The planet on which Elandar exists takes 360 days to orbit
its sun, featuring four seasons very similar to the continent of
Coins: The convenient dwarven concept of money
and coinage spread throughout Elandar during the
Customs: Elandar societies still rely heavily on barter. In such societies gift-giving is a very important ritual. Beautiful and useful goods tend to have more permanent value than a fleeting supply of coins. When seeking the help of another, or when trying repay an act of kindness, the ritual offering of a gift is expected (and the more tailored to the tastes of the recipient, the better). Furs, tapestries, cloth, wrought-metal goods (weapons, goblets, jewelry, etc.), and sometimes slaves are all prized as valuable gifts.
Slavery: As with primitive societies in ancient Earth history,
the practice of slavery plays a role in the economy of Elandar. However,
unlike slavery in early American history, slavery in Elandar is not based on
race and slaves are not massed together on plantations. Most slaves are
war captives, so anyone unfortunate enough to be captured during or after a
battle can be enslaved (and this is often a preferrable and more humane
alternative to massacre and slaughter). Often slaves are the property of
the warriors who capture them (this is especially true among the Plainsmen, who
may give slaves away as gifts but never buy and sell them). Among the Sea
People slaves are the property of the ruler; sometimes slaves (especially
women) are given to individual warriors as a reward, but the bulk of slaves are
maintained by the government for work on construction projects and road
building (male slaves) as well as palace service and cloth weaving (female
slaves). Among both the Sea People and Plainsmen slavery is not
perpetual--most slaves are granted freedom after a few decades of service (the
length varies by local custom), and the children of slaves also receive freedom
when their parents are freed (or when their parents die). Buying and
selling slaves is uncommon, and what little slave-trading occurs in Elandar is
conducted by the mercantile Southmen (who rarely keep slaves themselves).
Human societies look upon slaves as pathetic (no one wants to be a slave,
naturally), but slavery is not considered morally offensive. Only the
elves (and associated half-elves) look upon the practice of slavery with moral
distaste. The dwarves, halflings, and gnomes do not practice slavery
because it is impractical for their small societies with limited territory and
food resources. Slavery is considerably more brutal in the realm of
Maladorn--all war captives and their offspring are the property of the Dynasty
of Z'Hann in perpetuity, and slaves are frequently worked to death tilling
fields and harvesting grain to feed Maladorn's armies.
Hycarean, the language of the Sea People, is the
"Common" tongue of Elandar, although each kingdom has its own unique
dialect. The tongue of the Southmen, Khosa (called Southspeech
by the other races), is a single language and dialect. The Plainsmen
speak a single language commonly called Plainspeech, although each tribe
has its own unique dialect. Speaking and understanding any dialect like a
native requires one skill rank. The halflings also speak Hycarean
(Dalamaran dialect) as their native language. The High Elves and Wood
Elves speak the same ancient language (Elani), although the Wild Elves
and Drow Elves of Darkwood speak different, more primitive dialects. All
dwarves speak the same language (Durukuvord). Gnomes also speak
their own language (Numenovord), but write it using the dwarven script. Draconic
is the official ceremonial language of the Z’Hann Dynasty; it is also the
natural tongue of dragons, most dragon kin, and lizardfolk as well as the
adopted language of the kobolds. Other races speak their own languages (Orcspeak,
for example). Heroes (except the Barbarian) are automatically literate,
but most commoners of all races (except the High and Wood Elves, who enjoy
almost universal literacy) are illiterate. As a side note, Hycarean,
Plainspeech, and Durukuvord (and thus Numenovord as well)
are all written using a slightly modified version of the elven script (since Elani
was the first written language in Elandar).
