= by Joshua Corning =
	
	'''Althainions - Human Desc'''
	
	'1' Introduction
	'2' Appearance
	'3' History
	'4' Culture
	  '4.1' Food & Trade
	  '4.2' Philosophy and Temperament
	  '4.3' Military
	  '4.4' Law and Order
	  '4.5' Woodsmen and Druids
	'5' Religion
	'6' Language
	'7' Althainon
	'8' Role-playing
	
	== '1' Introduction ==
	
	Althainions are foolhardy, reckless, talented and hardworking. They are constantly on the move either running to plant crops on the fertile plains of central Althainon in the Sedise (spring and summer) or running from the harsh weather and onslaught of orc hoards that comes in Antrok (fall and winter). They are similar in ancestry to the Areons of the north. They have dark straight hair, although red hair does show up especially among those living in the Forest of Abhorrence and across the river from Brearon, and black, brown or hazel eyes. Their skin is very dark, almost black in color and their features sharp with high cheeks, sharp noses, and defined jaw and chin.
	
	Althainions are ruled by the changing seasons of Althainon. During the Sedise (Summer and Spring) they grow enormous quantities of crops on the rich soil of the plains from the banks of the Black Tear River to Castle Theamar. Then when the wind changes and black ash clouds set in they pack up and flee to winter on the shores of the Lamarhen lakes and within the well fortified city of Sadok. At which time they hold extravagant feasts and engage in a mortal game of cat and mouse with the invading orcs that pour into Althainon with the Black storms of Antrok.
	
	== '2' Appearance ==
	
	They are similar in ancestry to the Areons of the north. They have dark straight hair, although red hair does show up especially among those living in the Forest of Abhorrence and across the river from Brearon, and black, brown or hazel eyes. Their skin is very dark, almost black in color and their features sharp with high cheeks, sharp noses, and defined jaw and chin.
	
	Althainions generally appear unkempt with grubby faces, tangled hair and dusty wreaked cloths. In the Antrok season (winter and fall) they do clean them selves up a bit, bathing mostly and lame attempts at keeping there cloths and hair tidy. Their tastes in clothing are utilitarian in look and fashion. Both men and women wear thick pants heavy shoes and plain long sleeve shirts or ponchos<--(there has to be a better name for this). At festivals, though, women have been known to wear dresses but these are usually reserved for the young and unwed. Their physique is gangly and awkward having lean well muscled arms and large strong calloused hands from plowing and harvesting.  They are also always with bow and arrows. Items that never leave their sight.
	
	== '3' History ==
	
	The Althainon people arrived to there now home land some 400 years ago. They are closely related to the people of Areon and in fact slowly migrated from that land as they addapted to Althainon's harsh conditions.  Most of how they live has remained unchanged since they migrated here exept for some refinements to the harsh enviornment they call home.
	
	War have played an important part in shaping Althainion history. They have been at constant war with the orcs of Tragothar; the most recent large scale war occured about 100 years ago when a great leader unified the Orc tribes and set off to conqure all of western Eldiron. Through an ueasy aliance with Nin'calaris, Thasia and the peoples of Areon they where able to push back the Orcs. Many cultural prescidents where set from this war. The most striking were the incorperation of women apon the battle feild, the habitation of the Abhorance Forest by Althainions, heavier fortification of Sadok and the Floating Islands, and continued year long occupation of Castle Theamar along with a more binding political military agreements with the Areon people. In the past there has also been conflicts with the people of Nin'calaris. Mostly border disputes and scremishes with Nin'calaris malitia who travel into Althainon in pusute of Orc who yearly raid portions of Nin'calaris.
	
	== '4' Culture ==
	
	Althainion culture is shaped by the land they live upon. They are wild like the seasons that wreck the land and rebirth it again each year. They live to the fullest be it in work or play and have a tentative respect for nature and weather that is similar to how a seaman views the Ocean.
	
