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| Sihndar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Race | |
| Pronunciation | Seen-dar |
| Classification | Magus |
| Common Nicknames |
|
| Languages | Sinnayed |
| Racial Traits | |
| Distinctions | Prized warriors and Demon hunters who search the world for aid |
| Maximum Age | 500 |
| Height | Average to Tall |
| Eye Colors | Any shade of blue or green or brown. |
| Hair Colors | Raven Black, White, or Auburn |
| Skin Tones | 
 |
Holding the first and last line of defense against the Greater Demons, the Sihndar were an Altalar Cult that weathered the Cataclysm and eventually became its own Race. Sihndar are a purpose-driven and pragmatic race of Dark Elves who hail from the cursed continent Drowda, from which the last Void Invasion started. Their society is built around their defense of the world against the Greater Demons that still roam in this land, and use their immensely powerful magics to summon lesser Demons and corrupted creatures to assail the living. Despite their praiseworthy reputation as the most skilled Nelfin fighters, the Sihndar fight a losing war against a never-ending foe, and as such, many travel out in the world, seeking all manner of aid for their beleaguered homeland. The world may have gone deaf and blind to the woes of Drowda, and if ignored for too long, the Sihndar know all too well that the evil held back by them will spread to other continents. There are yet allies to be found in the wider world: most of all Regalia, the city where everything comes together.
Origins
The Sihndar were originally Suvial, Teledden, and Fin'ullen Altalar members of the Cult of Drovv, a highly militaristic order and Altalar Cult that centered around martial training. Some of the Allorn Empire’s greatest champions and physical warriors were Drovv Cultists, who followed the unusual teachings of the Drovv Race that settled on the Drowda continent. The Drovv people were a warrior-monk race of bipeds with long necks and small heads, but four arms with which they wielded khopeshes with great skill. For several hundreds of years, this was all the Cult of Drovv did, until the outbreak of the last Void Invasion. The Void Invasion instantly wiped out the Drovv people and culture, the first to fall to the Demons spewing forth from the Void Tear in Drowda, quickly followed by the Velheim colonists who had settled the area. The Cult of Drovv was quick to deploy, along with the Allorn armies, but marched to their doom in the face of the Demon-tide. When Cataclysm occurred and the Void Tear closed without explanation, a small part of the Cult of Drovv was still intact, and preached to the few fighting guilds and soldiers left in the Allorn Empire that their duty lay north. Their reasoning was that for the thousands of years of debauchery, genocide, deceit and corruption, the Allorn had a collective guilt to undo their sin through an eternal vigilance against Demons. The Cult of Drovv gained a large following and traveled to Drowda to quickly set up makeshift forts and start fighting the never-ending Demon tide that still remained, severed from the Void but not any less dangerous. Over time, the magical essence trapped in the air around them bombarded their bodies, and physically changed them to what is seen as an entirely separate race in the modern era. The Cult of Drovv eventually renamed itself to Sihndar, or the “Old-ones who bear Sins” in Ancient Elven. From then-on, their never-ending watch started, though quickly on, they sent out parties into the wider world, in search of aid for their homeland that the rest of the world would eventually grow complacent to.
Core Identity
To be Sihndar is centered around their solemn mission to hunt all Demons: a duty which can be either embraced, or rejected. They are saddled with the thankless task of seeing the bigger picture, to fight the imminent and still very real threat of the Greater Demons who reside in Drowda, to protect the rest of the world from their invasion. To be Sihndar is to inevitably be sent out in the world to find something useful for the homeland, and to be faced with apathy and indifference from all who live outside of Drowda, who live while the Sihndar keep the Demons at bay with such success that the rest of the world has even forgotten they were there to begin with.
