Mele
The children of Ev-Anyaron
The Mele are a race of beings similar in appearance to Men. The only noticeable physical distinctions between them are their slender build and pointed ears. It is in matters of the mind and spirit where their real differences lie. Their mental capacity and level of understanding far surpass the average man, however, they lack much of the ingenuity of humans. This is partly due to their culture, which generally values the powerful and grandiose over the mundane. In addition, their ability to use magic renders material savviness unnecessary. Above all, the mele hunger for knowledge–the discovery of those things which ought to be kept hidden from mortal eyes and ears. Beneath all this lies their fatal curiosity. Though it has brought the mele many advantages and much insight into the secrets of the natural world, it has also cursed them and brought them much pain.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The mele possess advanced hearing and tactile senses. Some who are proficient in Venkarach magic are especially attuned to the natural world that surrounds them.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
The Lamorien Empire, Bévere, Éanonalien
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Léttanya (High), Létta Bévere, Létta Orabrak
History
The mele began in The Year of Blossoms when Enenvir and the four patriarchs awoke in Ev-Anyaron. There, the four ancestral clans arose and existed peacefully for years until Sfindra's betrayal and the War of Red and White. Since imperfection had entered Anatéli, it was no longer fit for Ven Létinor to inhabit, and corruption came into the minds of the mele.
After Sfindra's defeat, the mele could not settle down peacefully together, so chaotic their nature had become. They warred, tribe against tribe, with ever-escalating violence and bloodshed, each tribe gaining new insights into more effectively defeating their rivals. This went on for many years until, one day, the Bévere met a dragon.
Entivandron, green drake of the woodlands of Wenyona, had been flying over the world, exiled by his kind. He found the Bévere and began instructing them in the magic of dragonkind. This new weapon decimated the Bévere's enemies, being far superior to the flimsy spells of their neighbors' invention. They learned from Entivandron the secret of fire and power over the air.
Together with Entivandron, the Bévere quickly overwhelmed the neighboring Mneric, Alay, and Ryenna. Having no enemy left to turn against, the only mele left in Ev-Anyaron being blood relatives of the Bévere, the united tribe set their eyes on the sea with domination in their minds. However, the Bévere knew little of sailing and no matter how they strove to divine a way across the sea, they could not. Their wiser rivals, the Alay, had built ships and sailed to faraway lands, but all in Ev-Anyaron lay dead, their ships reduced to ashes.
Of the Alay that fled to the sea and survived, some landed in Sarinia, but most continued, led by Éanos until they reached the southeastern shores of Deklonia. There, they met the Titans: giant, powerful beings descended from the Sabachin themselves. The Titans attempted to subject the Alay to their will, but the crafty mele knew the secrets of concealment. They hid from the Titans, and after a time they captured one Titan, Venkarach, learning from him the unique magic of power over nature. Using the power of Venkarach, the Alay were able to force the other titans underground, all save The Venmaida, the wife of Venkarach. The Venmaida, in her rage, slaughtered many Alay. She fled into the north country. The Alay feared to settle north of their new land of Éanonalien and, to this day, few of them have ventured beyond the Anwen in Laridia for fear of her wrath. Many were too uneasy about the land to remain very long, and a group of them departed heading south and landing in the north of Avonia.
Those who went to Avonia found the land rich and fertile, and a great new civilization sprang up from the scattered seed of Alay. Centuries later, these people would rise to become the great Lamorien Empire, stretching across many islands and over much of Deklonia, subjecting the kingdoms of men to their will. Tensions rose between mele and men, and in time Halmar the Conqueror rose up and freed the kingdoms of men from the grip of the Empire.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The Bévere share a close bond with dragons, who often serve alongside them as companions, mounts, and friends. Most mele share a common disdain for men, who they see as lesser, inferior beings that ought to be controlled. With the idnoqual, the mele are amicable, as they make excellent trading partners and their art is widely admired.
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