GemStone IV Wiki - User contributions [en]

Xerria

2019-03-28T21:40:23Z

BRAKIAN: /* Raffles */

{{TOCright}}
'''Xerria''' is a [[merchant]] who [[unlocking|unlocks]] or adds various [[script]]s to items during monthly visits to [[Mist Harbor]] (and thus is for [[premium subscription|Premium]] members only). In any visit she will work on one item per account and charges 25,000 silvers. Xerria will always be scheduled on weekends and will vary between morning and evening, her order selection methods may also change monthly, but everyone present in the Merchants Lounge when she arrives will be served.

''Please see the [[#Item Links|Item Links]] section for links to specific merchant item information. Due to the regular refreshing of the service lists, links will not be added there. Also, for clarity, when an item has a specified tier, it means she can only unlock up to that tier, so for example, RainboWear (T2), can be unlocked up to (T2), if it is already (T2) she will not be able to unlock it further (without a special rare raffle) use the ANALYZE verb to determine what tier your item is at.''

==The Merchant==
<pre{{log2}}>
You see Merchant Xerria.
She appears to be a Dark Elf.
She is shorter than average and appears to be very young. She has piercing crystal green eyes and brown skin. She has very long, shiny steel grey hair worn in elaborate braids. She has a narrow face, a thin nose and a pointed chin.
She is wearing a blackened silver filigree circlet, a crystal orb amulet, a silver-boned black leather corset, a silver-edged ebon suede sheath, a rune-stitched black leather case, a delicate silver pouch, a black silk skirt with a dagged edge, and some pointed black leather boots.
</pre>

==Information==
<center>'''Watch the [http://forums.play.net/calendar?game=gemstone+iv GemStone Calendar] for Xerria's next visit to FWI'''</center>

Updated 1/10/2019 from forum post. '''BOLDed''' items are new for 2019.

>read my sign 
In the Common language, it reads:

I am Xerria. I can unlock your items' true potential. 
There are very specific items I can work with, and very specific ways in which I can work with them.

The following are offered in an unlimited fashion:
* Adventure Clothing
* Anfelt Edged, Blunt, Polearm, Shield, Bow/Crossbow (T2)
* '''Brawl Fluff
* Caster Gloves (T2)
* Cat's Cradle String
* Cidolfhus Bandolier (T1)
* '''Cigar Cutters
* Climate Wear (T1)
* Compass
* '''Creepy Stoles
* Crystal Holding Jewelry
* Dancing Scarves (T2, T3)
* Dancing Shoes (Mortasha) (T2)
* Dancing Shoes (simple)
* FancyCoats
* '''FancyStockings (T1, T2)
* Fancy Weapons (T2)
* Farm Tools
* Feathered Boas
* Frog + Lilli Necklace (T2)
* Fusion Zests (T2, T3)
* Gambling Kit (T2)
* '''Garrote Knives
* Gnomish Goggles (T1)
* Gory Weapons (T1)
* '''Hair Baubles (T1)
* '''Hair Feathers (T1)
* '''Hairpicks
* Handkerchief (T2)
* '''Ice Patch Skates (T1, T2)
* Joola (T1)
* '''Juggling Balls
* Leather Works
* Mechanical Bracers (T1)
* Metallic Gown (T2, T3)
* Morphing Containers (T1, T2)
* Napkins
* Newstyle Amulet Holders
* Orb Staff
* Pelt Bags (T1)
* '''Poison Rings (T1, T2)
* Prayer Beads
* Prayerbooks
* Realm Maps
* Scrying Bowl (T2)
* Shoe Sticks (T2, T3)
* Shurley Gloves (T2)
* Skellie Cloaks (change buttons or clasp)
* Spiffy Jackets (T1)
* Steampunk Clothing (T2)
* Suspenders (T2, T3)
* Sword Canes (T2)
* Tall Shoes (T2, T3)
* '''Veola Hats (T1, T2)
* Wand Staves (T2)
* Wedding Rings
* WearPicks
* '''Winged Wear (T1, T2)
* Xojium Staves/Robes (One action added per visit)
* Yansio Hats (T2, T3)
* Yo-yo

===Limited Unlockings===

'''The following merchants have offered limited services per month/year:'''

* Adventure Hoods (T2)
* Anfelt Edged (T3)
* Anfelt Blunt (T3)
* Anfelt Polearm (T3)
* Anfelt Shield (T3)
* Dancing Shoes (T3)
* Dual Weapon Displayer
* Fancy Weapons (T3)
* '''Fishies (T1, T2)
* Gory Weapons (T2)
* Gnomish Goggles (T2)
* Herb Bundling Pouch
* Jewelry Boxes (T2, T3, T4, T5)
* Shurley Gloves (T3)
* Spiffy Jackets (T2)

===Raffles===

REALLY RARE RAFFLES

The following unlockings have been approved for Xerria's Really Rare Raffles of 2019. Each month there are # winners who will be able to choose the unlocking slot they want (provided they meet the requirement). The number of slots available is indicated in parentheses.

''Updated 03/28/2019 before raffle''

* Cidolfhus Bandolier to Tier 2 (4)
* Fancy Weapons to Tier 4 (5)
* Shurley Gloves to Tier 4 (5)
* Dancing Shoes to Tier 4 (5)
* Xojium Staff Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)
* Xojium Robes Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)
* Climate Wear to Tier 2 (4)
* Gory Weapon to Tier 3 (1)
* Codex (1)
* Fishies to Tier 3 (1)
* Jewelry Box to Tier 6 (2)

SOLD OUT:
* Pelt Bag to Tier 2 (0)

==Item Links==
'''These are just links. See above for service list.

*[[Adventure clothing]]
*[[Anfelt scripts]]
*[[Bazzelwyn gloves]]
*[[Chrysogon codex]]
*[[Cidolfhus]]
*[[Cigar cutter]]
*[[ClimateWear]]
*[[Crystal holder]]
*[[Dancing shoes]]
*[[Fancy Coat]]
*[[Feather boa]]
*[[Frog and Lilli]]
*[[Gambling kit]]
*[[GoryWeapons]]
*[[Hairpick]]
*[[Iasha white ora weapon]]
*[[Joola]]
*[[Label]]
*[[Lofty Aspirations]]
*[[Metallic gown]]
*[[Pocket Full container]]
*[[RainboWear]]
*[[Religious Farrago Prayerbooks]]
*[[Signet ring]]
*[[Spiffy jacket]]
*[[SpriteCloak]]
*[[Wand-holding runestaff]]
*[[Wavedancer gloves]]
*[[Wearpick]]
*[[Winged wear]]
*[[Xojium]]
*[[Yansio]]

==Resources==
*[[/retired 2017|Retired 2017 list]]
[[Category:Item Scripts]] [[category:Merchant Services]][[category:Premium]]

Xerria

2019-03-28T21:39:53Z

BRAKIAN: /* Raffles */

{{TOCright}}
'''Xerria''' is a [[merchant]] who [[unlocking|unlocks]] or adds various [[script]]s to items during monthly visits to [[Mist Harbor]] (and thus is for [[premium subscription|Premium]] members only). In any visit she will work on one item per account and charges 25,000 silvers. Xerria will always be scheduled on weekends and will vary between morning and evening, her order selection methods may also change monthly, but everyone present in the Merchants Lounge when she arrives will be served.

''Please see the [[#Item Links|Item Links]] section for links to specific merchant item information. Due to the regular refreshing of the service lists, links will not be added there. Also, for clarity, when an item has a specified tier, it means she can only unlock up to that tier, so for example, RainboWear (T2), can be unlocked up to (T2), if it is already (T2) she will not be able to unlock it further (without a special rare raffle) use the ANALYZE verb to determine what tier your item is at.''

==The Merchant==
<pre{{log2}}>
You see Merchant Xerria.
She appears to be a Dark Elf.
She is shorter than average and appears to be very young. She has piercing crystal green eyes and brown skin. She has very long, shiny steel grey hair worn in elaborate braids. She has a narrow face, a thin nose and a pointed chin.
She is wearing a blackened silver filigree circlet, a crystal orb amulet, a silver-boned black leather corset, a silver-edged ebon suede sheath, a rune-stitched black leather case, a delicate silver pouch, a black silk skirt with a dagged edge, and some pointed black leather boots.
</pre>

==Information==
<center>'''Watch the [http://forums.play.net/calendar?game=gemstone+iv GemStone Calendar] for Xerria's next visit to FWI'''</center>

Updated 1/10/2019 from forum post. '''BOLDed''' items are new for 2019.

>read my sign 
In the Common language, it reads:

I am Xerria. I can unlock your items' true potential. 
There are very specific items I can work with, and very specific ways in which I can work with them.

The following are offered in an unlimited fashion:
* Adventure Clothing
* Anfelt Edged, Blunt, Polearm, Shield, Bow/Crossbow (T2)
* '''Brawl Fluff
* Caster Gloves (T2)
* Cat's Cradle String
* Cidolfhus Bandolier (T1)
* '''Cigar Cutters
* Climate Wear (T1)
* Compass
* '''Creepy Stoles
* Crystal Holding Jewelry
* Dancing Scarves (T2, T3)
* Dancing Shoes (Mortasha) (T2)
* Dancing Shoes (simple)
* FancyCoats
* '''FancyStockings (T1, T2)
* Fancy Weapons (T2)
* Farm Tools
* Feathered Boas
* Frog + Lilli Necklace (T2)
* Fusion Zests (T2, T3)
* Gambling Kit (T2)
* '''Garrote Knives
* Gnomish Goggles (T1)
* Gory Weapons (T1)
* '''Hair Baubles (T1)
* '''Hair Feathers (T1)
* '''Hairpicks
* Handkerchief (T2)
* '''Ice Patch Skates (T1, T2)
* Joola (T1)
* '''Juggling Balls
* Leather Works
* Mechanical Bracers (T1)
* Metallic Gown (T2, T3)
* Morphing Containers (T1, T2)
* Napkins
* Newstyle Amulet Holders
* Orb Staff
* Pelt Bags (T1)
* '''Poison Rings (T1, T2)
* Prayer Beads
* Prayerbooks
* Realm Maps
* Scrying Bowl (T2)
* Shoe Sticks (T2, T3)
* Shurley Gloves (T2)
* Skellie Cloaks (change buttons or clasp)
* Spiffy Jackets (T1)
* Steampunk Clothing (T2)
* Suspenders (T2, T3)
* Sword Canes (T2)
* Tall Shoes (T2, T3)
* '''Veola Hats (T1, T2)
* Wand Staves (T2)
* Wedding Rings
* WearPicks
* '''Winged Wear (T1, T2)
* Xojium Staves/Robes (One action added per visit)
* Yansio Hats (T2, T3)
* Yo-yo

===Limited Unlockings===

'''The following merchants have offered limited services per month/year:'''

* Adventure Hoods (T2)
* Anfelt Edged (T3)
* Anfelt Blunt (T3)
* Anfelt Polearm (T3)
* Anfelt Shield (T3)
* Dancing Shoes (T3)
* Dual Weapon Displayer
* Fancy Weapons (T3)
* '''Fishies (T1, T2)
* Gory Weapons (T2)
* Gnomish Goggles (T2)
* Herb Bundling Pouch
* Jewelry Boxes (T2, T3, T4, T5)
* Shurley Gloves (T3)
* Spiffy Jackets (T2)

===Raffles===

REALLY RARE RAFFLES

The following unlockings have been approved for Xerria's Really Rare Raffles of 2019. Each month there are # winners who will be able to choose the unlocking slot they want (provided they meet the requirement). The number of slots available is indicated in parentheses.

''Updated 03/28/2019 before raffle''

Cidolfhus Bandolier to Tier 2 (4)
* Fancy Weapons to Tier 4 (5)
* Shurley Gloves to Tier 4 (5)
* Dancing Shoes to Tier 4 (5)
* Xojium Staff Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)
* Xojium Robes Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)
* Climate Wear to Tier 2 (4)
* Gory Weapon to Tier 3 (1)
* Codex (1)
* Fishies to Tier 3 (1)
* Jewelry Box to Tier 6 (2)

SOLD OUT:
* Pelt Bag to Tier 2 (0)

==Item Links==
'''These are just links. See above for service list.

*[[Adventure clothing]]
*[[Anfelt scripts]]
*[[Bazzelwyn gloves]]
*[[Chrysogon codex]]
*[[Cidolfhus]]
*[[Cigar cutter]]
*[[ClimateWear]]
*[[Crystal holder]]
*[[Dancing shoes]]
*[[Fancy Coat]]
*[[Feather boa]]
*[[Frog and Lilli]]
*[[Gambling kit]]
*[[GoryWeapons]]
*[[Hairpick]]
*[[Iasha white ora weapon]]
*[[Joola]]
*[[Label]]
*[[Lofty Aspirations]]
*[[Metallic gown]]
*[[Pocket Full container]]
*[[RainboWear]]
*[[Religious Farrago Prayerbooks]]
*[[Signet ring]]
*[[Spiffy jacket]]
*[[SpriteCloak]]
*[[Wand-holding runestaff]]
*[[Wavedancer gloves]]
*[[Wearpick]]
*[[Winged wear]]
*[[Xojium]]
*[[Yansio]]

==Resources==
*[[/retired 2017|Retired 2017 list]]
[[Category:Item Scripts]] [[category:Merchant Services]][[category:Premium]]

Xerria

2019-03-28T21:37:42Z

BRAKIAN: /* Raffles */

{{TOCright}}
'''Xerria''' is a [[merchant]] who [[unlocking|unlocks]] or adds various [[script]]s to items during monthly visits to [[Mist Harbor]] (and thus is for [[premium subscription|Premium]] members only). In any visit she will work on one item per account and charges 25,000 silvers. Xerria will always be scheduled on weekends and will vary between morning and evening, her order selection methods may also change monthly, but everyone present in the Merchants Lounge when she arrives will be served.

''Please see the [[#Item Links|Item Links]] section for links to specific merchant item information. Due to the regular refreshing of the service lists, links will not be added there. Also, for clarity, when an item has a specified tier, it means she can only unlock up to that tier, so for example, RainboWear (T2), can be unlocked up to (T2), if it is already (T2) she will not be able to unlock it further (without a special rare raffle) use the ANALYZE verb to determine what tier your item is at.''

==The Merchant==
<pre{{log2}}>
You see Merchant Xerria.
She appears to be a Dark Elf.
She is shorter than average and appears to be very young. She has piercing crystal green eyes and brown skin. She has very long, shiny steel grey hair worn in elaborate braids. She has a narrow face, a thin nose and a pointed chin.
She is wearing a blackened silver filigree circlet, a crystal orb amulet, a silver-boned black leather corset, a silver-edged ebon suede sheath, a rune-stitched black leather case, a delicate silver pouch, a black silk skirt with a dagged edge, and some pointed black leather boots.
</pre>

==Information==
<center>'''Watch the [http://forums.play.net/calendar?game=gemstone+iv GemStone Calendar] for Xerria's next visit to FWI'''</center>

Updated 1/10/2019 from forum post. '''BOLDed''' items are new for 2019.

>read my sign 
In the Common language, it reads:

I am Xerria. I can unlock your items' true potential. 
There are very specific items I can work with, and very specific ways in which I can work with them.

The following are offered in an unlimited fashion:
* Adventure Clothing
* Anfelt Edged, Blunt, Polearm, Shield, Bow/Crossbow (T2)
* '''Brawl Fluff
* Caster Gloves (T2)
* Cat's Cradle String
* Cidolfhus Bandolier (T1)
* '''Cigar Cutters
* Climate Wear (T1)
* Compass
* '''Creepy Stoles
* Crystal Holding Jewelry
* Dancing Scarves (T2, T3)
* Dancing Shoes (Mortasha) (T2)
* Dancing Shoes (simple)
* FancyCoats
* '''FancyStockings (T1, T2)
* Fancy Weapons (T2)
* Farm Tools
* Feathered Boas
* Frog + Lilli Necklace (T2)
* Fusion Zests (T2, T3)
* Gambling Kit (T2)
* '''Garrote Knives
* Gnomish Goggles (T1)
* Gory Weapons (T1)
* '''Hair Baubles (T1)
* '''Hair Feathers (T1)
* '''Hairpicks
* Handkerchief (T2)
* '''Ice Patch Skates (T1, T2)
* Joola (T1)
* '''Juggling Balls
* Leather Works
* Mechanical Bracers (T1)
* Metallic Gown (T2, T3)
* Morphing Containers (T1, T2)
* Napkins
* Newstyle Amulet Holders
* Orb Staff
* Pelt Bags (T1)
* '''Poison Rings (T1, T2)
* Prayer Beads
* Prayerbooks
* Realm Maps
* Scrying Bowl (T2)
* Shoe Sticks (T2, T3)
* Shurley Gloves (T2)
* Skellie Cloaks (change buttons or clasp)
* Spiffy Jackets (T1)
* Steampunk Clothing (T2)
* Suspenders (T2, T3)
* Sword Canes (T2)
* Tall Shoes (T2, T3)
* '''Veola Hats (T1, T2)
* Wand Staves (T2)
* Wedding Rings
* WearPicks
* '''Winged Wear (T1, T2)
* Xojium Staves/Robes (One action added per visit)
* Yansio Hats (T2, T3)
* Yo-yo

===Limited Unlockings===

'''The following merchants have offered limited services per month/year:'''

* Adventure Hoods (T2)
* Anfelt Edged (T3)
* Anfelt Blunt (T3)
* Anfelt Polearm (T3)
* Anfelt Shield (T3)
* Dancing Shoes (T3)
* Dual Weapon Displayer
* Fancy Weapons (T3)
* '''Fishies (T1, T2)
* Gory Weapons (T2)
* Gnomish Goggles (T2)
* Herb Bundling Pouch
* Jewelry Boxes (T2, T3, T4, T5)
* Shurley Gloves (T3)
* Spiffy Jackets (T2)

===Raffles===

REALLY RARE RAFFLES

The following unlockings have been approved for Xerria's Really Rare Raffles of 2019. Each month there are # winners who will be able to choose the unlocking slot they want (provided they meet the requirement). The number of slots available is indicated in parentheses.

''Updated 03/28/2019 before raffle''

* Cidolfhus Bandolier to Tier 2 (3)
* Climate Wear to Tier 2 (5)
* Codex (1)
* Dancing Shoes to Tier 4 (4)
* Fancy Weapons to Tier 4 (5)
* Fishies to Tier 3 (1)
* Gory Weapon to Tier 3 (1)
* Jewelry Box to Tier 6 (2)
* Pelt Bag to Tier 2 (1)
* Shurley Gloves to Tier 4 (2)
* Xojium Staff Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)
* Xojium Robes Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)

SOLD OUT:

Pelt Bag to Tier 2 (0)

==Item Links==
'''These are just links. See above for service list.

*[[Adventure clothing]]
*[[Anfelt scripts]]
*[[Bazzelwyn gloves]]
*[[Chrysogon codex]]
*[[Cidolfhus]]
*[[Cigar cutter]]
*[[ClimateWear]]
*[[Crystal holder]]
*[[Dancing shoes]]
*[[Fancy Coat]]
*[[Feather boa]]
*[[Frog and Lilli]]
*[[Gambling kit]]
*[[GoryWeapons]]
*[[Hairpick]]
*[[Iasha white ora weapon]]
*[[Joola]]
*[[Label]]
*[[Lofty Aspirations]]
*[[Metallic gown]]
*[[Pocket Full container]]
*[[RainboWear]]
*[[Religious Farrago Prayerbooks]]
*[[Signet ring]]
*[[Spiffy jacket]]
*[[SpriteCloak]]
*[[Wand-holding runestaff]]
*[[Wavedancer gloves]]
*[[Wearpick]]
*[[Winged wear]]
*[[Xojium]]
*[[Yansio]]

==Resources==
*[[/retired 2017|Retired 2017 list]]
[[Category:Item Scripts]] [[category:Merchant Services]][[category:Premium]]

Xerria

2019-03-28T21:37:26Z

BRAKIAN: /* Raffles */

{{TOCright}}
'''Xerria''' is a [[merchant]] who [[unlocking|unlocks]] or adds various [[script]]s to items during monthly visits to [[Mist Harbor]] (and thus is for [[premium subscription|Premium]] members only). In any visit she will work on one item per account and charges 25,000 silvers. Xerria will always be scheduled on weekends and will vary between morning and evening, her order selection methods may also change monthly, but everyone present in the Merchants Lounge when she arrives will be served.

''Please see the [[#Item Links|Item Links]] section for links to specific merchant item information. Due to the regular refreshing of the service lists, links will not be added there. Also, for clarity, when an item has a specified tier, it means she can only unlock up to that tier, so for example, RainboWear (T2), can be unlocked up to (T2), if it is already (T2) she will not be able to unlock it further (without a special rare raffle) use the ANALYZE verb to determine what tier your item is at.''

