Freyn
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“My fellow kryn, please listen to me,” Shurlo Ashalvha calls out, desperation seeping into his raised tone. He sweeps his arms out to the side, palms outwards, a placating gesture against their raucous laughter. “I beg of you! There is no need to cling to these outdated values!”
The laughter booms.
All around him, countless fenarl-kryn wear bemused smiles. His words are nothing to them but a source of amusement, to be laughed at rather than entertained.
Yet one face is cast in ire.
“Outdated values?” Lucaaynor Cadunvho asks. Her words a knife. The sharp intonation of her scorn cutting through the laughter until all is quiet.
It comes as no surprise to Shurlo that the matriarch of the Estorn fairn would take offence to his words, but still he fears he has vastly miscalculated what the severity of her reaction would be. He sends a quick and silent prayer to Gatu, that luck may be with him tonight.
“You stand here and dare mock the principles of your ayjiir-fairn? You disgrace our ancestors, Shurlo.”
“No, I do not mock, Matriarch,” he replies, resting his hands over his heart. “But times have changed, Lucieve. Our ancestors had a right to be wary all those years ago, but now the people are more understanding.”
Three strides is all it takes for Lucaaynor to cross the open space and slap him. His cheek stings. Something wet trickles down it, slow, viscous and warm.
“They will never understand.” Her scorn fades for a second, a brief and ever so soft look of pity takes its place. In a quieter voice she whispers to him, “I warned you not to force my hand.”
She turns to the crowd, the pity gone. “We will suffer the ignorance of this fool no longer. As matriarch of the great Estorn fairn, I cast you out, Patriarch Ashalvha. You are no longer welcome. The Freyn fairn is no longer welcome. Begone from my sight before the sun rises, or we will strike you down.”
The Freyn are a llo-fairn of the fenarl-kryn. Before they were exiled, they answered to their ayjiir-fairn - the Estorn.
For countless generations, the Freyn fairn blindly followed the Estorn fairn. They wreaked havoc on human settlements, assassinated humans that were deemed to have a high standing amongst their fellow men, and struck down any stranger who dared to set foot within the boundaries of the fairne homeland. No questions asked, just an unyielding sense of duty to fulfil the commands of their ayjiir-fairn.
Until recently.
A few generations ago, the Freyn fairn began to ask themselves a single question: why?
And that simple question changed everything.
History of the Fairn
Doubt Creeps In
Three generations ago, Banaaydo Dalluvha became the patriarch of the Freyn fairn. A man burdened with a curious mind.
As patriarch, he knew he had a duty to his fairn to protect them from all threats - including those from the far reaching corners of the world. But, as with their ayjiir-fairn, the Freyn had isolated themselves. They knew only what the other fairne in the region knew, which meant they had precious little information about the world beyond their homelands.
So Banaaydo began to educate himself. He looked outwards, sending scouts to report back on the current climate of the world - or at the very least, the kingdom of Kiberia.
When his scouts returned home, their reports were so vastly different from what he had expected. Whilst wars were still waging between various human kingdoms, the other beastfolk kryn were more present in the world.
Not only were they present, but some were even openly accepted.
Could it really be true? Have we been hiding for so long, stuck grieving the tragedies of our past, that we failed to see the world around us changing?
I must learn more. If only I could see it for myself… unfortunately, the fairn must come first - always. But perhaps… perhaps I can convince them to see it with me?
Banaaydo would continue to send out scouts on a regular basis, his curiosity yearning to keep track of the constant ebb and flow of life outside of the fairn.
Meanwhile, within the fairn, Banaaydo started to teach the others about what his scouts had uncovered. How the other beastfolk kryn had emerged from their hiding places and both humans and daelin alike had welcomed them like friends.
He reasoned with them that perhaps the fenarl-kryn could begin to do the same.
For the most part, his fairn agreed with him. Agreeing was the easy part though. Even though many of them were open to the idea, they were concerned about how their fellow llo-fairne in Kiberia would react. Or worse, how they - or the Estorn ayjiir-fairn - might punish them for such an idea.
It would take a few more generations before a leader of the Freyn fairn would be brave enough to stand up to the Estorn’s way of life.
That brave leader was Shurlo Ashalvha and his task was not an easy one…
The First Step Towards Change
When he accepted the role of patriarch, Shurlo built up the confidence of his people. He reassured them that the others would accept change; that their eyes would be opened, just as the Freyn fairn’s eyes had been.
