Cenél

## Culture

### Architecture

The village of the Cenél was an ancient place. Both build and grown. The roots of trees are nurtured and coaxed into desired shapes over the course of years. When a tree is deemed sturdy and strong enough, the walls are made with stone and loam held together by the roots forming the beams. The homes are generally partially underground. Greater halls are created by weaving together trees. A copse of trees standing amid the village is often its main hall. Here chieftains, Fakir, and other representatives decide on the matters of the village.

The loss of a house-tree is an immeasurable setback for the tribe. As it takes years if not decades to regrow a tree, even with magic, so they once more could support a house underneath.

### Religion

#### Gods of Spring

**Seva** - Goddess of birth, growth, and youth. Wife to Orrai. She is most worshipped by the young couples desiring a strong baby. Her blessings are always sweet. It is believed that each child, before it is born, is in fact Seva’s child. And every time a baby is born, it cries because it had to leave her.

#### Gods of Summer

**Orrai** - God of Summer. Orrai brings warmth and the fullness of life. Orrai is the chief of the gods and married to Seva. Though according to legends, he has taken Irra as his consort on numerous occasions. Orrai represents men, strength but also healing and restoration.

**Malgog** - God of War. Twin of Orrai. Malgog represents warfare and martial prowess. Those who wield the bow, spear or axe know his name. Malgog represents glory and honor, in his legends people are warned of the trappings of violent thoughts.

#### Gods of Autumn

**Mnim** - Goddess of illness. A goddess rarely prayed to, if only to spare the infirm and the dying. Mnim is consort of Sovas. Though often shown as malevolent, certain myths speak of her as diligent as well. Whisking away those who would strain the tribe’s survival with their existence. She takes no pleasure in death or dying and is often portrayed as a weeping maiden.

**Hunim** - God of protection. Twin of Mnim, Hunim is the god of wards and protection and fallen leaves. He is seen dressed in an orange-leaved garb, with half his face shrouded in dusk.

#### Gods of Winter

**Irra** - Goddess of the Night and the Moon. The watcher against dark magic. Seen as a maiden wearing a cloak of dark and a crescent pendant. Holding a pitcher of moonlight.

**Sovas** - God of Death. Seen as the darkest god one can pray to. Sovas represents death, the end of life and whatever rests beyond. Younger brother to both Malgog and Orrai, Sovas whisks away the souls of all who fell towards his dark and cold domain.

**Ynea -** Goddess of Winter, queen of ice. Wife of Sovas, yet when winter rules she rules over him as well. Ynea’s gifts are always double-edged. The heroes in her stories often give their lives for a great cause. Buying time from the goddess before she takes them forever.

## Economy

### Agriculture

The Cenél have few fields to tend to. Most of their land is thick forest which they consider as sacred. Especially as it hides their villages well. In history they turned to foraging and hunting mostly. Hunting is still a major staple of food production. Arbor farming enjoys some popularity but rarely produced enough for the villages.

That changed with the introduction of the alchemical texts. The magic of the Cenél people is closely tied to the nature they live in. This allows to grow trees and berry bushes faster. Their yield is being actively enhanced through alchemy. Most recently, the concept of grafting was introduced with the help of the bronze tools offered by the Cenél. Creating large, hidden arbors that natural produce more fruits and berries than would previously be possible. However, the need some tending by the Fakir of the village.

### Manufacturing

There is no large scale industry present within the Cenél. They depend on artisan craftsmen. Metallurgy is not really advanced, so forges are considered a new thing.

However, the more eastern tribes have begun exploring and digging through the mountains. Finding veins of a metal called Elementite by the Topaz Text, along with some bountiful caves of basical aspect crystals.

The recent surge of alchemical knowledge is also powering the production of various potions and poisons. It’s a newer art but the potions themselves have already proven themselves to fight off diseases that usually greatly hampered the Cenél.

## Warfare

### Stryad Spells

One of the main spells utilized by the Fakir, the Stryad spell usually covers the entire bottom half of a warrior, with bark and vine crawling over their back and chest to form a second right shoulder. The digitigrade legs allow for very fast movement, while the second right arm allows them to wield heavy weaponry while still being able to hold a shield. Some Fakir have made some progress in enhancing the Stryad spell.