Faedryn

> "They are the zenith of our kind. They are the very best of us. They have given their time, blood, love and resources to help us. I will live through any torment if it is for their betterment. They are my brothers and sisters and I will happily die for them"
>
> - Solimar Vance, Great Black Warden of the Volorel

The **Faedryn**, also known as the **Wood Elves**, and **Vacantal** or "Spring Folk" and are one of the Season Elves. The Faedryn are a free-spirited, humble people that worship one of the planet's most widespread faiths, Antamism. The Faedryn seek a deep, personal connection with nature and shy away from violence, greed and conquest in favour of a more peaceful, introspective and fulfilling life.

The Faedryn are a highly spiritual and religious faction of Elves that live on the continent of Aegura opposite to that of the High Elves on the other side of the Astral Sea. Their continent reaches into the icy north and the temperate equator and thus is a rich, biodiverse landscape.

## History

The faith itself was started by Luthia, originally a Valtavien who broke off from her kin in search of a humbler life. On her travels, she found harmony with nature and discovered her inner purpose, to spread this knowledge she had learned so she may free her kind from the strict rules of the Valtavien.

## Notable Locations

The Faedryn are located on the extremely large continent of **Aegura**, spanning multiple regions of Temperature. The continent is divided into several **Domains**, these are clear separations of nature between place to place:

* **Nyima** - Known as the ‘Twinkling meadows’, Nyima is famous for it's many temples and it's very strong spiritual presence. The environment of Nyima literally glows with life as Fae of many different kinds can be seen dancing through the sky, leaping along streams and frolicking through woodland.
* **Khandro** - Khandro is a coastal domain of the Faedryn and is the peoples’ trading capital. Khandro is a very rich and bountiful area of land and includes far more shops or merchant districts than the rest of the Faedryn.
* **Norbu** - A northern Domain of Aegura, Norbu is the military capital of the Faedryn and contains it's most warriors. Historically, the Grand Ugyen of Norbu believe it is their duty to pick up arms and defend their homeland, therefore, warriors in Wood Elf wars usually come from Norbu.
* **Tenning** - Tenning is the overall capital of the Faedryn in Aegura, it is the most highly populated area of the continent and is the personal Domain lead by the Gaea of Antamism themselves. Tenning is sprawling with magic, nature and giant temples, carefully positioned as to not trample on nature.
* **Idas** - Idas is also referred to as ‘the Cradle of nature’ because of it's abundance of wildlife, most of which have become the companions and friends of the Faedryn. These animals are proven to help ease the Faedryn and make meditation easier and as a result, many upper-class Faedryn send their children to this Domain as it's easier to achieve enlightenment for beginners in this place.
* **Sangye** - A hub of artistry, creativity and poetry, Sangye is a realm of the most creative members of the Faedryn. Those of Sangya practice their faith through artwork or music and many of their greatest art pieces (as well as those offered to the Dark Elves) are from Sangyean artists.
* **Gwyn** - Gwyn is a very scholarly Domain for the Faedryn, here is housed a great many libraries and museums to recall the achievements, literature, artwork and memoirs of many of the greatest Antamists ever to live. Natives to this domain are far better educated than those of others and have written theories on the nature of enlightenment and view Antamist philosophy in a far more analytical way.
* **Gorsun** - The northernmost Domain of the Faedryn, a far colder landscape than most, yet not snow-covered and polar. Viewed as the Faedryn’s most strong-willed believers, they have been given the Gia’s sanction to kill local animals for pelts and furs but nothing more.

## Religion

Antamism is a central feature in Wood Elf culture and is possibly the world’s largest religion. Antamism is a very wide-spread faith and has a rich, ancient history that has only expanded since its inception. Antamism views nature with religious significance and believes that nature and the planet is the source of magic. Antamism’s core principle is to attain complete union with the planet and with this comes incredible power yet intelligence, fearlessness and can find eternity in death.