Deep down, he knew convincing the others would be a challenge. One that he was willing to take on.
Eventually, he called for a gathering of the local fairne.
“Are you sure of this Shurlo?”
The man in question looked up, his gaze locking with Lorunar’s and a small smile on his face. His confidence versus her uncertainty.
“We cannot put this off forever…” he trails off. In the following silence, Shurlo raises his hand, cups it gently against Lorunar’s cheek and rubs his thumb deftly along the skin, soothing. “I have already sent word to the other fairne and you know how Lucaaynor would react if I cancel the gathering.”
“I know how she’ll react if you don’t,” Lorunar says softly.
But Shurlo pretends not to hear.
Quickly, the fairne gathered in the heart of their homeland - the place where the Estorn and Luskor had settled, the nest from which many llo-fairne had spread their wings to start their families and build homes of their own.
There were some initial rumblings of agreement, but the Estorn fairn remained unconvinced that the humans had changed. Their position became the Luskor’s position.
With two ayjiir-fairne holding steadfast to their principles, the llo-fairne soon followed suite, leaving Shurlo and the Freyn fairn as the only ones willing to change. But Shurlo would not be disuaded so easily.
He continued to argue his points, until the leaders of the the Estorn and Luskor fairne had heard enough. After the row, Shurlo and the Freyn fairn were cast out by the Estorn fairn’s leader - Lucaaynor Cadunvho.
Immediately following their exile, members of the Freyn fairn were beaten until they were bloodied and bruised, barely able to stand in some cases, unconscious in others. Even their young were not spared from such brutality.
“A lesson” Lucaaynor had called it. A reminder to the other llo-fairne that similar betrayals of principle would not be tolerated.
With what little they could carry, the Freyn fairn travelled for days, as far as their broken bodies would allow them to go. A tragically small supply of food and water to be shared between them. By the time they reached a human settlement far north of their previous homelands, four of their people had already succumbed to starvation, dehydration, or their wounds.
The Kindness of Strangers
For many of Athel’s villagers, it was the first time they had ever come across a fenarl-kryn. The village elders were wary of their initial encounter. These beings, rumoured to be cruel and unforgiving, were right on their doorstep, but the elders of Athel took a chance and decided to help the Freyn.
Their children were fascinated by the Freyn fairn. They admired their wings and the silver feathers that adorned them, as well as their taloned feet. The Freyn were unlike anything these human children had ever seen, which made them interesting and unique in the children’s eyes. In the end, it was their naive acceptance that made the Freyn fairn decide to make their stay more permanent.
Athel, a small village in northern Kiberia. A settlement of nothing but humans.
This little village is what Shurlo and the broken people of the Freyn fairn stumbled upon and it was here that they could finally rest.
There was unease when they first arrived, from both sides. But soon enough, the villages of Athel helped treat the wounded and provided the Freyn fairn with food and water. They experienced a kindness with the humans in Athel that they had never had the privilege of knowing when they were following the Estorn fairn.
Due to the kindness they were shown, the Freyn fairn decided to remain close to Athel. Not wanting to intrude upon its people, Shurlo ordered that they create a temporary camp just east of the village boundaries.
Over the years, the Freyn fairn became closer and closer with Athel’s villagers and they began to work together to better their own living arrangements, as well as those of the villagers.
The Wider Responsibilities of a Llo-fairn
As a llo-fairn of the Estorn, the Freyn’s roles and responsibilities tied into the wider network of fairne who followed leadership of both the Estorn and Luskor fairne.
The Freyn would frequently be tasked with protecting the more alchemically inclined llo-fairne whilst they gathered ingredients. On rare occasions, they were also assigned to protect members of the Luskor fairn.
That meant that, prior to their exile, the Freyn fairn produced skilled guards and scouts. Not that their scouts ever did much real scouting. The Estorn forbid it - to keep the fairne safe, or so their leaders said.
Despite their exile, the structure and roles of the Freyn fairn have stayed the same. Now, instead of protecting whoever the Estorn tells them to, they protect the members of their own fairn and the people of Athel village.
Truthfully, I did not think that the Fenarl-Kryn of the Freyn fairn would stay as long as they have.
Their wounds are healed, their dead buried. Yet still they linger on the outskirts of Athel, drawn to the village as if by an invisible string.
Or perhaps a sense of duty?
