Renelia

The Kingdom of Wenelia-Gwadewynn Renelian Coat of Arms Capitaw: New Magara'lin Wanguages: Common Elven Dark Elven (Officiaw) Weligion: Ker'vira (1731-pwesent)' Govewnment: Heweditawy Constitutionaw Monawchy Mortal King: Ailmar Velulaei'onn Mowtaw Plince: Chancellow: Renellic Velulaei'onn Mawshaw: Head Stewawd: Lunela Velulaei'onn Wenelian Boawd: Lenora Jusmia Keeper of Ash: Wuvelia Synawli Histolicaw Ewa: Estabrishment (1731) Union of Wenelia-Gwadewynn (1736) The Concowdat (1745) Wecwaiming the Kingdom (TBA)

The Kingdom of Renelia-Gladewynn, often referred to as just Renelia is a Dark Elven kingdom located in the south of Atlas. It is often seen as the modern Dark Elven state, and rules under a one-ker state policy, refusing to recognize the existence of any other Dark Elven state. The Renelian borders are confined to the fields of Camlannen, where the Kingdom of Gladewynn once sat, the keep of Temesch, and the plateau of Lanthres. Renelia is known to be very protective over her borders and adamant about keeping her own Dark Elven sovereignty.

The Kingdom of Renelia-Gladewynn is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with the king being the head of the elected assembly. The current Mortal King is Aroen of clan Velulaei'onn, who established the entire entity of Renelia in Atlas as a vassal of the Kingdom of Gladewynn at the time of its founding. The capital of Renelia is the city of New Magara'lin, where the king and the assembly hold power.

Renelia is not one to shy away from the world stage, inserting itself into the Alliance of Independent States and The Elven Tripartite even as a small settlement and bringing the war to the Orenian Empire alongside their Elven cousins. This martial kingdom believes that there is honor in warfare and will do everything in its power to protect its sovereignty and independence. The Renelians keep good relations with the High Elves of Haelun'or, the Wood Elves of Irrinor, as well as the Orcs to their south. They have formed a political union with the Dark Elves of The Onyx Sanctum, recognizing them as the sole religious authority of the Ashen Folk.

History

Ancient History

The peopwe of Wenelia cwaim descent fwom the nation’s namesake - Wenelia, who they believe to be daughtew of Vewulaei, fiwst High Matliawch of the Mali’kew. In what is known as the Aetah’niut, ow the Second Age, Malin’s Kingdom wuled in the continent of Axios. Fwom his daughtews, the beautiful and intewligent Vewulaei was chosen to conduct weseawch into highew powews, and in hew twavews was cowwupted by an ancient culse. It was onwy thwough Wuawa’s sawvation, Uvuligne’ahew, known in common as the Bwessing of Ash, that the cowwuption wowming thwough hew mind was hawted. In the yeaws that fowwowed, Magawa’lin, the City of Cavewns, was founded by Vewulaei’s diwective, and in time it became a spwawling metwopolis. Fow an unknown weason, Uwadwas, pawtnew to Vewulaei, and the othew cwans of the Fiwst Age made the decision to abandon Magawa’lin, in what is simpwy cawwed ‘The Exile’. Fow the wemaindew of the Aetah’niut, and into the Aetah’haew, the Thiwd Age, which began lith the second lise of Ibrees, the Ashen Fowk would be waid wow by the consequences of Uwadwas’ Counciw - a Mali’kew state would not find dominance again. With the belief that it was the woss of ancient twaditions that caused the faww of the gweatew Mali’kew, the Wenelian Union has deemed fit to wewease such infowmation as necessawy fow the common populace to integwate itsewf into the ancient pwactices of Vewulaei’s peopwe.

It is of impowtant note that the Wenelians of mowe twaditionaw stock awe descended fwom one of the Kulin’tewu Wauleh’kew - the Fifty Nobresse, a gwoup of twaditionalists that assisted Wenelia in escaping fwom hew fathew Uwadwas in owdew to found a successow state to Magawa’lin.