==The Merchant==
<pre{{log2}}>
You see Merchant Xerria.
She appears to be a Dark Elf.
She is shorter than average and appears to be very young. She has piercing crystal green eyes and brown skin. She has very long, shiny steel grey hair worn in elaborate braids. She has a narrow face, a thin nose and a pointed chin.
She is wearing a blackened silver filigree circlet, a crystal orb amulet, a silver-boned black leather corset, a silver-edged ebon suede sheath, a rune-stitched black leather case, a delicate silver pouch, a black silk skirt with a dagged edge, and some pointed black leather boots.
</pre>

==Information==
<center>'''Watch the [http://forums.play.net/calendar?game=gemstone+iv GemStone Calendar] for Xerria's next visit to FWI'''</center>

Updated 1/10/2019 from forum post. '''BOLDed''' items are new for 2019.

>read my sign 
In the Common language, it reads:

I am Xerria. I can unlock your items' true potential. 
There are very specific items I can work with, and very specific ways in which I can work with them.

The following are offered in an unlimited fashion:
* Adventure Clothing
* Anfelt Edged, Blunt, Polearm, Shield, Bow/Crossbow (T2)
* '''Brawl Fluff
* Caster Gloves (T2)
* Cat's Cradle String
* Cidolfhus Bandolier (T1)
* '''Cigar Cutters
* Climate Wear (T1)
* Compass
* '''Creepy Stoles
* Crystal Holding Jewelry
* Dancing Scarves (T2, T3)
* Dancing Shoes (Mortasha) (T2)
* Dancing Shoes (simple)
* FancyCoats
* '''FancyStockings (T1, T2)
* Fancy Weapons (T2)
* Farm Tools
* Feathered Boas
* Frog + Lilli Necklace (T2)
* Fusion Zests (T2, T3)
* Gambling Kit (T2)
* '''Garrote Knives
* Gnomish Goggles (T1)
* Gory Weapons (T1)
* '''Hair Baubles (T1)
* '''Hair Feathers (T1)
* '''Hairpicks
* Handkerchief (T2)
* '''Ice Patch Skates (T1, T2)
* Joola (T1)
* '''Juggling Balls
* Leather Works
* Mechanical Bracers (T1)
* Metallic Gown (T2, T3)
* Morphing Containers (T1, T2)
* Napkins
* Newstyle Amulet Holders
* Orb Staff
* Pelt Bags (T1)
* '''Poison Rings (T1, T2)
* Prayer Beads
* Prayerbooks
* Realm Maps
* Scrying Bowl (T2)
* Shoe Sticks (T2, T3)
* Shurley Gloves (T2)
* Skellie Cloaks (change buttons or clasp)
* Spiffy Jackets (T1)
* Steampunk Clothing (T2)
* Suspenders (T2, T3)
* Sword Canes (T2)
* Tall Shoes (T2, T3)
* '''Veola Hats (T1, T2)
* Wand Staves (T2)
* Wedding Rings
* WearPicks
* '''Winged Wear (T1, T2)
* Xojium Staves/Robes (One action added per visit)
* Yansio Hats (T2, T3)
* Yo-yo

===Limited Unlockings===

'''The following merchants have offered limited services per month/year:'''

* Adventure Hoods (T2)
* Anfelt Edged (T3)
* Anfelt Blunt (T3)
* Anfelt Polearm (T3)
* Anfelt Shield (T3)
* Dancing Shoes (T3)
* Dual Weapon Displayer
* Fancy Weapons (T3)
* '''Fishies (T1, T2)
* Gory Weapons (T2)
* Gnomish Goggles (T2)
* Herb Bundling Pouch
* Jewelry Boxes (T2, T3, T4, T5)
* Shurley Gloves (T3)
* Spiffy Jackets (T2)

===Raffles===

REALLY RARE RAFFLES

The following unlockings have been approved for Xerria's Really Rare Raffles of 2019. Each month there are # winners who will be able to choose the unlocking slot they want (provided they meet the requirement). The number of slots available is indicated in parentheses.

''Updated 03/28/2019 before raffle''

* Cidolfhus Bandolier to Tier 2 (3)
* Climate Wear to Tier 2 (5)
* Codex (1)
* Dancing Shoes to Tier 4 (4)
* Fancy Weapons to Tier 4 (5)
* Fishies to Tier 3 (1)
* Gory Weapon to Tier 3 (1)
* Jewelry Box to Tier 6 (2)
* Pelt Bag to Tier 2 (1)
* Shurley Gloves to Tier 4 (2)
* Xojium Staff Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)
* Xojium Robes Full (must have 10 verbs) (1)

SOLD OUT:
Pelt Bag to Tier 2 (0)

==Item Links==
'''These are just links. See above for service list.

*[[Adventure clothing]]
*[[Anfelt scripts]]
*[[Bazzelwyn gloves]]
*[[Chrysogon codex]]
*[[Cidolfhus]]
*[[Cigar cutter]]
*[[ClimateWear]]
*[[Crystal holder]]
*[[Dancing shoes]]
*[[Fancy Coat]]
*[[Feather boa]]
*[[Frog and Lilli]]
*[[Gambling kit]]
*[[GoryWeapons]]
*[[Hairpick]]
*[[Iasha white ora weapon]]
*[[Joola]]
*[[Label]]
*[[Lofty Aspirations]]
*[[Metallic gown]]
*[[Pocket Full container]]
*[[RainboWear]]
*[[Religious Farrago Prayerbooks]]
*[[Signet ring]]
*[[Spiffy jacket]]
*[[SpriteCloak]]
*[[Wand-holding runestaff]]
*[[Wavedancer gloves]]
*[[Wearpick]]
*[[Winged wear]]
*[[Xojium]]
*[[Yansio]]

==Resources==
*[[/retired 2017|Retired 2017 list]]
[[Category:Item Scripts]] [[category:Merchant Services]][[category:Premium]]

Anfelt weapons

2016-02-22T05:36:28Z

BRAKIAN: /* Bladed Weapon */

"Anfelt Scripts" are a category of non-combat scripts (or "zests"). Recent merchants providing these scripts include the gnomish merchant Gizwizit at Return to Coraesine Field 2013, Ebon Gate 2014, and The [[Spitfire 2015]]. Items at low tiers may be further unlocked by [[Xerria]].

Aside from similarity of messaging, these scripts can be identified by sharing the same ANALYZE text: "This item can be altered, but should not be altered into something broken, dull, or weak-looking, as the messaging indicates superior craftsmansip that is kept maintained."
{{TOCright}}
==Leather [[Armor]]==

===Locked (Tier 1)===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|wear || You don your full leather, tugging it into place.
|-
|pull || You shrug your shoulders and tug on your full leather, smoothing any wrinkles.
|-
|remove || You carefully remove your full leather, inspecting it for wear and tear.
|}

===Unlocked (Tier 2)===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|push || You bend, stretch, and twist, making sure your full leather is properly fitted for battle.
|-
|dust || You dust off your full leather, removing the debris of battle.
|-
|rub || You rub your full leather, admiring the superior craftsmanship.
|}

==Scale Armor==

===Locked (Tier 1)===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|wear || You don your pink protector, deftly adjusting the fastenings for a sure fit.
|-
|pull || You tug on the fastenings of your pink protector, testing the fit.
|-
|remove || You undo the fastenings of your pink protector and remove it.
|}

===Unlocked (Tier 2)===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|push || You bend, stretch, and twist, making sure your pink protector is properly fitted for battle.
|-
|dust || You dust off your pink protector, removing the debris of battle.
|-
|rub || You buff your pink protector until it gleams.
|}

==Helmet==
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|wear || You adroitly don your steel helmet as you prepare for battle, adjusting it for a sure fit.
|-
|rub (worn) || You reach up and brush some debris from your steel helmet.
|-
|rub (held) || You polish your steel helmet to a high gloss, admiring the fine craftsmanship as you remove the battle debris.
|-
|remove || You carefully remove your steel helmet and cradle it in the crook of your arm.
|}

==Bladed [[Weapon]]==

===Tier 1===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
| gaze || You heft your [[razern]] [[warsword]] in your hand a few times, admiring its finely honed edge and excellent workmanship.
|-
| pull || You pull your razern warsword in close to your body, its keen edge pointing outward.
|-
| raise || You thrust your razern warsword into the air and give a triumphant shout!
|}

===Tier 2===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
| dust || You carefully buff the blade of your razern warsword, removing the debris of battle.
|-
| lean || You shift your weight slightly in an abbreviated combat move and thrust forcefully with your razern warsword.
|-
| push || You hold your razern warsword menacingly in front of you, its sharp edge glinting in the light.
|}

===Tier 3===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
| clench || As you tighten your grip, the familiar weight and balance of your razern warsword lends you confidence.
|-
| tap || You impatiently tap the flat of your razern warsword's blade against the side of your leg.
|-
| wave || The blade of your razern warsword slices cleanly through the air as you bring it around in a sweeping arc.
|}

==Crushing Weapon==

Are the weapon verbs tier-specific, or unlocked at random?
===Tier 1===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
| pull || You pull your [[vultite]] [[maul]] in close to your body and check it over for signs of battle wear.
|-
| raise || You heave your vultite maul into the air and give a triumphant shout!
|-
| tap || You tap the haft of your vultite maul in the palm of your hand as you get a murderous glint in your eye.
|}

===Tier 2===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
| lean || You shift your weight slightly in an abbreviated combat move and take a hearty swing with your vultite maul.
|-
| push || You hold your vultite maul menacingly in front of you, its metal glinting in the light.
|-
| wave || Your vultite maul whistles through the air as you bring it around in a sweeping arc.
|}

===Tier 3===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
| clench || As you tighten your grip, the familiar weight and balance of your vultite maul lends you confidence.
|-
| dust || You carefully buff your vultite maul, removing the debris of battle.
|-
| gaze || You heft your vultite maul in your hand a few times, admiring its clean lines and excellent workmanship.
|}

==Pointy Weapon==

Are the weapon verbs tier-specific, or unlocked at random?

{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|clench || As you tighten your grip, the familiar weight and balance of your vultite [[lance]] lends you confidence.
|-
|dust || You carefully buff the length of your vultite lance, removing the debris of battle.
|-
|gaze || You heft your vultite lance in your hand a few times, admiring its clean lines and excellent workmanship.
|-
|lean || You pound the butt of your pike into the floor at your feet and stand confidently beside it.
|-
|pull || You stab the floor with the butt of your vultite lance and draw the weapon toward you in a crisp salute.
|-
|push || You hold your vultite lance menacingly in front of you, its sharp point glinting in the light. ''(or...?)'' You hold your vultite blade harpoon menacingly in front of you, its sharp point glinting.
|-
|raise || You thrust your vultite lance into the air and give a triumphant shout! ''(or...?)'' Your harpoon seems to leap into the air of its own volition as you raise it above your head in a gesture of triumph!
|-
|tap || You repeatedly thump the butt of your vultite lance against the floor in an intimidating manner.
|-
|tilt || As you tilt your vultite blade harpoon from side to side, reflected light dances across its keen point. ''(unusual item?)''
|-
|wave || With a great whoosh, you swing your vultite lance in a sweeping arc over your head.
|}

==Shield==

===Tier 1===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|pull || You pull your tower [[shield]] in close, shielding your body.
|-
|push || You thrust your tower shield firmly in front of you in a defensive maneuver.
|-
|remove || You raise your tower shield high over your head and give a triumphant shout!
|-
|wear || You slide your tower shield deftly over one shoulder and it settles comfortably into place.
|}

===Tier 2===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|dust || You carefully buff the surface of your tower shield, removing the debris of battle.
|-
|gaze || You gaze into the metal surface of your tower shield and see a shadowy reflected image of yourself.
|-
|}

===Tier 3===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|lean || You set the bottom edge of your tower shield on the ground and lean against it, relaxing. You rest the edge of your vultite buckler on the ground and lean casually against it.
|-
|raise || You raise your tower shield high over your head and give a triumphant shout!
|-
|tap || You drum your fingers along the top edge of your tower shield.
|}

===???===
{| {{Prettytable||text-align:center;}}
|-
! width = 100px | Verb || Messaging
|-
|eat || You gnaw thoughtfully on the edge of your vultite [[buckler]].
|-
|turn || You grip the edge of your buckler in both hands and turn it around and around nervously.
|-
|}
[[Category:Item Scripts]]

Weapon Bonding

2015-08-19T20:56:07Z

BRAKIAN: /* Bonding Experience Requirements */

{{Cman
| available= [[Warrior]]s
| mnemonic = bonding
| cost = None
| requirements = A [[weapon]] to bond with
| prereqs = [[Specialization]] Rank 3 with the same weapon type
| sq1 = 2
| sq2 = 4
| sq3 = 6
| sq4 = 8
| sq5 = 10
| se1 = -
| pu1 = -}}

The [[Combat Maneuver]] '''Weapon Bonding''' allows a Warrior to form a spiritual connection with a single weapon. This bond imbues the weapon with additional powers, and adds +2 to [[Attack Strength]] and Combat Maneuver skills, per rank. These bonuses stack with those granted by the prerequisite, [[Specialization]].

== How To Bond ==
To choose the weapon, you need to be holding your desired weapon type, visit a holy shrine, and CMAN BOND PRAY. After bonding to a new weapon, the Warrior's spirit is set to 1.

=== Bonding Messaging ===

<pre{{log2}}>>kneel
You kneel down.

>cman bond pray
You have already bonded yourself to a weapon at some time in the past. If you form a new bond, the old bond will be lost. If you wish to form a new bond use CMAN BOND PRAY CONFIRM to proceed.

>cman bond pray confirm
You hold your eahnor-spiked maul up in offering and mutter some prayers to Kai. After a moment of silence, a steely silver shaft of light springs forth from your eahnor-spiked maul and bathes you in its glow. Images of the eahnor-spiked maul from its moment of creation to the present flash before your eyes in quick succession. As the images and shaft of light fade away, you feel heavily drained but somehow more spiritually attuned to the eahnor-spiked maul.</pre>

=== The Bonding Process ===
When a Warrior trains in the '''Weapon Bonding''' CMAN skill, there is no immediate benefit. The bonding process requires extensive use of the weapon; the effects do not appear immediately upon learning the skill. Instead, the number of ranks the warrior has gained in '''Bonding''' acts as a ceiling to the available benefits.

====Bonding Experience Requirements====

As a Warrior earns experience with the weapon, the bond periodically strengthens. Thanks to research by Brute [http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?t=62627] it has been determined that the amount of experience required to advance to the next rank is equal to the Rank# * 100 same-level critter kills. E.g., a level 50 character would need to kill the equivalent of one hundred level 50 critters to advance to Rank 1. Advancement to Rank 2 would require '''an additional''' 200 same-level kills, etc. The cumulative total required to advance to Rank 5 is 1500 SLKs worth of experience (see [[#Weapon Bonding Table|table]]).

''Note: It is not necessary for the warrior to actually inflict the killing blow as long as they are credited with the experience.''

Typing CMAN BOND INFO with the weapon in hand will report a message that corresponds with the current level of bonding.

== Bonding Bonuses ==
A bonded weapon provides +2 to AS and CML skills for each level of bonding the Warrior has achieved. In addition to the AS and other bonuses, the skill also enables a series of special 'effect' abilities, one per level. A warrior that has achieved 5 levels of bonding is fully bonded to his or her weapon; the weapon will then return to the warriors hand in about 5 seconds if it is forcibly removed.

=== Rate of Bonding Flares ===
CMAN BOND SET allows the user to choose a specific bonding flare. According to research by Gnimble[http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?t=38784], special bonding 'flares' are not random, and happen on a regular basis. After a specific number of swings (increasing with bonding level), the weapon will flare.

Non-standard attacks, like those from the [[Combat Maneuvers|Combat Maneuver List]], [[Multi Opponent Combat#Multi-strike|MSTRIKE]], [[Berserk]], and [[V'tull's Fury (1718)]] suppress bonding flares, but the attacks continue to add to this count. Suppose, for example, a warrior was set to rank 4 flares, which occur every 10 swings, and was 3 swings away from the next flare. If that warrior were to then berserk, and swing 15 times, the next two regular attacks would result in bonding flares.

===Weapon Bonding Table ===

{| border = "2" cellpadding = "2" cellspacing = "2" style = "border: thin solid #aaa; border-collapse:collapse; background: #F9F9F9; text-align: left; font-size: 92%;"
|- style = "background: #ddd; text-align: center;"
! Bonding Level|| Effect || Combat Message || CMAN BOND INFO message || Swings between Bonding Flares || Same-Level Kills Required || Cumulative Same-Level Kill Total
|-
! style = "text-align: center;" | 0
| style = "text-align: center;" | N/A || style = "text-align: center;" | N/A || The connection is largely untested. || style = "text-align: center;" | N/A || style = "text-align: center;" | N/A || style = "text-align: center;" | N/A
|-
! style = "text-align: center;" | 1
| An attack that cannot be outright blocked or parried. (Ignores Block/Parry - Evade is still possible) || As you attack, your {weapon} seems to tug at your hand, as if subtly guiding your strike! || The connection is still fresh and new. || style = "text-align: center;" | 4 || style = "text-align: center;" | 100 || style = "text-align: center;" | 100
|-
! style = "text-align: center;" | 2
| An attack that does extra damage upon a successful hit. || You feel your {weapon} focus itself upon your foe, giving additional force to your strike! || You feel that your connection is strong. || style = "text-align: center;" | 6 || style = "text-align: center;" | 200 || style = "text-align: center;" | 300
|-
! style = "text-align: center;" | 3
| An attack that is harder to defend against. (Lowers DS) || As you attack, your {weapon} shifts your strike slightly downward to take advantage of an opening in your foe's defenses! || It is a tried and true friend. || style = "text-align: center;" | 8 || style = "text-align: center;" | 300 || style = "text-align: center;" | 600
|-
! style = "text-align: center;" | 4
| An attack that is quicker than normal. (Lowers RT) || As you attack, you and your {weapon} seem to move together in perfect tandem, making your strike feel almost effortless! || It is almost an extension of your own body. || style = "text-align: center;" | 10 || style = "text-align: center;" | 400 || style = "text-align: center;" | 1000
|-
! style = "text-align: center;" | 5
| An attack that strikes your opponent twice. || You feel your {weapon} straining back towards your foe! Taking advantage of this, you manage to effortlessly reverse your momentum and strike again! || There is no doubt of the pure spiritual connection you share with it. || style = "text-align: center;" | 12 || style = "text-align: center;" | 500 || style = "text-align: center;" | 1500
|}

==Resources==
*[[Specialization]]
*[[Tainted Bond]]
*[[List of combat maneuvers by profession]]
*[http://www.play.net/gs4/info/maneuvers/list.asp#weaponbonding Combat Maneuvers List: Weapon Bonding] on Play.net
[[Category:Combat Maneuvers]]

Weapon Specialization

2015-08-19T20:53:53Z

BRAKIAN:

{{Cman
| available= [[Warrior]]s, [[Rogue]]s, [[Paladin]]s.
| mnemonic = wspec1
| cost = None.
| requirements = A [[weapon]] type to specialize in.
| prereqs = None
| sq1 = 2
| sq2 = 4
| sq3 = 6
| sq4 = 8
| sq5 = 10
| se1 = 3
| se2 = 6
| se3 = 9
| se4 = 12
| se5 = 15
| pu1 = -}}

The [[Combat Maneuver]] '''Weapon Specialization I''' adds +2 to [[Attack Strength]] (AS) and bonuses to CML attack/defensive strength (per rank) when using a [[weapon]] of the type chosen to specialize in.

To choose the weapon type, you need to be holding your desired weapon type when you learn the maneuver, you can't specialize in bows or crossbows, only in bolts and arrows.

<pre{{log2|margin-right=350px}}>
>cman learn wspec
You have chosen to train to rank 1 in Specialization I at a cost of 2 training points. You have chosen to specialize in the katar weapon type, of which the chrome katar in your right hand belongs to. If this is acceptable, please click here within the next 30 seconds to confirm your training choice. If it is not acceptable, please click here and try again.
>learn confirm
You have now achieved the first rank of Specialization I.
</pre>

Typing <tt>CMAN WSPEC1</tt> will remind the user which weapon the specialization is in.

Rank 3 in Specialization (in the same type of weapon) is a prerequisite for the Warrior-only [[Combat Maneuver]] [[Weapon Bonding]].

== Resources ==
*[[List of combat maneuvers by profession]]
*[http://www.play.net/gs4/info/maneuvers/list.asp#specializationi Combat Maneuvers List: Specialization], on Play.net

[[Category:Combat Maneuvers]]

Category:Shattered Moors creatures

2015-05-28T16:21:13Z

BRAKIAN:

[[Image:RR-maelstrom.gif|thumb|Tsoran's map]]
This category lists all creatures found in the Shattered Moors hunting area. The Shattered Moors hunting area is nearest to the town of [[River's Rest]]. It is found on the Tsoran map [[:Image:RR-maelstrom.gif|RR-maelstrom]].

