Muir Vanrin

Written by glassyskies

Excerpt from In The Realm of Ancients by Leandra Soveri, renowned Conservatoire Scholar:
The Muir Vanrin are one of the oldest cultures in Caeria. Where Enthilion claims to be the child of ancient Diamorias, where Tuatharain can prove its lineage predates even the Old Empire, Venathwynar is by all accounts older than the gods. The Vanrin call themselves the parents of the elven Muintir and rightly so — it is from them that the Muir Aesyr, Muir Dalach and Muir Farrig descend. Only the Fainviran elves could possibly claim a different ancestry, and in any case they do not consider themselves part of the Muintir.
Shrouded in mystery and time, the origins of the Venathwynan Empire are unknown. Even Vanrin records are hazy as to when it grew from what must originally have been a small collection of tribal elves into the powerful force that dominated Caerian politics for so long — by all accounts, Venathwynar has always been an empire. For three hundred odd years, the twin empires of Venathwynar and Diamorias controlled the destiny of Caeria, until Enthilion grew to inherit and expand its parent nation’s power.
Venathwynar’s troubled history of conquest and slavery is far more recent. As the Enthilionic Empire’s power waxed, thus did Venathwynar’s wane; five hundred years ago, the first raiding bands crossed the Spine to steal elven slaves for themselves. Ever since, a powerful slave trade grew between Venathwynar and the human nations, with both sides taking equal shares of the prize. It’s only in recent years that Enthilion has begun to place more pressure on successive Venath to submit to their demands, both of slaves and of political and military concessions, promoting Venath Cerida’s decision fifty years ago to take a much more isolationist stance towards foreign affairs. It remains to be seen whether Venathwynar will ever reach the heights it once did.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Cerida, Fiara, Maeve, Arianrhod, Rhiannon, Evana and Cerys

Masculine names

Tamlin, Rhys, Arawyl, Lorin, Gwynial, Elyan and Finn.

Family names

Vanrin names are matrilineal, and made up of a complicated system detailing exactly what relationship the elf in question has with their mother, their house, and social standing.
For example: Tamlin var Cerida of the Larimar is the youngest son of Venath Cerida, the Venath (or Empress) of Venathwynar. The prefix ‘var’ signifies a son of Cerida, herself a scion of House Larimar. Tamlin’s eldest sister, however, is Fiara gil Cerida of the Larimar. In line with the matriarchal culture of the Vanrin, prefixes for women are more complicated: ‘gil’ signifies not only that Fiara is a daughter of Cerida, but that she is the eldest and named heir. There are many prefixes used in Tewyth, the ancient Vanrin language, and listing them is beyond all except the most learned etymologists.

Other names

If one of the Muir Vanrin has unforgivably disgraced his family, they may lose their right to the mother's name. If the insult is personal but does not affect their house then they will be allowed retain their house, though the most greivous insults may result in loss of both their mother's and their house name.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Tewyth is the language spoken by most Vanrin day-to-day; diplomats and royalty learn Imperial as a matter of course, and it’s become a fad amongst most nobles to know at least some of the language, but for most Vanrin Tewyth is the only language they need to know. Near the border with Tuatharain most Vanrin know at least some Tuathian, and along the Spine a sort of Tewyth-Imperial hybrid has sprung up. Slaves fleeing to Venathwynar often know no Tewyth, though in most cases circumstance encourages them to pick it up quickly,

Shared customary codes and values

Dedication to society is very important in Vanrin culture. Most professions are equally valued, but joining the Traich or the Talvar is an incredibly prestigious career. Culture is the main aim of Venathwynar; militarily unambitious, they prefer to focus on expanding their art, music and magical ability than to look outwards.
Reverence for one's mother is an incredibly important part of Vanrin culture; mothers are considered the fulcrum of a family unit, and children and encouraged to show the utmost devotion to them.

Average technological level

Due to their focus on and cultivation of magic, the Vanrin are possible the most magically advanced culture in Caeria. Enthilion and Vaerholm have made great strides technologically, and Tuatharain values its mages, but no other society has dedicated as much effort to the understanding and use of magic.

