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Adúnia: 1. Defining Adunia- To begin, we must first ask; what is an Adunian? Is it the product of a man that is crossed with an elf, a half elf so to say? Is it the name given to half elves that have gained slightly lengthened life, maybe? Is it simply a being that wears a kilt, speaks in a strange forgotten dialect, and has the godly ability to catch maces? Well, to put it bluntly, no. An Adunian is none of these things, and is only partial to a few of them. A being that you would call “Adunian” is a descendant of the tribe of Harrenites, no matter how diluted his or her blood is with that of other races. On its own and by itself, an Adunian is no more or less than that simple definition. However, when one delves deeper, and comes to the word “Adunia”, a whole other world of meaning is opened up to them. For Adunia is not just the word used to collectivise the core group of Harrenite descendants, it is far more, and it’s own definition is ever growing, expanding, spreading itself in ink and blood across the pages of history; and it shall ever continue to grow until the day when Adunians cease to exist, and the sons of Harren have at last passed from the world of the living, leaving thousands of years of knowledge and memory behind them. Henceforth, Adunia cannot truly be defined until such a day comes to pass, but here I shall do my best here to fill in the holes left by this issue, and assure that the memory of this once great race is carried on. 2. The Origins of Adunians- In the years when Aegis was still young and it’s races new to the world, two tribes arose in the Northern mountains of the continent. The first tribe was comprised completely of humans, it’s leader a young man named Harren; a son of Horen himself. The second tribe were elves that had come up from the forests of Malinor, led by a dark haired woman named Sarai whose roots remain a mystery to this day. As is inevitable when two such primitive groups claim the same area, the two tribes clashed. A short but bloody turf war ensued, and soon the mountains were littered with the corpses of both factions. Fearing for the survival of their people with such weakened numbers, Harren and Sarai met and organized treaty between the two tribes. However, Harren’s heart saw him wanting more than simply peace. During their meeting, Harren was overwhelmed by the elven woman’s beauty, and as so made one of the treaty’s terms that she would have to marry him. Fearing her people’s destruction was imminent, Sarai hesitantly accepted these terms and the two were soon wed. Though Sarai despised Harren at first, she eventually grew to love and respect him as her husband, bearing him a single child named Baren. Now leaderless, the elves of Sarai’s former tribe merged into the Harrenites, taking on their customs and way of life. They were quickly accepted by the humans, and very soon they too began to intermarry as their leader had done. The children of these first generation Harrenites were born a new race; the Adunians. 3. In Relation to Aging and the Curses of Iblees- The events that led to the creation of what is now known as the Adunian race (commonly known as the “Mixing of Blood”) did in fact occur before Iblees laid his curses upon the mortal races of Aegis. Due to said curses, half-human/elves bred since said event are stricken with not only the infertility of elvenkind, but also the shortened lifespans of mankind, gaining not an ounce of the longevity possessed by their elven ancestors. However, because the “Mixing of Blood” occurred before Iblees placed his curses, the effects on Adunians seem to have differed ever so slightly. ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* Appearance: Adunians take traits from both their Harrenite and Mali’Dun ancestors. Brown or black hair are the only two colours found, though like other races it goes grey with age. It is not uncommon for an Adunian’s hair to go grey at ages as young as fifteen, a trait inherited from the Mali’Dun. Their skin is pale, but generally no paler than the average Heartlander. An Adunian’s eyes are either grey from the Mali’Dun, brown from the Harrenites (a rare trait), or green, which appears to have come from a mix of both, the most common eye colour. Adunians generally grow to heights of around 5”11’ and have a lean build. Tradition has Adunians keep their hair above shoulder length (though most choose to keep it short), and grow either beards that keep close to the face (rather than hang like that of a dwarf), or large, well tended mustaches. Clothing: The general climate of Al’Ildic was quite cold. Though it’s landscape was only coated in snow during the winter months, the chill of the northern wind was present year round. As a result of this climate, Adunians came to dress in a particular way. Men would wear heavy coats and cloaks, lined with furs and warm skins, thick leather boots and warm wool breeches. Women wore long-sleeved dresses often accompanied with furs draped over their shoulders, light cloaks, and some from of pants to keep their legs warm. Over time, it became considered ‘rude’ or ‘socially unacceptable’ for more than the hands or head to be unclothed. This way of thinking has stuck over the ages, and Adunians true to tradition always cover themselves from the neck down before presenting themselves publicly. Religion: In the Old North Faith there three circles. These circles were the domains of the Gods, and in each were both lesser gods, and demi-gods. The three circles, in order of least powerful, to greatest, were Nature, Life, and Astral. Within each of these realms are one dominant god. Within Nature there is Grønn the Life-Bringer, who is believed to be the Aspects of the Druids in