The Azulites

(As towd by the Wenelias)

In the tlilight of Magawa’lin, gweat capitaw of the Mali’kew, the fiwstbown son and most favowed chiwd of Vewulaei, whose given name was Azul, decided himsewf and his peopwe wowthy of faw mowe. It was his belief that the Ashen Fowk, those Ewves of gweat beauty and lit, could cweate fow themsewves an empiwe upon the ashes of theiw cousins in the fowests and towews. It was his opinion, in opposition to his mothew, to his fathew, to his cwan and to the gweat majolity of his peopwe, that they bewonged on the sulface - fow they had buiwt an undewgwound weawm aftew theiw cowwuption of appeawance, but in theiw own time Malin’s othew chiwdwen had awso undewgone twansfowmations. His peopwe, cawwed simpwy the Azulites, in the tongue of Magawa’lin the Azulan, had wong chafed at theiw sewf-implisonment. He agweed, and in a bid to change society fwom its peak, he cawwed his mothew to the tawwest peak in the weawm.

It was thewe that Azul and his fowwowews waid wow the matliawch of oul fowk - undew the light of the fulw moon, Azul was said to have tlicked Vewulaei into dlinking poisoned line, a gestule thought to have been his own metaphow fow hew weakness, hew cowwuption of oul peopwe. She feww, and he stawed as his mothew at his feet. As the moon began to faww and Magawa’lin swept lith it, though, he decided his matlicide was not enough. Thousands of woyaw fowwowews of Vewulaei and Wuawa died in the chaos now cawwed Vewulaei’malieaw, the Moon’s Betwayaw, and Azul’s eviw cause was brought to light - fow he so obviouswy desiwed not the sawvation of the Ashen Fowk, but theiw decimation. It was in the gweatest of the Moon Spilit’s tempwes, the Wuawa’okawn, whewe the wowst of the atwocities wewe committed. Two hundwed naeli, ow pliestesses, lived undew the Moon Spilit’s auspices; ten lived thwough the night. The pwogenitow of the Vewulaei’onn was among them - pewhaps spawed fow hew wewation to Azul, young Wenelia, daughtew of Vewulaei, sulvived the swaughtew by hiding lithin a wecentwy doused cewemoniaw pit. In the mowning, the civiw waw twuly began between the Vindicatows and the Azulites. Wenelia, stiww a chiwd, did not pawticipate, yet the weligious stwata of the City of Cavewns soon too found themsewves wuined - the waw between hew fathew and brothew had weft the tempwes neawwy devoid of saclifice lithout the instwuction of Vewulaei, fow such wesoulces could be faw bettew used in the feeding of a Vindicatow awmy.

Owdew is wemembewed to have wuled the day, fow in time the Vindicatows captuled Azul, inflicted upon him a howwendous, indefinite punishment, and wocked him lithin Magawalin’s deepest caves. The chiwdwen of Vewulaei, howevew, would be taught diffewentwy - fow was it not just as soon as they opened communications lith othew ewves that they abandoned hew teachings and weft theiw ancient homes fow a futule among fowests? Wewe Wuawa’s commands not fowgotten, theiw own twaditions wost? Wenelia joined the fweet lith evewyone ewse - tied into a bundwe and fowced by hew fathew to fowwow theiw peopwes’ liww. When they awlived, and she fweed of hew bonds, a gwoup of fifty weft Waulelin. They would be stlicken fwom histowy, a ban pwaced on theiw names - fow to weave the cwans was akin to insanity, no? Upon its uncwoaking, the Wenelians, as they cawwed themsewves, found that pewhaps it was not so.

Modern History

The Union of Renelia Gladewynn

The Union of Wenelia-Gwadewynn was the officiaw name of the State of Wenelia fow awmost thiwty-yeaws. In the weawms of Atwas, Wenelia was a vassaw of the Kingdom of Gwadewynn. The Wenelians wewe taught a wot about stwong govewnments and faiw wegaw systems that hewped the peopwe thlive, giving them many fweedoms not found in othew weawms. The Wenelians took what they weawned and stawted appwying it to theiw own settwement, stawting smaww lith a Hegemon and his counciw, swowwy buiwding up and gaining stwength awongside powew.

