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| Isldar | |
|---|---|
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| Race | |
| Pronunciation | Ysel-dar |
| Classification | Nelfin. |
| Common Nicknames | Frostlings, Frozen People, Frost Horrors. |
| Languages | Common Elvish. |
| Naming Customs | Elvish. |
| Racial Traits | |
| Maximum Age | 200 years. |
The Isldar, a subrace of the Elves, are as mysterious as they are elusive. Fair looking with brilliant white hair and pale (almost bluish) skin tones, the Isldar are a rare sight even in Aloria. It is uncommon for anyone to even see a single Isldar their entire life, in due part to their secretive lifestyle and society being hidden away from the rest of the world. The Isldar guard a cold and long forgotten secret of the world: their entire society built around the worship, and fear, of the the Frostweaver, an ancient dragon thought to have died a long time ago.
Physical Characteristics
The Isldar are a unique homogenous race, meaning they all look very similar. There are, for example, no differences in hair color. All pure Isldar have the same brilliant white hair, but half-breeds always lose this trait. Similarly, their skins and eyes are also alike, the skin being an extremely pale skin tone with a hint of blue and their eyes always sky blue of color. What differences there are among the Isldar may be found in their height and the shapes of their bodies and faces. Isldar physically look very similar to the Talar, sharing the same average height and prominent elongated faces. The most notable physical trait of the Isldar is their extreme resistance to frost and cold temperatures. It takes severe freezing temperatures to actually harm an Isldar, allowing them to walk in the middle of a blizzard without any additional protection. It is generally assumed that similar to the Dakkar, but inversely, their skin insulates them from the extreme cold. Isldar are sexually dimorphic, meaning the females look very different from the males. Females tend to be taller than Isldar males, often as much as a full head length. The females are also more uniquely predisposed for Ice magic, having a quick and fluent grasp on this form of magic whenever taught. Isldar live to similar lengths as regular Talar, being 200 years, though their lifespan is often shortened if they live further away from their homeland. It is not often clear where or what the Isldar homeland is, but Isldar that have lived away from their lands have reported feeling “cold chills” and “frozen loneliness” in their hearts. It is generally assumed they have some sort of physical connection to where they came from, and the longer they are separated, the more damaging it becomes to their health.
More on Isldar Physical Characteristics.
Mental Characteristics
Isldar are known to be brutally dogmatic, even more so than the Drowdar. Their dogma takes different shapes however. They are generally cold, uncaring, and very untrusting of anyone who isn’t an Isldar. Isldar are very intelligent however, more so than the average of the Talar. Isldar often have fine understandings of the consequences of their actions, indicating a good natural insight, often allowing them to make quick and effective decisions. Despite this insight however, they are also known to be brutally narrowminded. They would rather continue their existence forever the way it is, than seek an improvement. Isldar have an unnatural stubbornness, causing any who leave the hold to take the secrets of their race to the grave, even if they feel wronged by the hold.
More on Isldar Mental Characteristics.
History
The actual history of the Isldar dates back much further than the Cataclysm that officially broke their society away from the general Talar society. The earliest mention of Isldar dates back to the time of the Dragons. Isldar back then were called “Dregodar”. The Dregodar were a small splinter group of the Elven population who believed the Dragons were majestic creatures of power and awe who should be protected and worshipped, not hunted as was the common practice at the time. Legend has it over the centuries it took the Elven Empire to eradicate the Dragons on the western part of the known continents of Aloria, where the Dregodar worked tirelessly to preserve the Dragons.
It is said at some point the Dregodar acquired a spire of Dragon eggs of Northern Frost Dragons, the largest and most powerful of all Dragons. Over the centuries nearing the Cataclysm, there is little actual mention of the Dregodar until shortly after the Cataclysm itself where Elven society splintered. As the Drows went north to Drowda, the Talar went to war with each other; the Dregodar went to Ellador, one of the last strongholds of their Dragon worshipping temples. They believed the Voidlings were sent by the Dragons to punish the unworthy Elves for their lack of faith. The Dregodar disappeared overnight, followed by a brutal blizzard that took hold of the whole of Ellador for nearly 20 years, transforming the once lush green landscape into the frozen mountain land it is today.
Isldar are an extremely rare sight nowadays, shut off from the rest of the world, tending to the Frost Dragons and the Frostweaver. Over the past 300 years, Isldar became a legend to the Dwarves and Humans who lived in Ellador, telling tales of wraithlike Elves marching in blizzards that would freeze the life out of anyone that laid eyes on them. The term Isldar eventually became more popular among outsiders, as the Elves became more associated with the frost and ice they brought rather than their Draconian religion.
More on Isldar History.
Society
Isldar society is hard to describe, as there are very limited resources available to research their way of life. Isldar who leave their frozen hold rarely speak of their homeland, even under torture or mental duress. Whatever information is known on their hold is largely based on old historical records from the Elven Empire, dating back to the rise of the Dregodar and the Dragon Cult. It is generally assumed that present day Isldar society is based on the Dragon Cult. Occasionally, small glimpses into Isldar culture can be discovered by things they accidently leave behind. The following information is mostly assumptions or theories derived from history and small hints here and there.
More on Isldar Society.
