Melsari

"The Melsari are native to the Marsh Tribal Lordships of Lymot, a section in southwestern Arceleron. Their ruler, Lord Dinelor, is said to be immortal."

The Melsari, also known as Green Elves or Swamp Elves (or derogatorily as Dirt Elves), are a race of Mel that reside on the western part of the continent of Aerqueleron, far from the grasp of the Meldari on Aeloth.

It was once believed that the Melsari were originally exiles from the First Exiled. However, translations of tapestries that now call Muron Yalvitris their home tell the tale of how the Melsari were likely separated from their home continent of Aeloth. According to the legend, the Melsari leader King and Tainted Saint Feyrim Valas was once a phenomenally wealthy Meldari nobleman, who used his finances to launch a rebellion against the powers of the land. He and his followers were banished for this to a place separated from Aeloth by destroying the land bridge between them, creating a sea in between. This aquatic boundary proved so effective that the followers of Feyrim Valas never again disturbed their former countrymen in Aeloth for centuries to come.

The Melsari were relentless in their drive to (re)conquer Aeloth, and there is scarcely a year throughout the Early and Middle Founding Era when they did not ravage the coastlines of the Meldari. Every attack launched by the Green Elves against the continent of Aeloth had been led by Feyrim Valas and his descendants themselves, and despite the number of battles and strategies employed by the Melsari, each of these attacks has proved to be an ultimate failure since the naval superiority of the Meldari proved to be their ultimate strength in this continuous fight.

After lesser wars between the Meldari and the first colonists of the West, The Melsari stopped hostilities and opened their economic trade routes towards all except the Meldari, trying to maintain a high status and wealth within their nation.

The Melsari are known to possess blank, white eyes, like those of a blind man and a strange, chameleon-like skin that is entirely adapted to the swampy marshes and somber woods of Lymot, as if their flesh were constituted of the flora that inhabited that region of Arceleron, or Arkeleron as they tend to call it. Their chameleon-like skin is an involuntary process, similar to the camouflage skills of the Melgari allowing them to walk into the shade of a single tree and vanish.

They live a roguish lifestyle and live off and with the land that surrounds them. They are in constant battle with the land but enjoy the strengthening power that grants them their hidden cities and natural magicks.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Meymer
Amaka
Indara
Yalma
Myrren
Veritsi

Masculine names

Redian
Yoro
Imaner
Timor
Kopaso
Darion
Emilor

Family names

Myralis
Sozir
Devaras
Févlas
Uritas
Ilem
Meleer

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Very little is known about the Melsari culture as of the Third Era. The difficult terrain within Lymot, coupled with the apparent isolationist policies of the Melsari, renders this largely a mystery. It is known that great emphasis is placed upon the Menletists, the strange trees that are abundant in the Swamps. Even what little is known about the Menletists is the subject of much rumor and speculation. It is believed that the Melsari are somehow co-dependent upon the trees,though how and why are still being researched.

Shared customary codes and values

Marital customs among the MElsari is one of the few widely-known aspects of Melsari life. Unlike the citizens Aldevarians or Aurelians, who prefer to marry using amulets, dowries and other monetary exchanges, some Melsari adhere to their native marriage traditions.

In Lymot, it is customary to present a lover with a Melsari Wedding Circlet, which is crafted by the courting member. Each circlet is unique and has personal meaning to the creator and the recipient. The actual ceremony of marriage is very long and complex, and involves unique rituals.

Art & Architecture

Long ago, they built and lived in grandiose pyramid structures they referred to as Leghs-Kavrentaps and had wayshrines dedicated to the stars. However, after the fall of High Melsari Culture, these were consequently abandoned for some unknown reason and the Melsari themselves can't remember life in those times. During the First Era the Melsari of Krovyris lived in huts made from mud, while those in Panavithis constructed settlements out of wood. Because of this alarming change, some scholars doubt that the Leghs-Kavrentaps were even built by the Melsari, who in their opinion merely claimed ownership of them. Feathers, bright colors, and lizard hides decorate the majority of their buildings and works of art.