The Shattered Moors is a salt marsh located north of River's Rest, past Maelstrom Bay.

==Landmarks and other information==
To access the Shattered Moors, see [[Maelstrom Bay#Crossing the bay|Crossing Maelstrom Bay]]. After crossing [[Maelstrom Bay]], one passes by the [[Ruined Tower]] to reach the Moors.

The Headland Boulder lies within the Moors, which is a safe place to rest. It is necessary to travel through the Moors to reach the [[Miasmal Forest]] or the [[Marsh Keep]].

== References ==
* [http://www.play.net/gs4/info/geography/area.asp?area=498 Georgraphic Area: Shattered Moors], on play.net

[[Category:River's Rest Hunting Areas]]

Category:Shattered Moors creatures

2015-05-28T16:20:06Z

BRAKIAN:

[[Image:RR-maelstrom.gif|thumb|Tsoran's map]]
This category lists all creatures found in the Shattered Moors hunting area. The Shattered Moors hunting area is nearest to the town of [[River's Rest]]. It is found on the Tsoran map [[:Image:RR-maelstrom.gif|RR-maelstrom]].

The Shattered Moors is a salt marsh located north of River's Rest, past Maelstrom Bay.

==Landmarks and other information==
To access the Shattered Moors, see [[Maelstrom Bay#Crossing the bay|Crossing Maelstrom Bay]]. After crossing [[Maelstrom Bay]], one passes by the [[Ruined Tower]] to reach the Moors.

The Headland Boulder lies within the Moors, which is a safe place to rest. In addition, these hills must be traveled through to reach the [[Miasmal Forest]] or the [[Marsh Keep]].

== References ==
* [http://www.play.net/gs4/info/geography/area.asp?area=498 Georgraphic Area: Shattered Moors], on play.net

[[Category:River's Rest Hunting Areas]]

Obsidian Tower

2015-05-01T02:13:38Z

BRAKIAN: /* External Links */

[[File:Obsidian tower.jpg|170px|thumb|right]]

= Bylaws, Charter, and Joining Information =

==STATEMENT OF PURPOSE==

The Obsidian Tower will stand as the proud symbol for the Dhe'nar elves and our culture. It will implement the same ancient and proven governing system used by our homeland in Sharath to uphold our beliefs, and dispel untruths about our people so that we may educate those around us, and enlighten them to our Ways.

The out-of-character purpose of this house is to promote role-playing, and to show others that one can play a "dark" character within the boundaries of Simutronics policy. This house will give younger players something to aspire to, and give guidance to many that would otherwise disregard the laws of Elanthia and Simutronics policy.

==STATEMENT OF GOVERNING==

There will be two governing bodies over the Obsidian Tower. The first of which consists of the house officers listed above. The term of the officers is for life. The only purpose of the house officers is to manage the mechanical aspects of the house and its relations with the Elanthian Housing Authority. An officer's position is considered vacant if the officer is not heard from in a period of two months or more.

The true governing body of the house will be the Obsidian Council.

The Obsidian Council will be formed of 5 members (this is the internal house governing system, which does not conform to the normal house officers. Members may or not be house officers to participate in the Council.) The seats are as follows:

The Warlords Chair 
The High Priest/Priestess Chair 
The Warlocks Chair 
The Balance Chair 
The Obsidian Chair 

In all matters brought before the Council, each chair will have one vote, except the Obsidian chair, who will only be allowed to vote in the event of a tie or stalemated floor.

The term of the council seats is to be for life. The only way one will loose their seat is in the event that a challenger for a certain seat makes a formal proposal to the Council. The Council will then vote to decide if the challenge is valid (i.e. determine if the challenger has the responsibility for the position). The challenger and the chair holder will then be locked in a special room in the tower. One will emerge the new chair holder. It is up to the two to determine who is to hold the seat; this may be by talking it over amongst them by debate, by bribery, or by defeating the other in combat. This is the Way of Dhe'nar elves, a cleric will always be on hand when the two are locked inside. No one is to know what goes on inside the Chamber of Fate except the two inside.

==BYLAWS==

===Membership Requirements/Procedures:===

Each initiate must be of Lord or Lady Status before they will be considered for acceptance. Each initiate must also have a proven background that is relative to the Dhe'nar elves and their customs, but not necessarily be a Dhe'nar elf. Each initiate must prove, by reputation, to role-play whenever possible and to consistently stay in character. Each initiate must be in good standing within the realms of Law in Elanthia, and be in good standing regarding Simutronics policy. The initiate upon acceptance into the House will require a 500K fee.

===Membership Services Provided:===

The purpose of this house is to promote unity amongst its members. Each member will be considered "Family" and treated as nothing less. Any member asking for assistance regarding any matter whatsoever, providing that it is moral and within the boundaries of law, is to be assisted by whatever means available. Disputes in-house or out are welcome to be brought before the Council for judgment. Any manner of Magic or Enchantment is to be granted to any house member requesting, provided the necessary mana exists.

===Membership Rules and Regulations:===

Each member is required to act with as much pride as our Dhe'nar ancestors, and to continually strive for perfection, as is the Way taught to us by the Arkati. Each member must act within the confines of the Law, and to bring their disputes before the Council before they escalate into violence. Abuse of House privileges will not be tolerated. Anyone caught selling items enchanted by the house to nonmembers will be considered by the Council before they are expelled.

== The CHE ==

The Obsidian Tower is a player run organization based around the [[Dhe'nar]] culture of [[dark elf|dark elves]]. It is the oldest of the Dhe'nar focused houses and its members have contributed to the creation of lore for the culture, some of which has been adopted and officially made canon.

==External Links==
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site

[[Category: CHE]]
[[Category: Dhe'nar]]

Obsidian Tower

2015-05-01T02:13:17Z

BRAKIAN:

Template:Dark Elves

2015-05-01T01:44:18Z

BRAKIAN:

{| style="margin:0.5em auto; clear:both; text-align:center; width:75%" align=center class="toccolours"
|-
!style="background:#FFCC33"| '''[[Dark elf|Dark Elves]]''' - [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Template:Dark Elves|action=edit}} edit]
|-
|'''Cultures:''' [[Faendryl]] | [[Dhe'nar]]
|-
|'''Cities and world:''' [[New Ta'Faendryl]] | [[Old Ta'Faendryl]] | [[Rhoska-Tor]] | [[Sharath]] | [[Eh'lah]]
|-
|'''Famous Dark Elves:''' [[Korthyr Faendryl]] | [[Noi'sho'rah]] | [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
|-}

<noinclude>[[Category:Race navigational boxes|{{PAGENAME}}]]
''This template is part of the [[:category:Navigation templates#Race-specific|Race-specific series]] of [[:category:Navigation templates|navigation boxes]]. Refer to its discussion page for suggestions on style and editing.''
</noinclude>

<includeonly>[[category:Dark Elves]]</includeonly>

Eh'lah

2015-05-01T01:43:18Z

BRAKIAN:

During the Fall of [[Sharath]], a small group of [[Dhe'nar]] migrated south. The exact reasons for this migration are unknown.

These refugees established a settlement at the delta of a river slightly southwest of Sharath. Their culture shows some divergence of tradition and development, but remains similar to the root culture in Sharath.

After Sharath was rebuilt, Eh'lah was rediscovered and integrated into the primary baseline Dhe'nar culture, though many of Eh'lah's unique cultural developments has remained in place.

==See Also==
[[Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]
{{Dark Elves}}
[[Category:Cities]]

Eh'lah

2015-05-01T01:42:24Z

BRAKIAN:

During the Fall of [[Sharath]], a small group of [[Dhe'nar]] migrating south. The exact reasons for this migration are unknown.

These refugees established a settlement at the delta of a river slightly southwest of Sharath. Their culture shows some divergence of tradition and development, but remains similar to the root culture in Sharath.

After Sharath was rebuilt, Eh'lah was rediscovered and integrated into the primary baseline Dhe'nar culture, though many of Eh'lah's unique cultural developments has remained in place.

==See Also==
[[Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]
{{Dark Elves}}
[[Category:Cities]]

Eh'lah

2015-05-01T01:41:47Z

BRAKIAN:

Regarding the Way (essay)

2015-04-28T22:28:02Z

BRAKIAN: /* Terms, Definitions, and People */

{{short-story | title = Regarding the Way: A Treatise | author = Mnar Akurion }}
==Introduction==
Gentle Reader,

It is the privilege of the author to present to you this document, which contains the fruits of over a year of studying the Way and its implementation across all strata of the Dhe'nari society. It is the hope of the author that you will find this humble document affirming of the faith, while at the same time enlightening in several regards, most notably in that it attempts to break the ambiguous concept of the 'Way' into several smaller facets that can be more easily understood. It is not, the author hopes, too presumptuous to attempt to put into mere words what dozens of millennia of Dhe'nar have lived and perfected; rather the author intends this work as a stepping point in the teaching of those unfamiliar with the Way, so that they might better understand that which they are undertaking. However, it must be cautioned that even the most exacting reader who is able to understand everything in this humble document will still be considered an uninformed outsider to a true Dhe'nar, one who has actually lived by the Way and learned what it means to be loyal to himself and to the Family. It is often said that only true Dhe'nar can understand the Way; however, the author thinks that it is more correct to say that only those taught by one who has lived the Way can hope to one day live it themselves. With these cautionary statements given, then, it is the honor of the author to submit this humble document to the scrutiny of his betters.

Kris har'esh,
::-Mnar Akurion

==Terms, Definitions, and People==
Before we can undertake a serious study of the Way, it is necessary to define certain terms for the exacting reader. Certain phrases, by necessity, have been rendered in Dhe'nar-si, the language of the Dhe'nar, and also require translation at this point. In order, then, of relative importance:

'''The Way''' 
The Way, most simply, is a code of conduct which all true Dhe'nar follow in the attempt to perfect themselves. It allows the skilled thinker to analyze all of the choices presented to him, and then discern the end results of each, permitting him to choose the path that will lead to his goals: literally, the Way to follow to power. In a wider scope, the Way also dictates that for the Elven race to once again achieve its place with the Gods, they must unite, rather than remain divided. The Way, then, teaches coming to power by perfecting one's self, as well as using this power to unify the Elven race. (Author's note: Exact meanings of the 'Way' vary as much as individuals do. What is correct to one Dhe'nar might be incorrect to another; these differences are often readily visible across Caste boundaries. For the purposes of this document, an attempt to define the Way objectively has been undertaken. However, the astute reader should remember that perfect objectivity is impossible, and that this document may contain the biases of the Warrior's caste, from which the author is honored to have gleaned much of his knowledge.)

'''Power''' 
Historians throughout the ages have attempted to define power in terms that can be understood by all, yet at the same time encompassing all possible connotations of the word. For the purposes of this document, the author chooses to define Power somewhat lengthily, in the hope that increased detail excuses lack of brevity.

Power, to an engineer or alchemist, is the ability to do work. Power is present in rivers that turn water wheels, in logs that burn for fire and even in rocks suspended above the ground waiting to fall. This is inanimate power, waiting to occur of its own volition for no purpose other than to lower its energy state, contributing to the slow degradation of the Universe by the powers of Chaos (see Unlife; Entropy).

Power, to monarchs or generals, is the ability to give an order and have it carried out. By this we mean not so much that the order will be successfully fulfilled, rather that there are people who will accept the order and attempt to execute it. This is power over others, and is always unstable in that it derives from the willingness of these 'others' to be ruled. The many revolutions that have occurred throughout history are testament to this instability.

The power of philosophers and thinkers comes from their minds, and their understanding of the world around them. In this sense it is quite literal that knowledge is power, for brute strength without a keen mind to direct it will eventually waste away. It is said by many that information is the truest form of power (the author, though he sympathizes with these people believes them to be not entirely correct), and that one who devotes himself to knowing everything that may be known can wield more power than the strongest monarch.

Finally, and most important to us, is power that comes through one's abilities and strengths. In many ways this includes the aforementioned power of the philosopher, but it is broader in the sense that it also includes the warrior who is strong of arm and skilled with a sword, as well as a Warlock who can tear down a mountain if it pleases him. As disparate as these examples seem, they are all alike in that they represent the power of a single man, without the involvement of others. This is the purest form of power to any who study the Way, and the ideal to which all Dhe'nar aspire.

'''Dhe'nar''' 
This may seem like an overly obvious thing to be stating in a document so specific, but the author includes it for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the Family. The Dhe'nar are those elves and their descendants (to present) who did not join the other elves in abandoning the Elven Nation and fragmenting into what would later become the seven Elven Houses. Rather, the Dhe'nar chose to continue practicing the beliefs taught to them by the Gods (foremost among these being the Way), and because of this were exiled by the then new Elven Houses (primarily House Faendryl) to the ruins of Rhoska-tor. (Author's note: although the popular histories of the Dhe'nar state that the original Dhe'nar left the fragmenting Nation willingly, the written records of the Elven Houses-again, primarily those of House Faendryl-state that the Dhe'nar were exiled to Rhoska-tor. Further, knowing what we do of the temperaments of Dhe'nar and Elf alike, it seems reasonable to conclude that the exile to Rhoska-tor was not voluntary and was forced upon them.)

'''Family, the''' 
A term used among Dhe'nar to refer to the local population of Dhe'nar, related not through blood but rather through their duty to the Dhe'nari Empire, which they often go decades without contact from. Aside from the Self, the Family is the next group to which a Dhe'nar feels loyalty and duty.

'''Noi'sho'rah''' 
Literally, 'First Brother,' the elf who was closest to the Gods and provided inspiration for Tahlad and the courage the Dhe'nar would need during their first fearful years. It was he who spoke against the fragmenting of the Elven Nation, and later prophesied the coming of Despana as punishment for the elves who failed to follow the Way. The astute reader will note that although Noi'sho'rah translates as 'First Brother,' by themselves the runes forming Sho'rah translate as 'Sister'. This seeming incongruity is explained by the fact that Dhe'nar-si, unlike the Common in which we are now communicating, uses the female pronoun when referring to situations of mixed or unknown gender. Therefore, while Noi'sho'rah or Sho'rah-noi both translate as 'First sister,' the term Noi'sho'rah has come to be accepted as referring to our 'First Brother.' (Author's note: again, the astute reader will notice that although the term Noi'sho'rah refers to the man who essentially founded the Dhe'nar, it is not his name. In truth, his name has been lost to the millennia, leaving many modern historians to question whether or not he even existed. Such speculation is, of course, outside the scope of this document and not within our abilities to discuss.)

'''Tahlad''' 
Disciple of Noi'sho'rah, it was Tahlad who led the Dhe'nar during their exile in Rhoska-tor. Tahlad's birthday, the second Restday of Lormesta (Fourth day of Froest, ancient Elven calendar), is celebrated by many Dhe'nar as a feast day and day of reflection.

'''Korthyr''' 
Korthyr Faendryl, House of Faendryl, and nephew of Tahlad, was the elf who instigated the collapse of the Elven Nation and its fragmentation into the seven Elven Houses. Korthyr is considered among the Dhe'nar to be the epitome of arrogance and hubris, and is widely reviled (as are his descendants) for his part in the destruction of the Elven Nation. Many unpopular criminals in Dhe'nari society are held until the day of Korthyr's birth (Third Volnes, Koarotos), and then publicly executed.

'''Kris har'esh''' 
The term used as a ritual greeting and farewell among nearly every Dhe'nari society, even those separated from Sharath for several thousands of years. Kris har'esh translates literally as "May you walk with power as your constant companion," but is most commonly understood to mean "Walk with power."

'''Sharath''' 
The ancestral home of the Dhe'nar, located atop, upon, and surrounding a mountain peak in the depths of the Southron Jungles. For a complete history of Sharath, please refer to the appropriate tomes in the Dhe'nari library.

'''Castes, the''' 
The three Castes (Warrior, Priest, and Warlock) which comprise the nobility of the Dhe'nari society, as opposed to the peasants and villagers which make up the vast majority of the population. Each of the three Castes is charged with specific tasks and duties which they carry out in accordance with Tradition and Law. For a more thorough look at the roles of the Castes, please refer to the appropriate tomes in the Library.

==The Way==
For one who has had little or no experience in the study of the Way, it is often helpful to visualize a road with many forks, branches, turnoffs, and dead-ends. This road symbolizes life, while each of the turns along this road are the choices we make. At the end of each of these many branches lies the same thing-death. What matters is not so much the ending, then, but what occurs along the way. Some of these branches are preferable to others; making one choice might lead to riches, while making a different (and wrong) choice could lead to impoverishment and an early end. The Way, then, provides us with something of a map, allowing us to see which paths are wrong, and which paths are right. It is, quite literally, the Way down this road.

The theory underlying the effectiveness of the Way is that by living one's life according to certain pre-determined standards, one is more likely to make a correct choice as opposed to an incorrect choice. The majority of the rest of this document deals with these standards, and attempts to ascertain why they are so effective.

The astute reader will note that in the above definition of the Way (see "Terms, Definitions, and People"); two main facets make themselves immediately known. Summarized, they are Unity (among Elves, Dhe'nar, and Family), and self-perfection. The Unity this refers to is easily understood; Noi'sho'rah, spiritual father of the Dhe'nar, believed that the only way for the Elven Nation to once again achieve its rightful place was through Unity, not divisiveness. This divisiveness is personified contemporarily by the seven Elven Houses, which vie with each other for power and even make war amongst each other. Thus, it is the duty of the Dhe'nar to work towards Unity among the elves.

The other and far more complex facet of the Way is the self-perfection it requires. Even one who understands the Way perfectly must still spends decades laboring towards this goal, knowing as he does that self-perfection is impossible; no matter how hard one tries, there is always another level to which one can aspire.

To begin our discussion on the self-perfection the Way stresses, we must first realize that this entails self-reliance. In fact, one can go further and say that the Way also requires self-respect, self-determination, self-responsibility, and no small degree of self-worth. The astute reader will notice what all of these requirements have in common-the Self. In many ways the Way is a testament to the stress Dhe'nar put on the individual. To the Dhe'nar, a person sinks or swims according to his own merits, no unearned help is allotted to those who need it even for survival's sake. By the same token, respect is earned among the Dhe'nar, not automatically granted through relations or station. Thus a simple foot soldier who proves himself on the field of battle to be both brave and cunning will earn far more respect and admiration than even a General who proves himself to be a lack-wit and drudge. (It should be noted that because Dhe'nar place such importance on respect, it is likely that the foot soldier and general would soon be exchanging positions.)

In regards to this self-reliance, there are several main attributes that can be directly related to the Self. That is to say, each of these attributes comes from within, and for true self-perfection to be achieved, each must exist in an unadulterated form, without the support or influence of others. Although any given Dhe'nar might list dozens of different attributes, there are three that the author has found to be Universal, and as such they are presented here in order of relative importance.

==Honor==
It is said by some that honor and 5 silvers will buy you wine at any local tavern-wine costing 5 silvers at most local taverns. Other people say that without honor one has nothing, or that material possessions (which, to be sure, nearly everyone has) are simply without value in the absence of honor. Still more people, mostly of a cynical and perhaps sadly realistic outlook, hold that honor is nothing more than a type of armor which the high of station accrue over time, using it to defend against the moral decay that their actions invariable cause. Most people, however, have an entirely different opinion of honor; that is, they consider it an outdated virtue best left abandoned or in the storybooks.

With these out of the way, then, we can move on to what Dhe'nar tend to think about honor. As the experienced reader might imagine, there is quite a wide range of opinion among Dhe'nar regarding such an important value, yet for the most part it can be understood that all Dhe'nar place a much higher regard upon the honor of others and of themselves than would, say, a mere commoner. This is not to say that all Dhe'nar are honorable, or even consider themselves honorable, yet by and large they are and do.

Why, the reader might ask, is this trait considered so important by the author as to include it in a discussion of the Way? The answer to this question lies in two parts; first, by its very nature honor dictates and regulates the actions of an individual, and secondly honor is something that comes entirely from within, rather than from outside influences. Regarding the first of these, the very fact that a person has honor or considers himself to be honorable imparts a certain amount of trust and reliability, traits that are useful in any society. In fact, in Dhe'nari society, honor has become akin to a survival trait, in that individuals who are widely acknowledge having it are accorded a higher station in life. Although this might seem counter-intuitive at first-after all, one who is dishonest and self-centered should stand a much greater chance at succeeding in life-any benefits that might occur due to dishonesty and disputability are easily offset by the fact that individuals who display those traits are often killed out of hand. Thus, in the Dhe'nar we have a society that not only prizes honor, but one in which honorable individuals are the norm rather than the exception.

The second facet of honor that qualifies it for such discussion is the fact that in Dhe'nari society honor is something that comes entirely from the individual, without exception. To clarify this, honor is an attribute that any given individual must decide he wants to possess (or does not want to), and then go about acquiring it through faithfully discharging his duty, performing acts of courage or conspicuous bravery, etc. By the same token, honor is not something that can be bestowed upon a person simply due to rank or lineage-once again the Dhe'nar show themselves to be egalitarian with respect to the individual.

