Vantha

From Mizahar Lore

Revision as of 04:17, 18 October 2009

Vantha

The People of the Aurora Borealis
Height	4'8"- 6'0"
Weight	80-150 lbs
Lifespan	80 - 100 years
Major features	Dark skin, Black Hair, deep vividly colored eyes that change color with their moods.
Abilities	Winter Survival and Carving
Population	5,000
Most common in	Avanthal
Reputation	Carvers and Storytellers
Racial gods	Morwen, The Goddess of Winter and Rhaus God of Bards and Music, Numerous Other Gods and Goddesses
Racial bonus	+10 Carving

The Vantha, or the People of the Aurora Borealis as they call themselves, are humans that dwell in the far northern reaches of Taldera within their lovely ice city of Avanthal. Hearty, well-adapted to snow and extreme cold, these people have a rich history that stretches out well prior to the Valterrian and is rife with storytelling and carving at its foundation. Famed for their intricate carvings and masks, and the storytelling that goes with them, the Vantha have a tremendous oral history that not only explains the beginning of the world, but how the world will end as well. Also famed for their changing eye color, the Vantha claim that everything about their existence is owed to the Goddess Morwen who dwells among them for three seasons before venturing out in Winter to walk the rest of the world.

History

Morwen's Lights Always Guide Us.

It is said, in some of the favorite Hold stories and histories, that the Vantha arrived on Mizahar through the colored pathways suspended in the stars. Called Morwen's Lights, the Aurora plays heavily into Vantha spiritualism and day to day life. To a Vantha, simply looking up in the night sky of the extreme north is proof enough that the stories are real. No other place on Mizahar do Morwen's Lights or the Aurora Borealis shows itself. And these colorful ribbons of blue, green, violent, pink, yellow, and orange hum and crackle with the static energy which the Vantha believe can be channeled into a pathway to other worlds. It is this same pathway they believe they came through when the world was still very young. They settled it, and because some of the oldest living people on Mizahar in the modern age. And the proof they have that they are indeed beholden to these wondrous lights is in their eyes. For unlike other humans, the Vantha's eye color changes as their moods change, but always remaining in vivid jewel tones and deep rich color that reflects Morwen's Lights.

Biology

Physical Appearance

The Vantha are a sleek athletic people that have a smaller stature and perhaps shorter height than a lot of Mizaharian races enjoy. They range from 4'8" to 6'0" and never really get heavier than around one hundred eighty pounds. The Vantha always have dark hair, usually black, though it can go silver and finally white with age. Unusually though, their hair seems to shimmer with highlights that often reflect the color of the aurora. This trait is one of the reason they are considered 'People of the Aurora'. A man might have black hair with blue highlights, while a woman might have black hair with a subtle shimmering of green to its glossy features. Their hair can be straight or curly, though regardless it is often (especially when venturing outside in the cold) braided and wrapped with fur. The Vantha also have an unusual trait to their eyes. Unlike other humans, the Vantha enjoy vibrant hues to their eyes, which are always darker in color, which changes with their moods. Deep greens, brilliant violets, rich dark blues, subtle ruby, and even luminous gold are not uncommon colors for Vantha eyes. This feature, they claim, validates their oldest tales that the Vantha did indeed come from the stars. It is not even uncommon for their eyes to be multiple colors at once, banded or blended as their moods mix and transition.

Their skintone ranges from olive to almond, to almost a golden brown, though this can vary considerably. They almost never have extremely pale skin tones, instead tending towards richer deeper coloring. In terms of facial shapes, The Vantha tend to have smaller more rounded heads, rather than the elongated or square shaped faces. Their noses are somewhat small, sized to fit their features, while their hairlines tend to be set low on their scalp. Their eyes are not as big and wide as some humans enjoy, instead, the Vantha can be described as almost subtle or delicate in terms of their features. They have an almost ethereal quality to their beauty, that often makes one think of the twilight time, when the Borealis is strong, and night is chasing day away or vice versa.

