The Othar are a race of giants which live on a secluded isle somewhere in the Bel'rakir Sea, to the north of Adaria. Outsiders rarely visit the isle, for the Rakmathi will not take anyone to the Othar's island on one of their ships no matter how much money they offer, unless they receive permission from one of the Othar. However, Othar travel to the mainland often in order to 'See the splendors of Ellandor' as they say, so they are well know in the western parts of the world, but they almost never venture far beyond east bank of the Lathonelle river. The few strangers who have visited the isle of the Othar have reported it to be a magnificent place, where beautiful trees grow five-hundred feet tall. So colossal are these trees that whole villages rest beneath the canopy of leaves and branches. Othar are much like Humans in appearance, except that they tower over men at an average height of eight feet or so. Their features are also more solid-looking than a Humans (It's often said that an Othar could pass for a walking tree, given how muscular and thick their bodies are) and they have thick, bushy eyebrows that sometimes dangle over their eyes. They are immensely strong, and despite their large size they move rather gracefully, and posses as much agility as the average Human. They are just as clever as Humans, but they are exceedingly wise, perhaps the wisest of all the races of Ellandor. Stamina and endurance are also strong points of the Othar, and their friendly and open nature gives them a high charisma. The Othar are almost pacifistic in nature, so they do not use many offensive magics, and frown upon any item which is evil in nature. The Othar are quite religious, and they shower praise upon both Drylock and Chantalle, and do not pay any homage to Seraph, but they do not show any direct disrespect to him either. Common is spoken proficiently by all Othar, but they normally speak Sylvan when at home on their island. It is unknown how the Sylvan language was adopted by the Othar, some say the Rakmathi may have brought it to them, but it seems to suit them and their deep, rumbling voices. They're an extremely kind race, who show great respect for all forms of life, and they will never harm a being which is not evil. They especially love trees and woodland creatures, some stories say that Othar travel to the mainland just to visit the see the great forests of the land. Although they almost never see one another, the Othar loathe the Bulbar, who are a vicious and barbaric race, and call them 'Suv'ral Zakbeth', which roughly translates to 'The mortal demons'. When the Rakmathi were created, they were placed upon a desolate and parched isle somewhere in the ocean. This island was mostly desert, and the Rakmathi had great difficulty finding food to eat, and fresh-water to drink. By the time two years had passed, nearly half of their population had died from starvation, and their future seemed bleak and hopeless. But then, as the wandering horde of half-starved Rakmathi neared the eastern end of the isle, a place where they had never before ventured, they discovered that another race also inhabited the island. These new people saw what horrible shape the Rakmathi were in, and they did all they could to help them. They gladly shared the food they got from hunting the small rodents that inhabited the deserts of the isle, and they showed the Rakmathi how to search for water by looking for certain types of plants. Also, these new people taught the Rakmathi how to use a spoken language, before which they communicated only through vague hand gestures. Now that they could talk, the Rakmathi learned that the people whom saved them were called Elves, and for many years the two races lived in harmony with one another. During the following years, the Rakmathi people learned to fend for themselves. They discovered that the ocean held many wonderful kinds of fish and crustaceans, and they could be caught using a device the Rakmathi had created from twisted plant fiber, which they called a 'net'. As the days and months passed, they found themselves growing more and more attached to the sea, and they found more wondrous things that the oceans could provide. Coral and azurite from the reefs, which made fine jewelry. Oysters yielded beautiful pearls, and seaweed could be harvested and eaten. Seeing that their love for the seas was genuine, the Guardian Merlin descended from the heavens and presented the Rakmathi with a wondrous gift, a 'ship'. With this ship, the Rakmathi could actually ride the waves of the sea, and cross the waters of the ocean to explore new lands. The Elves then asked the Rakmathi if they could use their ship to take them across the waves, to a beautiful forest which could be seen from the island. The Rakmathi readily