Rivtenya

The rivtenya are a relatively new people in Auldenon’s history. Risen from the elemental rifts and sealed away from their home planes due to dire choices made long ago, many rivtenya feel torn between mortal societies and the freedom of roving nature. Rivtenya are broadly known for their undiluted elemental presence and are creditted for bringing about the practice of Druidry as they settled into Auldenon. Today, many still maintain the elusive circles while others concern themselves with what is left of the elemental rifts, and others still roam to find their place on the continent.

## Description

No two **rivtenya** are alike. Very rarely could one pass for humans or elves without a second look, while most bear an elemental appearance that is simply impossible to hide. Their heritage is often evident in their monochromatic skin, hair, and eyes, which characterize the element to which their ancestry is linked. Rivtenya manifest their lineage in various ways: water-born skin, flames for hair, shadows for eyes, gems for antlers. The scope of these elemental influences varies widely from person to person as each element is incredibly diverse in its own way yet unmistakable to recognize once manifested. However, the single inherent trait shared by every rivtenya is the eithuszar. These markings are strange lines of energy that glow with the intrinsic power a rivtenya is wielding and are entirely unique to an individual; no patterns are identical.

Their physiology is generally summarized with larger set eyes, shorter frames than the average human, unique bioluminescent eithuszar patterns, and varied otherworldly physical phenomena.

## Sub-types

There are five known sub-types of rivtenya on the continent. The elements of their origins aren't rigid in their designs; nature flows from one state to the next; thus, the boundaries between each are permeable; a single rivtenya may possibly bear features from more than a single sub-type. However, the easiest way for a rivtenya to seek out their heritage and history is to follow the elemental lines etched into their skin.

**CETONEI**; the nereid-like rivtenya shaped from water bear skin of blue, teal, sea-foam, green or coral-pink, that acts similarly to the surface of still water when met with touch. Their hair flows and floats, while their eithuszar look like light refracting through water, curving to the joints and natural bends of the individual while glowing blue, teal, silver, or pink. Some cetonei may have webbed extremities or superficial fins that reflect their heritage.

**TEMULIDES**; with appearances matching the volatile fiery lands they come from, temulides rivtenya have plumes of smoke or flame in place of hair that comes in a variety of black, red, orange, yellow, gold, and brown hues to match their skin and eye colour. Meanwhile, their eithuszar spread across them in bold uncontrolled patterns that resemble winds on fire or embers glowing gold, red, yellow, orange, or silver. Temulides rivtenya have retained a sylphlike emotional will which allows them to manipulate the immediate air and gases around them like a visual aura.

**DIANTHYADS**; distinctly bearing hues of the gems and greenery of the earth, dianthyads originate from a plane where they naturally bloom flowers and vines from their bodies. While some appear like bark and verdancy, others appear cut from gems and stones. Some dianthyad rivtenya will grow spikes of jewels in the shape of antlers or natural armour around the naturally soft edges of their humanoid bodies. Their eithuszar lines appear geometrically intricate and perfectly squared while glowing many shades of green, pink, and silver.

**OBSCURIAE**; born from elemental darkness, the obscuriae's skin and hair come in many shades of cosmic purple, white, grey, and black. Deepened shadows trailing from their bodies seem like wisps of the void that naturally obscure their silhouette, while their eithuszar pulse with a glow of violet, silver, or gold and take on segmented spiral-like ornamentation. They're the only of their kind to have their eithuszar reach their eyes and seemingly merge with them in a haunting blindfold.

**LUCERNE**; come from a tempestuous plane of blinding chaos. Their almost translucent skin comes in all shades of white, black, gold, and silver, while their eyes gleam with plasmic sparks of static in place of pupils and scleras. Lucerne eithuszar often manifests first up the forearms and then spreads across the body with harmless crackling lightning strikes against the skin, glowing yellow, silver, or gold lines. Some lucerne are accompanied by floating lights or orbs that offer a dim light.

## Personality

It's believed that a rivtenya's disposition is informed by their element; Cetonei are known to be intuitive, sensitive, and distrusting, Temulides are reputably charming, bold, and quick-tempered, while Dianthyads are grounded, practical, and stubborn. The Obscuriae and Lucerne are the rarest to find on Auldenon today; both are historically known for their idealism, wits, and diplomacy.

As a whole, rivtenya are notably free-spirited, often called to long journeys and adventures while confidently trail-blazing paths and following wherever the wind takes them next. In general, they're highly sociable, affable, and optimistic, with an innate reverence towards the elements over gods and institutions. This particular stance and loyalty to nature has outcast the rivtenya from many places in society beyond Sumarfold and has led to small fringe settlements of rivtenya in sometimes abandoned or uninhabited territories. When rivtenya communities are formed, they're particularly hospitable, wise, and diplomatic.

