Artugian Lore
Forward:
Artugians are a tribal race from the southern contient that reside in the rainforest of their continent, which they named Artuga.
Anatomy and Biology:
Artugians are an odd race of bipedal humanoids. They stand roughly between 5' 7" and 5' 11", the tallest recorded being 6' 2". They are lean, muscular and have elongated nails that act as claws. Their skin is as gray as ash and their hair as red as fire. As for their eyes, they are rounded and are a deep green, some say their eyes glow in the dark of the night.
The men and women, known as Artya and Artyee respectfully, are similar in appearance as both tend to keep their hair long, however Artyee have thicker claws and prominent breasts. The thickened claws, possesed by the Artyee, contains a tube/syringe like system that allows venom to flow through and out their tip. This venom is deadly when introduced directly to the blood stream, however is not harmful if ingested. It does, however, increase one's state of arousal.
It is possible to milk Artyee venom, though one must be careful not to cut themselves as no known antivenom exists.
Diet:
Artugians live on a strange diet that involves few berries and nuts as well as their own dead. Those who are consumed after death, are considered honoured as they have provided one last time for the Artugians. They do not eat those who died of sickness or disease.
While the Artugians do consume their dead, and it is considered a delicacy and the very center of their diet, they do not live on flesh alone. They do consume certain berries and nuts of the forest that engulfs their island continent. However most nuts and berries are poisonous, so one must be careful when chosing their meal as many look similar.
Culture:
Artugians live in tribes, which, until recently, lived seperate from each other. This is due to the differences in their philosphys from Ancestral worship, to combat, to where they live. The three main tribes are Durna, Drishna and Cursed (the true name is only spoken in the Old Tongue and roughly translates to Cursed). They all, however, believe that even a dead corpse has use and they try not to waste anything. They also all believe in working together for the betterment of Artuga
Durna is the most Ancient of the tribes. They believe that the Ancestors are to be respected above all else. They also believe that claws are tools and should not be used to tear into living Artugian flesh. This does not stop them from using their claws in combat against "Outlanders". However they prefer using staffs, and have recently adopted the twinblade. They prefer a tactical approach to combat.
Drishna is a tribe of vagabonds who have explored most of the forest. They cover their hair with cowls and hoods as to better camoflauge themselves in the dark forest below. They believe that to connect with the Ancestors, one must know of their homeland. In combat, they prefer a stealthy approach to combat, usually the Artya cover their claws in venom. They will use their claws against other Artugians.
Cursed is a tribe of engineers and forward thinkers, though their preferred method of combat begs to differ. They tend to be very aggressive and straight forward in combat, always going for the kill via brute strength. They believe that the Ancestors are honoured by improving Artugian way of life through advancements in metal working. Like the Durna, they believe that their claws are tools, not weapons. They mark their bodies with their claws to show both their knowledge of metals and the like, and their combat prowess.
Magicka/Magic and the Ancestors:
Artugians view magic as a forbidden art that only the Ancestors should wield, most fear it outright. The only magic they themselves would ever wield is their summoning magic, even then it is rare to see such a thing.
The process is never the same, as some believe a blood sacrifice is required to summon the Ancestors, while others claim that one must be pure in order to summon them. One thing, however, is always clear, one must use the Old Tongue to summon them. The downside is that sometimes, these Ancestors do not wish to be summoned and will reign destruction on everything around them.
There are four types of Ancestors: the Light, the Dark, theTwisted, and the Ancient One.
The Light Ancestor, sometimes referred to as the Ancestor of Wisdom, is a being of pure light which radiates from all sources. They are said to be kind hearted and love all things, though they must be treated with care. They will almost always pass on very cryptic knowledge.
The Dark Ancestor, also known as the Ancestor of War, is a beast of darkness. It takes possession of the summoner by force and will not stop until it is either killed or becomes bored with bloodshed. They are not to be taken lightly.
The Twisted Ancestors are Ancestors of Wisdom whom have been harmed physically and have allowed hatred to overtake them. They seek only to destroy everything and can rarely be stopped. The only known ways to stop them are from legends long past, which state that the fires of Margha, the volcano, can burn their hatred away, or from the ultimate sacrifice.
The Ancient One is an Ancestor who's name is long forgotten. It is said that he/she was once one of the first to walk Artuga and is as close to a God as the Artugians get. He/she will only reveal himself/herself if the ultimate sacrifice has been made.