agreed, and they sailed the Elves to the mainland, and dropped them off on the coast of the forest. The Elves claimed this forest for their own, and were henceforth known as the Altherian Elves. With trees from this forest, which the Altherian Elves named 'Sundal'Althar', the woods of the sun, the Rakmathi constructed more ships, and used them to carry all of the Altherians over to the forest. Instead of abandoning their island home, bleak as it was, the Rakmathi decided not to leave it, for too many of their ancestors had died their. They learned the secrets of irrigation from the Guardians, and brought many incredible plant species there, which they took from all corners of the globe. When the year 360 C.R had passed, the Rakmathi had transformed the once parched and desolate island into a land of beautiful gardens and orchards, a place where they could live in peace and never have to worry about going about having wants again. They named the island 'Orkal Rakmathi', which is Sylvan for 'Creation of the Rakmathi', for they did indeed make the island what it today is, a paradise. They never lost their love of the ocean though, and in truth, Rakmathi spend most of their lives on ships, sailing the oceans and exploring Ellandor.... - From the Adarian Chronicles, Last edited by Gaidon Lettersmith, head historian of the Azure tower, 320-345 D.B. The Rakmathi live on the beautiful island of Orkal Rakmathi, which lies off the coast of Sundal'Althar. They are master shipbuilders, and many of them spend their entire lives making and sailing onboard ships. They have a love for the oceans which is know throughout Ellandor, and the Othar call them 'Cyraltha Domi', the children of the waves. Orkal Rakmathi itself is full of trees and beautiful gardens, all of which were brought to the isle from other locations. There are no cities or towns on Orkal Rakmathi, instead, the entire island is like a huge village of sorts, and the Rakmathi have their homes and businesses scattered across it. This seems like an impractical way to do things, but Orkal Rakmathi isn't very large, and many of the Rakmathi are off on a ship anyway, so any city that they built would always be nearly empty. The Rakmathi stand just slightly taller than Humans, at about an average of six and a half feet. They have sea-green coloured skin, and eyes which are a mysterious golden colour. Their hair is usually shaggy-looking and uncombed, from being tossed about in a ship most likely, and it is dark-green in colour. Physically they look much like an Elf, right down to the slightly pointed ears and the high cheekbones. Rakmathi are well-muscled, and are quite strong, and they move with the agility and grace characteristic of one of the Elven races. They posses an intellect which is somewhat below-average, but they are fairly wise to ways of the world, about as wise as most Humans. Through years of hard sea-faring, they have developed a high physical stamina, and their friendly, chivalrous nature gives them much charm. Even though he is no longer part of Ellandor, the Rakmathi still give thanks to Merlin, whom taught them how to sail, and gave them their first ship. Their native language is Sylvan, which was taught to them by the Altherian Elves, but they also learn some Common, and are taught a little Quilathar, but they seldom have a firm grasp of it. Rakmathi are usually a very kind people, and so are almost always good-aligned. The Bulbar are a simple, brutish people who make their home in the western mountains of the Nok continent. Widely enslaved, they are used as the workhorses of the Empire, employed as guards, miners and the like throughout the continent. In the wild, they are barely more sophisticated than animals, mountains of flesh and undirected malice. Bulbar have the following advantages: * They are easily the largest and strongest of all sentient races. * They are exceptionally stupid. This keeps them from over thinking things and confusing themselves. * The ability to digest just about anything, up to and including the rubble created by smashing things. The Bulbar are a race of brutish giants that live in the mountains surrounding the Black Orcian kingdom. They are evil and malicious in the extreme, and love to torture weaker and smaller creatures. Bulbars have almost no society to speak of, and usually live individually in caves. They mostly live in the southern parts of the Orcian Kingdom, but a few have been reported in both the northern and eastern mountains as well. Bulbar have deep orange-coloured skin, and their eyes are blood-red in colour. They usually stand nine feet or more in height, which lets them loom over most other creatures. They have ugly, brutish faces, with fangs that are so long that they protrude past their lips and can be seen