Ezondaorasyalar of Everos

In the distant epochs of time immemorial, immense and sorrowful gouts of blackened ash settled low upon the ruins of Qadal. This was not the product of unilateral divine judgement, but the bitter fruit reaped from jealously and rebellion among the most powerful entities in existence. It began when the world was matured from its acrid, molten form and forged into a bountiful paradise of virgin creativity. Qazun, the brightest mind among the Eshan, craftsman of Esha’s natural life, violated in innocence the mandates of Ácolitus barring the creation and proliferation of olûndari life. A race was born into life through his work. It was a breed of strange, half-sentient olûndi possessing rough skin known as Viscari. They operated as an experimental gap of evolution between animals and another tier of nature; malice and vile were absent to him. However, Ácolitus quickly discovered the existence of this illict species and descended upon Qazun with exhortations to cease and return to honorable ways. In fear of punishment or worldly devastation, Qazun relented, but not without contradiction. Aebaster, the Eldest of the Eshan, and his allies among the Eshoric siblings brazenly rejected Ácolitus in favor of their own advancement. They were envious of the Creator’s mastery over life and desired such things for themselves. War became inevitable. Divided in loyalty between their father of creation and personal glorification, the ancient Eshan shattered into belligerent camps. Aebaster and the Alor’eshan excluding Atûn gathered alongside numberous Ebal’eshan in the western reaches of Zaregallis, wherein Qazun practiced his craft. Ácolitus commanded the respect and faith of Atûn, Idorûn, and the majority of the Ebal’eshan, whom all feared what disasters might be wrought by unprecedented Eshanic rebellion. Yet, most bitterly divided among all Eshan were the Ezontach. Duboartu and Nahu were akin to Ácolitus in their minds. They feared the tained of rebellion and were wary concerning Eshanic ineptitude to command olûndari races. Otaoradu and Yada were proud and supported Aebaster in his campaign to secure Eshanic powers. In bitterness and mistrust, the pairs stalked away to separate camps. This was the first Brordaz, or ‘Break of Siblings’ in the tongues and memory of the Daorhu and Odyrzid, unrivaled in malice or disgrace.   As the Eshanic hosts of Aebaster and Ácolitus prepared to clash upon Zaregallis, the Ezontach braced for the bloody turmoil.   The Ezontach created the Daorhu race as a method of reconciliation. Whereas the Odryzid were created from anger and murderous intent, the newer breed was a cooperative venture.   Historically, the Daorhu yalar began as tribal nations, and not remarkably unlike the Karthuuzar they disdain and scorn in modern times. This formative period of Daorhu history was long lived, encompassing the Awakening era when Aemarda was young and the Daorhu were dominant in Nemrohed and Mehras. Fragmented relics of the period yet remain, the most notable being primitive ruins carved into the bedrock like ashpits with stone dwellings within them. For modern scholars, the exact nature of these settlements subject to question, but were certainly inspired by the villages of the Viscari that the Ezontach themselves had laid waste to during the First Feud. While petty suggestions of civilization compared to the Odyrzid or Etayen, these smaller settlements were sufficient for the tribes that dwelled within them so long as the population remained meager.   Daorhu dominion during the Awakening spread across a wide swathe of territory ranging from the northern river Uld to the slopes of the Aeducarr mountains. The tribes thereabouts interacted with their Aemar neighbors and settled alongside them. They exchanged trade goods such as meat, pelts, primitive metal goods, weapons, woven clothes and lived in quite similar manners. Indeed, the first instances of intermarriage between Eshanic races was between the Daorhu and Aemar. This peaceful coexistence was bolstered by the harmony between Aebaster and the Ezontach which prevented the same racial animosity displayed between Aemarda and the Etayen. This period of Daorhu and Aemar coexistence lasted from around -8000 to -5000, encompassing the whole formative tribal era wherein these cultures gained some measure of identity.   Around the coming of -5000, however, the dynamic between the Aemar and Daorhu began to alter. The former was expanding across Everos at an extraordinary rate, taking advantage of the numbers in which Aebaster created them. It was his desire to gather power through this massive settlement of the olûndari world, but there were negative outcomes. As Aemar civilization flourished in Everos, they came into conflict with their Daorhu neighbors in terms of arable land, mineral resources, and grazing grounds. Competition increased between them and Daorhu civilization contracted as a result. This is not to conjecture that Daorhu warriors are weaker than their Aemar counterparts. On the contrary, a Daorhu warrior or host could stand against an Aemar warband with ease. The fact was proven time and again throughout the millenia as armed conflict between the cultures escalated. However, the game of civilizations is played with greater pieces than warriors and warlords. The Aemar were stronger in the number of farms, the size of their towns, and the scale of their craftworks. They simply outbuilt and outgrew the Daorhu in northern Everos. When the -5000s were concluded and the -4000s begun, Daorhu settlement had been pushed back from the western coasts, eastern reaches, and southern hilllands toward the watershed regions of the Loryne.   The holds began to evolve into a more recognizable form during the later centuries of the Awakening, as the population of the Daorhu increased and new threats emerged that required strong resistance. The archaic villages of the Viscari style were abandoned in favor of stout, winding walls and rudimentary mountain alcoves burrowed into shallow caves. By the -4000s, these styles of cities were ubiquitous across the Everosi landscape and well recorded in their time. While the Daorasyalar crafted from winding inner and outer walls were the overwhelming norm, the few instances of mountain domains grasped the imagination of scholars and story-tellers alike. It is not known for certain which tribe or which leader was first to move into the mountains, but there are legends that may grant a partial explanation.

The truth of the Daorhu migration to the mountains is certainly more complex than fables could allow, but it does shed some insight. Internal economic and social difficulties and the looming threat of Karthuuzar attacks forced the Daorhu to seek new homes in the natural mountain environment. Entire communities tucked themselves into mountainous cavaties. Their personal tresures and knowledge were carried along with them into the darkness. Contrary to foreign perceptions of these realms, the Daorhu never fashioned great halls hewn from stone, nor immense vaults into which silver and gems were hidden. The greatest among the mountain strongholds was Metaorbu Thoram, and it possessed no more than 1,000 esseythu in its blackened bowels. However, contemporaries and historians alike could foretell that the ancient manners of the Daorhu were fading into legend. By the later Awakening, the ashpit villages the Daorhu once occupied fell into decay and abandonment, except for in remote places where stalwart tribes held to the ancient ways of living as first ordained by the Ezontach.   The adoption of limited mountainside settlement completed the gradual evolution begun millenia prior. As Daorhu culture receded north of the Balendorns, their once significant impact on Everos began to wane. They became more isolated and interoverted. However, not even then did the Daorhu find peace. The Aemar followed them across those mountains and sought dominion in those lands as well. Daorhu settlement expanded across frigid Nemrohed, and the territories separating the Ezontach’s chosen and other olûndi narrowed. In particular, tense interactions with an Aemardan breed known as Karthuuzar became increasingly common. The creeping borderland which once hosted mere terrors of nature acquired a new character of danger.   The Eshara of the Ezontach was sufficient to stymie the machinations of the barbaric Karthuuzar. For no others would this be possible, for four Eshan acting as one offered incredible powers. Daorhu warriors were made stronger in body, wherein they could hurl missiles three-times normal distance at three-fold the power. Empowered warriors were known to smash helmets of iron to scrap in single blows. In externalize power, such blessed fighters unleashed toerrents of fire upon the Karthuuzar. It was taxing, for battle after battle was undertaken to protect the yalar. Yet the machinations of the Ezontach did not pass beyond Nemrohed in those days, and thus this expense was managed.   All Esha was hurled into disarray upon the cataclysmic year of zero. Atûn died after expending his limited Eshanic power against the conserved reservoir of his ancient rival, Aebaster. His death shattered the artificial boundaries which kept immense concentrations of Vojûn locked in Etal. It flowed outward, sowing havoc across both worlds. This energy reached Nemrohed within short years. The Karthuuzar, long crushed beneath the Ezontach’s Eshanic power, adopted its use in their own manners. With new strength they assailed the Daorhu, pushing the Ezontach toward the limits of their endurance. No longer could Daorhu warriors be empowered in the same strength as ancient years, for more warriors were required than ever to withstand the Karthuuzar press.   Immense suffering wrought by the Karthuuzar devastated Nemrohed for decades. For shame, the Ezontach were unable to muster sufficient Eshara to combat the Vojûnic potency of Aemarda’s barbarous spawn. The power Atûn forged was immeasurable in might in those Weeping Era years, and without bondage of Eshanic weakness it empowered its cunning wielders beyond rivalry. Nothing survived in that tumultuous wake. The Daorasyalar declined in strength and buckled against the vicious gouts of flame and destruction conjured by merciless Karthuuzar raiders. These assailants were a jealous breed, predisposed to violence in jealousy against one another and the Daorhu. Yet, the warfare between the Karthuuzar paled in ferocity to the violence barred against the Ezontach’s children, for the warriors of Karthuul desired wealth and goods nowhere found among their own people. Numerous yalar were smashed and crumbled to ruins by Vojûnic powers, and the people were subjected to murder and enslavement while the treasures were horded in great troves. The Yalagon of the embattled yalar rallied warhosts to combat the menace, bearing with them powerful Razag and Eshanic spells. They slaughtered many hundreds of Karthuuzar in this way but suffered immense losses to Vojûnic wrath. No powers rallied at that time could reverse the decline, and the Daorhu resigned themselves to self-preservation while the weakest among them were crushed to ruins. This period is remembered by history as the Alogolsur, or ‘Sufferings from Aemarda’ in the Daorhu tongue. Blood flowed upon snow and suffering grew for centuries without the power of the Ezontach capable of halting its spread.   Salvation from Vojûnic ruin was achieved by a wiseman among the Daorhu known as Naordu. Daorhu histories first record his name in 267 in association with the ancient Daorhu domain of Metaorbu Golragh. Beyond those superficial fragments of knowledge, the personal legend of Naordu has been lost or never recorded at all. However, any scholar with interest in the blackened Middle Times could hazard the details of his youth. He witnessed firsthand the devastation of the empowered Karthuuzar menace and annihilation of numerous Daorhu yalar during the Alogolsur. This was the crisis the Weeping Era, wherein unlimited power was held within the hands of unchecked warlords, murderers, and psychopaths. In those times, the Daorhu turned to the Ezontach for reprieve and protection which did not manifest. This apparent abandonment cast the Daorhu race into a universal spirit of sorrow and vengeance. Had the Ezontach rejected their favored children like the Odyrzid of eons past? If such, what crimes had they commited against the Eshan’s will? Innumerable Daorhu, both high and low, pondered these ruinous signs and questioned their faith. Naordu numbered among them and wondered aloud how the Eshan could fail their chosen people. He felt the darkness of despair assail his mind but refused to be utterly consumed by its nigh irresistible power. Instead, the cunning Daorhu turned inward and committed his intellect and research to discovering a means to combat the Karthuuzar wrought by olûndari hands. Years more were dedicated to that purpose while the Alogolsur continued unrestrained. Naordu delved into the farthest recesses of Eshanic lore and tomes written of olûndari accomplishments great and obscure, offering particular attention to Vojûn as the power which wrought the worst suffering. In the year 306, those arguous years of research manifested in the manner of a dream.