Religion:
Artugians do not believe in any set religion, instead they prefer to call to their ancestors for aid and guidance, though they never attempt to summon them unless they are in dire need as it can be dangerous and unpredictable. To show great reverance for their Ancestors, they display their skeletons and skulls for all to see. The Throne of Skulls, the seat of the Great Leader, is made of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of skulls of those who passed into the next.
The souls is an important aspect to the Artugian faith, as they believe that to rest with the Ancestors, one must have a soul. To lose their soul is to lose everything, though to sacrifice their soul in an effort to save their people, is the ultimate sacrifice.
Politics and Leadership:
Artugian politics can be viewed by outsiders as "barbaric". They believe that a Great Leader must be strong as well as wise. Even their counselers, guards and military leaders must show their strength and battle wisdom. To prove as such, one must participate in what is known as the Durma, the right of leadership.
Durma is fought at sunset in the precense of the skulls of the Ancestors, and it is a fight to the death. The challenger and the political/military head must kneel and mark each other with blood, to bless their opponent. The victor must then consume their opponents heart. No weapons nor armour can be used in this trial, nor their claws. To break these rules, without cause, will be meet with swift death.
The supreme ruler of Artuga is known as the Great Leader. Their word is law. Beneath him/her are the Tribal leaders who govern their own tribes and beneath them are the Artugians. The Great Leader is also the Tribal leader of his/her tribe.
There have been exceptions that allowed certain Artugians to become the Great Leader without the need for the Durma, though such instances are few and far between.
Architecture, Construction, City Planning:
Artugians do not have much in the ways of tools for construction, however they make due with the vines of the forest. Weaving them together to form a web, they have constructed a city that rest just beneath the canopy, roughly halfway between the coast and the volcano, safely hidden from those who do not know where to look. Using a similar technique, Artugians have used smaller vines to construct houses and huts which resemble cacoons, for their forest city.
On the coast, Artugians used a mixture of vines and driftwood to contruct huts. None of the three coastal villages, according to the Artugians, are used, out of fear of being attacked by outlanders (Note: In the original RP, a race called the Tal Men attacked and enslaved Artugians from their coastal villages). Though rumour has it that Mihal, their biggest coastal village, has been haunted by creatures who steal Artugians in the middle of the night, and strange noises and sounds have been heard coming from Mihal.
Language and Accent:
Artugians have two languages, Common and the Old Tongue.
The common language is spoken throughout the world and has universal usage. However it is unkown how the Artugians came to learn such a thing, as there has been known outlanders to their continent. Some say that a creature from the far north taught them how to speak common when Artuga and her people where in their infancy. Their accent is thick and they tend to roll their "R"s.
The Old Tongue is a guttural language, in which it is spoken with clicks and growls. When speaking in the Old Tongue, one must be clear and concise, as one slip of the tongue can change a greeting between lovers to a death threat.
When they address someone, or speak about someone, they say their personal connection to that person, then their name. For example: Wife-Ria, Brother-Sia'tri. When addressing the Great Leader, you must address him/her as Great Leader, or, if they have earnt the title, Greatclaw.
Customs:
Artugians customs are more to do with honoring youself and others. There is the greeting custom (formal and informal), right of passage, and the daily custom.
When greeting an Artugian, one must place a closed fist over their heart and bow. This is done to show you are speaking from the heart, the resting place of the soul. This gesture is followed by the words: "May Strong Winds grant you good fortune," to which the reply is either: "And may the Ancestors bring you home," or "And may the Ancestors bless you." The latter of the two being very formal and considered a blessing. Informally, the greeting phrase and response is "Strong Winds," "Good Fortune."
The Rite of Passage, otherwise known as a Blood Rite, is preformed by two siblings, one male and one female. This is made possible by the fact that Artugians reproduce in lots of two and always as ferterinal twins. Very rarely does an Artyee give birth to one child or more than two.
The two siblings, once they have come of age, must fight to the death, to prove their strength and their worth to the tribes. This is the only time that both the Cursed and the Durna tribes allow the use of claws against other Artugians. The victor must then use their claws to remove the loser's heart and consume it, thus, as the legends say, reuniting the two halves of their soul (though some research suggest that this practice keeps the population growth in check). If more than two siblings were born at once, all the siblings of that litter must participate.
