Theysmarel

**Theysmarel** (alternately Theysmars) are an intelligent mammalian species which exclusively inhabits Thewyn Forest in Avamorica - or, as the Theysmarel call it, *Thewynglas*. They are the most reclusive of the intelligent races of the world, living a primitive and highly traditional way of life deep within *Thewynglas*, rarely interacting with outsiders.

The Theysmarel are the main reason for the uncommonly well-preserved state of Thewyn Forest. Throughout the millennia, they have resisted Avamorican attempts to clear the land with extreme violence, most famously in the Wood War. Their brutal hostility towards trespassers, poachers and loggers has caused the neighbours of Thewyn Forest to give up any hope of attempting to exploit the forest's resources, and the degree of control the Imperial State has over the Theysmarel is nominal at best; Theysmarel generally do not consider themselves Imperial citizens, even if they are legally classified as such. The Theysmarel continue to violently enforce the sanctity of their forest in the modern day, and - through unknown means - have access to some firearms and ammunition with which they protect their borders.

When magic was still present in this world, the Theysmarel - or more specifically, a specific group known as the *Lūwynel* (singular *Lūwyn*) - were capable of wielding significant magical power. However, it is known that this ability was not innate to them, but was rather obtained through the blessing of a Titan they named *Ewynli Foraglas* - translated as Lady Ewynli or Forest-Lady Ewynli - who is also known as *Ewynli Ada* ("Mother Ewynli") and *Ewynli Adglas* ("Forest-Mother Ewynli"). This means that the *Lūwynel* were not mages, but technically witches.

Studying Theysmarel is made significantly more difficult by the highly reclusive nature of the race and their unwillingness to let any information about themselves be known to the *Coamarel* - meaning "Outside-folk" or "Outerfolk", referring to all those outside *Thewynglas*. Very few *Coamarel* have had the privilege of being welcomed into Theysmar communities to learn whatever they wish, and these individuals spoke little of their experiences. Most knowledge of their culture is based on conjecture from observation, and their language is only understood in broad strokes.

## Name

The name Theysmar (plural Theysmarel) is the native endonym that the race gives itself. *Mar* is typically translated as "folk", and may also mean people, nation or race; the same component is found in *coamar* (outsider, lit. "out-folk" or "other-folk"). The meaning of *theys* is unknown, but is likely to be related in some way to the name of their home - *Thewyn* - given the superficial similarity.

To their Walmórícing neighbours, they are known as *Feoraldas* (singular *Feorald*), probably a corrupted form of *Forheoraldas* ("wild-forest-men"), which was adapted by the Elvic Avamoricans to become *Feralde* (singular *Feralda*). Another, more archaic Walmórícing name is *Thenaldas* (s. *Thenald*), meaning "fox-men", which was adopted into Häpsiluukian as *Tennalat* (s. *Tennala*), which then became Epsilucian *Tenale* (s. *Tenala*). Saverians tend to use both these names interchangeably. Their official Nesarian name used to be *Feralde* or *Veralde*, taken from Avamorican, but was changed to *Thésmare* (s. *Thésmara*) in the 3rd century.

## Physical Appearance and Traits

The Theysmarel, when described briefly, can be said to resemble hominids with the ears and tails of foxes and the eyes of cats. The colour of the fur on their ears and tails universally matches the colour of their hair; this is most commonly brown or reddish-brown, but there have been infrequent observations of black, mahogany, blonde and silver. Their feline eyes are either amber or emerald-green, and their sclerae are dark brown, almost black in colour.

The facial structure of Theysmarel tends to resemble Half-Elves, being somewhere in-between Human and Elvish. The appearance of Theysmarel as being Elf-like hominids with animalistic features strongly implies some kind of relation to the Miaran - however, unlike that species, Theysmarel have hominid-like arms and legs. The Theysmarel - or some kind of ancient species which may be the ancestor of both Theysmarel and Miaran - are usually assumed to be the origin of the relatively common trope of Inecurians depicting their gods as being hominids with animal features (as is found in Elveta, the Old Belief and Haidarism, and to a limited extent in some other religions).

Male Theysmarel come in two distinct categories, known as the *Laweythel* (singular *Laweyth*) and the *Linggeythel* (singular *Linggeyth*). *Laweythel* are shorter, leaner and more gracile, and are possibly more intelligent - though this latter point is contentious. *Linggeythel* are stockier, much taller, more muscular and substantially more hairy, and additionally possess a set of ram-like horns, which neither *Laweythel* nor females have. Numbers are difficult to come by, but it is believed that approximately one in every five men is a *Linggeyth*. It may be that the *Linggeythel* are the result of a recessive allele, though the Theysmarel themselves appear to consider it as completely random, and there is no evidence of it being an inherited trait.