even when they close their mouths. They also sport long tails that end in an arrowhead shaped knob, much like that of a demon. Needless to say, Bulbar are immensely strong, perhaps the mightiest of all the races of Ellandor. They are clumsy and slow however, and they have almost no intellect to speak of. Bulbar are not the wisestof creatures, but they have an enormous amount of constitution and stamina, and it usually take a great many blows to bring even a single Bulbar down. They live to inflict pain on others, and so they posses almost no charisma to speak of. Bulbar aren't a religious people, but they have been known to worship, whom they admire for his/her supreme power. They are mortal enemies with the Othar, who could be considered the anti-thesis of the Bulbar, but in recorded history the two races have only come face to face a handful of times. Shugrak is the native language of the Bulbar, but because they are so mentally limited, they speak it imperfectly. Bulbar are maliciousness incarnate, and so are always evil-aligned. ======= Modified-by: Charus on Thu Apr 19 22:03:58 2001 -------------------------- Known throughout the world chiefly as the enslaved shock troops and workers of the Nok Empire the Bulbar are by all accounts brutish creatures, both in appearance and character. Rarely seen and almost never welcomed within civilized lands the Bulbar are generally regarded by the other races as dangerous animals rather than a reasoning people. It is certainly true that the Bulbar are dangerous. Standing at just under nine feet tall with a large, bulky bodies, stout, muscular legs and arms ending in clublike fists a fully grown Bulbar is a deadly fighting machine. Bulbar are also protected by a thick leathery skin which is a distinctive deep blue in colour and almost hairless. They have large heads, also hairless, with short pig-like ears, a wide snoutish nose and a wide mouth with short pointed front teeth and grinding molars at the back of the jaws. Their eyes are small and dark with large pupils to allow for reasonable vision at night or in shallow caves. Bulbar are immensely strong and have great physical stamina but are not suited to quick movement or reaction and can be quite clumsy and slow. Because they are so large they require a great deal of food and Bulbar are almost always hungry. They can eat pretty much anything but much prefer raw, fresh meat. Despite (and because of) their huge appetites Bulbar are actually able to last for a considerable number of days without food; when they are able to eat they build up great stores of fat within their bodies which keep them sustained throughout periods when food is scarce. Constitutionally they are extremely hardy and are capable of enduring extreme temperatures. The natural life span of the Bulbar in the wild is something between 80 to 100 years but the harsh treatment that captive Bulbar recieve generally shortens that considerably. What the Bulbar posess in physical strength is countered by their lack in mental attributes, with the typical Bulbar being many times less intelligent than the average human. However they are not animals and undoubtedly posess the faculty of reasoned thinking, in however crude a form. Despite their stupidity by the standards of other races, it is well known that the Bulbar are anything but docile. They are vicious, voilent and bloodthirsty creatures for whom fighting and killing is a way of life and a key to survival. Generally they lack the imagination and intelligence to be manipulative or cunning but their animal instinct for survival and their unpredictable nature makes them very dangerous indeed. In the wild Bulbar dwell in caves and do not normally construct shelters or buildings of any kind. The structure of their society is essentially a crude hierachy determined by physical strength. The tribes in which they live are led by whoever is the meanest and strongest at the time, and Bulbar do not normally have strong families ties. Bulbar parents are not even particularly protective of their children (it is not unknown for a Bulbar parent to eat its offspring during times of hardship). The Bulbar are generally solitary and independent creatures, and this way of life begins from the moment they are born. One interest feature of Bulbar social interaction that has been observed is their habit of collecting 'trophies' from defeated opponents. Among many Bulbar tribes trophy collecting is a symbolic way of proving ones strength and skill in battle and many young Bulbar warriors will take such trophies from the bodies of their most formidable opponents. They don't take belongings, but rather pelts, hides, heads or anything unique and easily identifiable. Despite their lack of intelligence the Bulbar do have a native language, known