Cumar, Page 3

This being the third record of the Kinship of Cumar.

## Language

The most common language spoken in the Kinship of Cumar is Dunnish. Although the Kinship supports a wide variety of dialects, all Men learn to speak Dunnish fluently. Most of the other races do as well, to ensure there are no miscommunications or misunderstandings.

Dunnish consists of 7 consonants, and utilizes the same grammatical principles as standard English: periods, colons, commas, and exclamation marks are all utilized in the same manner.

The most common consonant used in Dunnish is the U. The U is always pronounced long, never short. Ergo, Dunland is properly pronounced "dune land". the Dunlendings are the "dune-LEND-ings", and Dunnish is properly pronounced "Dune-ish."

**A** Always pronounced short. Ah instead of Ay.

**PH** Always pronounced like a soft f.

**I**   is always long, never short.  As in eel rather that eye.

**Z**   Sh as in shutter, never hard like zebra.

**G** is always hard, Eagle rather than angel.

The Symbol ' Between two letters indicates that the First letter is sounded out in full. For example, A'Ibys is correctly pronounced Ay-eye-bice. K'Tith would be correctly prounounced Kay-TEETH.

**Examples**

**Angi** "long lived" Refers to the gods, also refers to undead creatures and pale demons.

**Dun** "People"

**Udun** "Short" as in stature, so "short people", Mannish word for the diminutive rainforest dwellers.

**Kalzov** "Scaled" Mannish name for the reptile peiop,e of the Swamp.

**Daridun** "light people", perfectly translated it means "Light within the people", referring to the noble elves that dwell in Ulari's heavy forests.

**Cumar**  "soo-mar", "land",

**Uru** "Black or Dark", always referring to a species, demon, god, or malevolent person.

**Uru-Uk** "Dark people", Mannish name for the orcs that infest the Kinship's mountains.

**Olog** "Beast, monster" a term applied by men to the trolls that live in the Kinship's mountains.

**Nia** - "Hello"

**Nah** "No"

**Utu** "yes"

**Ult-atat** - "Please", also "thank you" strictly for after meals.

## Unique Flora & Fauna

Although the Kinship of Cumar sports an abundance of familiar wildlife and plants, there are a few species that are native and unique to the Kinship and found nowhere else.

The **Mos Cow** is the largest breed of cattle that have been domesticated by man. They were first domesticated early in the Kinship's Second Age. All perts of the animal are utilized, nothing is wasted. The cows provide milk, meat, leather for clothing and goods, the horns of the bulls are used for making weapon handles or decorative displays, the internal organs keep the family dogs well fed and happy. Even the eyes are used: The Dunlending dish of Falugu, consisting of the eyes simmered in a richly flavored broth and eaten with bread is a continentally famous dish.

The **Nekus Cat** is a large felinoid predator that hunts the plains and Trafalgar Rainforest. An adult animal is six feet long from nose to tail. The general coloring of the cat is a tawny with golden stripes along the back and the species can also be born with black fur. The Black Nekus is very rare, and the pelt of the animal is worth nearly two gold coins. The cat has four forward facing eyes that easily detect movement, the second set of eyes allows the creature to see into the infrered spectrum which helps it locate prey. The Nekus Cat normally feeds on cattle, fowl, and small game but will attack a Man if hungry enough.

The **Gidus Rhino** wanders the plains of Dunland and is, thankfully, a solitary animal. Large and bad tempered, the Rhino is six feet tall at the shoulder, with a pebled orange-red skin, a large forward facing horn on its snout, and good eyesight. The Rhino is easily provoked and if the poor fool whom annoys one isn't speared by the horn he will be trampled by it's round feet. The Rhino's hide is tough enough to deflect most edged weapons and arrows but offers no protection against blunt and smashing weapons. Rhinos are sometimes captured for the arenas of the White City, where a nude slave is armed with a simple club and put in to face 'justice' at the charging of the annoyed Rhino.

The monstrous **Emperor Centepede** is found only in the Trafalgar rainforest. The giant insect is a foot tall and twelve feet long. It skitters around on a hundred jointed legs that allow it to run as fast as a horse. The monster's two forlegs are jointed like those of a preying mantis which allows it to grab prey and then either crush the prey with two immense mandibles on either side of its mouthparts or use it's hollow, pointed tongue to inject a neurotoxin that kills within seconds. The Emperor Centipede will eat anything it comes across: carrion, deer, and poor Udun. The toxin of the Centepede is highly sought after by those with nefarious intent and commands huge prices in the black market.

## Magic

Because of the events of the Second Age of Cumar's history, when a vast majotiry of Men wielding magic sided with the Black Enemy to wipe out the Daridun, magic has become both hated and feared, Memories are long, and those that were victimized by magic users still hold on to the memories.

Today, some magic is tolerated so long as it is used for educational purposes only. Those whom feel a strong Calling toward the mystic arts go to great lengths to keep their lifestyles and activities secret. Using magic is not against the law in The Kinship of Cumar currently, but some magicians believe it is only a matter of time.

Once a magic user is ferreted out and identified, he or she can expect an immediate arrest. As the magician waits in the local jail, his entire home is searched, his friends and family members questioned, and Pantheon help the magician if they authorities find anything in his possessions that may hint at dark purposes. After the seach has been conducted and everyone questioned--a matter of days while the magician is imprisoned--the Magician himself is questioned, usually by an Inquisitor. If there are no proofs or evidence of evil doing, the Magician is set free. But his life is over: family has disowned him, friends won't speak to him, etc.

If the magic slinger is found to be one of the Untouchable Callings, it's a whole new world of pain. An Inquisitor is immediately summoned to 'aid' the accused into confessing his foul works and naming any associates he or she might have. Then the Untouchable will be stockaded for a length of five days, her crimes announced, and she is them left there to be beaten, abused, and man-handled by everyone in the town. After the five days is over, the Untouchable is burned at the stake.

Because of their feeligs toward magic, residents of the Kinship have no access to or want of magic and enchanted itsems, normally. Of course, such items are the spotlight for the black mkarket and can command astonishing prices. Anyone caught in possession of a magic item is subjected to the same interrogation a full-fledged magician will be.

## People of Note

There are five very notable people in the history of the Kinship of Cumar.

**Queen Amidala of Dunland** (SA. 1580 -- 1640) is widely considered by all the races in the Kinship to be the best Queen in history, she is revered to this day and has several holiday feasts and events in her honor. It was Queen Amidala that unified the Kinship and designated three three regions. She passed sweeping legal and social reforms that named all residents of the Kinship, even the monster races, to be Cumarians and entitled to the protections and laws of the Constitution. She invented a new system of taxation that enabled people to pay only what they could afford to rather than impossibly high tax mandates; made it illegal to refuse goods or services based on race, and almost single-handedly brought the many wars tearing the Kinship apart to an end. The current Queen of the Kinship, Alicia Hammet, is the great-grandaughter of Amidala, and although not as beloved and celebrated as her majestic ancestor, she's supported for all the good work she is doing.

**Dune Celeborn** (FA 36 - Present) is considered one of the most knowledgable of the scribes in the Kinship. Many of his devoted followers, fans of his copious novels and historical documentation, say that he is in fact the Kinship's first scribe and perhaps the inventor of the scribe Calling, though he refutes this. He lives and works in Amalost. inadvertedly helping the grand city draw in tourists.

**Adunaphel the Soundless** (SA 819 to Present) nearly succeeded in the Second Age of gaining total control of the Kinship. Born of grief and tragedy, the once beautiful Dunland noble became not only the first wraith but the most powerful one in existence. All creatures of evil are drawn to her and she had amassed a massive army of orcs, trolls, Easterlings, and other fell beings. Being able to create wraiths, she bound the wills of five Dunland nobles to hers; these five--the Attrani--are her most cruel and deadly messengers and soldiers. The Second Age ended when the Free Peoples banded together as one and managed to destroy her physical form, which they believed destroyed her for good. But lately, reports are coming in that her terrible dungeon fortress of Math-Imlas in the heart of the Anghabar (D. "East Forest") has been peopled with terrible creatures, and a dark shadow has begun to radiate outward from the evil place.

**Queen Hithlari**(FA 20 - Present) is legendary, she is one of the first of the eight elves to Awaken after the Grand Music. Her power defies the imagination, but no less powerful is her wisdom, kindness, and goodness. She rules as the Grand Moff of Uriel, but usually allows one of her many subordinates to stand in her place when business is called for. She lives in the Diamond Castle in the center of the elven city Amalost.

**Perimi Meadowflower** (TA 1929 - Present) is the Grand Moff of The Marches. She is a foreigner from the distant continent of Paradigm, and upon her arrival was taken in and virtually adopted by the Udun. When it was learned that she was the very same Perimi Meadowflower that was the leader of the legendary Blades of Paradigm, she was offered the Moff position by Queen Alicia and Peri accepted. She currently lives in the Udun capitol of Pinios in The Marches. The rumors of evil growing in Anghabar have her greatly troubled, and she agrees with Hitholi that it can only be Adunaphel the Silent once again taking shape.

## Places of Note

The Kinship of Cumar offers many sights and activities for tourists, but there are some places that even the bravest tourist fears to tread.

The **White City** is the largest city in the Kinship and its capitol. Located in the very center of the D'Armis Plain in middle Dunland, the White City is home to 1.8 million people of all races. The city is built on a tier system, with the wealthier residents inhabiting the upper tier, and the Royal Family inhabiting the very top of the city. The White City also has an extensive underground, initially made for the non-human residents that don't like the light but has become a haven for crime. Unlike most other cities, the White City features electric lights, indoor plumbing, and even balloons and zephyrs for travel by air.

The **Trafalgar Rainforest** is the largest and only rainforest in the Marches. Spanning an area of fifty miles, the Rainforest is home to the native Udun and a few other species such as goblins, jungle trolls, and a small tribe of gnolls. The rainforest sports many exotic food items that are routinely gathered and exported. The capitol city, Belagara, is the largest Udun city in the Kinship, supporting nearly 500,000 thousand Udun, human, and Daridun residents.

The **Swamp of Nar** lies to the southwest of the Trafalgar Rainforest. It is 30 square miles of dense copes and still, brackish waters. It is named for the Nar plant which grows in abundance here, cultivated because it is used to make the addictive painkiller of the same name. The Swamp is the domain of the Kalvoz and likely holds countless undiscovered insect and reptile species. Popular legend has it that in the heart of the Swamp is the ancient and powerful black dragon T'Criss whom sleeps upon enough treasure to allow the skilled thief to get enough money from two handfuls of treasure that he could buy his own kingdom. T'Criss has not been seen in centuries, so most people believe that he is long dead and his vast treasure already scooped up by the kalzov.

**Anghabar** (Q. "Watchful Dread") is the almost mythical fortress and labyrinth of Adunaphel the Soundless. It is located in the Gandafar Forest, 10 miles southeast of the White City. The forest around the fortress is corrupt and filled with vile things like Great Spiders, black unicorns, and chimera. Evil things are drawn to the forest, including hordes of goblins and orcs. In the last decade the elves of Amelost have seen the shadows grow darker and sensed a great evil coming from Anghabar. They believe that Adunaphel the Soundless is once again taking shape, though the royal family of the White City refute this.

For information regarding The Monster Races of Cumar, please click the link.