Paenia Tribe

## Etymology

The word *Paenia* comes from an ancient tablet found by Beneir Avkin which granted him the ability to speak directly with the Old Gods. The word was used to describe the start and end of the world, which would happen when "An angel falls from limbo as the glowing moon reaches it's apex."

## History

The Paenia Tribe was one of the many tribes from Shucari. It was originally founded by Beneir Avkin (Year 54), who was said to speak directly with the Old Gods (The religion the Paenia Tribe worships). Supposedly, he became able to speak to the Old Gods after finding an ancient tablet in a ruins, deep inside a untouched rainforest. The God Flower told him to amass a tribe called Paenia to prevent a calamity from arising on Shucari many years in the future. Beneir agreed, using the powers of the Old Gods to prove his might and gain followers and members of the tribe.

One of the followers, Vaera Jaxn, would later become his wife and with him start the Avkin bloodline, the bloodline which would rule the Paenia Tribe and which the Old Gods would speak directly too.

After many years of amassing followers and omens of calamity, it finally occurred. The Rising occurred, resulting in an uncountable amount of death to occur. The Paenia Tribe, having a formidable army, was dwindled down to the dozens after the event, although they ultimately won. Although the aftermath was not kind, the new undead and hostile inhumans forcing the remainders of the Paenia Tribe into hiding deep within the mountains.

After 22 years of hiding, the spread of the undead and hostile inhumans became to widespread across Shucari that even the mountains weren't safe. At this time, Beneir Avkin had fallen ill with a mysterious illness, causing him to become bedridden. When the time had come to leave the mountains, whose forests had become full of glowing eyes, he said to go without him.

**"Leave me here, for I will be mere deadweight. Let my conscience pass on, so that I may succumb to this cursed illness and join the Spruce Twin's hunt."**

The tribe obliged, leaving him in the bed as they escaped from the mountains which were quickly being infiltrated by hostile inhumans and undead. As the tribe left the mountains, the Great Hunt began. After this Beneir Avkin was never seen again, however fortunately at this time Vaera Jaxn, now known as Vaera Avkin after marriage, was pregnant.

The Paenia Tribe would later on adapt to the new hostile life of Shucari and after many generations and conflicts, enough so that it would be impossible to name them all, 2 children of of the Avkin bloodline were born. Vieran Avkin and Melre Avkin. Vieran, being the older sibling, became the ruler at 16 after both parents were slain by a sudden horde of undead outside the tribe walls.

Vieran, not wanting to have hundreds of conflicts like his parents or ancestors, decided that it was time to leave Shucari. They created ships at the shore to sail from Shucari and to a place where hopefully no undead rose from the ground every night or outsider inhumans weren't actively hostile and dangerous.

Eventually the ships were finished and the time came to leave Shucari, and so they did. However, the sea surrounding Shucari wasn't free of the grasps of hostile inhumans and undead. Wild storms raged across the sea, as if trying to keep them within Shucari. Creates of the sea, such as giant serpents and enigmatic songs from the horizon luring people off the edge of the ships at night would keep appearing, killing them off slowly.

When the tribe reached 1000 people, Vieran Avkin looked through the journals of Beneir Avkin and found a spell that would bind all 1000 souls to himself, so that if they were to die their soul would go to him instead of any afterlife. Every passing day more would die, more voices added to Vieran Avkin's mind. Empty ships were left to the sea or sunken, the bodies on ships being ungracefully dumped in the sea with any dead family members or loved ones.

Eventually, after many weeks, Vieran Avkin reached the continent of Grimur with 1000 voices in their head, including Melre Avkin. However due to the huge amount of souls within Vieran Avkin, his body could no longer keep up and fell into a coma within the north-eastern regions of Grimur. After 92 years they finally awoke in present-day Grimur, making their way to the south and creating the town of Beneir in the badlands.

## Religion

The Paenia Tribe follows the Old Gods. Religion is there, go read it. Stop reading this, nothing else is here. Shh.

## Hierarchies

### Religious Hierarchy

##### High Priest/Priestess

The High Priest is a role given to very few people. The High Priest is a role which gives the very are ability to speak directly to the god the person is a high priest of, for example the Origin Bones. There is only one high priest per god at at time. Each may also lead a church in a territory

##### Priest/Priestess

A regular priest who carries out rituals/rites in the name of one or more Old Gods.

##### Acolyte

New members who are assigned to a priest/priestess (Sometimes High Priests) while undergoing the process of becoming a priest/priestess.

### Command Hierarchy

##### Avkin Family

The leader of the Paenia Tribe is the oldest current member of the Avkin Bloodline, the first of which being Beneir. They are in completely rule of the Paenia Tribe, however if their rulership becomes tyrannical or against the Old God's will (or other reasons), then the High Priests/Priestesses and Immortal Knights may unanimously agree to replace the leader with another member of the Avkin bloodline.

Along with the Avkin Bloodline is whoever is married to the current leader of the Paenia Tribe and then any offspring or related family members.

##### Old God Council

The Paenia Council is made up of the High Priests/Priestesses and the Immortal Knights. They are second in command to the Avkin Family and, if all members unanimously agree, may select another member of the Avkin Bloodline (Within reason) to lead.