Renelia
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- The Renelian Hegemony, often referred to as just Renelia is a Dark Elven state 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 Hegemony of Renelia is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with the king being the head of the elected assembly. The current Archon is Ailmar 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 Archon and The Noble Concord 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 hegemony 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.
Contents
History
Ancient History
The people of Renelia claim descent from the nation’s namesake - Renelia, who they believe to be daughter of Velulaei, first High Matriarch of the Mali’ker. In what is known as the Aetah’niut, or the Second Age, Malin’s Kingdom ruled in the continent of Axios. From his daughters, the beautiful and intelligent Velulaei was chosen to conduct research into higher powers, and in her travels was corrupted by an ancient curse. It was only through Luara’s salvation, Uvuligne’aher, known in common as the Blessing of Ash, that the corruption worming through her mind was halted. In the years that followed, Magara’lin, the City of Caverns, was founded by Velulaei’s directive, and in time it became a sprawling metropolis. For an unknown reason, Uradras, partner to Velulaei, and the other clans of the First Age made the decision to abandon Magara’lin, in what is simply called ‘The Exile’. For the remainder of the Aetah’niut, and into the Aetah’hael, the Third Age, which began with the second rise of Iblees, the Ashen Folk would be laid low by the consequences of Uradras’ Council - a Mali’ker state would not find dominance again. With the belief that it was the loss of ancient traditions that caused the fall of the greater Mali’ker, the Renelian Union has deemed fit to release such information as necessary for the common populace to integrate itself into the ancient practices of Velulaei’s people.
It is of important note that the Renelians of more traditional stock are descended from one of the Kulin’telu Laureh’ker - the Fifty Noblesse, a group of traditionalists that assisted Renelia in escaping from her father Uradras in order to found a successor state to Magara’lin.
Magara'lin
The Azulites
(As told by the Renelias)
In the twilight of Magara’lin, great capital of the Mali’ker, the firstborn son and most favored child of Velulaei, whose given name was Azul, decided himself and his people worthy of far more. It was his belief that the Ashen Folk, those Elves of great beauty and wit, could create for themselves an empire upon the ashes of their cousins in the forests and towers. It was his opinion, in opposition to his mother, to his father, to his clan and to the great majority of his people, that they belonged on the surface - for they had built an underground realm after their corruption of appearance, but in their own time Malin’s other children had also undergone transformations. His people, called simply the Azulites, in the tongue of Magara’lin the Azulan, had long chafed at their self-imprisonment. He agreed, and in a bid to change society from its peak, he called his mother to the tallest peak in the realm.
It was there that Azul and his followers laid low the matriarch of our folk - under the light of the full moon, Azul was said to have tricked Velulaei into drinking poisoned wine, a gesture thought to have been his own metaphor for her weakness, her corruption of our people. She fell, and he stared as his mother at his feet. As the moon began to fall and Magara’lin slept with it, though, he decided his matricide was not enough. Thousands of loyal followers of Velulaei and Luara died in the chaos now called Velulaei’maliear, the Moon’s Betrayal, and Azul’s evil cause was brought to light - for he so obviously desired not the salvation of the Ashen Folk, but their decimation. It was in the greatest of the Moon Spirit’s temples, the Luara’okarn, where the worst of the atrocities were committed. Two hundred naeri, or priestesses, lived under the Moon Spirit’s auspices; ten lived through the night. The progenitor of the Velulaei’onn was among them - perhaps spared for her relation to Azul, young Renelia, daughter of Velulaei, survived the slaughter by hiding within a recently doused ceremonial pit. In the morning, the civil war truly began between the Vindicators and the Azulites. Renelia, still a child, did not participate, yet the religious strata of the City of Caverns soon too found themselves ruined - the war between her father and brother had left the temples nearly devoid of sacrifice without the instruction of Velulaei, for such resources could be far better used in the feeding of a Vindicator army.
Order is remembered to have ruled the day, for in time the Vindicators captured Azul, inflicted upon him a horrendous, indefinite punishment, and locked him within Magaralin’s deepest caves. The children of Velulaei, however, would be taught differently - for was it not just as soon as they opened communications with other elves that they abandoned her teachings and left their ancient homes for a future among forests? Were Luara’s commands not forgotten, their own traditions lost? Renelia joined the fleet with everyone else - tied into a bundle and forced by her father to follow their peoples’ will. When they arrived, and she freed of her bonds, a group of fifty left Laurelin. They would be stricken from history, a ban placed on their names - for to leave the clans was akin to insanity, no? Upon its uncloaking, the Renelians, as they called themselves, found that perhaps it was not so.