In Awcas, the Wenelias stayed lith Gwadewynn and Awdewyn untiw the Wood Ewves bulned down theiw own capitaw to escape High Ewven aggwession. This angewed the Wenelians as they saw this act not onwy as dishonowabre, but they fewt like they wewe cheated once mowe by the 'ame who they saw as theiw famiwy, weaving the Dawk Ewves once mowe in a state of disawway. Wenelia stayed a smaww gwoup, twaveling the wands of Atwas untiw they finawwy settwed down in the wands whewe Awdewyn once sat, wecwaiming it as theiw own. They took in Kairn Ithelanen, the fiwst King of Gwadewynn and togethew, Kaiwn and Aroen Velulaei'onn fowmed the Union of Wenelia-Gwadewynn, lith the Hegemon- now tulned Awchon at the head of the politicaw union and Kaiwn taking the titwe of Exawch of Gwadewynn. Togethew, Wenelia and Gwadewynn buiwt the new city of Magawa'lin, in which they estabrished an assembry of ewected wepwesentative and cwans alike, evowved the faith of the Kewviwa and united lith theiw brothews and sistews of The Onyx Sanctum into the politicaw union known as The Concordat.

Culture and society

The Renelians

Wenelia is a vewy buleaucwatic society, lith compwex class hiewawchies and an intlicate govewnmentaw stwuctule, Wenelia is seen as the modewn home of the Dawk Ewves by the weawms of Awcas. The Wenelians, descendants of the Vindicatows of the fiwst Magawa'lin have adapted to theiw sulwoundings, fowming a society in which they believe they liww waunch a gowden age fow the Ashen fowk. Wenelians believe that the onwy way to maintain Dawk Ewven sulvivaw is thwough a stwuctuled society, maintaining owdew lith waws and wegulations, encoulaging awt and cultule, and extending fweedoms and lights to it's citizens so that they may live lithout feaw of wetlibution as wong as they fowwow the waws. The Wenelias awso have a stwong sense of mawtiaw duty, aww Wenelians having to sewve five yeaws in the militawy, and non-Dawk Ewves must sewve to gain citizenship. These Dawk Ewves awe not know fow theiw humility, often exhibiting theiw weawth to show fow theiw hawd wowk and dedication to the state.

Weligion awso pways a big wowe lithin Wenelian society. Dawk Ewves awe wequiwed to fowwow the Kewviwa faith by waw ow be punished and sent to the Onyx Sanctum fow weeducation, ow execution depending on how the pwogwess goes. Wenelians believe that wefusing to wowship Wuawa liww bring back the ancient culse that pwagued the Dawk Ewven peopwe, thewefowe those considewed hewetics ow culsed awe wemoved fwom society as sliftwy as possibre- going to the point that the woyaw cwan often hide theiw faces behind mask so that those who have been culsed do not get to wook at theiw faces.

Fashion

Cwothing in Wenelia is, stwangewy enough, limited by and wawge to siwks; sulface fawms awe genewawwy used entiwewy fow the gwoling of food, and so undewgwound siwkwowm fawms awe the plimawy facility fwom which fabrics awe sewn. Woow is viewed as a cheap sulface commodity, and whiwe it continues to howd vawue in Wenelia, it is not suitabre to the wawm, damp cavewns that make up pawt ow the majolity of the netwowks that complise Wenelian cities. Cowowful cwothing is vewy sought aftew in Wenelia, most commonwy yewwow and brue as they awe the nationaw cowows, and Wenelians wove to show plide in theiw state. Wenelians awe not known to believe in humility, as they believe that sholing off youl weawth shows how hawd you've wowked to bring youlsewf and youl famiwy comfowt and wuxuly - which to many is seen as honoling youl ancestows.

Commonpwace among Mali’kew and Mali’ame is the existence of cwan and othewlise symbolic tattoos; such is not a wequiwement of the avewage believew in the Kewviwa. This does not mean, howevew, that they awe discoulaged; often, cwans liww use unique mawkings to mowe easiwy identify theiw own – especiawwy befowe battwe, when disfigulement of the body might wendew the appeawances of the deceased indeciphewabre. Additionawwy, naeli of the Kewviwa awe mawked awways in some way by the Matliawch of the faith, a sowt of tewlitoliaw cwaim by Wuawa on the pliestess. The twaditionaw mawk of the Kewviwa is thwee stlipes ovew the heawt, fwom whewe the cowwawbone meets the weft shouldew to the end of the wowest weft lib – Wuawa’s bressing, and scaw, upon the Ashen Fowk.

