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Tribes/Clans |
| Settlements and Nomadic Movements | |
| Relationships With Other Cultures | |
| History | |
| Religion | |
| Interesting Places & Legends | |
| Cuisine | |
| Art and Culture | |
| Language | |
| Glossary |
The Kadani - "The people" references the elves of "Ulaan-Khaiji'in" (Carthurn forest), regardless of tribe or social standing. There are potentially almost half a million elves living in Ulaan-Khaiji'in, most of them move around or hide from prying eyes so that it looks like there are far fewer. Several times have the dorn and other goblinoids been beaten back because they underestimate the size of the elven population. Humans have also, from time to time tried to estimate the elven population, but are also very off, though there isn't usually fighting with the humans. Elven armies are an uncommon sight in Carthurn, as the tribes tend to roam and rarely gather for large engagements. There are, however, times when all the scouts of the great tribes report mass movements of dorn or goblinoids, such as the Dorn war of 3053, where every tribe contributed warriors, or the great war of 4492, when the humans, dwarves, elves, and even half-elves rallied against a combined force of dorn, goblins, gnolls, and other goblinoids.
The Shekani - "The half-people" Not being as "stuffy" as their High Elf counterparts, the Kadani value their half-elven brethren, sometimes trying to teach them the ways of the Grugach in an effort to keep the humans and human ways out of their woods. This is not true for all Kadani, however, and some tribes are hostile or even openly raid half-elven settlements, though it is not a common occurrence. The half-elves themselves are caught between two worlds - not fully human, and not fully elven. It is evident that those who choose to live in the woods are more elven in nature than their counterparts who journey to the larger human cities.
Tul Sh'radu - "The great tribes" There are 7 great tribes among the Kadani, they are
The Yana tribe - Often seen as the most powerful and numerous, they are zealous defenders of the Ulaan-Khaiji'in. Though they are not all against the half-elves, the majority of hostility against half-elves does come from this tribe, as they feel the forest belongs only to full elves. There is a good mix of many classes that come from the Yana.
The Shelaan - Carthurn forest produces no finer archers than those of the Shelaan tribe. The Shelaan also produce some of the best longbows in the region. With the recent turn towards firearms, the Shelaan have started cross training with the Auri'ga Tribe in an effort to utilize the features which make bows more superior to guns - silence and stealth. Many archers (arcane and not) come from the Shelaan.
The Sargas tribe - What the Sargas lack in number, they make up for in raw power, fortitude, quickness, and experience. The members of the Sargas tribe are among the greatest warriors of the Kadani, and are almost constantly coming into conflict with the Dorn and other threats. Thus, they prove their mettle and at the same time provide a buffer against invasion for the other tribes. The Sargas are often driven back off of their tribal homelands when large invasions come, which makes them fight with even more vigor and savagery to regain them. Each time they have been driven off they have returned with a vengeance stronger than the last, and it is rumored that they are strengthening their ties to the dwarves, humans, and half-elves in an effort to permanently wash the goblinoids from Carthurn, and even possibly Lanur altogether. Many barbarians (such as Kalakal oj Rillos) and fighters come from the Sargas.
The Auri'ga tribe - The Auri'ga produce more and better spies, assassins, scouts, and thieves than any other tribe. Their ability to hide in the wilderness is unparalleled, and they make full use of it in setting ambushes and traps. In a close alliance with the Shelaan, they are learning to optimize their stealth abilities by using bows to kill at a distance. Many rangers and thieves come from the Auri'ga.
The Venirin tribe - Ever since there were tribes it seems the Venirin have been close allies of the Angali tribe. The Venirin are weapons masters and trainers, being known primarily for their expertise with the sword. In a symbiotic relationship, the Angali provide goods for trade which the Venirin exchange (often with human settlements) for steel weapons, usually swords. The Venirin look after the Angali, protecting them and training what few warriors they have. Venirin also keep several hidden caches of various weapons in good shape, for use and distribution in times of need.
The Urujaav tribe - Magicians and sorcerers are a common among elves, but not as much with wild elves. The Urujaav have managed to keep their ties to magery, and while their ability with magic only barely matches that of humans, they are, for the most part, the most powerful mages in Carthurn. However, the Urujaav claim to have access to spells and spell components in Carthurn that no other magician in all of Charlain has. The Urujaav sorcerers have been known to make dorn guns blow up in their faces.
One of the reasons the Urujaav and the Sargas are closer than most other tribes
is because the Urujaav have learned to put Sargas escorts with their mages when
fighting the Dorn. These escorts don't always manage to keep a mage from being
killed, but few other warriors can stand between a dorn magekiller and his target.
These escorts gladly give their lives to protect their charge, as they know
one mage can sometimes win the day. This extreme loyalty often causes legendary
friendships to be formed between the mage and his protector(s).