Modern History
The Union of Renelia Gladewynn
The Union of Renelia-Gladewynn was the official name of the State of Renelia for almost thirty-years. In the realms of Atlas, Renelia was a vassal of the Kingdom of Gladewynn. The Renelians were taught a lot about strong governments and fair legal systems that helped the people thrive, giving them many freedoms not found in other realms. The Renelians took what they learned and started applying it to their own settlement, starting small with a Hegemon and his council, slowly building up and gaining strength alongside power.
In Arcas, the Renelias stayed with Gladewynn and Alderyn until the Wood Elves burned down their own capital to escape High Elven aggression. This angered the Renelians as they saw this act not only as dishonorable, but they felt like they were cheated once more by the 'ame who they saw as their family, leaving the Dark Elves once more in a state of disarray. Renelia stayed a small group, traveling the lands of Atlas until they finally settled down in the lands where Alderyn once sat, reclaiming it as their own. They took in Kairn Ithelanen, the first King of Gladewynn and together, Kairn and Aroen Velulaei'onn formed the Union of Renelia-Gladewynn, with the Hegemon- now turned Archon at the head of the political union and Kairn taking the title of Exarch of Gladewynn. Together, Renelia and Gladewynn built the new city of Magara'lin, in which they established an assembly of elected representative and clans alike, evolved the faith of the Kervira and united with their brothers and sisters of The Onyx Sanctum into the political union known as The Concordat.
The Kingdom of Renelia
Wars
Culture and society
The Renelians
Renelia is a very bureaucratic society, with complex class hierarchies and an intricate governmental structure, Renelia is seen as the modern home of the Dark Elves by the realms of Arcas. The Renelians, descendants of the Vindicators of the first Magara'lin have adapted to their surroundings, forming a society in which they believe they will launch a golden age for the Ashen folk. Renelians believe that the only way to maintain Dark Elven survival is through a structured society, maintaining order with laws and regulations, encouraging art and culture, and extending freedoms and rights to it's citizens so that they may live without fear of retribution as long as they follow the laws. The Renelias also have a strong sense of martial duty, all Renelians having to serve five years in the military, and non-Dark Elves must serve to gain citizenship. These Dark Elves are not know for their humility, often exhibiting their wealth to show for their hard work and dedication to the state.
Religion also plays a big role within Renelian society. Dark Elves are required to follow the Kervira faith by law or be punished and sent to the Onyx Sanctum for reeducation, or execution depending on how the progress goes. Renelians believe that refusing to worship Luara will bring back the ancient curse that plagued the Dark Elven people, therefore those considered heretics or cursed are removed from society as swiftly as possible- going to the point that the royal clan often hide their faces behind mask so that those who have been cursed do not get to look at their faces.
Clans
Fashion
Clothing in Renelia is, strangely enough, limited by and large to silks; surface farms are generally used entirely for the growing of food, and so underground silkworm farms are the primary facility from which fabrics are sewn. Wool is viewed as a cheap surface commodity, and while it continues to hold value in Renelia, it is not suitable to the warm, damp caverns that make up part or the majority of the networks that comprise Renelian cities. Colorful clothing is very sought after in Renelia, most commonly yellow and blue as they are the national colors, and Renelians love to show pride in their state. Renelians are not known to believe in humility, as they believe that showing off your wealth shows how hard you've worked to bring yourself and your family comfort and luxury - which to many is seen as honoring your ancestors.
Commonplace among Mali’ker and Mali’ame is the existence of clan and otherwise symbolic tattoos; such is not a requirement of the average believer in the Kervira. This does not mean, however, that they are discouraged; often, clans will use unique markings to more easily identify their own – especially before battle, when disfigurement of the body might render the appearances of the deceased indecipherable. Additionally, naeri of the Kervira are marked always in some way by the Matriarch of the faith, a sort of territorial claim by Luara on the priestess. The traditional mark of the Kervira is three stripes over the heart, from where the collarbone meets the left shoulder to the end of the lowest left rib – Luara’s blessing, and scar, upon the Ashen Folk.
Cuisine
Whilst hunting has become commonplace with the Renelians’ movement to warmer climes, it must be of note that horticulture has always taken precedence, for in a cavern city the raising of livestock becomes multiple times more difficult. In daily life, a Renelian might begin their night with a bread of buckwheat flour combined with normal wheat flour – in the climates of shorter summers they have all too often found themselves in, harvesting buckwheat from rockier and less fertile soil has long assisted in reducing the possibility of famines. Alternatively, a unique breakfast dish known as karin’ante, lit. Last Sunrise, is made of a paste of mushrooms, spices, and in the upper class ground meats, then spread on a thin flatbread coated in cheese, garlic, and cooked-on liquor. It is named karin’ante because, originally, a chef in the employ of the Velulaei’onn cooked for the Archon of his era whatever he found in the clan’s kitchens left over from the banquet the day before – hence, the food of the prior sunrise.
