The Dhe'nar - lecture by Mnar Akurion
(hosted by Tarkisis Castile of The Beacon Hall Archive)

[Obsidian Tower, Great room]

The warmth radiating from the smokeless blue fires of the enchanted hearth make an excellent counterpoint to the storm-lashed sky the window displays.  Stuffed leather chairs and couches sit about the room, giving the room a homey feel.  Servants in cloaks with deep hoods wander in and out occasionally, carrying silver trays loaded with exotic culinary delights.  Flashes of lightning highlight the intricately carved motif that covers the western wall, throwing odd shadows across it.  You also see the Ostan disk, a black marble table with some stuff on it, a silver tray with some stuff on it and a smoked glaes door.

Also in the room: Wyseth, Nofret who is seated, Maur, Lady Witcheaven, Mirilia, Alaranth who is seated, High Lady Kadesha who is seated, Lady Lyvonia, Lord Grhim, Lady Heathyranne who is seated, Spaewife, Lord Randem who is seated, Ostan, Juspera, Mnar

Obvious exits: south.

You say, "Tonight, we are honored to have The Obsidian Tower and members grant us the opportunity to learn more about their people and culture."
You say, "Tonight Lord Mnar Akurion will be guest speaker."

You see Mnar Akurion the Half-Elf Scout.
He appears to be in his 80's, has shoulder length, wavy golden blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin.
He has a tattoo of a white skull on a field of black on his neck.
He is in good shape.
He is holding a glass of Dhe'nari blood wine in his right hand.

He is wearing a crystal amulet, a spiraled drinking horn, some dark spidersilk breeches, a silver bound specter skin sheath, a golden glaes spider charm, a gold-threaded dark leather pack, a dark leather Dhe'nari scout cloak, a golden key cloak clasp, a black watered silk weapons harness inset with a tarnished copper spiral, an engraved golvern buckler, a faenor mesh coif, a set of dark scale armor covered with a skein of black ora, and some ora strip leg guards.

Mnar bows.

You say, "I will allow them to make their own introductions..Though they told me their titles--I just can't give them the proper pronunciation."
You cough.

Mnar says, "Thank you, Tarkisis.  My name is, as she said, Mnar Akurion.  I am a shorn'ri of the Obsidian Tower, and head of the Scouts, or Duk'sa."
Mnar says, "Shorn'ri is simply the Dhe'nar-si word for 'cousin'."

Wyseth says, "more or less.. Like much of our language..  Translation to common..  Is .. Inadequate"

Wind buffets the window, coating the glaes with moisture.

Wyseth says, "I am Kodom 'Sleoth Wyseth Krak'th"
Wyseth says, "I command the guard of the tower"
Wyseth says, "Kodom 'sleoth roughly translates to warrior or guardian"
Wyseth says, "my duty is to protect the people"
Wyseth grins.
Wyseth says, "That's why I'm more strict then Starsnuffer"
Wyseth grins.
Wyseth nods to Mnar.

Mnar says, "When most people think of the Dhe'nar, they tend to think of dark elves and, well, dark elves."
Mnar says, "And while it's true that for a long period of time the only Dhe'nar were dark elves, that is no longer strictly the case.  In fact, the first Dhe'nar were as elven as the Ashrim or Vaalor."
Mnar says, "Do understand why that has changed, and why it continues to change, a brief discussion of our history is warranted."

Mnar says, "Many, many thousands of years ago, there were no elven houses.  There was only an Empire, single and indivisible, in which all elves were equal members."
Mnar says, "However, into this empire was born one by the name of Korthyr."
Wyseth scowls.

Mnar says, "Korthyr, of the line Faendryl, realized that the Empire was not sitting upon a solid foundation, and that great power and wealth could be gained if great changes were to occur, and were one ready for them."
Mnar says, "Korthyr was a gifted politician, and began maneuvering deftly around the circles of power within the Nation, convincing other powerful families that they too could rise to Power, were the nation to fragment."

Nofret says, "He sounds as if he had decided there was as much profit in the disintegration of an empire as in its construction."
Mnar nods to Nofret.

Mnar says, "Although many people were convinced by his words, a select few were unpersuaded."
Mnar says, "Chief among these individuals was an old, priest, whose true name has been lost to time.  We simply call him Noi'sho'rah, or 'First Brother'."