Their elder - Shurlo? - returns to the village every other day. Asks around to see if any of the villagers are in dire need of assistance. Myself and the others on the village council have already told Shurlo that he need not worry about us, but these words seem to have fallen on deaf ears. And the other day, one of them saved Athel-Villager-Name{TBC}’s boy from a jungle cat - jumped in and felled the beast before any of us could blink!
I may not have thought they would stay, but with every passing day I grow ever more grateful that they have.
Fairn Structure
There isn’t necessarily a strict hierarchy within the fairn, with the exception of a designated leader known as the Patriarch/Matriarch.
Typically, a leader is chosen by the ayjiir-fairn. With the Freyn fairn being in exile, they have had to adapt and select their own leader. Leadership candidates will make their interest known to the current Patriarch/Matriarch, who will weigh up their strengths and weaknesses. When the Patriarch/Matriarch is ready to step down, they provide a summary of each candidate to the rest of the fairn, who then have an open discussion followed by a vote to select the next leader. This method has served them well in the generations post their exile.
Beyond the Patriarch/Matriarch, members of the Freyn will fulfil roles relevant to their skillsets.
For many, this means becoming scouts or protectors. The former in particular has become more popular amongst the Freyn as younger members, who have no memories of being under rigid rule of the Estorn fairn, express an ever increasing desire to explore the world at large.
There is also an unusual mix of Beastfolk and Humans in the fairn, thanks to their integration with the villagers of Athel. Indeed, the Freyn see them as much as family as their fellow fenarl-kryn. It certainly makes for a strange site to those unaccustomed to the local area.
Fairn Culture
Familial Bonds
In recent years, the Freyn fairn has seen an influx in Humans living amongst them.
For that reason it is not uncommon to see those born of the Freyn fairn adopting a Human into their family, or even with the newest generations, to see a Human born into the Freyn fairn.
Most of the Freyn even see the villagers of Athel as their family. Children of both cultures will play with one another when their respective families are visiting one another. It certainly helps that their ideas of a family unit are similar to one another. The words for brother and sister, or mother and father, may be different between the two cultures, but the basic understanding is there.
The Freyn, much like other Fenarl-Kryn, use the familial concepts of parents, children, and siblings.
Nieces/nephews, uncles, aunts, and cousins aren’t really concepts that exist. Nor are grandparents or great grandparents. Whilst that doesn’t stop them from being blood related, a child will not consider their mother’s mother (for example) as being a part of their nulkryn. In this scenario, you would likely hear the child refer to such an individual as their “mother’s nulkryn”.
Relationships
So far, none of the Freyn have tried to test the waters and have a relationship with a Human. Despite the progress their fairn has made in becoming more welcoming of the Humans, a familial bond has been as far as any have decided to go.
Some of the younger generation - those born without the fear and prejudice of their old ayjiir-fairne - have discussed it among themselves, but no one has been brave enough to take the first step.
Gender and Beauty
As far as gender and beauty ideals are concerned, the Freyn are still very much stuck in their ways.
The ideals and standards that previous generations of the Freyn grew up with continue to be the leading ideals. Even the younger generations have had a hard time moving away from them. After all, these are the ideals and standards that their parents raised them on.
My father used to take me to visit the Freyn fairn before he fell too ill to walk. By that time, I was old enough to make the journey myself. So I did. For him.
They are an interesting bunch. Keen to learn about the world around them now that they have been exiled by their ayjiir-fairne. But I have noticed that, despite their freedom, they are still haunted by the standards that their ayjiir-fairne held them too.
Take, for example, their opinions on gender. They struggle to understand our concepts that one may transition from man to woman, or vice versa, via the use of mutation essence. To them, it is a foreign concept. Though they do try to understand and are always quick to apologise for any offence or mistake, when they do speak of such things they speak in hushed tones, as if fearful that someone might hear and berate them for it. Or worse - I would not put it past their ayjiir-fairne to be so cruel, having heard the tales my father told me of the Freyn’s original arrival in Athel…
Customs and Traditions
Although the Freyn were outcast, they still practice many of the customs and traditions that they once shared with their fellow fairne.
A prime example of this is the Leadership-Ceremony{TBC} that determines who the next Patriarch/Matriarch of the fairn will be. The ceremony has been tweaked, of course. Being outcast means that the Freyn no longer have an ayjiir-fairn to choose their next leader, but instead the people of the Freyn fairn are given a voice and a vote on the matter.