Their daily custom is simple. At the break of dawn, they rise as one and thank the Ancestors and ask for their strength in thwir daily tasks. Once the sun begins to set, they thank the Ancestors for their help.
Gender Roles in Artugian Society:
Artugians believe that neither gender is superior, for what the Artyees lack in strength, they make up in copious amounts of venom. In saying that, all roles are assigned by skill and history instead of gender. The only time gender comes into play is during pregnancy, in which the pregnant Artyee must be allowed to rest more during the day, in which time the father must pick up the extra work load.
In the past, there have been Artyee politcal and military leaders.
Military:
All Artugians are trained for war and survival since birth. This is due to the harshness of their lives and out of fear of the being attacked by outlanders. Because of this, their military is as large as their population.
Military raids are sent out in groups known as Warbands, in which a Warband leader is chosen to lead the Artugians on raids. Due to their alliance with the Mur-Folk, Artugians are forbidden to partake in Naval battles unless assaulted first. Instead they tend to attack coastal villages and sometimes raid deep into enemy territory. They will never attack an ally nor those that do not give them cause.
Warbands consist of the Leader, and around thirty others, 10 from each of the tribes.
Marriage and Sexuality:
Artugians view marriage differently than other races. They believe that there are multple soul mates for each person. This belief, mixed with the harshness of their lives, allows them to have open relationships and polygamy.
The rite of marriage itself, can be dangerous. First, one, whether it is Artyee or Artya, must go through the forest on foot. Then, they must scale the Volcanic mountain until they reach the summit. Once there, they must retrieve a rock from the opening of the volcano (the size of the rock is not important, it is where you gather the rock). Then, they must race to the Tidal pools on the cost before sunset. Then, they must call out for their intended. If their intended does not show, or rejects their rock, then the marriage is canceled. If their intended arrives and accepts the rock, the Artugian who proposed must smash their claws with the rock, thus showing their spouse humility as broken claws are seen as a mark of dishonour (they do grow back after a while). Afterwards, they are considered married.
Homosexuality, and bisexuality are allowed within Artugian society as they believe that the souls are what attracts lovers. However, homosexual couples are constantly approached by members of the opposite sex for reproductive purposes.
Forward:
Artugians are a tribal race from the southern contient that reside in the rainforest of their continent, which they named Artuga.
Anatomy and Biology:
Artugians are an odd race of bipedal humanoids. They stand roughly between 5' 7" and 5' 11", the tallest recorded being 6' 2". They are lean, muscular and have elongated nails that act as claws. Their skin is as gray as ash and their hair as red as fire. As for their eyes, they are rounded and are a deep green, some say their eyes glow in the dark of the night.
The men and women, known as Artya and Artyee respectfully, are similar in appearance as both tend to keep their hair long, however Artyee have thicker claws and prominent breasts. The thickened claws, possesed by the Artyee, contains a tube/syringe like system that allows venom to flow through and out their tip. This venom is deadly when introduced directly to the blood stream, however is not harmful if ingested. It does, however, increase one's state of arousal.
It is possible to milk Artyee venom, though one must be careful not to cut themselves as no known antivenom exists.
Diet:
Artugians live on a strange diet that involves few berries and nuts as well as their own dead. Those who are consumed after death, are considered honoured as they have provided one last time for the Artugians. They do not eat those who died of sickness or disease.
While the Artugians do consume their dead, and it is considered a delicacy and the very center of their diet, they do not live on flesh alone. They do consume certain berries and nuts of the forest that engulfs their island continent. However most nuts and berries are poisonous, so one must be careful when chosing their meal as many look similar.
Culture:
Artugians live in tribes, which, until recently, lived seperate from each other. This is due to the differences in their philosphys from Ancestral worship, to combat, to where they live. The three main tribes are Durna, Drishna and Cursed (the true name is only spoken in the Old Tongue and roughly translates to Cursed). They all, however, believe that even a dead corpse has use and they try not to waste anything. They also all believe in working together for the betterment of Artuga
Durna is the most Ancient of the tribes. They believe that the Ancestors are to be respected above all else. They also believe that claws are tools and should not be used to tear into living Artugian flesh. This does not stop them from using their claws in combat against "Outlanders". However they prefer using staffs, and have recently adopted the twinblade. They prefer a tactical approach to combat.