The Angali tribe - While there is no manufacturing per se that goes on in the Ulaan-Khaiji'in, the Angali produce the closest thing possible to trade goods - everything from wooden toys, trinkets, inks, dyes, and pelts to spear shafts, masterwork arrows, wagons, and many other things. The Angali disdain trading with humans, as they feel all they really need they can find or make in the forest. They support the Venirin trading for them though, realizing that the need for steel weapons is great in these parts.
For the most part, the Kadani are nomadic, even within their own forest. The Tul'Shradu have grounds they consider their own, though they often allow other tribes to stay in their territory without much hassle, but there have always been minor territorial skirmishes and squabbles. One tribe is rarely in the same place at one time. Such things happen at Malratai ("Great gatherings"), where the tribe choses new leaders, settles disputes, organizes battle plans, etc. Usually a single tribe is split into communities called Shentha, which can be as small as 20 and as large as 40,000. Most Shentha move, but some are stationary, forming villages and constructing buildings. The Kadani enjoy having such buildings on the ground, unlike some of their other brethren, who live in the trees. They feel that it breeds more stalwart people when they are in constant contact with the earth.
Nomadic Shentha vary in their travel times and methods. Some have set travel routes they make throughout the year, others randomly wander the woods, stopping in an area for as long as an entire season. Regardless of how long they stay in an area, they are always prepared to move on at the first sight of trouble.
Shentha often consist of families, a shaman, some warriors, a leader, and his elite guard. Leaders ("Rolvok")are chosen in a variety of ways, the more combat-intensive tribes often allow successors to do battle with each other, or even to challenge the leader for his position. Others involve intricate gamecraft, riddles, feats of strength or endurance, etc. The method is usually chosen by the old leader, or agreed upon by the challenge participants. The shaman ("Parvai") is always chosen by the community, and almost always has assistant clerics. In larger communities there are often multiple priests with large numbers of assistants. Potential shamans must perform good deeds to garner their community's support, which is why so many healers are inducted into the ranks of the shamans. Most Shamans worship a specific god, but some are dedicated to a specific aspect of a particular god, destructive nature of Aris, for example.
Families ("Yagarum") are usually led by the eldest active member, which is traditionally the male / father. When a Kadani becomes a grandparent and their children agree, they pass on their position as family head, gaining the title "ojva" before their last name. For example, Direnni ojva Rillos is the grandmother of Kalakal oj Rillos. All Kadani, regardless of tribe or age, must respect those with the title of ojva. Some Kadani choose the path of Sunyaasi, the renounced, and become solitary wanderers and protectors of the forest. Most Sunyaasi have a vision which prompts them to leave their old lives and wander the Ulaan-Khaiji'in as ascetics of a sort, though many keep in contact with their old Yagarums and Shentha, warning them of strange events. This contact wanes as the Sunyaasi becomes older and discovers more about the forest and themself, and eventually the Sunyaasi fades into history. Some say that the great elven god Corellon Larethian gathers them for his great army, while others claim that Aris turns them into spriit guides, or visions for other Sunyaasi, still others claim that they are turned into trees to forever watch over the forest. The majority of Sunyaasi are shamans.
Outsiders view Kadani culture with mixed feelings. Humans, for example, are appalled at the lack of a written language. However, most humans consider life in Carthurn to be harsh and brutal - they think it is a place where even the very strongest of people must struggle in order to flourish. Indeed this observation would be correct, though the elves see the struggle as an important part of existence. Thus, humans who think this often have a great respect for the elves despite their differences.
The neighboring dwarves have an unmatched love for doing battle alongside the elves. Many dwarven drinking stories and songs involve crushing goblin skulls with the backing of elven archers and magic. However, outside of wartime allies, they largely shun the elves. Being overly careful not to give away their technological secrets, they are reluctant to trade with the elves. The dwarves have their own gods and culture, and thus have little need or want to mix with the Kadani, though ambassadors have recently been appointed in an effort to keep their mutual interests in mind, whatever they may be.
Most Kadani share in the isolationism they are shown by others, viewing the forest as their sacred ground means it must be protected from any who would harm it, ally or other. Furthermore, they already tolerate the half-elves, who they view with mixed feelings. Indeed, some dislike the half-breeds more than outside races. The Yana tribe has a particular dislike for half-elves, but luckily most half-elves live within the territory of the more tolerant Sargas or Venirin tribes.
