Haendorionae

The Elder Race

Created by Christopher Moore

The Haendorians were the first race of Men to settle the earth. They were a mighty people who built one of the largest cities the world has ever seen. They specialized in architecture, their most notable piece being the Great Dragon Pillars that, though the city has long ago been destroyed, still stand today. In fact, because the Haendorians explored so far, it is extremely common to find the burned remains of a Haendorian settlement or outpost in almost any given place in the North. The wooden sections of the buildings have long since been destroyed and never properly rebuilt, yet many a traveler can find shelter in one such place once they clear the abundant plant growth.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Adona

Masculine names

Aaron, Aemon

Unisex names

Haendorionae (plural), Haendor (singular). these are in the Haendorian language (Haendorianach)

Family names

Amirikond, Dovenbror, Doranor

Other names

The common speak equivalent of Haendorionae is Haendorians or the Elder Race or simply the Elders.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Haendorianach (in their own language), or Haendorian (common tongue translation)

Common Dress code

All clothing is generally accepted as unisex. Babies wear only pantaloons, and blankets if it is cold, and they start to wear more and longer items of clothing as they get older. Twenty-year-olds will receive all the types of items of clothing that an adult wears, but they are far shorter; a vest, loose pants, a knee-length dress, a loose shirt, a knee-length nightgown, a belt, robes for special occasions, etc. true adulthood is reached at the age of forty, and by then their items of clothing will be full length. New parents receive a cloak large enough to warm three people, and new grandparents receive one with gold embroidery along the edges.

Art & Architecture

Haendorians are great architects that specialize in masonry, stone carving, and tall structures. Other common art forms among their race are fine metalwork, whittling, embroidery, and intricate chalk drawings.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

On special occasions, children have five-pointed stars painted in gold on their foreheads with one point on the bridge of their nose and two other points parallel to their eyebrows. Adults wear leather bands with smaller but similarly oriented golden stars fused onto them. Adult royalty's crowns are solid gold bands with slightly-larger-than-normal-adults'-stars, but young royalty have the same stars as regular children.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Immediately after a baby's birth, they will be cleansed in a sacred bowl, a prayer will be said, and a golden star will be placed on their forehead. Birth bowls are family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation, but the star is the child's and will be used as a template for painted stars and will one day be fused to a leather band for the child to wear.

Coming of Age Rites

Once a child reaches the age of ten, they and a group of other children their age will have a story circle under a full moon. An elder will tell them stories of the gods, the creation of Eainor, and the dangers of losing oneself to magic.

Major organizations

Most Haendorians lived in the Great City before it was destroyed, but there were some explorers that built structures in other places and took watch over their areas as if they were their own land.

Physical Characteristics

Average Life Span: A healthy Haendorian could achieve almost one hundred and twenty years of age Average height: about 1.8-2 meters, or 6-6.5 feet Average weight: about 50-90 kg, or 110-150 Physical Characteristics and Features: Haendorians had varying colors of gold, brass, sliver, or bronze eyes, and even children possessed a certain air of dignity and authority within their face. It is common among Haendorians to have body freckles, and they have warm and slightly dark/tan skin tones.

Parent ethnicities

• Haendorionae

Diverged ethnicities

• Haendorionae

Languages spoken

• Haendorianach