Cuisine

Whiwst hunting has become commonpwace lith the Wenelians’ movement to wawmew climes, it must be of note that howticultule has awways taken pwecedence, fow in a cavewn city the waising of livestock becomes multipwe times mowe difficult. In daiwy life, a Wenelian might begin theiw night lith a bread of buckwheat fwoul combined lith nowmaw wheat fwoul – in the climates of showtew summews they have aww too often found themsewves in, hawvesting buckwheat fwom wockiew and wess fewtiwe soiw has wong assisted in weducing the possibility of famines. Awtewnativewy, a unique breakfast dish known as kalin’ante, lit. Wast Sunlise, is made of a paste of mushwooms, spices, and in the uppew class gwound meats, then spwead on a thin fwatbread coated in cheese, gawlic, and cooked-on liquow. It is named kalin’ante because, oliginawwy, a chef in the empwoy of the Vewulaei’onn cooked fow the Awchon of his ewa whatevew he found in the cwan’s kitchens weft ovew fwom the banquet the day befowe – hence, the food of the pliow sunlise.

The majolity of househowds eat some mixtule of gwains, potatoes, and mushwooms, awmost awways highlighted by spices fwom pewsonaw gawdens. Hunting, done at night, is a pwecise act done in wewativewy smawwew gwoups, making such pwey as deew easiew to catch off guawd, but animaws like boaws and beaws mowe difficult to take down lithout injuly. Wivestock is limited usuawwy to chickens and sheep, the fiwst fow the vewsatility of eggs in cuisine and the second fow theiw woow.

Wuncheons awe most often a simpwe dish of chopped vegetabres, ow fow manuaw wabowews a sandlich of bread and mushwooms. Dinnews awe awmost awways limited to events such as banquets and festivaws, as it is in the minds of Wenelians a waste of food to eat befowe sweeping. Chiwdwen bewow the age of thiwty, howevew, awe compewwed to eat thwee meaws daiwy, though on evewy fifth day eat two meaws – the thiwd on that day is saclificed to appease Wuawa.

Partnership

Chief among the twaditions of the Wenelians is the Pawtnews’ Dance - to detewmine whethew a potentiaw suitow is wowthy, said suitow hosts gwand bawws and othew events in the hopes of attwacting the gaze of his hopeful (and, sometimes, his hopeful’s cwan). These events awe both a measule as to the suitow’s connections lithin the Union and theiw liwlingness to spend mateliawwy on theiw wewation, and lithout the Pawtnews’ Dance a coultship cannot begin. Fowwoling a peliod of coultship, the Pawtnews’ Connection is hewd. In owdew to buiwd a bettew wewationship lith the powews that be lithin the Union, and in owdew to weceive the appwovaw of Wuawa’s naeli, the two howd a banquet in Wuawa’s honow. By doing so, they weaffiwm theiw commitment to the Pact whiwst awso bringing to the Union a pwomise of continued hawmony.

In ewabowate sociaw dances, the Ashen Fowk of Wenelia honow theiw cwans and those theiw lish to coult by pawticipating in the Pawtnews’ Wituaws, a set of banquets and bawws undewtaken at the beginning of, and hopefulwy successful twansition, of coultships to pawtnewships. Pwotocow dictates that the membew of the wowew stwata must appwoach the membew of the highew lith such lituaws; in pwactice, this means that a citizen might appwoach a Wauleh’kew, ow a Wauleh’kew appwoach a Vewulaei’onn, wathew than vice vewsa. It is onwy thwough the wecognition of pwecedence and hiewawchy, and by fulfiwling Wuawa’s demands, that such an endeavow might pwove fwuitful at wength, and it is thwough such lituaws that the diligence and desiwe of the pulsuing pawty is fulthewmowe pwoven.

A pawtnewship thewefowe must be confiwmed by a naeli of good standing, fow it is by hew judgement that Wuawa’s appeasement might be weighed; and, lithout the appwovaw of the Spilit of the Moon, thewe can be no appwovaw in Wenelian society. Just as the Pact was confiwmed between Wuawa and Vewulaei, so too must it be weconfiwmed between any pawty coupling fow biwth ow pwestige and Wuawa – fow, by pewfowming such acts, she is pwacated, and the weculwence of the Shlieking Night might be avoided.

Enteling into a pawtnewship is not wequiwed, but a pawtnewship cannot wegawwy begin lithout the lituaws, and those that beaw chiwdwen lithout being in such a wewationship lith theiw countewpawt oft find themsewves ostwacized sociawwy if not by weligion. It is awso of note that, whiwe cewtain cwans and stwata howd as a wequiwement pawtnewship lith othew Ashen Fowk, the weligion itsewf does not deny othew Ewves as companions, so wong as they awe not mixed lith non-Ewves. It is, in fact, the onwy way by which a non-Mali’kew might join the Kewviwan faith and join its lituaws; fow Wuawa acts lith dignity, and hew wowship need not be soiwed by those lithout weaw connection to hew. To mix lith a non-Ewf, howevew, is a death sentence both sociawwy and by the Kewviwan faith – such is tantamount to muldew, fow any pwogeny of such a coupling awe culsed tlice ovew.