Naordu was deeply stirred by this vision, regardless of its fantastical character. He emerged from his chamber with ancient folios and wheathered tomes of Vojûnic knowledge in hand, bearing down upon the master of Metaorbu Golragh with childish excitement. Every manner of Daorhu passed him along those meandering walls of hewn stone beneath the barren sky. The young and the old, male and female, some destitute and others garbed in vibrant velvets of verdant colors unknown in Nemrohed’s natural landscape. He took notice of the soldiers as well, wrapped in steel rings and woven plates. Every other one among them was wounded or scarred, displaying the violent results of countless battles against the Karthuuzar. A strain of unspoken fear proliferatied among them, manifesting in twitching, wary eyes and an engrained disdain for uncertain silence. Naordu arrived in the spacious stone edifice befitting the Yalagah, stout in stature but broad between its walls and capped with decorative peaks of gems. Horozjna was Golragh’s master in those years, and long suffered the worst depredations of the Alogolsur. Naordu, well known as a wiseman and respectable figure, came forward and placed his hands upon Horozjna’s shoulders. He told the Yalagah about his incredible dream and the devastation wrought upon the weaklings beneath the monster’s feet- perhaps it alluded to the Karthuuzar, those ancient enemies of the Ezontach, and how they might be destroyed! Naordu went further to suggest the recreation of this giant, utilizing the knowledge of Vojûn and its properties as recorded over the previous three centuries. Horozjna first scorned the suggestion, but miserable truth dawned upon him. What reprieve could the Daorhu enjoy? The Razunkerrag made butchers’ work of the Karthuulties, but them suffered death. Yet, the Karthuuzar grew in number and the Razag were fewer now. In desperation, Horozjna granted Naordu’s wish.   Daorhu memory recalls the year 302 when Naordu first began his work. The Ezonkerrag chose for himself a cavernous hollow hidden amongst the hills which adjoined Metaorbu Golragh. He called it Fuimnialgan, or Under-kiln, and ventured into it with two score assistants and servants offered to him by Yalagah Horozjna. They were awed by the gaping tear of unhewn rock which sank into the opaque realm of shadows. It was no narrower than 200 strides between the jagged barrier walls, and some 600 strides from mouth to rear. How such an impressive alcove came into existence was unknown, but hushed whispers conjectured that the Ezontach themselves might have once dwelled here. As the company delved farther into the Fuimnialgan, they came upon a vast inner chamber which was largely devoid of natural obstructions. Only in the remote peripheries of that space were there remnants of significant outcroppings. Curiously, however, Naordu and his companions uncovered evidence of olûndari occupation, including broken metal tools and scattered bone fragments. These things were ancient to even Naordu’s eyes, and the cause of their demise was uncertain. Yet, the Ezonkerrag was swiftly enlightened. The unmistakable pircks and sensations of concentrated Vojûnic energy permeated the chamber. They could feel the pulses upon their bodies and minds, and then witnessed the horrid manifestations of those powers. From the chilling shadows came forth a series of small, putrid beasts with frames of black and pale azure. Naordu nor his companions had ever witnessed such strange and terrible monsters, but were swift and strong in destroying every last one of them. Upon examining the corpses and taking notes of the interior, the narrow layer of rock separating Vojûnic currents from the surface became evident. Naordu was pleased by this development, and Fuimnialgan appeared better fitted for the task than believed. Work immediately began upon Naordu’s slumbering vision and Nemrohed’s hopeful salvation.   Foremost, the grand interior of Fuimnialgan was transformed into a simultaneous workshop and garrison. The endeavor was perilous. Noble Daorhu warriors and their Razag mounts battled against residual beasts conjured from the Vojûn of the carven while numerous laborers picked and chiseled into the caven’s bedrock. Naordu poured over records and Vojûnic histories belonging to Yalagah Horonzja, chiefly regarding the Etayen, structures known as Voladûr, and the relationship between energies and the olûndari world. These written sources great boons, yet no definitive word matched the aspirations of the Daorhu. Naordu was compelled to adapt the wisdom of the Etayen into uncharted disciplines. The first craftwork he ordered built was a broad ring of pillars built within trenches smashed into the bedrock. From the readings of Vojûnic texts transcribed from Etayen sources, these pillars were mockeries of the Voladûr, meant to draw forth great quantities of Vojûnic power from underground. Its appearance was akin to a great moat, and its depths were soon filled with a disdainful looking ichor of black. Evil and infantile masses of corrupted clambered from the darkness upon the pillars and into Fuimnialgan. Second came the work of stonecarvers, plying their trade upon the bedrock to form the monster of Naordu’s dream. Months of incessant work and the ring of metal upon stone passed. All the while, the warriors of Metaorbu Golragh crushed the beasts which emerged. Many children of the Ezontach were lost, some of whom Naordu knew, but the labor continued. In time, the monster took shape in the shadows of Fuimnialgan- coming to 300 lengths long and many across. Its core and extremeties were hollow, providing space into which the Vojûnic energy would flow and inhabit, at least according to Naordu’s calculations. The contenance and corpse were hewn with the hands of Metaorbu Golragh’s superior artisans. In the summer of 306, Yalagah Horonzja came to Fuimnialgan and marveled at the work achieved there. Within the Under-kiln rested the beast, taking likeness from traditional Daorhu depictions of the Ezontach, and a great ramp meant to haul it free. All was ready. The noble Yalagah was present for when the Voladûr were empowered by Daorhu nemeshari and the whole crew retreated to safety. Every wise and cautious spirit returned to Metaorbu Golragh, and only the Daorhu warriors and their Razag remained to destroy the deadly flow of Vojûnic constructs from escaping Fuimnialgan and into Nemrohed.   Now the work was done. The Ezonkerrag reckoned that the ensuing wait would take several days, at least until the Vojûnic power sufficiently enmeshed itself with the stone monster. Those long and tense periods burdened the minds of Naordu and his people. A measure of ominous self-reflection set upon them- if the efforts of Naordu failed to yield fruit, irretrievable years of labor and significant resources from Metaorbu Golragh were wasted. This was to also overlook the sorrowful toll of brave warriors lost against the Vojûnic menace. In a time when the existential threat of the Alogolsur was increasing, grim moods of melancholy pervaded all sections of Daorhu society. Dissent and skepticism grew among the weary faced Daorhu, manifesting in clandestine plots to overturn Yalagah Horonzja and the wiseman Naordu. Chiefest among their ranks were the Golraghon warriors who sacrificed themselves in support of Naordu’s outlandish vision. They espoused a return to the ancient methods of unrelenting and sharp raids against the Karthuuzar homeland, keeping them distant until internal conflict would draw them from the Daorhu. Word travelled of these traitorous sentiments, yet the Yalagah was bound to inaction in that critical time. All of Metaorbu Golragh and its allies waited with uneasy silence. In this desparate context, an ancient and familiar fear swiftly settled among them. The Karthuuzar continued to strike the porous borders in that time; a distant yet creeping threat, now ever closer to Metaorbu Golragh’s gates. Finally, eight days after the activation of the Voladûr, the Ezonkerrag deemed the time proper to return to Fuimnialgan. A great host of anxious eyes trailed behind, bearing the banners of myriad neighboring Daorasyalar. The scene they arrived upon was of great turmoil, with corpses of Daorhu, Razag, and scores of Vojûnic beasts scattered across the frozen plains. However, the line remained firm and Fuimnialgan was open. Naordu entered and was astounded to witness utter devastation which left the Voladûr and exterior craftsmenship in ruins. Every manner of stone and timber was broken apart like a great gale had swept through the interior and carried the broken materials to disparate corners of the chamber. Yet, at the heart of the Under-kiln rested the monster of Naordu’s vision, intact and imposing in the half-light. Yalagah Horonzja rallied some 40 Razag among the surviving warriors and bid they drag the 300-foot monster out from the darkness. Every wintess present, Naordu included, was amazed by the scale and power of the vision’s outcome.

The success of Naordu’s experiment prompted the swift creation of further ‘under-kilns’ like Fuimnialgan. For that purpose, Yalagah Horonzja allied himself with neighboring Daorasyalar under threat from the damnable Karthuuzar menace. Metaorbu Baljir, Tonom Maldur, and Metaorbu Vukarok are three known members of this novel coalition, but several others must have been present given the immense scale of their future endeavors. United, these Yalagon desired to create a grand host of these Caranadu. Between the years 307 and 318, an impressive array of 10 Caranadu were fashioned from stone with methods similar to Naordu’s creation of Yeonin. They were hauled forth from their great kilns and given names by the Ezontach; they were Ai, Hlone, Mrznja, Hijr, Oidhreacht, Duil, Fida, Ubambano, Yosuru, and Unistenje. Their names were derived from a broad spectrum of Daorhu and Qadayen sources, reflecting the eccentric nature of their creator.   By the year 650, the Alogolsur was passed in its worse manifestations. While not completely destroyed, the Karthuuzar were compelled to withdraw from the borders of Daorhu territory and seek protection away from them. The Caranadu and gwazkerrag successfully completed the mission rendered unto them by Naordu centuries ago.   Scholars of Nemrohed know the period following the Alogolsur as the Ebanamtu, or ‘Swift Growing’ in the Daorhu tongue. Yeonin reigned over the Caranadu and Daorasyalar as an unofficial ruler among olûndi in those golden years.   In 980, the unity and prosperity of the Kerragyalar began to display signs of collapse. Internal conflict was more violent and common than three centuries prior- meaning that the more aggressive Caranadu sought dominion over their siblings. Overpopulation among the ascendant Daorhu caused a strain in resources in that sparse north. Religiou conflict between worshippers of the Caranadu and traditionalist followers of the Ezontach marred civil life. In response, the Caranadu were compelled to choose endurance or radical measures. They chose the latter. The period known to the Daorhu as Otumantu, or ‘departure’ in the native tongue, thus began. All but three Caranadu departed from Nemrohed in rapid succession, taking their people with them. What problems were caused by overpopulation and proximity were completely nullified, but new dilemmas arose from the sudden demographic change. Who remained? The Karthuuzar for certain, and they arose from the fringes of Nemrohed to reassert themselves. For those in Nemrohed the gwazkerrag became last-resort defensive tools rather than offensive warriors or companions in society. Centuries of further turmoil were wrought from these changes.   No more will be written here of Daorhu civilization and its evolution. The Otumantu was the death knell of the united Daorhu world and speaking of the whole race rendered impossible.