To conclude this necessarily short discussion of honor with respect to the Way; honor, being a trait that affects the actions of an individual, has become prevalent throughout Dhe'nari society and affects the course of their entire culture. On the other hand, however, honor is a trait that is acquired or spurned at the wish of the individual, not society as a whole. This combination-directing the actions and morals of an entire society, while at the same time being a choice based entirely upon the individual-is one of the hallmarks of the Way.

==Power==
Power, as described so thoroughly above, means many things to many people. For some, knowledge suffices for power, as knowledge often imparts a special perspective or ability upon those who hold it. For others, power is only present in the ability to manipulate their surroundings, or to force their will upon others. Power among the Dhe'nar is a mix of these three, with emphasis on the first two, rather than the third.

At first it may puzzle the reader that such a martial race as the Dhe'nar place store in knowledge, even to the point of considering Loremasters some of the most powerful individuals in a society. Usually among such people it is a General or Blade-master who assumes positions of power and prestige; not so among the Dhe'nar, who recognize that often the best ruler is the one who is best informed. This belief is seen in one of the most revered of Dhe'nari sayings, "Su'dhaa na-gnosa. Gnosa na kris-a. Kris na su'ta." ("Everything is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is everything.").

The Dhe'nar also appreciate power of a more physical persuasion, such as the ability to defeat one's foe in battle, or to summon forth energies and craft a spell with them. This type of power requires years of practice and honing of skills to perfect, and as such is the most respected form of power among the Dhe'nar. However, it is widely acknowledged that brute force and strength are useless without intelligence to guide it. While many Dhe'nar content themselves to live out their lives following the orders of others, it is those who are able to think as well as act who rise to the highest positions among the Dhe'nar.

The final major form of power-power over others-is accepted among the Dhe'nar, but only as a necessity. While the Dhe'nar have leaders like any society, these individuals take no special pride or respect from their ability to order others around. Rather, they are judged for their other attributes, so while strength and intelligence might land a warrior a position as a general it would be those attributes and not the position from which the warrior would draw respect.

By its very nature the Way deals with coming to power through individual perfection; thus it behooves us to look not so much at power itself, but at why the Way dictates that it must come from within. To this end we have shown that power over others-which Dhe'nar are so indifferent to-exists only at the behest of others, those who are being governed. To that end, this form of power is untenable and ephemeral, subject to change with less than a moment's notice and never truly under control. In contrast, the power of knowledge and of skill/strength can never be taken away, and rests entirely upon the individual, who can choose to exercise it as needed. When we say, therefore, that a person who studies the Way must learn power, we mean that this power must come from within and exist with no other requisites. A king who is stripped of his crown may well be useless if he came to power only through his lineage; a Dhe'nari warrior stripped of his caste markings is every bit as powerful as a recognized warrior.

==Opinion==
Opinion is a facet of life that is essential to the Way not so much because an adherent to the Way need form opinions, but rather because opinions are one of the few things (Honor and Power being high among the others) that must come entirely from within to be valid. When one has honor there is never-or, at least, rarely-any need to agonize over fulfilling one's obligations to the Family and to the Unity of the Elven peoples that the Way stresses; instead, it comes naturally. When one has power-the pure, unadulterated power that comes from within-there is never any need to fail at one's assigned duty. However, what separates the true Dhe'nar from a mindless automaton is the ability to think rationally, objectively, and individually; in other words, the ability to form an opinion.

Rarely does one ponder high-minded ideals when one hears the word 'opinion.' In fact, one is more likely to consider such insults as 'opinionated' and 'conceited.' However, we must put aside these prejudices for the moment and realize that the ability to form, hold, and act upon an opinion is what separates the slave from the warrior. Always, in the heat of battle or the midst of spell-weaving, one must be free to deviate from the prescribed doctrine of others and make a judgment based on the situation at hand. It is this situational flexibility that has made Dhe'nari warriors some of the most feared and respected in the world, with the ability to adapt to changing conditions at the individual level.

As in all things, the Way emphasizes purity and individuality. With regard to opinion, this is taken to meant that an individual must make a decision or render a judgment based upon what he thinks is best, either for himself, the Family, and for the Way. This emphasis on individual formation can only reach fruition in the upper echelons of Dhe'nari society, with the lower castes and strata given less freedom to interpret their duties. It should be added, however, that anyone-even the lowest servant-is free to form an opinion and discharge his duties as best as possible under the conditions; however, it should also be added that the price for failure is very high when one takes a situation into one's own hands. A foot soldier who follows poor orders to the letter might do his best but still fail (yet escape punishment), while one who disregards those orders and succeeds would be praised for his insight and quick-thinking. Woes betide the soldier who disregards orders and still fails, for then the burden of failure comes down upon him alone.

To summarize, opinion is the facet of the Way which distinguishes the true Dhe'nar from one simply able to accept orders. Honor provides structure to the Way, while Power is the motive force behind its progress. Opinion merely serves to bring about individual perfection, which in turn benefits the Family and the Elven people as a whole.

==Unity==
So far in this document we have examined the premise of the Way, and how it relates to the individual who seeks power. However, the Way also dictates certain responsibilities and duties to those who live by it, designed to improve not the individual but the entire Elven race. This was the original intent of both Noi'sho'rah and Tahlad when they attempted to hold together the fragmenting Elven Nation, and later the guiding principle of the Dhe'nar as they sought to form a new society in the ruins of Rhoska-tor. (Author's note: The learned reader will note at this point that the Way, although very successful in guiding the Dhe'nar to power, has yet to make any appreciable progress towards the goal of Elven Unity. This has led many Dhe'nar to metaphorically abandon their cousins in the Elven Houses and seek only to preserve Unity among the Dhe'nar, trusting that at the current rate of progress; soon there won't be any elves but the Dhe'nar.)

If there are any facets of the Way that resemble organized religion, it is this belief that the Gods desire Unity on the part of the Elven peoples. Certainly there is no proof that a higher state-of-consciousness will be achieved when all of the Elven people come together in peace and harmony, or even that a perfect society absent all the ills of our current one will be constructed. However, what we can state with some degree of certitude that the world would be much better off without the internecine conflicts of the Elven Houses. Had the Elven Houses been capable of working together, Despana could never have wreaked the havoc she did, nor would the Faendryl have taken it upon themselves to raze the Ashrim isles into the sea. Certainly, without the Unity they are well known for, the Dhe'nar could not have made such an impact in the areas they have migrated into with so few numbers.

However, rather than argue the validity or success of the Unity that the Way preaches, it falls to us instead to study the effects of Unity upon the individual, and the duties and responsibilities it entails. It may help for the reader to visualize an individual Dhe'nar as being pulled upon by two forces, each a facet of the Way. The one force is the drive for self-perfection and individual power, drawing the Dhe'nar to greatness. The other-sometimes concurrent, sometimes diametrically opposed-force is the demand of the Way for Unity among the Elven People, usually felt as duty to the Family. A Dhe'nar, then, lives in a constant state of flux between these two forces, attempting to balance his sense of Honor, Power, and Opinion against his duty to the Family. In a perfect world there would be no conflict between duty and the individual; however, in reality it is much harder to find balance. Often it is required of a Dhe'nar to decide which is more important, the orders of his superiors, or the requirements of the situation. In these instances it is the Opinion that the Way teaches which becomes necessary, to determine the best course of action.

To surmise, Unity is most often felt by Dhe'nar as duty to the Family, which can take the form of orders from a superior, or simply spur-of-the-moment decisions based on the necessity of the situation. Often this duty comes into conflict with the duty to the Self which the Way also preaches, and thus the ability to discern relative importance is necessary. The ability to form a cognizant, rational opinion is necessary for this decision-making, and thus is also taught as part of the Way.

==Conclusion==
It is the sincere hope of the author that the reader of this humble document has found it enlightening of the admittedly obscure topic of the Way. Despite thousands of years of refinement by the Dhe'nar, the Way is still regarded in almost mystical terms by the vast majority of its adherents, thus rendering it difficult to explain to outsiders or those who seek to learn of their heritage. However, despite the seeming length of the pages above, the concept of the Way can be condensed into just a few words: a Way to live.

Does that seem too simple to the learned reader? If so then take assurance that the above pages do not come near defining the Way in all of its intricacies and complexities, and that one could spend a lifetime perusing the Dhe'nar and find far more elegant and pleasing meanings of the Way. However, necessity dictates that this Treatise be kept simple enough for the young Dhe'nar to use to learn about his history, and the requirements of the life he is about to embark upon.

If this still fails to assuage the demanding reader, the author refers him to a saying that has been mentioned earlier in this document, but deserves repeating nevertheless. If the reader takes nothing else from this humble document, then let it be this:

"Everything is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is everything."

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Regarding the Way (essay)

2015-04-28T22:25:59Z

BRAKIAN: /* Terms, Definitions, and People */

{{short-story | title = Regarding the Way: A Treatise | author = Mnar Akurion }}
==Introduction==
Gentle Reader,

It is the privilege of the author to present to you this document, which contains the fruits of over a year of studying the Way and its implementation across all strata of the Dhe'nari society. It is the hope of the author that you will find this humble document affirming of the faith, while at the same time enlightening in several regards, most notably in that it attempts to break the ambiguous concept of the 'Way' into several smaller facets that can be more easily understood. It is not, the author hopes, too presumptuous to attempt to put into mere words what dozens of millennia of Dhe'nar have lived and perfected; rather the author intends this work as a stepping point in the teaching of those unfamiliar with the Way, so that they might better understand that which they are undertaking. However, it must be cautioned that even the most exacting reader who is able to understand everything in this humble document will still be considered an uninformed outsider to a true Dhe'nar, one who has actually lived by the Way and learned what it means to be loyal to himself and to the Family. It is often said that only true Dhe'nar can understand the Way; however, the author thinks that it is more correct to say that only those taught by one who has lived the Way can hope to one day live it themselves. With these cautionary statements given, then, it is the honor of the author to submit this humble document to the scrutiny of his betters.

Kris har'esh,
::-Mnar Akurion

==Terms, Definitions, and People==
Before we can undertake a serious study of the Way, it is necessary to define certain terms for the exacting reader. Certain phrases, by necessity, have been rendered in Dhe'nar-si, the language of the Dhe'nar, and also require translation at this point. In order, then, of relative importance:

''The Way'' 
The Way, most simply, is a code of conduct which all true Dhe'nar follow in the attempt to perfect themselves. It allows the skilled thinker to analyze all of the choices presented to him, and then discern the end results of each, permitting him to choose the path that will lead to his goals: literally, the Way to follow to power. In a wider scope, the Way also dictates that for the Elven race to once again achieve its place with the Gods, they must unite, rather than remain divided. The Way, then, teaches coming to power by perfecting one's self, as well as using this power to unify the Elven race. (Author's note: Exact meanings of the 'Way' vary as much as individuals do. What is correct to one Dhe'nar might be incorrect to another; these differences are often readily visible across Caste boundaries. For the purposes of this document, an attempt to define the Way objectively has been undertaken. However, the astute reader should remember that perfect objectivity is impossible, and that this document may contain the biases of the Warrior's caste, from which the author is honored to have gleaned much of his knowledge.)

''Power'' 
Historians throughout the ages have attempted to define power in terms that can be understood by all, yet at the same time encompassing all possible connotations of the word. For the purposes of this document, the author chooses to define Power somewhat lengthily, in the hope that increased detail excuses lack of brevity.

Power, to an engineer or alchemist, is the ability to do work. Power is present in rivers that turn water wheels, in logs that burn for fire and even in rocks suspended above the ground waiting to fall. This is inanimate power, waiting to occur of its own volition for no purpose other than to lower its energy state, contributing to the slow degradation of the Universe by the powers of Chaos (see Unlife; Entropy).

Power, to monarchs or generals, is the ability to give an order and have it carried out. By this we mean not so much that the order will be successfully fulfilled, rather that there are people who will accept the order and attempt to execute it. This is power over others, and is always unstable in that it derives from the willingness of these 'others' to be ruled. The many revolutions that have occurred throughout history are testament to this instability.

The power of philosophers and thinkers comes from their minds, and their understanding of the world around them. In this sense it is quite literal that knowledge is power, for brute strength without a keen mind to direct it will eventually waste away. It is said by many that information is the truest form of power (the author, though he sympathizes with these people believes them to be not entirely correct), and that one who devotes himself to knowing everything that may be known can wield more power than the strongest monarch.

Finally, and most important to us, is power that comes through one's abilities and strengths. In many ways this includes the aforementioned power of the philosopher, but it is broader in the sense that it also includes the warrior who is strong of arm and skilled with a sword, as well as a Warlock who can tear down a mountain if it pleases him. As disparate as these examples seem, they are all alike in that they represent the power of a single man, without the involvement of others. This is the purest form of power to any who study the Way, and the ideal to which all Dhe'nar aspire.

''Dhe'nar'' 
This may seem like an overly obvious thing to be stating in a document so specific, but the author includes it for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the Family. The Dhe'nar are those elves and their descendants (to present) who did not join the other elves in abandoning the Elven Nation and fragmenting into what would later become the seven Elven Houses. Rather, the Dhe'nar chose to continue practicing the beliefs taught to them by the Gods (foremost among these being the Way), and because of this were exiled by the then new Elven Houses (primarily House Faendryl) to the ruins of Rhoska-tor. (Author's note: although the popular histories of the Dhe'nar state that the original Dhe'nar left the fragmenting Nation willingly, the written records of the Elven Houses-again, primarily those of House Faendryl-state that the Dhe'nar were exiled to Rhoska-tor. Further, knowing what we do of the temperaments of Dhe'nar and Elf alike, it seems reasonable to conclude that the exile to Rhoska-tor was not voluntary and was forced upon them.)

''Family, the'' 
A term used among Dhe'nar to refer to the local population of Dhe'nar, related not through blood but rather through their duty to the Dhe'nari Empire, which they often go decades without contact from. Aside from the Self, the Family is the next group to which a Dhe'nar feels loyalty and duty.

''Noi'sho'rah'' 
Literally, 'First Brother,' the elf who was closest to the Gods and provided inspiration for Tahlad and the courage the Dhe'nar would need during their first fearful years. It was he who spoke against the fragmenting of the Elven Nation, and later prophesied the coming of Despana as punishment for the elves who failed to follow the Way. The astute reader will note that although Noi'sho'rah translates as 'First Brother,' by themselves the runes forming Sho'rah translate as 'Sister'. This seeming incongruity is explained by the fact that Dhe'nar-si, unlike the Common in which we are now communicating, uses the female pronoun when referring to situations of mixed or unknown gender. Therefore, while Noi'sho'rah or Sho'rah-noi both translate as 'First sister,' the term Noi'sho'rah has come to be accepted as referring to our 'First Brother.' (Author's note: again, the astute reader will notice that although the term Noi'sho'rah refers to the man who essentially founded the Dhe'nar, it is not his name. In truth, his name has been lost to the millennia, leaving many modern historians to question whether or not he even existed. Such speculation is, of course, outside the scope of this document and not within our abilities to discuss.)

''Tahlad'' 
Disciple of Noi'sho'rah, it was Tahlad who led the Dhe'nar during their exile in Rhoska-tor. Tahlad's birthday, the second Restday of Lormesta (Fourth day of Froest, ancient Elven calendar), is celebrated by many Dhe'nar as a feast day and day of reflection.

''Korthyr'' 
Korthyr Faendryl, House of Faendryl, and nephew of Tahlad, was the elf who instigated the collapse of the Elven Nation and its fragmentation into the seven Elven Houses. Korthyr is considered among the Dhe'nar to be the epitome of arrogance and hubris, and is widely reviled (as are his descendants) for his part in the destruction of the Elven Nation. Many unpopular criminals in Dhe'nari society are held until the day of Korthyr's birth (Third Volnes, Koarotos), and then publicly executed.

''Kris har'esh'' 
The term used as a ritual greeting and farewell among nearly every Dhe'nari society, even those separated from Sharath for several thousands of years. Kris har'esh translates literally as "May you walk with power as your constant companion," but is most commonly understood to mean "Walk with power."

''Sharath'' 
The ancestral home of the Dhe'nar, located atop, upon, and surrounding a mountain peak in the depths of the Southron Jungles. For a complete history of Sharath, please refer to the appropriate tomes in the Dhe'nari library.

''Castes, the'' 
The three Castes (Warrior, Priest, and Warlock) which comprise the nobility of the Dhe'nari society, as opposed to the peasants and villagers which make up the vast majority of the population. Each of the three Castes is charged with specific tasks and duties which they carry out in accordance with Tradition and Law. For a more thorough look at the roles of the Castes, please refer to the appropriate tomes in the Library.

==The Way==
For one who has had little or no experience in the study of the Way, it is often helpful to visualize a road with many forks, branches, turnoffs, and dead-ends. This road symbolizes life, while each of the turns along this road are the choices we make. At the end of each of these many branches lies the same thing-death. What matters is not so much the ending, then, but what occurs along the way. Some of these branches are preferable to others; making one choice might lead to riches, while making a different (and wrong) choice could lead to impoverishment and an early end. The Way, then, provides us with something of a map, allowing us to see which paths are wrong, and which paths are right. It is, quite literally, the Way down this road.

The theory underlying the effectiveness of the Way is that by living one's life according to certain pre-determined standards, one is more likely to make a correct choice as opposed to an incorrect choice. The majority of the rest of this document deals with these standards, and attempts to ascertain why they are so effective.

The astute reader will note that in the above definition of the Way (see "Terms, Definitions, and People"); two main facets make themselves immediately known. Summarized, they are Unity (among Elves, Dhe'nar, and Family), and self-perfection. The Unity this refers to is easily understood; Noi'sho'rah, spiritual father of the Dhe'nar, believed that the only way for the Elven Nation to once again achieve its rightful place was through Unity, not divisiveness. This divisiveness is personified contemporarily by the seven Elven Houses, which vie with each other for power and even make war amongst each other. Thus, it is the duty of the Dhe'nar to work towards Unity among the elves.

The other and far more complex facet of the Way is the self-perfection it requires. Even one who understands the Way perfectly must still spends decades laboring towards this goal, knowing as he does that self-perfection is impossible; no matter how hard one tries, there is always another level to which one can aspire.

To begin our discussion on the self-perfection the Way stresses, we must first realize that this entails self-reliance. In fact, one can go further and say that the Way also requires self-respect, self-determination, self-responsibility, and no small degree of self-worth. The astute reader will notice what all of these requirements have in common-the Self. In many ways the Way is a testament to the stress Dhe'nar put on the individual. To the Dhe'nar, a person sinks or swims according to his own merits, no unearned help is allotted to those who need it even for survival's sake. By the same token, respect is earned among the Dhe'nar, not automatically granted through relations or station. Thus a simple foot soldier who proves himself on the field of battle to be both brave and cunning will earn far more respect and admiration than even a General who proves himself to be a lack-wit and drudge. (It should be noted that because Dhe'nar place such importance on respect, it is likely that the foot soldier and general would soon be exchanging positions.)

In regards to this self-reliance, there are several main attributes that can be directly related to the Self. That is to say, each of these attributes comes from within, and for true self-perfection to be achieved, each must exist in an unadulterated form, without the support or influence of others. Although any given Dhe'nar might list dozens of different attributes, there are three that the author has found to be Universal, and as such they are presented here in order of relative importance.

==Honor==
It is said by some that honor and 5 silvers will buy you wine at any local tavern-wine costing 5 silvers at most local taverns. Other people say that without honor one has nothing, or that material possessions (which, to be sure, nearly everyone has) are simply without value in the absence of honor. Still more people, mostly of a cynical and perhaps sadly realistic outlook, hold that honor is nothing more than a type of armor which the high of station accrue over time, using it to defend against the moral decay that their actions invariable cause. Most people, however, have an entirely different opinion of honor; that is, they consider it an outdated virtue best left abandoned or in the storybooks.

With these out of the way, then, we can move on to what Dhe'nar tend to think about honor. As the experienced reader might imagine, there is quite a wide range of opinion among Dhe'nar regarding such an important value, yet for the most part it can be understood that all Dhe'nar place a much higher regard upon the honor of others and of themselves than would, say, a mere commoner. This is not to say that all Dhe'nar are honorable, or even consider themselves honorable, yet by and large they are and do.

Why, the reader might ask, is this trait considered so important by the author as to include it in a discussion of the Way? The answer to this question lies in two parts; first, by its very nature honor dictates and regulates the actions of an individual, and secondly honor is something that comes entirely from within, rather than from outside influences. Regarding the first of these, the very fact that a person has honor or considers himself to be honorable imparts a certain amount of trust and reliability, traits that are useful in any society. In fact, in Dhe'nari society, honor has become akin to a survival trait, in that individuals who are widely acknowledge having it are accorded a higher station in life. Although this might seem counter-intuitive at first-after all, one who is dishonest and self-centered should stand a much greater chance at succeeding in life-any benefits that might occur due to dishonesty and disputability are easily offset by the fact that individuals who display those traits are often killed out of hand. Thus, in the Dhe'nar we have a society that not only prizes honor, but one in which honorable individuals are the norm rather than the exception.