Faustian Bargain
The Sihndar are Demon hunters, but not Demon haters. There is a complex nuance that would break open the head of any Unionist trying to wrap their mind around it. The Sihndar consider the Greater Demons to be a far greater threat (and subsequently the Void Gods) than Arken, Vampires, Cahal, or other Occult creatures that don’t have explicit murderous tendencies. The Greater Demons are beings of carnage and destruction, and so can never be bargained with, but Sihndar have on occasion and are fully capable of plying their utilitarian and pragmatic identity to make bargains with other types of less harmful Demons to gain an edge over the truly dangerous ones. This is why by population numbers, Sihndar actually have a higher Silven population as well as a number of fighters whose souls are already bound or sold to some Demonic entity, waiting to collect their due. The Sihndar do not hate all things Occult: they make an on-balance decision whether something is harmful to the world and needs to be exterminated, or whether something can be used to fight fire with fire.
Homeland Reprised
Many Sihndar live outside of Drowda, but the homeland is always in their mind, whether they tried to flee away from it, or are still attempting to aid it. While Sihndar can get engaged and involved in local drama of whatever place they inhabit, inevitably, all actions must be done through the scope of how it relates to Drowda. Even through seemingly unrelated activities like socializing with a Noble or marrying a local Aristocrat can have the long-term goal of freeing up finances to be sent as war-support for the Sihndar still fighting back home. Many Sihndar become apprentices to engineers and smiths, so that when they return to Drowda, they can take newfound skills along and be of benefit. In essence: every action no matter how small, must reflect the cause.
Repressed Mind
Despite the lofty goals and aims of the Sihndar, and their selfless teachings and harsh discipline for those who fall out of line, not all Sihndar can keep up with their doctrine. A sizable minority of the Sihndar who are sent out in the world secure missions specifically to get away from Drowda, and the suffocating nature of their eternal duty. Some find the way Sihndar society operates, and how it demands they sacrifice while the world is blind to their suffering, an unfair arrangement. As such, they seek to free themselves from these duties and disappear in the crowd abroad, being called Sihn-Fallar from that point on, or “national traitors”.
Design
Mental Characteristics
Sihndar are stoic and pragmatic, while also venomous and sarcastic. Most Sihndar who have grown up in the extremely repressive militaristic environments of their Xasters (Fortress-Cities) have a level of unease with the wild, expressive and energetic outside world, which results in them being more quiet and observant until they understand the situation around them. As well, there is a level of disdain towards outsiders for ignoring their plight in Drowda, which results in a very holier-than-thou attitude towards the smaller problems that people have out in the world. After all, how does a local Duke being upset because his wife ran off with the stable-hand possibly compare to Alamat incinerating a whole Xaster with all the people inside. Sihndar often use double-speak, sarcasm, ridicule and passive-aggression in their communication, to the point that few outsiders can ever tell if they are being serious without asking. Otherwise, Sihndar personalities are fairly varied, as many of them have inherited the mentalities of their Suvial, Teledden and Fin’ullen ancestors, mixing all of their wildly varying traits.
Physical Characteristics
Sihndar are physically similar to the Fin’ullen, Maquixtl, and Ailor: meaning for a Nelfin race, they are well-built and wide-framed. They excel at physical tasks as well as combat, and are generally built for reflex and endurance over raw strength despite their size. Their faces can be either more pointy or more square-like, though they lean towards more rough and masculine-leaning appearance traits. The most notable Sihndar trait is their dark purple-gray to blue-gray skin-tone, which is often accompanied by dramatic white or raven-black or auburn hair. These traits are largely why the Sihndar are called Dark Elves, and also why they are often mistaken for Kathar.
Sihndar in Regalia
Sihndar in Regalia are often either integrated citizens or foreign visitors who nonetheless secure a base of operations or house from which to operate their services. Sihndar, because of their duties to their homeland, have a wide range of activities in Regalia (unless they are Sihn-Fallar, in which case they try to avoid other Sihndar as much as possible). The Regalian Government and society is largely ambivalent to the Sihndar. While there are some institutions that support Drowda, and the Emperor even sends a monthly support tribute north, by far and large Regalian society is blind to the dangers of Demon breakouts in Drowda, and as such ignores the Sihndar pleas for aid. A list of frequent activities of the Sihndar is as follows:
- The Sihndar have a unique relationship with the Regalian Knights, to the point that being a Sihndar almost makes one a member of an unofficial fifth Knight Order. The Sihndar work intensely with all the Knight Orders in their own tasks, and even have a legal exception to fulfill any Knight’s task alongside them. Examples are chasing after a Renegade Mage with Aelrrigan Knights, guarding a Unionist Temple with Villiers Knights, or entering a battlefield together with Viridian Knights. Sihndar, so long as they are on an active patrol or mission together with at least two Knights, have automatic Armor and Weapon Permits for the duration of their mission.