as Shugrak. It is a crude and rudementary speech mostly consisting of gruntings and deep rumblings, which are only imitated with difficulty and patience by the other races. Although Shugrak is such a simple dialect and relatively easy to learn very few have any need or opportunity to speak it, and the master Bulbar trainers of the Nok Empire are virtually the only group outside the Bulbar race known to speak fluent Shugrak. Through this source a few words of Shugrak (mostly insults and obscenities) have in fact been passed down into the vernacular of the Imperial Army. Dryads live in the ancient Adarian Forest, a beautiful woodland located in the western parts of Ellandor. They construct small homes high up in the trees, nestled between branches. Only female Dryads exist, no males have ever been born, and to reproduce Dryads use their great beauty and natural charm to *ahem* 'Borrow' Human males for a while. Dryads love their forest homeland, and will savagely defend it against those who would seek to cause the Adarian woods any harm. They are so attached to the forest that they seldom venture far from it, and Dryads certainly don't leave the boundaries of Adaria much, but it's not unusual to see them wandering the broad avenues of Aldar Sur, especially in the springtime... Which is also their mating season. Dryads look a great deal like Humans, and may often be taken for such by those not familiar with them. They look like short, very stunning Human females, and the only way to tell them apart is by the very slight greenish tint that their skin sometimes has. Dryads always have hair which is red in colour, and their eyes are a dazzling agate-green . They are not physically strong, and they have about the same intellectual powers as a Humans. They are perhaps slightly wiser than the average race, due to their closeness with nature and all its complex webs of life. Dryads are very agile, and their natural elegance and charm gives them tremendous charisma. Vexins and Dryads are bitter enemies, but the roots of their animosity for one another are buried in time, and it is sometimes speculated that not even they know the reason behind their hatred for one another. The Dryads view all other races neutrally, except for Human males, whom they view with some understandable *cough* 'fondness'. Dryads believe in the spirit of nature itself, and so do not worship Gods. Their natural language is Sylvan, but most know a good deal of Common as well. Dryads come in all different personality types, and any alignment except evil. Closely related to their southern, human cousins, the Halgan are the hardy people who inhabit the northern continent in and around the city of Phirezal. It is widely believed that before the Shattering, the two races were one and the same. Halgans stand slightly smaller than humans, although it is not uncommon for one to pass for the other. Halgans have the following advantages: * Other races view them neutrally and normally do not attack. * They are slightly more dexterous and robust than their human cousins. * Their intellect is slightly duller than that of a human. This prevents them from outsmarting themselves. * Mastery of Ellandor's common tongue. "... After the Humans decided to split-up, the largest group stayed in the Lathonelle valley. The second largest traveled to the west, and the third group journeyed to the north-east parts of Ellandor. This third group consisted of rogues, beggars, peasants and the other undesirables of the Humans populace. They searched for a land were they could be free of the social stereotypes that were quickly making their lives miserable in the Lathonelle river valley. During their journey, the Humans passed an imposing range of mountains which lay to the north, and a dank and foul forest which was to their south. Beyond this forest they found a land where the sky was overcast, the weather was cold, and it seemed to rain continually. One of the Humans, upon seeing this land exclaimed "By Seraph's cloak!, this is the land we were made for!" The Humans were not alone in this land though, a race of short, slightly pudgy humanoids called the Halgan were here as well. The Halgan were knaves and rascals to their very core, and because their personalities matched so nicely, they quickly became fast friends with the band of refugee Humans. In 354 C.R, the Humans and the Halgans decided to settle down and build a permanent town, and so the city of Phirezal was born. By 404 C.R Phirezal was complete, and Farlon, a man whom was greatly respected by all for his cunning, was crowned King in the throne room of Zaglor Keep, a newly constructed castle located in the very center of Phirezal. The city is very medieval in nature, with wood buildings lining the sides of the cramped streets. The