The second facet of honor that qualifies it for such discussion is the fact that in Dhe'nari society honor is something that comes entirely from the individual, without exception. To clarify this, honor is an attribute that any given individual must decide he wants to possess (or does not want to), and then go about acquiring it through faithfully discharging his duty, performing acts of courage or conspicuous bravery, etc. By the same token, honor is not something that can be bestowed upon a person simply due to rank or lineage-once again the Dhe'nar show themselves to be egalitarian with respect to the individual.

To conclude this necessarily short discussion of honor with respect to the Way; honor, being a trait that affects the actions of an individual, has become prevalent throughout Dhe'nari society and affects the course of their entire culture. On the other hand, however, honor is a trait that is acquired or spurned at the wish of the individual, not society as a whole. This combination-directing the actions and morals of an entire society, while at the same time being a choice based entirely upon the individual-is one of the hallmarks of the Way.

==Power==
Power, as described so thoroughly above, means many things to many people. For some, knowledge suffices for power, as knowledge often imparts a special perspective or ability upon those who hold it. For others, power is only present in the ability to manipulate their surroundings, or to force their will upon others. Power among the Dhe'nar is a mix of these three, with emphasis on the first two, rather than the third.

At first it may puzzle the reader that such a martial race as the Dhe'nar place store in knowledge, even to the point of considering Loremasters some of the most powerful individuals in a society. Usually among such people it is a General or Blade-master who assumes positions of power and prestige; not so among the Dhe'nar, who recognize that often the best ruler is the one who is best informed. This belief is seen in one of the most revered of Dhe'nari sayings, "Su'dhaa na-gnosa. Gnosa na kris-a. Kris na su'ta." ("Everything is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is everything.").

The Dhe'nar also appreciate power of a more physical persuasion, such as the ability to defeat one's foe in battle, or to summon forth energies and craft a spell with them. This type of power requires years of practice and honing of skills to perfect, and as such is the most respected form of power among the Dhe'nar. However, it is widely acknowledged that brute force and strength are useless without intelligence to guide it. While many Dhe'nar content themselves to live out their lives following the orders of others, it is those who are able to think as well as act who rise to the highest positions among the Dhe'nar.

The final major form of power-power over others-is accepted among the Dhe'nar, but only as a necessity. While the Dhe'nar have leaders like any society, these individuals take no special pride or respect from their ability to order others around. Rather, they are judged for their other attributes, so while strength and intelligence might land a warrior a position as a general it would be those attributes and not the position from which the warrior would draw respect.

By its very nature the Way deals with coming to power through individual perfection; thus it behooves us to look not so much at power itself, but at why the Way dictates that it must come from within. To this end we have shown that power over others-which Dhe'nar are so indifferent to-exists only at the behest of others, those who are being governed. To that end, this form of power is untenable and ephemeral, subject to change with less than a moment's notice and never truly under control. In contrast, the power of knowledge and of skill/strength can never be taken away, and rests entirely upon the individual, who can choose to exercise it as needed. When we say, therefore, that a person who studies the Way must learn power, we mean that this power must come from within and exist with no other requisites. A king who is stripped of his crown may well be useless if he came to power only through his lineage; a Dhe'nari warrior stripped of his caste markings is every bit as powerful as a recognized warrior.

==Opinion==
Opinion is a facet of life that is essential to the Way not so much because an adherent to the Way need form opinions, but rather because opinions are one of the few things (Honor and Power being high among the others) that must come entirely from within to be valid. When one has honor there is never-or, at least, rarely-any need to agonize over fulfilling one's obligations to the Family and to the Unity of the Elven peoples that the Way stresses; instead, it comes naturally. When one has power-the pure, unadulterated power that comes from within-there is never any need to fail at one's assigned duty. However, what separates the true Dhe'nar from a mindless automaton is the ability to think rationally, objectively, and individually; in other words, the ability to form an opinion.

Rarely does one ponder high-minded ideals when one hears the word 'opinion.' In fact, one is more likely to consider such insults as 'opinionated' and 'conceited.' However, we must put aside these prejudices for the moment and realize that the ability to form, hold, and act upon an opinion is what separates the slave from the warrior. Always, in the heat of battle or the midst of spell-weaving, one must be free to deviate from the prescribed doctrine of others and make a judgment based on the situation at hand. It is this situational flexibility that has made Dhe'nari warriors some of the most feared and respected in the world, with the ability to adapt to changing conditions at the individual level.

As in all things, the Way emphasizes purity and individuality. With regard to opinion, this is taken to meant that an individual must make a decision or render a judgment based upon what he thinks is best, either for himself, the Family, and for the Way. This emphasis on individual formation can only reach fruition in the upper echelons of Dhe'nari society, with the lower castes and strata given less freedom to interpret their duties. It should be added, however, that anyone-even the lowest servant-is free to form an opinion and discharge his duties as best as possible under the conditions; however, it should also be added that the price for failure is very high when one takes a situation into one's own hands. A foot soldier who follows poor orders to the letter might do his best but still fail (yet escape punishment), while one who disregards those orders and succeeds would be praised for his insight and quick-thinking. Woes betide the soldier who disregards orders and still fails, for then the burden of failure comes down upon him alone.

To summarize, opinion is the facet of the Way which distinguishes the true Dhe'nar from one simply able to accept orders. Honor provides structure to the Way, while Power is the motive force behind its progress. Opinion merely serves to bring about individual perfection, which in turn benefits the Family and the Elven people as a whole.

==Unity==
So far in this document we have examined the premise of the Way, and how it relates to the individual who seeks power. However, the Way also dictates certain responsibilities and duties to those who live by it, designed to improve not the individual but the entire Elven race. This was the original intent of both Noi'sho'rah and Tahlad when they attempted to hold together the fragmenting Elven Nation, and later the guiding principle of the Dhe'nar as they sought to form a new society in the ruins of Rhoska-tor. (Author's note: The learned reader will note at this point that the Way, although very successful in guiding the Dhe'nar to power, has yet to make any appreciable progress towards the goal of Elven Unity. This has led many Dhe'nar to metaphorically abandon their cousins in the Elven Houses and seek only to preserve Unity among the Dhe'nar, trusting that at the current rate of progress; soon there won't be any elves but the Dhe'nar.)

If there are any facets of the Way that resemble organized religion, it is this belief that the Gods desire Unity on the part of the Elven peoples. Certainly there is no proof that a higher state-of-consciousness will be achieved when all of the Elven people come together in peace and harmony, or even that a perfect society absent all the ills of our current one will be constructed. However, what we can state with some degree of certitude that the world would be much better off without the internecine conflicts of the Elven Houses. Had the Elven Houses been capable of working together, Despana could never have wreaked the havoc she did, nor would the Faendryl have taken it upon themselves to raze the Ashrim isles into the sea. Certainly, without the Unity they are well known for, the Dhe'nar could not have made such an impact in the areas they have migrated into with so few numbers.

However, rather than argue the validity or success of the Unity that the Way preaches, it falls to us instead to study the effects of Unity upon the individual, and the duties and responsibilities it entails. It may help for the reader to visualize an individual Dhe'nar as being pulled upon by two forces, each a facet of the Way. The one force is the drive for self-perfection and individual power, drawing the Dhe'nar to greatness. The other-sometimes concurrent, sometimes diametrically opposed-force is the demand of the Way for Unity among the Elven People, usually felt as duty to the Family. A Dhe'nar, then, lives in a constant state of flux between these two forces, attempting to balance his sense of Honor, Power, and Opinion against his duty to the Family. In a perfect world there would be no conflict between duty and the individual; however, in reality it is much harder to find balance. Often it is required of a Dhe'nar to decide which is more important, the orders of his superiors, or the requirements of the situation. In these instances it is the Opinion that the Way teaches which becomes necessary, to determine the best course of action.

To surmise, Unity is most often felt by Dhe'nar as duty to the Family, which can take the form of orders from a superior, or simply spur-of-the-moment decisions based on the necessity of the situation. Often this duty comes into conflict with the duty to the Self which the Way also preaches, and thus the ability to discern relative importance is necessary. The ability to form a cognizant, rational opinion is necessary for this decision-making, and thus is also taught as part of the Way.

==Conclusion==
It is the sincere hope of the author that the reader of this humble document has found it enlightening of the admittedly obscure topic of the Way. Despite thousands of years of refinement by the Dhe'nar, the Way is still regarded in almost mystical terms by the vast majority of its adherents, thus rendering it difficult to explain to outsiders or those who seek to learn of their heritage. However, despite the seeming length of the pages above, the concept of the Way can be condensed into just a few words: a Way to live.

Does that seem too simple to the learned reader? If so then take assurance that the above pages do not come near defining the Way in all of its intricacies and complexities, and that one could spend a lifetime perusing the Dhe'nar and find far more elegant and pleasing meanings of the Way. However, necessity dictates that this Treatise be kept simple enough for the young Dhe'nar to use to learn about his history, and the requirements of the life he is about to embark upon.

If this still fails to assuage the demanding reader, the author refers him to a saying that has been mentioned earlier in this document, but deserves repeating nevertheless. If the reader takes nothing else from this humble document, then let it be this:

"Everything is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is everything."

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Regarding the Way (essay)

2015-04-28T22:23:19Z

BRAKIAN: Created page with "{{short-story | title = Regarding the Way: A Treatise | author = Mnar Akurion }} ==Introduction== Gentle Reader, It is the privilege of the author to present to you this docu..."

{{short-story | title = Regarding the Way: A Treatise | author = Mnar Akurion }}
==Introduction==
Gentle Reader,

It is the privilege of the author to present to you this document, which contains the fruits of over a year of studying the Way and its implementation across all strata of the Dhe'nari society. It is the hope of the author that you will find this humble document affirming of the faith, while at the same time enlightening in several regards, most notably in that it attempts to break the ambiguous concept of the 'Way' into several smaller facets that can be more easily understood. It is not, the author hopes, too presumptuous to attempt to put into mere words what dozens of millennia of Dhe'nar have lived and perfected; rather the author intends this work as a stepping point in the teaching of those unfamiliar with the Way, so that they might better understand that which they are undertaking. However, it must be cautioned that even the most exacting reader who is able to understand everything in this humble document will still be considered an uninformed outsider to a true Dhe'nar, one who has actually lived by the Way and learned what it means to be loyal to himself and to the Family. It is often said that only true Dhe'nar can understand the Way; however, the author thinks that it is more correct to say that only those taught by one who has lived the Way can hope to one day live it themselves. With these cautionary statements given, then, it is the honor of the author to submit this humble document to the scrutiny of his betters.

Kris har'esh,
::-Mnar Akurion

==Terms, Definitions, and People==
Before we can undertake a serious study of the Way, it is necessary to define certain terms for the exacting reader. Certain phrases, by necessity, have been rendered in Dhe'nar-si, the language of the Dhe'nar, and also require translation at this point. In order, then, of relative importance:

'The Way'-- The Way, most simply, is a code of conduct which all true Dhe'nar follow in the attempt to perfect themselves. It allows the skilled thinker to analyze all of the choices presented to him, and then discern the end results of each, permitting him to choose the path that will lead to his goals: literally, the Way to follow to power. In a wider scope, the Way also dictates that for the Elven race to once again achieve its place with the Gods, they must unite, rather than remain divided. The Way, then, teaches coming to power by perfecting one's self, as well as using this power to unify the Elven race. (Author's note: Exact meanings of the 'Way' vary as much as individuals do. What is correct to one Dhe'nar might be incorrect to another; these differences are often readily visible across Caste boundaries. For the purposes of this document, an attempt to define the Way objectively has been undertaken. However, the astute reader should remember that perfect objectivity is impossible, and that this document may contain the biases of the Warrior's caste, from which the author is honored to have gleaned much of his knowledge.)

Power-- Historians throughout the ages have attempted to define power in terms that can be understood by all, yet at the same time encompassing all possible connotations of the word. For the purposes of this document, the author chooses to define Power somewhat lengthily, in the hope that increased detail excuses lack of brevity.

Power, to an engineer or alchemist, is the ability to do work. Power is present in rivers that turn water wheels, in logs that burn for fire and even in rocks suspended above the ground waiting to fall. This is inanimate power, waiting to occur of its own volition for no purpose other than to lower its energy state, contributing to the slow degradation of the Universe by the powers of Chaos (see Unlife; Entropy).

Power, to monarchs or generals, is the ability to give an order and have it carried out. By this we mean not so much that the order will be successfully fulfilled, rather that there are people who will accept the order and attempt to execute it. This is power over others, and is always unstable in that it derives from the willingness of these 'others' to be ruled. The many revolutions that have occurred throughout history are testament to this instability.

The power of philosophers and thinkers comes from their minds, and their understanding of the world around them. In this sense it is quite literal that knowledge is power, for brute strength without a keen mind to direct it will eventually waste away. It is said by many that information is the truest form of power (the author, though he sympathizes with these people believes them to be not entirely correct), and that one who devotes himself to knowing everything that may be known can wield more power than the strongest monarch.

Finally, and most important to us, is power that comes through one's abilities and strengths. In many ways this includes the aforementioned power of the philosopher, but it is broader in the sense that it also includes the warrior who is strong of arm and skilled with a sword, as well as a Warlock who can tear down a mountain if it pleases him. As disparate as these examples seem, they are all alike in that they represent the power of a single man, without the involvement of others. This is the purest form of power to any who study the Way, and the ideal to which all Dhe'nar aspire.

Dhe'nar-- This may seem like an overly obvious thing to be stating in a document so specific, but the author includes it for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the Family. The Dhe'nar are those elves and their descendants (to present) who did not join the other elves in abandoning the Elven Nation and fragmenting into what would later become the seven Elven Houses. Rather, the Dhe'nar chose to continue practicing the beliefs taught to them by the Gods (foremost among these being the Way), and because of this were exiled by the then new Elven Houses (primarily House Faendryl) to the ruins of Rhoska-tor. (Author's note: although the popular histories of the Dhe'nar state that the original Dhe'nar left the fragmenting Nation willingly, the written records of the Elven Houses-again, primarily those of House Faendryl-state that the Dhe'nar were exiled to Rhoska-tor. Further, knowing what we do of the temperaments of Dhe'nar and Elf alike, it seems reasonable to conclude that the exile to Rhoska-tor was not voluntary and was forced upon them.)

Family, the-- A term used among Dhe'nar to refer to the local population of Dhe'nar, related not through blood but rather through their duty to the Dhe'nari Empire, which they often go decades without contact from. Aside from the Self, the Family is the next group to which a Dhe'nar feels loyalty and duty.

Noi'sho'rah-- Literally, 'First Brother,' the elf who was closest to the Gods and provided inspiration for Tahlad and the courage the Dhe'nar would need during their first fearful years. It was he who spoke against the fragmenting of the Elven Nation, and later prophesied the coming of Despana as punishment for the elves who failed to follow the Way. The astute reader will note that although Noi'sho'rah translates as 'First Brother,' by themselves the runes forming Sho'rah translate as 'Sister'. This seeming incongruity is explained by the fact that Dhe'nar-si, unlike the Common in which we are now communicating, uses the female pronoun when referring to situations of mixed or unknown gender. Therefore, while Noi'sho'rah or Sho'rah-noi both translate as 'First sister,' the term Noi'sho'rah has come to be accepted as referring to our 'First Brother.' (Author's note: again, the astute reader will notice that although the term Noi'sho'rah refers to the man who essentially founded the Dhe'nar, it is not his name. In truth, his name has been lost to the millennia, leaving many modern historians to question whether or not he even existed. Such speculation is, of course, outside the scope of this document and not within our abilities to discuss.)

Tahlad-- Disciple of Noi'sho'rah, it was Tahlad who led the Dhe'nar during their exile in Rhoska-tor. Tahlad's birthday, the second Restday of Lormesta (Fourth day of Froest, ancient Elven calendar), is celebrated by many Dhe'nar as a feast day and day of reflection.

Korthyr-- Korthyr Faendryl, House of Faendryl, and nephew of Tahlad, was the elf who instigated the collapse of the Elven Nation and its fragmentation into the seven Elven Houses. Korthyr is considered among the Dhe'nar to be the epitome of arrogance and hubris, and is widely reviled (as are his descendants) for his part in the destruction of the Elven Nation. Many unpopular criminals in Dhe'nari society are held until the day of Korthyr's birth (Third Volnes, Koarotos), and then publicly executed.

Kris har'esh-- The term used as a ritual greeting and farewell among nearly every Dhe'nari society, even those separated from Sharath for several thousands of years. Kris har'esh translates literally as "May you walk with power as your constant companion," but is most commonly understood to mean "Walk with power."

Sharath-- The ancestral home of the Dhe'nar, located atop, upon, and surrounding a mountain peak in the depths of the Southron Jungles. For a complete history of Sharath, please refer to the appropriate tomes in the Dhe'nari library.

Castes, the-- The three Castes (Warrior, Priest, and Warlock) which comprise the nobility of the Dhe'nari society, as opposed to the peasants and villagers which make up the vast majority of the population. Each of the three Castes is charged with specific tasks and duties which they carry out in accordance with Tradition and Law. For a more thorough look at the roles of the Castes, please refer to the appropriate tomes in the Library.

==The Way==
For one who has had little or no experience in the study of the Way, it is often helpful to visualize a road with many forks, branches, turnoffs, and dead-ends. This road symbolizes life, while each of the turns along this road are the choices we make. At the end of each of these many branches lies the same thing-death. What matters is not so much the ending, then, but what occurs along the way. Some of these branches are preferable to others; making one choice might lead to riches, while making a different (and wrong) choice could lead to impoverishment and an early end. The Way, then, provides us with something of a map, allowing us to see which paths are wrong, and which paths are right. It is, quite literally, the Way down this road.

The theory underlying the effectiveness of the Way is that by living one's life according to certain pre-determined standards, one is more likely to make a correct choice as opposed to an incorrect choice. The majority of the rest of this document deals with these standards, and attempts to ascertain why they are so effective.

The astute reader will note that in the above definition of the Way (see "Terms, Definitions, and People"); two main facets make themselves immediately known. Summarized, they are Unity (among Elves, Dhe'nar, and Family), and self-perfection. The Unity this refers to is easily understood; Noi'sho'rah, spiritual father of the Dhe'nar, believed that the only way for the Elven Nation to once again achieve its rightful place was through Unity, not divisiveness. This divisiveness is personified contemporarily by the seven Elven Houses, which vie with each other for power and even make war amongst each other. Thus, it is the duty of the Dhe'nar to work towards Unity among the elves.

The other and far more complex facet of the Way is the self-perfection it requires. Even one who understands the Way perfectly must still spends decades laboring towards this goal, knowing as he does that self-perfection is impossible; no matter how hard one tries, there is always another level to which one can aspire.

To begin our discussion on the self-perfection the Way stresses, we must first realize that this entails self-reliance. In fact, one can go further and say that the Way also requires self-respect, self-determination, self-responsibility, and no small degree of self-worth. The astute reader will notice what all of these requirements have in common-the Self. In many ways the Way is a testament to the stress Dhe'nar put on the individual. To the Dhe'nar, a person sinks or swims according to his own merits, no unearned help is allotted to those who need it even for survival's sake. By the same token, respect is earned among the Dhe'nar, not automatically granted through relations or station. Thus a simple foot soldier who proves himself on the field of battle to be both brave and cunning will earn far more respect and admiration than even a General who proves himself to be a lack-wit and drudge. (It should be noted that because Dhe'nar place such importance on respect, it is likely that the foot soldier and general would soon be exchanging positions.)

In regards to this self-reliance, there are several main attributes that can be directly related to the Self. That is to say, each of these attributes comes from within, and for true self-perfection to be achieved, each must exist in an unadulterated form, without the support or influence of others. Although any given Dhe'nar might list dozens of different attributes, there are three that the author has found to be Universal, and as such they are presented here in order of relative importance.

==Honor==
It is said by some that honor and 5 silvers will buy you wine at any local tavern-wine costing 5 silvers at most local taverns. Other people say that without honor one has nothing, or that material possessions (which, to be sure, nearly everyone has) are simply without value in the absence of honor. Still more people, mostly of a cynical and perhaps sadly realistic outlook, hold that honor is nothing more than a type of armor which the high of station accrue over time, using it to defend against the moral decay that their actions invariable cause. Most people, however, have an entirely different opinion of honor; that is, they consider it an outdated virtue best left abandoned or in the storybooks.