Politics
Isldar politics isn’t run by any individual or group of people, rather it is the collective outcome of oracles. The Oracles used fossilized scales of Dragons in centuries past to predict future events, along with a variety of other Dragon related items. It is assumed this principle holds true today. All females in society belong to the Frost Singer class, the elite of Isldar society that perform their religious services and lead the lower classes, as well as the Oracles. The males make up the other classes, being the Frozen Legions, the Sky Guardians, and the Craven dwellers. The Frozen Legions are assumed to make up most of the Isldar soldiers. Any interaction with them often leaves those who they laid their eyes on in frigid fear of their cold eyes, due to their haunty appearance. The Sky Guardians are referred to in Elven history as those who rode dragons. It is not known whether they ever existed to begin with, as no sightings have been made in past centuries since the eradication of the Dragons. The lowest class are the Craven dwellers, weaker men condemned to physical labor to keep the Isldar society running. If any Isldar leaves the hold, it is a Craven dweller 9 out of 10 times. Females never leave the hold, though females have been known to be born from Craven dwellers away from the hold.
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Culture
Isldar strongly appreciate song and music, especially string instruments. As the Ailor saying goes: “The best way to thaw an Isldarin heart is to soothe it with strings.” Song is very strongly associated with their religion, though its exact purpose and importance is not understood. The song of winter is an act purely done by the Frost Singers, the upper class females. This further emphasizes the strongly matrilineal line within the Isldar culture. The matrilineal society is often also a reason why some of the Craven dwellers leave their holds, though it is more common for a Craven dweller to be cast out for treason or heresy. It is generally assumed that the reason why Isldar leaving the hold in protest against the matrilineal rule is related to the old Elven Empire. While the Drow strictly vowed against the excessed and decadence of the Talar Elves, the Dregodar never made such a strong stand against it. It is assumed the women who rule the holds are prone to cruelty, though those who flee never speak of the true reasons. Isldar have no known technology or education. They generally cannot write or read, they speak a Nelfin tongue that nobody else understands, and their entire society is assumed dependant on magic. This much is known by the Isldar who wander away from the hold, often having difficulty to even communicate with those around them. Whatever crafts and uniqueness they have is portrayed by their clothing and accessories. Isldar are often decorated with brilliant mountain crystals, white or otherwise blue of color with a radiant shine. Their clothes are made of flowing silks that almost seem to defy gravity, streaming like liquids on smooth surfaces. Isldar cloth is extremely hard to come by and extremely expensive, a highly prized good in Regalia and unfortunately only acquired by killing its owner.
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Religion
The Isldar’s central belief is that of Dragons, the belief that Dragons gave life to the world. They believe in a holy union between Dragon and Elf, the true harmonious existence of Elves being that with the Dragons in unison. This religion is their only religion, as their entire existence is tied with it. The religion itself dates back to the early days of the Dregodar, centered around the Elf “Gondolenna the Singer”. She acted as a prophet, being one of the first to tame a dragon with the power of her voice, spreading prophecies of Elf-Dragon union across the land. She was later killed during a dragon hunt, her dragon along with her, but her beliefs lived on in her disciples, eventually giving birth to the Dregodar cult. The religion is as much reverence as it is fear. Despite the fact that the Isldar wish to bring about the union between Elf and Dragon, they believe it is impossible during the current era, and that they are the final bastion against the ending of the world. This end is described as the time when Dragon worship has become so few that the Dragons will decide to simply end the world with an ice age to start a new. This is largely also the reason why Isldar do not tolerate outside interference, and why those who leave still hold onto their silence on their origins.
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Economy
Nothing is truly known about the Isldar economy, though it is generally assumed that the principle of currency or trade does not exist among them. The very principle of exchange is foreign to Isldar, indicating that their society breeds in them the natural entitlement that the upper classes have, and the self sacrificing attitude the lower classes have. An Isldar will often insist on trading favors instead of actual items, when anyone wants something of theirs.
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Combat and Warfare
Isldar are not known to have waged war on any known groups, simply preferring the use of occasional raids to keep others away from their temples. The first warning sign is a sudden and brutal blizzard that will appear out of nowhere. Followed are the howling sounds of the Frozen Legion and sometimes enchanting singing echoing in the frozen winds if a Frost Singer is present. If those who are being hunted are still not running back from where they came, they will often be struck with arrows made of ice, with no warning shots of clear origin. When the targets have been taken out, the blizzard subsides, leaving behind only a field of corpses. Over time, skeletons have started heaping up in certain areas north of Ellador, marking an entire area as a no-man’s land, the locals too fearful to get closer. There have been several Isldar that have been captured over the centuries during these blizzard raids, but all have been silent as the grave, not telling a single thing about their homeland.
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Trivia
- Isldar leaving the hold are often Traitors, Heretics or accidental losses.Traitors and heretics are cast out for their violation of the Dragon religion. Accidental losses are infants who wander too far from the hold, getting lost in the blizzards and eventually being found by outsiders. Parents never come to reclaim their lost children.
- An exceptionally strong Frost Singer was once captured by a group of Dwarves who used a ploy to draw her out while they lay hidden in the snow. She eventually broke free and used her potent Ice magic to freeze herself in a giant spire of Ice. The Ice spire still stands in northern Ellador to this day, being called “The Frost Wall” as it connects two mountains like a giant wall of ice.
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