Vendari (Nation)

## Summary.

The Vendari are a small, social, dog-like people. They live on the western coast in a temperate rainforest, and their cities are built in clearings and on the sides of cliffs. They form a unified front in terms of official international representation, but in truth each of the Houses are struggling with each other for power. Only recently a great spiritual leader named Vedro came to power, he gained support from most of the other Houses and is planning to bring the Vendari into a new age of unprecedented glory and wealth.

Capital City: the Main city of the Vendari is Cree-Al. It is home to over a hundred smaller Houses and is home to Vedro, the spiritual and political leader of the Vendari

#### Art.

Since the Vendari can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, their art appears quite bleak and minimalist to outsiders. The most accomplished artists among them strive to make paintings and sculptures that appear pleasing to both Vendari and other people alike. Their art often includes a lot of death space which is filled in their eyes by colourful pigments that only reflect in the ultraviolet spectrum.

Vendari have an interesting relationship with Colour, they can see bright and vibrant colours where regular people see just plain white. Their use of visible colour can be used to signify acceptance of outsiders, whether they be from a different species or just from outside the House. The other use of Visible Colour is in worship to their God, they believe that in the beginning God created the world from his own lifeblood, which legends say sparkled in all the colours of the rainbow. So Visible Colour is also necessary and prominent in many religious and spiritual works of art.

Traditional String Dancers wear Ekebe Cloaks, hooded garments made from lightweight material that consists of ribbonlike strips of colourful cloth and silk sewn together and at the shoulders and chests. They twirl and dance while playing stringed instruments while the colourful cloaks flow and blend together.

#### Structures.

The Vendari used to be an avian species, and their architecture reflects that heritage as well as their current terrestrial nature. Many people at first glance see organic patterns reminiscent of jungle trees in their structures. Vendari houses are communal buildings, often housing a handful of families that grow up together and take care of each other's children. The Vendari separate themselves by House, and the last part of their name is always the House they are currently living in. The buildings are white washed and built from mud or stone, usually with elevated walkways raised 3-10ft off the ground. As the houses grow new members build expansions and additions to the building, leading to Vendari cities being full of separate winding compounds connected by wall-like paths. Merchant stalls and communal areas are usually encompassed by these wall-like paths that provide shelter from the elements as well as outside threats. Across streets and between buildings brightly colored fabrics and lanterns are strung to signify both the acceptance of others (See Art and Colour) and their worship of their God.

#### Traditions.

The Vendari are primarily carnivorous, they eat meat usually grilled and seasoned, although raw strips of meat is considered a tasty snack. Huge fires are erected in the centre of each House and all the food is cooked and distributed from there. Most of each individual’s income (90%) is paid directly to their House and the House provides them with everything they might need, money is handed out based on need to House members.

When two Vendari want to marry and they are both in separate Houses they have two options, one of the two can leave their previous House and join the others, or they can start a new House. The new House is only considered a House legally once it has 12 members, otherwise its members are considered Homeless.

#### Counting.

The Vendari use a base 12 system for counting, counting each Phalanx of the finger when counting on their hands. Any number referenced is in normal metric form for ease of reading.

#### Currency.

The Vendari use small coloured beads as currency the denominations are 12 red beads to a blue bead, 12 blue beads to a white bead (with ultraviolet pigments), and 12 white beads to a white bead (with different ultraviolet pigment). Beads are strung together on leather strings in groups of 18 (12+6).

#### Religion.

The Vendari believe in Thyrn, the maker, a God with two sets of wings, and two tails. A ring of eyes circle the otherwise blank face, and a perfectly circular hole in the centre of its chest represents the sacrifice Thyrn made to create the world and his people the Vendari. Spiritual and religious figures are exempt from petty inter-House rivalry and are expected to remain neutral as well. All the communities Spiritual leaders and apprentices live in their own separate dwelling and act as a separate House when it comes to commerce. Only Vendari who devote their lives to God are allowed to know his name and all the rules he passed down, the other people live their lives in ignorance of the subtle nuance and rules that dictate their lives, they are only told the basics on how to live one's life. The Spiritual House or Ma’fetz has its own group of militant fighters who do basic policing and guard duty.

The Vendari find dyes to be especially significant in many of their cultural traditions as well as spiritual practices. The bright colours and exotic nature of dyes give the otherwise fairly mundane product divine authority.

Coloured Sand is another spiritually significant material, it usually represents God's blood in artwork. It represents loss to the spiritual caste and rejuvenation to the uneducated.