The *eyth* component of the names of the two types of males is assumed to mean "man" or "male", since it does not appear in any of the names for females, which are *Meliann* and *Weyliann* - however the full meaning of the names for males are unknown. As an aside, the two names for females refer to their status rather than their physical traits; *Meliann* refers to either unmarried or virgin women (it is likely that Theysmar culture considers these to be the same thing), and *Weyliann* refers to either married or widowed women.

*Linggeythel* are towering men, typically stand between eight and nine feet tall (2.44 - 2.74 metres). Both *Laweythel* and females are generally just under 6 feet tall (1.82 metres); there is no identifiable trend of either one being taller on average. Likewise, *Laweythel* and females are more similar in build than human males and females; Theysmar females and *Laweythel* are comparable in strength and muscularity, much like Elves (and Miaran, for that matter).

There is no clear information on the lifespan, pregnancy duration and menstrual cycle of the Theysmarel - however, their population indicates that they do not breed particularly quickly. The absence of any records of elderly Theysmarel may suggest that, much like Elves, they physically age very slowly after reaching maturity before their body rapidly degrades in the last 10-20 years of their life.

It is known that the *Lūwynel* - those who channelled the magical power of *Ewynli Foraglas* - had lifespans far in excess of other Theysmarel. This may be indicated by the appearance of a *Lūwyn* known to outsiders as the Leafcutter - due to the leaves he wore on his armour - who was reported several times from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. However, it remains unproven whether these sightings were actually of the same man.

## Ewynli Foraglas

*Ewynli Foraglas* was (or is) a Titan who is considered the true ruler of *Thewynglas* by the Theysmarel. They worship *Ewnyli* as a goddess, and also appear to believe in other spirits that inhabit the forest which are subservient to her, but this is the full extent of what is known for certain about Theysmar religion. How *Ewynli* perceives the Theysmarel, and whether or not she is happy being worshipped as a goddess, can only be guessed at. The only aspect of her character which is known for certain is that she is fanatically devoted to the preservation of *Thewynglas*, and she instructs her Theysmar followers to be the same way.

Theysmar tradition does not hold *Ewynli* to be their creator, though she is considered the creator of *Thewynglas* and all creatures which inhabit it. The Theysmarel do not believe themselves to be truly native to the forest, as their origin myth - or rather, what little is known of the myth - states that they were accepted by *Ewnyli* because they fought against demons to protect the forest, and were given a new home within *Thewynglas* after their old one was destroyed.

*Ewynli* is said to live in *Glasweth Sinnach*, a name that approximately translates as "the heart of the forest". Whether or not this is literally true has been a topic of debate for centuries. Many scholars have argued that rather than being her actual home, *Glasweth Sinnach* may be a place where the border between this world and the Dreadlands is especially thin, enabling *Ewynli* - who, in this theory, inhabits the Dreadlands - to communicate clearly with the Theysmarel. Whatever the case, *Glasweth Sinnach* is indeed a real place, as those seeking to become an *Alūman* (a priest) are educated there.

The location of *Glasweth Sinnach* is unknown, and it may be the case that informing outsiders of its location is punishable by death. Evidence suggests that even most Theysmarel do not know where it is, though its name suggests that it is probably somewhere in the centre of *Thewynglas*. The account of one Theysmar states that *Glasweth Sinnach* is impossible to find unless *Ewynli Foraglas* deems you worthy to find it. Some scholars have suggested that this implies *Glasweth Sinnach* is not truly within the forest at all, but rather is a place within the Dreadlands that is accessible by dimensional rifts that *Ewynli* creates for those she wants to enter.

## Society

Much of what is known about Theysmar society is ultimately conjecture; over the millennia-long history of Theysmarel interacting with outsiders, the number willing to explain any concrete details of how their society works numbers in single digits. The basics can be assumed based on observations of their material culture, but there remains signfiicant dispute over specifics, and about non-material aspects of their culture.

### Clans

Theysmarel gather together in clans dispersed throughout *Thewynglas*, each of which is led by a king, who appears to rule as an equal co-monarch with his queen. The king is always a *Laweyth*, never a *Linggeyth*, since *Linggeythel* appear to occupy a lower social status. Whether these clans are nomadic or sedentary is unclear, and may vary between clans. There is clear evidence of some clans moving to another location in the forest, though it is unknown whether this is a normal and regular practice, and it is also not known how settled clans react to migrants moving in nearby them.

