Dhaewar (Day-wahr)

Myths and legends can be moral allegories, the remnants of oral history distorted over generations, or both. Rarely, some of these legends can spread beyond the confines of the culture they originated with and become shared among many peoples. One of these is the story of black-skinned demons from inside the earth, waiting to snatch up the unwary into slavery, torture, and death.
Folklorists and historians claim that, while these unflattering legends generally refer to the dhaewar of Cronodor, they blend prejudicial stories about the dhaewar and Dryhtnar. They argue that both races lived near each other, dwelled inside old dwarven ruins, and had militaristic societies that made their neighbors nervous.
These legends demonize a people with a strong survival instinct and rich culture. Nowhere else in the world will one find a subrace of elves that, but for their outward appearance, could be mistaken for Shāmaltā.
The harsh conditions of their subterranean existence have bred the fight for survival into their very bones. To live below the surface requires cunning, ingenuity, and practicality. The efficient and creative use of space, energy, and supplies is paramount. Survival competition led to a keen wellspring of combat training and knowledge.
Sporadic wild food spawned the innovation of the aluvasa technique, while the need for water taught great skills in distilling and reclamation. Thus, they have emerged as hardy people capable of surviving and defeating the great challenges of nature and man.
Their great capital of Korla in the northeastern tip of the Eladlie Mountains could be compared, perhaps unflatteringly, to a termite mound: a complex ventilation system keeps fresh air and regulated temperature in the underground portions, which the dhaewar live below in a "nest" that's a network of open chambers and tunnels.
Even their frontier holds, which aren't so densely built, share a sense of closeness that others might find claustrophobic. Their closeness, however, is part of their sense of family and community.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Dhaewar don't share the religion of Ylfari with their surface cousins, but are 'elves' in all ways otherwise. They're taller than humans but shorter than Siegarans. They have white hair like the teuivae Ylfari subrace, but their skin is shades of blue-grey. Also they have black eyes, in that it appears to be an entirely black circle lacking color. This is the source of the reputation for 'soulless eyes' though it's commonly exaggerated to include the sclera as well.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Dhaewar have a matriarchal society, due to the inheritance of traditions from the Molyn-line of shāmalta which were also matriarchal in structure.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Due to the unique circumstances of their origin, dhaewar are only found on the continent of Cronodor natively. This is not to say some don't travel from their home and settle elsewhere, but it's considered rare.

Average Intelligence

The average dhaewar is as intelligent as the average human, but their benefit is with the long years comes a far larger pool of experience to apply to situations.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Dhaewar use a mixture of Ylfari and Shāmaltāz names, in the traditional Shāmaltāz naming convention for formal names: Given name, mother's name (as they came from matrilineal families), the hold of origin instead of the ancestor they descent from, and clan family. Example: Faeryl Sohino arKoldur deqis Avram.

Major Organizations

• Clan Korla: rulers of the dhaewar 'capital' of Luensa Korla. Nominally the leaders of their civilization.
• Koldur: hold on the 'frontier' of dhaewar territory bordering the Ylfari kingdom of Delduin. A popular tourist destination and trade hub in better days, which was quite wealthy despite its low population.
• Dazsha: a specialist military unit drawn from the best of all the holds and trained to the highest standards. On the extremely rare occasion dhaewar have fielded a force, they always fought on the front line.

Beauty Ideals

Preferences for skin tones vary from person to person and also by community, but all share an appreciation for partners who are fit and possess symmetrical features.

Gender Ideals

Dhaewar blend Ylfari and Shāmaltāz sensibilities; instead of the traditional male and female, they view it as male, female, and an epicene spectrum.

Courtship Ideals

Dhaewar carry on the traditions of Ylfari relationships which is best described as a complicated interwoven net. Dhaewar, like most elves, crave intimacy and connection in both platonic and romantic senses. Multiple partners of differing genders and identities are common. When two dhaewar adults decide they wish to become bonded, it's as simple as going to the shāvāpar and declaring their intent before witnesses.
In Shāmaltāz fashion, there's usually a contract declaring the rights and responsibilities of both parties. In the case of the wealthy, there are also agreed strictures for the inheritance of offspring.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

• Dhaewari: a blending of Shāmaltāz and Ylfari. The more orthodox holds speak closer to pure Shāmaltāz, while the frontiers tend to speak more blended dialects.
• Common: the trade language of Cronodor is Ylfari, though there are plenty of regional dialects mated with the local languages as well.

Common Etiquette Rules

Dhaewar practice the Seven Pillars of Shegid as a religious code, but they also possess a secular code of behavior that governs their daily interactions. Questioning the virtue of a dhaewar is an insult that usually results in the invocation of the Rite of Requital.