The bitter extremes of Everos’ northern reaches preclude the establishment of civilization and time keeping in the common sense. Everything becomes subordinate to the weather, including calendars and time perceptions. For the ancient Daorhu, time meant that matters were simple. Four seasons or months existed, being the rising of Eshabal, known to them as Metonaoru, then its decline. The second half was the rise of Kovûl, known to them as Gaorom, then its own decline.

This is the first season, known as the Rising of the High Warming Light in the Daorhu tongue. It is a time of frenzied activity.

The second season, known as the Lowering of the High Warming Light, is a period of completions. The final stone are added to strong walls. Shovel-loads of dirt are hurled away to create storage burrows. Low and mean crops are gathered and stored.

The third season, known as the Rising of the Silver Companion, is a time of celebration and merriment. Daorhu remember a successful year while preparing themselves for a bitter season.

The fourth season, known as the Lowering of the Silver Companion, is a time of sobriety and planning.

While the broad histories of the Ezondaorasyalar prior to Naordu’s days are known and recorded, much of the ancient primary record has been lost or destroyed. What remains is jealously guarded by the Yalagon and Kerragyalar, hidden away from interested eyes. For the commoner or intrepid scholar, valuable details and knowledge regarding Daorhu society, economics, and particularly government are scarce in nature, heavily diluted through secondary writings, or cleverly fabricated by ambitious antiquarians. The Karthuuzar of the Alogolsur period are foremost at blame, as they shameless decimated Daorhu yalar and everything within them save valuables and loot. Anything that survived that turmoil has endured centuries of wear and handling. Numerous documents have crumbled to dust; others have been lost to Olûllosia within the endless bowels of foreign and native repositories. For that reason, arduous and exhaustive efforts have been made to revive some remnants of the ancient Daorhu past.   A significant portion of the surviving history comes from ornate carvings known as --, which depict noteworthy individuals and events in Daorhu history. However, the artistic charm of these pieces makes them vulnerable targets to looters and foreign treasure hunters.   This is gained during a ceremony called the Vulkraz, or judgement, where the Ezontach decide if a candidate is worthy ruler of their people.   The Daorhu who descend from the Ezontach are practitioners of monarchical government first and foremost, as are many of the other realms in Qadal. This is reflective of the hierarchical tradition of power started by the Ezontach, who demanded obedience and order from their chosen people. The olûndari Daorhu rulers expect the same from their subjects, and only more so if they are the in the position of EzonYalagah of all Nemrohed. To become EzonYalagah, and thus rule over the lesser Yalagon of meagre means and legitimacy requires not only the consent of olûndi, but also of the Ezontach themselves through religious practice and traditions. The lesser Yalagah of the Daorhu are respected, but they lack the divine legitimacy which secures the place of the EzonYalagah among their subjects. For that reason, the politics of the individual holds of Nemrohed are volatile and prone to collapse just like anywhere else in Qadal. This said, there is a clear definition between the upper and lower classes, which ensures that autocratic government remains dominant in the land.   The holds of Nemrohed have been united three times in history. The first was Banthoram, which reigned dominant during the Weeping Era and early Twilight Era; the second among them was Bannotaora, which lived and died during the centuries between 1400 and 1800; and finally, there stood Banbaljir, which was felled by Ácolitus himself in a short but spectacular war in 2999. Regardless of the legth of time in power, the union of the Daorhu holds into a single nation is always a momentous event in its time and has always had a significant impact on the future of Qadal. In terms of local politics, a united Daorhu kingdom is key component in suppressing the fury of the barbaric Karthuuzar, since is allows the holds to make successful military forays onto the surface. In geopolitical terms, a united Daorhu kingdom allows for a projection of power that is unrivaled at any other time in their history. United they are able to hold back the constant expansion of the Empire, trade with nations all across Qadal, and take nearly undisputed control of Noravrrot. It is a land made otherwise vulnerable through its divisions. A union of the holds allows the chaos to be mastered.   In practice, the early Daorhu practiced a disunited form of government. Indeed, it has been over 500 years since they were all united into a single realm. As such, it is a misnomer to call the council of Daorhu holds that meets yearly a government. They simply meet to discuss topics that influences their people as a whole, such as trade laws, internal disputes, and outstanding external threats. All other parts of the day-to-day operations of the Daorhu holds is run by the ruler or ruling body of said hold. The majority of them are led by masters who can trace their heritage centuries into the past to the ancient Daorhu who ruled over the very same halls. A few others are ruled by councils called Torakhums, which is popular among the common Daorhu, but isn't highly regarded by members of the Daorhu nobility. Such a thing is actually seen as a threat by the established dynasties of Daorhu lords, who see it as an affront to their ancient rule of the plains and lowlands of Nemrohed.   Government was forever evolved with the creation of the Caranadu by Naordu in the 600s. These immense creations were the salvation of the Daorhu world, and the yalar began to organize around them.

Historical records regarding the earliest Yalagon and Daorasyalar in Qadal are elusive relics. Time and deliberate destruction have taken vicious tolls upon them. However, not all is lost. A small and disparate collection yet remains as surviving testament prior to the Alogolsur and beyond. This consists of mere names and paltry information, along with isolated tales mentioning individual Daorasyalar. Pathetic as it may seem to foreign eyes, such a robust collection of detailed history is outstanding for the Daorhu.

Yalagah Ofr was known for his brilliant conquests during the -2400s, well before the development of modern military technologies or government structures. In the Awakening, this Yalagah was able to unite a few of the local holds under his rule, creating for himself a small empire to grow his wealth and power.

In the late Awakening, there stood many minor yalar among the hills and high places of Nemrohed. Among them was the deep-rooted hall of Tonom Maldur, famous now as the site of Cloudsypre and headquarters of the Lorvelgis of the Hemon Ghesed.

Yalagah Vargan is one of the more outstanding of the Daorhu Yalagahan during the Ascension Era, a time when the holds were divided and isolated to Nemrohed because of the aggressive feuding between the realms of men and Etal. He managed to grow the wealth of his hold not through conventional means of conquest and taxation, but through the intellectual and inventive power of his people. The casual obServer may raise a brow to how such a thing could be possible, but this age was one of intense internal development among the Daorhu.

Thundurao, known to many as the Great, was the first EzonYalagah of the Daorhu. His dynasty ruled from 560 - 1245 and established the foundation upon which the Daorhu holds and subsequent empires have built themselves. The subterrainean highways between the major holds were first constructed during his reign before being expanded upon in under following rulers. His strong hand of command forced the Karthuuzar into the lowlands and broke their threatening expansion into the mountain foothills. It was also under him that the Daorhu established clear borders with the Imperial provinces to the south, ensuring that the squatting, raiding, and illegal mining operations of past centuries did not affect the growing Daorhu Empire. His reign and those of his immediate descendants are considered to be a Golden Age for the Daorhu of Everos.

Daorhu Yalagah who lost the War of the Wolonorends against the Gressar. Metaorbu Notaora was then looted and abandoned, thus bringing the end of the second Daorhu Kingdom.

The interim period between the 1800s and the 2500s was a time of instability and opportunism. A menagerie of lords pushed and fought among one another to claim all Nemrohed and once again restore the times of great kingdoms to that place. Among these nobles stood one stout Daorhu that sought glory beyond the frigid lands of the north. Her name was Magiv, and she was unlike her Daorhu kin. She did not live in the mountains as was the unquestioned custom of the Daorhu, but rather resided in a small hamlet of stone remade from the ruins of an ancient Daorhu dwelling. In the long past that race lived in villages like the Viscari had done, inlaid into the ground for warmth and protection. There she spent her childhood, hardening into a fearsome youth in the snowy wild.

At its height, the empire of Banbaljir dominated all Nemrohed, pushing the Karthuuzar to the tundra land and expanding south to the very foot of the Balendorn Mountains. Peace reigned almost universally among the holds, and this era is known for a profusion of Daorhu mercenary companies. Art and culture flourished from the peace and power. A time-consuming method of carving out a historical scene into a stone wall then filling the spaces with gems was a favorite of Korbar's, while his favorite songs were tunes of nature's beauty accompanied by a rolling drum. The economy was strong as well, with rights to mine in the Steelspear Mountains reServed solely for Daorhu workers. It was a golden age, as the rise of Daorhu empires tend to be, but not all would remain so grand for the king.