- The Sihndar are always on the lookout for expert fighters. Sihndar will actively scout skilled warriors and Mages during battles and if deemed suitable, invite them to join a so-called Menxer. A Menxer is a Sihndar’s personal group of “Friends in Arms”, where they collect non-Sihndar to go on missions to fight lesser Demons with. This is mostly a self-generating Roleplay role, which involves the Sihndar writing Lore Stories incorporating fights with Lesser Demons as explained in the Drowda section of this page.
- On top of recruiting their own Menxer, the Sihndar also host their own tournaments in Regalia, using some trinkets or tokens they have acquired as lure for warriors to show up, only to snatch the winners up afterwards to assist them in Drowda. Sihndar by population are the most avid hosters, participators and assisting members of tournaments in Regalia, as well as military reenactments and Honor duels. When a Sihndar is not actively doing anything, they are positively glued to Arenas.
- Sihndar also try to explain the dangers of the Drowda situation up north. Part of their mission of collecting aid is also to raise awareness for their sacrifice, and to mobilize people into caring about the situation in Drowda that could one day negatively affect the rest of the world. Seeking out alliances with Noble House and securing their financing is only part of that, as well as becoming apprentices to forgers, researchers, mages, fighters and politicians to pick up useful skills for the homeland. A Sihndar must always be learning something new.
Racial Abilities & Specials
Racial Abilities are generally a set of unique powers and effects that all peoples of that Race all innately have, while Specials are more passive, aesthetic focused capabilities. Specials are defined per-page, while Abilities can be searched on the Ability List page to determine their generic function. Sihndar mostly get a whole slew of Specials because of their flexible nature as well as point-refund Packs, but have some combat arranged Abilities. There is no such thing as a Half-Sihndar. Anyone who reproduces with a Sihndar will simply have Sihndar children, regardless of what Race they are, and these children will always be born with zero traits of their non-Sihndar parent.
Abilities
| Ability Name | Ability Type | Ability Range | Ability Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon Summon | Dimension Power | Self | Grants the user Weapon Summon | N/A |
| Shield Summon | Summon Power | Self | Grants the user Shield Summon | N/A |
| Home Advantage | Constant Passive | Region | Grants the user Home Advantage | Sihndar Modifier |
Specials
- Ageless: Sihndar are Ageless, meaning they never show aging. When they become adults, Sihndar simply appear as if they are young adults forever, unless they choose not to. Any Sihndar can choose to change their aged appearance, meaning they can choose to appear however old they want to appear (so long as it is 18+). A 33 year old Sihndar might for example choose to appear like a 70 year old Ailor with whitened hair and wrinkles, while a 300 year old Sihndar might choose to appear like a 25 year old Ailor with smooth skin and youthful features.
- See no Evil: Sihndar gain night vision or perfect sight at night time. As such, they are not affected by the darkness of night, and can still clearly see as if it was day. Mundane Darkness from being inside equally does not affect them, though Ability based Darkness will still affect them all the same.
- Hear no Evil: Sihndar are immune to any Specials that would establish Mind Control over them, or that would influence their emotions or perception of reality, unless they want them to work.
- Feel no Evil: Sihndar are immune to any infection-based Afflictions, and cannot be fed on by Vampires or Cahal.
- Elder Voice: Sihndar can invade the minds of others with telepathic communication that is a one-way form of vocalization of their thoughts. A Sihndar can project a command or exclaimed statement into the mind of another person within Emote Distance, though the Target cannot talk back. While using the Elder Voice, the Sihndar eyes glow, and they must look at the Target they are speaking to in their mind. This form of communication is experienced as unpleasant, and causes headaches in the Target, but not so far that it inhibits their other actions. Elder Voice cannot be used in a chase, in Combat Roleplay, or while the Sihndar is physically or Magically bound or constrained in any way.