roads are usually dark even in the day-time thanks to overhanging second-floors, which all structures in Phirezal seem to have. The lanes and streets of Phirezal are either paved with dark gray cobblestone or hard-packed dirt, and are often dirty due to the persistent rain. Bars and taverns abound in the city, as do inns and shops of all kinds. Phirezal is one of the main centers of commerce in all of Ellandor, mostly because of it's strategic location between Aldora and the Khamaz mountains, and nearly anything you could want to buy can be purchased here, for the right price. Presently, Phirezal continues to thrive as a major center of trading, and the city is much as it was before the Darkness was Broken. The rulers of Phirezal have claimed the surrounding countryside as their own, so Phirezal is considered more of a country than a city now. The current King has even financed the construction of a small town on the north coast, so that they could control their own seaport. Humans and Halgan still make up the largest portion of the population, but members of every race have been seen walking down the crowded streets of the city, and the Pujmara have even built an embassy near Zaglor Keep. One can only wonder how much longer Phirezal's luck will last.... - From "The History of Phirezal" Author Unknown, dated 328 D.B. Last edited by Bair Quailar, head historian of the Azure Tower. The Halgan live primarily in Phirezal, a city located to the north-east of Devenon. They look like dwarfed and pudgy Humans, and they seldom stand more than four feet high. The effects of aging do not show on the faces of most Halgan, and so that it is quite difficult to tell an eighty year old from that of a twenty year old (The normal life-span of the average Halgan is about One-hundred and sixty years). Despite their lack of height, they are solidly built and are just as strong as Humans, but a bit more agile then them. Halgan are usually fairly cunning , and they use their wits to help them get out of sticky situations, which usually arise when they try to steal from or swindle another. However, they aren't very wise, and they're tendency for theft gives them little charm. Halgan are not very religious, (Though no one in Phirezal worships anything but money) but they may occasionally say a small prayer to Seraph, usually just before they attempt a risky theft. They speak Common tongue in their day to day affairs, and it's the only language they are usually taught. They are free of racial hatreds because of their close association with Humans, but Dragons are known to despise them, probably because of their tendency to steal anything that isn't nailed to the floor. The Halgan are a devious, deceitful and rogue-like race, but a few of them show more neutrality to the world. TRUNDLAR The Trundlar are a short statured race that reside on the Eastern Continent of Cha'Kra. Great inventors and tinkerers, they are a largely peaceful race. Their curiosity often leads other cultures to dismiss them as childlike, but they are capable of great wisdom, albeit most often in a obfuscated and roundabout way. Trundlar have the following advantages: * Their stature does not make them an easy target to hit. * They are very apt in picking up new skills, although they tend to excel in fewer of them than those of other races. * A reasonable understanding of Ellandor's common tongue, as well as a language of their own. TRUNDLAR-INFO This help file is under construction. In the years that followed the end of the age of chaos, the Trundlars of Cha'Kra began work on the first of the Earthen Gateways. The sheer magnitude of the clockwork machine, seemingly a mechanical tower of sorts, attracted travellers from far and wide, each marvelling at how a people so tiny could build something so large. By 52 D.B., the size of the machine had grown so large that its functionings had become a matter of more than academic speculation. By order of the newly crowned King Grangus the Third, the Nuadas of Devenon dismantled it, disregarding the desperate pleas of the Trundlars - that the machine could only bring about good for all of Ellandor. The social structure of the Trundlars divides into three hierarchical social stature degrees: Folk, Engineers, and Elders. The folk form the majority of the trundlar population, living as farmers, merchants, adventurers, and so forth, but all of them with a degree of technical familiarity impressive at least. (As the expression goes, "If a trundlar can't fix it then broke it shall be!") In the Trundlar hometown of Mount BigHill, it is said that folk children who display a special aptitude are taken into the order of engineers and trained in the ways. The closest parallel trundlar culture has to organized religion is the profound respect it