The Sargas tribe is the most tolerant, gratefully allowing half-elves to live in their communities and fight beside them. They also openly seek relations with the dwarves and humans in their never ending fight against the evils of the Ulaan-Khaiji'in. Those humans and dwarves who know of the Sargas tribe often show great respect, for they occupy most of the dorn and goblin forces with their sheer presence. If not for them, many believe the whole area would suffer more raids and wars. Some, like the Yana tribe, think the Sargas are weak because they are always overrun when there is an invasion, and because they associate with other races. Conversely, the Sargas value the Yana tribe as an important part of the elven nations and as defenders of Carthurn, though they do defend their own honor when pressed. Tolerance of other races has taught them tolerance of their own, but even that goes only so far.
Though they may revere the Sargas more, the humans have the best relations with the Venirin because of the frequency of their interaction. The Venirin regularly trade various handcrafted wares for metals and other goods, most especially swords. Recently, some Lanurian fighting companies have ventured into Carthurn to seek training under the Venirin, though there has been no word from them for some time.
Outside of trading, the most popular reason for human-elf interaction thus
far seems to be, oddly enough, in food-tasting. The Kadani have a great love
for using various plants within the forest to flavor their foods, and there
are so many combinations that many Kadani claim that no human could live long
enough to taste them all.
Much of Kadani history is unrecorded, as the elves do not bother with written records. What is known of their history comes largely from outside sources and a chronicling of their oral traditions. The Kadani seem to have started their existences in a perpetual state of warfare with other races, usually the goblinoids of Carthurn. Much of their stories involve warfare, and it is obvious that there is some reason they are so hardened. It is said the first tribe was the Ullm'jaan, which eventually fractured into all the other tribes, though it is not known what happened to the Ullm'jaan themselves. Some scholars (what few study the Carthurn elves) suggest that linguistic drift has transformed "Ullm'jaan" into the modern "Urujaav." Throughout the oral traditions it seems that the elves have fought to hold a constant front, never expanding past a certain point, saying that the area outside such is "not sacred," and that "no elf would dare live outside of the sacred world." This has become less true in more modern ages, as there are quite a few Kadani living outside of Carthurn. Still, there is no mention in any legend stating why certain parts of the forest are not sacred to them. Indeed, it would seem that they control a full seven tenths of the forest, with the other three of the northern edge belonging to the Dorn and the Goblins. A few half-elven settlements dot Kadani lands, and humans live on the outskirts, also often suffering from Dorn raids and such.
There have always been rumors of darker beings which thrive under the earth, beneath the forest. Beings banished long ago in the first great war when Aris herself arose to give magic to the Kadani. The legends vary, but most seem to mention a large horde of small and very hairy goblinoids who shaped rock to their will, and a shadowy version of humans who ate the dead. Both races were said to have fought the elves AND the goblinoids, but both eventually were driven underground, scavenging off of each other. The dwarves have never reported seeing either of these races, but their mountain kingdoms are fairly far from the areas they supposedly inhabited.
The first record which scholars record is the elven war of 912. During one of the many Dorn invasions, part of the Sargas tribe was pushed into territory the humans had recently inhabited. Soon there were small skirmishes every few days, mostly won by the elves. The humans appealed to the local government, but by the time Lanur organized a force and deployed them near Carthurn, the war was over and the Sargas had returned to their tribal lands. The important thing to note about this event was that it spurred humanity's first real expedition to study the elves. Humans had known that elves lived in Carthurn for a very long time, but they had not known they were violent, nor had they thought them capable of such physical feats as the reports had said. After some run-ins with remnants of Dorn encampments, the Sargas met with the expedition, appearing suddenly out of the forest. Though humans and elves had interacted on numerous occasions before, this was the first official expedition bent on contact. All of the great elven nations were meeting at that time, and the humans were invited to sit-in on the Malratai. The humans observed the organization of the elves - their divisions into tribes both great and small, and the way they spoke and treated each other. However, after the first day the Yana forced the Sargas to get rid of the "Jomkadani" - the "non-people," and thus the expedition returned with only minimal success. Lanur as a whole did send advisors to the settlements bordering elven lands, even going so far as to send a few into elven territory. These advisors would see that any time a dispute arose between races (usually because one or the other was pushed off of their land) that instead of fighting, one race would temporarily take-in the displaced. Over generations, large numbers of half-elves have appeared due to these advisors. In some cases elves would choose to stay with their human allies even after their land was retaken. While even the Sargas tribe has never harbored any great love for the humans, the two races both appeared to be enemies of the goblinoids of Carthurn, and thus an alliance of mutual defense was born. However, the Yana have vowed that they will not support any such alliance with other races. Humans aren't really sure about the Kadani's relationship with the dwarves. In actuality, the two races met and forged an unspoken alliance long before the human expeditions. Oftentimes elves and dwarves would observe the other fighting goblinoids. The first real interaction was around 550, during the battle of Safajj hill - well outside of dwarven territory. The Dorn were spearheading an attack on Sargas territory, trying to holdout for the Yana, who were reported to be less than an hour en route. Far away, dwarven observers spotted a very large goblin encampment being resupplied on their land. The camp seemed to be lightly guarded, and even then there seemed to be no Dorn in sight. Quietly positioning their siege engines and readying troops (the opportunity for such a decisive engagement was too good to pass up), the dwarves began to ferociously bombard the encampment and the incoming supply line with their catapults. After several minutes of such punishment, the goblins were in disarray, and the dwarves sent in their infantry to mop-up. At that time the Dorn advance turned into a fighting retreat to their camp. By the time the Dorn showed-up, there were only a handful of goblin regulars scattered about the camp being cut-down by well-organized lines of dwarves. The Dorn attempted to engage the dwarves, but quickly found themselves fighting the elves behind them as well. The remaining goblinoids either surrendered, fled, or were slain, and the dwarves and elves forged an uneasy, unspoken truce against their enemies.