- Menxer Proving: Sihndar do not shy away from holding the best duels and enhancing their arenas. Sihndar gain the Spell Point Buy Specials Dueling Brand, Scan Sight, Evil Tongues, and Altered Voice without needing a Spell Point Buy investment. While this pack is still either Void or Exist based, it does not confer occult status. Sihndar enchantment aesthetics are either Void-fire, which is purple and red flames, or exist fire, which is white and blue flames.
- Sihndar Aesthetics:Sihndar Aesthetics depend on their ideology, and whether or not they have a bargain with a greater entity. Sihndar with bargains usually draw on that entity for aesthetics, while those without have generic Void/Exist magic aesthetics (or none at all).
- Soul Bargained: Sihndar can opt (in backstory or in roleplay) to bargain their souls with entities other than Greater Demons, who are their mortal enemies. This usually takes the form of bargains with Arken, but can rarely also result in a bargain with a God from another religion, or a Void God. Each bargain is mostly for Roleplay flavor, and grants one Special, but means the Character is bound to a specific entity that will someday come to collect their soul. This means that during Progressions, Events, or just day to day RP, these entities (portrayed by Lore Staff) might show up and steer the Character’s roleplay in a direction the Player may not want: and if they refuse, kill the Character. As such this Special is optional, though there is always an expectation that Lore Staff will play fair, and aim to steer a Character’s roleplay in an interesting direction, and not just present them with an impossible dilemma to PK the Character. The following Bargains can be made in backstory or in active RP:
- Bargain with Ifrit: The Character’s soul is bargained to Ifrit. As a result, the Character’s hair and fists may be covered in aesthetic fire that feels cold to the touch, and can be of their aesthetic color used in Magic, eyes, or just the color of their hair. Additionally (non-Ability) based fire does not hurt them and they can simply walk through it.
- Bargain with Korroth: The Character’s soul is bargained to Korroth. As a result, the Character becomes a pseudo-Marken, able to transform into a Marken at will, and always retaining their intelligence and even ability to speak while in Marken form. Marken form does not confer combat benefits, and is largely aesthetic. Korroth bound Marken always look different than regular Marken, in that they have fur-patterns and colors similar to Korroth himself. Additionally, true Marken can never attack Korroth Bargained Sihndar.
- Bargain with Odal: The Character’s soul is bargained to Odal. As a result, the Character can take on any of the aesthetics of Odal as seen on the Old Gods page (horns, claws, electric hole in chest, horns, black skin discoloration). Additionally, Odal Bargained Sihndar are immune to (non-Ability) harm from electricity, thunder, or engineering induced shocks.
- Bargain with Elen: The Character’s soul is bargained to Elen. As a result, the Character can manifest (or always have) a set of feathered wings either in white or raven-black or colored to their skin-tone. These wings grant flight (in Progressions only), and allow the Character to never approach terminal velocity while falling, instead gently hovering down at a diagonal angle (in Regalia and Progressions).
- Bargain with Da'amu: The Character’s soul is bargained to Da'amu. As a result, the Character can transform themselves into a Corpsefolk or Hollow Undead. While transformed, they retain all their Mundane Techniques, but lose all other Abilities as well as Sihndar Racial Abilities and Specials, but gain those of the Hollow or Corpsefolk Undead. This Transformation can be upheld for 1 Hour, or until the Sihndar is killed. If they are killed, they are instead revived like normal, but are forced to instantly retreat to their Rental Region / Noble Estate / Clandestine Base, while this Transformation goes on a 48 Hour Cooldown.
- Bargain with Do-Aila: The Character’s soul is bargained to Do-Aila. As a result, the Character can change their gender presentation, sex, hair-color, facial configuration, hair length and texture, body height and broadness/slenderness and eye color at will, however none of these changes ever constitute a disguise and the Character is always recognizeable. Additionally, anyone in Emote Range, they can remove external personality or conscience blockers, meaning they can for example remove a Vampire’s Vampiric personality corruption and make them feel emotions like normal, so long as they remain in Emote Range, and only ever one person. This includes temporary removal of consent based mind-control.
