by using the visions as a guide to whatever tale they may spin. This powder is also used in their funeral rites, where the body is laid down on a bed made of the tree’s bark and is thoroughly coated with the alas’ala nisathe, before it is burned. There, the ashes are used in ink - used to scribe further tomes and stories pertaining to that who passed, so that their memory may continue to live on. This ink is also smeared upon the roots of the tree where the bed of bark came from, marking it akin to a headstone. The process is done and repeated for all of those who had died within the year as the pilgrimage only happens annually - should the true body already be too decomposed to make the trip, belongings of the fallen will be burnt instead. [By Gomer Lewis, courtesy of The National Library of Wales] A singing menhir, left standing in a deforested plain; Evidence of the Alhanavir having lived, and left. THE SINGING MENHIR Upon one’s travels, it’s not uncommon within the ebbs and flows of forestry and forests to find a lone standing stone, with holes bored into its features. If one listened closely, they may even hear that of a quiet song running through the hollow of the rock as the wind reverberated with the tall thing. The Singing Menhir, or in the Shrinetender’s Tongue, Sulena Turaan, is what was used by the Alhanavir within the Wilds to denote and locate each other, much like a compass. As much as it was used to locate other kin, other clans and seeds were able to find where the Alhanavir were, by coming across standing proof of their existence in the front of tall hollowed monoliths until erosion would come to take the stone back to the earth as all things must return. CALL TO OMENTAHU Given the ability for the Alhanavir’s singing stones to stay standing for such a long period of time, they were delegated with the responsibility of being the callers of the sacred ‘ame tradition of Omentahu. Due to the songs emanated from the many megaliths scattered across the forest, the wind blows through the stones like one would blow a horn - calling to those who hear it to follow the noise to the heart of the meetings. Due to such a method of summoning, the winds are typically the strongest in the springs, in which the Omentahu are to be called. –════ 𓆩⟡𓆪 ════– T R I A L S THE PARABLE One of the core practices of the Alhanavir is the spreading, upkeep and preservation of scripture. Stories, myths, laws, legends, anything that could have been perceived as imperative information or tradition to the community was considered invaluable to their way of life. As their first stepping stone, an aspirant is subsequently tasked and tested with inscribing their own myth or tale unto a piece of physical media or craft, like a tapestry or painting. Both, to hone their own storytelling skills and their craftsmanship, as well as further contributing to the Shrintenders’ sacred collection of tomes and tales. [By Sadboi Illustrations] THE IDOL Ones of faith, the Alhanavir believed that within their Patron, they were able to draw upon the guttural strength of Rahar. The Wilds are a treacherous place and if one has no means of defending themselves or protecting themselves, their form will be forfeit to nature as intended. In order to survive, the Alhanavir live by the principle that strength must be not only utilized but revered as their own physical upkeep was paying tribute to Rahar and his own. Here, their trialgiver, or an elder, will offer them the same sacred idol from their previous trial whilst both stand in front of an altar to Rahar. There, the idol is once again lit as the inebriated aspirant must try and protect the idol from the other who would attempt to take it from them - a metaphor to the humans who would attempt to steal the Alhanavir’s faithful way from them, and the Seed’s sheer will that protected their traditions. [By Anato Finnstark] THE CHASE Above all, the Seed lived off the land and that which was available to them - plants and animals alike. Each had their own part to play within the community and must be able to provide to their kin. To test such, the aspirant will be given a sacred idol wrought of both bone and wood, resembling both Patrons of the Alhanavir. Within it, contained special dried powder from the ame’lie Smoking Tree, or Ras’Adahl in the liturgical tongue. Allowing themselves to be enveloped by the hallucinogenic smoke, they will have to give chase to the sacred prey, a deer. In their stupor, they must be able to catch and kill the animal whilst impaired to prove the steeling of their own mind [By Anato Finnstark] THE GRANTING The final ‘rite’ of a trialgoer is to learn the most important art of all, that of marking one’s skin. Stories that do not fit on parchment are meant to be written upon the flesh in the form of ilmyumier and tattoos - one of the most important and distinctive traits of a true Alhanavir. It’s a deeply intimate process as the trial leader and their acolyte bond together over conversation and teaching, acting as a final fortification about the importance of the traditional and community values that were learned throughout the aspirant’s quests and trials. The name serves as both a ‘granting’ of the sacred skill of marking, but also ‘granting’ the aspirant themselves the name, the mantle and the tattoo of the Alhanavir. ILMYUMIER The truest mark that denoted a Mali’ame as a member of the Seed was known as the ‘Crowned Sun’, a bleeding and radiant glyph adorned with a rack of antlers and the marks of a tiger. Typically, it was worn on the back, but was able to be placed anywhere; On the shoulders and biceps, or even upon the stomach. Faint prayers were inscribed along the larger body of the marking in a pigment slightly darker than the mark itself, only able to be read standing extremely closely. The Crowned Sun Mark of the Alhanavir –════ 𓆩⟡𓆪 ════– CREDITS None of this would have been possible at all without the writing and conceptual efforts of @marslol and @Periphonics , who wrote large portions of this lore with me. Also, thanks to bioware for your language, I guess!