A prime example of tribal relations can be seen in the goblin invasion of 3461. The goblin clans gathered under the leadership of a warlord (as they often do) named Haj'ressum and overran Sargas territory. Over the course of 3 days the Sargas executed a fighting retreat into Yana and Venirin territory. Some took to the hills and mountains, but most stayed within the forest. Retreating Sargas families warned their brethren, and the bordering settlements prepared defenses. Even bolstered by the Sargas, several Yana settlements had to be abandoned during the onslaught.
The goblin hordes overran the Yana in two major engagements in three weeks,
and were pushing deep into their tribal lands. One month into the war the goblins
were already further into the Ulaan Khaiji'in than they had ever been, but they
had underestimated the Kadani, as usual. Though many of the Yana and Sargas
warriors were busy holding Yana territory, the Shelaan, aided by the Urujaav
and Auri'ga, had been sneaking raiding parties into areas far behind goblin
lines. Venirin swordsmen were also making their way in behind the goblins via
secret routes cleared by the Auri'ga.
Urujaav mages began using an ancient spell called "Plague Arrow,"
which enchants one arrow with a particularly nasty and virulent disease. Once
the arrow hits its target, it inflicts the victim with the plague, which eventually
spreads to others of the same race who are near the victim. The horrible thing
about the usage of this spell is that it forced goblins to begin killing their
own troops if they survived the initial arrow strike. Indeed, the Auri'ga discovered
this, and the Shelaan began mixing non-enchanted arrow attacks, increasing the
terror factor.
Meanwhile, the Sargas were preparing their forces for one of their famed counterstrikes.
During their retreat almost twenty Sargas K'satriya had emerged from the Sacred
Lodge, and they were preparing for their great assault. After traveling a long
ways from their coastal homes, Urujaav mages began showing up in large numbers
to join with their Sargas allies. Meanwhile, the Venirin began a ferocious assault
far behind the goblin front lines, destroying supply lines and attempting to
box-in the bulk of the goblin forces. Even further behind the Venirin struck
the Auri'ga, who virtually appeared out of nowhere to raid a few goblin villages,
taking the fight to their own turf. Auri'ga veterans of this assault claim that
they were so far behind enemy lines that they saw the northern-edge of the Ulaan-Khaiji'in,
where the forest begins to turn into plains.
A few days later, the Sargas and Urujaav began their furious assault. Led by
the K'satriya, they broke the goblin lines at Shal'druar and inflicted heavy
casualties upon the retreating forces. It was during this battle that the famed
barbarian archers of the Saraajj distinguished themselves for the first time.
On the far flanks of the assault, forty Sargas archers calling themselves the
Saraajj took up position in a line. They did not bother to hide before they
began pelting the enemy with volleys of arrows. Seeing archers undefended by
infantry, the goblins charged. However, the Saraajj were prepared for such an
event, and indeed welcomed it. Being trained to move like barbarians, the Saraajj
continued firing until the goblins were nearly upon them, at which point they
turned in unison and ran, quickly outdistancing their foes. This was repeated
two more times before all the attacking goblins were slain. The Saraajj then
returned to their original position and began firing at the goblin lines again.
This time even more goblins came after them, but to no avail - the Saraajj were
too quick and too well trained for their adversaries. Thanks to efficient ammunition
runners, the Saraajj were able to draw off and slay large numbers of the enemy
that were badly needed elsewhere. To this day, the Sargas Saraajj are revered
for their mobility and unity, as well as their ability to frustrate the enemy
into committing too many forces in the wrong places. They shout their battle
cry of "Yanaav dal sh'yuna!" (literally "victory is behind us,"
in reference to their retreat) before firing their first volley of arrows.