- Bargain with Zaalaanzaal: The Character’s soul is bargained to Zaalaanzaal. As a result, the Character race-changes to a Mauli Slizzar, however they keep Sihndar Abilities and Specials. Additionally, they gain the following Slizzar Specials: Mauli Shapeshifting and Serpentine Puppeteer, but none of the other Abilities and Specials. An additional rule is imparted: While they can Shapeshift to other Races or combinations of other Races, they only ever have one form as a Sihndar, which is their default Sihndar body they were born as, which they cannot change.
- Bargain with Freiderikos: The Character’s soul is bargained to Freiderikos. As a result, the Character can transform at will into a Northern-Tainted Urlan, meaning the Urlan’s fur is the same color as their skin-tone, and its eyes are the same as their normal Sihndar self. This transformation is purely aesthetic and does not grant any Urlan Racial Abilities, however it does grant the following Urlan Specials while transformed into an Urlan: Horned Mastery, Physical Mastery, Hide Mastery, Beastmode, Sympath, Manifest Balance.
- Because bargains with Void Gods and by extension other religions are incredibly illegal in Regalia, it is highly recommended that Sihndar do not reveal to anyone that they have a bargain. In fact, a bargain lies somewhere in between a shame and a burden, and as such, they rarely even talk about it with fellow Sihndar. While Sihndar can recognize these bargains, non-Sihndar are not allowed to identify them, as doing so will be metagaming.
Language
The Sihndar language is called Sinnayed. It is a pidgin combination of Skodje and Allorn Altalar, because their early settlement in Drowda caused them to interact and cooperate a lot with Ailor settlers, who formed a sizable minority in their society. As a result, Sihndar are capable of understanding some words in Nytalsk as well as Allorn Altalar, but this does not make these languages mutually intelligible. Equally, Sihndar are very good at pronouncing Common, however they speak with a very distinct Sinnayed accent which is comparable to real-world Australian or South African English. Sihndar names are always very short, usually one or two syllables. A common habit in Sihndar names is also to add “Sihn-” as a prefix in front of names, however this prefix is not mandatory, and one can also refer to someone who uses the prefix in their name without the prefix just fine. Sihndar names are inherently non-gendered, so all names can apply to all genders, and many Sihndar names start with an X.
Example list of Sihndar names: Sihn-Ralor, Sihn-Rayl, Sihn-Fal, Sihn-Marn, Sihn-Renva, Sihn-Eqar, Sihn-Tewin, Alqar, Virmiht, Elramt, Wafahr, Zalqor, Xivar, Xalmen, Xuria, Xenia, Xiyya, Xorn, Sihn-Xavar, Sihn-Xsal, Sihn-Xorv.
Drowda
To fully understand the Sihndar, one must understand the Greater Demons that roam within and have claimed their domain, and the Xasters who stand against them. Drowda is divided into 8 regions, each hosting a Greater Demon, and having its own Xaster as well as lesser forts supported by the Xaster. Sihndar from each Xaster and each region are slightly different, while the enemies found in this region can also affect missions Menxer go on. Players are encouraged to write Lore Stories for their Menxer expeditions with non-Sihndar, and to also incorporate part of this lore into their background, since these Xasters are the only cities where Sihndar are born inside Drowda. The regions are as follows:
- Torama is the Greater Demon of the westernmost region, which is split between swamplands and lush forests, though all with a distinct blue-tainted tone. Torama is the Greater Demon of the cursed woods, and most of his lesser Demons inhabit the plantlife, creating corrupted and shambling tree-horrors that wring the life out of any living thing they find. The Torama region is home to the Xaster of Xan-Farn, a region where the locals bargain with the Beauty Arken to return the natural beauty of the forest, and change the mangled trees back to their original natural forms. Torama’s Sihndar are excellent tenders of nature, and produce the majority of the foodstuff of Drowda.