• Honesty: a dhaewar should be honest in their dealings, and when their word is given there is no need for a 'promise.'
• Courage: a dhaewar should live life completely, fully, and fantastically. Hiding like a turtle in its shell is not living at all. Threats should be confronted, challenges overcome, and sacrifice respected.
• Compassion: all dhaewar train as citizen-soldiers of their holds, ready to be called to service. This commonality binds all dhaewar, and they should be willing to help their fellows.
• Respect: no dhaewar needs to prove their strength, it should be unquestioned, and so they should show respect to their fellows and deference to their superiors. This also extends to a sense of filial piety.
• Discipline: a dhaewar should exercise restraint and self-control in all things; holding their tempers and lusts at bay with iron will. Body, mind, and soul should be iron.
• Honor: a dhaewar cannot hide from themself, and must compose themselves in accordance with their virtues. What they do and say is a reflection of who they are.
• Duty: dhaewar are responsible for their actions, the ordered actions of their subordinates, and the consequences therein. Their responsibility is to hold, family, and then friends.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The first families to move into the Shāmaltāz holds and learn their ways memorized and recorded everything they were taught to preserve it for the future. They took their custodianship seriously, but they still blended who they had been with who they were becoming.
They took their charge seriously, making their first decades even more difficult. There were many holds, some in ruins, and fewer Shāmaltā or proto-dhaewar. Their frequent clashes with others over territory and resources, especially while hauling supplies to other holds, led to the dhaewar becoming far more militarized than the others.

Lamelna

A tradition that stems from this difficult time is lamelna, the "little struggle." Dhaewar children spend their first seven years at home getting a basic education and growing up. This usually consisted of a foundation of the seven arts: grammar, rhetoric, logic, geometry, arithmetic, music, and astronomy. Once turning seven, dhaewar children are taken from their parents' homes and grouped into training companies to begin their military education.
Their training in the seven arts will continue, but a subset to rhetoric would be added: witty repartee. Dhaewar should know when to speak elegantly but also when to use a swift barb. They should also be as proficient in taking such teasing as dishing it out.
The first seven years would cover all the basic training of any professional army but also included athletic competitions like running, wrestling, archery, javelin throwing, and choral dancing.
Training masters also organized periods of survival practice, culminating in their charges being forced to survive off the land and travel from their home holds to a predetermined location, and back. Failure meant harsh discipline or, even worse, death in the wild.
The second seven years of their training further enhanced what they had already been taught and learned to single out the specializations and skills of the youth. More importantly, they began to integrate into the wider army life of their holds. They'd stay in barracks with other soldiers, train beside them, and eat along with them.
Most dhaewar would begin puberty around the time they reached the end of the second training stage. Sexual relationships were encouraged, especially among a deqisasha: the basic unit comprised of ten soldiers. They believed it strengthened the bond and increased unit cohesion among the soldiers.
The third and last seven-year period consisted of training missions and even greater athletic competitions. The existing officers would be looking to see who excelled and how, with the most impressive of them being allowed to travel to the capital and compete to join the Dazsha.
Every hold would send their best to the capital to compete for the coveted positions; how many were available differed yearly. Winning out the trials would mean another decade of even harsher training among the Dazsha before being given an assignment: this usually, but not always, was to return to the army of their home hold.
Many believe this allows them to improve their home army by example, experience, and new training methods; others think they're present to act as "secret police" and watch for dissent.

Indulgence

The first proto-dhaewar came from an Ylfari background, much different from the traditions they would inherit. One of these differences was a far more formalized religious structure, including a system of elaborate penances that Ylfari priests could assign for perceived wrongdoings.
Another was the indulgence, a remission of penance for committed sins, earned by deed or donation to the church. In the dhaewar, it has since morphed into a celebration held by the wealthy where they can, for lack of a better word, indulge in just about anything free of secular or religious guilt. The host donates to the local shāvapār an amount based on the number of people invited.

The Rite of Requital

The formalized judicial duel was implemented early in dhaewar history to prevent feuds and conflicts from spilling out of control. Similar to the Siegaran holmgang. See the larger article here.

History

The region eventually known as Cronodor was a frontier of Sāvarāhid called Sāzādrugad, the silver lands, for its wealth of that precious metal. Though it no longer uses the old names, many places contain references to silver in their regional language.
During the Kings' War and Makshakh, the Shāmaltā were incredibly magnanimous in accepting refugees from any side or race, ferrying them to the edges of their empire where the Kings' War didn't reach.
Folklorists question how they could have resettled hundreds of thousands of people in the short duration of the conflicts. According to legend, they did this by packing them into miles-long caravans of empty cargo wagons that flew through the air, crossing miles in moments.
The unimaginable magics released, and the changes wrought by the calamitous ending of the First Age, created problems felt by everyone on the island continent. Food was short, diseases ran rampant, and natural disasters were nigh-constant. And those on the surface blamed the Shāmaltā for bringing them there and then "abandoning them."
After Makshakh and the fall of their empire, Shāmaltā survivors in Sāzādrugad encountered plenty of difficulties. With their infrastructure shattered, they could barely take care of themselves, let alone the legions of refugees they were responsible for. They tightened their belts and did everything possible to help their ungrateful charges.
Some people, desperate, chose to attack holds that had portions on the surface. Those empty holds now make up the ruins of the Valley of Rolling Hills.
But that was only the start of their trouble. They discovered their fertility as a people had dropped to near zero, and those children born were weak and sickly. Few survived to adulthood. Soon, there were no more live births.
They struggled to find a solution, to no avail. Had their empire remained, perhaps the unified people could have saved them. Eventually they had to accept they were a dying people, and look to preserving what remained of their civilization. They sent out a call:

"In your minds we have no right to ask you for aid, but we ask nonetheless. As a people, we're only a few decades from extinction. We can have no more children. While we still have time, we beg for volunteers to safeguard our legacy and be custodians on what remains. If we're all that's left of what came before, don't let everything we were fade into the mists of time. We beg you. We will teach you our ways so that you can survive in our holds, and take care of you as our own family until the last of us fades. Please."

The Dryhtnar politely refused, not wishing to bear that burden, but offered to consult the spirits to find a way to aid them while they still lived. No cure was found.
The bitter humans scoffed at the request, bidding them "good riddance to bad rubbish."
Only a few Ylfari families, longer-lived than the Shāmaltā, in remembering what had been done for them volunteered. They packed up their meager possessions and made for the nearest holds.
Desperation, or opportunism, caused many of those groups to be attacked while traveling. The lucky ones showed up on Shāmaltāz doorsteps starving and in rags. The unfortunate ones never made it at all.
Those who arrived were adopted by the Shāmaltā and treated like their own beloved children as promised. They were taught their adoptive families' history, religion, and culture. They ceased to be Ylfari and became the proto-dhaewar: "those who dwell below" in the Ylfari language.
Shāmaltā and dhaewar traveled between holds, attempting to establish some rudimentary form of cohesion. Those same convoys suffered the same fate as the early family pilgrimages.
So the Shāmaltā taught them their way of war.
When they went forth again, it was as a marching phalanx, ready for war. The bandits fell to shield and spear or hail of Shāmaltāz crossbows. The lawless period ended in blood, and no expedition was attacked again. 
Even the Dryhtnar, a militaristic people who loved battle, respected their strength and left them alone... as long as they traveled between inhabited holds. Any attempts to reclaim the ruins where the Dryhtnar had come to dwell were met with armed hostility. These conflicts still flare up from time to time; sometimes, this results in a new frontier hold being settled. But then it must be held.
The dhaewar began to thrive and have children of their own. The first generation born in the holds still had their Shāmaltā grandparents to look over them, and they were raised as Shāmaltā from birth.
But some remnant of what had stricken them must have still existed and reached out insidious tendrils towards the dhaewar. As time went on, their children were born different: their skin turned to shades of blues and grays, and their irises turned black. Though they were never struck by infertility, other health issues manifested. Thankfully, what remained of Shāmaltāz medicine could seemingly cure most of these.
It was a strangely liberating and somber moment when the last Shāmaltā succumbed to their age. Their teachers and friends were gone, but now the dhaewar were free as a civilization. They kept to their charge and preserved everything they could, but they changed.
The ruler of each hold came to be a hereditary position known as a Shemar, which roughly meant a keeper. As the Shāmaltā who had adopted them came predominantly from the lines of Molyna, Lumina, and Vanas, the Shemar was almost uniformly female. The dhaewar became a matriarchal society, like their adoptive ancestors.
Korla, the most prosperous and largest of the holds, became the capital of a loose confederation of dhaewar city-states. Each Shemar acts as the representative of their hold when an Assembly is called, voting on the rules and codes of their alliance.
Not every Shāmaltā hold came to house dhaewar, and not every dhaewar hold once belonged to their ancestors. They've continued to grow and thrive despite the harsher conditions below the surface than above.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

• Dhaewar infrequently have relationships with Ylfari, when their religious and cultural differences can be overcome. Oftentimes it's a short-term (for elves) thing ruled by passion, attraction, or lust.
• Their dealings with humans are mostly limited to the kingdom of Munales on the continent's eastern side. They have polite trade relations but share little else besides borders.
• Dryhtnar and dhaewar have been in conflict as long as the histories of either can recall. For the dryhtnar, this is because they enjoy conflict and see it as growth and strength in their culture. The dhaewar feel they are protecting what is theirs, as many dryhtnar families live in the surface-side portions of old Shāmaltāz ruins dotting the continent's interior.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Ylfari

Origin/Ancestry

Ylfari

Lifespan

1,000 years

Average Height

1.85m for females, 1.87m for males.

Average Weight

85kg for females, 88kg for males.

Average Physique

Having a very martial society, most dhaewar are in excellent physical health. This is even more so on the frontiers of their territory, as their interactions with multiple other races leads to a heightened state of preparedness.

Geographic Distribution

• Cronodor

Related Organizations

• Shegid