The goblins may have succeeded in pushing the Sargas back again if it hadn't
been for the murder of Haj-ressum by several of his generals. Each general had
their own idea about how to achieve victory, but since the horde had no leader,
goblin defenses became less organized, and morale began to slowly drop. Conflicting
orders often caused mass desertions, and the frontlines never recieved orders
to regroup or replacement troops.
The Yana were, on the whole, too busy fortifying their front lines against
a counterattack that never came - only a handful of their warriors took part
in the attack.
With the combined might of the elves pushing down upon them, most of the goblin army chose to retreat rather than risk getting cut-off from their homes and supply lines. Venirin and Sargas cavalry did their best to cut-down retreating goblins, but the bulk of the elven horsemen were needed on the front lines. Thus ended that particular war. It is important to note that a few decades later the Dorn heard of the goblin's success against the Kadani and tried their hand at invasion once again...
The Kadani have no prophets. Nor do they have any form of forseeing the future. To them this would imply that there is a force of reason and order behind nature. The great Sunyaasi druid Garshalu summarized the Kadani's view on order and chaos when he said "The land, much like everything else, changes. To those who are short lived, it seems as if the land never changes. This, to them, makes them think there is order and stability in the world. To those who are long-lived, such as the Kadani, trees grow to great heights and hills erode away. This, to us, makes us think that there is no order to the world. Nature, however, is outside of order and chaos." Thus, any thought of predestination is thought of as silly and sometimes heretical by the Kadani.
The primary gods of the Kadani are Aris and Corellon Larethian, with a number of heroes being raised to mythical status. The Carthurn elves hold Aris above all other gods, with Corellon being more of a "hero-god" to them - they believe him to be a child-servant of the All-Mother. Shamans have claimed to meet spirits serving the elf-god long ago, and there are still reports of such things happening, albeit rare.
Holy men (shamans) among the Kadani vary, they are mostly druids. There are
few clerics as well as the druids among the Urajaav, and the lines between them
are often blurred. The most respected holy men often have gained their prestige
from giving wise council, making fair judgments, and knowing truth. Few are
ever respected for their abilities in battle, but their advice before and after
battle is prized. Holy men have been known to take years to meditate upon even
the smallest decision in order to determine the best course of action. There
is a saying among Kadani that there is nothing worse than bad advice from a
holy man, and the shamans know this. Thus, it is not unreasonable for someone
to ask advice of a shaman and for the shaman in turn to take a very long time
to deliver an answer. As long as the answer benefits the people, no amount of
time is too long. There are also the Sunyaasi, who has renounced his title,
name, and community to protect the forest and pursue enlightenment of a sort.
Sunyaasi are universally respected, even though they have effectively renounced
their ties to the elves. That's one reason they are so respected, and so rare.
The K'satriya - "spirit warriors." In times of great need, the Kadani believe that the gods grant them great heroes, "K'satriya," or "spirit warriors." It is said that one K'satriya is the equivalent of 500 goblins, but scholars believe that the presence of a K'satriya at a battle causes the elven troops to fight with more vigor, thus allowing the great victories of legend. To become a spirit warrior, one must make a pilgrimage to the Great Sacred Lodge of Delarynya oj Gethuun, the first K'satriya, and sit in the Place of Visions for the passing of 1 night and day, experiencing strange visions and undergoing spiritual tests from the gods. None die while in the Great Sacred Lodge - the unworthy merely vanish, turned into spirit tests for the next candidate. K'satriya never speak of the tests they underwent in the sweat lodge, for each test is specific to the spirit warrior. One cannot become a spirit warrior simply for the glory of being one, the Kadani must have a need for them (usually they arise in times of war), and the candidate must be prepared to give their life for the good of the Kadani and the Ulaan-Khaiji'in.
The first K'satriya was Delarynya oj Gethuun, said to be a shamaness of great power. During the first Dorn war her husband was lost, but not before she became pregnant with triplets. Her labor took 8 days, during which she endured vision-tests from the gods. She raised her three sons (G'daan, Vaathri, and Alshasra'a) with her sacred knowledge so that they would become K'satriya as well. When the time came, Delarynya mixed the sacred vision drink and sent them into the house. The three brothers emerged and without speaking, picked-up weapons and walked into a goblin encampment, slaughtering them all and razing the camp to the ground. They became some of the greatest heroes known to the Kadani. Some scholars believe that Delarynya was not a K'satriya, but was posthumously granted the title because she gave birth to the three heroes, but this theory is never spoken of around the elves.
The Great Sacred Lodge of Delarynya oj Gethuun is located deep in Yana territory, and is guarded by special wards and spirits put in place by the most powerful Urujaav archmages and shamans. Strange things happen in the area around the Lodge - trees seem to move and grow in new places, strange whispering can be heard, and the air itself seems much more alive.
The greatest testament to the might of the K'satriya was at the battle of Z'ruun grove in 3406, where 53 K'satriya and a handful of Venirin regulars held off over 2000 goblins for 5 days - long enough for the entire Sargas tribe to escape to safety. Every K'satriya in the battle died, but the entire invading army was forced to regroup, which gave the elven nations precious time to organize several ambushes and halt the gobin advance. K'satriya come from all walks and tribes, but the majority are warriors from the Sargas tribe, though some of the most fearsome combatants are Urujaav mages who have become K'satriya. It is said that spirit warriors do everything better, as even the crafters of the Angali tribe have produced more fantastic masterwork items when they have been K'satriya. No leader can ever be K'satriya, as the two titles are mutually exclusive, though the title of spirit warrior is much more prized, and leaders have been known to give up their titles to become such great beings. This also means that a spirit warrior is not above a leader of any sort, though wise leaders know to heed the council of a K'satriya.
Spirit warriors also operate without fear. They are immune to all fear effects and morale checks. While it is not shameful for a K'satriya to retreat from battle, they cannot be forcefully driven from it. No K'satriya has ever shown cowardice or concern for their own life, and this is probably due to the tests they endure in the lodge. They are known by their stylized warpaint, which they wear at all times. It is not unknown for non-elves to become K'satriya, though it is rare. Theodel the "Viper of Ristell," was the first non-Kadani K'satriya. His entry into the Sacred Lodge was barred until he earned the trust of the Kadani by single-handedly defeating a Dorn chieftain in single combat, driving their clan from the area. Theodel was a human ally of the hero Vasheru, who arranged for the first great alliance with the humans. There have been 3 other non-Kadani K'satriya - a dwarf named Uldarr Drakenvulf, breaker of hammers, a high elf named Lysanthan, who allowed the spread of his arcane knowledge throughout the Urujaav tribe, and lastly the human Saiella, who travelled across the planes and all of Charlain to return the body of the fallen K'satriya hero Qeedromanai. The last K'satriya died in battle in 4498, there have been no wars since then, and no need for the spirit warriors.
Kadani do not believe in the afterlife per se. As with most nature-religions,
life is an ongoing cycle. Spirits and flesh are re-used perpetually, and as
long as one is buried within the Ulaan-Khaiji'in, the forest loses nothing.
It is said there are a rare few souls who suffer spirit-annihilation ("sagunyash"),
but that fate is reserved only for the most despicable of individuals.
Creation myths - "The dream people of Aris" After the gods made the five worlds, they all set down to rest. Some gods made beings to inhabit the world, to worship and serve them as slaves. The goddess Aris saw this and wished for a people of her own, but not to be slaves to her, but rather to tend the world she had made and respect the lovely forests she had worked so hard to plant. As the goddess drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of a hardy people who would understand her - she dreamt of the Kadani. When the goddess awoke, she had found that her dreams had come true - the forest she had planted was teeming with beings who tended to the forest of their own free will, and out of the love and awe they felt at living in such a magnificent place. Other gods, such as Aburack and Nurn, quickly grew jealous, and spun nightmares for Aris the next time she slept - and thus the goblinoids were born to wage war upon the Kadani. Aris quickly gave magic to her favored children so they could drive back the goblinoids, but many elves had already split-off from the main group, seeking safety in other parts of the world. Many of those who left the Ulaan-Khaiji'in in those days have forgotten these stories of their creation, and who they have to thank for stopping the goblinoids from hunting them, and some Kadani still hold a grudge against those who fled.
The Saalikaim Arch - Ages ago the great Angali artist and K'satriya Zaadtzej crafted this archway in a Venirin territory. The arch stands alone in a clearing, firmly rooted in the dirt, some say magically. Up close, one discovers the true beauty of the structure, as it is so intricately carved with pictures and designs that even today the elves are still discovering new aspects of it. Carved from wood, the arch has stood for ages, without warping from the elements. The Urujaav flatly deny any rumors that they ever enchanted the arch to withstand the elements, and the Angali hold it as one of their masterpieces. It is said that sometimes shamans and holy men can discern the true nature of a person or a thing in the dancing shadows it creates when the wind blows the trees around it, causing an interesting lightshow to paint the arch. Today it is known as an area of quiet meditation.
Alikee’an: Ages ago this large clearing was the central focus of three of the five greatest battles in all of Carthurn's history. Long ago during the first battle, seven of the Dorn's greatest heroes broke though Kadani lines and fought their way to the clearing. The Kadani sent their seven greatest heroes to win back the clearing. For twelve days they fought, with only one Kadani surviving the fight. Emerging victorious, the elven forces were driven into a war-frenzy and crushed the Dorn armies. Since then each time there is a battle in the vicinity the Dorn establish the clearing as a headquarters in an attempt to show-up the elves and claim the land as their own. Each time they are driven from the clearing in a great battle, which results in the elven forces being driven into a similar frenzy. Warriors who fight such battles at Alikee'an often attach "ka Alikee'an" to their names as an honorific. The ancient battleground stands deep within Sargas territory, and is never inhabited, except when used as a prayer-area by shamans.