The royal blood of kings and queens appears to be the only appearance of any notion of aristocracy within Theysmar society. Though this is an area where the evidence is particularly murky, comments made by those Theysmarel willing to talk to outsiders indicate that outside of the royal line, the blood of all Theysmarel is considered equal. It is therefore unknown what process the Theysmarel follow in the event that a royal line completely dies out.

Despite being divided into clans, Theysmarel have a clear conception of shared kinship and common nationhood. There are no records of war between Theysmar clans, though this may just be because of a lack of evidence; outsiders not knowing about internal Theysmar wars does not necessarily mean that they have any special commitment to maintaining peace amongst themselves. Many scholars have speculated that wars between clans are avoided by settling disputes through arbitration, looking to the higher authority of the *Alūmanel* (priests) or even *Ewynli Foraglas* herself.

### *Alūmanel*

The *Alūmanel* - that is, the priests - occupy a poorly understood position within Theysmar culture. They appear to have higher authority than the kings in some circumstances, but appear subservient to them in others. The internal hierarchy of the *Alūmanel* - or whether they have a hierarchy at all - is also poorly understood, though it is often assumed that older *Alūmanel* receive greater respect, as Theysmar culture in general tends to respect elders.

The *Alūmanel* are considered to be the key force binding the Theysmarel together and maintaining their conception of themselves as one people. If a man decides he wants to become an *Alūman* - and it is always a man, and always a *Laweyth* - then he cuts all connections to his clan and goes on a pilgrimage to *Glasweth Sinnach*, the supposed home of *Ewynli Foraglas*, and the holiest place in Theysmar belief.

Men are educated at *Glasweth Sinnach* to prepare them for their duties, though what that education entails is unknown. Once they are deemed ready, they may either stay at *Glasweth Sinnach* to worship *Ewynli*, or they may go out to the clans to perform rituals for them. There is some debate as to whether an *Alūman* becomes permanently attached to a clan once he joins them, or whether he only stays temporarily and joins another clan when his duties are finished.

### *Lūwynel*

The *Lūwynel* are those who channel the magic of *Ewynli Foraglas*. This technically makes them witches, but they are generally thought of as distinct from "normal" witches due to the unique relationship between the Theysmarel and *Ewynli*, and the general perception of them as not being malevolent - merely highly territorial. It is generally assumed that the class of *Lūwyn* can no longer exist because of the absence of magic in this world - though, as the magical revival of the Civil War showed, it is not necessarily the case that this magic has permanently gone, nor is it necessarily the case that it has gone away at all.

Both males and females could become a *Lūwyn*, and encounters with them generally indicate that the proportion of males to females amongst them was roughly equal. There is no record of a *Linggeyth* ever being a *Lūwyn*, but that does not necessarily mean such a thing was impossible; it could have been the case that they were simply rare and never seen by outsiders - or, potentially, that outsiders who saw them never lived to tell the tale.

The relation between *Lūwynel* and *Alūmanel* is poorly understood. Although many *Lūwynel* were also *Alūmanel*, one did not necessarily have to be one to be the other, and the *Lūwynel* were seemingly only a minority of the *Alūmanel*. Some scholars have suggested that *Lūwynel* who were explicitly warriors did not join the ranks of the *Alūmanel*, but it is also known that *Alūmanel* are not in any way forbidden to fight, as there are numerous records of them joining battle.

Much like the *Alūmanel*, a *Lūwyn* had to make the pilgrimage to *Glasweth Sinnach*, though the accounts of some Theysmarel indicate that this may not be strictly necessary for being blessed with the power of *Ewynli*; it may be the case that in some circumstances, the power is gained first and the pilgrimage is made afterwards. As a result of making the pilgrimage, and a consequence of their power, *Lūwynel* enjoyed great respect amongst the Theysmarel, but they do not appear to have held as high a status as *Alūmanel*. If they held any power over their kin, it was only in military matters.

### Marriage

The Theysmarel practice marriage. Much like other religions such as Elveta and Christianity, they appear to conceive of marriage as not merely a legal contract, but an actual binding of two souls together. However, it is a matter of some debate whether or not Theysmarel are strictly monogamous, and it may be the case that it differs between clans - or has changed over time. Theysmarel generally do not recognise marriages between a Theysmar and an outsider as valid; there are no records of such a thing ever occurring, and it is likely that if a Theysmar did marry an outsider they would be permanently exiled from *Thewynglas*.