"Burn, little wood, and may your ashes feed your next of kin," spoke the Buzzard, sorrow held only in his eyes for the burning wood. "We will replenish when peace returns. For now, to the Boar's side; To victory."

she was a fairy 🧚✨

Nehnis Prince of Hares [Aubin Cortale] Swiftness, Agility, Abscondence, Youth The Prince of Hares is a flighty and elusive character who, above all else, values his own hide. Being among the smallest of the Demi-gods, he understands best that survival cannot always be achieved by ferocity. Sometimes, it is the meek who prevail, and those who hope to be swift enough to escape harm’s way look to Nehnis, praying on his celerity. When a hunter’s quarry escapes them, the cunning Prince of Leporidae is said to be to blame for granting his favor to running prey. As such, it is not uncommon for a hunting party to pray to the cunning prince, that they might be blessed with agility rather than their game. The Prince of Hares may be a skittish, nimble thing, but he is no coward. He is a testament to the tenacity of the small, who must triumph despite the many rigors they face. Nehnis also shares a strange relationship with the Princess of Turtles, Llan’sae. Where the terra-backed sovereign favores wisdom and preparative foresight, The Hare favors instant action. As such, he has become a symbol for the excitable, and oft-times reckless. Ilmyumier THE HARE’S JAUNT The Hare’s Jaunt is less a marker of standing among the Mali’ame, as it is rather an expression of one’s exuberant joy. It is not uncommon for one wishing to ascribe more depth to the tattoo to stamp a new rabbit’s print on their body for each encounter they have survived. Rites OFFERINGS Ginseng, Rabbit’s Feet, Carrots, Hay, Clovers, Verbena, Tulips, Mallow, Wildberries GAMES There is no simpler way to venerate the Prince of Hares than to engage in every day merriment. Foot Races and other such games are a way that Nehnis is worshiped every day. THE HARE MOON There is a more traditional rite to honor that of the Prince, typically done in the dead of night under the light of the full moon - when the veil between the mortal realm and Fae realm is the thinnest. Gathered within a field of flowers and grass on a clear night, a child who has come of age will go out into the wilderness with their family and loved ones to celebrate the last night of childhood - spending the evening collecting offering flowers in the field under the moon’s guidance. Once a substantial amount of flowers has been collected by the group, a simple pyre is constructed in the middle of the field where the flowers are to be burned, to symbolize the discarding of childish whims and the first step towards adolescence. The rest of the night is spent with their family in the field, savoring the last day and looking forward to the next. PRAYERS Common “Nimble Nehnis, prince of the agile, Whose swiftness carries kin home. We give to you our devotion. We show you our respect for your kind, O’fast and abounding Nehnis, show us your blessing.” Elven “Hiuwan Nehnis, Ellauru’leh resiyueriian Heya vulhiuwan myumier talonii lin. Kaean’leh tilrun nae illerae. Kaean’leh Sirame aynae’leh lye myumierae. O’hiylu marnkaeleh’ehya Nehnis, nae’leh ahern kae illera.”

happy trans visibility day

HAPPY TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY!!! I SEE YOU, GAY

my mind doesn't know how to comprehend the idea that musin can become heralds of azdromoth but not druids. +1

To sort of piggy-back on this, I'm not the largest fan that aesthetic changes like horns, etc. are obligate when becoming a Soul Tree. This exists in Transcendence already. I enjoy it when it's not compulsory and the Soul Tree/player can choose to take on these more dramatic, physical effects. But that's just a take from someone who focuses heavily on visual aesthetics in a character. I'm always drawn to choice. Making it compulsory between both Transcendence and Soul Tree, while also a part of Epipyhte? (Correct me if I'm wrong, I've seen Epiphytes with horns) just muddies the differences between druidism adjacent feats/CAs, etc. The most interesting thing about Soul Tree is that 'Immortal Soldier of the Wilds' intention, and the mental characteristics of technically not being yourself, that 'yourself' is actually a tree.

[An ornate and tempered scroll contained within a lacquered and polished tube of palm wood. Stained with a dark red, the casing appeared as if it were used as a murder weapon - splotches of crimson splashed against the golden-brown material and soaked into the grains. The tube bore two caps designed after sleeping snakes, curled up to form a disc shape. The first part of the script was written in a twisting scrawl of swirls and dots - a foreign script, untranslatable lest they knew the language, that was then followed by the translation in Common. ] AGARWAEN KYERMË [BLOODSTAINED PRAYER] TO THE BLOOD THAT FLOWS WITHIN MY VEINS, I THANK THAT WHICH BREATHES LIFE INTO MY BODY. TO THE FLESH THAT NOURISHES MY MIND, I THANK THAT WHICH ALLOWS MY FORM TO CONTINUE ANEW. MOTHER, I THANK THEE FOR BIRTHING A BEAUTIFUL SOUL. FATHER, I THANK THEE FOR NURTURING AND TEMPERING A WARRIOR'S SOUL. BLESS THE LIFE THAT HAS BEEN TRIUMPHED, BLESS THE LIFE THAT IT SHALL FUEL. OOC CREDITS: