The Dulamen

**The Dulamen** were a group of nomadic zealots who resided in the desert, often spreading their religion and imposing it on either willing or unwilling participants. Their religion was later taken and practiced by a small amount, keeping the movement alive.

## History

Dulamah was born to unknown parents and was a brilliantly pale child with black, soft hair kept that way by his herbalist parents. No reason is known as to why Dulamah's parents had abandoned him, what is known being the harsh conditions he was forced to endure in the desert. After he was abandoned, he slowly turned to insanity as nobody came around to the desert aside from the occasional traveller and the lizards that he would make his daily meals.

Alongside his skin, his mind grew darker and he began to create tulpas of motherly figures that talked to him from the sand. Not knowing how to cope with this, Dulamah eventually assigned them to things that made Dulamah feel safe: the warm sands beneath him guiding his every step, the rocks surrounding his hole of a home, and the sun lighting his day and bringing warmth to him. As his mind continued to deteriorate, so did the morals of the three tulpas, forcing Dulamah to brand himself with an insignia melted into a lost dagger nearby. This symbol would later be described as an ornate circle representing the three "goddesses."

Dulamah turned to worship and looked to other religions he had only seen slices of to make his worship feel as if it meant something. The goddess-tulpas he made were pleased with him, and allowed him to leave and enter the desert at any time he would like, finally letting him free from his lonesome hole. Despite his freedom, he still felt more comfortable in the desert where he could ambush people for supplies and for fulfilling hedonistic desires. It was through one of these interactions that he fathered Abigail Thorne.

He had an abusive relationship with his daughter, letting the wilderness of the desert raise her, him only interfering to put his religion upon her. During one of his expeditions onto the trail that most took between Hallengard and Aedwin, he met with a roving group of nomads who wished for company. He took the opportunity and began to indoctrinate the people into his religion with careful, deliberate, and philosophical words.

## Events of the Roleplay

Dulamah took the roving group to his desert encampment, gifting them with dirty water and sheltering them, all the while asking for their names and stories. One person suggested that they band together after Dulamah gave his story, and they all agreed that Dulamah should lead the newly formed group they come up with. A fellow group member suggested they name the group the Dulamen, Dulamah then leading them in acquiring new outfits from Aedwin and weaponry to defend themselves. They all raided the tailor to acquire yellow and white tunics and got chainmail hoods for head protection. The Dulamen as an official group was born.

The Dulamen hounded people, as Dulamah didn't know what to do with the sextet at his disposal. Eventually, he landed on harassing Aenora Ridgwell, the wife of Tomas Ridgwell; Dulamah himself hated married women, as the goddesses he worshipped had told him women who practiced monogamy were inherently and devilishly selfish. The Dulamen stole her dress and started kicking her until they were interrupted by a group of people who wished to use the cathedral. Dulamah ran with a fellow group member carrying Aenora, with four of the Dulamen going back to their desert encampment while Dulamah himself and one of his men were chased to the forests bordering the south of Hallengard. Dulamah and the other were forced to give up their items to the pursuers, Dulamah recognizing that he was in no position to take on the heavily armored pursuers. They returned to their encampment where they met with Aenora, in the process of being branded on her left hand, just as all members had been before when they met.

Aenora was let free, and was told she can walk the desert freely with the brand. More and more people came, and they all got branded as well, with some (like Ianto del Rossi) also having their possessions branded. They eventually found a girl of 12 years, Adelais Rolfe, and branded her without a second thought before Dulamah recognized her as an avatar of Terran, the Goddess of Rock, Stone, and Sculpting. She was given proper yellow-white robes and made into the one who would give the final word within the group. Her only request upon being idolized was to stay up past curfew and be given bread. Upon the request, Dulamah and his daughter set out to the farm near Aedwin to raid their wheat supply and make bread. Chanting could be heard in many places, and in many ways during that time, but they all sent the same message: "BREAD FOR TERRAN."

The Dulamen had a feast at the encampment, but a scout saw that the newest King of Aedwin, Vain, had crossed into the desert without a second thought. Dulamah quickly gathered everyone to not only brand Vain but also bring his crown to their idol, Terran. They were unsuccessful in their pursuit, instead landing themselves as a group of most-wanted bandits. The group eventually disbanded after Dulamah allowed Caprica, who he thought was the avatar of Jua, to take his own life after he helped her take the Hallengardian throne.

Several years later, a man who frequented the desert came across scrolls of the religion and worshipped practiced by the Dulamen, and he himself began to have visions of the three goddesses. He took what the goddesses said to him to heart, and lived the rest of his days as Dwade, a nomadic wanderer who feels obligated to worship the goddesses and make as many situations as he could turn out right.

## Beliefs

The Dulamen generally believe there are three goddesses and that conduits of the trio who could communicate with them should be put above all others. The trio of goddesses being Terran- the goddess of rock, stone, and sculpting, Haren- the goddess of the sand, and Jua- the goddess of the sun and heat.

### Terran

Terran is often depicted as a teenaged girl caked and covered in dirt, often smelling bitter and foul. Legends say she sculpted the islands out of a single cube of pure rock, and eventually, with the help of the two other goddesses, created life. After the creation of life, Terran was rumored to either become a snake or take the form of a young woman, considering Terran is the youngest of the trio. As with the two other goddesses, she was exhausted after molding stone and creating life, and wishes only for relaxation and sustenance, letting people fend for themselves.

### Haren

Haren is often depicted as a highly bandaged, flexible woman who protects all of her creations with her immortal life. Not much is known about Haren other than that she is the protector of mortal life, even though she is obligated to not interfere with them.

### Jua

Jua is often depicted as a larger than average woman who irradiates a glow that burns her image into the retinas of whoever looks at her. If one focuses enough, they may see a maiden with the palest of skin and golden hair. She is the eldest of the trio of goddesses, and was believed to have coordinated the creation of life, and produced the cube of pure rock that Terran would later work with.

## Worship

Spending time in the sun for the purpose of darkening one's skin is often regarded as either a form of prayer or worship, and verbal prayers also may come to play. The main staple of worship is branding one's left hand with the Dulamen's sigil, representing the trio of goddesses. With the brand, one doesn't need permission from the trio of goddesses to leave and enter the desert, nor do they need to verbally worship or lay in the sun. Later, meditation was adopted from Hedatism and brought into the Dulamen's religion as a form of getting closer to the trio.

## Culture

The Dulamen only have three known words of their tongue, less a new language and more of a flair or accent put upon normal speech. "Yej" for yes, "Nej" for no, and "F" as a sign of agreement. Conduits and people of higher ranking in the Dulamen faith often wear a glove of golden color on their left hand, most of the time cut off of spare Lauchette armor or the occasional scrapped golden cloth.

## Criticism

Many a Halesman think that the Dulamen are a group of insane zealots, praising false goddesses in highly violent and unorthodox ways. This way of thinking often suppressed it and, alongside its already small nature, led to its extinction until it was pulled up again by Dwade.