### The Path

All Antamians embark on a journey known as the Path, a way of life that enables them to achieve a perfect state of mine and union with nature and become incredible magicians by the end. All those who embark on this path for the purpose of achieving power can be detected in a moment by elders of the faith and are banished immediately.

### Hierarchy

* **Gia or Gaea** - The title of religious leader is that of **Gia** or **Gaea**, these are individuals who have mastered their own souls and minds and have achieved absolute harmony with the planet. Birds encircle them, they attract wildlife and some even make flowers grow beneath their footsteps. These individuals are said to have complete mastery over themselves and be very intelligent, the title of Gia includes leadership over almost all of Aegura, which is why the title has morphed into one of politics and statesmanship as well as a general leader of faith.  Gias continue the legacy of the first Gia, she who began the philosophy: Luthia.
* **Khatru** - Khatru are the second highest rank of the faith and their number may vary, that the bare minimum there must be five, however some Gias in history have had many more in their company. Khatru are selected among the Ugyen and Grand Ugyen and are chosen by the current Gia to serve as their proxies, advisors and friends. There must be at least five Khatru, one to rule over one of the five sub-cities of the Capital.
* **Grand Ugyen** - Grand Ugyen are very high ranking members of the faith and they are both wise and mystical as well as talented leaders. Each Grand Ugyen rules a Domain and the people that live in these are known as a Sect of the faith and each is very different. Grand Ugyen rule over a Centre Temple and oftentimes have control over a temple city to some degree.
* **Ugyen**  - the ruler of a glade, keeper of Grand Temple and all temples in the glade.
* **Ayettu** -  The spiritual leader of a single Antamian temple. An Ayettu is a significant step on the road to Harmony where one is given great responsibilities, that of an entire local community to shepherd into harmony.
* **Dema** - The lowest rank of an Antamist, he who helps the Ayettu and the temple. There are often multiple Dema for every temple and perform the function of gardener or help clean the premises. This is viewed as an individual’s first official step on the road to harmony.
* **Amrat** - The people at large of Aegura who practice Antamism, these are Aeguran natives who make up the majority of the faith.
* **Urot** - Pilgrims, those of other lands who temporarily visit or migrate to Aegura. Urot are expected to don native robes or, if they purely intend to sight-see, wear according colours or at least native trinkets depending on what Domain they’re from.

## Art and Literature

The Wood Elves are a highly creative culture and take great delight in writing or art-making and because of their inherently religious nature, when Faedryn produces either of these, it contains religious themes. Due to the richness in the landscape of Aegura, the Faedryn often take great delight in painting very colourful pictures, finding joy in replicating the vibrancy of nature. As a result, Faedryn rarely produces monochrome or uncoloured work, such as sculpture or charcoal pieces.

## Sex and Sexuality

In a severe contrast to the Volorel, the Faedryn want to maximise freeness, comfort and acceptance and self-betterment; therefore, sex (both for pleasure and reproduction) is highly encouraged and accepted. Sex in Faedryn culture is often long, slow, including low lighting, massages and embracing. Homosexuality is accepted and the majority of relationships are monogamous. It is forbidden to engage in romance with a Faedryn before they have reached their coming-of-age ceremony, at this point, their psyche, mind and body are fully developed and if they are hurt in any way before this ceremony, it is considered to damage their soul and permanently affect their life.

### Beauty Standards

In Faedryn culture, three things are most described as an attractive attribute: Eye colour, naturalness and skin colour.

* **Eye colour** - In Faedryn culture, eyes are considered the gateways to the soul and one’s own spirit, as a result, light colours (including blue, yellow, green, red, purple and turquoise) suggest one is closer and more intimate with their soul.
* **Naturalness and Individuality** - Being true to one’s self is considered a paramount tenet in Antamism, therefore, not being pressured and doing only what you want to is considered extremely attractive, whether it is facial hair, personal grooming, attitudes and personality.
* **Skin Colour** - Skin colour, the darkness of one’s skin especially is a trait of great importance when it comes to one’s beauty. The darker the skin of an individual is representative of how long they have spent outside, in the sun and with nature, an iconic aspect of Antamism.