Mnar says, "Although there may be a slight bias in what I say, the bare facts are undeniable."
Mnar says, "Query Silvean as to the events of the founding of the Houses, and you'll hear the same facts, from a different angle."
Grhim says, "I am well acquainted with the founding of the Elven houses."

Mnar says, "Noi'sho'rah was, as I said, a priest.  He lived by a code of ethics and rules known simply as the Way, which taught a philosophy of self-reliance and Unity as a path to enlightenment.  It was supposedly handed down to the elven people by the Gods, as a sacred trust."
Mnar says, "Although Korthyr was quite adept at relying upon himself, he lacked the sense of divinely inspired unity that Noi'sho'rah held dear."

Mnar nods to Wyseth.
Wyseth says, "Our legends hold that Noi'sho'rah  sat at the feet of those we today call the Arkati and learned his wisdom directly from them"

Lightning flashes outside, followed closely by the deep crack and rumble of thunder.

Wyseth nods to Mnar.
Mnar says, "Although Korthyr was quite adept at relying upon himself, he lacked the sense of divinely inspired unity that Noi'sho'rah held dear."
Mnar says, "For decades, Korthyr and Noi'sho'rah were the figureheads of the two movements, one for Unity, the other for Separation."

Mnar says, "Eventually it became clear, however, that too much was to be gained for a select few individuals through separation, and the empire began to fragment into the Seven Houses."
Mnar says, "It was in the last days of this collapse that Korthyr and Noi'sho'rah had their final confrontation."
Mnar says, "Korthyr viciously portrayed Noi'sho'rah as an anachronism, painting him as a relic before the entire Elven Council, and declaring that the future of the Nation was in a cooperation of houses, rather than a single, monolithic nation."

Nofret says, "But Korthyr had already spoken out for competition as a way that a select few could profit...He was contradicting himself."
Mnar nods to Nofret.

Mnar says, "Oh, he was quite capable of saying whatever was appropriate at the moment, contradictions be damned."
Nofret says, "Typical politician, then."
Mnar says, "He was, as I said, perhaps the most gifted politician to have ever lived."

Mnar says, "Finally, able to take no more, Noi'sho'rah stood and delivered a final ultimatum to the elven people:"

Mnar recites:

    "Know you that if the elven nations fall, if you fail to follow the true way, the dead themselves shall rise up against you. There shall come one with more power than has ever been wielded and she shall lay your nations to waste. You shall stand helpless before her, your own petty bickering paving the way for her to take even the mightiest of your cities. Her touch shall be felt for generations and you shall never again rise to the power you had before her arrival. For those that follow the way, shall be a steady rise in power. The way shall lead them to safety, even in the midst of the greatest danger to face Elanthia. Those who remain firm in the faith will never need fear retribution. Lose your way and you will feel fire from the heavens. Always though, the way stands open, even for those who have lost it. Return again to your beliefs and you shall regain your favor with the Arkati. I go now to stand with the Arkati and my eyes shall be on my people always."

Mnar coughs.
Mnar takes a drink from his Dhe'nari blood wine.
Wyseth shivers.
Wyseth nods to Mnar.

Mnar says, "And, concluding that oration, there was a flash of light, and Noi'sho'rah had vanished."
Mnar says, "This was, by most estimates, about thirty-to-fourty thousand years before Despana's birth."

Kadesha asks, "can blame da elves fer Despana then?"
Kadesha ducks her head.
Randem says, "many have."
Nofret says, "No, only for the results Despana had on the seven houses."
Mnar nods.
Witcheaven says, "The Faendryl created their own doom by what they did."
Mnar says, "Despana would have risen regardless of what happened to the nation."
Juspera asks, "Prophesy is notoriously easy. In forty thousand years, how likely is it that something that could match the prophesy *wouldn't* happen?"
Mnar says, "However, the failure of the elven houses to deal with her was a direct result of their fragmentation."
Mnar says, "Certainly, Ta'Vaalor would not have burned, were the elves united."
Wyseth says, "A united empire would not have had much difficulty with her"
Nofret says, "Except that in forty thousand years, no other person seems to fit that description save Despana."
Wyseth says, "so far"
Grhim says, "My people knew what had to be done, however the others houses did not."
Witcheaven says, "And such spells of destruction that were used, would not have been necessary."
Juspera says, "It's easy to retrofit people and events to a prophesy. But we'll leave such a discussion till later."
Mnar chuckles.
Nofret nods to Juspera.