With these out of the way, then, we can move on to what Dhe'nar tend to think about honor. As the experienced reader might imagine, there is quite a wide range of opinion among Dhe'nar regarding such an important value, yet for the most part it can be understood that all Dhe'nar place a much higher regard upon the honor of others and of themselves than would, say, a mere commoner. This is not to say that all Dhe'nar are honorable, or even consider themselves honorable, yet by and large they are and do.

Why, the reader might ask, is this trait considered so important by the author as to include it in a discussion of the Way? The answer to this question lies in two parts; first, by its very nature honor dictates and regulates the actions of an individual, and secondly honor is something that comes entirely from within, rather than from outside influences. Regarding the first of these, the very fact that a person has honor or considers himself to be honorable imparts a certain amount of trust and reliability, traits that are useful in any society. In fact, in Dhe'nari society, honor has become akin to a survival trait, in that individuals who are widely acknowledge having it are accorded a higher station in life. Although this might seem counter-intuitive at first-after all, one who is dishonest and self-centered should stand a much greater chance at succeeding in life-any benefits that might occur due to dishonesty and disputability are easily offset by the fact that individuals who display those traits are often killed out of hand. Thus, in the Dhe'nar we have a society that not only prizes honor, but one in which honorable individuals are the norm rather than the exception.

The second facet of honor that qualifies it for such discussion is the fact that in Dhe'nari society honor is something that comes entirely from the individual, without exception. To clarify this, honor is an attribute that any given individual must decide he wants to possess (or does not want to), and then go about acquiring it through faithfully discharging his duty, performing acts of courage or conspicuous bravery, etc. By the same token, honor is not something that can be bestowed upon a person simply due to rank or lineage-once again the Dhe'nar show themselves to be egalitarian with respect to the individual.

To conclude this necessarily short discussion of honor with respect to the Way; honor, being a trait that affects the actions of an individual, has become prevalent throughout Dhe'nari society and affects the course of their entire culture. On the other hand, however, honor is a trait that is acquired or spurned at the wish of the individual, not society as a whole. This combination-directing the actions and morals of an entire society, while at the same time being a choice based entirely upon the individual-is one of the hallmarks of the Way.

==Power==
Power, as described so thoroughly above, means many things to many people. For some, knowledge suffices for power, as knowledge often imparts a special perspective or ability upon those who hold it. For others, power is only present in the ability to manipulate their surroundings, or to force their will upon others. Power among the Dhe'nar is a mix of these three, with emphasis on the first two, rather than the third.

At first it may puzzle the reader that such a martial race as the Dhe'nar place store in knowledge, even to the point of considering Loremasters some of the most powerful individuals in a society. Usually among such people it is a General or Blade-master who assumes positions of power and prestige; not so among the Dhe'nar, who recognize that often the best ruler is the one who is best informed. This belief is seen in one of the most revered of Dhe'nari sayings, "Su'dhaa na-gnosa. Gnosa na kris-a. Kris na su'ta." ("Everything is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is everything.").

The Dhe'nar also appreciate power of a more physical persuasion, such as the ability to defeat one's foe in battle, or to summon forth energies and craft a spell with them. This type of power requires years of practice and honing of skills to perfect, and as such is the most respected form of power among the Dhe'nar. However, it is widely acknowledged that brute force and strength are useless without intelligence to guide it. While many Dhe'nar content themselves to live out their lives following the orders of others, it is those who are able to think as well as act who rise to the highest positions among the Dhe'nar.

The final major form of power-power over others-is accepted among the Dhe'nar, but only as a necessity. While the Dhe'nar have leaders like any society, these individuals take no special pride or respect from their ability to order others around. Rather, they are judged for their other attributes, so while strength and intelligence might land a warrior a position as a general it would be those attributes and not the position from which the warrior would draw respect.

By its very nature the Way deals with coming to power through individual perfection; thus it behooves us to look not so much at power itself, but at why the Way dictates that it must come from within. To this end we have shown that power over others-which Dhe'nar are so indifferent to-exists only at the behest of others, those who are being governed. To that end, this form of power is untenable and ephemeral, subject to change with less than a moment's notice and never truly under control. In contrast, the power of knowledge and of skill/strength can never be taken away, and rests entirely upon the individual, who can choose to exercise it as needed. When we say, therefore, that a person who studies the Way must learn power, we mean that this power must come from within and exist with no other requisites. A king who is stripped of his crown may well be useless if he came to power only through his lineage; a Dhe'nari warrior stripped of his caste markings is every bit as powerful as a recognized warrior.

==Opinion==
Opinion is a facet of life that is essential to the Way not so much because an adherent to the Way need form opinions, but rather because opinions are one of the few things (Honor and Power being high among the others) that must come entirely from within to be valid. When one has honor there is never-or, at least, rarely-any need to agonize over fulfilling one's obligations to the Family and to the Unity of the Elven peoples that the Way stresses; instead, it comes naturally. When one has power-the pure, unadulterated power that comes from within-there is never any need to fail at one's assigned duty. However, what separates the true Dhe'nar from a mindless automaton is the ability to think rationally, objectively, and individually; in other words, the ability to form an opinion.

Rarely does one ponder high-minded ideals when one hears the word 'opinion.' In fact, one is more likely to consider such insults as 'opinionated' and 'conceited.' However, we must put aside these prejudices for the moment and realize that the ability to form, hold, and act upon an opinion is what separates the slave from the warrior. Always, in the heat of battle or the midst of spell-weaving, one must be free to deviate from the prescribed doctrine of others and make a judgment based on the situation at hand. It is this situational flexibility that has made Dhe'nari warriors some of the most feared and respected in the world, with the ability to adapt to changing conditions at the individual level.

As in all things, the Way emphasizes purity and individuality. With regard to opinion, this is taken to meant that an individual must make a decision or render a judgment based upon what he thinks is best, either for himself, the Family, and for the Way. This emphasis on individual formation can only reach fruition in the upper echelons of Dhe'nari society, with the lower castes and strata given less freedom to interpret their duties. It should be added, however, that anyone-even the lowest servant-is free to form an opinion and discharge his duties as best as possible under the conditions; however, it should also be added that the price for failure is very high when one takes a situation into one's own hands. A foot soldier who follows poor orders to the letter might do his best but still fail (yet escape punishment), while one who disregards those orders and succeeds would be praised for his insight and quick-thinking. Woes betide the soldier who disregards orders and still fails, for then the burden of failure comes down upon him alone.

To summarize, opinion is the facet of the Way which distinguishes the true Dhe'nar from one simply able to accept orders. Honor provides structure to the Way, while Power is the motive force behind its progress. Opinion merely serves to bring about individual perfection, which in turn benefits the Family and the Elven people as a whole.

==Unity==
So far in this document we have examined the premise of the Way, and how it relates to the individual who seeks power. However, the Way also dictates certain responsibilities and duties to those who live by it, designed to improve not the individual but the entire Elven race. This was the original intent of both Noi'sho'rah and Tahlad when they attempted to hold together the fragmenting Elven Nation, and later the guiding principle of the Dhe'nar as they sought to form a new society in the ruins of Rhoska-tor. (Author's note: The learned reader will note at this point that the Way, although very successful in guiding the Dhe'nar to power, has yet to make any appreciable progress towards the goal of Elven Unity. This has led many Dhe'nar to metaphorically abandon their cousins in the Elven Houses and seek only to preserve Unity among the Dhe'nar, trusting that at the current rate of progress; soon there won't be any elves but the Dhe'nar.)

If there are any facets of the Way that resemble organized religion, it is this belief that the Gods desire Unity on the part of the Elven peoples. Certainly there is no proof that a higher state-of-consciousness will be achieved when all of the Elven people come together in peace and harmony, or even that a perfect society absent all the ills of our current one will be constructed. However, what we can state with some degree of certitude that the world would be much better off without the internecine conflicts of the Elven Houses. Had the Elven Houses been capable of working together, Despana could never have wreaked the havoc she did, nor would the Faendryl have taken it upon themselves to raze the Ashrim isles into the sea. Certainly, without the Unity they are well known for, the Dhe'nar could not have made such an impact in the areas they have migrated into with so few numbers.

However, rather than argue the validity or success of the Unity that the Way preaches, it falls to us instead to study the effects of Unity upon the individual, and the duties and responsibilities it entails. It may help for the reader to visualize an individual Dhe'nar as being pulled upon by two forces, each a facet of the Way. The one force is the drive for self-perfection and individual power, drawing the Dhe'nar to greatness. The other-sometimes concurrent, sometimes diametrically opposed-force is the demand of the Way for Unity among the Elven People, usually felt as duty to the Family. A Dhe'nar, then, lives in a constant state of flux between these two forces, attempting to balance his sense of Honor, Power, and Opinion against his duty to the Family. In a perfect world there would be no conflict between duty and the individual; however, in reality it is much harder to find balance. Often it is required of a Dhe'nar to decide which is more important, the orders of his superiors, or the requirements of the situation. In these instances it is the Opinion that the Way teaches which becomes necessary, to determine the best course of action.

To surmise, Unity is most often felt by Dhe'nar as duty to the Family, which can take the form of orders from a superior, or simply spur-of-the-moment decisions based on the necessity of the situation. Often this duty comes into conflict with the duty to the Self which the Way also preaches, and thus the ability to discern relative importance is necessary. The ability to form a cognizant, rational opinion is necessary for this decision-making, and thus is also taught as part of the Way.

==Conclusion==
It is the sincere hope of the author that the reader of this humble document has found it enlightening of the admittedly obscure topic of the Way. Despite thousands of years of refinement by the Dhe'nar, the Way is still regarded in almost mystical terms by the vast majority of its adherents, thus rendering it difficult to explain to outsiders or those who seek to learn of their heritage. However, despite the seeming length of the pages above, the concept of the Way can be condensed into just a few words: a Way to live.

Does that seem too simple to the learned reader? If so then take assurance that the above pages do not come near defining the Way in all of its intricacies and complexities, and that one could spend a lifetime perusing the Dhe'nar and find far more elegant and pleasing meanings of the Way. However, necessity dictates that this Treatise be kept simple enough for the young Dhe'nar to use to learn about his history, and the requirements of the life he is about to embark upon.

If this still fails to assuage the demanding reader, the author refers him to a saying that has been mentioned earlier in this document, but deserves repeating nevertheless. If the reader takes nothing else from this humble document, then let it be this:

"Everything is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is everything."

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Dhe'nar

2015-04-28T22:18:39Z

BRAKIAN: /* Lore */

The Dhe'nar are a [[Dark elf|dark-elven]] culture. They split from the Elven nations approximately 50,000 years before the modern Elanthian calendar was established. This was prior to the historical event that led to the establishment of the seven Elven Nations.

The Dhe'nar were originally followers of [[Noi'sho'rah]] prior to his death or Ascension. They traveled southwest after leaving the original elven lands, led by [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]] until they arrived in [[Rhoska-Tor]]. They eventually settled permanently in the area they called [[Sharath]].

==Dhe'nar Settlements==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==See Also==
*[[Noi'sho'rah]]
*[[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
*[[Khanshael]]
*[[Understanding the Departure of the Dhe'nar (essay)]]

==Lore==
* [[The Stareater]]
* [[The Duk'sa]]
* [[The Departure]]
* [[Warrior's Tale]]
* [[The Fall]]
* [[Warrior Song]]
* [[Regarding the Way]]

==References==
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar| ]]
{{Dark Elves}}

Warrior's Tale (short story)

2015-04-28T22:16:26Z

BRAKIAN:

{{short-story | title = Warrior's Tale | author = Kree Morlain }}
In a misty bog far off in the dark and dreary jungles....

"You must remember, my resourceful friends, the strong shall survive! Only the strong! You are the Dhe'nar, the Dhe'nar are strong! You WILL survive!" the High Priest rose his hands triumphantly with these words, and the previously frustrated and angry crowd burst into cheers.

"There is no way you can fail. All others quiver at the mention of your name. Merely sweep away the foolish weaklings, and take what is theirs for your own! The strong shall survive!" the High Priest sounded once again, and the cheers came even more emphatically.

"THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE!!!" The crowd roared in unison, their voices ringing throughout the hall with earthshaking resonance. The crowd became even louder and uglier in the harsh Dhe'nar tongue. "THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE!!! THE WEAK WILL BE DESTROYED!!!"

So long had they lived, the lowest of the Dhe'nar, at the base of Gierkroal Uotonga; or in the common language, The Great Mountain of old. So long had they been lower than the rest, mere pawns in a seemingly endless game of chess. The sacrifices, the resolve, all for naught but poverty and loss of bloodlines. "The Dhe'nar must rule! The strong must rule!" These words were the rallying cry of thousands. When the pawns became restless, a priest was sent from atop the mountain to calm them, to reassure them that all would be won and that they were strong. That the Dhe'nar were strong, and that they were Dhe'nar.

The base of the mountain of old was inhabited by the foot soldiers and lower class families within the Dhe'nar elf structure. The middle of the mountain was divided in three parts: the lowest part was inhabited by the archers and bowmen of the Dhe'nar kingdom, the middle by the great craftsman and architects, and the portion closest to the top by the Dark Cavalry, or so they were called; the dreaded horseman of the Dhe'nar whose skill in battle was unmatched by any of the Humans who had ever encountered them along the jungle's frontier towns and villages. The horses were kept by the workers and farmers at the base of the mountain, treated better than most of the people who resided there. At the very top of the mountain stood the Gierkroal Ekapter. The Great Keep. Here lived the great magi and priests of the Dhe'nar, with their dark magic, secret rituals, and powerful gods. They were regarded as deities and treated accordingly.

Also within each city resided a Mayor or Enforcer as they were more often called in the lower parts of the mountain. These people were responsible for their cities and were regarded as mediators between the High ones and the common elves.

Every month a representative from the Keep, a High Priest or Mage, would come down and check on each of the villages. In each village the representative would spend a day and resolve any conflicts that had took place the previous month, most often in the usual violent fashion. Each village had a set day every month to meet with this High Priest or Mage, and a warm reception was customary, for if a High visitor did not enjoy his stay, he might have the Enforcer of the village burned on the spot.

The difference in the quality of life between those who lived at the base and those who lived even one level above was astounding. From farmers to respected militia, from people living in barns to those who lived in long halls, there was no doubt that preferential treatment was involved. It was important that the lower villages remained impoverished, for poor meant misery, and that misery led elves to find comfort with the love of others, and that love led to large families. Those families led to tough fighters, brought up in hardship. Strong pawns in a never ending game of chess.

"Whizzz!" a Whip-Blade, or so they were called, made a sound like a reed swung at high speed. An almost relaxing humming sound caused by the displacement of air. It was a weapon with slits in it, giving it little weight and making it easy to swing. Used against lighter armed opponents to simply knock away weapons with a flick of the wrist, while a similar flick could part a man with his internals.

"Whizzz Whizzz Whizzz..." The sound continued as a young man beat his Whip-Blade ferociously. So many swings, so fast. A conundrum of sounds and motion, almost a solid mass to the untrained eye. Over shoulder, side swing, then up again, then down swing, and then back over the opposite shoulder the pattern repeated.

"Whizzz Whizzz Vrooom," the blade was swung too hard and the youth lost control. He breathed deeply, but not in fatigue. He breathed in awe of his own strength, for he was strong, he knew it, and he was Dhe'nar.

"No, no!" out walked the tall and wiry instructor. His frame was thin, but still possessed agility and strength in fluid motion. He Drew back his whip and took a cruel lash at the young Dhe'nar, knocking square in the jaw, sending him sprawling back.

"Swing strong, then whip back into position! The first swing must have power, else you will lose you sword you fool! Try again, and concentrate this time!" The instructor snarled and spat, then stood back waiting for him to get off the ground and begin again.

The Dhe'nar stood up and looked back at the instructor with disdain. Griping the Whip-Blade tightly, he began facing the instructor and slowly started the rhythmic swings. Strong then whipped back. He swung across his body, ripping the air with his strength. "VROOM" went the blade as it crossed his torso. "WHIZZZ" went it as he whipped it back across his body, flat of the blade on his shoulder. He glared at the instructor, who smiled smugly as he watched his student's anger grow.

The young Dhe'nar's face was an almost constant scowl. His eyes were cold grey and unblinking in the blinding sunlight. His skin was a dark black, yet lighter that of his distant Faendryl cousins. Many muscles wrapped his body, as he was the deadliest warrior-youth in the village and that demanded perfection in both form and body. His braided black hair was pulled taunt down his back, held in place by a black headband.

"VROOM, WHIZZZ!!" went the blade in his hands, each successive swing more powerful than the previous one.

"Hah! Yah! Hah! Yah!" He began to chant, his face wrinkling up in hatred as he approached the instructor. The swings were coming stronger and stronger and the sounds of the Whip-blade becoming quicker and less defined. The chant went faster and faster, the world around the Dhe'nar youth seemed blurry and confusing through the whirling blade. A rare look of concern washed across the instructor's face as the pain his student was feeling became physically visible. Grinding his teeth, though still chanting, he was swinging so hard at this point he was losing his balance again. The instructor became angry at this and completely furious when the Dhe'nar fell to the ground as his shoulder dislocated from a mighty swing. The whip flew out again.

"AARRRGGHH!" groaned the student as the whip connected with his bare chest. Blood seeped from the wound. The instructor knew he had torn flesh; maybe he even did it on purpose. The young Dhe'nar was down on the ground, kneeling, holding his dislocated right shoulder. He saw the torn flesh; he felt the rage in his heart, the blood of his family flowing from the gash. Muscles pulsed a moment, then the rage was gone. The sweat covered him, cooling him both physically and mentally. An almost gritty feeling. Slowly raising his head, he winced at the instructor with hungry eyes. Slowly he stood, and slowly approached the tall figure who beat him for so long, who had whipped him when he was down.

The instructor was visibly afraid for the first time he could remember. He recognized the look in his student's eyes. It was the look of a man who felt no pain. A man who would never stop until you drained all the life's blood from him. And truly, these things were now true of this young one. He was Dhe'nar.

"Thanks," grinned the boy mockingly, "I must have forgotten I was Dhe'nar," there was a long pause. "Well, Tyru? Are you going to help put my shoulder back in or are you going to stand there gawking like a fool human?" Tyru was silent. The instructor knew not what he just witnessed, but he never used a whip on him again. After another awkward moment, Tyru helped him relocate his shoulder, a painful experience to say the least. Pain meant little to this Dhe'nar now, he felt it, but he no longer respected it. Pain was a necessary thing in life, he knew, but it was a force that would not get the best of him.

The pounding sun, a rare thing indeed in the swampy bog surrounding Kragg Mountain, was unforgiving that season. The summers were very humid and many Dhe'nar passed out from heat exhaustion. But only the young, for that was acceptable. If the adults were to pass out, they would have to be punished for their weakness. Such weakness could not be passed on to the next generation. That would be seen to.

Tammorkorpla was the Dhe'nar art of brawling. In translation, it meant "Strong Pain." The translation did the style no justice. Few Dhe'nar mastered the art, as it was gruesome and considered too crude by those of weak stomach, but others enjoyed it. The monthly competitions would draw large numbers of hungry young Dhe'nar, looking to prove themselves to the older warriors who looked on. The greater the pain inflicted, the greater the pain received. The more face won and the strong with the way they were.

The long blade became the favorite weapon of Dhe'nar. The blade was a deadly weapon in their hands, as the Dhe'nar swords were both durable and thin, as well as incredibly sharp. The long blade made a broadsword look as crude an cumbersome as a cudgel. It was wieldable with either one or two hands, making up for its lack of mass. Along with their Stalking Leathers made by tanners who had perfected an art that made the armor all but invisible in darkness, Dhe'nar raiding parties were silent Assassins who's feats made for many human stories to scare their young with.

All the arts of war they learned were grotesquely distorted and rewritten until they took on an almost unrecognizable form. Their style was unlike any other. They seemed to want to punish everything and everyone, the only exception being their weapons. They were the only things that earned their respect. A Dhe'nar saying was," They will not lie, cheat, or pester me as other elves do. They are extensions of my being and I trust them with my life, as I must for that is what they are; my life."

Although they were warriors, they were still mortal. They had the needs that all mortals do. Companionship, love. These were two things the warrior's life was lacking. Many Elven warriors took wives at the age of one hundred, and courting began about two years before an actual marriage would take place. There were ancient rituals that had to be observed. Aspects of the way that was said the Arkati themselves had taught long ago when they walked among the Elven.

They were the Dhe'nar, true Elven and keepers of the mysterious "Way" that only the Dark Priests truly grasped. They were like no elf, and while they were of one blood and once race, their way, their path was their own.

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Warrior Song (song)

2015-04-28T22:15:40Z

BRAKIAN: Created page with "{{short-story | title = Warrior Song | author = Shiliara deSharath }} This is a Dhe'nar marching song, sung by the Warrior Caste when marching to battle. It is presented in al..."

{{short-story | title = Warrior Song | author = Shiliara deSharath }}
This is a Dhe'nar marching song, sung by the Warrior Caste when marching to battle.
It is presented in alternating verse, first Dhe'nar-si then Common.

