Core Dwellers
In the centre of Aradeia, deeply embedded into the deserts of the Wilderness, lies the Spiral - a brightly glimming cave underneath the surface that's formed like a swirl. Inside of this cave lies the home of millions of Aradeians that have been slain by fate and despair. Even though alive today, these individuals have once died a horrible death and they were saved by merciful samaritans coming to their aid when they were at their lowest point.
Infused with the magic of the arcane core itself, the power source of all magic in Aradeia, their bodies are still walking these lands, their minds as vital as ever, wishing to solve whatever brought them to this in the first place. Most core dwellers are blessed with a reason to live: solving a crime, sometimes even their own murder; finding hidden, lost or stolen items; helping with diplomacy or confrontation in battle. Once they reach their goal, their body slowly dissolves. The arcane core grants them a gentle and calm death, something often denied in their former lives. The core dwellers become a part of the arcane cycle and turn into a source of the same magic that resurrected them before.
It is an open secret in Aradeian culture that the core dweller tribe is humongous, even though they rarely appear on the surface. There are reports about dwarves and elves preventing their own deaths by forging pacts with core dwellers they have met in their lifetime. They are turning into one of them to say goodbye to their loved ones, before they leave the continent. Many of the Omni core dwellers wrote history solving crimes all over the surface, making them the most reliable source for secret information. Still, no surface dweller is allowed to enter the core unless guided into the realm, making it an area often featured in stories and legends.
Becoming a core dweller enables immortals to overcome their resistance towards resurrection. Since dwarves and elves naturally return to the continent's core right after their demise, many of them fear death more than anything else in the world. After living for hundreds and thousands of years, the idea of losing everything they had with one final blow seems unfitting, undeserved. Therefore, a pact with a core dweller or being saved by one feels like a necessary step towards death acceptance.
For mortals, being turned into a core dweller feels like an extention to their life span. They can't become celestials anymore, since only those can become a celestial that were slain or died of natural causes, but they receive the opportunity to heal their surroundings and tie loose ends before they dissolve.
Core dwellers are the bridge between life and death, immortality and mortality and, therefore, close the gap between both states of existence.
Naming Traditions
Masculine names
Desmond, Varca, Borgus
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Since those resurrected by the core can be of any nationality, ethnicity and race, you can find any language and dialect you can think of being spoken in the core cave. Still, the most common is the trade dialect Fairo which connects all people with each other and is often a beloved choice among dwellers.
Common Etiquette rules
In the core, hospitality and politeness are the most important aspects of core cave culture. While inhabitants are still encouraged to be themselves and speak their minds, they are expected to treat new core dwellers with kindness and respect. Many have lost their friends and family, so supporting each other both physically and mentally is vital to coexist in such a multicultural environment.
Common Dress code
Most core dwellers wear muted and natural colours to blend in with the surface world around the spiral and beyond. All of them wear cloaks or coats to cover their arms and legs from an outsider's view. Also, they love to have their hair up or tied back, even the dwarves and elves beyond them. Sometimes, immortal core dwellers are found out just due to this fact.
Art & Architecture
Most art and architecture referring to the spiral and its inhabitants are made by the people living on the surface. Since core dwellers are often the protagonists of myths and legends, many people in Lorla and beyond love painting and sculpting core dwellers they have read about or met in person. Not everyone is fond of them (so there are tales and sculptures demonising their existence), but it doesn't change the fact that core dweller depictions are mostly made by people outside their culture.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Core dwellers are painfully aware of the moment that one of their fellows is about to dissolve. Since the pulse of the arcane core connects them all, they feel the power weakening in their comrade and take the time to help them relax and feel comfortable during their last moments. Dying core dwellers are bedded on amora petals and surrounded by their closest friends before they die. Their companions watch them dissolve and return to the core, reminding them every day that their days are limited and nothing more but a second chance.
Common Taboos
Talking about resisting the contract is prohibited in core dweller society. Since everyone's aspiration should be fulfilling the task that was given to them at their point of death, it's frowned upon to mention breaking out or disappearing to the surface. No core dweller that has tried to escape their fate has ever found a happy ending.
Ideals
Courtship Ideals
Courtship is rare if not non-existent beneath the surface. Since the main goal is dying peacefully, only few have the capacity to fall in love or find interest in another person. If they do, the couples usually date on the surface or give themselves time and space to get to know and love each other by sharing a house close to the core. It's less about building a life together and more about spending as much time as possible with the person you love.
Relationship Ideals
Friendships are the most common relationships underneath the surface. There are few instances in which families were turned to core dwellers over a longer time span, or lovers rediscovering their better half after being separated for years, but usually, their existence as a dweller prevents any deeper connections. Most don't have the capacity to go beyond friendship, as their minds are preoccupied with the contract given to them.
The Mortality Myth
Even though it's deeply embedded into Aradeian culture to be fully aware of your life expectancy and what consequences come with it, core dwellers aren't bound to the rules of mortality. Since they are resurrected by the arcane core's magic, they exist as a constant paradox between life and death.Both mortal and immortal individuals are able to be turned into core dwellers when they are mortally ill or wounded. When core dwellers notice the distress of an Aradeian citizen, they can choose to infuse the dying person with the arcane core's energy, turning them into one of them.
The individual's consciousness is extended until either their task is fulfilled or their soul comes to rest.
Most core dwellers have their life expectancies extended by half, while those who refuse to partake in the core dweller's journey dissolve into a shapeless entity that barely resembles a sentient creature. After a certain amount of time, all core dwellers return to the core itself, becoming the source of the same magic that turned them.
Related Items
Appearance
Individuals that are turned into core dwellers are easily recognised by their blue glimming veins and bright blue eyes that seem to shine from within. On the surface, they often use disguise cloaks and coats to stay hidden from strangers' gazes. Otherwise, they look exactly like their mortal and immortal counterparts - as long as they stick to the core dweller's contract. Every core dweller needs to stick to their agenda; solving crimes, helping the surface dwellers closeby. If they refuse to help or partake in the tasks given to them, their bodies will slowly lose shape and dissolve into a transparent, gooey substance that can only be recognised as a sentient being by their slurred speech and blue orb-like eyes.Just like dwarves and elves, they dissolve at the end of their lives into particles of energy. While elves dissolve into green and dwarves into silver, core dwellers dissolve into blue - the colour of the arcane core beneath them.
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