feels for the Engineer class. It is believed that the engineers will someday recreate the Earthen Gateway, "a machine to create paradise", as the folk are fond of saying. The Grand Circle of Elders is the governing body of the trundlars, the final word in all matter of affairs. The trundlars have enjoyed a relatively peaceful isolation from the rest of Ellandor, preferring to resolve matters by peaceful agreement as they have never had much success with warfare. The average trundlar stands just a few ellands tall, a smidge shorter than a dwarf. (Some believe the trundlars to be distant relatives of the dwarves - perhaps a misconception resulting from their shared affinity for beards) Trundlars skin is brownish in tone, greying in their old age. Their hair is usually straight and white, their eyes ranging from blue to yellow. LSHAR The L'shar are less a race than a cult of twisted Sylar variants, brought to darkness through a disease not entirely unlike leprosy. They are fully sterile, and are only able to continue their 'race' by infecting and corrupting the youth of other races. They are widely hated and discriminated against, the other races treating them with distrust and open hostility. L'shar have the following advantages: * A mastery of the dark tongue, as well as a reasonable fluency in common. * The greatest natural mana-channeling ability of any sentient race * They share a natural rapport with their brethren. If you chose to play a L'shar, you will not be entered into the game unless your character is approved. This help entry is under construction. "The Salvarians had crossed the line which must be preserved, and declared themselves the highest race on all of Ellandor. This must not be permitted, that one of the soulless animal races would dare to think of placing themselves above the Lshar, whom the Lady Dalsria made with her own hands! The upstarts needed to be reminded of their lowly station, and so in 380 C.R. High Lady Sren Both of what would become Dlon'Slektoth'Vrilss, the House of the Bloody Feast, devised a brilliant plan which would teach the moon-loving wretches a lesson they would never forget. Sren Both approached the Makmar Shadows, an unusual people who lived in the far north-eastern parts of the surface world, and spoke to them, "Help us rid the world of the accursed Salvarians, and we shall in turn aid you. For every Salvarian woman you kill, we shall make one sacrifice to your God". The Makmar accepted High Lady Sren Both's gracious offer, and so began the punishment that the Salvarians had invited by their blasphemous declaration. For sacrifices, we turned to the Trundlar, a rather pathetic race of tinkerers that live out their foolish lives in a giant mountain. They were quite easy to catch, and rarely put up much of a struggle, which made them the perfect sacrifices for the Makmar's dark god. High Lady Sren Both's plan was working perfectly, for the fear of Dalsria and the Lshar was driven into the hearts of the Salvarians (and all other races), but alas, all good things must come to an end. In 475 C.R, the foul Salvarian Prince Rathar of Alcroth ran into one of our caverns and chanced upon a meeting between High Lady Sren Both and the Makmar Envoy, Vliss Rssant, who had just slain Rathar's mother, Queen Tequair. Unfortunately, Lady Sren Both did not sense the arrival of the accursed Salvarian Prince, who hid behind a rock in typical cowardly Salvarian fashion. Thus Lady Sren'Both did not guard her tongue, and did say far too many revealing things during her conversation with Vliss Rssant. Then, acting like any sniveling Salvarian would, Rathar shot both High Lady Sren Both and Envoy Vliss Rssant in the back with his bow. Lady Sren Both did not die though, and she turned to face the wretched prince, who kicked dirt into the eyes of the High Lady and then ran his sword through her heart. For this act, the Lshar have declared eternal feud against the Salvarians. May their thin Sylar blood run like water over the uncaring earth until the debt is paid..." - From Vol. I of "The War: a Simple History" by Devarius rel Dlon' The Lshar are a race that dwell in the bowels of Ellandor, deep beneath the surface. There, they have built a great city, Sak'Makhil, which lies in a huge natural cavern. All Lshar have smooth, indigo-colored skin. Hair color varies between individuals, but dark gray and black are by far the most common. Many unusual eye colors are also seen. A willful and often fanatic race, the Lshar are masters of priestly magic. The Lshar are also more agile than most other races, and while Lshar warriors should be both feared and respected for their prowess in battle, by far more dangerous are the stealthy Lshar assassins. However, the Lshar suffer from a distinct lack of charm, and their