Branish

To hear the call of the tides it to enjoy and regain focus on one's life. You cannot stop the tides of life from washing in and out, but in the end, you will find your way with the currents and that is when shall begin again. You are safest on the beach, but in the waters, you will find a path just as solid as the earth.

— Ancient Branish Proverb

The Branish is a nearly extinct cultural identity that traces its roots back to the first people of the world. Once thriving communities built around respect of the tide as a current that passes, many call their traditions old-fashioned and past their time. The last remaining Branish are all located in their ancestral lands that make up the Tylathoram Coalition.

Branish

General Information

Number	~95
Location	Tylathoram Coalition
Primary Language	Atoa
Primary Deity	Akorvis
Celebrated Concepts	Family Time is a Tide

A People Divided

Culturally, the Branish are one of two powerful cultures dedicated to Akorvis in the times before The Shatter. While the Branish were considered wise sages and focused on familial life. Their sister culture, the Kynrolta were travellers and explorers, finding their path across the ocean current.

While both cultures were decimated in the wake of The Shatter, the travel focused Kynrolta were able to adapt to their changing circumstances more deftly, leaving behind the Branish to the whims of the disasterous storms they had not faced. This led to further diminishing of the Branish people who were struggling to travel to safety.

This has led to a cultural disdain for the Kynrolta or Nasa'ona, Stormtreaders. Modern Branish have tried to take on a heart of acceptance, but there is still hesitation that those of Kynrolta heritage would leave them to die again if given the chance.

Tideweavers

Many of the Branish people posses a form of magical potential that allows them to shift and weave the waters around them. It is said that Akorvis gave a Branish the ability to carve the tide to protect an ancient Branish settlement from a great tidal wave that was threatening to destroy much of their ealy civilization.

This ability has passed down to the modern Branish who are all able to control water in some form. Notable forms of this control are the ability to instantly change the temperature of water, to boiling hot or freezing it like ice. Other Branish were able to create constructs of water. In rare cases, the innate magic has allowed some to transmute their form to be fluid like water, teleporting from place to place.

The most skilled among the Branish were known as Tideweavers. They were able to control large sections of water, parting rivers to allow safe passing, to the first Branish that was able to calm a tidal wave standing taller than a giant. In the modern day, no Tideweavers have emerged without possessing additional magical potential.

The Life Cycle

The Branish people believe that life is cyclical like the tide, always churning in and out. Their cultural traditions are based upon the phases of the tide, with each one representing a different phase in a Branish person's life. It is believed that once a Branish person dies, their spiritual energy is brought back into a new life to continue the cycle of the tides.

Low Tide

The beggining of someone's life. Their body is at its smallest and frailest. Yet there is a mighty power in them ready to progress as time passes. Someone is considered to be in Low Tide until they are able to walk, at which point they receive their Taroanan, a sacred totem they will carry with them the rest of their lives.

It is said that the Taroanan is to ward away evil from the child to allow them to safely grow through the phases of their life.

Flood Tide

Childhood, growing stronger towards the best possible version of yourself. While in Flood Tide, many Branish experience their firsts in a lot of aspects of life. First words. First love. First heartbreak. The Flood Tide is built on family. Family is not blood, it is those that will support and care for someone.

When the child reaches maturity, whatever that age is for their ancestry, they go through their Akranash or Coming of Age ceremony, where they pick a path they wish to follow in their life.

High Tide

During the High Tide, a Branish person has discovered who they want to be and will follow the path they chose during their Coming of Age ceremony. This is not a rigid phase, it has many changes as the tide is not one straight line, but filled with curves and obstacles. The goal is to push through it and embolden oneself for the challenges ahead.

When a Branish person is reaching their elderly years, they begin their Elanoavana, a celebration of their achievements and meditation over what wisdom they have learned.

Ebb Tide

For some cultures, Ebb tide is sad, it is a time to mourn those as they pass onto the next life. For the Branish, the Ebb Tide is where someone shares their wisdom of a life lived to its fullest. Regrets are washed away through the tides of time. The Ebb Tide is for the person living it to do as they please.

At the end of the Ebb Tide, a funerary rite known as Halosa Mora is performed. It is believed that this passes the spiritual energy onto a new life, so each life is learning more from the ones they held before. So the tide keeps turning.

Notable Branish

Name	Pronouns	Description
Geranotha	He/They	Branish Elf. Selected by Akorvis during The Shatter, Geranotha was an elven born among the Branish people. A soldier and guard for their family, they were chosen by Akorvis because of a percieved heroism stemming from a scenario where they saved the lives of several families from a raid on their village. Geranotha was blessed with the ability to control the waves primarily to help stop an approaching tidal wave. After a resounding success, they continued their life dedicated to the protection of their people. A memorial to them is in many Branish homes.
Tayana Iletoru	She/Her	Branish Human Oceanheart. Tayana was the leader of a large collection of Branish people during The Shatter. She acted as their elder guide, trying to protect her people during the harshest of times. Tayana eventually had to make the hard decision to try and lead her people across the waves to protect their lives as their homes fell. During this expedition, Tayana lost her life in a great storm that the Branish people could not control. She is remembered for her sacrafice and courage to strive for living.
Nayloran Elmiss	He/Him	Branish Gnome Scholar. Born in the northern reaches of the Tylathoram Coalition, Nayloran had heard stories of the long-extinct Branish, as there were no records of any survivors of them since before The Parting. Nayloran studied the Branish people, learning through this process that he was one of the few remaining with Branish heritage. Using this knowledge, and much more he gathered over the years Nayloran started to discover new Branish descendants to allow them to learn more of their heritage.
Tyenra Gotran	She/Her	Branish Human Artisan. Tyrena gew up hearing stories of the Branish and their abilities. She discovered through a communion with Akorvis that she was descended from a Branish family line. She was also given the knowledge of how to create an instrument inspired by the Branish people. It was eventually known as the Gotran Harp. Tyenra eventually connected with Nayloran Elmiss to discover more about the Branish people as the two most prominent descendants.