Slavery has always existed in Nemrohed. The buying and selling of olûndari bodies for worldly gain provided the Daorhu with the exposable labor base of their population. Their great cities of bending walls and counter-walls were constructed, stone by frigid stone, with the hands of unfree and miSerable wretches. This was accepted Qadayen practice. Far in the Daorhu past, thousands of starving slaves toiled in the mountains to create the half-dozen mountain holds which provided protection against the Karthuuzar and other menaces. In the years before Atûn’s death, these slaves were mostly captured Karthuuzar or imported flesh from abroad. When Atûn died and Vojûn was released, slaves were commanded to block the lowest depths of the same palatial spaces their forebearers created. Everything was completed without the exchange of wages in choaking heat or biting cold. When those too weak to work died, their corpses were hurled into vast pits of stone and buried beneath eternal rifts of snow. Not even the Eurobasar, infamous for their all-pervasive and hereditary system of slavery, treated their chattel with the same callous disregard. At the same time, the Daorhu consider themselves an enlightened race, the spiritual and temporal agents of the Ezontach in Qadal, acting as models of thrift, honesty, work ethic, and civilization. How can a people with the most degrading and violent slave regime in history view themselves as Aemare beacons of progress? The answer lies in definition.   Slavery among the religious-minded Brorgan differs from other modes in Qadal. It is based on the distinction between Eshanic and non-Eshanic races, or those acknowledged or utterly abandoned by the highest deities of existence. They refuse to chattel Aemar, Etayen, Axodraharik, Elivas, other Daorhu, and even the Odyrzid. This is because those races were chosen and beloved by their respective Eshanic creators. Violating that principle worked to the detriment of all Eshanic races. The Etayen had made this mistake during the Ascension era, and bound Aemarda to labor under fists of iron. Colonization was made simpler an affair with the additional manpower, but the humiliation seethed within the enslaved. When Corgastor and his allies waged war in -13, they enjoyed broad support. How could they not? Étunas was suddenly pitched against the whole of northern Everos. Moreover, the Aemar enjoyed the protection and favor of Aebaster, their Eshanic master. He granted Corgastor immense measures of his Eshara in -7 at the Vale of the Eldest, tucked into the Aeducarrs. This and the later alliance with the Voletal of Nathrovas spelled doom for Étunas. The Etayen were driven back and Atûn literally drained himself of life attempting to reverse the decline. By the year zero, both Étunas and its creator were dead. The Daorhu who remained far removed from the conflict paid careful attention while their own Eshanic masters reeled in utter, horrified surprise. Similar things could be said about the Aemar and Elivas. The former invaded the homeland of the latter, slaughtering and flaying them as valuable beasts in the Awakening. When Atûn granted power and sentience on them in exchange for alliance later that epoch, the Aemar continued their depridations and violence. They slaughtered and enslaved the Elivas. In return, the children of Mesian turned against Aemarda and wrought them great harm during the Ascension era, when the Etayen of Atûn arrived in Everos to claim land and reap the rewards of that celestial alliance. The Daorhu again recognized the cycle of revenge derived from Eshanic enslavement. They required a special race of olûndi to fulfill that desire. Daorhu inquiries and expeditions therein became a cultural obsession, but nothing came from the endeavor until the formative years of Banthoram.   When the Kerragyalar came to power in early Weeping Era, the issue of slavery and its celestial ramifications rose from obscurity to the forefront. The new Ezondaorasyalar required unprecedented forces of labor to create roads, repair the extensive walls which wound wild around each hold, and construct a series of stone bastions meant to keep the Karthuuzar in check. However, those lessons gleaned from the destruction of other realms informed had changed attitudes on slavery. Between zero and 560, the Daorhu attempted to broadly protect themselves from Eshanic wrath by freeing slaves and turning inward for labor. An expensive yet generally favorable system of piece-wages known as – dominated. The Daorhu chose to innovate by reigniting the search for laborers outside of Eshanic protection, a veritable underclass of sorrowful filth which could be exploited forever without the slightest concern. Daorhu scholars and soldiers were deployed on the hunt, which lasted from 560 to around 571. Finally, in that latter year, the search for these mythical ‘under-races’ bore some significant fruit.   The inception and expansion of racial slavery in Nemrohed was a revolutionary development. This, however, does not imply a uniform consensus among the Daorhu themselves. Indeed, the discovery of a viable slave population in Qadal came during a time of tribulation and change.   Slavery of mongrel races became an important source of imported manpower among the northernmost daorasyalar of Everos and the Gismyrs. The local civilizations therearound were incapable of hiring out or otherwise providing the Daorhu with sufficient labor to construct their labrynthine cities and immense infrastructure.   In the southern reaches of Everos and Nevan, the demand for mongrel slaves was minimal. The desparate and destitute Aemar peoples of the extreme south, along with Etayen refugees, were easy prey for Daorhu Yalagah. In Nevan, the constant wars against the Qazunari created an environment of mutual trust between the nascent Daorhu yalar and Aemar realms. This was exacerbated by the vacuum of power created after the destruction of Étunas and weakening of Amasghal.

The Daorhu are a civilized, respectable people whose political affiliations go beyond mere loyalty to homeland and family. They explore bold concepts and entertain foreign philosophies. Orders beyond government are common among them, and quite well regarded save for those which undermine government authority. Thinkers from Neyas, Etal, Othos, and southern Everos gather among the Yalar to share wisdom with the Daorhu.

Nemrohed is an expansive land, and within it exists many daorasyalar, both great and small. In the ancient epochs of Everosi history, the Daorhu yalar were divided among numerous Yalagah who reigned over swathes of tundra and hinterland territory. All manner of government and control was decentralized between these realms. Religiously, the Ezontach were broadly venerated and offered protections to the Daorhu from threats ranging from the Karthuuzar to constructions of the Qazunari. Historically, they began as tribal nations, and not all that different from the Karthuuzar they look down upon and scorn in modern times. This period of their history was short lived, perhaps only a few centuries in the Awakening before the migration of Aemarda northward into Nemrohed. Paltry relics of the period may be discovered by keen eyes if one travels throughout that land. The most notable remanents being homesteads dug into the rock itself like ashpits, though with stone homes built into them. For modern scholars, the exact nature of these settlements is in question, but such things are surely inspired by the villages of the Viscari that the Ezontach themselves had laid waste to during the First Feud. These smaller settlements were sufficient for the Daorhu tribes that dwelled within them so long as the population remained disparate and insignificant. They carried names such as Metaorbu Golragh, Metaorbu Thoram, Tonom Maldur, and others, rising to prominence and falling into waste over centuries. The empires that rose among them, such as Banthoram, Bannotaora, and Banbaljir, successfully gathered numerous minor yalar beneath their banners, but failed to endure against external and internal pressures.   The Alogolsur of the early Weeping Era fundamentally altered the organization of the Daorasyalar. Atûn’s death and the incredible diffusion of Vojûn into the world empowered the Karthuuzar to devastating effect. They turned against the Daorhu and launched an enduring campaign of looting and annihilation against them. A significant number of the ancient civilizations were laid to waste by the Karthuuzar, while a minority survived through luck and tenacity. It was only the time creation of the Caranadu and gwazkerrag by Naordu Ezonkerrag that saved Daorhu civilization from irreversible destruction. With the assistance of Yeonin, the Caranadu, and legions of gwazkerrag, the Daorhu were allowed to counterattack against the Karthuuzar and drive them back into the remote expanses of Nemrohed’s tundras and frozen plains. Thereafter, Daorhu civilization became an extension of the relationship between olûndi and the Caranadu, who were upheld to a nearly mystical status. By the 500s, the crisis of the Alogolsur was contained. In the ruins of their devastated civilization, the Daorhu reorganized into Kerragyalar, or nations under the guidance and protection of the Caranadu. This was the apotheosis of Daorhu existence, wherein the conversatism and mundanity of Awakening era civilization was overwhelmed by a torrent of bloodshed and replaced with a superior iteration. The Daorasyalar have adhered to that model everafter.   Over the course of the following centuries, the ten Caranadu facilitated the growth and prosperity of the Daorhu race. Like miniscule beasts beneath the feet of olûndi, the Daorhu built dwellings and temples to the Ezontach in the Caranadu’s shadow. Each one among the ten- Hijr, Duil, Fida, Unistenje, Yosuru, Ubambano, Ai, Mrznja, Oidhreacht, and Hlone settled for themselves the regions of Nemrohed best suited to their people. In modern times, only six of the original ten remain in Everos. Others departed across a vast span of time. In 980, Mrznja came into conflict with her fellow Caranadu over matters of territory and over-population among the Daorhu and removed herself to the Gismyr islands to prevent war. Her people built a great fleet for themselves and placed their master upon it, following the winds westward. Years later, in 989, Ai emigrated from Everos to distant Nevan when the specter of Corgastodmar expansion came to threaten Nemrohed. Memories of the Alogolsur tainted her perception of Aemarda. She could not bring herself to coexist with another significant threat from Aebaster’s children, lest one civilization decimate the other. Hlone departed for Nevan in 1012, following the instability wrought upon Nemrohed by the departure of the other Caranadu. No longer was that realm prosperous and great but was crushed beneath a shadow of bitterness and loss. Finally, Oidhreacht retreated from Everos in 1023, during a period of savage and wrathful Karthuuzar warring yet before the rise of the Corgastodmar realm to the south. He settled in the region occupied by the Anitosse of Aemarda and by the Mrznjayalar millenia ago. Those Ezondaorasyalar remaining in Everos are recorded in detail by the scholars of that land, while the migrant yalar occupy the archives of foreign thinkers.   After the Caranadu’s departure and fragmenting of the Daorhu across Qadal, Narovarrot endured centuries of decline.   The sorrowful decline of the Daorhu yalar was halted with the ascension of the southern Corgastodmar realm in the 1300s. A stable power in Mehras meant consistent trade with the mainland of Everos, an end to destructive military incursions by jealous and ambitious Aemar masters, and opportunities for an alliance against the dreaded Karthuuzar. For the Daorhu, whose darkest years were deep in the Weeping Era, this was a welcome change.   In the year 1786, the celestial Void was set afire with brilliant luminesence. Hurling forth from the eternal blackness came the withered husk of a desceased Eshor, one of few such entities in history to crash upon Qadal. What event precipitated its demise defies explanation, save for the theoretical expenditure of its formative Eshanic energy. Devoid of this power, the remaining carcass carried no further bond with Vussalas. In most known instances, such remnants are lost to the seas or tumble into distant Voryndal. This year, however, the crumbled Eshor crashed but a few leagues beyond Everos’s northernmost extreme.   The Wandering era wrought extraordinary change among the Everosi Doarhu. Duboartu and Nahu were dead, slain by the dread beast Zarthum, leaving Otaoradu and Yada the sole inheritors. At the same time, centuries of deterioration among the Caranadu and their peoples left the majority warped or otherwise deficient as olûndari civilizations. With these truths came the realization that the Caranadu, despite their assistance against the Karthuuzar eons ago, were severe barriers to racial development.   Foreigners call it the Great Stirring; Daorhu themselves call it Metaortu, or Sudden Clarity. It was a distinctly Everosi evolution, not to be mistaken with the Ezondoarasyalar of Qadal at large. It began in low places. The lesser Daorasyalar, being those who adhered to older methods of organization rather than aligning themselves with certain Caranadu, formed confederations with one another.   The culmination of this stewing discontent came in 3549, with the formation of Banyataornu. The growing political confederation of the lesser Doarasyalar was hardened into a single entity, reminiscent of the ancient glory years of Everos rather than the shattered confusion which the powerful Caranadu created.