	Common life of Althainions is a wild binge and purge of activities between hard work and leisure.  In the Sedise season (spring and summer) they rush madly to the Althainon central plains to sow their crops. At this time they work hard often 18 to 20 hours a day. Then in late Sadise they harvest what is left pack up and leave often with enough food to last three years. They haul it on rafts, put it on mules and stack full the graneries atop the Floating Islands. Most spend the Antrok months in the walled city of Sadok but others winter on the coast, in the Lamarhen islands, in the Forest of Abhorrence and atop the Floating Islands. Then the feasts and festivals begin. Althainions are renouned for finding reasons to celebrate. They have parties, post-harvest fests, pre-planting fests, weddings, Orc raiding calebrations both befor and after, coming of age parties for young men and women even for funnerals. They drink eat and spend the large sums of wealth which they accumulate from trading their crops.
	
	Althainions are plaged by war brought by the orc who invade Althainon year round. Though this is more prominent during the Antrok season, which the Althainions avoid by migrating, it remains a constant threat. A threat that has forged the Althainons into some of the best archers in all of Majik.  It is said that any Althainion child of twelve can shoot the wings off a butterfly 300 meters away. They teach the leasons of war to their children at a young age and regard it as an unpleasent necesity for survival. These wars have faustered a deep hatred of orcs and few things please an Althainion more then to watch the death throes of an arrow filled orc.
	
	=== '4.1' Food and Trade-Culture ===
	
	The abundance of food produced during the Sedise (spring and summer) season make Althainions some of the most well fed humans in all of Majik. Huge stores of grain and fruit preserves are kept by them for the Antrok season. Enough to feed them even in years when Antrok season does not end. With the great aboundace of food they make a good sums of money through trade. Most trading in Althainon accures at Baor durring the Sedise season.  Hundreds of ships, caravans, craftsmen and merchents converge there to buy Althainion grown crops and to sell goods to Athainions. The crops are usually sold for cheap because of the sheer quantity produced but goods sales are fair the Nin'calaris usually kept honest by the competition of tradesmen and craftsmen from Adremas and the Lamarhen lake Islands.  Little trade accures in the city of Sadok. There is some exchange of luxuary good for festivals and the purchase of fish livestock and woolen goods but generaly not as as much for another city of its size. The city of Jaspin has fishing and trade to support itself. The Althainion Woodsmen from the Forest of Abhorrence produce bows and arrows, the bow strings made from the guts of orcs, plow and ax handles and other crafts which they sell at Baor along with fire wood.
	
	=== '4.2' Philosophy and Temperment-Culture ===
	
	Althainions are simple, strait froward, loyal and honest. They act how they feel and think. If they are angry they show it, if happy they dance. Deceit is none existant among them. A common saying among them is "No lying thief has ever lead a richer or happier life then any honest man I ever heard of." They have a deep respect for the land they toil upon and share that respect among thier brethren.  Community among the Althainions is a neccesity to servival. They are genouruse to one another almost to a fault; riches and possessesions are seen as next to nothing when compared to the freindship and loyalty they bestow upon each other. It is not uncommon for a family to give up half their crop earning to neibors who fall apon hard times.  As stated above Althainions show their emotions. This leads to the view that they are very hot tempered.  It is not uncommon to see Althainions screeming at the top of their lungs at one another. Although disagreements are common they never end in blood shed only in red faces and some shoveing and are resolved with an even hand and quikly forgotten. Althainions are feircly loyal. An indescretion against one Althainion is against all Althainions. Sword play in a tavern against an Althainion often leads to a quick death to any outsider.
	
