The Wonders, the Mysteries... resurrected

[Wensleydale]

The DjÇ"knerelur Mànnujanuh

The DjÇ"knerelur Mànnujanuh (rough translation: Praisers/Worshippers of the One King) are the second major pro-Duer movement in the Tandhus isles. Their main aim is the reestablishment of a single, unified Duer culture and nation, ruled over by a TRUE successor of Kata'ak, which many of them do not consider to be Ishmayl Dakrathuk, who currently claims the title. There are many smaller factions, but the particularly focused ones are listed here. They are mostly relatively ineffectual, and their affairs are mostly ignored to allow the Duer underclasses to believe they have at least some independence.

DjÇ"knerzekur Darova'uh (Priests/Spiritual Advisors of the First King): This particular sect is primarily disaffected, uninitiated, or heretical Darova, the closest Duer equivalent to the priesthood. Their primary belief is that Kata'ak should be venerated over all other Ancestors, and that he will be reincarnated to lead the Duer again. They are still searching for Kata'ak's reincarnation, and have not yet found him - although they claim that he should be quite easy to find. Some also believe there should be a united Duer religion.

DjÇ"kom JÇŽniz (Flesh for the King): This faction is divided on whether Ishmayl Dakrathuk is the true King, but if questioned by authorities, would probably say 'yes'. Their primary activities, however, are in furthering the goals of the One Duer Nation, and their motto is 'DjÇ"kom JÇŽniz, DjÇ"kom Jánizn, DjÇ"kom KÅ­rutuh' (Flesh for the King, Skin for the King, Arms for the King). Some skeptics replace 'KÅ­rutuh' with 'Jān', or 'Meat', making the entire motto 'Flesh for the King, Skin for the King, Meat for the King'. Their missionaries bring the Tandhusi faith to Shaze colonies, whilst their agents work (somewhat ineffectually) to bring the overseas nations back under the King's rule.

DuerDÇŽnakur (Loins of the Duer): This particular group want to create the perfect heir. The brainchild of Neyemia Zukthur, scion of a minor house, they plan to, through use of their (nonexistent) influence, arrange marriages between the major Duer nations to create a single heir who can rule over all of them. However, as their highest-ranked member is a middling member of House Shad'his, they are unlikely to succeed any time soon. This group has very little support and the ideology is noted as 'intelligent, but unlikely'. Their influence may encourage the king to follow a similar strategy, however.

[Kindling]

I like what I've skimmed, but I lack the attention span to give everything a proper read. Are there any particular sections you'd like me to single out and have a look at?

[Wensleydale]

I don't mind. Anything you've got the time to, really. :)

[Wensleydale]

The Ijmalsema

The life of a slave in the Hariij Empire was not as harsh as one might think. Oh, one was certainly imprisoned - slaves wore little clothing in the summers, had almost no control over the larger aspects of their life, and were expected to turn up for work on time. But slaves were not totally without freedom. They may have lived in dormitories, but they did have free time - mainly because a slave could not leave their city or home town and were frequently tracked by magic. Their time off could normally be spent how they chose.

Most male slaves spent a large portion of their time at the large, crowded Ijmalsema bars. Whilst Ijmalsema (plu. Ipmalsema) were run by freemen, their clientele were primarily the lowest ranks of society - generally slaves. Since the great exodus, Ipmalsema have sprung up everywhere in the Tandhus isles.

What is an Ijmalsema?

The word 'Ijmalsema' literally means 'One that is a place that smokes'. This refers to the common habit of having incense burners, often filled with semi-hallucinogenic, relaxing herbs, placed around the inside. They are essentially a type of bar - although it is rare that alcohol is sold inside (though this practice is becoming more popular now), water and tea, among other drinks, are available from the proprietor. The Ijmalsema itself is usually an open-topped courtyard, surrounded by small rooms and with the edges covered by long canopies. The interiors are generally filled with low cushions and tables, rugs, and burners filled with relaxing and sweet-smelling herbs. One of the rooms will probably lead out onto the proprietor's house, and it is from here that he serves drinks. Family members will play drums and possibly other instruments in the background, and the women often serve and cook.

Who goes to modern Ipmalsema?

Elves, generally, as well as a few humans. They are both commonly owned by and frequented by ex-slaves, and Hariiji is the language of those who spend time inside. Daemonic speakers are frequently treated with hostility, and rare is the Sharuss speaker who will dare to use his language inside. Hariiji-speaking Duer are accepted, as are humans. Political topics are often discussed at normal volume and totally openly in Ipsalema, and they can sometimes be seen as an open forum for discussion of all kinds. For this reason, they are often a good place to start when studying public opinion or when seeking information. However, this can sometimes attract unwanted attention - Ishmayl Dakrathuk's 'secret police' recently broke into four separate Ipsalema in Mazakom and seized or executed all of the people inside, including the proprietors. This has caused intense tension to grip the Hariiji-speaking inhabitants of the city, who make up a sizable minority - leading to worries that a civil uprising might soon take place.

