Dravken

> *"If there is one thing the Dravken learned in their history, it is how gruel the world can be and that you can only survive it, by sticking to one another."*
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> "A Study of the People of the Expanse."
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## Characteristics

### Traits

+1 Tsimgal+1 Vepatho

short and bearded

The close relatives of the Humans live between the Waals Mountains and the meridian Expanse and are the bridge between East and West, old and new. For the longest time, they lived isolated, inside their "Shelter-Cities", until they were reunited with their cousin during the Third Age.

## History

The origin of the *Dravken* lies within the Exodus from the old Meridia. Whilst some refugees left the dying land, some stoic believers of the Pantheon remained at the side of the Waals Mountain, hoping for the return of their gods. As the climate grew more hostile, the believers started to dig into the ground, to protect them from the harsh elements, as the three last Oasis-Cities closed their gates to them. Instead, they built cities of their own, the Shelter-Cities, eventually completely shutting themselves in, believing the rest of the world to be dead and uninhabitable.

In the year 3:500, the Tarmenians discovered an outpost of the *Dravken* for the first time. Quickly, a war arose between the people, resulting in the defeat of Tarmenia. But, from this, a friendship grew, as the *Dravken* rejoiced, that they were not alone in the world anymore. So, they were reunited with the surface world, leaving a bitter after-taste to some, who were told by their government, that the surface was dead. In the most northern city of Kandsmir-Oras, the people revolted against the High-King of the *Dravken*, after they were held down once before, as they demanded to explore the surface. After the horrible genocide of the citizens of Kandsmir, the last survivors settled in the plains to the east, eventually founding the first democratic nation of Frayhilden.

Today, *Dravken* can be found all around Vona and Ghalgenia, with their cities and especially the Granite Road connecting Meridia with the Southern Kingdoms.

## Appearance

*Dravken* originated from the warm and dry region of the Expanse, near the Waals Mountains. Whilst the *Dravken* of the Waals Kingdoms, further to the south, have darker skin tones, their cousins to the north, in the Frayhilden Republic, tend to have fairer skin.

In general, the *Dravken* look like Humans, only smaller and with a stronger hair growth, both body and head. Even women can grow beards, mostly at the sides of their faces, near the ears, and even the chin.

* Skin Tone: light-medium to warm-medium
* Hair Colour: dark-blonde to black
* Iris: brown, golden
* Height: 1,30m - 1,40m

*Dravken* love to stylize their beards with ornaments and bands, woven into it. Traditionally, the keep their hair long, with smaller knots especially in the south. Their cloths vary, especially in Frayhilden, were the *Dravken* live on both warm plateaus and cold mountain-sides.

## Culture

### Names/Languages

Amongst the Dravken exists only one tongue, although the Frayden prefer a dialects of the Waalish.

romanish
bulgarian
suspected influence from the Bergenfall

### Characteristics

Because of the years in isolation inside the Shelter-Cities, the *Dravken* started to control their breeding and population, to keep their blood health and not to overpopulate inside the limited space they had. This resulted into clan like families, with 100 plus members, still living in the old Shelter-Cities. Even though, the Isolation has stopped, the established traditions still hold in the Waals Kingdoms. Arrange marriages are still the norm and the identity of the families and amongst themselves is still important to them. The *Dravken* from Frayhilden on the other hand, discarded the old traditions, living more like the Humans, often even wilfully defying the ways of their southern brethren, just in spite of them.

### Nations

* Waals Kingdom
	+ Zloka Oras
	+ Vlakis Oras
	+ Ostra Oras
	+ Wrograd Oras

* Frayhilden
	+ Kandsmir Oras

### Religions

* The Divine Right
* Old Gods