Pevitlas Aariz ja Galiish, "The Footfalls of Aris": During the first battle with the nightmare creations (the Dorn, goblins, and other "creatures") the Kadani were at a stalemate. Their enemies had precious few weapons, but they were much more numerous, and while they could not drive the elves from the area, they could insure a costly and prolonged battle for survival. Aris saw this and decided to help her beloved children. As the great warriors and leaders of the Kadani were meeting in this grove, Aris came to them and gave them magic. She taught and showed them ways to use forces in the world around them to enforce their will, which was also her will. Using this knowledge, the elves drove the nightmares back, almost out of the Ulaan-Khaiji'in, and laid their own boundaries down. To this day the grove is more teeming with life than any other section of the forest, and the elves consider it the most blessed place in the world. Herbs and medicines gathered here are known to be much more potent, and all magic (both divine and arcane) functions at greatly increased levels. Recently, some human skeptics from outside the forest have come to debunk the notion that one of the gods blessed the place, but are still dumbfounded and at a loss to understand the area, even after extended study. The grove stands, appropriately enough, deep within Urujaav territory.
J'nishandar Qadeen, "The Place of Heroes”: Ages ago a great dwarven
hero, Arlaric the Grim, fought beside the mighty K'satriya Derav oj Shalja at
this place. The story of "Arlaric and Derav at Qadeen" is legendary,
telling how the two of them slew well over 600 Dorn by themselves. Arlaric,
however, fell in the battle, and Derav had the ground consecrated in his honor.
Since then, it has become a resting place for Sargas warriors, and those of
other races who have fought beside them. The fury that the Sargas reserve for
trespassers to this place is said to be unlike that of any other - tribal warriors
come from far away to defend and retake the graveyard, and prisoners are never
taken. Though the elves do not commonly bury the bodies, this place is sometimes
an exception. If most of the body is gone, it is usually buried, while whole
bodies are often burned and their ashes spread
here.
Drala Kashnaav, "Songstringtree Grove" - The Shelaan discovered a strange grouping of trees long ago whose vines are curiously strong and oddly musical. Harnessing some of the vines to make bowstrings, it was found that bows created with such "songstrings" were much more powerful than their normal counterparts. The strings themselves resonate slightly when pulled, and emit a short and random arrangement of notes when released. A small group of Angali crafters has been working to make a musical instrument using such strings, but the strings seem to provide their own music despite whatever form they are shaped or attached to. There are five such trees deep within Shelaan territory, and vigilant archers and Urujaav magics constantly guard the grove. The trees are an odd dull-gold color, with the vines and leaves being slightly rusty-orange. Shamen who have studied the grove agree that the power of Aris runs strong in the area, though they think the grove may serve some other purpose than what it is used for.
The most popular spice in Carthurn is Heradiss, an extremely spicy mixture of Avla root and Jorten seed. Though the Kadani love spicy food, even they use this potent combination sparingly. Some of the less-civilized humans along the edge of the forest consider it a test of manhood to eat certain dishes prepared with Heradiss, and often make treks into elven encampments to such ends. Some never return, though the elves say it is merely because they get lost on the way home. An unknown traveling minstrel was once quoted as saying, "If that's the test of manhood, I'll just be a woman!"
Meals among the elves often depend upon seasons, but the general standard is meat and breads for the firstmeal, fruits, legumes, and various vegetables for secondmeal, and neighbors' leftovers for thirdmeal. Thirdmeal is often the most celebrated, for the Kadani enjoy cooking copious amounts of food during the first two meals so they can share their thirdmeal with others. On the rare occasions that other races interact with the elves, this is when the Kadani are able to sample cuisines from other races. When visitors arrive, they are often gently advised to cook something for dinner.
Art among the Kadani is comprised mainly of theater, music, and dance, though there are samplings of sculpture, painting, and other art forms. The emphasis seems to be on temporal art rather than static art - that is, art which is performed over a period of time, not made to be viewed at a later time. Scholars have always argued about the importance of time in the eyes of all elves, not just those of Carthurn, though no consensus has ever been reached. For the Kadani, temporal art gives the audience and the performer a time to prepare for particularly awe-inspiring moments in a performance. For example, Noj-Kev'aal, a longstanding favorite flute-song, takes almost ten hours to reach a rhythm shift that signifies the end of the song. That last section is long awaited, and thus is enjoyed more and performed better because of the wait, or so the elves claim. As with many other things, the Kadani believe that anything gained too easily is often not worth it.