Hijr, first of the Caranadu, created a nation called the Hijryalar. The Hijryalar strove to work to discover the answer to the Riddle of Stone, an ancient formula that had been hidden from the eyes of olûndi, the formula to create the gwazkerreg. One day, a foolish Hijryalar attempted to answer the Riddle of Stone, and unleashed a deadly curse upon the Hijryalar, sealing their entire civilization inside the stone from which they had been wanting to learn from. Hijr sacrificed his life force to seal shut the doorway to the lost kingdom, becoming the very door that locked the mountain closed. The gwazkerreg, who had taken the new name of the Muharin, and Daorhu who had escaped the curse set to rebuilding a nation for themselves, but a great deal of their knowledge had been lost in the Great Unravelling.   The remaining Hijryalar and Muharin dwell far from the Hijrqabr, the Tomb of Hijr, rebuilding a small city named Aistieada on the coast of northern Everos, and make a modest living acting as a trade center and last wayhold before entering the tundra north of the Balendorns. The Hijryalar are slow to trust and open, usually remaining brusque and businesslike, while the Muharin try to remain friendly and as helpful as possible, working as dock hands and wardens at the port. Aistieada also stands as a center of unity, as many trappers, traders, hunters and tundra guides. It also acts as a meeting place for gwazkerreg and Daorhu across the north. The remaining Hijryalar and Muharin are ruled by a trade council of three Muharin and three Hijryalar who are voted in democratically every six years. The council, known as the Tijara, runs and manages everyday business in Aistieda, both trade related and otherwise. The Tijara answers to the Tijar, who is a merchant from outside the community elected to run the Tijara once every two years. The Hijryalar and Muharin are not religious or spiritual, rather preferring to believe in words and honor, making them appear almost hardened to outside eyes.

Around the years when the Ozuregasdaor attracted prospectors and adventurers from across Qadal, certain thoughts and ambitions flourished among the Hjiryalar. The nobles among those people were interested in manners which to monopolize and exploit the northern regions. In doing so, however, there stood the prerequisite of knowledge and exploration. One cannot ascertain the full economic value of a region without understanding its foremost borders and interior terrain.   The first ventures to seek this northern passage was launched in 2443.

Dúil, fourth of the Caranadu, created a nation called the Dúilyalar. The Dúilyalar were powerful masheudh, or nemeshirians, but one delved too deep into their quest for knowledge, unearthing an ancient evil that had sat to guard on a nest of the Vojûn. A power so malignant, it warped and destroyed their entire civilization, bringing the Dúilyalar to their knees. That awakened power took hold of the Dúilyalar, and even though they were able to push back against the Vojûn, Dúil herself fell to the power of the Vojûn, and went mad. Fearing for their lives, the Dúilyalar turned their city into a great tomb, and sealed the Mad Titan within, fleeing from the remnants of their civilization. Yet the gwazkerreg of Dúil remained, now named the Caomhnóir, guarding her tomb should anything try to escape or enter.   The Dúilyalar remain within their new city, named Sciath, many miles from where the Tomb of the Mad Titan stands, and rarely explore beyond the Nembaordus. Rather, they have turned their surprising talent at farming into a powerful tool. Vast fields of hardy shrubs, roots, tubers, and other plants cover the northern Nembaordus, and below the mountains, large mushroom farms dwell. The Dúilyalar are reserved, and if travellers visit, they are hospitable and welcoming, but will remain reserved and try to turn travellers away from the Tomb. Every month, one of the Caomhnóir comes and reports to the head of Sciath the condition of the Tomb. The Dúilyalar follow a duely elected individual called the Claiomh, who is elected every three years. The Dúilyalar still worship Dúil, but as she was before her madness. The Caomhnóir act in battalions of ten called tua, and each tua is captained by a bratach, and they honor Dúil as well.

Uništenje, sixth of the Caranadu, created a nation called the Uništenjeyalar. The Uništenjeyalar wished to learn the secrets of a new power, called Áckesh, so as to bend it to their will and use it to smite the Karthuuzar once and for all. For many eons they experimented with it, the gwazkerreg of their Caranadu watching and protecting. However, one scientist named Berst unleashed a terrible evil upon the gwazkerreg. He had mastered a technique that allowed flesh to be joined with stone and summoned the strongest warriors of the gwazkerreg and Uništenjeyalar. Berst unleashed his spell, binding the bodies and esseythu of the gwazkerreg to each of his generals, creating the beings who would become known as the Chuaigh, the Joined. While their bodies were of stone and metal, the minds of the Uništenjeyalar generals would rule supreme within the combined esseythu and consciousnesses, and bend those of the gwazkerreg to their will. Horrified by this, the other gwazkerreg fled while they could, though many were captured and added to the ranks of the Chuaigh. From henceforth, a constant war raged between the Uništenjeyalar soldiers enslaved to serve the Chuaigh, and the remaining gwazkerreg, taking the title Éalaithe, the Escaped, who hope to one day free their trapped brothers and sisters from the clutches of the Chuaigh.   The Éalaithe have made for themselves a city in the north of Everos, called Clogad, and worked to rebuild and prepare for a great offensive against the Chuaigh in the future. While they are cordial enough, the Éalaithe tend to be wary to allow strangers into their cities, especially other Daorhu, as after the terror which they suffered at the hands of Berst, they are slow to trust. Clogad is a port town, providing the Éalaithe with access to the resources needed for them to build their great army below the city to fight against the Chuaigh. However, the Éalaithe have actually become master salvagers and sailors, building massive ships and hunting for lost wrecks and sunken treasure along the floor of the ocean off the Everos coast. They have also become impressive marine scientists, even building a great aquarium in Clogad. The Éalaithe have no true religion, but have developed a spirituality about the seas themselves, sensing a power deep within them that a few rare Éalaithe can commune with and speak to. Known as the Vodazvučnik, these few Éalaithe stand as the heads of the Council of the Seas, who manage the laws and discourse of the city of Clogad. Every three years, a great ceremony called the Odabiru is convened, in which the next head of the Council of the Seas, the Dubina, will be chosen by the sea.

Fida, second of the Caranadu, created a nation called the Fidayalar. For many eons, they Fidayalar enjoyed peace with their mother, the Joyful One, but their harmony was due to end. The great battle between the Chuaigh and the Éalaithe had stretched across the north, and in order to save her people from the danger of Berst’s experiments, Fida fled southeast. The Fidayalar arrived in a beautiful forested valley and began to rebuild. However, their rebuilding would be interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious being called Dyap, taking the form of young innocent girl. Dyap’s power of Eshara, gradually filled the valley, and the Daorhu and gwazkerreg and Fida began to absorb it. Fida soon discovered that this new energy allowed her and the gwazkerreg to commune and work with the natural world, while her Daorhu children became wary and hesitant, refusing to use the nemeshir. Fida and her gwazkerreg, now named the Alkahin, created a great city named Coeden growing from the trees of their homelands, and breathed life into numerous new creatures. Fida bade ten of her alkahin to embrace this new power, and so they did. Their metal skeletons were replaced with wood, and trees and plants began to grow from their stone armor as these Alkahin became the Adhmad Rugadh, the Wood Born. These ten served as stewards to Fida, now christened Banríon Saol, Life Queen, and with under Fida’s guidance before her deep slumber, the Adhmad Rugadh planted a great tree named Fréamhacha Saoil, Life Root, in which Fida would go to rest until her Adhmad Rugadh would awaken her.   The Fidayalar built a small settlement called Crannbaile, several days travel south of the Fréamhacha Saoil, away from Fida and Adhmad Rugadh and Dyap, as they were highly untrusting of Dyap and her strange nemeshirks. The Fidayalar, while still hesitant of Fida’s connection to Dyap, act as wardens to the Life Root and the sacred valley, ensuring that only those who are true of spirit and free of hatred would pass onto the Adhmad Rugadh. While the Fidayalar are silent and wary, the Adhmad Rugadh are accepting and welcoming, protecting travellers across the southeastern regions of northern Everos. While peaceful, if anyone threatens to disturb nature, or attack their city of Coirtbaile, the force of the earth with rise and crush them. The Fidayalar have a simple political build, with representatives from each of the various boroughs of Crannbaile answering to the mayor of Crannbaile. The mayor of Crannbaile is elected every four years, while representatives are elected every other year. The Adhmad Rugadh answer only to Fida, organizing themselves into small groups of eight called braisles. While the Fidayalar are woe to admit it, they do honor Dyap and her power, as do the Adhmad Rugadh.

Yōsuru, seventh of the Caranadu, created a nation called the Yōsuruyalar. The Yōsuruyalar became great scholars and learners, building a great library called the Collection of the Guddomaindo, the Great Mind. Yōsuru himself oversaw the creation and running of the Collection and instated ten gwazkerreg and ten Yōsuruyalar to serve as the heads of the Collection. Upon the beginning of Yōsuru’s slumber, the heads of the Collection ordered a great temple built on the cliffs above the library, where Yōsuru would sleep in peace until his awakening. Ten Yōsuruyalar and ten gwazkerreg rose from the masses and joined Yōsuru in his journey to the temple, where they became the Shindai, the Sleepers, who would only wake when Yōsuru himself would arise. The remaining gwazkerreg, now named the Yumiruhi, dwelled side by side with the Yōsuruyalar, advancing the knowledge of the Guddomaindo.   The Yōsuruyalar are an exceptionally welcoming and open people, allowing anyone who wishes to gain access to the Guddomaindo. They and the Yumiruhi are amazing intellectuals, enjoying deep philosophical discussions the most. Impressive gardeners and artists, both the Yōsuruyalar and the Yumiruhi take pride in the massive sand and bamboo gardens that surround their mountain city of Shijima. Both peoples have come to befriend the mysterious soratokoge, a cousin to the more violent Axokari to the West in Nevan, who stand both as friends, teachers, and should the need arise, steeds. The Yōsuruyalar are also master swordsmiths, forging swords that are envied across Everos, and the Yumiruhi are artisan armor makers, forging great suits of lacquered wood, jade, and steel. There is no true society amongst the children of Yōsuru, who simply coexist based on an order of principles laid down before Yōsuru before his slumber:

Called the Commandments of the Nemuri, as Yōsuru became to be known amongst his children, the Yōsuruyalar and Yumiruhi follow these commandments as their life boundaries. As far as religion, the peoples of Yōsuru honor him as a benevolent being, not so much a deity, but one of their own who has ascended to a higher level of understanding. Naming their spiritual path as that of the Trail of Mewosamasu, or Awakening, the Yumiruhi and Yōsuruyalar simply live life to the fullest and as knowledgeable as possible, working to discover all they can, so that when one day Yōsuru awakens, they will awaken as well.