Drishna is a tribe of vagabonds who have explored most of the forest. They cover their hair with cowls and hoods as to better camoflauge themselves in the dark forest below. They believe that to connect with the Ancestors, one must know of their homeland. In combat, they prefer a stealthy approach to combat, usually the Artya cover their claws in venom. They will use their claws against other Artugians.
Cursed is a tribe of engineers and forward thinkers, though their preferred method of combat begs to differ. They tend to be very aggressive and straight forward in combat, always going for the kill via brute strength. They believe that the Ancestors are honoured by improving Artugian way of life through advancements in metal working. Like the Durna, they believe that their claws are tools, not weapons. They mark their bodies with their claws to show both their knowledge of metals and the like, and their combat prowess.
Magicka/Magic and the Ancestors:
Artugians view magic as a forbidden art that only the Ancestors should wield, most fear it outright. The only magic they themselves would ever wield is their summoning magic, even then it is rare to see such a thing.
The process is never the same, as some believe a blood sacrifice is required to summon the Ancestors, while others claim that one must be pure in order to summon them. One thing, however, is always clear, one must use the Old Tongue to summon them. The downside is that sometimes, these Ancestors do not wish to be summoned and will reign destruction on everything around them.
There are four types of Ancestors: the Light, the Dark, theTwisted, and the Ancient One.
The Light Ancestor, sometimes referred to as the Ancestor of Wisdom, is a being of pure light which radiates from all sources. They are said to be kind hearted and love all things, though they must be treated with care. They will almost always pass on very cryptic knowledge.
The Dark Ancestor, also known as the Ancestor of War, is a beast of darkness. It takes possession of the summoner by force and will not stop until it is either killed or becomes bored with bloodshed. They are not to be taken lightly.
The Twisted Ancestors are Ancestors of Wisdom whom have been harmed physically and have allowed hatred to overtake them. They seek only to destroy everything and can rarely be stopped. The only known ways to stop them are from legends long past, which state that the fires of Margha, the volcano, can burn their hatred away, or from the ultimate sacrifice.
The Ancient One is an Ancestor who's name is long forgotten. It is said that he/she was once one of the first to walk Artuga and is as close to a God as the Artugians get. He/she will only reveal himself/herself if the ultimate sacrifice has been made.
Religion:
Artugians do not believe in any set religion, instead they prefer to call to their ancestors for aid and guidance, though they never attempt to summon them unless they are in dire need as it can be dangerous and unpredictable. To show great reverance for their Ancestors, they display their skeletons and skulls for all to see. The Throne of Skulls, the seat of the Great Leader, is made of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of skulls of those who passed into the next.
The souls is an important aspect to the Artugian faith, as they believe that to rest with the Ancestors, one must have a soul. To lose their soul is to lose everything, though to sacrifice their soul in an effort to save their people, is the ultimate sacrifice.
Politics and Leadership:
Artugian politics can be viewed by outsiders as "barbaric". They believe that a Great Leader must be strong as well as wise. Even their counselers, guards and military leaders must show their strength and battle wisdom. To prove as such, one must participate in what is known as the Durma, the right of leadership.
Durma is fought at sunset in the precense of the skulls of the Ancestors, and it is a fight to the death. The challenger and the political/military head must kneel and mark each other with blood, to bless their opponent. The victor must then consume their opponents heart. No weapons nor armour can be used in this trial, nor their claws. To break these rules, without cause, will be meet with swift death.
The supreme ruler of Artuga is known as the Great Leader. Their word is law. Beneath him/her are the Tribal leaders who govern their own tribes and beneath them are the Artugians. The Great Leader is also the Tribal leader of his/her tribe.
There have been exceptions that allowed certain Artugians to become the Great Leader without the need for the Durma, though such instances are few and far between.
Architecture, Construction, City Planning:
Artugians do not have much in the ways of tools for construction, however they make due with the vines of the forest. Weaving them together to form a web, they have constructed a city that rest just beneath the canopy, roughly halfway between the coast and the volcano, safely hidden from those who do not know where to look. Using a similar technique, Artugians have used smaller vines to construct houses and huts which resemble cacoons, for their forest city.
On the coast, Artugians used a mixture of vines and driftwood to contruct huts. None of the three coastal villages, according to the Artugians, are used, out of fear of being attacked by outlanders (Note: In the original RP, a race called the Tal Men attacked and enslaved Artugians from their coastal villages). Though rumour has it that Mihal, their biggest coastal village, has been haunted by creatures who steal Artugians in the middle of the night, and strange noises and sounds have been heard coming from Mihal.
