Gredora

Glittering Nomads

 

"It’s easy to forget sometimes that Gredorans aren’t city dwellers like us. A strange sight for certain, being in the middle of a volcanic wasteland and witnessing so many people dressed like Kings." - Lars Urbe, Arborian Diplomat

  Oftentimes you will see Gredorans far before you hear them. The six Gredoran Caravans slither through the sweltering steppes like silver serpents, gleaming in the sun. Gredorans usually stand a head taller than the other peoples of Yominokuni with their backs straight and their heads held high.   Their unique clothing is what draws the most attention to them, and something they take immense pride in displaying. The Kabadiragoni, roughly translating to Dragon Cloak, is an ultra-lightweight, form-fitting chainmail or scale mail short sleeved shirt with a hood. No Gredoran would be caught dead without their Kabadiragoni, or Kaba, as it is a symbol of family heritage. Each family has a different method of creating them and different designs, engravings, and metals.   In addition to their tight clothing, Gredorans take considerable pride in their physical appearance. The nomads grow their dark hair long, combing and decorating it with metal chains and charms. It is also rare, if ever, to find a Gredoran in anything other than peak physical condition, including the sick and elderly.  

"Every day idle is another day that shows through your Kaba." - Gredoran Proverb

  A second piece to the Gredoran attire is the Demi Ijeta, or the Blood Sleeve. A stylized set of armor plates covering the right shoulder down to the elbow, connected to the Kaba with a decorative chain. The Demi Ijeta is a sacred heirloom passed down from parent to child and mentor to apprentice. Unlike the Kaba, the Demi Ijeta is not made by each family, but passed down from each generation to the next. Rarely ever are they constructed. To create a Demi Ijeta requires one of the extraordinarily rare Donum Fornax to venture into one of Shinoyama's many active volcanoes for a day and a night where it is forged. Gredora has warred with Shinoyama many times to reclaim their mountain forges, but to no avail.   Not every Gredoran wears a Demi Ijeta, but to be honored with one is to be laden with the expectations and prestige of the family or mentor who passed it down.   When a child dons a Demi Ijeta for the first time, they discover if they have a Donum. It is the only known method of awakening power other than drinking from the Life Ducts. If the child in fact is blessed, the Demi Ijeta's retracted spikes pierce the wearer's body, rooting it in place in a ceremonial bonding of the generations. The blood of the Ancestors now runs in their veins.  

Price of a Donum

  All Donums tax their possessor in some way. Rather than intense study or endless repetitions, the Gredorans pay this price in blood. For most Demi Araki, or Blood Mages, they pay this painlessly through their Demi Ijeta, no more than a trickle down their arm. For the unlucky Demi Araki who has no Demi Ijeta, they must open a wound if they wish to call upon their power.   A price happily paid for the beauty and elegance of Gredoran Donums. Demi Araki are honored artisans, deadly warriors, and protectors of the Caravans, which is no easy task. The Gredoran Caravans roam the plateaus, trailing herds of giraffes, elephants, and deer. Despite their quarry being abundant and less dangerous than in other regions, the predators that roam Gredora are deadly.   Demi Araki are charged with shielding their people from the Rocs that nest in the mountains, the Ankhegs that burrow underneath, and the dreaded Rust Monsters which can decimate entire Caravans in minutes.  

Precious Metal

  To the Gredorans, all metal holds significance, with each one representing a unique cornerstone of their values. There is one metal however, that is holy to the nomads: Adamantine. The seemingly supernatural hardness and durability of the metal fascinates all Gredoran Demi Araki and artisans alike. With the power of Adamantine, a Donum Fornax can forge a Nefisi Bireti, or Metal’s Soul.   Nefisi Bireti is an Adamantine gauntlet that fits over the same arm that wields the Demi Ijeta. The Nefisi Bireti is an invaluable tool for any Demi Araki. On a Donum Ferro, the armpiece can shift and mold in an instant to form a deadly weapon or a nigh-impenetrable shield. For a Donum Ignis, the gauntlet becomes a whip of molten Adamantine or spreads over the whole body, encasing the wearer in white-hot Adamantine armor.   Dozens of conflicts and several wars have erupted between the ancient Cumerians and Gredorans over Adamantine, for the Cumerians are unwilling to trade it, and the Gredorans are unwilling to be without their holy metal. Now, Anidine has both Adamantine and those who can use it, but they guard the precious metal more jealously than the Cumerians ever did.  

Old Wanderers, New Life

  When Anya Arbor taught the Gredorans of the Life Ducts, she did not take into account the possibility that none of the nomads would ever receive a Donum which could open a Duct. Through the Provenire of the Gredoran Donums, blood became an important element of society, so it did not take long for the Gredorans to offer blood to the Life Ducts. Many weeks passed with slitting arms and trickling blood, endless trial and error of the manner of ritual, until one day one of the elders took matters into his own hands. Iskinder Meseret, once a great warrior but now a cripple tended to by his family, threw himself into the volcano which the Life Duct stood upon. Moments later, water began to flow and the Gredorans rejoiced the noble sacrifice of a dying man.   Such is now tradition in Gredoran society. Rather than mourn the sick, crippled, and elderly, Gredorans celebrate their life and rejoice as those with little time left make the ultimate sacrifice to give life to the future generations.