Elves: Gulf Elves are ruled by a hereditary cuirdan ("king"), often addressed as "our High King" or "the One Sovereign". Each of the nine durgil is governed by an appointed cuirdan-ai ("viceroy"). Palas ("noble") is a rank given to elves in a wide variety of roles--royal bureaucrats, champion warriors, court advisors. Mentis ("sage") and Sacris ("holy") are official titles given to magicians and clerics of renown. Other roles are entitled simply by function (such as "ranger" or "scout" or "warrior"), though outstanding individuals are sometimes denoted with the designation Orda ("first"), such as "first scout". Those in authority over a group are given the title Belegir ("captain"). The Delta Elves do not have a king or viceroys, but they do use all other elven titles. They are led by their Mirthalion ("Council of Elders"), each member bearing the title Mirthalis ("elder) and the designation Mentis or Sacris (depending as on their role); leading elders are also given the designation Celis ("High").
Sea People: "King" is the highest title among the Sea People. "Prince" designates the ruler of a virtually independent domain that is not itself a kingdom. King and prince are often addressed as "Highness" or "Majesty". "Lord" is an honorific granted only to the greatest of warriors (or, at least, high-status individuals in warrior lineages). "Warrior" itself is a respected honorific, distinguishing fighters who personally serve in a noble's "household" from mere free-born "soldiers" who fight in an army. Great lords are sometimes rewarded with important responsibilities and a title to match--a "Lord Marshal" commands a ruler's armies; a "March Warden" rules a border position in the name of his ruler. Additionally, great rulers and nobles surround themselves with "courtiers" (usually lesser nobles) and "advisors" (sages and priests). "Captain" is a lower-ranking title used for a variety of roles--those who command ships, those who command a small troop of fighters ("captain of the line"), and those who command guards ("captain of the watch"). Individuals are also frequently addressed by the social class into which they were born--Royal Born, Noble Born, Free Born, and Low Born. Priests also receive honorifics beyond their basic title as Master, Adept, Novice, or Initiative: regardless of the House to which they belong, priests are frequently addressed as "holy" or "revered" (the Silver Shield prefers the latter) "brother/sister/father/mother" (depending on gender and age).
Plainsmen: Sekato ("high ruler") is the loftiest honorific in a tribe. Lisata ("great lady") is a title given to the wives and daughters of the Sekato; Misato ("great lord") is given to sons and brothers. Irran ("trusted") is an honorific given to a high ruler's greatest warriors and advisors. Each clan is led by a Sepan ("chieftain"), whose relatives are usually addressed as Ato/Ata ("high one"). Outstanding clan hunters, warriors, and champions are given the honorific Kanan ("brave"). Druids are frequently addressed as Akai ("of the sacred") plus a personalized adjective denoting their rank ("wise" or "strong" or "young", so that a junior druid might be addressed as "young among the sacred").
Dwarves: The dwarven "king" (Marduk) is
elected for life by an assembly of "clan lords" (Varak-kor).
There are traditionally nine clans, although the exact number has changed over
time as some lineages declare independence from or are merged into other
lineages. Varak-kor are normally hereditary, although the dwarven
priesthood can oversee challenges for clan leadership (when the Flame of Urdu dominates,
challenges are usually made through verbal, rational argument; when the Hammer
of Urdu dominates, challenges are usually resolved through ritual duels). Gurdan
("marshal") is a title given by the king or clan lords to those
appointed to carry out their decrees--they are often warriors, but sometimes
they are dwarven sages as well. Priests are addressed as Turma
("holiest"), their status in turn designated by the suffix -ko
("elder"), -ki ("higher"), or -ka
("lesser"). The -ko/-ki/-ka hierarchy is also applied to Dolgron
("warrior"), as in Dolgron-ko ("elder warrior").
The Art of Kysech: Among the Sea People, an unusual form of hand-to-hand combat has evolved over the centuries. Called the Art of Kysech, it is geared toward disarming opponent through weapon mastery. It is said that a Kysech master can disarm a foe and strike him down in the same movement of his blade. Another Kysech technique is to fight with a whip in one hand and a sword in the other, disarming the foe with the whip and slaying him with the blade. The origin of the techniques is said to have begun with Kysech, one of the legendary leaders of the migration of the Sea People shortly after the Year 1700. It evolved over time in western Cassamar, especially in the citadel of Cassadorn. Kysech schools have sprung up in most of Cassamar, but they are very small, very private, and very selective. It is a rare honor to be accepted into a Kysech school, and half of those accepted are unable to complete the rigorous training. Now famous throughout the lands of the Sea People, Kysech fighters are divided into three "ranks"--Learner, Adept, and Master. Each rank consists of three "circles" (so a "Third Circle Master" is the highest possible classification). Promotion is only achieved through winning sponsored, ajudicated duels with higher-ranking fighters; duels are very rarely allowed to be fought to the death.