The majority of households eat some mixture of grains, potatoes, and mushrooms, almost always highlighted by spices from personal gardens. Hunting, done at night, is a precise act done in relatively smaller groups, making such prey as deer easier to catch off guard, but animals like boars and bears more difficult to take down without injury. Livestock is limited usually to chickens and sheep, the first for the versatility of eggs in cuisine and the second for their wool.
Luncheons are most often a simple dish of chopped vegetables, or for manual laborers a sandwich of bread and mushrooms. Dinners are almost always limited to events such as banquets and festivals, as it is in the minds of Renelians a waste of food to eat before sleeping. Children below the age of thirty, however, are compelled to eat three meals daily, though on every fifth day eat two meals – the third on that day is sacrificed to appease Luara.
Partnership
Chief among the traditions of the Renelians is the Partners’ Dance - to determine whether a potential suitor is worthy, said suitor hosts grand balls and other events in the hopes of attracting the gaze of his hopeful (and, sometimes, his hopeful’s clan). These events are both a measure as to the suitor’s connections within the Union and their willingness to spend materially on their relation, and without the Partners’ Dance a courtship cannot begin. Following a period of courtship, the Partners’ Connection is held. In order to build a better relationship with the powers that be within the Union, and in order to receive the approval of Luara’s naeri, the two hold a banquet in Luara’s honor. By doing so, they reaffirm their commitment to the Pact whilst also bringing to the Union a promise of continued harmony.
In elaborate social dances, the Ashen Folk of Renelia honor their clans and those their wish to court by participating in the Partners’ Rituals, a set of banquets and balls undertaken at the beginning of, and hopefully successful transition, of courtships to partnerships. Protocol dictates that the member of the lower strata must approach the member of the higher with such rituals; in practice, this means that a citizen might approach a Laureh’ker, or a Laureh’ker approach a Velulaei’onn, rather than vice versa. It is only through the recognition of precedence and hierarchy, and by fulfilling Luara’s demands, that such an endeavor might prove fruitful at length, and it is through such rituals that the diligence and desire of the pursuing party is furthermore proven.
A partnership therefore must be confirmed by a naeri of good standing, for it is by her judgement that Luara’s appeasement might be weighed; and, without the approval of the Spirit of the Moon, there can be no approval in Renelian society. Just as the Pact was confirmed between Luara and Velulaei, so too must it be reconfirmed between any party coupling for birth or prestige and Luara – for, by performing such acts, she is placated, and the recurrence of the Shrieking Night might be avoided.
Entering into a partnership is not required, but a partnership cannot legally begin without the rituals, and those that bear children without being in such a relationship with their counterpart oft find themselves ostracized socially if not by religion. It is also of note that, while certain clans and strata hold as a requirement partnership with other Ashen Folk, the religion itself does not deny other Elves as companions, so long as they are not mixed with non-Elves. It is, in fact, the only way by which a non-Mali’ker might join the Kerviran faith and join its rituals; for Luara acts with dignity, and her worship need not be soiled by those without real connection to her. To mix with a non-Elf, however, is a death sentence both socially and by the Kerviran faith – such is tantamount to murder, for any progeny of such a coupling are cursed twice over.
Generally, and wholly unrelated, a Renelian spends the majority of their waking hours beginning at sunset – Luara’s moonlight is said to bring peace to the mind, and so they will break bread at six and rely on the light of the moon and flames to go about their day. The only Renelians that do not abide by this are surface farmers; for obvious reasons, their work is made much easier by the light of day, though they spend every fifth day asleep and fifth night awake.
Religion
The Kervira, or Moon’s Vigil, is both the name of the most ancient of Mali’ker religious rites and of the religion it so profoundly encompasses. It teaches that the Shrieking Night, that disease of the mind which so destroyed the Maehr scholars from which all Mali’ker descend, was only staved off by Luara’s Descent, the night in which Luara, the Spirit of the Moon, and Velulaei, daughter of Malin, made a pact – that for all time to come, Luara would protect the Mali’ker against the Shrieking Night, and in return sacrifice and prayer would be offered to the spirit.