Kadani performances have been described as "long-winded" by humans
AND dwarves as well. "oj Shalja" is an epic tale which depicts the
rise and fall of an entire family of heroes. The last act is the most momentous,
involving a great battle with the dorn and a pyrrhic victory with the death
of Maqaat oj Shalja, last member of the family. The entire play takes almost
a week to perform, with each day signaling the birth of the next hero and each
night signaling the death of the previous one. Again, the aspect of time is
all-important in the art form. "oj Shalja" is considered to be one
of the most important pieces of cultural heritage, and is thus passed down by
the performers through the ages.
Language among the Kadani consists largely of spoken elvish, of the wild elf dialect. This dialect, while similar to normal elvish, has several important differences. Generally speaking, standard elvish verb / time tenses involve something far in the past, something in the recent past, present, and future tenses. Kadani elvish uses verb tenses that are: something one's ancestors would have been involved with (which includes far and recent past), the present, possible future, and repeated future. The last two tenses throw-off most speakers of common elvish. Possible future tense involves things that may or may not happen, and covers what most people use as "future tense." "Repeated future" is a special tense used in reference to cyclical events, such as seasons, sunsets and sunrises, reincarnation, and other such events that always have happened and always will.
To say, "I am doing well," one says, "I am reincarnating." What some would consider certainty about the future, the Kadani consider possibility, and vice versa. Where most normal elves would say "I am going into battle," the Kadani equivalent is "I *may* be going into battle." The elves of Carthurn have a healthy respect for chance and the potentials for fate to go awry.
Likewise, to say "I am getting married" in Kadani would be the equivalent of saying "Our spirits are joining in union once again." This signals how the elves think of marriage as a recurring joining of souls through repeated time.
To say written language is utterly non-existent among the wild elves is not entirely correct. One of the most fascinating aspects of their magic is their ability to use and understand runes. Kadani claim to "know inside" what a certain rune means just by looking at it. A few small lines arranged properly could convey to them whole stories, or a few short words, and there are no known "rules" to how they work - the elves say they "just do." The use of scrolls is emulated by their mages through these runes, carved upon stones, wooden markers, and other such implements. They are not used often, but preceding great battles Urujaav sorcerers have been known to gather to copy spells (usually prep spells) via runes onto stones and wooden marks in order to conserve their energies for the battle.
The Urujaav have a special relationship with runes. At various times a rune will be "discovered," usually via dreams or sudden inspiration. Sometimes ancient runes are re-discovered as well. These runes often take time to study and decipher, and there are few Urujaav with both the patience and ability to inspect and decrypt them. Some take a mere few hours; others have been the objects of thousands of years work. Oftentimes a small group of sorcerers will gather together to study such a rune for the course of their lifetime if need be, passing on their heritage and knowledge to others before they die. There are four long-standing orders specifically bent on divining the uses of all the runes, along with a few other temporary ones. The temporary orders are the more common - a small group of Urujaav band together until their work is done and then split-up to distribute the knowledge among their tribe. The long-standing orders consist of members whose sole purpose is to study, moving on to the next rune when they finish instead of breaking-up.
There are legends of non-elves learning the runes, but they are all unconfirmed,
even among the Kadani. Great elven wise men agree that simply thinking LIKE
an elf is not enough, though it is difficult for them to explain, the consensus
among outsiders is that one must actually BE Kadani in order to understand them.
The great High Elf wizard and K'satriya, Lysanthan, is said to have translated
a mysterious rune and mixed it with one of his own spells to create a new spell,
which he then taught to the Urujaav. The Urujaav as a whole do not claim to
know if the legend is true or not, but they did learn many new spells from Lysanthan.
Heradiss: An extremely spicy mixture of Avla root and Jorten seed, a popular
seasoning.
Jomkadani: The "non-people", non-elves.
Kadani: The people, wild elves.
K'satriya: Spirit warriors, a warrior who has undergone a special initiation
and trial to become a 'holy warrior'.
Malratai: "Great gatherings", where the tribe choses new leaders,
settles disputes, organizes battle plans, etc.
Parvai: Community shamans
Rolvok: Leaders
Sagunyash: An annihilation of the spirit/soul.
Shekani: Half-elves
Shentha: A community. Can be a village, settlement, etc. Can be really small
or really big.
Sunyaasi: Holy man who has renounced his title, name, and community to protect
the forest and pursue enlightenment.
Tul Sh'radu: The 7 great tribes (there are minor ones as well).
Ulaan-Khaiji'in: Carthurn Forest
Yagarum: A family. Like the oj Rillos family.