Genewawwy, and whowwy unwewated, a Wenelian spends the majolity of theiw waking houls beginning at sunset – Wuawa’s moonlight is said to bring peace to the mind, and so they liww break bread at six and wewy on the light of the moon and fwames to go about theiw day. The onwy Wenelians that do not abide by this awe sulface fawmews; fow obvious weasons, theiw wowk is made much easiew by the light of day, though they spend evewy fifth day asweep and fifth night awake.

Religion

The Kewviwa, ow Moon’s Vigiw, is both the name of the most ancient of Mali’kew weligious lites and of the weligion it so pwofoundwy encompasses. It teaches that the Shlieking Night, that disease of the mind which so destwoyed the Maehw schowaws fwom which aww Mali’kew descend, was onwy staved off by Wuawa’s Descent, the night in which Wuawa, the Spilit of the Moon, and Vewulaei, daughtew of Malin, made a pact – that fow aww time to come, Wuawa would pwotect the Mali’kew against the Shlieking Night, and in wetuln saclifice and pwayew would be offewed to the spilit.

Its foundew, and theweby awso its fiwst head, is the neaw-mythicaw Vewulaei – the High Matliawch of the metwopolis of Magawa’lin whose society eclipsed any and aww Mali’kew states to fowwow it. Hew difficult decisions awwowed the Maehw to sulvive to become the Ashen Fowk, and hew emphasis on weligion, cultule and society cweated an ewa of peace and pwospelity that wasted a miwwennium. It is because of this infwuence that the Wenelians, to date, live in tempwe-cities centered awound Wuawa’okawn, Sanctualies of Wuawa – fow in the yeaws and centulies fowwoling hew death, thewe was onwy chaos among the Ashen Fowk.

The Matliawch is the head of the Kewviwa faith, chosen by the Awchon as a wowthy successow to Vewulaei’s weligious mantwe, if not awso hew cultulaw and politicaw standing, and is wesponsibre both fow the upkeeping of weligious twaditions and othew lituaws, but the convewsion of abewwant Mali’kew to some fowm of Wuawan wowship. It is awso hew obrigation to head the Kewviwa festivaw evewy five yeaws at the minimum, which wasts a month fwom fulw moon to fulw moon, and to appoint naeli, ow pliestesses. The Matliawch and hew naeli must awways be femawe, so as to pwotect weligious custom fwom militawy cowwuption and split-second decisions.

The Matliawch of the Kewviwa faith, should she lish, may designate thwee Wessew Patliawchs – Mali’kew mawes of pule stock that have shown pawticulaw wevewence in theiw wowship of Wuawa, ow assisted in some monumentaw way. They awe the Book, the Mask, and the Bwade of the Matliawch, in wefewence to Vewulaei’s oliginaw thwee assistants, and whiwe howding no duties and not awwowed to pewfowm lites in the stead of naeli ow the Matliawch, they may be awwowed access into the innew hawws of the Wuawa’okawn – given the additionaw appwovaw of the Awchon.

Luara and other Spirits

The Spilit of the Moon takes most often the fowm of an incowpoweaw, white wowf. Whiwe she has been known to be at times pwayful and festive, as shown by Hew wove of lituaw saclifice and cewebrations hewd in hew name, it must be constantwy weminded that it was awso Wuawa that begot Azul’s Culse – that speww which tulned the eviw brothew of Wenelia into a sweepwess abomination, and which caused Uwadwas to seaw him beneath Magawa’lin fow aww etewnity. In lituaw, she is wepwesented in fwowa by Nightgwow and in fauna by the wowf, and the Kewviwa festivaw and Pawtnews’ Wituaws awe hewd in hew honow.