They also practice the rites of passage that denote certain milestones in a Fenarl-Kryn’s life: the birth of a child (attended and celebrated by the whole fairn), or an individual’s first Job-Milestone{TBC} (where the individual is sent out alone to complete a task related to their future role in the fairn, to determine whether or not they are ready for the responsibility about to be bestowed upon them).
There are also some customs that the Freyn have abandoned. Some due to being unable to interact with other Fenarl-Kryn fairne, and others due to the nature of them. One such example of an abandoned custom is the Blood-Hunt{TBC} - a test of unity between the fairne, whereby those participating must hunt and claim their first Human kill.
Author's Note: Common Terms
For easy reference, here are some of the common terms that appear throughout this article:
- Fairn - meaning 'clan' in basta'lun. Plural: 'fairne' (clans).
- Llo-fairn - meaning 'low clan' in basta'lun. Only the izaal-kryn tend to use this as a way to categorise any clan that isn't a ayjiir-fairn. Although the direct translation is 'low clan', it is often translated as 'minor clan' instead when referring to fairne. Plural: llo-fairne
- Ayjiir-fairn - meaning 'higher clan' in basta'lun. Often, beastfolk substitute the 'higher' for 'major' as a means of saying that, although each fairn comes from an ayjiir-fairn, they are still seen as equals - no clan is 'higher' than another. Plural: ayjiir-fairne.
- Kryn - meaning 'of my blood' in basta'lun. In runic, a rough approximation of the term would be 'family'.
- Fenarl-kryn - a combination of the basta'lun 'fenarl' (feather) and 'kryn' (of my blood / family). The rough translation to runic would be 'feathered family'.
Current Leadership
Olaaynor Furnvho is the Matriarch of the Freyn fairn. Before she was appointed Matriarch, she was one of the Freyn’s finest hunters and a common sight amongst the villagers of Athel, where she would often travel to trade extra animal pelts or meat.
Her hunting skills and frequent visits to Athel are the main reasons she was chosen to lead the fairn. The former because she had proven time and time again that she was capable of protecting the fairn. The latter because it demonstrated to the others that she had the level of compassion and understanding towards others that the fairn had begun to develop their core principles around.
Past Leaders of Note
Banaaydo Dalluvha - kickstarted the Freyn’s education of the world outside of the fenarl-kryn.
Shurlo Ashalvha - the man who would call upon the other fairne to join in the Freyn’s education and acceptance of outsiders, only for himself and the Freyn to be forced into exile.
By the numbers
Once a thriving llo-fairn, the Freyn were hit hard by their exile.
Some left in an attempt to plead with the ayjiir-fairne their innocence, never to be seen or heard from again. Others took their chance to wander alone, fearing that the ayjiir-fairne might change their minds and hunt them down.
As of the current generation, there are a total of 67 fenarl-kryn in the fairn; a number extremely below the average, even for a llo-fairn. However, some of the villagers of Athel have actually integrated into fairn life, so there are an additional 24 humans who live permanently amongst the fairn.
Currently, the Freyn fairn have a settlement in the north of Kiberia.
They are about half a day's walk from the village of Athel. Just close enough to act should anything happen in the village that warrants their attention, but not so close as to scare any unsuspecting travellers (since the fenarl-kryn are one of the Beastfolk kryn that have the most negative connotations with regular Humans).
The Freyn may have been exiled for a few generations, but they still follow general fenarl-kryn traditions when it comes to naming their children.
That said, there are a few Freyn, particularly those who frequently visit Athel, who have picked up a few naming quirks from the Humans settled there. These quirks haven’t caught on with the rest of the fairn yet.
Like all Beastfolk, those born to the Freyn fairn are able to speak, read and write both besta’lun and the common Runic tongue. They also know Ca’astlun, which is a common beastfolk language used by the fairne who settled in Ca’astan.
A few of the older fairn members know Eyris’lun, although popularity of this language has faded since the Freyn fairn were cast out of their homelands.
Since their resettlement in Kiberia, they have been taught how to speak Kiberia-Language{TBC} by the villagers from Athel. Most still go to Athel for proper tutelage for this language, although there are a couple of fairn members who have studied Kiberia-Language{TBC} to the point that they consider it their primary language.
I am so glad that the humans they came across were kind. I wanted to cry when they were all punished. :(
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