Common Etiquette rules

Etiquette is a formal affair in Venathwynar; Muir Vanrin are known to be diffident and retiring as a society, though within family and between close friends they are a lively bunch. Their reputation as cool and aloof likely comes from Vanrin standards of behaviour around strangers; contact between the Vanrin and other cultures is still rare enough, and therefore communication between Venathwynar and the outside world mostly takes the form of negotiations and formal state visits. As the Muir Vanrin believe that extreme emotions should be reserved purely for interactions between parties that are comfortable with each other, negotiators only ever see them in a very formal setting.

Common Dress code

Traditional Vanrin robes are long, flowing and richly decorated; the more ornate, the better. Robes embroidered with jewels or gold thread are a sign of extreme wealth, as is the colour and type of cloth. There are no social taboos relating to which colour or cloth elves are allowed to use, but it can be seen as 'uppity' if an elf wears robes clearly beyond their means.
With the introduction of human ideas into Venathwynar, young elves have taken to wearing human dress such as breeches, boots and jerkin, but this is deeply frowned upon by conservative Vanrin elders.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The Muir Vanrin are, culturally, still smarting from humanity’s growing influence within Caeria, and their beauty ideals have correspondingly grown to emphasise everything that differentiates them from humans.
Smooth, unblemished skin, tall and willowy frames, pointed teeth and ears, aquiline noses; all serve to dinstinguish them from their human counterparts. Vanrin rarely freckle or burn, regardless of skin colour, so to do so is regarded as a mark of extreme undesirability. Generally, Vanrin eyes are luminescent and of a far more extreme colour than human eyes — the brighter the eyes, the prettier the elf.

Gender Ideals

Vanrin society is matriarchal, with a persistent tendency to prioritise the needs of women over the needs of men despite several years of stubborn fighting for gender equality. While the ideal gender roles are said to be a strong man and a clever woman, it is still women who are favoured as warriors and generals, while men are generally confined to jobs requiring menial physical labour. Despite that, men are generally assumed to have higher emotional intelligence, while women are expected to show stoicism in public life. No legal barriers to equality remain in Vanrin society, but unhealthy gender roles can sometimes linger.

Courtship Ideals

Generally speaking, in heterosexual Vanrin relationships, the woman pursues the man, though with the advent of limited gender equality the roles have become somewhat interchangeable. The traditional courtship period is one year; this period commences once interest has been expressed. Originally, the woman had to show the man exactly why he should be interested in her — in order to attract someone in whom he had an interest, the man would have to subtly express to the woman that he would be interested in being courted. Courting traditionally involves the giving of gifts of increasing value, until at the end of one year the courted party either accepted or declined marriage. Several examples have been recorded of men, and occasionally women, attracting courtship and accepting gifts of exorbitant value, only to ultimately refuse marriage and move on to be courted by someone else.
Gay relationships are commonplace in Venathwynar, and follow traditional lines of courtship without the antiquated need for the woman to start the courting period.

Relationship Ideals

The ideal relationship in Vanrin culture is one in which the couple are a united force, ready to create and contribute to society. They have no problem with gay relationships; these, in fact, are considered exempt from the usual gender roles of a woman in charge of the house, and the man to organise while she works. Most Vanrin are bisexual, though a sizable amount are either gay or straight, and relationships are generally expected to be the same regardless. When two men are in a relationship, it’s entirely acceptable for a man to work in a higher-paid job usually reserve for women — when two woman are in a relationship, it’s normal for one to stay at home and look after any children they may have.

Major organizations

The Tenmor is Venathwynar’s court, where the Venath holds court and listens to the grievances and requests of her subjects. Depending on the ruling Venath, this can either be a force for good, an opportunity to curry favours and alliances, or a token body.
The Triach is the main body of priests within the Muir Vanrin religion. They lead a religion whose worship is focused on a singular Goddess, known among other names as the Lady of the Rivers, Lady of Favour and Fortune and Tethys. Second only to the Tenmor in terms of power under Cerida’s reign, the Triach are a growing voice in opposition to Cerida’s isolationist policies.
The Talvar is the third prong of the Muir Vanrin’s government. They focus on art, magic and culture, on preserving history and creating wonders of architecture, magic, song and story. While the Triach command thousands of faithful and the Tenmor wields considerable political power, the Talvar holds the heart and goodwill of the Vanrin people.

Diverged ethnicities

• Muir Dalach