The name of the dominant group of people living south of the Sentasan Mountains. Originally hailing from the north where they were a horse-riding warrior people, the Divai were driven from their lands by Vistorii and emigrated south, where they mingled with the local population (whether by conquering them or settling peacefully is uncertain). The Divai are loosely ruled by a central government, the head of whom is the King or Queen. In essence, the Divai are divided into clans who occasionally go to war with each other for a number of reasons, including land-owning rights, succession wars, vendettas, or small raids. A clan vying for the (often nominal) rulership of the entire Divai dominion may start a large-scale war, involving several (if not all) of the clans, though this has been rare in the course of history. The land is divided into provinces, all of which are further divided into smaller dominions of the individual lords (or ladies). The Divai warrior nobility assert themselves over the peasantry and tax the merchants and artisans. There are a few moderately large cities which figure as the central sites of culture and education, but for the most part the ordinary folk earn their living through farming, cattle-raising, and fishing. The myth cycles of the Divai revolve around the g Gods. These divinities figure centrally in the everyday life, lending their names to Divai months, being a major source of literature and art, as well as combat arts (see Agel Kagla) and song, dance, and music. Another name for the Divai is "Divai Ottori", due to their settlement in the lands of the Ottori. One of the Western Isles.One of the better places to live known for its fresh water and good soil most villagers are farmers. Co'hirista Co'hirista has led many attacks on Demurra, Elisar, and the Western Isles. It is unknown who how old she is, or where she came from. Co'hirista has shown up, leading attacks on the back of her black dragon, throughout history, and many believe she is an elf. Her magic, though, is very uncommon, and the elves believe she is some other form of humanoid. No one has ever seen her face, for she wears a hood and scarf over her face. Though her name strikes fear intom many who hear it, some would say that she is also a hero. Co'hirista has been known to favor a side in war, and fight. Co'hirista has mainly helped the elves, which leads to many thinking that as her heritage. Even though she is seen riding a black dragon in war, many state that they've seen her riding throughout the lands on the back of a Night Mare. Though she is considered evil, vile, and hideous, she has shown some light in her soul at some times. She has never killed children, nor has she ever fought an unarmed opponent. Her behavior is odd, and her history can only be guessed. Now-legendary last stand of the Gorgeous Gang at the Drunken Crane performance bar and brothel. Run to ground by the combined might of f Miir, the gang, made up mostly of escaped slaves and whores and including a large proportion of the city's boy-slaves and male prostitutes, barricaded the streets around the Drunken Crane and regrouped for action under the trained leadership of 'Halfcheek' Xien. Admiring the sheer organization of a rabble become a fierce fighting corps, the Houses offered to spare most of the gang if Xien was handed over at any point. The gang refused, and in a remarkable show of solidarity disguised themselves to a man(/woman/eunuch) with costumes and thick makeup from the whores' stocks and the Drunken Crane's supplies, rendering recognition of Xien's obvious scars or even his physique impossible. Fearing a lantern-extinguishing magic-fueled night attack Xien, knowing he could not hold out long, set fire to his own barricades, reportedly allowing any who did not wish to stand with him to slip away under cover of this gesture. The militias met in the smoking ash at dawn the next day and after a nine-hour struggle the gang were overwhelmed and made examples of, but only after inflicting a three-to-one or more casualty rate amongst the ranks of the law. This set of beliefs is not held exclusively by the Nerrime, although surprisingly the oratory style of myth-telling is more prevalent amongst these people than those on the surface, who favour freer individual interpretation and skill with instruments above diciplined repetition and traininng of the voice. Perplexingly, there are strong similaritites between some of the religious aspects of the Elisian myths and those of the Divai people of the Western Isles. The Nerrime believe that the universe is the "written" form of the interaction between Notes, gods who represent aspects of One, the Shaping Cry. Just as a word can be expressed in writing, plain speech, song or coded tapping, the gods can express themselves or their influence in material form, as literal notes or those notes in potentia, outside the material realm. The Nerrime also believe that there is a kind of water beyond the sky, the surface of which cannot be broken by physical means. It is said that this water is less substantial to mortal lungs than air is to the gills of a fish, and immersion would result in near-instant freezing suffocation. Beyond the "water" is even further from the world, which lies at the heart of Substance, and this is the spirit-realm, where ancestors reside, and above them, entirely outside the world is One, the gods' natural state, and beyond that, Chaos. Chaos is a femminine concept to the Nerrime, Shaping a masculine one. This reasoning is used to justify the ideal that a male's job to teach what the mother creates. Nerriméan song-magic is considerably less developed than that of surface tribes, but is based upon the concept of things as songs made up of elements that correspond to Notes. As it is important to have the Notes' favour in this undertaking, religion and magic-use are practically inseparable. Magic based entirely in the physical realm (without expression in sound, such as poltices and powders) is referred to as "medicine" and covers what would be secular science to most human evaluations. A [Nerriméan Sorcerer] practices more medicine than magic and also transcends the sound and material expressions to communicate with the spirit world. --Anu/Hokate-- Complex concepts that divide the world percieved by the Nerrime. Anu is sacred, a rule that if crossed would harm the balance of spirit and material worlds, particularly one's own ina. It is the active force, the 'father', the right hand. Hokate is everyday, the absorbing force, the 'mother', the left hand. A balance of each is observed in magic and ceremony, and in the calculations of prestige. The idea is central to a lot of Nerriméan law and philosophy, but not obsessed over, mererly a background presence in everyday life.. --Ina-- A concept between life-force, personal glory, hereditary honour and ability to perform magic/sacred acts. e.g. An albino would be said to have much inherent ina, moreso if they came from a noble background. This would make him/her an ideal candidate for . . .Le Cirque d'Aberrations, or "The Freak Show" as it more commonly known, is a performance troupe that operates in the city of Miir. The group performs out of a theater created on the ashes of the n Crane as an homage to their predecessors, the Gorgeous Gang. The troupe consists of seventy-five Caliban, lead by the enigmatic Henri "The Jester" Melinko. The troupe performs to a select audience of Miir's elite, including the heads of all f Miir. Commoners and middle-class workers are never invited to these shows, so what goes on there is mostly a matter of idle speculation and sensational rumor. The most popular theory is that the main performance of an evening involves the torture of a person who has committed some egregious wrong against one of the six Houses. Another theory is that the Cirque has actually learned how to create Caliban, so members of the troupe are given a wide berth by the common folk. The Cirque is sponsored by the Six Houses, though the nobles have not yet forgotten the havoc wrecked by the Gorgeous Gang and watch the troupe constantly for signs of disloyalty, something the Jester highly resents. House Dythanus, in particular, has a grudge against the troupe and they exploit every opportunity they get to cause grief for the Cirque. the nightclawer is a rarely seen creature, It's big mouth with sharp teeth and razorlike claws makes it a very formidable foe. Thre's rumour that they live in caves not yet discovered in the western isles. Some say they are descendents from the forgotten ones. One of the Wesern Isles, scarred by meteoric impact and home to the g Star. Has a few unique species of vegitation, mostly halucinogenic. A måk was a term given to only select individual during the time of The Forgotten to show that one was "different." Although the term wasn't meant to be implied with negative connotation, it became a term synonymous with "friek" and even "outcast." The first of the grand uprisings against the Pan-Demurran Empire. Caused by small scale rebellions by small tribes of natives, it evolved into a full scale uprising that led to the removal of the Imperial Government in the Western Isles. Often considered a large contributor to the decline of the empire.
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