Annorans
The annorans1 are natives of the island of Annor in the northern Central Sea, whose language and traditions differ significantly from those of most cultures in Adynía. Their main settlement is the town of Hiska on the southern coast.
After the fall of Zameltonía, a new culture called Anarra supplanted the Ranannú after a tribe of elves settled in Annor, bringing with them metallurgy and the worship of the star Þíranis, the latter which became the basis for the modern mystery religion of the islanders.
While the annorans have since generally avoided meddling in the affairs of mainlanders, over time, kings and chiefs have journeyed there on a pilgrimage to ensure wealth and prosperity for their people. Today, people of all walks of life from all over Adynía visit the island to partake in the mysteries there, hoping to gain ritual purity and pleasant afterlife in the process.
According to tradition, the earliest part of the complex was built with the help of Dalkvazal, a zameltonían king exiled by high-king Hranúkvó. Later, as a new temple was placed higher up the mountain, the old temple became a gate marking the sacred precinct, with steps connecting the two.
Aside from Þíranis, the annorans consider the endemic Annoran Deer to be sacred, a tradition that predates the mysteries by millennia, and those who harm the animals are shown no mercy. Dead deer encountered in the wild are buried and mourned in the same way as an islander would.
Because of this, virtually all islanders are trained in martial arts and basic weapon training, including how to wield their traditional long, two-handed wooden swords.
History
Annor has been inhabited since Adynía's paleolithic period, during which several waves of humans and half-elves settled there, each claiming their own part of the island. By the time dwarven Zameltoníans from the mainland visited the island during bronze age, they encountered a neolithic culture whose people referred to themselves as the Ranannú (later Rannú), but contact between the two cultures remained limited, as the zameltoníans found little of value there compared to the Azókan Islands.After the fall of Zameltonía, a new culture called Anarra supplanted the Ranannú after a tribe of elves settled in Annor, bringing with them metallurgy and the worship of the star Þíranis, the latter which became the basis for the modern mystery religion of the islanders.
While the annorans have since generally avoided meddling in the affairs of mainlanders, over time, kings and chiefs have journeyed there on a pilgrimage to ensure wealth and prosperity for their people. Today, people of all walks of life from all over Adynía visit the island to partake in the mysteries there, hoping to gain ritual purity and pleasant afterlife in the process.
Religion
The patron deity of the annorans is Þíranis, brightest star in the sky, whose light waxes and wanes in a nine-year cycle. At the foot of Mt. Virlú is a temple complex dedicated to the star, where the Hiskan Mysteries are held. The natives call the temple Kjalirrat-dilú, and the mysteries ranlaxei.According to tradition, the earliest part of the complex was built with the help of Dalkvazal, a zameltonían king exiled by high-king Hranúkvó. Later, as a new temple was placed higher up the mountain, the old temple became a gate marking the sacred precinct, with steps connecting the two.
Aside from Þíranis, the annorans consider the endemic Annoran Deer to be sacred, a tradition that predates the mysteries by millennia, and those who harm the animals are shown no mercy. Dead deer encountered in the wild are buried and mourned in the same way as an islander would.
Warfare
Though annorans are generally peaceful, throughout the centuries they've had to defend themselves from pirates seeking the rich offerings devoted to the temple, especially East-Þirks from the north and -historically- Azókani from the southern Central Sea.Because of this, virtually all islanders are trained in martial arts and basic weapon training, including how to wield their traditional long, two-handed wooden swords.
1Original icelandic: Annorar, singular: Annori
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