The argument that Theysmarel are not monogamous hinges upon several observations of Theysmarel, both male and female, being closely intimate with multiple individuals of the opposite sex. Though sexual relations were not observed - nor, frankly, would the onlookers have wanted to observe it - other intimate behaviours were clearly seen, behaviours which are generally regarded as completely inappropriate between a married individual and someone who is not a spouse. However, as critics of the polygamy theory point out, it may very well just be the case that Theysmarel are more physically intimate with their friends than other races.

The monogamy debate inherently ties into the debate surrounding Theysmar sexuality. Accounts from the Theysmarel themselves suggest that rather than being a people who especially value chastity, they instead do not even consider premarital sex to be a possibility; Theysmarel appear to consider marriage and sex to be one and the same, and apparently do not understand the concept of either premarital sex or adultery until it is explained to them.

The mainstream theory is that the two concepts are inseparably linked in Theysmar culture; getting married entails having sex, and the act of having sex marries the two partners together. In this worldview, premarital sex is literally impossible, as is adultery; having sex with another who is not your spouse merely causes you to marry them as well. It is not clear where rape falls into this worldview, and it is not known whether Theysmarel believe that rape between their own kind is possible - however, they do believe that all instances of an outsider having sex with a Theysmar are rape (even, apparently, if the Theysmar insists it was consensual), and demand that the outsider be punished with death.

A less common theory is that Theysmarel are a race that exerts total control over their own lust, incapable of being aroused unless they want to be. Adherents of this theory argue against looking at Theysmar sexuality from the perspective of creatures who are not themelves Theysmarel; they are, after all, a completely different species. In this view, the lack of Theysmar understanding about sex outside of marriage is not because they believe sex and marriage to be one and the same, but rather because they cannot understand why someone would have sex with a person they are not married to. This would, in turn, explain why the Theysmarel may not believe that rape between their own kind is possible. This may also be an explanation for why Theysmarel feel comfortable being so physically intimate with their friends, because such behaviour holds no sexual connotations for them.

### Subsistence

Theysmarel are predominantly hunter-gatherers who subsist on the bounties of *Thewynglas*, though most clans do cultivate plants to some degree and keep animals who provide them with milk and eggs - though which plants and which animals is very unclear and likely differs between clans. They do not appear to keep sheep, goats, Trihorns or other woolly animals, because they generally do not use textiles made of wool; their textiles are instead all made either from wood fibres or flax, though they are also known to source textiles from outsiders through trade or plunder.

Theysmarel are clearly aware of what agriculture and animal husbandry are and roughly how they work, but they refrain from them out of a desire to preserve the forest; farming and rearing animals on a scale large enough to feed them would require large swathes of land to be cleared of trees, and the evidence is clear that Theysmarel only fell trees when their need for the wood inside is absolutely necessary. The Theysmarel appear to know that their insistence on a hunter-gatherer lifestyle is self-defeating and leads to very low population densities, but they prize the health of *Thewynglas* over their own prosperity.

## Warfare

The Theysmarel have a long history of violently ejecting trespassers and invaders from *Thewynglas*. Almost all of their recorded military activities have been either within or near the border of their forest; the only recorded large-scale military expedition which travelled significantly away from the forest was during the War for the World, when large numbers of them joined the coalition to defeat the Cosmovores.

Due to the environment in which they live, Theysmarel generally do not fight in formations, instead making extensive use of infiltration and ambush tactics. Historically, many commanders facing the Theysmarel assumed that they were untrained and unskilled soldiers because of their avoidance of shock tactics and reluctance to engage in pitched battles; such commanders often quickly changed their minds upon facing Theysmar warriors, if they were not killed first.

### Ranged Weapons

Theysmar warriors, both then and now, prefer to fight at range and make significant use of bows, slings and javelins; of these, the bow is the most common by far. Theysmarel have been seen wielding a variety of types of bow, from small but quick shortbows to large heavy longbows. Evidence suggests that they learnt how to craft composite recurve bows in the 1st or 2nd centuries AD, likely after contact with Asmukharians during the War for the World; these eventually took over as the dominant form of bow, since they could achieve similar power to longbows whilst being much smaller, and therefore less cumbersome in the dense foliage of *Thewynglas*.