Mnar says, "Anyway, despite Noi'sho'rah's prediction, the council voted to dissolve anyway, and the Seven Houses were born."
Mnar says, "Although the vast majority of elves aligned themselves with one of these Houses, there were a select few who held to Noi'sho'rah's teachings, and the Way."

Shadows dance along the walls, making the mountain carved into the wall seem to loom over the entire room.

Mnar says, "Into Noi'sho'rah's place stepped Tahlad, also of the line Faendryl, uncle to Korthyr."
Mnar says, "Throughout the debates over separation he had held steadily at Noi'sho'rah's side against his own nephew, but now found himself in charge of a few thousand exiles."
Mnar says, "So in a sense, it was two Faendryl who founded not only the Houses, but also the Dhe'nar."

Spaewife just touched a carved motif.

Carved into the black obsidian wall is an incredibly lifelike rendition of the Great Mountain.  Looking closer you can see villages and keeps sprawling across the mountainside, a forest of charred and twisted trees surrounding them.  The detail is marvelous, down to the bare and contorted branches on the grey trees.

Wyseth says, "Though those who became the Dhe'nar were from families that founded all seven houses"
Mnar says, "The new Dhe'nar were homeless, cast out of their lands and set adrift in a world still reeling from the battles between the Drakes and Ur-Daemons.  It was neither safe nor comfortable.  The weak died quickly, and the strong not much later."
Mnar says, "Only a few hundred individuals survived when Tahlad reached the plains of Rhoska-tor, the only land the new Dhe'nar could exist unmolested by their cousins."

Mnar says, "At Rhoska-tor, they discovered a vast network of caverns and tunnels, leading miles into the earth.  Never before had elves lived in caves, but this was all that was left."

You ask, "So they were there prior to the exile of the Faendryl after the war with Despana..?"
Wyseth nods to you.
Mnar says, "The battle between the Drakes and Daemons had ended at Rhoska-tor, and the entire area was saturated with the energies of that final battle."
Mnar says, "In time, they became what we would call Dark Elves, of which Wyseth is a prime example."

Wyseth chuckles.
Wyseth says, "Saving the talent for magic"
Mnar nods.
Wyseth says, "The Origin of the warrior caste is well.. private"

Nofret says, "If control was harder, I would imagine it would be much more highly prized among the Dhe'nari."
Wyseth nods to Nofret.

Mnar says, "In order to survive, the Dhe'nar were forced to institute a strict caste system."
Mnar says, "The priesthood was responsible for our laws, customs, lore, tradition, and the bloodlines.  With only a few hundred individuals surviving, strict controls over who mated with who were necessary."
Wyseth says, "This is still true today"
Wyseth shrugs.

Mnar says, "The Warrior's caste is the oldest, dating back to shortly before the Dhe'nar actually reached Rhoska-tor.  As a caste they developed a strong relationship with the priests, guarding them from all threats."
Wyseth nods.
Mnar says, "The Warlocks are, relatively speaking, the youngest caste."
Mnar says, "It wasn't until several thousand years after the move to Rhoska-tor that Dhe'nari magicks were refined to the point that a true caste of Warlocks could emerge."

Mnar says, "Since then, 'Control' over the Dhe'nar has bounced back and forth between the Warlocks and the Priests, each lasting for a few thousand years until something happens and the other caste assumes tacit control."

Grhim says, "Hmm, the Dhe'nar are not completely as free of internal struggle as they would have us believe."

Mnar says, "The warriors, of course, are mostly content to just be warriors."

Mnar says, "Well, there are always politics."
Wyseth says, "The way is still the way"

Grhim says, "Of course."
Grhim smiles slightly.

Mnar says, "Usually it takes some calamitous event to shift control, so Dhe'nari history makes for good reading."

Nofret asks, "So the caste system was a form of specialization to ensure that the best for the job were the only ones doing said job. Because that would help ensure the community's survival in a hostile environment. Was that not the reasoning?"
Juspera says, "Yes, that part wasn't very clearly outlined."

Mnar says, "Anyway."
Mnar says, "After a few thousand years, the changes began to slow, and the environment above the caverns became more hospitable.  Sensing a chance to leave their exile behind, the Dhe'nar migrated south past the Southron Waste, into the jungles of Sharath."
Mnar says, "After a few thousand years, the changes began to slow, and the environment above the caverns became more hospitable.  Sensing a chance to leave their exile behind, the Dhe'nar migrated south past the Southron Waste, into the jungles of Sharath."

