WNIP:The Darian Men (Shendar+Avennorian ancestors)

A draft! Only those people should look at it who really need to know about them!

The Darian Men

Introduction/Overview

The Darian are a long extinct tribe, at least in their original form. Being the ancestors of the Shendar and partly of the Avennorians, we can well see traits of them in the recent tribes. They lived in Southern Sarvonia, north of the Sharadon forest till the southern foothills of the Mithral mountains. It is quite certain, that they settled in the Mashdai valley north of Marcogg, but how far their villages stretched to the north is not known anymore.
With the arrivals of the first Glandorian ships in the 12th century before Santhros their till then mostly peaceful life as free farmers and independent hunters came to an end. The Avennorians with their weapons, better military organisation and their different - more aggressive - approach to life soon subjugated those, who didn‘t manage to flee into the South to become a new tribe, the Shendar. Those who remained in the lands of their ancestors mixed with the time with the Glandorians to become the Avennorian tribe. However, they mainly formed the lower social stratum, the Glandorians the noble class. Most of the information we have about this tribe has come to us through the hands of the conquerers, less from myths and tales the Shendar still know and which point to their ancestors.

Appearance

The Darian were tall - compared with the conquering Glandorians. With a ped and about seven to eight handspans they outgrew the conquerers easily - men and women alike. But these were not the only differences.

They were not only tall, but their strong, sinewy bodies were well developed and at least the women must have been good to look at, for otherwise we would have more pejorative descriptions of them which the shipwrecked were giving away freely. Being mostly farmers with an steady income and not so much hunters, living often in the same place the entire life did not favour the overly slender bodies the Shendar must have developed later due to their new life. However, though they could not be called lank, they were slim in their youth, but gaining a sturdier appearance when becoming older. The conquerers called them sometimes moon face or square head, for their features were more rounded and without sharp edges compared to those of the newcomers, but this ‚roundness‘ must have been a special feature of the families living on the east coast, for it is mainly used for the villagers living north west from the Caetharin Mountains.

Their generally dark hair which came in all shades, from a light reddish brown to a deep black, was mostly thick and shiny, with or without curls, though the curls seems to have been present in the more southerly living families. Their skin was white, but all parts exposed to the sun were deeply tanned from being most times in the fresh air. Eyecolours could be seen in every shade, from grey-green to brown, but not the deep black we find in the Shen-Siuu tribe.

People

Some of the Glandorian conquerers described the people they met soon after they had shipwrecked near Gebi‘s Nose as asinine and boneheaded, called them rootmuncher, pigfarmers and ballad-monger, despite the help they had received when they were stranded on their shores. Others were considerate and said they were friendly, calm and honest. What seems certain is, that they, who didn‘t have swords, were not a weapon bearing people and were simply overtaken by the ballsy and aggressive ways of the newcomers. They obviously had not imagined, that there could somebody come and claim the lands they had lived on for so long as theirs and that they were suddenly not more than menials. Their life might have been hard sometimes, but it was easefully and satisfactory before the Glandorians arrived. There was plenty of land, food and forest animals to hunt. The soil was fertile and the climate agreeable, though winter could be quite cold in times and at certain places, with a lot of snow. These people liked to sing when working and when resting, that was why they were called ballad-monger later. Festivities around the year made the work inbetween more agreeable, for there was always an agreeable event to anticipate. When the men from the North arrived, their whole life altered to a less enjoyable one. However, the friendly and joyful nature of the Darian didn‘t vanish with them, their aggressors were infected over the following centuries and finally the Darian and the Glandorians grew together to form the tribe we now know as Avennorian Men.

Coat of Arms

A green fir tree on the left side and three grains talks on the right on a blue background representing the sky, brown bottom=soil

Territory

At the times when the Darian inhabited their area, forests and woods dominated the land and only part of the land was cultivated with an early grain, maybe two different kinds. North of the denser Sharadon forest the soil is quite fertile and a lot of bigger clearings allowed farming and herding of milk cows. On both coasts small fishing villages traded with the farmers salted fish for dried meat already over quite a distance. North of Griffin‘s Marl where today the Tolonian Heath stretches the woods were denser, though little natural clearings where grass could grow allowed shepherds to graze their sheep and goats. Game was plentiful and very much liked as an easy to get addition to the daily vegetables and bread. The area were the most farmland could be found was around the Caetharin Mountains, to the southeast as well as to the northwest, where we today have the Woulton Wold, the Twynor Farmsteadlings, the Urschrum Downs and the Lambsground. The Goatsgraze Moor north of Klinsor was a lake at that time.
Ravenport is said to be the northernmost pint of Darian settlement, where on the east coast traces of them can be found in the Mithrun Lowlands, in the Traeren Lowlands , on the other side of the Mashdai in the Shadow Wing Downs. The nearby Greygrass foothills are famous for an rebellion against the Avennorians conquerers till today.