Death Customs: Most societies in Elandar practice a form of ceremonial burial of the dead. The Sea People have different customs for different social classes. Commoners and most Free-Born people are buried in large, communal catacombs dug into the ground beneath their towns and villages. Warriors and Noble-Born people are buried (sometimes with their prized possessions) in crypts made of stone or carved into a hillside. Warrior families often share the same crypt across many generations, but high nobles are sometimes given their own separate crypt. The Plainsmen also practice ceremonial burial, placing their dead in specially raised burrow-mounds. Lesser members of a clan share a communal burrow-mound, but leaders are honored with their own mound (which is covered over with soil and grass to protect the grave goods placed inside). Some high-ranking Plainsmen even insist that their slaves and wives join them in death, though this practice is not universal among the clans and tribes. The dwarves and gnomes also bury their dead, carving out vast catacombs in the ample tunnels beneath their mountains and hills. The dark legends of all these peoples feature the “walking dead” (skeletons, zombies, ghouls, ghasts, wights, mohrgs, vampires, liches). The Southmen, dwelling in a warm, arid environment, practice mummification. They remove the innards of the dead, wrap them in cloth, and bury them in unmarked graves in the desert sand. Similarly, the halflings also practice mummification by wrapping their dead in cloth and sinking them into the river bogs of the Great Fork. Dark legends of wights, mummies, and vampires appear among the Southmen and halflings. The Elani of the Gulf and the Delta practice cremation, burning their dead upon funeral pyres and scattering their ashes in rivers or forests. Thus, the possessions of a deceased elf are divided among his heirs since they are not buried in the ground. The dark legends of the Elani feature dead spirits (shadows, wraiths, ghosts, spectres), as well as even more malevolent, other-worldly entities referred to as mordriri (“shadows”).
Chakra: Among the Plainsmen, deserving warriors may be adopted
into noble bloodlines. Typically, a male head of his lineage who has no
son will adopted an orphaned male from another lineage within his tribe.
On rare occasions, however, a member of another tribe may be adopted--and even
more infrequently, an outsider from another land can be adopted. The
practice is known as chakra ("joining"), and it is marked by a
ritual in which the adopter and the adoptee cut open their palms and clasp
hands, thereby mixing their bloodlines. If the adopter is of an older
generation, he becomes the father and the other male becomes the son; if the
men are of the same generation, then they become brothers. The
implication is even stranger when the ritual is practiced with outsiders--the
adopted male is considered a Plainsman, and the Plainsman comes to consider himself
a member of the nation of the adopted male. Chakra has sometimes
been practiced as a way for hostile lineages to end a blood-feud that would
otherwise lead to violence.
Barbarian: Most are Plainsmen or half-orcs found in the northern lands; some may be Southmen.
Bard: Bards of all races can be found traveling across the continent.
Cleric: Clerics can be found among every race, although there are few halfling and gnome clerics (they must train in other societies). Half-orc clerics are usually Mordari.
Druid: Druids are Plainsmen, Southmen, some elves, or spiritual halflings and gnomes who remain among their own kind.
Fighter: Fighters can be found among every race and in every society.
Paladin: Most are human (Hycarean), and all must be members of the House of the White Crown.
Ranger: Most are elves, half-elves, or Plainsmen in the forests or northern borderlands; Southmen may be desert rangers.
Rogue: Rogues can be found among every race and in every society.
Wizard: Most are elves or half-elves in Greenwood, Darkwood, or Havenwood; there are very few wizards among the other races or in other realms.
Sorcerer: Sorcerers are more common in the human realms, though still rare. Unlike the standard class description, most sorcerers in Elandar do not claim to have any special blood. They simply have an intuitive connection to their mystical powers.