Eldonine
When people think of Eldondi, they think of a half-forgotten wilderness that never really would be important to anyone or anything except for when it comes to being a buffer between Talnor and Norethir. But that could not be any farther from the truth.
The Eldonine were once a proud and ancient race. They still exist and make up the majority of the population of Eldondi, but they detest any of Talnor's attention, even if the creator of their ire has been gone for 300 years.
The Eldonine (Eldonine: ____, pronounced [_____]) are the natives or inhabitants of Eldondi. The historical records of the nearly-forgotten pre-conquering government defines an Eldonine as an Eldonine citizen. During the talks after the fall of the Sorcerer Queen, discussions on Eldonine identity were dominated by concepts of language, culture, descent, and history. Today, descent is considered the only criterion of Eldonine identity, as all Eldonine know that anyone can learn their language.
History
2E | The Epoch of Understanding | EU
The first information about the people living in what is now Eldondi was provided by the scholars of Maianir, the first kingdom to blossom after the Deceiver was defeated. Some of the people of Maianir, after the kingdom had existed for a few hundred years, decided to migrate to somewhere else, and followed in the footsteps of the dwarves. They traveled farther north than the dwarves and settled in the crook of the mountains there. During the first winter after their settlement, the fledgling Eldonine were struck down with a horrible illness that filled their lungs with fluid and slowly suffocated them. Only 20% of those who caught the sickness managed to survive and recover, while the rest ended up passing away. Many of the graves within the ruins of Fûhim, though sporting headstones weathered and worn to the point that the carved letters on them are quite shallow, speak of the sickness, of how hope had dwindled to almost nothing. But at one point, things changed. The North Wind elemental, Pæli (known later as 'Phaelí'), heard of their plight and brought to the struggling Elonine the herb Phethyash. With this herb, they were able to treat the inflicted and their people were able to thrive. (there will be more history added here soon)3E | The Epoch of Snowfall | ES
The impact of the meteor at the Battle of Unspoken Grief did not travel far enough to reach the bounds of Eldondi, but the cloud of vaporized material kicked up by the impact was easily visible from the Castle of Fûhim. The flash of light was what was noticed first, and it drew Queen Perkanitta, Crown Prince Kelévír, and Princesses Binavaer and Rynfë from their dinner table and out onto the closest balcony. With King Tuu'noth still at the site of the battle, which had just been blasted to smithereens by the meteor, the queen and her children were forced to face this calamity alone. The shockwave caused by the impact arrived shortly after and the castle shuddered under the rush of air. The royal family was hidden deep in the dungeons beneath the castle as the east and southeast towers collapsed, having taken the brunt of the shockwave. The city walls collapsed on the east side, but the homes and buildings were left relatively intact. Ash and dust filled the air and blocked out the sun. After the initial shock, the Captain of the city guard rallied his men and gathered the survivors from the rubble before ushering them into the city cellars beneath the city, where the yearly harvest is stored for the winter. And there they stayed, unsure of what to do as the clouds of debris in the air kept the sun from warming the world and snow began to fall. The Eldonine were not sure what they were supposed to do. They cried out to the Creator for help but an eerie silence was their only reply. Thankfully, a month or so after the impact, dwarves from the dwarven kingdom of (to be determined) finally broke through into the city cellars. The dwarven prince had grown worried when the meteor fell and all communication from Eldondi and other kingdoms ceased, so he ordered his people to begin digging new tunnels towards the silenced kingdoms and redoubled their efforts when the snow began to fall. They reached the Eldonine first. (this period of time will be fleshed out in the future.)4E | The Epoch of Recovery and Grief | ERG
Four hundred years into the fourth epoch, The King of Talnor disappeared and his wife seized control of the kingdom, revealing her true nature as the Sorcerer Queen. After spending a year and a half crushing rebellion, the Sorcerer Queen turned her attention outwards. She chose to conquer Eldondi first. She considered the kingdom "small and feeble", a "sweet, little grape ready to be plucked from the vine", and greedily sent her army to conquer it. There was heartbreak on both sides as up until the invasion, relations between Talnor and Eldondi had been great. There were several families split between the two kingdoms and several served in their armies. If soldiers in the Sorcerer Queen's army refused to fight, they would soon find the control over their bodies wrested from them as she used her magic to control them like puppets. Despite their valiant efforts, the Kingdom of Eldondi was inevitably crushed by the Sorcerer Queen's forces.5E | The Epoch of Liberty | EL
With the defeat of the Sorcerer Queen came freedom, a release—for everyone but the Eldonine. The Royal family had been decimated by the Sorcerer Queen and a Duchy loyal to Talnor continued to stand where a kingdom should have been. The duchy was ruled by descendants of those who had been loyal to the Sorcerer Queen, and were allowed to continue ruling due to the fact that the Duke and Duchess of Eldondi during the time of the Sorcerer Queen had grown to despise the queen and had actively aided the man who ended up becoming King of Talnor in defeating her. The people of Eldondi cry out for justice and demand that the king release Eldondi from his rule so that descendants of their royal family can be found and returned to their rightful place. But the king does not hear their angry shouts.Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Perkanitta
Binavaer
Rynfë
A lot of names can be made feminine if ended with the suffix '-fë', which is one of the forms of the word for 'girl'.
Masculine names
Tuu'noth
Kelévír
Culture
Common Dress code
- Typical Feminine clothing: Women, while taking care of normal duties and tasks, are expected to wear a tight linen chemise with hose (thickness varies depending on the season) that is secured to the thin linen pants that is worn over their underpants. A loose cotte is then worn over that, a simple medieval-style dress. The look is often finished with a pair of mary-jane-like boots with pointed toes that sport a slight heel so that they can mount a horse if needed, and a thin leather belt embossed with symbols depicting hares, lynx, and sometimes the peryton. Pouches can be easily clipped to the belt if needed. In cooler weather, additional layers are added, such as a either sleeved or sleeveless surcoat and when they go out they wear a cape-like coat that has openings for their arms and hangs down to their ankles. A woman almost never wears something to cover her head and hear, unless it's cold outside so they wear a hood or if it's hot and sunny and they wear a wide-brimmed staw hat.
- Typical Male clothing: Men were expected to wear either short, medium, or long braies depending on the season and a linen shirt with a round neck as their first layer, and hose that attached to the braies. The outer layer is comprised of a tunic that is often secured around the waist by a leather belt sporting either a tin, copper, or brass clasp and knot that left the excess to hang down the front by about a foot on average. The belt is strong enough to hold the holster of various tools or the sheathes of weapons. And the tunic is loose enough that they can wear chainmail under it if needed. Male headwear often involved some sort of hat, depending on what kind of task they are engaged in. Farmers often wear wide-brimmed straw hats to keep the sun off of them, while those who lived and worked in town wore felt hats that were worn with the brim flipped up at the sides. In the winter, they often wore hoods, and long coats similar to what women wear, though it only went down to their knees. In the summer, men wear ankle-high boots with rounded toes, while in the summer they wear boots that go all they way to their knees.
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