Valley of Aram

THE CULTURE OF ARAM

While the majority of the world swelters under male lead, Aram finds itself often at odds with the influx of travelers in how it rules its people. Women hold the power, here; family treasures are passed down through daughters, women fill the seats of office and law. Some might stubbornly admit that this is often a nourishing state of being. Men do not suffer under women as women do under men in other societies: aside from not being first-up to receive the family fortune, men do not miss much, do not find their human rights often overlooked.

The Typical Aramian

Though the city, in its current glory, is filled to the brim with a diverse population, almost none from outside the original population truly live or make their home in Aram. Of those who do, their families go back for generations.

The typical native Aramian is human, and generally dark skinned: ranging from a tawny tan to a deep, russet reddish-brown, occasionally even darker skin exists within families. Hair ranges within all shades of brown and black, at times almost a sandy blonde-brown. Eyes are often a mossy green, grey, gentle browns; blues do not often occur, while deep umbres are common.

Clothing local to Aram and, in fact, the countries and cities within quite a distance, consists mainly of lengthy unsewn fabrics in many colours and designs wrapped and tied around the body to make distinct garments; bare chests are not uncommon. Of the few sewn garments worn, the most common would be loose pants and long, tabard-like shirts. Gender does not seem to influence clothing or styles. Shoes are often low-cut or sandals, often made of pure leather; intricate designs are common, while the quality of the material and craftsmanship denotes affluence.

Leadership

Aram is a sovereign city-state ruled by Queen Abha.

The ruling royal family is comprised of old blood royalty, the Arapati, and continued marriages to the wealthiest of local merchant families. Sons and daughters of the Arapati are married off in what some might call an 'auction', infusing the royal family with new money to hold their borders; however, only an Arapati woman may take the throne - a woman merchant married to an Arapati son has no hope of reigning.

Religion

Out of the pantheon of gods in and around Aram, there are three major figures. Out of the three major gods, two are genderless, and one is female. These are the god of life, the god of death, and the intermediary god of decay.

Samhul, the god of life is typically represented by a snake or snakelike figure. This is due to the (mistaken) belief that snakes grow out of the soil like plants, and because of their constant renewal by the shedding of their skin. Samhul is the creator of all life for all living things, both beneficial and deadly, and worship of the god of life is simple. Typically, worship of the snake god entails leaving out bowls of water or milk for them to bathe in, to aid in the shedding of their skin and to usher in a new season. While Samhul ushers in life for even pests, they can be lured by offerings into fields where their blessings may fall.

Worship of Cil'Raasv is considered by some to be taboo, as it is believed that calling on them will invite death, as only death can follow them wherever they tread. The death god is represented by a vulture, or humanoid vulture. Because the death god has no blessing to give, worship of Cil'Raasv is usually done more to convince them to leave than to invite their blessing. The most common offering to the death god is, appropriately, the dead themselves. Bodies are buried in special plots for a time, then unearthed, and bones burned in the temples to the death god. Those deemed unworthy of a ‘proper’ burial may instead find their bones scattered where Cil'Raasv cannot collect them and take them to their rest.

The intermediary god is Suon, a large woman with the head of a sow. She has many, many piglet children. Together with her many children, she gathers up the dead, of animals, plants, and people, and grinds them up into soil with a great mortar and pestle. She is the god of decay, that turns the leftover dead into materials that Samhul can use to create new things. Gifts to Suon include the first fruits of harvested crops. A clean garden and a good offering will ensure her favor, that she will leave good soil for tilling the following season.

Trade

While Aram's main importance in trade is the services it offers as a rest stop and an open marketplace, it has its own offerings to bring to market: Ivory, spices, dyes, textiles, silver, and semi-precious stones are the greatest sought. More famously, Aramian glass is highly valued for its craftsmanship and beauty.

THE MAJDA

Originating from the Fey Planes, the Majda are an elven people. Immensely tall, it is common for one of these elves to reach well over six feet, though a full seven foot is rare. Their bodies are thin, some describing their appearance as 'stretched'; the long features of their faces do not help their alien appearance.

Majda have dark skin that sometimes has undertones of less natural colours; their hair is universally dark with deep cool undertones, making it not unusual so see their hair as violet or navy blue in bright sunlight. One offsetting feature is their eyes, being any colour under the sun, but completely lacking any definition of sclera, pupil, or any true end to their iris. Noses and chins are often beakish and long, with ears that are swept back, sometimes awkwardly angled, often reaching the same length as one's forearm.

And yet, despite their unwieldy appearances, the Majda - much like any elven race - consider themselves high and above their mortal hosts...though, of course, they'd never say that to their faces.