Common Traits

Most Vantha, while not being terribly strong, are considered very hearty. This isn't so much a physical trait as it is a learned ability from having lived generation after generation in the frozen northern wastes of the Ice Reaches. But other than their heartiness, Vantha are particularly dexterous. And while they have been known to weave, they are not particularly good at metalsmithing and gageteering. Instead, they are amazing carvers, dancers, and storytellers. Their long slender fingers are particularly useful for manipulating delicate tools, and as such they are incredibly good at embroidery and leatherworking.

Psychology

We Carve Life.

Having a flare for the dramatic, a Vantha can easily take what most people would equate to a rather boring mundane day and spin it into a tale of epic proportions without ever changing any of the facts. Given enough time, they can probably produce costumes, props, and orchestrate sound effects to make the tale even more lively. Their extroverted friendly behavior comes from the season after season of being crowded together in their snowbound homes, and being forced to entertain themselves when all the work is done and night has fallen. For the most part,the Vantha are showman to the core, taking careful precaution to make every word count, have meaning, hold intent, and lure an audience into an astonishing audio experience.

Reproduction & Aging

Like most humans, the Vantha live anywhere from about eighty to a hundred years under normal conditions. Considered mature at age sixteen, girls are often married to the husband of their parents choice anytime thereafter up until age twenty. Women unmarried after age twenty are considered either Icemaidens or hopeless. Suitors often provide a bride price which can consist of a small fortune in carvings - whale bones being considered the most valuable - masks, candlesticks, tradegoods (furs, blubber, beadwork, fabric) and anything else the Vantha consider valuable. The price is paid to the parents by the male wishing to marry the girl, and is either excepted or rejected according to many factors. The parents might not accept the most lavish bride price when a girl turns sixteen, but in fact might wait a few years. Sometimes they take the girls feelings into account, and accept the bride price from the male the girl most wants to marry. The girl will then leave her Hold and join with her husbands Hold, bringing with it the stories, songs, and poems of her people. At that time, the move, a girl will change her last name to reflect her new Hold. Sisters and best friends will often plead with their parents so they go to the same Holds. Children are born shortly after the marriage, and are welcomed into both families with much joy. The Vantha really cherish their children, protect them, and often indulge the entire subraces flair for exaggeration when children get into trouble and make up wild tales as to why whatever unfortunate event happened.

The elderly among the Vantha are truly respected and protected. Their wisdom is timeless and passed out without a thought to the fact that their opinions might be considered meddling. Younger parents often consult elders on marriage arrangements for their children. In fact, after age fifty - halfway through their lives - The Vantha stop celebrating their birthdays and instead celebrate a Wisdom Day marking off the time they have been alive and giving a nod to the accumulated knowledge they have acquired.

Society

Social Structure

Animals are a favorite subject to carve.

The Vantha gather together with Avanthal as their primary settlement. However, unlike other provinces, the Ice Reaches of Taldera are fairly remote and safe, so there are quite a few smaller settlements called Holds scattered throughout the region, both up and down the coastline. There are five in all of any significant size. Each hold has its own traditions, stories, and microculture. They specialize in various things; some breeding reindeer, some are proficient whalers, and some even capable of growing food in the bowels of their Holds. Avanthal is the culture hub of these five Holds, and houses by and large a mix of all these holders. Avanthal contains the schools, training centers, and markets that are required. The Ice Palace is also located in Avanthal, which his the reported home of Queen Morwen, Goddess of Winter. She rules the Vantha fairly and justly for three seasons out of the year.

Language

The Vantha speak Vani, a musical lyrical language designed for storytelling and singing. It is said that a simple sad song written in common and translated to Vani can go from an interesting moving piece to a subtle heart wrenching ballad when sung in Vani rather than common. Vani is designed for storytelling, both epic and simple. It is said that a Vantha is the only race that can take a single syllable word and turn it into an lengthy fluid paragraph.