- Lirranna is the Greater Demon of the largest southern region, with two large forests flanking a mountain range and a series of islands. Lirranna is the Greater Demon of spiders: her domain is filled with the infamous Drovv Spider, mostly dog-sized, but sometimes house-sized variants. The Lirranna region is home to the Xaster of Xan-Ylon, a region where the locals bargain with the Pride and Fury Arken for the combat prowess to defeat the spiderlings. Lirranna’s Sihndar are the largest and most rugged warriors: the most famous Sihndar champions come from this region. The region also has a very high mortality rate due to the aggressiveness of the spiders that frequently attack the Xaster, and as such, marital bonds are quite loose to encourage population growth.
- Qamtaar is the Greater Demon of the northern swamp regions, filled with sulfurous ponds where the Void Invasion once started. Qamtaar is the Greater Demon of the fogs of forgetting: his realm is inhabited by mistbank-sized Demons that do not have a corporeal form, but invade the minds of trespassers to duplicate their bodies in twisted pumice and rotten vines to fight themselves with their own skills and powers. Qamtaar’s region is home to the Xaster of Xan-Savel, a region where the locals bargain with Cahal to combat the mist-Demons, as they are somehow unable to duplicate Cahal infection. Qamtaar Sihndar are the most tolerant of Vampires and Cahal.
- Altai is the Greater Demon of the relatively mild southern plains, which is where most ships bound for Drowda arrive, as the other coasts are too dangerous. Altai is the Greater Demon of the vices, and as such, there are no actual Demonic creatures present to attack in this region. This does not make the region safe, as the constant whispers of Altai on the wind always attempt to lure locals away or to give into their vices and become corrupted by Altai’s will. Altai’s region is home to the Xaster Xan-Xavacellon, where the locals do not make bargains with anyone, because they recognize that bargains made to escape ruin are themselves ruinous. Altai Sihndar are the most prone to being leaders and politicians, and very critical of other Sihndar who bargain with evil. They are likely to be the Sihndar seen hunting Sihn-Fallar to bring them back to service, or punish them for their betrayal.
- Milai is the Greater Demon of the densely forested northern region and also its own islands, a region constantly cast in shadows and mists. Milai is the Greater Demon of the deep-dark horrors, creating corrupted versions of Aloria’s animals in her dark forests and sending them out to kill anyone treading her pathways between the massive trees. Milai’s region is home to the Xaster Xan-Ghamar, a region where the locals are strong allies with the Aelrrigan Order and the Darkwald Order, bringing their allies to bear on the forest monsters. Milai Sihndar are the most socially adept of the Sihndar, gregarious and kind, and always seeking genuine alliances instead of practical agreements.
- Alamat is the Greater Demon of the fiery mountain ranges on the eastern side of Drowda, a land that is constantly changing to its whims. Alamat is the Greater Demon of fire, creating fire-dancing demons who scald and incinerate all they touch. Alamat’s region was once home to the Xaster Xan-Vernh, however this Xaster along with all of its surrounding forts was completely wiped out by Alamat during a massive eruption of volcanoes and subsequent fire storm. The only Xan-Vernh Sihndar that survived happened to be outside of Drowda at the time, in search of new metals from abroad, as Xan-Vernh was the major industrial and forging Xaster of the Sihndar. Since Xan-Vernh’s destruction, Milai’s Xaster has had to take over its job in fighting Alamat, which has strained it to the point of almost entirely relying on Darkwalds and Aelrrigans to fight in Milai itself. Alamtar Sihndar are known as the most skilled Sihndar craftsmen.
- Zarak is the Greater Demon of the easternmost plains, though most of it is covered in heavy snow that forms from the cold winds of Ellador. Zarak is the Greater Demon of sand, who creates Demons out of clumps of flowing sand, immune to any physical attacks. Zarak’s region is home to the Xaster Xan-Uvelle, where the locals make bargains with a whole host of Arken, but more notably, dabble heavily into Magic. While most other Xasters are mundane military bulwarks, Zarak is almost entirely Magical, and collects Magical superweapons. Zarak Sihndar are the most competent Mages, and a high number of them are Mages from birth.