	=== '4.3' Military-Culture ===
	
	Formal Oginization of arms does not exist among the Althainions. Instead more of an organic cordination accures when the time is needed.  Every Althainion knows basic statagy and war tactics along with exeptional archery skills all which is taught at an early age. It is said that a bow is placed in an Althainion childs' hands, both boys and girls, before they can walk. Althainions are the best human achers in all of Majik if not the best period.  They are accurate at a full run while fireing at targets behind them.  In Sedrok archers apon the city ramparts and along the outer towers have range targeted, with leg fired bows, as far as a kilometer out and kill orcs by the dozens each year before the orcs even see who is fireing apon them.
	
	After four hundred years of waring with the orcs the Althainions have adapted a simlpe yet effecteive stratagy.  They unload as much arrows apon an attacking group of orcs as they can then run. Althainion war tactics are based apon defence and soft retreating archers. Orcs have been known to attack Althainions a hundred stong bering down apon a group a fifth their size chasing the Althionions over kilometers of plain to only be picked off one by one before they even get within sword striking distace. The keystone to Althainion defence and survival are the Floating Islands. The inacesibility of the Islands Combined with althainions exeptional archery skills make them  verual inpenitrble to the orcs. They are used as a safe base apon which the althainions waether the most feirce orc attacks. In fact most agricultuarl work is done in cync with the moving Islands so that working Althainions on the plains can flee to them at a moments notice never more then a few kilometers away. Althainions are rarely offencive in battle prefuring to flee only holding ground at Sadok, Theamar castle, and within the Floating Islands. They have never attacked into Tragothar land but do encurage adventures to do so in the hopes that some orcs will be killed before the adevturers inevitable demise.
	
	=== '4.4' Law and Order-Culture ===
	
	Althainions lack any written set of laws and regulations. Instead they rely upon "common sense and the law of the land" as they like to call it. Luckly little enforcement and litigation is needed. Althainions are to honest to be thives or huslters and most arguements over land ond property are settled between themselves.  If an arguement is unsettleable a mutual freind will act as arbitrator who's desision is almost always adhered to. Capital offences such as murder and rape are treated quickly and brutily, death being the only sentace for such crimes.  Exucution of such punishments are done by mob, archer firing squade as the preforable method.
	
	Decisions and government are finalized by consencus or elected official. Leadership positions are filled when the time is needed scouting party and war band leaders are choosen on the spot with an inpromptue election and unquestioned. Government in the city of sadok is decided once a year by a general election but no decition is made by any single man or women without some input by fellow citezens. Althainions see themselves as freemen, and free women, and as such view servitude, usuary and slavery as abominations and are simply not allowed.
	
	
	=== '4.5' Woodsmen and Druids-Culture ===
	
	(im not sure i should use the term druid should i come up with something orinal in name?)
	
	A small population of people live in the forest of Abhorrance and are refered to as Woodsmen. They are of Althainion blood and character. The Woodsmen are the extreem of Althainion belief and temperment being highly individualistic and shun civilization. They prefer the isolation of nature and the forests.  Woodsmen live off of what the forest provides. They produce wood crafts and exeptional bows and arrows which they often sell at Baor during Sedise. Some even try their hand at farming on and off through the years. Family groups of 3 to 7 idividuals live in wood treehouse like structures that are nearly imposible to see being well camoflaged from orc maraders. Lone woodsmen living deeper in the forest are not uncommen.
	
	Druids live deep in the forest and number from seventy five to a hundred they worship Grebifor the god/goddess of nature and practice the art of healing upon the population of Althainon. Their main residence within the forest is not known even among the woodsmen. Each year a group of five or ten travel to Baor where prospective children are asesed and worthy one are allowed to join the Druids. The ages of those chossen are between 10 and 12 and only 2 to three aare taken each year. Druids can be found fairly easily within the forests for they often travel among the trees and make their presence known to the woodsmen by frequently stopping at their homes and staying for small times at commen gathering places.
	