Names

Vantha names are varied. They have no set form or structure, but do tend to sound alike from Hold to Hold. Here are a few examples of names. Vantha rarely if ever use surnames. They do however, tend to associate themselves with their Holds. So, a Whitevine Hold resident might call themselves Kavi Whitevine.

Although not good metalsmiths, the Vantha do etch extraordinarily well.

Example Names

Family Life

Life Can Always Be Captured In Snow.

Families are close among the Vantha. Generations often live together, and it is not uncommon for individual Holds to have horribly complex family trees with everyone living within the Holds somehow connected either by blood or marriage. Vantha also welcome outsiders, so that no one visiting Avanthal is treated like a stranger. The journey north is too difficult, and under a Goddesses cool but watchful eyes, the Vantha consider themselves safe. So rather than having Inns and Taverns that people stay in, Holders often invite strangers to the city home with them to exchange news, stories, and eat heartily of their meals. Among the Vantha, their personal rooms are considered their Arvinta. Each Arvinta consists of a communal meeting or sitting room. Then there are private rooms for couples, and a common sleeping/living room for all the children. Visitors are often given a private room, where a couple will move in with the children to make extra room. Some of the larger more expansive Holds with wealthier families have spare rooms in their Arvinta, or special guest quarters when people move from place to place visiting. Holds often have common areas, craft cottages in buildings attached, and are always made of solid stone. External buildings are often made of ice and warmed from within by special braziers that conduct heat into the room but do not melt the thick ice walls. A Hold may contain upwards of multiple Arvintas and might hold upwards of a couple hundred people.

Everyday Life

While the Vantha work hard, they do not take life too seriously. Their day consists of tending their herds of reindeer, horses, and sleigh dogs. They grow food in the bowels of their Holds and in Avanthal itself, and those crops take tending on a daily basis. The Vantha, like other peoples, often use Stormgems to fuel the heat and warm glow food crops in the cold artic take to thrive and bear fruit. Women often are in charge of the crops while the men do the hunting and fishing. The Vantha are also proficient fisherman and whalers, so the males tend to arrange elaborate hunts - targeting fish, seals, walrus, and whales. The Vantha use all parts of the animals they harvest, from the fur to the very bones and all the flesh in the middle. Hunting is done early in the day on through mid afternoon. Crop tending happens throughout the day as well. In the evening, after the main meal of the day, the Vantha gather as a family unit and work their crafts together, storytell, and play a wide assortment of games they have designed to pass the long cold endless winter nights.

Even Our Eyes Reflect Morwen's Beauty.

Weapons

The Vantha are proficient hunters, fisherman, and archers. Their main way of hunting is via spear, though they use harpoons and javelins as well. They are magnificent horse archers off the backs of their famous frostmarches when hunting wild muskoxen on the ice. They use powerful intricately carved compound bows to do so. It is said too that the Vantha use Kelvics a great deal in their hunting, because there is an extremely high percentage of kelvic polar bears in Avanthal. Morwen, it is said, knows the secret to having them breed true so that her famous Icewatch have bonded mounts that make a formidable force in defending the city.

Religion

The Vantha are the children of Morwen, Goddess of Winter. They dwell in her frozen world and thrive under her frosty care. Queen Morwen, as she's known to the Vantha, has an open and welcome policy within her city. She has instilled the values in her people that make them stress the importance of family and work together as a team in order to thrive as a community. Morwen's followers are zealous in their support of their Queen. One need only to visit Avanthal to understand the lengths the cities people will to go stand up with their Queen. Avanthal is also the home of the Icewatch, a very powerful honor guard that supports the city and its denizens. The Icewatch acts as Morwen's personal guard, and are distinguished by the dire-sized polar bears the soldiers ride. Morwen has perfected the art of living in harsh climates and for all that her people suffer her frosty powers year round, they thrive in ingenious ways.

More than one of the Vantha hold a mark via Morwen. Like Myri, most Vantha's recieve a mark from Morwen when they come of age. Morwen's gnosis involves allowing a person to tolerate cold temperatures more readily than normal unmarked people.