#### Magic.

The Spiritual House is the only house allowed to practice High-Magic, a kind of magic that manipulates the Colour, or Soul, of things around it. For example Hig-Magic would be shaping stone into a tool, or changing dirt into food. It is considered very dangerous for the untrained and is outlawed for anyone not from the Spiritual House. Normal Magic is practised by almost everyone, and it is the manipulation of one's own Colour, or Soul, to influence things around and inside you. For example making oneself stronger to help carry a heavy burden, only later to become weaker as the magic takes its toll. Another example would be starting a fire but making yourself colder. Magic is a zero sum game, any action taken must have an opposite and equal reaction occur, this could occur hours or sometimes even days later, a strong magic user has some control over when the lashback occurs.

#### Language.

The Vendari communicate mainly through the flashing of coloured feather-like structures in their ears, they can quickly flash colours along with spoken words, that sound much like yapping, to communicate quickly and with much nuance. They also speak Ktav Ashuri, a trade language which is very similar to Hebrew.

#### Government System.

The Vendari govern themselves within each House, but their is an official leader of the Vendari. The leader of the Vendari people is a giant by Vendari standards, through rare genetic mutations that signify one chosen by Thyrn a Vendari will grow to the towering height of 6ft. Vendari who grow this way are referred to as Thyrn’s Chosen and instantly join the Spiritual House.

#### Other

The Vendari are a terrestrial race, they are very social amongst members of their own species and family groups. They are on average 3ft tall and have very dense muscles and light bones. Their red eyes can see in the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums, and they use hair-like structures which can quickly change Colours to communicate. They have short brown/blond/red fur and a thick long tail used for balance. They have a dog-like snout and are for the most part carnivorous. They wear light robes of dyed cloth and pierce their ears with bands of metal and colourful feathers.

The Vendari being a very social group spend much of their day with other members of their House. They sleep in huge communal rooms divided by gender, all the kids sleeping in the centre of the House building with the Male and Female dorms in adjacent rooms. Vendari sleep on woven mats, usually made from wool harvested from a sheep-like animal called a Kavish. The Vendari store personal belongings in small closet-like rooms which are for their personal use only. It is a huge taboo to look into another Vendari’s closet. In most of the personal closets the Vendari store clothes and meaningful trinkets.

The Vendari wear clothes similar to a medieval shirt that goes below the waist. Vendari belts are braided from colourful cloth and often have small stories and lists of accomplishments braided into them. They wrap a canvas-like material around their shins and heels, mostly to keep their fur clean. The Vendari who go out of the House building paint their fur with patterns and designs that signify which house they are from and what kind of jobs they do. The paint lasts for the entire week until they go through a ceremonious washing ritual using a bleach-like substance to get the paint out. The paint is made from crushed beetles mixed with animal fat and charcoal or ash if they want to make it darker or lighter respectively. Small earrings made from metal are also very popular in males, whereas females prefer metal bands on their tails. Both genders however wear arm bands made from metal and engraved with intricate patterns.

A typical Vendari breakfast consists of small strips of mostly raw meat with a variety of seasoning. The cooks wake up early and slowly sear the meat throughout the entire day. So early morning meals are mostly very rare meat and later in the evening the meat is well done. Usually a small bread made from flour ground from bones and grain in equal measure, is eaten with the meat along with small berries ground into the meat.

The House’s dining hall is located above the Nursery (kids sleeping room) and it is filled with long tables surrounding a centralised cooking station. The Vendari eat with friends and the kids sometimes eat with their mentors, although they often eat with each other instead.

The Vendari have domesticated Kavish, an animal similar to a bighorn sheep crossed with a wolf. Kavish also generates lighting magic and has coppery horns. Vendari treat Kavish similar to how we treat horses, they are ridden to and from most places, but unlike horses they are also sheared about once a month. The clippings from the kavish and woven into clothes and other household objects. Certain jobs that many members from the same house partake in (ex. Mining, farming, logging, etc.) will instead take wagons pulled by multiple Kavish to save on resource costs. The wagons are made from a hard wood and can usually fit 6-8 Vendari and associated cargo. The wagons for specialised jobs, like mining and logging are designed differently, with room to load logs/ore into the wagon bed while the Vendari walk. The Vendari who live close enough to the House building just walk to their jobs without taking a Kavish.