Language and Accent:
Artugians have two languages, Common and the Old Tongue.
The common language is spoken throughout the world and has universal usage. However it is unkown how the Artugians came to learn such a thing, as there has been known outlanders to their continent. Some say that a creature from the far north taught them how to speak common when Artuga and her people where in their infancy. Their accent is thick and they tend to roll their "R"s.
The Old Tongue is a guttural language, in which it is spoken with clicks and growls. When speaking in the Old Tongue, one must be clear and concise, as one slip of the tongue can change a greeting between lovers to a death threat.
When they address someone, or speak about someone, they say their personal connection to that person, then their name. For example: Wife-Ria, Brother-Sia'tri. When addressing the Great Leader, you must address him/her as Great Leader, or, if they have earnt the title, Greatclaw.
Customs:
Artugians customs are more to do with honoring youself and others. There is the greeting custom (formal and informal), right of passage, and the daily custom.
When greeting an Artugian, one must place a closed fist over their heart and bow. This is done to show you are speaking from the heart, the resting place of the soul. This gesture is followed by the words: "May Strong Winds grant you good fortune," to which the reply is either: "And may the Ancestors bring you home," or "And may the Ancestors bless you." The latter of the two being very formal and considered a blessing. Informally, the greeting phrase and response is "Strong Winds," "Good Fortune."
The Rite of Passage, otherwise known as a Blood Rite, is preformed by two siblings, one male and one female. This is made possible by the fact that Artugians reproduce in lots of two and always as ferterinal twins. Very rarely does an Artyee give birth to one child or more than two.
The two siblings, once they have come of age, must fight to the death, to prove their strength and their worth to the tribes. This is the only time that both the Cursed and the Durna tribes allow the use of claws against other Artugians. The victor must then use their claws to remove the loser's heart and consume it, thus, as the legends say, reuniting the two halves of their soul (though some research suggest that this practice keeps the population growth in check). If more than two siblings were born at once, all the siblings of that litter must participate.
Their daily custom is simple. At the break of dawn, they rise as one and thank the Ancestors and ask for their strength in thwir daily tasks. Once the sun begins to set, they thank the Ancestors for their help.
Gender Roles in Artugian Society:
Artugians believe that neither gender is superior, for what the Artyees lack in strength, they make up in copious amounts of venom. In saying that, all roles are assigned by skill and history instead of gender. The only time gender comes into play is during pregnancy, in which the pregnant Artyee must be allowed to rest more during the day, in which time the father must pick up the extra work load.
In the past, there have been Artyee politcal and military leaders.
Military:
All Artugians are trained for war and survival since birth. This is due to the harshness of their lives and out of fear of the being attacked by outlanders. Because of this, their military is as large as their population.
Military raids are sent out in groups known as Warbands, in which a Warband leader is chosen to lead the Artugians on raids. Due to their alliance with the Mur-Folk, Artugians are forbidden to partake in Naval battles unless assaulted first. Instead they tend to attack coastal villages and sometimes raid deep into enemy territory. They will never attack an ally nor those that do not give them cause.
Warbands consist of the Leader, and around thirty others, 10 from each of the tribes.
Marriage and Sexuality:
Artugians view marriage differently than other races. They believe that there are multple soul mates for each person. This belief, mixed with the harshness of their lives, allows them to have open relationships and polygamy.
The rite of marriage itself, can be dangerous. First, one, whether it is Artyee or Artya, must go through the forest on foot. Then, they must scale the Volcanic mountain until they reach the summit. Once there, they must retrieve a rock from the opening of the volcano (the size of the rock is not important, it is where you gather the rock). Then, they must race to the Tidal pools on the cost before sunset. Then, they must call out for their intended. If their intended does not show, or rejects their rock, then the marriage is canceled. If their intended arrives and accepts the rock, the Artugian who proposed must smash their claws with the rock, thus showing their spouse humility as broken claws are seen as a mark of dishonour (they do grow back after a while). Afterwards, they are considered married.
Homosexuality, and bisexuality are allowed within Artugian society as they believe that the souls are what attracts lovers. However, homosexual couples are constantly approached by members of the opposite sex for reproductive purposes.
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