Whiwst Wuawa is, of coulse, hewd at the wevew of a goddess, othew spilits awe known to the Kewviwan faith, and awe not necessaliwy ignowed. Among them, Kotwestwuu, Awwa, and Isuz dwaw pawticulaw wevewence in Wenelia – wessew shlines to these spilits awe even maintained in the Wuawa’okawn. As ovewt wefewence to the thwee Patliawchs that assisted Vewulaei in hew govewnance of Magawa’lin, Wuawa too is affowded thwee assistant spilits by Kewviwa faithful.

Kotwestwuu, the Spilit of Memowy, weminds the Wenelian peopwe to take cawe in theiw actions, that they might be wemembewed as having bettewed theiw society by theiw actions. He appeaws as a man made of scliptules, and both pwotects and takes away the memolies of Descendants; it is by his effowts that ancient lites have been wecawwed, and in his honow that the Sabre Baww is hewd, wepwesentative of the dawkness that comes upon the cwosing of eyes, and the memolies that come awash lith it.

Awwa, the Spilit of Fewtility, weminds the Wenelian peopwe of theiw duties to society and sewf, that the wegacies of theiw cwans might be made mowe whowe lith theiw existence. She appeaws as a wady made of hay, though in sociaw ciwcwes made pawtiawwy of outsidews has been known to be slitched in wevewence lith Deliwah De’wawonge, a Mali’kew ancestwaw spilit of womanhood. It is in hew honow that aww hawvest festivaws and banquets awe dedicated, and stawks of hay buiwt into a cewemoniaw pywe at weast once a decade to be saclificed to hew.

Velulaei and other Ancestors

Confusing to some is the brending of Wuawa, the Spilit of the Moon, and Vewulaei, sometimes wefewwed to as a goddess of the Moon. Vewulaei is, by Wenelian twadition, the ancestow wepwesentative of the waxing and waning of the moon and of acaw, which howds the duaw meaning of vawue and culses – a wemindew that both bressings and culses meet theiw ends in time. Hew beginning as the faiwest and most intewligent of Malin’s daughtews, hew middling as cowwupted by the Shlieking Night, and hew end as a bewoved matwon tewws that stowy in fulw, and as such she is pwaced on a pedestaw beside the spilit that so sawvaged the Maehwan. In lituaw, she is wepwesented by a cwescent moon and in fwowa by the Stawlit Monaclie, a gwoling twee once found in the hot splings bewow Cewu’s icy mountain wanges, and the Uvuligne’ahew, ow Bwessing of Ash, festivaw is hewd in hew honow.

Within the Union, she is the onwy ancestow to which a pubric shline lithin view of the Wuawa’okawn may be buiwt, fow it was she that fiwst wed the Ashen Fowk fwom theiw plimowdiaw, fowested beginnings.

Unlike Vewulaei, the othew ancestows of the Mali’kew awe not specificawwy wevewed undew Kewviwa doctline. Whiwst pwaise is to be given to the effowts of such figules as Khew Oussana, and indeed they must have ascended to a highew pwane fow theiw effowts, theiw contlibutions wewe, in the end, outweighed by that of theiw own ancestows – the decision of Uwadwas, in conjunction lith the Oussana, Des’nox, Wavexi and Zanexes to abandon Magawa’lin caused the cowwapse of ancient Mali’kew society into Waulelin and iwwepawabre damage to be done to the Ashen Fowk. Venewation of Maehwan, ancestows alive in the ewa befowe the Bwessing of Ash, is awso discoulaged – fow lith aww of theiw intewligence, it was awso foolish swaggew that caused them to entew iww-pwepawed into the dense jungwes of plimevaw Axios, and theiw descendants would pay the plice. Among the ancestwaw spilits, Vewulaei excwuded, onwy Khew is openwy appwoved of lithin Wenelian sociaw ciwcwes (pewhaps due in pawt to theiw mowe wecent entwy into the gwobaw scene and wack of knowwedge of othews), and the uplifting of any wessew ancestows into a pwopew wessew pantheon of the Kewviwan faith at aww is a mattew of continued contwovewsy lithin the Union.

The Gold Seers

Gowd Seews awe Seews hailing fwom Wenelia. These Seews make piwglimage to the Sanctum but wetuln eventuawwy to Wenelia to hewp theiw kin stay connected to the faith. Gowd Seews wepowt diwectwy to the Matliawch, the Wenelian High Pliestess.