<div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
Te shar Dyar 
Shon eja quel 
Te shar Dyar 
shon losha shen 
Te shar Dyar 
shon sha'ta'mai 
Te shar Dyar 
meshal du shao eo 

We are the ones 
With eyes that see 
We are the ones 
with ears that hear 
We are the ones 
with the legacy 
We are the ones 
Faithful thru the years 

Te shar Dyar 
qual lish ma lyon 
Te shar Dyar 
qual nai sha'ma 
Te shar Dyar 
qual du ta sai 
Te shar Dyar 
qual dhe'la shar 

We are the ones 
who stood in pride 
We are the ones 
who did not break 
We are the ones 
who gave our lives 
We are the ones 
who are made great 

Te shar Dyar 
qual te stry meor 
Te shar Dyar 
qual te doma tuo 
Te shar Dyar 
Sha'la de sha'la 
Te shar Dyar 
Lyon te Dhe'nar! 

We are the ones 
who stood the test 
We are the ones 
who conquered far 
We are the ones 
Best of the best 
We are the ones 
The Proud Dhe'nar!</div>

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Dhe'nar

2015-04-28T22:09:59Z

BRAKIAN: /* Lore */

The Dhe'nar are a [[Dark elf|dark-elven]] culture. They split from the Elven nations approximately 50,000 years before the modern Elanthian calendar was established. This was prior to the historical event that led to the establishment of the seven Elven Nations.

The Dhe'nar were originally followers of [[Noi'sho'rah]] prior to his death or Ascension. They traveled southwest after leaving the original elven lands, led by [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]] until they arrived in [[Rhoska-Tor]]. They eventually settled permanently in the area they called [[Sharath]].

==Dhe'nar Settlements==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==See Also==
*[[Noi'sho'rah]]
*[[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
*[[Khanshael]]
*[[Understanding the Departure of the Dhe'nar (essay)]]

==Lore==
* [[The Stareater]]
* [[The Duk'sa]]
* [[The Departure]]
* [[Warrior's Tale]]
* [[The Fall]]
* [[Warrior Song]]

==References==
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar| ]]
{{Dark Elves}}

Fall of Sharath (short story)

2015-04-28T22:06:57Z

BRAKIAN: Created page with "{{short-story | title = The Fall: First chapter of Dhe'nar scripture of the fall of Sharath | author = Kree Morlain }} This is the story of the fall of the shining jewel Shara..."

{{short-story | title = The Fall: First chapter of Dhe'nar scripture of the fall of Sharath | author = Kree Morlain }}
This is the story of the fall of the shining jewel Sharath, of the
ultimate domain still to bear the stamp of the creator gods who stood by
the great drakes' sides at the hatching of the universe.

This concerns the city of Sharath, dried up heart of the Dhe'nar which
has ruled for long between the jungle's walls, and whose sovereigns,
mindless or great, possessed or deified, were all the heirs of the vision
and of the fixation which said that the eye of the Arkati, the initial
round slag of the great furnace of the worlds rested on this face of
Elanthia called Sharath.

Of this eye, the Vortex was the pupil pit of nothingness and of stars
opened on the past but the future too, tunnel, temple, and cemetery.
According to certain wandering priests of Sharath, the Vortex was only the
sign of the prophesy which fortold the whirlwind of the end of the jewel,
of the revolt of the people from the Arkati, and the Way.

When first Dhe'nar stood proud, strange funny creatures and numberless
cruel and frenetic ones like insects came from the south where mountains
somtimes seem to come out of the invisable.

When second Dhe'nar stood proud, the sky itself had struck and torn the
harmonious design of the jewel that was Sharath, submerging palaces,
fracturing spirits, giving birth to the age of impostors and of outrage.

Imagine the time, the viscous universe, the voracious spinning eye of
matter in the black and slippery blood of the serpent. A flash of frost
in an inky sphere, limpid spiral of the surging lymph.

Imagine the luminous jewel, splitting the essence that drips from the
world on the prismatic fusion. The dark dance of Noi'sho'rah and his
speaking to thousands of the darkness and Belial in the mists of Gyrene,
and pandemonium of the abyss.

The serpents and the sirens on the periphery of the slag heap. The
metamorphic songs of the Way in the volcano's mammon and leviathan.
The sylphs and the salamander, the age, the slime, the ashes, the tree of
life in forest of pieces. Noi'sho'rah and the eternal conflagration of
fire spread by the eyes of Tah'lah.

Imagine the time...

The unutterable material of time keeps within its darkest folds, the
secrets of many a powerful city whose names shone over Elanthia before
floundering under the earth, under the night. And within the long
generating sleep when the jungles boiled to the sound of the Arkati's
rumbling breath and in the slender reigns of Elanthia, was no greater
glory than that of Sharath...

Sharath...born of the Way of the Gods and Dhe'nar uniting their
unnumerable thoughts in one soul...Sharath...made of shining black ora,
rich polished tanik, and of meteors raised in mad towers which groped to
the sky where there still stalked the clouds of birth.

The gods breathed images, elves raised idols, each block turned from
the quarries, from the gulfs, from the volcanoes and from the sky, could
have crushed any one of the cities of forgotten names. Night, coming from
the east seemed to battle with the shade of the temples. And the sun at
every dusk avoided the trap of mouths of stone which floated and rolled
with the tide of its essence.

Towards Sharath there flowed rivers of monoliths and in the clouds
of the Arkati's birth, the heads of titans with eyes like chasms opened
the straits of mirage between cotinents of storm. Idols, pillars, with
avid mouths, threatened the sky, guarded it..in the Thousandth summer of
Sharath, the moon of the giants could slip between the ultimate balance.
In these times of glory, in the temples, in the bellies of meteors mad
priests sang the name of Sharath and it was pride.

But in the confines of the land, the shadowy glaciers were being worn
away against ramparts of stone. The torrid vapours were dispersing before
the flowering jewel, the gods were wearied, were fretting and piling up
cyclones of cinders, and terrors, and crystallizing winters, and one day...
dawn, night, tempest.

But elven priests, blind to the 'way' raising up their jewel higher
then the very clouds themselves demanded and betrayed. They roared,
Vomited, torrents of titanic firebrands, stars woven of thunder.

And the city became oceans of fire, became a necropolis of crevasses,
of stones and of idols under the sun veiled with clouds and mist. And the
Dhe'nar, lost, broken, faces, arms and totems spread over the piercing
mountain which had raised up from the earth itself to pierce Sharath with
its hatred.

And Noi'sho'rah and the Arkati spoke...

Creatures of chaos, you dare to tear the earth, you want night,
you call for fire, you strike a kingdom there where my eye sees all
that is past. Chosen of the elven, to profane what you have created,
you shall have light, you shall have fire, I shall raise an empire
from your flickering life. You do not exist, nothing has begun...

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Dhe'nar

2015-04-28T22:01:16Z

BRAKIAN: /* Lore */

The Dhe'nar are a [[Dark elf|dark-elven]] culture. They split from the Elven nations approximately 50,000 years before the modern Elanthian calendar was established. This was prior to the historical event that led to the establishment of the seven Elven Nations.

The Dhe'nar were originally followers of [[Noi'sho'rah]] prior to his death or Ascension. They traveled southwest after leaving the original elven lands, led by [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]] until they arrived in [[Rhoska-Tor]]. They eventually settled permanently in the area they called [[Sharath]].

==Dhe'nar Settlements==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==See Also==
*[[Noi'sho'rah]]
*[[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
*[[Khanshael]]
*[[Understanding the Departure of the Dhe'nar (essay)]]

==Lore==
* [[The Stareater]]
* [[The Duk'sa]]
* [[The Departure]]
* [[Warrior's Tale]]
* [[The Fall]]

==References==
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar| ]]
{{Dark Elves}}

Warrior's Tale (short story)

2015-04-28T21:59:45Z

BRAKIAN: Created page with "{{short-story | title = The Departure | author = Kree Morlain }} In a misty bog far off in the dark and dreary jungles.... "You must remember, my resourceful friends, the str..."

{{short-story | title = The Departure | author = Kree Morlain }}
In a misty bog far off in the dark and dreary jungles....

"You must remember, my resourceful friends, the strong shall survive! Only the strong! You are the Dhe'nar, the Dhe'nar are strong! You WILL survive!" the High Priest rose his hands triumphantly with these words, and the previously frustrated and angry crowd burst into cheers.

"There is no way you can fail. All others quiver at the mention of your name. Merely sweep away the foolish weaklings, and take what is theirs for your own! The strong shall survive!" the High Priest sounded once again, and the cheers came even more emphatically.

"THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE!!!" The crowd roared in unison, their voices ringing throughout the hall with earthshaking resonance. The crowd became even louder and uglier in the harsh Dhe'nar tongue. "THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE!!! THE WEAK WILL BE DESTROYED!!!"

So long had they lived, the lowest of the Dhe'nar, at the base of Gierkroal Uotonga; or in the common language, The Great Mountain of old. So long had they been lower than the rest, mere pawns in a seemingly endless game of chess. The sacrifices, the resolve, all for naught but poverty and loss of bloodlines. "The Dhe'nar must rule! The strong must rule!" These words were the rallying cry of thousands. When the pawns became restless, a priest was sent from atop the mountain to calm them, to reassure them that all would be won and that they were strong. That the Dhe'nar were strong, and that they were Dhe'nar.

The base of the mountain of old was inhabited by the foot soldiers and lower class families within the Dhe'nar elf structure. The middle of the mountain was divided in three parts: the lowest part was inhabited by the archers and bowmen of the Dhe'nar kingdom, the middle by the great craftsman and architects, and the portion closest to the top by the Dark Cavalry, or so they were called; the dreaded horseman of the Dhe'nar whose skill in battle was unmatched by any of the Humans who had ever encountered them along the jungle's frontier towns and villages. The horses were kept by the workers and farmers at the base of the mountain, treated better than most of the people who resided there. At the very top of the mountain stood the Gierkroal Ekapter. The Great Keep. Here lived the great magi and priests of the Dhe'nar, with their dark magic, secret rituals, and powerful gods. They were regarded as deities and treated accordingly.

Also within each city resided a Mayor or Enforcer as they were more often called in the lower parts of the mountain. These people were responsible for their cities and were regarded as mediators between the High ones and the common elves.

Every month a representative from the Keep, a High Priest or Mage, would come down and check on each of the villages. In each village the representative would spend a day and resolve any conflicts that had took place the previous month, most often in the usual violent fashion. Each village had a set day every month to meet with this High Priest or Mage, and a warm reception was customary, for if a High visitor did not enjoy his stay, he might have the Enforcer of the village burned on the spot.

The difference in the quality of life between those who lived at the base and those who lived even one level above was astounding. From farmers to respected militia, from people living in barns to those who lived in long halls, there was no doubt that preferential treatment was involved. It was important that the lower villages remained impoverished, for poor meant misery, and that misery led elves to find comfort with the love of others, and that love led to large families. Those families led to tough fighters, brought up in hardship. Strong pawns in a never ending game of chess.

"Whizzz!" a Whip-Blade, or so they were called, made a sound like a reed swung at high speed. An almost relaxing humming sound caused by the displacement of air. It was a weapon with slits in it, giving it little weight and making it easy to swing. Used against lighter armed opponents to simply knock away weapons with a flick of the wrist, while a similar flick could part a man with his internals.

"Whizzz Whizzz Whizzz..." The sound continued as a young man beat his Whip-Blade ferociously. So many swings, so fast. A conundrum of sounds and motion, almost a solid mass to the untrained eye. Over shoulder, side swing, then up again, then down swing, and then back over the opposite shoulder the pattern repeated.

"Whizzz Whizzz Vrooom," the blade was swung too hard and the youth lost control. He breathed deeply, but not in fatigue. He breathed in awe of his own strength, for he was strong, he knew it, and he was Dhe'nar.

"No, no!" out walked the tall and wiry instructor. His frame was thin, but still possessed agility and strength in fluid motion. He Drew back his whip and took a cruel lash at the young Dhe'nar, knocking square in the jaw, sending him sprawling back.

"Swing strong, then whip back into position! The first swing must have power, else you will lose you sword you fool! Try again, and concentrate this time!" The instructor snarled and spat, then stood back waiting for him to get off the ground and begin again.

The Dhe'nar stood up and looked back at the instructor with disdain. Griping the Whip-Blade tightly, he began facing the instructor and slowly started the rhythmic swings. Strong then whipped back. He swung across his body, ripping the air with his strength. "VROOM" went the blade as it crossed his torso. "WHIZZZ" went it as he whipped it back across his body, flat of the blade on his shoulder. He glared at the instructor, who smiled smugly as he watched his student's anger grow.

The young Dhe'nar's face was an almost constant scowl. His eyes were cold grey and unblinking in the blinding sunlight. His skin was a dark black, yet lighter that of his distant Faendryl cousins. Many muscles wrapped his body, as he was the deadliest warrior-youth in the village and that demanded perfection in both form and body. His braided black hair was pulled taunt down his back, held in place by a black headband.

"VROOM, WHIZZZ!!" went the blade in his hands, each successive swing more powerful than the previous one.

"Hah! Yah! Hah! Yah!" He began to chant, his face wrinkling up in hatred as he approached the instructor. The swings were coming stronger and stronger and the sounds of the Whip-blade becoming quicker and less defined. The chant went faster and faster, the world around the Dhe'nar youth seemed blurry and confusing through the whirling blade. A rare look of concern washed across the instructor's face as the pain his student was feeling became physically visible. Grinding his teeth, though still chanting, he was swinging so hard at this point he was losing his balance again. The instructor became angry at this and completely furious when the Dhe'nar fell to the ground as his shoulder dislocated from a mighty swing. The whip flew out again.

"AARRRGGHH!" groaned the student as the whip connected with his bare chest. Blood seeped from the wound. The instructor knew he had torn flesh; maybe he even did it on purpose. The young Dhe'nar was down on the ground, kneeling, holding his dislocated right shoulder. He saw the torn flesh; he felt the rage in his heart, the blood of his family flowing from the gash. Muscles pulsed a moment, then the rage was gone. The sweat covered him, cooling him both physically and mentally. An almost gritty feeling. Slowly raising his head, he winced at the instructor with hungry eyes. Slowly he stood, and slowly approached the tall figure who beat him for so long, who had whipped him when he was down.

The instructor was visibly afraid for the first time he could remember. He recognized the look in his student's eyes. It was the look of a man who felt no pain. A man who would never stop until you drained all the life's blood from him. And truly, these things were now true of this young one. He was Dhe'nar.

"Thanks," grinned the boy mockingly, "I must have forgotten I was Dhe'nar," there was a long pause. "Well, Tyru? Are you going to help put my shoulder back in or are you going to stand there gawking like a fool human?" Tyru was silent. The instructor knew not what he just witnessed, but he never used a whip on him again. After another awkward moment, Tyru helped him relocate his shoulder, a painful experience to say the least. Pain meant little to this Dhe'nar now, he felt it, but he no longer respected it. Pain was a necessary thing in life, he knew, but it was a force that would not get the best of him.

The pounding sun, a rare thing indeed in the swampy bog surrounding Kragg Mountain, was unforgiving that season. The summers were very humid and many Dhe'nar passed out from heat exhaustion. But only the young, for that was acceptable. If the adults were to pass out, they would have to be punished for their weakness. Such weakness could not be passed on to the next generation. That would be seen to.

Tammorkorpla was the Dhe'nar art of brawling. In translation, it meant "Strong Pain." The translation did the style no justice. Few Dhe'nar mastered the art, as it was gruesome and considered too crude by those of weak stomach, but others enjoyed it. The monthly competitions would draw large numbers of hungry young Dhe'nar, looking to prove themselves to the older warriors who looked on. The greater the pain inflicted, the greater the pain received. The more face won and the strong with the way they were.

The long blade became the favorite weapon of Dhe'nar. The blade was a deadly weapon in their hands, as the Dhe'nar swords were both durable and thin, as well as incredibly sharp. The long blade made a broadsword look as crude an cumbersome as a cudgel. It was wieldable with either one or two hands, making up for its lack of mass. Along with their Stalking Leathers made by tanners who had perfected an art that made the armor all but invisible in darkness, Dhe'nar raiding parties were silent Assassins who's feats made for many human stories to scare their young with.

All the arts of war they learned were grotesquely distorted and rewritten until they took on an almost unrecognizable form. Their style was unlike any other. They seemed to want to punish everything and everyone, the only exception being their weapons. They were the only things that earned their respect. A Dhe'nar saying was," They will not lie, cheat, or pester me as other elves do. They are extensions of my being and I trust them with my life, as I must for that is what they are; my life."

Although they were warriors, they were still mortal. They had the needs that all mortals do. Companionship, love. These were two things the warrior's life was lacking. Many Elven warriors took wives at the age of one hundred, and courting began about two years before an actual marriage would take place. There were ancient rituals that had to be observed. Aspects of the way that was said the Arkati themselves had taught long ago when they walked among the Elven.

They were the Dhe'nar, true Elven and keepers of the mysterious "Way" that only the Dark Priests truly grasped. They were like no elf, and while they were of one blood and once race, their way, their path was their own.

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Dhe'nar

2015-04-28T21:58:49Z

BRAKIAN: /* Lore */

The Dhe'nar are a [[Dark elf|dark-elven]] culture. They split from the Elven nations approximately 50,000 years before the modern Elanthian calendar was established. This was prior to the historical event that led to the establishment of the seven Elven Nations.

The Dhe'nar were originally followers of [[Noi'sho'rah]] prior to his death or Ascension. They traveled southwest after leaving the original elven lands, led by [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]] until they arrived in [[Rhoska-Tor]]. They eventually settled permanently in the area they called [[Sharath]].

==Dhe'nar Settlements==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==See Also==
*[[Noi'sho'rah]]
*[[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
*[[Khanshael]]
*[[Understanding the Departure of the Dhe'nar (essay)]]

==Lore==
* [[The Stareater]]
* [[The Duk'sa]]
* [[The Departure]]
* [[Warrior's Tale]]

==References==
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar| ]]
{{Dark Elves}}

The Departure (short story)

2015-04-28T21:57:34Z

BRAKIAN:

{{short-story | title = The Departure | author = Kree Morlain }}
Tahlad looked around the great temple of Noi'sho'rah. It was quiet now. It would always be quiet now that it was official; now that Korthyr had finally declared the House of Faendryl its own entity. The separation was complete; there would be no going back. Korthyr, son of Molken who was in turn brother to Tahlad. Korthyr, who ruled the Faendryl now. He had taken the last step to ensure himself with his formal proclamation to the council. And now Tahlad, Shaman to the Way which already was fading for so many, saw clearly that all that the Elven had once been; all that they had known since the days when the Arkati had walked among his people, were slipping away like sand on the ocean's shores.

He clenched his eyes shut and growled fiercely. He had tried to reason with Korthyr, make him see that he was about to shatter the Way. But Korthyr did not listen, did not hear.

But Tahlad would not see it end this way. Not all looked ahead as Korthyr did. Not all looked to the future he envisioned. Some still knew what it meant to be Elven, to be part of the Way. He still held strength with the priests of the Faendryl families, still had the support of several strong families within the newly formed House. He would gather those that still believed in the old ways, those that had not been poisoned with Korthyr's dreams of displacement.

The way of his people was dead for most, despite his stubbornness to accept defeat, he knew it could go on; that the old ways could be preserved. They would travel far, far from the ShadowGuard valley and the father trees. The voice of Noi'sho'rah had already pointed the way; first east to the barren lands of the Ur-Daemon creation it was whispered. It would be there that Noi'sho'rah would bless them as he had said in Tahlad's visions. And when the time was right, south and south until they found the promised land of the true Way of the Elven. Few as they were, they would survive, flourish, grow strong and preserve all that the Arkati had once taught them. Korthyr could have his House, the others would soon follow and the unity of the Elven would be gone. There was no stopping that now, but Tahlad could at least hold onto what once was, what should have always been. Soon, it would be time...

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar Lore]]

The Stareater (short story)

2015-04-28T21:56:43Z

BRAKIAN: /* See Also */

{{short-story | title = The Stareater | author = Highlord Starsnuffer Sunslayer }}
This story is a folktale and is meant to be exaggerated. The language is simple, as it is a tale told to Dhe'nar children at bedtime. Still, it holds some truth and is a great lesson to why magic is taught the way it is by our people.

Before I begin, realize that most Dhe'nar are forbidden magic of any kind.

Only those who live high on the mountain, and those chosen by the Warlocks' council, are allowed the study.

This is the tale of why that is. Of why only the chosen may use magic in Sharath.

Thousands of years ago in the Forest of Sharath, when the trees were still green and the skies blue, before the coming of the fire, before the forest of ash.... There lived the Dhe'nar nation.