Mnar says, "There, they founded a jewel, a city named Sharath that overlooked the jungle and ruled it indominitably."
Mnar says, "It lasted for thousands of years, until it was unfortunately destroyed in a fire."
Mnar says, "After which, of course, the Dhe'nar rebuilt, this time using new recruits; dwarves."

Grhim asks, "What sort of fire?"
Mnar says, "A big fire."
Juspera grins.
(Mnar spreads his arms.)
Juspera stares off into space.
Maur says, "with flames and heat."
Heathyranne grins at Mnar.

Wyseth says, "It is believed that a star fell from the sky"

Nofret asks, "Would catastrophic be the word?"
Wyseth says, "a matter of bad luck"
Mnar says, "You might say it was catastrophic."
Juspera asks, "How about cataclysmic?"
Mnar says, "I wouldn't go that far."
Spaewife says, "it went boom"
Spaewife nods.
Juspera says, "Not that big a fire."
  ((just a little fire... <cough>))
Wyseth says, "these things happen"

Mnar says, "The dwarves began their service as slaves, toiling in the new mountains around Sharath.  However, it quickly became clear to both master and servant that the Dwarves were absolutely necessary for the rebuilding of the Empire."
Mnar says, "As the years past, the dwarves ceased to be slaves, and were given entire sections of the mountain to do with as they pleased.  Eventually, the formed a seperate society, living beneath the new Sharath."
Mnar says, "They mined and forged, which they enjoyed doing, and they were paid well for it."

Wyseth says, "They gained great wealth as master craftsmen"
Mnar says, "Even today, Dhe'nari success on the battlefield is due as much to dwarven craftsmanship military prowess."
Mnar says, "So the dwarves found a niche, and everyone was pleased."
Wyseth says, "Today.. the Dwarves form the heart of our army"

Wyseth says, "They built this place only a couple years ago"

Mnar says, "And, with that, i will turn things over to my colleague Wyseth."

Wyseth nods.
You nod to Mnar.
You say, "Thank you Mnar."

You say, "I think we've all learned a few new things about the Dhe'nar tonight."

Wyseth says, "Now"
Wyseth says, "Today...  This tower is the center of Dhe'nar activity in this part of the world"

(Wyseth goes on to say that their Essence, who would be Lord Celtic owns the deed to the Landing. He forgot to mention that Starsnuffer’s human wife, Leanness owns the deed to Solhaven.)

Wyseth says, "We also.. work hard to train those of the blood who move into this area"

The indigo-blue flames dance in the fireplace, illuminating the room in a gentle glow.

Wyseth points at Maur.
Wyseth says, "Folk like him who hope to have their blood tested"
Maur nods to Wyseth.

Wyseth says, "We also are beginning to welcome those like Mnar who wish to learn of the way.. and to follow it"

Wyseth says, "It is not an easy route. but nothing worth it ever is"

Wyseth says, "Some leave.. only to return later"
(Witcheaven folds her arms stubbornly.)

Wyseth says, "and of course. the dwarves support us"
Wyseth says, "They are in many ways the foundation of our power here"
Wyseth says, "the rock that supports our magical skills"
Wyseth says, "but with them to support us.. we can spread our efforts more widely"

Wyseth says, "to put it in a purely millitary sense"
Wyseth says, "They function as our heavy infantry"
Wyseth says, "While some like myself can and do fight with them"

Nofret says, "The vanguard, you mean. First in every battle, last in every retreat. They must take heavy losses."
Wyseth shrugs.
You nod to Nofret.
Wyseth says, "I fight in the line with them"
You say, "Dwarves are a very stalwart race, regardless if they are fair or dark skinned."
Wyseth says, "supported by the warlocks and the priests"
Wyseth says, "Few foes care to try to break a line of dwarves with warlocks and sorcerers behind them supporting them"

You say, "The whip blades are a notable weapon, and culture specific to the Dhe'nar."
Wyseth nods to you.
You say, "perhaps you could mention them too"
You say, "I notice the guards wield them.."

Wyseth says, "The whipblade is a hand and a half weapon of  razor sharp spring steel"
Witcheaven says, "The guard we passed on the way in has a very nice example of one."
Wyseth says, "making them is very difficult.. and we rarely have a new one every 5 years so far"
Wyseth says, "it is said that Noi'sho'rah invented them"

(We toured the tower.. A beauty in the dark)