Ubambano, tenth of the Caranadu, created a nation called the Ubambanoyalar. Ubambano directed his people to build a great city named Umthetho and set them to creating great colleges and schools for all the children of the Eshan to come and learn within. The Ubambanoyalar took to this with a great passion, wishing to please their father and unify the scattered Eshanic peoples, as well as the Daorhu and gwazkerreg across the Ten Nations. Ubambano selected five Daorhu and five gwazkerreg to form the Council of the Isazi, the Scholars, who would govern those dwelling within the city of Umthetho, as well as those learning within the city. But the crowning jewel of the city was the great Hall of Umqabane, where Ubambano placed the Creed of Stone, and where he believed Yeonin would one day awaken from his slumber and call forth the Caranadu, the Daorhu, and the gwazkerreg. Ubambano took his place at the center of the city, joining its soaring towers and great castles as the Colossus of Ukufunda, Learning, standing tall over Umthetho, and watching with silent eyes as his Ubambanoyalar and gwazkerreg, now named the Ingqondo.   The Ubambanoyalar, while welcoming, often look down upon visitors and guests, seeing them as simply wishing to mooch off of their great knowledge that they have recovered and discovered over the years. The Ingqondo attempt to rectify this by being welcoming and have created great mead halls, becoming master brewers and beer makers. The Ubambanoyalar do not truly appreciate this but accept it as the mark of the Ingqondo. Governance is rather convoluted in Umthetho. The city houses six districts, and in each district, four representatives are elected. Out of those four, two are elected further to the District Board of that district, which then form the City Board. From the City Board, five are elected into the Lawula, the second to highest tier of governance. And out of those five, one final contender is elected to stand as Nkosi of Umthetho. The Nkosi stays in office for four years, and then the whole process begins over again. As far as religion goes, the Ubambanoyalar and Ingqondo recognize Ubambano as their father and protector, but simply see him as a prehistoric relic of a bygone age, while a select few portions of the population of Umthetho see him as a benevolent master.

Laying further north than the furthest extent of Nemrohed is a collection of rocky islands called the Salt Spines, or Ozuregasdaor in the Doarhu tongue. For many long centuries this formation was insignificant for the Doarhu, who turned their ancient eyes southward rather than north toward strange wastes and cold. Miners and craftsmen within their culture focused upon the Balendorn or Steelspear mountains, vying with the Karthuuzar and Aebasterian tribes thereabouts.   In the year 2430, an incredible occurance shifted Qadayen attention to the otherwise abandoned reach. A great and luminescent object came forth from Vussalas, brightening the world for three hours so that every being in Qadal and Voryndal could perceive it. The suspicious among olûndi feared the ends of times or some manifestation of Ácolitus’ wrath. It brutalized Eshan with a monstrous hit which shook everything around for 500 miles. The Steelspear mountains buckled and bobbed while the lesser villages within the region were crumbled to timbers. Silence befell, and the distant peoples of the world forgot the object’s power beyond what was written or carved in surprised terms. For the people of north Everos, however, the arrival of this celestial husk was invigorating. The Daorhu, particularly of the Hijryalar, gathered in large numbers upon their broad barges to seek this strange remnant.   When the summer comes, the tides rise from the melted snow and ice, submerging the Salt Spines until the first chills of fall arrive. In that time, they sit abandoned, or some among the Daorhu choose to remain there permanently.   Shallow bottom barges are used to move between them, while deeper cut ships can only sail along the egdes of the islands.   The Salt Spines are a rich resource for silver, pure salt deposits, gemstones, and some isolated buildups of Viiryne.   Basaor Duhribas is a shelf of land to the north of Everos, beyond the Salt Spines. It is an outpost of the Daorhu.

The essence of ancient Doarhu law is spawned from the same stimulus which created laws elsewhere. Loyalty to homeland, upholding social order, punishing dissenters, and ensuring economic flow between population groups. These are mundane, uninspired things, but necessary. The first of such codes written among the Doarhu was named Bataoryalaor, “Orders of People” in their tongue.   After the creation and rise of the Caranadu under Naordu, much changed. Law was no exception. Each of the yalar adopted new laws in accordance with the stance of their Caranadu. Those whose masters prescribed harsh punishments did such, and allowed it to harden their hearts. Other Caranadu who prescribed reform and peace witnessed such kindness flourish among their people. The difficulty was that the Caranadu themselves were imperfect masters. Each were born from Vojûnic fonts, and thus completely ignorant upon birth. It was only their initial reactions and first lessons which defined their personalities for centuries afterward.

The most heinous crimes among the Daorhu are cultural crimes, being those which destroy the heritage of their race. Punishment for capture is death. This does not mean that certain criminals will not risk an early grave for good profit. Indeed, the more severe the yalar have become on the matter means the price has increased. In Eurobasar, Neyasi, and other foreign courts, the value of preserved Daorhu relics are staggering. A small fortune for a small collection. Those originating in the pre-Caranadu period was valued best. This means that the ruins or living domains of such lineage are assailed by looters with alarming regularity. In desperate days, the Daorhu masters even turn a blind eye in exchange for payment.

The Daorhu masters of Nemrohed field some of the swiftest warriors in Qadal. This is their specialty and for what these people are known throughout the civilized world. Nobles among their people are garbed in Viiryne ring-armor with gems and silver for decoration. It covers the body, neck-region, and down to the knees. The feet and hands are covered with steel rather than Viiryne. Joints are covered with a thick leather armor that still allows movement but provides reasonable defense. The weight is equivalent to steel plate which might be found among the Aemar peoples but is durable and completely resistant to Vojûnic power. For weapons, the Daorhu noble class wields a hybrid between a spear and sword, called a vidaoz. The blade is four feet long with a half measuring two feet. A Daorhu warrior can cleave as if the weapon were a sword or thrust like a spear, each quite effective. Despite the hefty armament, the powerful physique of the well-nourished, well trained, and well experienced upper class allows them to move twice the speed of common enemies.   The average Daorhu is armored and equipped well below the ideal, but that is the situation with all armies across all the known world. He or she is clad in either chain mail or partial scale, crafted with extra steel bulk to absorb most blows. Lesser warriors from lesser yalar wear boiled leather or cloth. Additionally, the armor is often decorated with sigils and icons of the Ezontach along with their Caranadu derived from Naordu. The weapons they wield depend on situation, but the most common choices are spears and shields. This disparity in equipment, arms, and training differs as well between the yalar themselves. The more historically militant of the holds, such as Metaorbu Baljir or Metaorbu Thoram are sure to have the most robust military forces in Nemrohed. Their armies are well equipped, trained, and in the case of Metaorbu Baljir even has an auxiliary element of cavalry comprised of mercenaries from Mehras. Resting upon the other end of the spectrum are holds such as Metaorbu Ganaorum and Metaorbu Notaora, which either enjoyed the protection of other holds or rely entirely on their defenses and as such failed to expand militarily. In the case of Metaorbu Ganaorum the arrangement works well, since Metaorbu Baljir stands as a militant sibling that can fight when the situation requires. In the case of Metaorbu Notaora, however, the lack of a strong military proved to be its ultimate downfall. The Gressar invasion of that yalar at the conclusion of the Wars of the Wolonorend signaled the end of the kingdom of Bannotaora and those once prosperous hills as a habited place.   Beyond high quality, nimble infantry, the Daorhu boast a myriad of alternative weapon systems derived from centuries of battle.   Daorhu warriors in ancient times were organized into small warbands led by nobles, much alike the Aemar whom they bordered. They fought against the Karthuuzar, but also competed with Aebasterian tribes south of the Balendorns during the -5000s and -4000s. Small scale raids and tribal battles were the name of the deadly game. No olûndari warrior in Everos was the equal of Daorhu arms. Those foremost warriors who made war their chiefest business were feared throughout Everos, for certain methods of preparation were severe compared to any other. Best known was the Daorhu practice of taking captured enemies and purposing them for target practice. Spears, stones, and other projectiles were hurled at them, sufficient to break their bones and tear them apart, and thereafter the bodies were still used. Experienced warriors were expected to strike the torsos of these targets, while newer fighters were expected to at least strike some extremity.   In the classical era, Doarhu warfare reached the height of its craft. Their strategies were novel and capitalized upon the extraordinary speed which Daorhu could boast. A well-known trick was the creation of false ‘safe ground’ to lure enemy warriors. Daorhu commanders would arrange their own warriors with purposeful gaps in the defenses or certain exposed terrain features such as stones or tree groves. Indeed, their battlelines appeared jagged and weak. Enemy warriors perceived some manner of advantage from this and forewent caution to annihilate their supposed ill-prepared foe. As these opponents, often Karthuuzar of Aemar from south of the Balendorns, charged forward against the lines, the Daorhu would accentuate the ‘safe ground’ by withdrawing heavy resistance from the area. Foes poured into the gaps, and then the Daorhu released their trap. Javelins, stones, and darts were hurled into the enemy mass and the nimble Daorhu swarmed around them, shattering morale as it became obvious that the ‘safe ground’ was actually a killing ground. At the same time, drummers and other musicians were placed along the edges of the field, if possible, just beyond the sight of approaching foes. As the trap was sprung upon killing ground, the music would play in discordant and terrible manners, so that chaos flooded the air and diminished any orders to flee or fight. Anarchy ensued in the din as enemy cohesion collapsed.   The children of the Ezontach maintained the same vigorous and brilliance in other strategems as well. When sieged, the Daorhu did not languish under the terrible conditions which marred Aemar warfare. They did not wait for enemy assaults or their provisions to diminish. Instead, the Daorhu use their nimble speed to compel the enemy to chase them endlessly or suffer irregular attacks. The method is that Daorhu warlords maintain warbands outside the confines of their settlements during times of war. Separating the army from the settlement compels the enemy to pick one or the other. In the former case, tactics like those aforementioned are used, while if the enemy chooses the latter a timely siege follows. These standing forces harass the besieging enemy, burning their camps, slaughtering their supply caravans, occupying the escaping roads.   After the Great Conflict of 2304, the Daorhu broadly advanced their military doctrines for the sake of parity with other Qadayen powers. This evolution was more pronounced among the many Daorasyalar of Everos rather than other realms, for that was where the blows were struck hardest. It began with the Duilyalar, who were most alike other races in Everos, under their leader Netoradu.   The most recent instance of this system of organization being utilized was in 3449, during the wars between Metaorbu Baljir and the exiled Voletal of the Fringe. Having been pushed out of their old land of Nathrovas, this band of Etayen migrated their way into Daorhu territory, much to the annoyance of the local yalar. As might be expected, battles broke out along the migratory path of these escapees. These Etayen first fought the Aemar up the eastern coast of the continent, slipping past Turost at sword-point, through Eroyther, and into the arms of the Fidayalar, with whom the worst exchanges were experienced. In a battlefield known as the Mountain and Sea gates, mixed formations of tightly packed Daorhu warriors and loose warbands of nobles fought against the masterful Etayen warriors who casually passed between formations and single combat without concern. It was a close fought battle, but superior number allowed the Daorhu to press their advantage, along with the swiftness of their warriors which allowed formations to shift rapidly on the battlefield. The smaller formations of noble warriors hemmed in the Etayen, weathering horrible barrages of Vojûnic power, while the tight ranks of lesser warriors followed behind to close the vice. When the Etayen began to withdraw, the Daorhu called forth their razag warriors from reserve, which caused a great and pitiless slaughter among the exiles.