- Tazman is Greater Demon of the smallest island region in the south, an island covered in a purple and blue-hued jungle with eyes everywhere. Tazman is the Greater Demon of pestilence and decay, creating odorous pustules and slime-creatures filled with disease and bile that seek to overwhelm and slowly digest intruders. Tazman’s region is not home to any Xaster in specific, rather, there is a sunken Xaster of Xan-Rivan which was lost as part of the island fell into the ocean due to one of Tazman’s plots. Unlike Alamat’s region however, the population of Xan-Rivan largely survived, and produced a raft-fleet of inter-connected vessels above the ruins of their old Xaster called Zir-Rivan. This is the only Xaster that is not frequently under attack, because Demons do not normally cross large bodies of water. It is said that many secrets still lie hidden in Xan-Rivan, though the locals fiercely guard access to it from the water’s surface. Tazman’s Sihndar are the most roguish and short of the Sihndar, specializing in espionage and subterfuge, stealth that comes in handy in the jungle where at least one set of eyes is always watching.
Religion
The Sihndar mostly follow the Faith of Estel, but a sizable minority (nearly a third) has effectively become Agnostic. They still acknowledge that Gods are real, but refuse to believe in any Gods that do not obviously support Drowda, and so long as no Gods have set foot on the cursed continent, these Sihndar refuse to worship anyone. This does sometimes result in Sihndar specifically trying to chase after Gods of other religions to convince them to assist in Drowda: especially notable in Regalia with the Dragons and Dragon Worship, as they are comparatively accessible.
Families
Sihndar Childhood can best be described as brutal, dogmatic and repressive. Any child who acts outside of the norms of expected duty is harshly repressed and indoctrinated to follow the teachings of the Xasters. 9 out of 10 Sihndar would claim they had a good childhood where their parents equipped them with all necessary skills to survive in a cruel world, but many Regalian scholars would claim their Race suffers from collective child abuse. The truth is somewhere in the middle:, Sihndar children are exceptionally skilled when compared to the children of other Races, and treated as adults much sooner. Gender norms barely exist in Sihndar society, as few Sihndar have time to think about gender identity when giant spiders assail their city walls. Sihndar society is however extremely matriarchal. All leading figures are female, and female Sihndar are generally considered more valuable survivors in a bad situation, because they bear the next generation. As such, this matriarchy style society is more because of their child-bearing capacity than any other reason, but it does result in genuine female leadership.
Politics
Sihndar Politics are crude and simple. At the head of Sihndar society are the Duo-Kings and Duo-Queens, who both roughly govern each gender. There must always be two kings and two queens, though the positions are non-hereditary, and usually appointed by election from the Xaster Councils. These positions are largely symbolic, as actual governance rests with the Xaster Councils, or the Elders of the Xasters. Xasters, being fortress-mega-cities, house hundreds of thousands of Sihndar, but are built more like minimalist and brutalist super structures with multiple rings of walls and many defensive structures and machines. The Xaster Councils regulate everything from rations to clothing to weapon allocation and missions. Sihndar below the Xaster Council are usually grouped into Squads which can be anywhere between 10 to 30 large, usually with a female leader, though rarely with a male leader. The Sihndar are intensively assisted by Regalian bureaucrats to keep their society running as efficiently as possible, though many of these bureaucrats have to frequently be rotated out as they become depressed from the dull and oppressive looking environment of the Xasters: often described as towering and gloomy concrete boxes stacked on top of each other with minimal arrow-slits for light.
Fashion
Sihndar fashion is minimal and military-leaning. Hardened leather or light metal armor are frequently part of clothing accessories, but many Sihndar just as well wear only Elastaan with minimal belting to retain speed. In Drowda, speed is often preferred over strength, as the majority of Demonic foes are incredibly nimble, and so massive, bulky sets of armor only slow down warriors. What the Sihndar lose in speed from being larger than the average Elf, they gain in their light armoring and their training to avoid being hit at all, as opposed to dealing with the consequences of being hurt. Fabrics are often in dark colors so as to blend with the natural Drowda environment, though Sihndar who live abroad frequently partake in local fashion trends to blend in and appear more approachable. Sihndar aren’t truly very fussed about what to wear, because art and fashion are a disregarded aspect of their society.
