Mistweavers

Race type: Demi-Humans

Lifespan: 150-250 years

Average height: 1.75m (both males and females)

Beginner Friendly Race: this race is common in Kiern Vale, and is considered appropriate for players who are new in Melestra.

The Mistweavers are a demi-human race of refined appearance. They are pale-skinned like the En’miri; their eyes glimmer more than human eyes, and the eye pupils appear blurred. Their eye color ranges from intense green to light grey or blue-grey. Their eyebrows are delicate, thin and long, slanting upwards; their hair color ranges from shiny black to a bright golden hue.

Mistweavers have a distinctive body odor, reminiscent of the sharp, cool air after a storm, and they frequently complain about “the terrible stench emanating from the bodies of humans and other races”. They favor elegant and sophisticated attire, in typical colors of white, azure or light silver supplemented with jewelry, mainly engraved with complex (some say too complex) shapes of flowers, and also bright embroideries that gleam from within their clothing – a sight that is considered by many as an overly adorned and heavily detailed style.

Origin and history

Mistweavers originate from Narlirdrea, the Western Continent of the known world. They consider themselves the “sole true descendants” of an ancient and extremely powerful race named Khar’ril, whose empire ruled over the entire continent over 10,000 years ago. The Mistweavers established their own kingdom, in honor of their deity Kaharleiry, the queen of light. This kingdom, often known as “The Kingdom of Radiant Light” or “The kingdom of blessed light”, was known as a living wonder, with its divine beauty, its magical gardens, grand palaces, and intricate arts and ceremonies.

On the other hand, many have disdained the Mistweaver culture as nearly grotesque in its devotion to extravagant apperances, overly long ceremonies and songs, and chivalric orders far more adept in complex council protocols and heraldry then in actual fighting. When the En’mirian legions invaded Narlirdrea, the Mistweavers army was quick to surrender, a capitulation which the Celestial Reflections repaid by maintaining the Mistweaver kingdom as a “favored vassals” who remained relatively independent; though it seemed that over the years, the Mistweavers relayed too much on the protection of the En’mirian legion, letting their armies to degrade even further behind their white-clad armors and extravagant war customs.

The Great Shattering did not devastate the Western Continent of Narlirdrea as badly as it the Central Continent of Melestra, but the Mistweavers suddenly found themselves berfit of the imperial protection on which they had grown dependent. The hammer fell few decades later, when seven human and demi-human nations from the southern parts of Narlirdrea formed an alliance, sworn to wipe out the “Kingdom of Blessed light”, which had outraged them with its arrogant, patronizing attitude, and whose wealth and magic they coveted.

In this war, the sorcerers of the Gar-Engul tribe, one of the ancient enemies of the Mistweavers, utilized a new and lethal weapon: The newly bred Engurg: hordes of mutated, grey-skinned and sadistic humanoids only superficially resembling their Gurg progenitors. After around 12 years of war, the Mistweaver kingdom was annihilated. Its armies and knight orders crumbled; its wonderous cities, temples and palaces sacked and ruined; and its magical gardens burnt. Most of the Mistweavers were either slaughters or sold into slavery. Only in few regions within the mountains of northern Narlirdrea did the Mistweavers still hold their ground, mostly because the enemy alliance broke up shortly after the fall of the Mistweavers capital.

The Mistweavers residing in the Kiern Vale at the time of the default campaign are mostly refugees who escaped the destruction, or who had later freed themselves or been freed from slavery. The once proud and adorned people of the radiant west, are now poor refugees forced to earn their bread as craftsmen, soldiers and various other forms of labor which are considered “bitter mockery of their skills and heritage”. Many find themselves exposed to condensation, or exploitation by the local humans – even those lords who offered them shelter and protection.

In the aftermath of the sacking of their light-blessed kingdom, and loss of nearly everything that seemed eternal, many Mistweavers suffered a terrible shock, not to mention doubts about any reason to keep their former faith (“where was she, oh the blessed Queen of Light, when our children were burnt alive?”)

Surviving Mistweavers traumatized by the destruction of their civilization may display absolute numbness or terrible anger and vows to continue fighting for the light until the last drop of blood, sometimes with self-blame for the corruption and laziness which doomed their homeland. Others sink into cynical mockery and denounce the worship of the light was never anything more than a worthless fraud.

Society, religion, and values

Beyond the façade of sweetened language and ostentatious displays of honor, Mistweaver society, is a strict hierarchy fixing every individual in their place, even more than their En’mirian counterparts. Although the Mistweavers abhorred slavery in all of its forms, in the “Kingdom of blessed light” every individual had a designated place and role, with a specific purpose and very precise expectations of behavior and appearance (and often, even who to marry and with whom to bear offsprings). The higher the rung in the hierarchy, the more rigid the role.

In Mistweavers society, particularly in the upper courts of the radiant light, there were dozens of different titles, describing various ranks, making it very challenging for non-Mistweavers to distinguish between them. At times, the whole place seemed like a “living fairytale”, where every detail was pre-planned, in some kind of meticulously oiled mechanism.