Whilst the Daorhu are known for their foot troops, the elite of their armies are formed by units of Razagrin. These formidable warriors fight from the back of great sentient beasts called Razag, which are similar to great lizards, but possess coal-black scales and six powerful limbs. Among the many legions of the Daorhu, the Razagrin inspire the deepest dread within Nemrohed’s enemies.   The history of the Razag began with the Apprenctices- the remnants of the Qazunari who followed the example and teachings of the Alor’eshan Qazun. These individuals sought revenge against the Alor’eshan for their part in starting the first First Feud and precipitating the death of their master. For centuries, this malice and desire for revenge boiled among them without reprieve. In those days the Eshan were too might to directly oppose. The Apprentices remained in their great fortress on the coast of Zaregallis, patiently watching the unfolding events in Qadal. During the Awakening, they worked to expand their power and deep their knowledge of Qazun’s art- it was mired in a great collection of notes written in Qazun’s personal language or kept in the memories of those who Served him. Namely, the Ebal’eshan Dyap, who acted as a confidant to Qazun, was a target. The Apprentices went through great pains to hunt her and learn what she had heard. These acts earned them little in the way of power, and the trio remained on the fringes of olûndari affairs during those early centuries.   Things began to change with the ascension of the Etayen and creation of Vojûn by Atûn. The Apprentices realized that it was within their ability to manifest Eshara, though less powerful than the Alor’eshan, to pursue their own purposes. Prior to that revelation, the trio had rejected potency of the Eshan beyond the period of Olûn. With knowledge gained during the Awakening era, they began to prod and experiment with the properties and limits of unnatural energies in the olûndari realm. Hidden away from the wary eyes of their siblings, it was possible to breed every manner of dark and maleficent beast. Great avian Nemgarotirs with tendrils limbs and arched talons, sea creatures morphed with jaws wide enough to consume half a dozen men and hulking bipedal monstrosities with many clawed grips and bent shoulders- these things were all products of the Apprentices’ insatiable curiousity and ambition. Each was a potential candidate to be released upon Qadal, and some were indeed chosen. Among them all, however, few evoked dreadful chills like the Razag, which were a perversion of Serpent creatures that might be found in the regions of Nevan and Lodon. These monsters were anywhere from 10 to 12 feet in length and stood over six feet tall, and even higher while on hind legs. Unlike most large land animals, the Razag possessed six limbs, which allowed them to traverse any terrain with unnerving speed. The scales that covered them were perfectly black, allowing them to hide and stealth with ease. In their gaping maws, the Razag possessed an assortment of razor teeth like a wall of pikes- everything considered for horror and damage. These horrendous creations were bred not because the Apprentices were inherently evil, but that they were driven to malice and revenge by the Eshan who deprived them of peace and their master.   The opportunity to strike against Qadal emerged during the Weeping Era, when the world experienced the first major lapse of Eshan control. Corgastor’s rebellion in Everos, the death of Atûn, and the collapse of Étunas all signaled great change in the world- ripe opportunities followed. The Apprentices chose the first target of their revenge carefully, for even in those darks times it was impossible to wage full war against the Eshan. They settled upon the Ezontach and their children, the Daorhu, for it was Otaoradu and Yada who slew Qazun during the First Feud. The blame fell hardest upon their shoulders. How, then, could the Apprentices execute this revenge? This dilemma stymied their progress for a time, as there were many manners of proceeding available to them. It was possible to unleash the avian monsters against Qadal, sweeping down upon olûndari towns and wreaking havoc; the aquatic beasts were viable as well, destroying trade vessels and disrupting intercontinental travel. Yet, these things did not meet the savage desires of the vengeful Apprentices- assault by air and sea was too passive. However, they could not choose every beast to deploy- the other Eshan would take action against them. Among all their options, the Apprentices chose to send forth the fearsome Razag.   In order to execute their plot, the Apprentices were obliged to travel to Qadal for the first time since the days of Olûn. They crossed the Sea of Zolrassus in secret and used their immense power to silence or annihilate those who spotted them. In the days of the Weeping Era the holds were divided, and defenses were weak- not a one stood against the malign, enigmatic trio who traveled through the blistering cold. High in the Steelspear Mountains, the Apprentices began their work. They used their mastery of Eshara as Ebal’eshan to create the Razag in isolated caves hidden deep within the icy crags. The beasts immediately began to slither and craw from their dwellings, scanning the horizon with their crimson eyes in search of prey for feasting. When the deed was done, the Apprentices returned home.

No creation of warfare in history better synthesized the powers of Nemeshir and ingenuity of olûndari craftsmanship as the Gwazkerrag. Their intertwinded history with the Daorhu is recorded in the imolûndari carving and writings of their civilization- this is known. The military aspects and doctrine are less explicit in whole nature, though something of such scale must be feared from good judgement alone.   The gwazkerrag are not perfect machines, however, for they are not bound together with mundane parts but with Vojûnic energy. This means they are bound to the restrictions of that power. The most severe is the constant depletion which occurs when Vojûnic energy exists beyond a reliable reserve. For the gwazkerrag, this energy endures for some 300 years of vigorous activity before wearing away to near nothing. When that time comes, the gwazkerrag are capable of Vojûnic hibernation, wherein they utilize whatever power remains to attract further energy from the endless reservoirs beneath Esha’s surface. This process lasts around 100 years to achieve maximum energy, during which the gwazkerrag are vulnerable to attack or sabotage. Clever Daorasyalar deployed their gwazkerrag in cycles to fight the Karthuuzar and other enemies, often into thirds, so that some are hibernating while the majority are fighting. Subterranean chambers were built to protect them while pillars similar to Voladûr were constructed to expediate the process.

As successive generations of gwazkerrag were created to fight alongside the Caranadu, Yeonin perceived a need to swiftly educate them on the fundamentals of their noble work. After all, these entities were naïve Vojûnic newborns as he once was and possessed no previous knowledge nor emotions in rising to sudden sentience.

Yeonin made no attempt to soften the hard edges of olûndari existence, but rather sought to jade the gwazkerrag while endowing them with wisdom.

Although Yeonin has long departed and the Caranadu scattered, the Gwazmando remains a unifying mantra which preserves some manner of original identity.   Here I shall speak about what little I know about the craft of Naordu, that is the creation of the Gwazkerrag that were later copied in Voryndal and named Persetir. It was a genius art, such that the naturally pooling powers of Vojun were applied in concentration upon a single object, clinging onto itself with magnetic power rather than attaching to the object, per se. In this way the objects which make the Persetir’s body are basically trapped within that potent power- just as insects might be caught and stuck in amber or honey. The catch, as olundi say, is that the Vojunic power must be maintained upon the persetir, otherwise the power will dissipate and the objects of its body crumble.   The most ancient gwazkerrag, made by Naordu, were built with stone, given how easy that material is to fashion and it being in infinite and cheap supply. This was certainly enough for those massive Caranadu, first of their kind, since any other material would have been prohibitively expensive. They were large and powerful and became the masters of the various Daorhu tribes, but their size was also their shortcoming. The sheer scale of these creations meant that the amount of Vojunic power required to survive was incredible, rendering them victims to extremely long periods of low-energy or hibernation. The great sorrow of the Daorhu race is the Caranadu’s inability to accompany and guide them for generations at a time for this error, which was something beyond the possible sight of Naordu to anticipate or correct within his own lifetime. Newer generations of the Caranadu were built smaller and thus easier to maintain and more durable over the long-term.     Beyond stone, few materials are viable. Wood and other such flammable materials are too weak to endure the constant contact with Vojunic power, and thus such creations died shortly after being born. Metals are also possible, yet the conductive properties of metal cause such persetir to heat up quickly or otherwise become unstable, making them extremely dangerous to themselves and others. Nemesharic materials are thus the other viable materials. Viiryne is impossible since the properties of that power are to specifically diminish and destroy Vojunic power. That leaves Esheryne and Akaryne, which each possess power which interact in interesting ways with these Vojunic creatures. The most simple way to explain this complicated something is as follows- that Esheryne made persetir allow individuals to see outside of the world through dreams and Akaryne persetir allow individuals to see inside of themselves. These latter creations are extremely rare and difficult to create, but nobility and even Eshan themselves will invest painful costs and labor to be attended by them, this I lay to rest stone, Esheryne, and Akaryne persetir.

The Daorhu are an active warring people. Peace does not flourish among them nor is it expected. For it, the Daorhu make common use of mercenaries. Any wandering warrior with sufficient strength to swing a weapon fits the mark. Those of higher quality fight among the Daorhu themselves, while those of lesser manner are hurled first into death. The Karthuuzar, being the most wretched branch of Aemarda, are the only warriors rejected from service. No skill at arms could diminish the hatred which the Daorhu save for them. Indeed, the Daorhu are often the ones fighting the Karthuuzar, waging such miserable war that no villages nor civilians survive.   Contrary to belief, the use of mercenaries increased after the rise of the Caranadu. The constant wandering of those early civilizations made mustering a consistent host difficult. Mercenaries are easy enough to maintain, while their cost can easily be met with baubles and foolish things. Aemar, Etayen, Elivas, Odyrzid, and all others became welcome additions to the roving Daorhu warhosts.

The exchange of goods and services is the bedrock of all societies, and the Daorhu are no different. For those who remained in Everos after the 900s, in contrast to their departed brethren, the pursuit of economic prosperity enmeshed them in a universe of competition and conflict.