Interactions and Customs
- Sihndar have an almost obsessive relationship with their preferred weapon. A weapon is something extremely personal to a Sihndar, and anyone touching a Sihndar’s weapon uninvited is quick to draw the rage of a Sihndar. Touching a Sihndar’s weapon without permission is equivalent to stabbing their child.
- Sihndar are internally very competitive, even beyond wrestling and simple sparring. If one Sihndar excels at forging, several other Sihndar will quickly try to join in and work with that Sihndar to cooperate, or compete over who has the most skill. This often results in many hobbies becoming group activities.
- Sihndar don’t have a concept of personal space. Xasters are relatively cramped in terms of living conditions with several families sharing one home. Sihndar can very comfortably sleep next to strangers, hug strangers, or tolerate someone hovering very close to their face without becoming anxious or uncomfortable. In fact they see it as a challenge.
- Sihndar are fond of pets, and frequently keep several, though often more on the small leaning side so that they do not take up too much space, and preferably even animals with mild temperament so several different species can share the same cage or container. Insects are very common, especially since they seem more resilient to Drowda taint or corruption than other animals.
- Sihndar don’t have any particular like or dislike for any one Race, except the Kathar, who are always in their book just straight up evil and corrupted, even the mild Kathar, even the ones who do not worship the Void Gods. While Sihndar are pragmatic, making bargains and allying with Kathar is always seen as a bad deal to be made, even more so when Kathar and Sihndar are mistaken for one another, a grievous insult to be sure.
- The Sihndar have developed a series of dancing techniques that looks more like actual physical combat, though never while actually hitting the dancing partner. Think of the real world-capoeira. This dance style obviously raises some brows during balls and parties in Regalia.
- Sihndar do accept leisure time and downtime in Regalia, especially to unwind their social batteries. In Regalia, living as a Sihndar involves a lot of making connections and always being on the move. As a result, Sihndar do permit so-called Sirh-time, or free-time where they don’t accept criticism for being lazy for an hour or two, and just lounging around or drinking alcohol and playing games.
- Sihndar are fond beyond reason of ice cream: Regalia’s Dressolini shaved ice companies earn almost 80% of their revenue from Drowda. They see it as a simple and very-good tasting reprieve from the rigors of hunting demons, and crowd out every ice cream parlor they can find.
- Sihndar love telling scary stories around a campfire, especially to non-Sihndar. Unlike the tall tales common in other Cultures, they do not need to rely on fiction to give entertaining accounts of the horrors their people fight against on a daily basis. Highly recommended for Lore Stories written by the Sihndar player that other players may not have read yet.
- Sihndar often find themselves awed by the simple, natural beauty of the world around them. Having spent most of their lives under oppressive conditions, in dark, cramped spaces, a cool summer breeze and a sunset mean more to them than anyone else could understand.
- Sihndar war poetry is famous among their Nelfin cousin-races. They are considered to have some of the best heroic epics, up there with the lamentations of the Solvaan and the historical dramas of the Teledden, focusing on the bravado of legendary Demon-slaying heroes.
- Sihndar have a great love of duels. While their combat schools are focused around demon-slaying, they are full of inventive pair exercises. For a Sihndar to take someone else on as a training partner implies that they have a deep and trusting friendship.
- The Sihndar are actively negotiating with the Zhong Kingdoms to establish a semi-permanent base of operations in Dexai to assist with the Akula. Fighting the Akula is considered a similar plight to the defense of Drowda. While the Sihai are hesitant because of the Sihndar’s inherent Occult appearance, habits, and history, the Sihndar consider the Sihai a brothers-in-arms Race.
Trivia
- Other Nelfin sometimes refer to the Sihndar as Drowdar, which means “Those from Drowda”. While that is technically correct, the Nelfin consider and use this as an insult, because it refers to them as coming from a backwards province of the Allorn Empire.
- A common weapon style used by the Sihndar is the Khopesh. Not all Sihndar use a Khopesh however, many of them use a variety of other weapons, as well as Ranged and even Magical weapons. Even a few Puretek users have been spotted as of recently.
- Sihndar love tattoos, but tattooing is hard on their dark skin. As a result, they have started to use the ink produced from a special type of mushroom that is faintly bioluminescent, producing a light blue ink.
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