Lyverian

Lyverians are one of the two native races of Deurlyth. Most hail from the southern islands of Deurlyth, roaming the lush forests in nomadic Kinships. Peaceful, thoughtful and widely known for their aversion to the modernization of Deurlyth, they usually live in harmony with other cultures unless threatened or attacked. It is not uncommon for individuals to leave Kinships in favor of the protection of society, though very few ever cast away their ties to their homes as a result.

## Government

While the leadership and political structure of Lyverian Kinships varies between Kinships and region, generally a Kinship is by either led by a singular elder advised by the elders of the Kinship in less arcane influenced Kinships, a single Archdruid who is generally a master of nature magic and druidism in smaller arcane Kinships, or a council of druids headed by an Archdruid in the rare case of Kinships that are significantly large. Lyverian society puts a very heavy emphasis on the value of every individual, but it is vital that everyone has their own role within society that they are able to fulfill for the better of the Kinship as a whole. Selfishness is almost always frowned upon in Lyverian culture.

## Religion

Lyverians believe that the realm was created by the Goddess, Sahria. She is often depicted as a beautiful woman with flowers throughout her long hair. It is said that Sahria created the realm in her own image and created mortals to frolic within it. It is said that when creating the Lyverian people, Sahria created them to be most in touch with the world around and them and tasked them with protecting the world she lovingly crafted.

Additionally, many Kinships will take on their own stories of creation and supporting mythology alongside worship of Sahria. These stories generally serve as anecdotes to learn from, but also provide explanations for many happenings within the natural world. As a result, minor spiritual icons have come to exist, though they generally attributed to Sahria in one way or another.

## History

The Lyverian culture in Deurlyth can be traced back for centuries, though the exact initial emergence of this vibrant culture is unknown, due to the historical legacy traditionally passed down orally throughout older Kinships of Lyverians. Many other cultures have recorded interactions with the Lyverian peoples long before the Alenthylian colonization of Deurlyth, though these occurrences were few and far between as very little Lyverian people ever leave their home continent.

The historical interaction between Lyverians and their neighbors, the Deurlen are not abrasive by any means. There have been many occurrences of disputes over lands, bodies of water and food supplies, though never resulting in severe loss of life. Mainly keeping to themselves, the Lyverian Kinships of Deurlyth find themselves retreating further into the forests of the landscape as the modernization of Deurlyth present only after the colonization of Deurlyth spreads rapidly throughout the landscape.

Over time, the Lyverians of Deurlyth have also become more isolated in both their culture and language which has produced several distinct regions. Each region is different from the others, and while these distinctions are a fairly recent occurrence due to the increasing isolation as a result of foreign settlement, they continue to grow more distinct with each passing generation.

## Quirks

### Overview

The Lyverian people are a simple, peaceful folk that live within Kinships dotting the wilds, relying on their relationship with nature in order to survive the harsh Deurlyth landscape. Widely believing in the protection of nature and the balance between human life and the natural world due to the nature of their religion, many Lyverians are known for their aversion to modern society. As the Lyverian home life permits relative peace from much of the modernized world, much of the Lyverian people exist deeply within their ancient culture. Though mainly peaceful, there are Kinships that willfully attack those that endanger the natural landscape.

### Appearance

Lyverians are a typically tall and muscular race of people, known for their sharp, dark features and beautifully woven hair. Traditionally, Lyverians tend to dye their hair with plant life native to their home forests, resulting in an array of vibrant colors. Tattoos are widely prevalent as well, with many traditional ceremonies ending in many different tattoo rituals for every occasion. A Lyverian can earn their tattoos in any way the Kinship elders see fit, be it graduating into a Druid or acting heroically during an attack on the Kinship.

### Naming Conventions

Lyverian names generally follow the following structure:

**‘Father or Mother’s Name - Birth Name - Given Name - Kinship Name’**

**Ex: Adair Yaezel Calen Earandil, aka Yaezel of the White Elk Kinship**

When interacting with non-Lyverians or speaking in an informal setting, names are commonly shortened to a ‘Given Name - Kinship Name’ structure. names are often generally common translations of actual Kinship names, as seen in the example above, however this is not always the case. Kinships that are less familiar with common are especially likely to use their native names, such as the Visarii Kinship which is native to the southern swampland region.

Some naming examples for the Lyverian's, which are similar to names found in other fantasy, can be found here: [1]

Wood Elven Names

Wood Elven Names [2]

### Language

The Lyverian language is a complex language created over the centuries, consisting of hundreds of dialects and variations each unique to their region and Kinship. While all of the lyverian languages are generally classified as “Lyverian” there is more often than not minimal compatibility between the different dialects and as a result, outside of one’s own Kinship their native language serves minimal purpose. Only in regions where Kinships have been successfully united into one larger Kinship have more prominent languages come to exist, being an intricate combination of the previous languages of the formerly separate Kinships, or more often than not simply one language that becomes the preference. As a result, this lapse of intercommunication between the different regions, and between the Lyverians and other races has resulted in a strong need for a better method and it is for this reason that common was so readily adopted and spread among the Kinships.