	== '5' Religion ==
	
	Althainions are generaly privite among strangers in their worship and do not hold grand cerimonies or have temples dedicated to their god Grebifor. Their beliefs and spiritual feels do run deep but they view religion as a personal affair and are humble in their worship. Prayers are usualy done silently but can be spoken aloud at meal times, with children at their bed time or befor the celebrations that acure at Antrok. Althainions also sing spirituals about and to their god while working in their feilds. They worship almost exclusivly Grebifor god or goddess of nature. Grebifor lacks any gender because to the Althainions nature has no gender.  The druids of the Forest of Abhorrence are holders of religios knowladge for the Althainions and those seeking spiritual and religious guidence will travel to the forest for such knowledeg often spending up to a year there learning the ways of Grebifor. Althainions also pay homedge to Aerfik god of archery and defencive war though to a much lesser degree. Befor a battle or while making a bow they will sometimes say a silent prayer asking for his favor.
	
	== '6' Language ==
	
	Antrok means black and Sedise means green in Althainion. The Althainion language is nearly identical to the lanuage spoken in Areon exept for a few more dirogitory terms used by them to describe orcs.
	
	== '7' ((Althainon)) ==
	
	Althainon is a region located on the southern portion of Majik's second largest continent Eldiron. Life in Althainon is dictated by the extreme seasonal changes brought on by its vicinity to the volcanos of Tragothar. In the summer and spring months (The Sedise season) it is a lush green paradise with grassy plains flower covered hills and lush forests.  In the winter and fall (the Antrok season.) all vegetation dies, or becomes dormant and the land turns into a desolate waste of ash ruled by marauding orcs. Western Althainon borders the smoldering wastes of Tragothar. To the north it borders Areon and the Lamarhen lakes. Several islands in the lakes are considered part of Althainon. To the west is the region of Nin'calaris.  The south is bordered by the Sea of flames. In the south of Althainon is forest land with a small group of short mountains, the east is mostly ash year around. The central area are plains rolling hills and a nicely sized river that dumps into the azure lakes. Also in the central plain are the Floating Islands, 30 or so large gravity defying land masses that levitate 200 meters from the ground, circling the central plains region of Althainon in a clock like yearly migration. In the north near the coast are forests and marsh lowlands. The primary inhabitants of Althainon are the Althainion people who toil in the plains during the pleasant Sedise season (spring and summer) then flee east during the ash driven storms of Antrok (winter and fall).
	
	== '8' Role-playing ==
	
	'''NAMES''': In the words of Beregar "I demand names that has preferably have nothing to do with any real life languages. Structure of name must be suitable for their language (check words). If I, or preferably players of this race find some person using unsuitable names there will be punishment of some sort, like creation of new character. Should same person continue violating these rules and I'll see personally that he or she won't play Majik anymore."(Although I probably don't have that kind of power:) )
	
	'''BATTLE''': In hand to hand Althainions use most types of arms; swords, axes, pikes, spears, etc. All Althainions use bows and train to be the highest proficancy in its implementaion as possible. On the whole they are defencive warrriors and are exelent in the art of statigic withdrawl. Often firing their bows then retrieting back past another battery of archers and setting up to fire again.
	
	'''RELIGION''': They are deeply religious and are unbending in faith to Grebifor, but are private in their worship. They are often seen praying but such prayers are silent. They do not not like to speak of worship and religion with strangers.
	
	'''MAGIC''': Magic at this point holds no peice of althainion life. Though they have no aversion to it. It is not inconcivable for an althainion to leave Althainon in search of magic. The Druids in the Forest of Abhorrence do practice magic but it is of a religious nature and primarily used for healing and defence.
	
	'''PHILOSOPHY''': Althainions have little trouble saying what they think. They should be played brash if not a bit rude. They are quick to anger but not quick to start a fight. They are exeptionaly loyal and will fight with their lives to defend a friend. They are not eisilly allied with but when they do make freinds it is with the deepest love and loyalty. They also hate orcs and will have nothing to do with them. They usualy kill them on sight if it is within their power.
	
	-- [mailto:hook@majik3d.org hook]