The Daorhu method of construction cleverly conforms with the natural topography of their homeland. Buildings are near-organic in design, being constructed from stone walls which twist and turn according to location- whether around the crests of hills of winnowing within a valley. Courtyards are formed from the hollowed between opposing walls while defensive fortifications bend to reduce weak-points.

The peoples of the Everosi yalar are unique in the evolution of their cultural patterns. Whereas their neighbors remained largely unmoved throughout history, the Daorhu dispersed themselves from northern Everos alone to across the world. The most significant cataclyst of this evolution was the destruction of the old yalar in battle against the Karthuuzar and the rise of the Caranadu. Under their rule in the 900s, the Daorhu shed their geographical roots and brought their culture elsewhere. Settlements of their explorers and descendants arose in southern Everos, Gisuvollos, and Nevan. In these movements, aspects of different cultures bled into traditional Daorhu canon, and they became profoundly adaptable. Those who remained in Everos, however, retained some measure of traditional Daorhu culture as it was known since the Awakening era.

Daorhu caste and class is called The Daordugh and consists of seven levels: tuath (commoners), malaraich (tradesmen), ciuird (artisans and merchants), saighdr (soldiers), vojudraiodh (nemeshari), feiolreic (slavers), and laghum (policians). Tuath serve as the base of Daorhu, owning no slaves and having little political power. Malaraich are individuals of skill: blacksmiths, coopers, shoemakers, bankers, teachers, and usually are allowed to retain one or two slaves per family. Ciuird are merchants, painters, stone masons, carpenters, actors, and singers, often allowed to hold upwards of four slaves per family. Saighr can be bodyguards, mercenaries, gladiators, sellswords, or classically trained military personnel, and are allowed to own up to five slaves per family. Vojudraiodh are the mages and magisters of Daorhu society, and while they may not formally or publicly own slaves, as many believe that their bondage to Vojun is a representation of that bond, vojudraiodh often keep many slaves to experiment upon. Feiolreic, while below laghum, are often seen as the true wielders of power in Daorhu life. Master of Labor and commerce, the feiolreic wield a powerful presence in the political and economic scene of Daorhu cities. Very little goes on that the feiolreic does not know of. Finally, the laghum. Laghum are elected politicians from the lower five castes, as tuath are not allowed a vote in governmental matters. Holding the most power in Daorhu society, the laghum serve on councils called glics, and when the elections of kings, or herclachig, the glic elects one representative, or guthr, to cast their unified vote. Many Daorhu, as said before, rarely go to the laghum if they want anything done, and instead speak to the feiolreic.   The laghum were once prominent nobles and actors within the Daorhu political system. However, the creation of the Caranadu by Naordu, end of the Alogolsur, and reorganization into kerragyalar prompted a reevaluation of power structures. The most outstanding additions into the political arena were the gwazkerrag, built to serve the greater Caranadu and fight alongside the olûndari Daorhu.

The most popular literary tradition of the Daorhu is not entrapped upon paper, but rather allowed freedom on the eternal canvas of stone. Carvings represent scenes of timeless epics or historical episodes of some significance.   Tales of heroics and tragedies are most common for the medium, such as the exploits of Eino who tamed the Razag for an alliance with the Doarhu.

Each of the Caranadu possess for themselves music which is considered faithful and best. As a measure of cultural exploration and Eshanic veneration, Daorhu performers perfect such genres as entertain the Caranadu. In turn, the taste of the Caranadu becomes the taste of the common Daorhu.

The Daorhu are an ancient and erudite race, with no need to import foreign thinkers or philosophies. Their systems of education are grown from each Metaorbu outward. In the years before Naordu, each Daorhu race was disposed to its own intellectual cadres, being the wisest beings present.   After the rise of the Caranadu and Naordu, the nature of the Daorhu changed. They became bound to each Caranadu, seeking physical protection and cerebral fortification.

Unions between males and females are not affairs alike elsewhere in Qadal, wherein the two individuals command their own fates. Instead, the familial units in which they exist decide the terms of the union and how such arrangements might benefit both parties.   As the Daorhu migrated elsewhere in the world, their traditions changed with them. This was most remarkable in relation to unions between races, often Daorhu and Aemar or in lesser cases Daorhu and Etayen.

Daorhu society has an equal society, in which women hold just as much power as men. Men are seen as providers of income, but women as providers of life, which grants them an added status. In fact, when the wife becomes pregnant, she and her husband will swap positions, for it is beleived that the more manual labor a woman does, the more challenging it is, the stronger the children will be when they are born. The husband takes on the duties of the wife, and cares for the home and children. When the wife is ready to deliver, she delivers in the very spot she is working, allowing her children to see what they shall be born into, and allowing the energies of the place to fill the newborns.

Set on a basiarann in a family cairn. The basiarann is considered living steel, the legacy of the Eshan that was given to them to protect. When a Daorhu dies, their family brings them to the family cairn and sets them upon the basiarann, where the living steel flows up the form of the Daorhu and seals them within a never-dying shell, protecting them from the ravages of time. After the burial, there are three days of mourning, called the Caoidhuine, where the family members of the deceased Daorhu fast and remember their loved one. The next three days after are the Comharrachadhuine, where there are great feasts in remembrance of the fallen Daorhu’s life, and for every decade of their life, a slave is sacrificed. The final day is the Aithrisuine, the day of rites, where the high priest of the affected family, the Clachathair, reads the words of passage, the Bastransa:

After this, the Clachathair uses his Vojunic powers to replicate a small statue of the deceased Daorhu, and give it to the family, who place it on their family altar.   As a matter of burials and death, the Daorhu have a means of preserving the memories of desceased lives. In both their cities and underground dwellings, carvings adorn the stone walls. These are not depictions of single scenes or individuals, however, but are more ambitious. The Daorhu call them adorhu and the purpose is to communicate entire lifetimes or periods of broad history. As secimens of craftwork, the Daorhu prize them as beloved heritage. Beyond their people, the adorhu are treasured for their beauty and exotic nature. In dire periods of Nemrohed’s history wherein Karthuuzar and other Aemar waged war against the Daorhu, numerous cities and hillside settlements were destroyed. The adorhu suffered worst amidst this destruction. Raiders and treasure hunters made their livelihood breaking the reliefs from the walls and piling them upon carts hitched to stout beasts. Hauled back to Aemar civilization, the adorhu fetched a wonderous price among the nobility and erudite scholars.

The ancient dialect of the Doarhu is known as Manorcan. It is ancient, more ancient than the Aemar languages which are spoken around it. Records of its creation and use date back to the Awakening era, shorlty after the innovation of agriculture and establishment of larger permanent settlements in Qadal. However, these fragments hint that Manorcan was significantly older still.   After the departure of the Caranadu and their peoples from northern Everos in the 900s, the linguistic canon of Manorcan endured significant changes. Only in the northern reaches did it remain pure, and in that state became equally unrecognizable compared to its descendants.

Manorcan is a well-established, legendary language with a slew of names from which to draw inspiration. Letters such as A, D, O, R, U, H, T, and N are commonplace. Certain example of names are Naordu, Yehartu, Nahu, Dubaortu, Otaoradu, Yada, Ahaod, and Utodaor.

The Daorhu worship a pantheon of Eshanic entities known as the Great Four, known as the Ezontach in their tongue. They are among the Alor'eshan, and thus among the first of the Eshan to be born of the celestial bodies forged by Ácolitus before the formation of the olûndari realm. They are divided between the Elder and Younger pairs, decided not through birth, but allegiance during the First Feud. During the First Feud they found themselves torn, with Duboartu and Nahu siding with Ácolitus, and Yada and Otaoradu siding with Aebaster during the fighting. This is what was known as the Brordaz, or the Siblings’ Feud. In their fury, the siblings brought great devastation to Zaregallis and slew many of the Ebal’eshan. When the First Feud ended with Atûn's betrayal of Ácolitus, the brother found themselves without reason for further hostilities. They made peace with one another and brought an end to the Brordaz which had so bitterly divided them and caused so much destruction.   At the end of the First Feud, the Ezontach reconciled with one another and decided upon how they would contribute to the olûndari realm. The result of their discussion was the forsaking of the Odyrzid and the creation of the Daorhu. The Odyrzid had been created by Yada and Nahu out of malice and hatred, so the brothers deemed them unworthy to bear their blessing. The entire race was exiled to Othos to live separately from the rest of Everos. After the exile of the Odyrzid, the Ezontach combined their energy and skill to create the Daorhu, a race similar to but more fair and noble than the Odyrzid. The religion of the Ezontach for that reason is the Daorhu’s deep reverence for the Greater deities that created them and chose them for greatness.   To show their devotion to these deities, the Daorhu built shrines dedicated to them within the rocks of the mountains or upon their snowy crowns. The design of such places is simple compared to the ornate cathedrals of Corgastor or the marble Halls of Reverence built by the Vestanir. These temples to the Ezontach are universally built of stone, as is the will of the Eshan themselves. It is a matter of faithful honor that it be done that way, for stone is a gift blessed by all four of the brothers, and is this the holiest of materials from which a temple can be built. Most of the major holds have a place of worship for every deity of the pantheon, usually in a room called the Brorkal. What often differs between holds is which of the Daorhu deities is most favored. For example, the hold of Metaorbu Baljir favors Otaoradu above all the others, and as such there is a chamber dedicated to him that is separated from the rest of the pantheon. The shrines to the chosen deities are known to be beautifully decorated and designed.   They holy figures of the Daorhu faith are known as the Vulkramaz, or the Chosen of the Eshan. These individuals spend their lives in prayer to the Ezontach, seeking to master their elements and become one with the Eshan deities above. The majority of those who try to seek this righteous honor fail in doing so, for the hours of prayer culminate in a single chance to achieve success in the ceremony of Vulkraz. This is the same ceremony that each EzonYalagah of the Daorhu much pass, and that fact illustrates the legitimacy of their holy stature. The Daorhu that pass the Vulkraz are seen in the same favorable light as the most powerful figures of the holds.

In the latter months of 3451, dreadful destruction befell the Eshanic world. The beast Zarthum, created by Ácolitus to circumvent Kovûnkal, was unleashed to destroy the disloyal children of the creator.   Profound changes affected Daorhu thinking in the aftermath of the elders’ deaths. Yada and Otaoradu long reigned as the more radical pair, with their allegiance to Aebaster during the First Feud as a prime example.