Theysmarel have long been feared for their prolific use of poisons in their arrows, which can kill a target even on a non-lethal hit. However, it is known that Theysmarel only use poisoned arrowheads in war and for hunting the largest game; poisoning an animal necessarily means that some of the meat is lost, as the poisoned flesh must be rapidly cut away to prevent the entire carcass being spoiled. WIth smaller animals, the proportion of meat that must be discarded is considered unacceptable, so they do not use poisoned arrowheads against them.

Since the mid-17th century, Theysmarel have also made use of firearms acquired from looting or trading. Modern Theysmarel appear not to have access to automatic firearms, and the majority of their weapons are relatively antiquated bolt-action or lever-action rifles and shotguns. Several reasons have been suggested for why this may be the case, the most obvious being that older weapons - such as those produced in WW1 and WW2 - are the easiest for the Theysmarel to acquire, as both the weapons themselves and their ammunition is plentiful and cheap. It may also be the case that Theysmarel shy away from more modern firearms because of their appearance - specifically the lack of wood in their design. Though likely not a very important factor, the appearance of modern firearms - especially those considered "assault" weapons - would certainly be completely alien to Theysmar culture.

The adoption of firearms has not diminished the importance of the bow in Theysmar culture. Firearms and the ammunition needed to use them are presumably rare commodities in *Thewynglas*, and it is likely that Theysmarel consider using them for anything other than war or hunting the largest, most dangerous game is a waste of a very valuable resource. For hunting specifically, it is also possible that the Theysmarel prize the inherently more quiet and stealthy nature of a bow or javelin over the raw power a firearm can provide.

### Ironbark Wood

The Theysmarel have no mining or forging operations of any kind - the only metal they acquire is from trade or plunder. They cannot create metal blades, and so instead turn to the single most abundant resource the forest provides; wood. The wood that *Thewynglas* offers to its inhabitants is far from ordinary, though, and the wood used to create Theysmar weapons and armour remains very poorly understood.

The "military-grade" wood used in Theysmar weapons and armour has been nicknamed "ironbark" wood by those who faced it in battle, but the actual Theysmar name for this wood is not known. Where and how ironbark wood is acquired is not known, probably because the Theysmarel themselves would very much like to keep it a secret. Lumber acquired by *Coamarel* from the outskirts of *Thewynglas* did not provide ironbark wood, so it must either be the case that the trees which provide it are much deeper in the forest, or it must be the case that some supernatural process converts this wood into ironbark. Given that ironbark very much still exists despite the apparent disappearance of magic from the world, most scholars tend towards the first theory, but it is not impossible that there is a magical process involved.

As the name would suggest, ironbark wood is extremely strong compared to ordinary wood, and has properties more reminiscent of steel. Like well-crafted steel, it is very hard without being brittle, and it returns to its original position if it flexes. Ironbark wood can maintain a sharp edge, though there remains some dispute as to how sharp this edge can actually be, and how quickly the edge becomes blunted through use. When made into armour plating, it is difficult to penetrate with anything short of a firearm - and even in this case, only powerful high-calibre firearms can puncture the thicker plates used to armour the chest.

Ironbark wood, when used for weapons, is finished with an extreme level of care and technical skill; it is always very finely polished and varnished with some kind of resin that protects it from moisture, leaving it with a rich dark brown colour. Some scholars have suggested that it is actually this resin which makes normal wood into ironbark wood, either through the properties of the resin itself or by some kind of unique reaction between the wood and the resin - but given the lack of evidence, this is impossible to prove.

Ironbark armour is also well-finished, but it is known that sometimes unfinished bark is deliberately left on the outside of the armour plating. It is unknown whether this serves a purely aesthetic function or whether the bark can improve the resistance of the armour, possibly by providing padding to dissipate the energy of oncoming strikes before they hit the wooden plate beneath. The main bulk of the padding, however, is provided by textiles worn underneath the ironbark plates, chiefly woven from wood fibres or - less commonly - linen.

The construction of ironbark armour is very similar to steel plate armour, as they are both made up of articulated armour plates that cover almost all the body. However, this resemblance is coincidental, and is the result of convergent design rather than one being clearly inspired by the other. Ironbark plate armour predates steel plate armour by several centuries; plate armour first appeared in its very earliest incarnations in Saveria in the mid-2nd century AD, and would not become fully developed until the 5th-6th centuries, whereas the design of Theysmar armour has seemingly changed little since the earliest surviving written description of it in the 6th century BC.