When common first came to Deurlyth, it was first adopted by the Deurlen and then later spread to the Lyverians by necessity, used as a facilitative language between the two cultures. Originally, the two had tried and struggled to learn each other's dialects but now with a common middle ground, learning common was far more effective and eventually became used across the vast majority of both races. For the Lyverians, common served as a means of facilitating trade, negotiations, and other forms of communication between the clans and the new coming cultures but it never was fully accepted as the primary language of the Lyverians. While nearly all Lyverians are taught to speak common, their native dialects are still recognized as the primary language and it is in those that they are first taught to read and write and for this reason, why many Lyverians cannot read or write common and such a trend continues to exist. Many of the more isolated Kinships are also rarely exposed to individuals who speak common and as a result have limited reason to learn and maintain the knowledge whatsoever.

As time marches on, the use of the broadly varying ancient language of the Lyverian people, Sarliien, has slowly started to fade out and is no longer used outside of life. Most Lyverian people speak common, but use certain phrases and words in every day life.

*Val'Daen - Greetings, well met, glad to make your acquaintance.*

*Lyuben Aldaesh - Goodbye, may your travels bring you to green pastures.*

*Valenda'lieen - From death, comes life. [Often spoken after a hunt]*

*Ryuven'Aludan - All things have a right to be here, all creatures have a right to thrive, this earth belongs to everyone.*

#### Clothing

Lyverians often dress in light clothing made of warm cloth and thick leathers, due to the naturally cold climate of Deurlyth. As a large majority of Lyverians either live or come from Kinships situated within the lush forests of Deurlyth, it is quite common to see Lyverian people with many articles of clothing well constructed with various flora seen within the Deurlyth wilds.

#### Food

The Lyverian people live on a simple diet of hardy vegetables, roots, edible plants and wild game. As many Lyverian Kinships believe in avoiding waste when killing an animal of the wild, Lyverian people tend to use all parts of hunted animals for various means, such as clothing, cleaning, hunting and mainly food. As much of the diet of the Lyverian people consists of natural cooking methods and preparation, focusing on nutrition and survival in the wilds, the Lyverian people are quite healthy.

#### Marriage

In order for two Lyverians to be wed, first the Archdruid must allow it to be so. The one wishing to propose, be it man or woman, must make an offer to their partner, which typically include rare and beautiful flowers and the pelt of a rare animal, the animal is then cooked and prepared as a meal for the two new partners, celebrating the life of the animal that played such and integral role in the ceremony.

#### Slavery

The idea of slavery itself is quite foreign to the Lyverian people, as the mainstays of Lyverian culture revolve around the respect of all life and the forced servitude of another would be an affront to that ideal entirely. Though it can be noted that the Lyverian people have encountered such acts, even within their own Kinships, many Lyverians would recall these tales as barbaric personal acts.

Historically, in 3E 1162 some Lyverian people were taken as slaves by Alenthylian noblemen and traders for use in The Valley of Mines, an event that occurred in the northern ranges of Deurlyth.

#### Folklore

Lyverians themselves believe heavily in the protection of nature, as it is the embodiment of their goddess, Sahria. Many Lyverians can recall stories from their childhood, passed through elder hands, these stories come naturally to many Lyverians and most have many different variants for each individual Kinship.

#### Animals

Stories tell similar tales of animals, large and small, being the messengers of Sahria herself. In these tales, people have been saved from unpredictably harsh storms or showed the way home when lost in the large forests in the Deurlyth wilds. It is said that Sahria is compassionate and tries to help her creations in many ways, and this is one of many.

#### Education

The ways of formal education within colonized society is a very silly idea to many Lyverians, who learn through the teachings of their elders and the Archdruid. Much of the education of the Lyverian people revolves around agriculture, animal husbandry and the ways of living within the harsh forests of Deurlyth as well as protecting the balance of their mark on the natural life in the wild.

#### Magic

Lyverians have no particular relationship with any other branch of magic other than Druidism. Druidism is a branch of nature magic that specializes in healing and repairing. Druidism is believed in the Lyverian religion to be a gift from their Goddess, Sahria. Many Lyverian practices revolve around the use of Druidism and nature magic in general. The Gift is quite celebrated in Lyverian culture, as the moment a child shows signs of having magical ability, it can be said that they may be the next Archdruid, which some Kinships go years without as some generations are born completely without it.

#### Funerals

The Lyverian people are very close with nature and have quite a rational understanding of death. Lyverians believe that once the life has gone from a member of the Kinship, their duty as a person is to reintegrate into the earth and nature itself. The Lyverian burial ceremony takes place very few days after death, generally including a ritual washing of the deceased in order to cleanse all unnatural life essence from the body in order to protect the earth.

Painting the deceased with vibrant dyes and paints that celebrate the vibrancy of their life as a whole. When many of the Kinship specific ceremonies are completed, the Kinship is tasked with locating a tree to carefully carve hollow, as not to kill the tree, to place the deceased within. This is seen as a very natural burial, and is celebrated a year after if the tree survives the transplantation.