one form, in the Old Faith’s eyes. This means that the Old Faith acknowledges the Druids as true and rightful worshipers of Nature in their own religion. Grønn is said to be twelve feet tall with bark for skin and rocks for teeth. His eyes are two pools of water and his digits are branches and twigs. He has a full beard and head of leaves and vines which twist and turn wildly. Its said he is often seen but never caught, and has the ability to take on anything in nature. This can be taken either way- as some Hunters thank them for his sacrifices to let them eat. Others commune more with the animals and forsake meat eating. He is seen as very benevolent. His charge is to control all of the planets, fish, animals, and happenings of nature. He is what ties Astral to Life. He is also credited for the creation of the elements as gifts to Morighaen. Within Man there is Thrønn the Impartial, who is believed to be the collection of all of humanities desires, virtues, morals, and thoughts. He is an absolutely gray character, with no characteristics in appearance of physically. He is thought to be the shadow of every human, a silhouette of what everyone truly is. People who pray to Thrønn traditionally wait until the sun is half up, or, half down and wait in an open field. They turn to their own shadow and take a knee, nod their head, and fold their hands. All the workings of men are held into the account of Thrønn, which is why people depending on their lives will pray to Thønn. The people who are poorer, downtrodden, who feel betrayed by life and tormented usually shun Thrønn. People who are rich, economical, industrious, and work hard usually thank Thrønn. Thrønn is often looked to positively by mages and Fathers however, for the gift of “Heartfire” to man. Within the Astral planes beyond us is Morighaen, the Night Woman, a soft looking woman covered in a veil of stars and space. She is larger than any planet and we are not even ants to her- we are something less. She is too large to see but she knows we are there- and she may assume a mortal form, or smaller size, to meddle with the cosmos as it pleases her. She is seen as sadistic almost, because of her boredom. She was left alone and to pass time she often destroys planets and galaxies at a whim and casts down the weather to meddle with the affairs of mortal. She is easily the most fearsome of the Gods and the circles, and any who claims to be Morighaen is killed out of fear, for if she has come down, it is already the end, and if she is lying, she may anger Morighaen. People pray to her to appease her, and she is often seen as a pillar of strength for the female half of Northern society. She is the cause for Moonblood and weather, time and space, and in turn, all things beyond, even magic. Her relationship to Thrønn and Grønn is strained by both the distance to one another, and the natures of one another. Places of Worship. God’s Gardens were the most natural and beautiful of the worship places. These were seen as absolute holy grounds made by the Nature Aspects themselves, there are believed to be three God’s Gardens in existence- one for each of the three Aspects (that we recognize). The God’s Garden that we currently have located and are near, is the God’s Garden of the Elements. It is a hot spring situated in the north, protected by a granite and stone wall. Spruce trees spring up with flowers poking through the snow. People would come here to cleanse the blood off themselves, to pray in its hot waters, and to fast and meditate. No blood, on any condition, could ever be shed in a God’s Garden, but blood could be cleansed here. Modern / Aegean At the dawn of man though, when humanity had just reached a point of intelligible thought, civilization, and organization, they had organized their religions, and settled down. The North had quickly picked up on Thønn and Grønn and found themselves in tune with their gods peacefully. The Adunians picked up on the Old Faith, after the First Conflict War, during the Northern Golden Age, and some mingled with the Northern Gods. Some did not, but no conflict stirred from this difference- the North having been a faith of tolerance and acceptance (mostly). The Godly Brothers saw their followers rise, and knew whom to warn of a great tragedy coming. Grønn appeared and an Oasis in the tundra arose. Shrubbery and plants sprung to life at his feet, birds and animals came at his arrival, and life flourished where his feet left impressions. His most humble followers fell before the magnificent ent, who came close to one and said, “Evil lingers in the North. My brother and I entrust you with the most sacred task of all- the defense of all life, from the kind long lost to our touch.” They had no idea he spoke of a fourth deity, of a realm most foul, and a realm unrecognized. The realm of Death, the realm of Iblees- and had no way to prepare. Fall of the Old Faith Before anyone knew what was going on, the Taran Kingdom that stood long vigil in the North and felt it had conquered all evils in the snow, sure they had closed any hope of Grønn’s doomsday prophecy, but, all was wiped out in what is called “The First Event”. One of the earliest recorded events of mass Undead Activity. It nearly wiped out an entire civilization and many blood lines in less than three nights. The Adunians to the South were hit just as hard, their people had some time to escape, most notably Halboron Elendil, the Adunian Leader. Further south were the Aegeans, whom with the help of some surviving Northerners, and some word of mouth, had time to prepare, and time to mount a defense. This, is what we know of our History, and the rest is in the books. ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ~*~* ADUNIAN COURT LANGUAGE HEARTFIRE