Housing

The Darian used exclusively wood to build their houses. Even in regions where granite would have been easily available like near the Caetharin Mountains they preferred not to use stone, not even as a fundament of their buildings. However, they were very skilled in protecting the boles and planks they used against any atmospheric conditions, they knew which trunk when to cut to get the most durable wood and how to build a house so that rain and snow, water from the ground and vermin couldn‘t do not much harm to it. Most houses had a lifespan of several centuries and after that a new house could be build easily.

Most houses were built similar, just varying in size.
They were all rectangular, with a very broad base and a huge, moderate steep roof, had only one full story, but due to the high roof and dependent on how broad they were there could be up to three additional levels. One long side always faced to the north, northwest or northeast if possible, depending upon the main direction of the cold northern winter winds. This side had only a few and small windows. The gable side facing the southeast or southwest was reserved for the main room, including a corner to sleep and a fireplace or, if the house was a bigger one, to the main living room came a the kitchen and an utensitility room, the bedchambers were then on the first story. A passway from the front side of the house to the backside separated the living quarters from the stable. Traversing the stables one came into the barn where hay and straw were stored and all the equipment a farmer used in this days like carts, ploughing utensils and so on. The grain however was always kept in the first store above the living quarters or the stable, the vegetables in a one room cellar. The frontside of the houses had more and bigger windows, with shutters, but without glass in the openings. Instead a thin woven linen was used or a parchment to let some light through, but to keep the cold and wind outside. Only bigger houses had a chimney which was build out of clay bricks.

These houses were well build. The core were boles which were laid on top of each other, prepared at the edges in a way, that the whole building was standing on its own after the first storey was finished. The roofs reached well over the walls to protect them from the weather, on the northern side an extra layer of vertical planks allowed the rain to run away easily. Most roofs near the sea where thatched, covered with the yealmreed or other suitable long grasses, the houses more to the middle of the country had roofs out of wooden shingles. Inside a layer of clay covered the walls of the living quarters and the stable, whitewashed and sometimes decorated with patterns which varied from village to village. The floor was stamped clay, sometimes covered with planks. A remarkable feature were early carvings added to certain parts of the house, the frames of windows or doors or decorations at the gable, made by adding planks on top of the wall which formed rectangular patterns. Some of this tradition is kept till today as we can see in the little village of Shneerin.

The seize of the house depended on what its builder and if he was rich enough how big his family was. That varied with the area, for in the most fertile regions like along the southern Mithrun Trail and north of the Sharadon, where the soil was rich, the people could more easily produce a surplus to their daily needs and therefor trade for other goods or afford to hire labourers from other areas. Where the Tolonian Heath is today, the people were mostly not as rich as in the lower lands and therefore the houses were generally smaller. To every farm belonged a fenced garden on the gable side where the main room was, a well nearby and a dunghill in front of the house next to stable and barn. On the backside was sometimes a fenced area for goats and sheep which were held for the daily milk. Hens and other birds however were allowed to run free.

Though most times several houses stood not far away from each other, they didn‘t form a village with one house next to the other how we depict one today. There was always enough distance between two houses to not disturb the neighbours, but within hearing distance. Only later when their peaceful live ended with the arrival of the Glandorians the houses were build more together, but then facing each other, despite the cold winds hitting the bigger openings of the living rooms.

These villages however didn‘t lack a meeting place, though this wasn‘t in the middle of the village, but at the „good side“, which was the side were the houses were facing, in the south. There often the road was running which widened to a square, the meeting place.
On the other side of the road, or place, three important things could be found: A communal pond if no major creek was running through the village, used for emergency situations when a fire should occur to have water available. Near this pond, or on one side of the creek, was always a small grove with a little temple for the Twelve. Its size showed how wealthy the community was - though often it was bigger than a passing traveller would have assumed when looking at the few houses. On the other side of the pond was a tavern, the tavern, for every village and if it consisted of only four houses had to have a tavern.
Nearly no village shows this building pattern still today, too big were the influences, wishes and demands of the conquerers, other traditions however were preserved better as we will see later.