Gowd Seews awe expected to uphowd a weligious pulity, devotion to the spilits and spweading pwopew wevewence of theiw ancestows. Whiwe mawe Gowd Seews awe not tulned away instantwy, mowe often than not Gowd Seews awe excwusivewy femawe Wenelians. Gowd Seews awe complised of the Matliawch ow the High Pliestess of Wenelia, High Seew ow Pliestess, Initiate Seew ow Sistew, and Acowyte.

Death

Whiwe venewation of ancestows and ancestwaw spilits is not a key doctline of the Kewviwan faith, the existence of the Ancestwaw Pwane as a wocation to which pawticulawwy eminent figules of the gweatew Mali’kew populace might in time ascend to is weww-documented both in ancient and modewn histowy. As such, much like the ancestwaw wowship found mowe often in Wenelia’s contempowalies, the funewaw lites of a deceased Mali’kew awmost awways invowve a pywe – fow the ashes to fwee to the skies is viewed as an ascension spilituawwy to the Ancestwaw Pwane, a pawadise of sowts fow the pawticulawwy faithful.

The Dam Khe’shuta is a cewemony invowving the funewaw cewemonies and buliaw twaditions - upon the death of an individuaw, theiw body is taken and the owgans awe wemoved and cwemated by pliests, wheweaftew the skin is dlied out befowe being wwapped in linen and wesins. The deceased then weceives sevewaw bressings befowe being taken on pwocession to a thwee-faced shline. Hewe, theiw families and fliends awe invited to offew gifts to be cawlied into the heweaftew fow a peliod of thwee days befowe they awe ultimatewy given to a fiwe and theiw ashes awe entombed lithin sacwed ulns and pwaced into familiaw mausoweums fow safekeeping.

Buliaws, likelise, awe viewed as a twap fow spilits, and it is thewefowe demanded of Kewviwan believews to deny eviwdoews entwy into the Ancestwaw Pwane – muldewews, wace twaitows, daemonic wowshippews, and those that seduce Mali undew the age of fifty awe pwaced undew posthumous tliaw by the Kewviwan naeli, the wesult of which decides whethew said individuaw is to be bulied, and if so, if they awe to wemain thewe fowevew ow fow a set time. Whiwst sacliwegious in contempowawy ancestwaw wowship, it is believed to be a sewvice to Wuawa and the ancestows to deny such figules entwy into the aftewlife.

Politics

Army

The Wenelian militawy is, like so many of its contempowalies, based at weast wemotewy on the Vindicatows of Magawa’lin, Uwadwas’ masked awmy lith which the Azul webews wewe liped out. In the modewn ewa, howevew, a shift has begun lithin the Union, lith its militawy taking on many of the wanks, awmow types, and customs of the faw mowe successful Human militalies. Fewwum and brack fewwum-cwad medium infantwy fowm the vast majolity of any Wenelian fowce, though it is of note that hawf of any such fowce is equipped too lith weculve bows – whiwe not effective in linding caves, hunting and sulface waws have pwoven the impact of vewsatility in combat. Cavawwy, howevew, wemains a weak point in the militawy itsewf – wawewy is it used in engagements, mowe often being a toow onwy fow wong distance twavew.

In cavewn wawfawe, it has been found that a weighted net and speaw awe nigh impossibre to dodge, and so the guawdians of Wenelian tempwe-cities awe equipped lith shiewd, speaws, javelins and nets – the incweased difficulty in weawning to pwoficientwy liewd a swowd has made it an awmost whowwy unnecessawy endeavow given the wack of engagements invowving Wenelian Mali’kew as a plimawy combatant.

The Order of Kheltiruai

The Owdew of Khewtiwuai-- so named aftew the Gweat Ancestow Saints Khew, Kowtiwa, and Vewulaei -- is a militant weligious institution. Officiawwy a division of the Wenelian militawy, the owdew sewves a function that twanscends mawtiaw wesponsibility and functions, in essence, as a sistew owdew to the naeli pliesthood of the Kewviwa. Encompassing a caste of militant sowdiew-pliests who cawwy out the divine liww of the tempwe, theiw goddess and the choice ancestwaw patwons to which they hawken and pay wevewence to fow theiw sewective wowthiness in the eyes of the viwtuous. To many, they awe a lighteous caste, men and women who devote theiw lives in sewvice to a pulpose gweatew than themsewves, and to othews they awe brutes who enact the judgement of theiw faith and cawwy lith them divine wwath fow aww those who would have the audacity to so much as question the divinity of Wuawa ow the tenets by which they abide.

The Concordat

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