The people of this time knew no gods. The priests on the Great Mountain had abandoned the teachings of Noi'sho'rah and proclaimed themselves gods over the Dhe'nar people. They ruled with might and demanded much of their God for themselves. They sought to control Sharath and their people and vied for power within the Great Council.

With an iron hand the Priests ruled from high, strengthening their armies and conquering all that stood in their way. The great Magi who feared the priest's strength studied dark magic, growing in power. They passed the knowledge on to everyone whom would learn. It was a time of power, and lies.

Among the magi was a powerful mage known as Shtaq Ti'shir. He was a strong mage but by no means the most powerful among the council. What set him apart from the others was his ambition. He wanted power and lusted for it more than any other, and among the Dhe'nar, that is a powerful lust.

Shtaq studied and prayed. He spent days and nights without rest acquiring knowledge. Learned was he in the dark ways, yet he could not seem to get the edge he needed to control the Warlocks council. He wanted to rule the magi, and his lust led him to black ways and deceit.

Many assassins were sent out from the shadows, only to fail time and time again. The magi on the council were powerful, and each had their own shadowy servants to protect them.

Shtaq grew furious from the failure, he tried by every means possible to gain power, and yet he could not sway the council. They still ruled over him and controlled him like a puppet. The council knew what he wanted, and used his ambitions against him.

Finally one day Shtaq went too far. He was debating with the council in the chambers over some trivial matter and Shtaq lost his temper when the council would not see it his way. Fire flew through the air and lightning arced from his fingers but the magi on the council countered it, and their combined powers almost struck the deathblow to the ambitious young mage.

In a moment of desperation, or perhaps he had planned it all along, Shtaq called upon the dark magic and summoned a daemon known as a Consumer, right there in the Council chamber.

The demon was bound by the powerful magic of the tower, and could not go back to his own realm. Part of the council tried to flee, only to be caught by the demon, their souls consumed never to meet the peace of the afterlife. The older members of the council fought the demon, attempting to regain control; there was chaos and death, it was a grim day for the Magi.

In the confusion and chaos Shtar slipped out of the chamber, horrified by the power he had unleashed he fled back to his own study deep in the Magi's halls within Sharath, it was there that his life would be forever changed.

While Shtaq was preparing his things, packing so that he might flee from Sharath forever, he was met by the Daemon on his way out of his chambers.

Stunned and frozen with fear, he closed his eyes and waited for the death...that did not come.

The daemon was amused at the mages ability to summon him, and intrigued by his lust for power. It was here that a bargain was struck that would change Dhe'nar history forever.

The daemon promised Shtaq access to the Dark Libraries, he promised him power beyond his wildest dreams. He promised that Shtaq would be the most powerful mage ever to walk the fact of Elanthia, but...there was to be a price.

In order to have this power, Shtaq would have to be imbued with the same soulless lust of the consumer, the two were to be bound eternally. He would retain his Elven body and mind, but his soul would be replaced by the lust to consume all life...forever.

Shtaq, knowing that if he refused the daemons offer it would mean certain death, agreed, and signed a dark pact with the consumer. To this day it is wondered if Shtaq would have made the same choice if he was free to decide; many say that it is what he wanted all along.

His lust for power was finally satisfied. He retreated into the pits of darkness for a time, learning dark secrets and practicing his art, until one day, the hunger for life inside him grew too strong, and Shtaq returned to feed.

Shtaq returned to the Sharath, his eyes wide with hunger and lust for souls. Every creature that crossed his path was slain by his infernal power, its soul consumed, never to find heaven or hell. Simply eaten. He made his way towards the city's gates, revenge guiding his way.

Village upon village was destroyed by the Mage turned daemon. Fire and Lightning fell from the sky, lighting his path to the mountain's peak.

The Great Council convened at the High Hall, the Warlord taking control in this time of great need. Every mage and priest, priestess and warrior was to gather to stop this aberration. If they were to fail, it would mean the end of their people.

Shtaq slowly made his way into the city, stopping only to relish in his newfound power. The Great Council gathered its strength, and they waited. They watched from afar as others were destroyed, watched as their families died in the wake of this Consumer.

Finally at long last, the moment arrived when Shtaq met with the group of defenders. Shtaq howled as power crackled through the air, Dhe'nar war cries filled the air as the army charged into action.

The warriors were the first to die. Their deaths were fast and painless compared to the villagers below. The next were those of the dark cavalry, their powerful steeds ripped to shreds by dark nether bolts. A wave of fire shot from Shtaq's fingers and made its way up the mountain, burning the hollow corpses and whatever was still left alive. For his power over magic merely complemented his new found strength that the consumer has brought him.

Stunned, the Warlock had his council retreat to his chambers. He knew what had to be done to save his people, yet he feared what it might mean in the long run.

Shtaq moved further into the city, here he met the holy guards of the High Priest. The priests and priestesses power was great, for Noi'sho'rah had not abandoned them yet; and they managed to stall the mad daemon. Their abilities stretched to their limits, they knew they could not hold the daemon for long. It seemed as if his power knew no end, he never grew tired, and his spells flew relentlessly with every counter of the guards.

It was then, just when the priests and priestess were about to be overtaken, that the Dhe'nar Warlock and his council of Magi returned to the scene of confrontation. Their eyes were closed and a deep, red aura surrounded them. They gathered in a circle and raised their hands to the heavens. Suddenly the skies were black and screams echoed from everywhere, then, a great silence fell upon the lands.

From the center of the blackness, a great, white light surrounded Shtaq. His eyes widened, and his screams were heard in the minds of those who survived every time they lay down to sleep eyes until the day they died. Then, slowly, as if a dark curtain was being lifted, the darkness parted. What they saw scared those who understood more than anything else they witnessed that day.

The Warlocks' council had bestowed Shtaq with a blessing that was only held for the most sacred of moments. A blessing reserved for the Greatest of the Dhe'nar. They relieved Shtaq from his mortal form, and granted him godhood. What they saw was Shtaq's spirit soaring up to the heavens, his screams turning into cackles of delight.

It is said that to this day, Shtaq, now known as Shtarshiru wanders the heavens in search of life from which to feed, destroying worlds and stars forever.

That is why, to this day, each Dhe'nar in Sharath is carefully selected and chosen before they are taught magic.

And why it is forbidden for any to practice without consent of the Council.

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

The Departure (short story)

2015-04-28T21:56:17Z

BRAKIAN: Created page with "{{short-story | title = The Departure | author = Kree Morlain }} Tahlad looked around the great temple of Noi'sho'rah. It was quiet now. It would always be quiet now that it ..."

{{short-story | title = The Departure | author = Kree Morlain }}

Tahlad looked around the great temple of Noi'sho'rah. It was quiet now. It would always be quiet now that it was official; now that Korthyr had finally declared the House of Faendryl its own entity. The separation was complete; there would be no going back. Korthyr, son of Molken who was in turn brother to Tahlad. Korthyr, who ruled the Faendryl now. He had taken the last step to ensure himself with his formal proclamation to the council. And now Tahlad, Shaman to the Way which already was fading for so many, saw clearly that all that the Elven had once been; all that they had known since the days when the Arkati had walked among his people, were slipping away like sand on the ocean's shores.

He clenched his eyes shut and growled fiercely. He had tried to reason with Korthyr, make him see that he was about to shatter the Way. But Korthyr did not listen, did not hear.

But Tahlad would not see it end this way. Not all looked ahead as Korthyr did. Not all looked to the future he envisioned. Some still knew what it meant to be Elven, to be part of the Way. He still held strength with the priests of the Faendryl families, still had the support of several strong families within the newly formed House. He would gather those that still believed in the old ways, those that had not been poisoned with Korthyr's dreams of displacement.

The way of his people was dead for most, despite his stubbornness to accept defeat, he knew it could go on; that the old ways could be preserved. They would travel far, far from the ShadowGuard valley and the father trees. The voice of Noi'sho'rah had already pointed the way; first east to the barren lands of the Ur-Daemon creation it was whispered. It would be there that Noi'sho'rah would bless them as he had said in Tahlad's visions. And when the time was right, south and south until they found the promised land of the true Way of the Elven. Few as they were, they would survive, flourish, grow strong and preserve all that the Arkati had once taught them. Korthyr could have his House, the others would soon follow and the unity of the Elven would be gone. There was no stopping that now, but Tahlad could at least hold onto what once was, what should have always been. Soon, it would be time...

==See Also==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar Lore]]

Dhe'nar

2015-04-28T21:55:01Z

BRAKIAN: /* Lore */

The Dhe'nar are a [[Dark elf|dark-elven]] culture. They split from the Elven nations approximately 50,000 years before the modern Elanthian calendar was established. This was prior to the historical event that led to the establishment of the seven Elven Nations.

The Dhe'nar were originally followers of [[Noi'sho'rah]] prior to his death or Ascension. They traveled southwest after leaving the original elven lands, led by [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]] until they arrived in [[Rhoska-Tor]]. They eventually settled permanently in the area they called [[Sharath]].

==Dhe'nar Settlements==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==See Also==
*[[Noi'sho'rah]]
*[[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
*[[Khanshael]]
*[[Understanding the Departure of the Dhe'nar (essay)]]

==Lore==
* [[The Stareater]]
* [[The Duk'sa]]
* [[The Departure]]

==References==
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar| ]]
{{Dark Elves}}

Talk:Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T21:50:52Z

BRAKIAN:

Is this actual official lore? If not, can we please get a disclaimer at the top? [[User:VANKRASN39|VANKRASN39]] ([[User talk:VANKRASN39|talk]]) 15:53, 28 April 2015 (CDT)

The information was taken from the original Obsidian Tower documentation that has been extant for years. It's also based on discussions with the creators of the Dhe'nar, before they were implemented as an official culture. There are also existing examples of both the nhil'mon and sha'rom in-game. Regardless, the disclaimer has been added. [[User:BRAKIAN|BRAKIAN]] ([[User talk:BRAKIAN|talk]]) 16:50, 28 April 2015 (CDT)

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T21:46:13Z

BRAKIAN:

::''This information is taken from original documentation appearing on [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower].

Like many places on [[Elanith]], the [[Southron Wastes]] and the jungles southwest of them, have a number of unique creatures adapted to those environments.

The area surrounding [[Sharath]] was once a vital jungle with its own highly developed ecosystem. Despite the ecological disaster that laid waste to the area, the ecosystem is no less robust than it was before.

[[Eh'lah]] is a [[Dhe'nar]] settlement on the southernmost tip of Elanith, in a rainforest surrounding a river delta. It has a vibrant ecosystem, teeming with creatures from insect to alligator to massive terrestrial apex predators.

Below are details of a few of the animals unique to those regions.

Both the sha'rom and nhil'mon are of great ritual importance among the Dhe'nar people with whom they co-habit.

==[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]==
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

==[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]==
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]==
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

==See also==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:49:45Z

BRAKIAN:

Like many places on [[Elanith]], the [[Southron Wastes]] and the jungles southwest of them, have a number of unique creatures adapted to those environments.

The area surrounding [[Sharath]] was once a vital jungle with its own highly developed ecosystem. Despite the ecological disaster that laid waste to the area, the ecosystem is no less robust than it was before.

[[Eh'lah]] is a [[Dhe'nar]] settlement on the southernmost tip of Elanith, in a rainforest surrounding a river delta. It has a vibrant ecosystem, teeming with creatures from insect to alligator to massive terrestrial apex predators.

Below are details of a few of the animals unique to those regions.

==[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]==
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

==[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]==
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]==
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

==See also==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:48:06Z

BRAKIAN:

Like many places on [[Elanith]], the [[Southron Wastes]] and the jungles southwest of them, have a number of unique creatures adapted to those environments.

The area surrounding [[Sharath]] was once a vital jungle with its own highly developed ecosystem. Despite the ecological disaster that laid waste to the area, the ecosystem is no less robust than it was before.

[[Eh'lah]] is a [[Dhe'nar]] settlement on the southernmost tip of Elanith, in a rainforest surrounding a river delta. It has a vibrant ecosystem, teeming with creatures from insect to alligator to massive terrestrial apex predators.

Below are details of a few of the animals unique to those regions.

==[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]==
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

==[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]==
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

==[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]==
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==See also==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:40:07Z

BRAKIAN: /* Nhil'mon */

==[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]==
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

==[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]==
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

==[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]==
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==See also==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:39:52Z

BRAKIAN: /* Kish'enda */

==[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]==
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

==[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]==
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==See also==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:39:40Z

BRAKIAN: /* Sha'rom */

==[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]==
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==See also==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:37:46Z

BRAKIAN: /* See also */

===[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==See also==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:37:32Z

BRAKIAN:

===[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==See also==
[[Sharath]]
[[Eh'lah]]

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:36:34Z

BRAKIAN: /* Nhil'mon */

===[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===[[#nhil'mon|Nhil'mon]]===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:36:14Z

BRAKIAN: /* Kish'enda */

===[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===[[#Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:35:54Z

BRAKIAN: /* Kish'enda */

===[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===[[Kish'enda|Kish'enda]]===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:35:32Z

BRAKIAN: /* Sha'rom */

===[[#Sha'rom|Sha'rom]]===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===Kish'enda===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:31:33Z

BRAKIAN: /* Nhil'mon */

===Sha'rom===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===Kish'enda===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the in the rainforest and river delta environment surrounding Eh'lah. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:30:49Z

BRAKIAN: /* Sha'rom */

===Sha'rom===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul or kill her pups, especially in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===Kish'enda===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the area surrounding Eh'lah in the rainforest and river delta environment there. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:29:58Z

BRAKIAN: /* Sha'rom */

===Sha'rom===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva. Venomous females are immune to their own venom and resistant, but not immune, to the venom of other females.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul the pups in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===Kish'enda===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the area surrounding Eh'lah in the rainforest and river delta environment there. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:26:25Z

BRAKIAN: /* Kish'enda */

===Sha'rom===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul the pups in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===Kish'enda===
The ''kish'enda'', literally "ash cat", are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the area surrounding Eh'lah in the rainforest and river delta environment there. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Creatures of Sharath & Eh'lah (essay)

2015-04-28T20:25:54Z

BRAKIAN: /* Sha'rom */

===Sha'rom===
The sha'rom is a creature of unknown origins native to the subterranean environment beneath [[Sharath]].

The creature is a mammal, with keratin scales covering most of its body. These scales are large along the animal's body and smaller along its legs and underbelly. The scales are very fine around the animal's ears, face and muzzle.

An adult specimen is similar in size to a large timber wolf, weight approximately 120-140 pounds and reaching lengths from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the tail of almost 7 feet. The tail is long and slim and is measures approximately 3/4 of the animal's body length. The head is reptilian in shape with an elongated snout and small ears that can rotate 90-100 degrees.

The sha'rom has a ridge of short, dense keratin spines starting at the base of its skull. They run along the its spine, down the long, tail. The spines terminate in a cluster at the tail's tip. The tail is very mobile and can be used for attack and defense.

An adult sha'rom has teeth approximately 2 inches long, with prominent canines, 3-4 inches long. The animal also has a second row of smaller teeth behind the primary set. As with a shark, the animal's teeth never stop growing and replace themselves as they are shed or extracted.

Some rare female specimens are venomous, producing a powerful paralytic from glands in their mouths. These glands begin producing venom during breeding or when otherwise aroused. They do not inject the venom, it simply coats the inside of their mouths and enters the wound via the animal's saliva.

Sh'arom can see well in almost complete darkness. Their vision is very poor in even dim light and they are effectively blind in full daylight. They have a very keen sense of smell and can track prey over several miles. They someone yip or growl in totally dark environments and have exhibited the ability to echo-locate. They also have exhibited the abilities to sense and absorb magical energy and some specimens have even been observed regenerating wounds and scar tissue in highly magical environments.

The animals are highly intelligent. Captive animals have exhibited highly evolved problem-solving abilities allowing them to escape captivity. They also exhibit the ability to plan and remember. Some escaped specimens have planned ambushes of their captors, killing them before fleeing into the wild.

Females give birth to litters of 8-10 live pups, though smaller litters are not unknown. The gestation period is 60-80 days. The females are fully active almost until delivery, leading to a high mortality rate among the pups.

The pups are born live, with closed eyes. Their eyes open at approximately 3 weeks. The young are able to walk at six weeks. The animals can hunt at 12 weeks and are also whelped around that age. A sha'rom reaches full sexual maturity at six months.

Socially, the animals are solitary and fiercely territorial, even when raising their young. This behavior even extends to the offspring and breeding partners.

During breeding, females often maul, cripple, or even kill the males. Males have also been observed savaging the females until dead. While nursing, the females will often maul the pups in large litters. This is a recurring behavior until the pups are whelped and they either flee the nest, kill the female, or the entire little is dead.

===Kish'enda===
The ''kish'enda'', literally ash cat, are six-legged felines native to the jungles around Sharath, prior to the Fall. Native Dhe'nar often simply refer to them as ''kish'' as there are few other felines native to the area.

They are similar in morphology to leopards, though slightly larger. They were originally partially arboreal, but have adapted to life among the wastes surrounding the mountain.

They are now ambush hunters and have begun to develop slightly longer limbs more suited to running over flat ground than climbing.

Males and females both reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Females are fertile once per year and give birth to live young after a 70-90 day gestation period.

They are pack animals, with packs formed mostly of a breeding pair and their offspring. Adult animals usually leave the pack as they reach sexual maturity. Females and males mate for life. If one of a mated pair dies the other rarely seeks out another partner.

Packs are highly social with one another, occasionally sharing territory and ranges for a year or more. This blending of packs often leads to new packs being formed as juveniles breed and leave the parent groups.

===Nhil'mon===
Nhil'mon are found in the area surrounding Eh'lah in the rainforest and river delta environment there. They are a prominent apex predator who are almost exclusively carnivorous. The eat live prey, carrion, and sometimes cannibalize one another.

There are two varieties of nhil'mon, the brown and the black. The former are smaller, with muddy brown scales and rings of mustard yellow around their eyes. The black sub-species has a longer, slightly thinner tail in relation to its body length. Both species have backward curving serrated teeth and long claws suitable for both attacking and digging.

The brown nhil'mon reach nearly 15 feet in length, not including the tail which is approximately 2/3 the length of the body. The black nhil'mon is much larger than the brown sub-species, outweighing the similar-sized browns by 100 pounds. They are generally longer, reaching lengths of 15-20 feet, with slimmer and longer tails that equal their body length.

The animals primarily terrestrial, they are adept at swimming. They are capable of effectively fighting using their serrated teeth, claws, and thick tails.

Both the black and brown nhil'mon are temperamental and attack without provocation, though this is a behavior more often observed in the black variety. Both sub-species are also highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

Both sub-species feature prominently in the rituals and mythology of the local populations of humanoids, Dhe'nar and otherwise.

==References==
* [[Dhe'nar]]
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar]]
[[Category:Dhe'nar_Lore]]

Dhe'nar

2015-04-28T20:22:46Z

BRAKIAN:

The Dhe'nar are a [[Dark elf|dark-elven]] culture. They split from the Elven nations approximately 50,000 years before the modern Elanthian calendar was established. This was prior to the historical event that led to the establishment of the seven Elven Nations.

The Dhe'nar were originally followers of [[Noi'sho'rah]] prior to his death or Ascension. They traveled southwest after leaving the original elven lands, led by [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]] until they arrived in [[Rhoska-Tor]]. They eventually settled permanently in the area they called [[Sharath]].

==Dhe'nar Settlements==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==See Also==
*[[Noi'sho'rah]]
*[[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
*[[Khanshael]]
*[[Understanding the Departure of the Dhe'nar (essay)]]

==Lore==
*[[The Stareater]]
*[[The Duk'sa]]

==References==
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar| ]]
{{Dark Elves}}

Dhe'nar

2015-04-28T20:21:58Z

BRAKIAN: /* Dhe'nar Settlements */

The Dhe'nar are a [[Dark elf|dark-elven]] culture. They split from the Elven nations approximately 50,000 years before the modern Elanthian calendar was established. This was prior to the historical event that led to the establishment of the seven Elven Nations.

The Dhe'nar were originally followers of [[Noi'sho'rah]] prior to his death or Ascension. The traveled southwest after leaving the original elven lands, led by [[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]] until they arrived in [[Rhoska-Tor]], prior to eventually settling permanently in the area they called [[Sharath]].

==Dhe'nar Settlements==
* [[Sharath]]
* [[Eh'lah]]

==See Also==
*[[Noi'sho'rah]]
*[[Tahlad Tsi'shalar]]
*[[Khanshael]]
*[[Understanding the Departure of the Dhe'nar (essay)]]

==Lore==
*[[The Stareater]]
*[[The Duk'sa]]

==References==
* [[The History of the Dhe'nar]] (official)
* [http://obsidiantower.com The Obsidian Tower] Official Site of the CHE Organization [[Obsidian Tower]]

[[Category:Dhe'nar| ]]
{{Dark Elves}}