Monday, March 06, 2006

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Koar (Drake)

03/06/2006

The younger cultures have no end of legends regarding the deeds and powers of Koar, and the Dhe’nar know nearly all of them to be nonsense. What they do know, however, is thus: Koar is indeed the last of the Drakes upon Elanthia.

As the sole surviving Drake, Koar is more powerful than any of the other Arkati, and it falls to him to keep them all in line. Oddly enough, though he is the strongest being upon this world, he also seems the most concerned with the fate of mortals. Though he cannot control the Arkati, he does attempt to ensure that their conflicts do not crush the mortal races beneath them, and often acts as arbitrator in these conflicts.

Though not known for certain, it is strongly suspected by the Dhe’nar that it is Koar who decreed that when conflict between Arkati is unavoidable, such conflict must be resolved by those mortals who the Arkati can convince to fight on their behalf. While the Dhe’nar do not appreciate being used as pieces on a gameboard (thus their desire to Ascend and determine the “rules” themselves) they do acknowledge that this is less harmful than the Arkati themselves manifesting and fighting directly, doing untold damage to the lands and the sentients that dwell upon them.

As such, the Dhe’nar harbor a respect for Koar, both due to his immense power, and his wisdom in restraining the excesses of the Arkati. 

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Kuon (Lesser Spirit, Ascendant)

03/06/2006

Kuon is another Ascendant, once one of the mortal giantkin, now a Lesser Spirit. It was through Kuon that Imaera taught the mortals how to cultivate crops, thus bringing them the basic foundation of civilization. It is for this important knowledge, rather than for trivial nonsense such as “flowers” and “fixing injured plants” that he is known.

As regards herbal remedies, there are those who claim he convinced Imaera to imbue certain plants with the ability to heal grievous wounds, others who claim he tricked her into granting this ability, and others who believe Kuon merely discovered the properties already extant within certain plants, and was simply the first to pass this knowledge on to others. The Dhe’nar lean towards the latter explanation, but admit that nobody truly knows for certain.

As an Ascendant, Kuon is respected by the Dhe’nar for his achievement, as well as his role in empowering mortals.

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Khaarne (Lesser Spirit, Ascendant)

03/06/2006

Khaarne is another rock giant who Ascended in an unknown manner, and who the Dhe’nar care nothing about.

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Kai (Arkati)

03/06/2006

Kai is but one of the Arkati who finds joy in combat, and he indeed rather skilled in it.  The legends of other peoples are not quite accurate, though, regarding his past exploits.

Though Kai did fight alongside the drakes, he did not, in fact, slay more Ur-Daemon than his creators did, despite later claims to the contrary (this boasting being the reason Koar set an example by handily besting Kai in combat, though this fact tends to be left out by Kai’s followers in the retelling, and unknown to the younger cultures). In addition, Kai is not the only Arkati who participated in the Ur-Daemon conflict to have survived, he is merely the only Arkati who engaged in direct combat against the Ur-Daemon who survived.

Though powerful, Kai tends to be boastful, much to his discredit, and is too eager to prove himself. His rivalry with V’tull has gone on for aeons, and Kai’s greater skill only allows him to break even with V’tull’s superior might when they come into direct conflict. The Dhe’nar see very little difference between the two Arkati, noting only two particular differences.

Firstly, Kai seems more oriented towards tactics and strategy, and collective victory in battle. V’tull is more interested in individual combat prowess. Thus, an army/soldiers would have more to gain from Kai as a patron.

Also, Kai seems more likely to attempt to put a noble face on butchery, whereas V’tull hides behind no pretenses. 

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Jaston (Lesser Spirit, Ascendant)

03/06/2006

Jaston is an Ascendant. Once a mortal, he was lifted to the realm of Spirit by the intervention of the Fleshcrafter, Imaera.

After twisting and mutating the body of a fallen elf, Imaera, unable to grant true life to creatures, beseeched Lorminstra to grant her a soul to use to animate her latest experiment (the original identity of this soul remains unknown, and if Jaston remembers who he was before the Arkati decided to play with him and thrust him into a new body, he has never spoken of it).

As an Ascendant, Jaston seems rather carefree, and travels wherever whim takes him. This has led the younger cultures to associate him with winds, birds, and any manner of symbol that represents freedom.