strength has languished from so many years of using slave labor. The Lshar speak their own language, the true name of which is unknown, and is simply referred to as 'Lsharian'. It is an odd tongue, a combination of harsh and liquid syllables, and is seldom spoken outside of Sak'Makhil. The Lshar are also learned at speaking Common, which they are taught in order to ease communication with the other, inferior races of Ellandor. Dalsria is the only deity recognized by the Lshar, and indeed they ferverently worship her, though all but a few have forgotten why. (More on this later.) There is a large temple dedicated to her worship in Sak'Makhil, and most of the Lshar visit it regularly. Overall, the Lshar are a cold and often cruel race, not given to friendships with outsiders. The Lshar are governed by a Council of noble Houses, with the High Lord at the head of the Council. The Houses vary in number, but are never more than thirteen. The rule of the Council is absolute; anyone wishing to challenge one of their decisions must prove using uncontestable evidence that the judgement was in error, then defeat the Council Champion in single combat. As might be expected, the Council's decisions are seldom questioned. The commoners of Sak'Makhil are not oppressed, but they have fewer rights than nobles, and they know it. The nobles of the city, on the other hand, tend to look down on the commoners, but not to the extent seen in many surface-world cities. For the most part, the balance is maintained. Open warfare between Houses is absolutely forbidden. Punishment for such a crime is nothing less than the elimination of all the nobles of the House, and the appointment of a new noble line. Assassination is occasion- ally practiced, but in complete secrecy. Generally, the first hint a Lord has of plotting against him is the dagger thrust into his heart. The thing that has at once both helped the Lshar to survive and poisoned them slowly over the years is their astonishing capacity for hatred and grudge-bearing. In the past, whenever some disaster has befallen the Lshar, they have found something to blame it on (always an outside source; it is speculated by some that the entire conflict with the Sul'Sylar was provoked by the need for a scapegoat in some petty problem). Once this object of hatred is identified, the Lshar will pursue its destruction with a frightening cold tenacity. This character trait greatly injures their ability to work in interracial groups; many Lshar are simply incapable of accepting that something could be their own fault when there are "animals" around to blame. Within their own groups, though, the Lshar are fiercely loyal. Their family unit is one of the strongest found anywhere on Ellandor, and betrayal of one's family is quite possibly the worst crime a Lshar can commit. As families must work together, with each person using their full skills, the Lshar are rather mixed on patriarchy versus matriarchy - each family does as works best for them. Oath-taking is a serious matter, and the Lshar generally are a very honorable people - among themselves. They feel no need whatsoever to extend this respect to the other races. Religiously, the Lshar are curiously fanatic. They have a deep fixation on the darkness in which they live, and worship Dalsria - Lady of the Eternal Night. The priesthood is rather strict in its requirements, not discriminating based on social level or gender, but demanding a high level of devotion and competence. Squeamish novices never become priests. At least once a month, a ceremony is held in which any doomed criminals are released into the city, then hunted down and slain. The citizens enthusiastically help; any individual helping to find and/or kill one of the doomed receives a bounty. To date, no prisoner has escaped in this ritual. In addition, their belief in survival of the strongest is tied up in their religious foundation; as a result, mercy is not a common trait among the Lshar. The overall culture of the Lshar is one of constant competition; families work as a unit to better themselves in their chosen profession, resulting in a number of very specialized groups. Armor, weaponry, clothing - the Lshar have some of the best, and they price it accordingly. In the more creative aspects of society, namely artwork and music, the race suffers. Their fanatic striving to better themselves often results in a lack of "emotion" in their work, and among the things they like most in the other races is their ability to produce beautiful art or soothing music. All in all, the Lshar are not an "evil" race - but they are so incredibly self-centered that they are almost incapable of feeling any empathy with other races. It will take generations for this attitude to lessen, if in fact it ever does. 