## Abilities

Begetters of Druidry, the rivtenya are exceptionally adept at controlling, channelling, and manipulating the natural elements while being incredibly resistant to any damage or injury they could receive from the very same energies. Once per day, a rivtenya can transform themselves into a full manifestation of their choice. I.e. an Obscuriae may turn into a swift shadow for a quick getaway, or a dianthyad may blossom into a tree for camouflage, etc. In addition, all rivtenya can magically conjure or manipulate nature in a 15 ft cube that extends from them.

Rivtenya sleep for four hours a day and once a year must maintain a dormant state for 30 consecutive days to fulfill healthy and proper rest cycles, comparable to hibernation. Further, the usual healing arts used on inhabitants of the material plane are generally weaker and take longer to be effective in healing rivtenya. Their healing process and elemental makeup are much less likely to respond to something as drastic as divine healing or as minute as sutures; however, their naturally high constitution helps balance out survivability on Auldenon.

## Society

The rivtenya are highly sociable, with robust but small communities that hold close the values of freedom, nature, and harmony. Their inherent affinity to nature often threatens the faiths and hierarchies solidified by the ubiquitous societies of Auldenon, leaving them to their scattered communities along the continent's western coast or in large cities with dense populations of other rivtenya.

Today, there are rising vexations amongst the Foldian rivtenya derived from a belief that the Foldian elves have forgotten their duties as fellow rift-keepers. As the augurs of druidry, the rivtenya are perhaps the only people who fully understand the scale of calamity should the last vestiges of their ancestral crossing suddenly fade.

With time on the continent differing from their planes of origin and the connections to those planes seemingly faltering, their populations have seen distinct declines in the past two hundred years, leaving the druid circles concealed and proper conservancy of the rifts in question.

### Naming Conventions

#### The Osculate Rite

The Osculate Rite is now a rarity but nonetheless holds major significance to Auldenon's elemental peoples. The ceremony has four acts: a naming place, an elemental salutation, a name, and a joyous celebration.

**The Naming Place** - is not singular. It’s a simple moniker used to exemplify a connection of places where the Rivtenya may earn their names; for most, it is a place close to home where their name day originates and is celebrated for many years to come.

**Elemental Salutations** - start a week before the rite; friends and family of the child bring handmade pots (usually kantharos, amphoras, oinochoe or lekythos) to each court and fill them under the elemental pools of Sumarfold, capturing mere glowing fragments of the energies runoff from the rifts. Once the day arrives, the child can open those jars to release the specks of life back into the world, symbolizing sowing new beginnings and replacing what’s been reaped in the cycle. At this point, a ceremonial first lighting of the eithuszar lines takes place. First is only in name and ritual, as a child’s eithuszar may naturally illuminate from the time they are born, and it’s only due to the proximity of the elemental fragments that the Rivtenya’s eithuszar will respond with a soft glow at that moment.

**The Osculate Name** - is chosen via touch. The action establishes the ceremony (osculate meaning kiss, or the shared touch of curving surfaces); it is the gentle intertwining of nature recognizing itself in another. In its simplicity, it is the happy moment of seeing new life act with agency and interest in the world around them and feeling aligned with nature. In many articles and recollections of prominent Osculate Rites, phrasing on the idea of the name is often blase and misrepresented as “the first thing” a child touches, which erases the nuance of the long event. In reality, the rest of the celebration comes along and lingers into the evening. To close out the night, the Rivtenya’s parents will announce their belief of True Touch from observing their child throughout the name day. For example, a family holds their Ceremony in a large meadow, and after many hours the guardians note the child’s natural wonder for the patch of snowdrops. At the end of the night, they would likely announce their child has earned the interest of Galanthus, the genus name of the plant.

**The Celebration** - where the Rivtenya celebrate the joyous occasion long into the evening; feasting, music, dancing, singing, games, drinks, and sweet treats are all part of the package. A Rivtenya will then celebrate their name day every complete season cycle from the day of their first nameday, often building up their traditions around the party aspect of the ceremony.

#### The Presage Name

A second name; chosen not given. There's beauty in this aspect of the Rivtenya. Their malleable nature has never bent to the confinement of societal conventions or singularities; a name to them is a shifting framework and representation of themselves and their lives. The Osculate Rite is a landmark to Rivtenya, but it's only the first of many names they may earn in their lifetime; the second comes alongside the preliminary journey of independence from home. As natural explorers, this step signifies newfound freedom derived from inner independence and thus deserves an honour. The second name is determined by the Rivtenya who embarks on this journey, as they get to decide who they are going forward. Many select appellations from the heritage of their non-Rivtenyan parent; some keep with elemental influences; others choose solely on personal preference.

By this time, most Rivtenya will keep their First Touch name as a middle name or surname after further deciding who they are - often to maintain a connection with who they were, where they're from, or a reminder of their life's accomplishments. For example, Galanthus has grown into a young adult and, intrigued by a business challenge beyond his nation's borders, decides to embark on seeking his victory. Perhaps he chooses Edris, a human name from his mother's side, meaning wealthy ruler, full of energy. Or, possibly combining both heritages, he chooses Oro, meaning golden. Say he chooses both; his name going forward would be Edrice Oro-Galanthus.