Vendari House buildings are built around a central tower like structure which is only obvious when looking at the floor plan. This central “tower” contains the Nursery, Cafeteria, the Aviary, and the House’s Keep. around this central “tower” the adult sleeping rooms as well as the crafting rooms, workshops, and storehouses spiral outwards. The raised paths radiating outwards make the House look like the centre of a wagon wheel or similarly spoked object. The paths stretch about 400ft from the house before they merge with the ground. The paths also connect to other paths and buildings in the area. At the junctions between paths, small bell towers are constructed and they ring out the time of the day as well as warning systems in case of attack. Where each stone path leads into a House building a drawbridge can be raised up to cut of access, at this point all the Houses would be on high alert and would rain arrow fire and potentially magic onto the attackers. The houses have defensive structures built into the outside, and small arrow-slit-like windows provide cover for the defenders.

The Vendari leaders have realised the value of Kavish as an export and for further use in the interior. The Houses gathered in a moot to discuss the construction of the third ever fully communal building with no House influence. After much debating and House Dimitri leaving the agreement the Stables were built. The Stables are constructed in one of the Path Yards(the areas enclosed by the raised walkways) and each House, except Dimitri, has supplied workers and Kavish mating pairs. Experiments with Kavish wool to further enhance its lightning properties have been met with frustration and hardship. The wool, while potent, is very hard to use as a source of lighting magic.

Kavish

Kavish look like a bighorn sheep crossed with a wolf, their shoulders are about 3ft high and their horns are made from an organic copper. They have slight affinity for lighting magic, with their horns acting as conductors storing the charge in their fur. In the wild Kavish prefer to stay in high altitudes, and are skittish of creatures larger than them. The Vendari have started domesticating them as mounts and a source of wool, although sadly their meat has a bitter coppery taste and is quite difficult to cook.

## Current Events

#### Week 1.

Vendari Scouts saw the people of Wor on their horizons, they gazed in awe at the new buildings, new people. Vedro saw this nation and decided his would become even grander, more powerful, smarter. He tasked House Dimitri, who had neglected their duties when it came to the Stables. House Dimitri took with them mighty builders and their strongest warriors to settle this new land.

#### Week 2.

Vendari landscapers have found new species of flora and underground springs in a neighbouring province. Vedro tasked them with collecting samples and setting up an outpost in the new province. The scientists were ecstatic and formed their own House, know as House Umibaro, they quickly brought their families and resources over into the new province building a burgeoning city along the coast. With the expansion happening at the direction of two Houses exclusively, the Houses who were left out of the expansion decide to build another city to further cement their wealth. This new city is made mainly to cater to the rich and wealthy and is an opulent and luxurious metropolitan.

#### Week 3.

The Houses left behind from the expansion have decided to work together, forming 5 Great Houses all under Vedro’s control. They founded a new city along the coast, meant to be a trading hub for the Vendari’s new provinces. In the Capital they then built a huge warehouse to store arms and goods in case of siege. They also built a town hall for Vedro to rule from.

#### Week 4.

The Great Houses decide defence from foregin threats (and the expanding Houses) would be a smart idea, and as such they begin construction of a great wall. House Dimitri upon receiving reports about the growth in the capital and the new mindset of the so called “Great Houses” has decided he will bring glory to the Vendari and redeem himself in Vedro’s eyes. He sends a scouting expedition into new lands to claim in for the Vendari Empire. Dimitri also begins construction of a new city, with a Town Hall full of stained glass windows and statues of Thyrn, Vedro, and himself.

###### A Day of Celebration.

The Vendari were approached by the Skavers bearing gifts. Vedro declared a national holiday commemorating the meeting of the two peoples. The Great Houses celebrated the new stories and food the Skavers bring. Eager to prove his worth Dimitri decided to send a return envoy bearing gifts and travelling string dancers. House Dimitri sent some of its finest cuisine, gently roasted Kavish and braided strips of meat with ground berries. They also brought traditional Ekebe Cloaks, hooded garments made from lightweight material that consists of ribbonlike strips of colourful cloth and silk sewn together and at the shoulders and chests.

#### **Week 5.**

With the meeting of Skaver guests, House Dimitri and the Great Houses started a one-upping competition. House Dimitri builds a Warehouse and Founds a new city. The Great Houses respond by building yet another city, built on the central cross roads between the provinces. House Umibaro, not one to be left out of the construction projects, founds a city on a mountaintop to observe the skies and stars, they also construct a magnificent town hall.