Keepers of Gharn

Many centuries ago, Gharn did not exist - nor did Aram as a city. Back when Aram was but a small village, settled along the river Agara by previously nomadic families, a tear appeared within the village center.

It grew - quickly, for Aram found itself situated on a weak point between all the planes. The weight of an elven city pressed down upon that tear, brought it to become a rift. Many humans brave enough to wander in were quickly lost to the Fey world's distrust. The elves themselves, upon discovering this, worked tirelessly to close it...to no avail.

In the end, it was all that could be done to keep the rift from growing any larger. Fortifications had to be built around it to keep more humans from being lost to it, and to house those who must constantly attend the tear.

Eventually, as Aram began to grow, the elves took part in the wealth to be gained from trade, exchanging magic and rare plants from the Fey world for wealth and to fill other needs. This, their inability to close the rift, and the unfortunate creation of the Duntra, are what keeps the fey presence of Gharn within Aram.

Magic

For beings filled and living off of magic, the mortal plane is outright uncomfortable. Majda are easily capable magic users, even amongst the poorest bloodlines, with the fey energy of their homeworld filling their veins.

There are quite a few Majda who have, despite their dislike of those lesser, found places in the colleges teaching their skills. Many more make themselves of use among groups sent out to seal rifts and tears between realms, using their innate abilities to ease the pain of the worlds. The bulk of Majda living full-time within the mortal realm, however, live within Gharn, guarding and managing the giant rift within so that it might grow no larger.

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THE DUNTRA

The Duntra - a catch-all term - are a varied race of elves born on the mortal plane, mainly found in the city of Aram. Descended directly from the Majda, they are what happens when fey breed outside of a high magic environment. Their features, while still alien, are much more closely matched to the humans they live among.

Their average height tends to stick them above the human crowds, though they often fall short of their 'pure' kin; their builds are often more filled out. Hair colours tend toward dark, as with their skin; their eyes can come in any colour of the rainbow.

Differences

There are two ‘kinds’ of Duntra. There are those with mixed parentage - often human on one side - who might be referred to as ‘half elves’, and those who are ‘pure’ of parentage but suffer from the toll of having been born to the mortal plane. These ‘pure’ Duntra are spoken of in terms of content - low, mid, and high.

A low content Duntra will look very similar to a human, and rarely sport large ears or any mutation.

A mid content Duntra is often the most unlucky, sometimes taking on the extremes of humanity or Majda, and sometimes suffering more animal-like mutations, such as spine-like ears, colourfully spotted skin, or sometimes even incredibly sharp teeth or claws.

High content Duntra can sometimes be indistinguishable from the Majda, known only by knowledge of their birth and the rejection of their ancestral plane.

Half elves, at least in the cases of those with human parentage, seem to be a more smooth, even mix.

Aging and life span is not something often spoken of, but known: those further from their ancestors do not live as long, and those of mixed lineage, even less so.

Another difference is in how their mother world rejects them. Those closer to it will still find themselves unwanted, but merely confused when entering. The far-removed will face outright rejection: the trees change around them, animals meant to protect them hunt them down. They are not welcome, they do not belong.

As such, regardless of generation, Duntra are forbidden from the true home of the Majda.

In-between

Duntra find themselves in a weird in-between with the humans of Aram and their parent race, the Majda. Fully accepted and coming from neither, these mutts do their best to eke out a place in society, to earn a living.

Aside from those who live in Gharn, most Duntra have taken to their own. There is a whole swath of residential space that has been dedicated, not through official means, but through sheer numbers, to the Duntra and their own insulating culture of caring for each other. Even in the academies, dorms find themselves segregated for the comfort of these elflings, preferring the company of their own to others.

Very few choose to live outside of these self-contained areas, mixing with the rest of humankind.

All in all, though, centuries of mixing more with the humans than with the Majda has had its influence: family ties lean on the maternal end, and official holidays are celebrated.

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MINOR POPULATIONS OF ARAM

The Krin

Comprised of rodent-like humanoids, the Krin are mundane but for one innate magical attribute: the ability to, at will, don the illusion of a human. This is often used in less tolerant regions; Aram, being the trade gem that it is, welcomes almost any who bring wealth with open arms, thus negating the need for such a defense.

Their culture is matriarchal.

There seem to be two major variations within this community:

The shorter ones - Musa - often have longer fur, more rounded snouts, smaller ears, and furred tails. They seem more adapted to dryer, hotter climates. A young Musa female is pictured to the right.

Cha are usually taller and heavier than their Musa kin. Sporting sleek fur, large ears, a pointed snout, and a bald tail, they are more suited to more humid climes. Curiously, they appear to always be subordinate to even the lowest ranking Musa.

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