[Wensleydale]

Elven Discrimination

Elves are an extremely diverse people, and many of those who once were Hariij slaves now have a distinct streak of independence - much as their mythical ancestors the Panan'Elviij (rebellious elves, Eldritch Elv'Ish-us Panno), who were supposedly cast from the Sluuan isles for independence across hundreds of years. A new generation of Elv'ish-us Panno, combined with the influx of thousands of Hariij elf refugees, has resulted in an immense population of elves across the Tandhus archipelago and other formerly Duer-dominated territories. This, inevitably, has led to tensions - but how have they manifested?

Discrimination by Duer

Whilst many Duer houses at first welcomed the flow of cheap, highly-skilled workers into the archipelago, the situation was rapidly reversed as the amount of elves on offer became greater and greater and the amount of Hariij spoken monolingually in former Sharuss-only areas increased drastically. Xenophobia rapidly set in, and this manifested in attacks on Hariiji (and, indiscriminately, Eldritch and Mererven) speakers, as well as refusals to employ elves or employment at lower wages. More recently, many local houses have banned the practice of worshipping in the Hariij fashion, or the speech of Hariiji in public. Furthermore, the Djùkemn MaakzaHàrkuhur, Ishmayl Dakrathuk's spies and private militia, are known to raid both shrines of the Cult of the Dragon and centres of elven communities and arrest or murder indiscriminately. A very small amount of houses, on the other hand, have adopted Hariiji as their working tongue.

Violence by humans

Many humans, directly after their escape, were found and promptly enslaved by the remnants of the Hariij Empire. These people and their ancestors frequently associate elves with the Hariij Empire, and violent attacks or other forms of discrimination from them - although a small minority - are still noteworthy. Most violence from humans is the result of drunkeness or human touchiness about daemons and their religion.

Violence and Discrimination from other elves

Many Sluuan elves see themselves as superior to Hariij elves, and this frequently results in scraps between different groups of elves who speak different languages. Elven neighbourhoods frequently flare up into violence over haughtiness or touchiness on one side or the other. Hariij elves often consider Sluuan elves disgustingly servile, and this hardly helps disputes - one of their favourite insults, which translates almost identically into south Sluuan and central Hariiji (the two most common dialects of each language), is 'One who serves' (Elv'ish or Elviij). This, ironically, is the root of their Mererven common name, Elv (elf).

Furthermore, groups of Hariij elves who serve (or served) different masters, or in different areas, are often more protective of their masters' or home regions' honour than their own. The Razaakud area of Mazakom, for example, has a quarter given over completely to the families of those descended from the servants of Majj the third. Three years ago, forty-three armed male elves of various ages left Majj's quarter and roamed the streets, looking for two elves from the Razaakud who had called Majj a traitor to the old Empire. They found them in an Ijmalsema owned by the still-infamous Gwaziha, who refused to allow them to take his clients. The ensuing fight left Gwaziha with one eye and a permanent limp, seven of his clients dead, and thirteen Majj-men injured or fatally wounded. More importantly, it began the Nosiijya Mutiitna, the 'Night of Killers', during which the entire Razaakud area broke out in savage fighting. It took Duer intervention to end the battle, which continued into early morning - two-hundred Duer armsmen taking control of Razaakud. Razaakud remains a violent area to this day, and since the resent Ijmalsema raids, it has only become more tense.

[Hibou]

Started reading this, looks pretty good. I like the Duer and the frequency of slaves as an important resource. I can see the Duer having some very unique structures that employ effective amplification/dampening of acoustics where appropriate. Did I miss something, though? It seems for the most part that Hariij are the only race to really use necromancy.

[Nomadic]

Started reading it as well. Looks good so far. Just one question though. If the Duer have more senses then echolocation (like heat) I would think that a deafness spell would only partially blind them.

[Wensleydale]

Ahh! A sudden spate of commentary. :P

Okay, before I continue, you should know that some of this information has been updated for the Wonders Wiki. This thread is semi-defunct, but as most of the information is identical to that in the wiki, it doesn't really matter. :P

Okay. Firstly, Necromancy. Even the Hariij do not use necromancy very frequently - they just have no particular cultural disposition towards doing otherwise. Necromancy is very dangerous and considered by many to be an abuse of magic, and is therefore quite taboo - even where no laws exist to prevent it, necromancers are avoided or at the very least treated with extreme caution.

As for the Duer, yes, they do have more senses than just echolocation, and I agree with your suggestion - but Wonders  is now almost totally a fluff-based setting, and crunch isn't one of my primary concerns. Thanks for the suggestion though :)