Clothing

Clothing worn: discern between men/women if possible and seasons perhaps..

Food

The Darian enjoyed eating and so they spent enough time on cooking to get decent meals - even if the ingredients were basic and there was not a lot of time for cooking. Most dishes were based on either grain (dinkel, avena and bigg) or vegetables (tuberroots, caroots, weeping root) or other less known. Herbs played an important role to flavour the meals. Even to the simplest pap (???pulp) out of tuberroots some Narojam was added to enhance the flavour. When time allowed it both were combined and meat was added at least once a week.

The most used grain was dinkel or spelt, one which is grown nowadays only in small patches as the wheat grain was preferred later. It was ground to flour in its ripe state and used as the base for bred and other meals, unripe it was called greenkern (green kernel) and cooked as a whole as a side dish to meat ot vegetables. Avena, which is now known with the northern tribes as oat, was mainly used for a variety of pulps, mostly eaten as a hot breakfast. Bigg however was mainly used as the main ingredient for - beer. All these grains had in common, that they were quite hardy, didn‘t mind wet springs or autumns nor dry summers.

Tuberroots were the other main dish and prepared in a great variety from the smashed and flavoured vegetable pulp to the well loved dumplings with different fillings. They could be used as a side dish to meat or as an own meal with an eggs sauce only. Many other vegetables and fruits were served as well, from the caroots to the pompion, from meldar apples to vinterberries.

Meat was not available every day, most times it was served only on restdays, however, a variety of sausages and cheeses from all domesticated animals were consumed under the week as well. Goat meat was the one which was eaten most of the time, for the sheep were mostly held for gaining wool and the banegs for working on the fields and the milk production. Game was available often as well before the Glandorian conquerors defined it as their property as a means to subjugate the Darian. Birds, geese and a variety of hens were held at every farm and often sold to the towns as well as an additional income.

Seafish was daily on the table at the fishing villages at both coasts. One variety, the salted herring was traded in exchange with salted meat with the inland and a well loved alternative to the normal food - with the flair of being something special, though not expensive. Locally fish was caught in the rivers and lakes and served occasionally.

The favourite drink of all Darian was surely the beer, where there was a great variety . Every village had its own brewery and not only bigg was used as base, but dinkel as well. It is said, that they invented the real beer - with the use of the vin-like plant they gave the strange name Suluhumpf, but is better known today as ‚hopf‘. Mostly they drank water, fruit juices were more a treat, however herbal teas were common in winter times.

Weapons

The Darian didn‘t knew weapons which had the purpose to fight and kill other sentient beings. They used of course knives they needed everyday, the bow for the hunt for game, an axe for cutting trees and making firewood. The fisher had spears and other weapons useful to catch fish. But they didn‘t have swords or any other weapons designed to kill men. Their weapons in their fight against the conquerers were hunting bows, fishing spears, forks, axes and scythes. However, they weren‘t proficient in using them against people and so only rarely effective.

Occupations

The Darian were a very rural tribe. Most of the population lived either as farmers, hunters, shepherds or fishers on the plain land. Merchants and other occupations like bakers, barbers, blacksmiths, saddlers and fishmongers were found only in the bigger villages and few towns like Antiragon, Klinsor and Chondra. Most things like baking, weaving and mending all was needed was done by the farmers themselves. Sometimes saddler or grinder chose a travelling live and moved from house to house, but otherwise everybody tried to be self-sufficient.

Government

Describe what form, e.g. Monarchy, Democratic, Republic, Emperor, Tribal, Tyranny, ect.

Trade

What does the tribe mainly produce and is there any trading with other tribes?

Natural Resources

Wood, water, stone, lime, game, stock

Religion
The aviaria

Holidays, Festivals and Observances,

Describe the celebration days (religious, pagan etc.) which are of importance for this tribe.
many

Important Achievements (Optional)
You can mention here for what exactly the tribe is famous for, like an important building which was erected, inventions, political breakthroughs etc.

* Origin/development of tribe or race.
* Important people (plus living dates) or events in this tribes or race's history.
* Any Cities, Castles, Strongholds built by your tribe/race should also be put in your history.