Its founder, and thereby also its first head, is the near-mythical Velulaei – the High Matriarch of the metropolis of Magara’lin whose society eclipsed any and all Mali’ker states to follow it. Her difficult decisions allowed the Maehr to survive to become the Ashen Folk, and her emphasis on religion, culture and society created an era of peace and prosperity that lasted a millennium. It is because of this influence that the Renelians, to date, live in temple-cities centered around Luara’okarn, Sanctuaries of Luara – for in the years and centuries following her death, there was only chaos among the Ashen Folk.
The Matriarch is the head of the Kervira faith, chosen by the Archon as a worthy successor to Velulaei’s religious mantle, if not also her cultural and political standing, and is responsible both for the upkeeping of religious traditions and other rituals, but the conversion of aberrant Mali’ker to some form of Luaran worship. It is also her obligation to head the Kervira festival every five years at the minimum, which lasts a month from full moon to full moon, and to appoint naeri, or priestesses. The Matriarch and her naeri must always be female, so as to protect religious custom from military corruption and split-second decisions.
The Matriarch of the Kervira faith, should she wish, may designate three Lesser Patriarchs – Mali’ker males of pure stock that have shown particular reverence in their worship of Luara, or assisted in some monumental way. They are the Book, the Mask, and the Blade of the Matriarch, in reference to Velulaei’s original three assistants, and while holding no duties and not allowed to perform rites in the stead of naeri or the Matriarch, they may be allowed access into the inner halls of the Luara’okarn – given the additional approval of the Archon.
Luara and other Spirits
The Spirit of the Moon takes most often the form of an incorporeal, white wolf. While she has been known to be at times playful and festive, as shown by Her love of ritual sacrifice and celebrations held in her name, it must be constantly reminded that it was also Luara that begot Azul’s Curse – that spell which turned the evil brother of Renelia into a sleepless abomination, and which caused Uradras to seal him beneath Magara’lin for all eternity. In ritual, she is represented in flora by Nightglow and in fauna by the wolf, and the Kervira festival and Partners’ Rituals are held in her honor.
Whilst Luara is, of course, held at the level of a goddess, other spirits are known to the Kerviran faith, and are not necessarily ignored. Among them, Kotrestruu, Arwa, and Isuz draw particular reverence in Renelia – lesser shrines to these spirits are even maintained in the Luara’okarn. As overt reference to the three Patriarchs that assisted Velulaei in her governance of Magara’lin, Luara too is afforded three assistant spirits by Kervira faithful.
Kotrestruu, the Spirit of Memory, reminds the Renelian people to take care in their actions, that they might be remembered as having bettered their society by their actions. He appears as a man made of scriptures, and both protects and takes away the memories of Descendants; it is by his efforts that ancient rites have been recalled, and in his honor that the Sable Ball is held, representative of the darkness that comes upon the closing of eyes, and the memories that come awash with it.
Arwa, the Spirit of Fertility, reminds the Renelian people of their duties to society and self, that the legacies of their clans might be made more whole with their existence. She appears as a lady made of hay, though in social circles made partially of outsiders has been known to be switched in reverence with Delilah De’laronge, a Mali’ker ancestral spirit of womanhood. It is in her honor that all harvest festivals and banquets are dedicated, and stalks of hay built into a ceremonial pyre at least once a decade to be sacrificed to her.
Velulaei and other Ancestors
Confusing to some is the blending of Luara, the Spirit of the Moon, and Velulaei, sometimes referred to as a goddess of the Moon. Velulaei is, by Renelian tradition, the ancestor representative of the waxing and waning of the moon and of acal, which holds the dual meaning of value and curses – a reminder that both blessings and curses meet their ends in time. Her beginning as the fairest and most intelligent of Malin’s daughters, her middling as corrupted by the Shrieking Night, and her end as a beloved matron tells that story in full, and as such she is placed on a pedestal beside the spirit that so salvaged the Maehran. In ritual, she is represented by a crescent moon and in flora by the Starlit Monacrie, a glowing tree once found in the hot springs below Ceru’s icy mountain ranges, and the Uvuligne’aher, or Blessing of Ash, festival is held in her honor.
Within the Union, she is the only ancestor to which a public shrine within view of the Luara’okarn may be built, for it was she that first led the Ashen Folk from their primordial, forested beginnings.