Some claim that the complexity of this society, in which every decision was entwined with ceremonies and intricacies, had doomed it to oblivion, and that three centuries under En’mirian protection during which which the Mistweavers “forgot how to fight their own wars" accelerated this decline.

Before the burning of their kingdom, the Mistweavers viewed themselves as noble protectors of light, exemplifying moral values and goodness; they admired beauty, some say to an extreme extent, and seemed to be obsessed with preserving and restoring the glory of the ancient Kahr’ril, through gradual ascending of their own blood and powers. The Mistweavers composed voluminous manuscripts of sophisticated myths, and their craftsmen specialized in painstaking creation of minutely detailed patterns on exquisite garments eagerly sought after in the En'mirian empire’s markets. It is believed that even the Celestial Reflections themselves wore Mistweaver produced magical robes and cloaks.

Power within Mistweaver society was divided between the priesthood of the queen of light, noble houses and knightly orders. Unlike the clear supremacy of the En’mirian priestesses, the balance of power in the Mistweavers capital was always complex and multipolar, requiring consensus to take any significant action.

Many Mistweavers “excel” in righteous and dogmatic mindset, finding it very challenging to cope with new ideas. They often react in shock and anger to any attempt to challenge their unwavering beliefs about their place and in the world and the ways to fulfil it. They are especially angered about any attempt to claim that many proofs hints that the ancient Kahr’ril were much crueler and more sinister than their memorialization in Mistweaver tradition, with many texts hinting at widespread practice of dark magic.

The Mistweavers religion worship Kaharleiry, the Queen of Divine Light and the eternal nemesis of the eternal night and all other forces of evil. Mistweaver religious texts precisely recounted, down to the last detail, the exact appearance and structure of the Goddess’s palace in the sky, which was weaved from starlight, and the sublime garden surrounding it, to which the noble souls of kings, knights and other righteous Mistweavers who kept the ways of light would go after their death, and serve as the goddess’s celestial council. There were no less then three hundred and sixty different religious ceremonies, thousands of psalms of all kinds – from the chant of the blessed fruit ceremony, also used for romantic purposes, to the grand royal chant which included hundreds of participants, used for praising the spirit of ancient heroes and seeking their blessing before going to battle. There were also thousands of blessed, sacred tools and artifacts, most of them now lost forever, taken as spoils, shattered or melted by the enemies who burnt the kingdom of blessed light to the ground.

Language

The native tongue of the Mistweavers is called Mithrit, and it very similar to High En’mirin, except for the fact that it tends to contain fewer harsh sounds and is far more melodic.

Mistweaver names

Many Mistweaver names resemble names of En’mirian nobles, except the fact that they sound softer and more melodic (for example: “R” often becomes “L”). Nonetheless, Mistweaver names are not tied to the colors of the En’mayri, and usually lacks the En’mirian high apostrophe. Instead, many Mistweaver names contain a reference or resemblance to one of the following four terms, which are considered sacred:

Silne: Silvery light or starlight.

Mithel: Bright or silvery mist, sometimes with a mystical meaning.

Tyrnil/Tirnil: Enchanted flowers or blessed beauty.

Dalthir: Sunlight or dazzling gold.

Common prefixes of Mistweaver names including one of the four sacred terms:

Males: Sil, Mith, Tir, Dal – composing names like: Silnorlor, Tiranor, Mithlorn, Dalthorel.

Females: Silni, Mithi, Tiri, Dali – composing names like: Silnirel, Silniril, Tirinil, Mithilir, Dathilir.

Other common prefixes that do not include one of the four sacred terms:

Males: El, Eln, Nal, Ral

Females: Eli, Elni, Nali, Rali.

Other names suffice with a mention of one of the terms, followed by a continuation inspired by a concept or beloved stanza from various ceremonies or songs:

Males: Sildirion, Mithnatol, Mithnator, Dalkorlen, Elanorn.

Females: Sildirin, Sildiril, Mithnitil, Mithnitir, Dalkirlin, Elinirn.

Surnames

Mistweaver surnames are derived from one of the sacred terms or a well-accepted concept or bead which can be used in first names, with the addition of an open suffix like: Ne, Re, De, or Le. Sometimes, the suffix becomes “Ni”, “Ri”, etc.

Examples: Irsilne; Tyrlirdre; Mirnilre, Kelmirni.

Noble prefixes

Mistweavers highly value titles and ceremonial prefixes which declare a highborn heritage. Almost every family, except those from the lowerst status, will own a prefix before the surname. Common noble prefixes include:

Sil (like in Sil-Mirlinre”): indicates a lineage of priests or high nobility.

Tir/Tyr (like in Tyr-Irsilne): indicates a lineage of knights or military commanders.

Mith (like in Mith-Tirlindi): indicates a lineage of master artisans, poets, or creators.

Dal (like in Dal-Kelmirne): the lowest of the noble prefixes, indicates a more modest family, who had not given up an honorable surname.

A given surname can often reflect the original occupation of a lineage, even if it was changed generations ago. Mistweavers, even if they ascended the social ladder, are frequently reluctant to break tradition and change their ancestral surname.

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