Urshari

The Urshari is the name that a faction of Kaaradi took when she left the Underworld, a thousand years ago. The faction subdivided itself into the Urshari of Täjara (the most numerous) and the Urshari of the Windlands, which explain why they can be found among human and elven cities.
==Birth of the Urshari==
At the very root of the Urshari history lie Urshar.
Urshar lived in the Bastion of Dral-Trukän, which was under the jurisdiction of Galagrön. However at that time the Kaaral Drakan of the Turakas Family was waging the most vicious offensive against the Asha and therefore ordered that every Gathering, Bastion and City in Kaarad contribute to the war effort by sending half of their warriors (Kaaradi and slaves alike). Urshar, who was the greatest warrior of his Bastion, and possibly the greatest alive in the whole Kaarad at that time spoke against it, asserting that this war was a waste of lives and that the true enemies of Kaarad, Those from Below where left unchecked and would harass the communities weakened by the conscription.
Since Urshar was highly respected in its own Bastion, the Bastion of Uldrakir and thirty-three Gatherings near the Bastions, he gained considerable political leverage, and if his protestation had stopped here, everything could have been resolved peacefully. However, Urshar claimed that the increasing viciousness of the Kaaradi drove them away of their true goal of defeating Those from Below and the Gods of Terror, he even claim that the four Monster-Gods which existed before the coming of the Ath in Kaarad had in fact an hidden agenda and wished to turn the Kaaradi in creatures just as evil than Those from Below, since they were the Gods of the Ashendants who failed and were corrupted. Only Shal'vrral, the Unholy Child, was the True God of the Kaaradi and possibly He who Sleep. Urshar then asserted that the growing corruption in the Kaaradi social organization was a proof of this hidden agenda of the Monster-Gods.
Obviously, the priesthood of the Monster-Gods reacted, claiming that Urshar himself was corrupted and wished to led the Kaaradi to their own doom. When it become obvious that the blood could flow and that, for the first time in 10,000 years Kaaradi would have killed Kaaradi, Urshar chose to leave the Kaarad, and more than 100.000 Kaaradi and 450.000 slaves followed him to his travel to the surface world, to the great surprise of the Täjaran above them and the great horror of the Kaarad. Those from Below used this breach in the Kaaradi organization to go an a rampage, killing thousands of Kaaradi and slaves until that the very old Kaaral Drakan led the armies used against the Asha against the aberrations.
When Urshar and his follower emerged in the surface world, they quickly discovered that the Sun burned their skin with such an intensity that it could kill them and that even the light of the moons was too bright for them. They then travelled only by night, wearing heavy cloth on every part of their body during the day. However, while Urshar wished to be left alone by the inhabitants of the surface world, his follower emerged near a vibrant city from the Empire of Täjara. Their exodus was discovered in less than a week by the humans who chose to talk with those strange creatures.
Despite the language barriers, it appeared that some slaves talked an ancient form of Täjara, thus allowing the communication, and the Kaaradi demonstrated a great ability to learn foreign languages. When Urshar learnt of Täjara and its political system, its society and its law, he chose to pledge himself to the service of the Emperor. The vast majority of his follower did the same, but 10% refused, asking the right to leave the Empire to live their life as they wished.
Those Urshari moved to the East until they discovered a raiding party of Wind Elves; thank to their knowledge of the täjaran tongue, they managed to discuss with the elves, who were horrified by the practice of slavery made by the Urshari. However, to the great surprise of both the elves and the slaves themselves, the leader of those Urshari, Ordruk, chose to abolish the slavery if the Windelves allowed them to live with them, with their own laws and culture, and their Gods, the Unholy Child and Zaekus. If they gave up on slavery this easily, it was because Ordruk believed that this practice was imposed by the Monster-Gods to the Kaaradi in the ancient time, and therefore should be banned among the Urshari as a mean to improve themselves and then help even their brother and sisters left in Kaarad.
Since this double schism, the Urshari live in both Täjara and the Windland. The main differences between the two groups is only the fact that they don't prey the same gods, the Urshari in Täjara worship the Täjaran Pantheon, while those in the Windland worship the Ashtari Pantheon, even if the two groups still worship before any God Shal'vrral. For everything else, every Urshari still immortalize the martial and alchemical traditions of the Kaaradi.
As for their slaves, even today those of the Urshari are better treated by the Urshari than the humans of Täjara, and in the Windlands, it is easy to know if someone has an ancestor who was a slave of for, like every slave of the Kaaradi, they have amethyst pupils.Today, those former slaves still have strong ties with the Urshari families in the Windland and even Täjara. In the recent years, the new Kaaradi Dynasty managed to create links with the Urshari, to the benefit of the Kaaradi, for the Urshari are a lot more fitted to the commercial and diplomatic relations of the surface world.
Today, most of the Urshari still live underground, in cities of Täjara and the Windland. They helped to greatly improve the sewers of those cities and are renowned thanks to the help that they grant to the poorest in the towns. However, they often suffer a form of discrimination, because of their greyish skins, amethyst pupils and canines.
==The Urshari in Täjara :==
==The Urshari in the Windlands :==
Category:Races