Unlike Velulaei, the other ancestors of the Mali’ker are not specifically revered under Kervira doctrine. Whilst praise is to be given to the efforts of such figures as Khel Oussana, and indeed they must have ascended to a higher plane for their efforts, their contributions were, in the end, outweighed by that of their own ancestors – the decision of Uradras, in conjunction with the Oussana, Des’nox, Ravexi and Zanexes to abandon Magara’lin caused the collapse of ancient Mali’ker society into Laurelin and irreparable damage to be done to the Ashen Folk. Veneration of Maehran, ancestors alive in the era before the Blessing of Ash, is also discouraged – for with all of their intelligence, it was also foolish swagger that caused them to enter ill-prepared into the dense jungles of primeval Axios, and their descendants would pay the price. Among the ancestral spirits, Velulaei excluded, only Khel is openly approved of within Renelian social circles (perhaps due in part to their more recent entry into the global scene and lack of knowledge of others), and the uplifting of any lesser ancestors into a proper lesser pantheon of the Kerviran faith at all is a matter of continued controversy within the Union.
The Gold Seers
Gold Seers are Seers hailing from Renelia. These Seers make pilgrimage to the Sanctum but return eventually to Renelia to help their kin stay connected to the faith. Gold Seers report directly to the Matriarch, the Renelian High Priestess.
Gold Seers are expected to uphold a religious purity, devotion to the spirits and spreading proper reverence of their ancestors. While male Gold Seers are not turned away instantly, more often than not Gold Seers are exclusively female Renelians. Gold Seers are comprised of the Matriarch or the High Priestess of Renelia, High Seer or Priestess, Initiate Seer or Sister, and Acolyte.
Death
While veneration of ancestors and ancestral spirits is not a key doctrine of the Kerviran faith, the existence of the Ancestral Plane as a location to which particularly eminent figures of the greater Mali’ker populace might in time ascend to is well-documented both in ancient and modern history. As such, much like the ancestral worship found more often in Renelia’s contemporaries, the funeral rites of a deceased Mali’ker almost always involve a pyre – for the ashes to flee to the skies is viewed as an ascension spiritually to the Ancestral Plane, a paradise of sorts for the particularly faithful.
The Dam Khe’shuta is a ceremony involving the funeral ceremonies and burial traditions - upon the death of an individual, their body is taken and the organs are removed and cremated by priests, whereafter the skin is dried out before being wrapped in linen and resins. The deceased then receives several blessings before being taken on procession to a three-faced shrine. Here, their families and friends are invited to offer gifts to be carried into the hereafter for a period of three days before they are ultimately given to a fire and their ashes are entombed within sacred urns and placed into familial mausoleums for safekeeping.
Burials, likewise, are viewed as a trap for spirits, and it is therefore demanded of Kerviran believers to deny evildoers entry into the Ancestral Plane – murderers, race traitors, daemonic worshippers, and those that seduce Mali under the age of fifty are placed under posthumous trial by the Kerviran naeri, the result of which decides whether said individual is to be buried, and if so, if they are to remain there forever or for a set time. Whilst sacrilegious in contemporary ancestral worship, it is believed to be a service to Luara and the ancestors to deny such figures entry into the afterlife.
Politics
Army
The Renelian military is, like so many of its contemporaries, based at least remotely on the Vindicators of Magara’lin, Uradras’ masked army with which the Azul rebels were wiped out. In the modern era, however, a shift has begun within the Union, with its military taking on many of the ranks, armor types, and customs of the far more successful Human militaries. Ferrum and black ferrum-clad medium infantry form the vast majority of any Renelian force, though it is of note that half of any such force is equipped too with recurve bows – while not effective in winding caves, hunting and surface wars have proven the impact of versatility in combat. Cavalry, however, remains a weak point in the military itself – rarely is it used in engagements, more often being a tool only for long distance travel.
In cavern warfare, it has been found that a weighted net and spear are nigh impossible to dodge, and so the guardians of Renelian temple-cities are equipped with shield, spears, javelins and nets – the increased difficulty in learning to proficiently wield a sword has made it an almost wholly unnecessary endeavor given the lack of engagements involving Renelian Mali’ker as a primary combatant.
The Order of Kheltiruai
The Order of Kheltiruai—so named after the Great Ancestor Saints Khel, Koltira, and Velulaei—is a militant religious institution. Officially a division of the Renelian military, the order serves a function that transcends martial responsibility and functions, in essence, as a sister order to the naeri priesthood of the Kervira. Encompassing a caste of militant soldier-priests who carry out the divine will of the temple, their goddess and the choice ancestral patrons to which they harken and pay reverence to for their selective worthiness in the eyes of the virtuous. To many, they are a righteous caste, men and women who devote their lives in service to a purpose greater than themselves, and to others they are brutes who enact the judgement of their faith and carry with them divine wrath for all those who would have the audacity to so much as question the divinity of Luara or the tenets by which they abide.
The Council
Aristocracy
The Assembly
The Concordat
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