Duranthi: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:17, 21 April 2025

Duranthi

Plural	Duranthi
Spirit Origin	Oras
Classification	Human
Homeland	Terasil
Average Height	5-6 tall tall
Average Lifespan	200-300 years
Factions	Council of Kar-Thal

Among the human populations of Orethil, the Duranthi are often regarded as a people deeply shaped by time. Strongly influenced by the Ascendant Spirit of memory, Varunel, Duranthi culture centers on history, continuity, and preservation. While often seen as a remnant of an earlier era, the Duranthi continue to play a significant role in the broader landscape of Orethil.

Origin and Nature

The Duranthi, like all human races of Orethil, trace their origins to the Trueborn humans who once inhabited the island of Awenlir, a place associated with imagination and limitless potential. For reasons not fully understood, many or all of the Trueborn departed from their ancestral homeland and dispersed across Orethil. The group that would become the Duranthi settled in Sanctuary Vale, a region located near the heart of the world and closely associated with Varunel, the Ascendant Spirit of memory and history. Over the course of approximately three thousand years, this population underwent significant transformation.

Biology and Physical Traits

Prolonged exposure to the influence of Varunel is believed to have shaped the Duranthi physiologically and cognitively. Their lifespans gradually extended, with some individuals reportedly living up to three hundred years. In addition, the Duranthi are known for their exceptional memory. Many exhibit eidetic recall, retaining detailed memories of people, places, and experiences throughout their lives.

Abilities and Osia

Like many peoples of Orethil, the Duranthi practice Osia, the spiritual art of attunement to Ascendant Spirits. While a variety of paths are followed among the Duranthi, the most prominent are those aligned with memory (Varunel) and stone (Oras).

The Path of Memory focuses on the spiritual discipline of remembrance. Practitioners can interact with nascent spirits of memory influencing people's perception of what has occurred.

The Path of Stone enables practitioners to interact with nascent earth spirits, allowing for the controlled manipulation of stone, soil, and subterranean structures.

Culture and Society

Duranthi society is structured around the principles of longevity, heritage, and continuity. Objects, institutions, and traditions are designed to endure across generations, often remaining unchanged for centuries. To outsiders, this can give the impression of cultural stagnation, as many Duranthi communities maintain practices considered antiquated elsewhere. However, among the Duranthi, this continuity is viewed not as a limitation but as a defining strength.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |Name=Duranthi
 |Civilized=Yes
-|Image=[[File:Duranthi - Female 01.jpg|center|frameless]]
+|Image=[[File:Duranthi Merchant.jpg|center|frameless]]
 |Plural=Duranthi
-|Spirit Origin=
+|Spirit Origin=Oras
-|Classification=History and Memory Born
+|Classification=Human
-|Homeland=Terasil
+|Homeland=[[Terasil]]
-|Average Height=8 tall tall
+|Average Height=5-6 tall tall
 |Average lifespan=200-300 years
-|Language=
+|Factions=[[Council of Kar-Thal]]
-|Factions=[[Council of Stone]]
 |Inhabitants Name=Duranthi
 |Realm=Terasil
 }}
 {{Races Sections
-|Introduction=Duranthi are earth born humans beings native to [[Terasil]], formed from the coalesced consciousness of earth and creativity. Their society is grounded in principles of endurance, stillness, and slow transformation, which shape all aspects of their culture and worldview.
+|Introduction=Among the human populations of [[Orethil]], the Duranthi are often regarded as a people deeply shaped by time. Strongly influenced by the [[Ascendant Spirit]] of memory, [[Varunel]], Duranthi culture centers on history, continuity, and preservation. While often seen as a remnant of an earlier era, the Duranthi continue to play a significant role in the broader landscape of Orethil.
+|Origin and Nature=The Duranthi, like all human races of Orethil, trace their origins to the [[Trueborn]] humans who once inhabited the island of [[Awenlir]], a place associated with imagination and limitless potential. For reasons not fully understood, many or all of the Trueborn departed from their ancestral homeland and dispersed across Orethil. The group that would become the Duranthi settled in [[Sanctuary Vale]], a region located near the heart of the world and closely associated with Varunel, the Ascendant Spirit of memory and history. Over the course of approximately three thousand years, this population underwent significant transformation.
+|Biology and Physical Traits=Prolonged exposure to the influence of Varunel is believed to have shaped the Duranthi physiologically and cognitively. Their lifespans gradually extended, with some individuals reportedly living up to three hundred years. In addition, the Duranthi are known for their exceptional memory. Many exhibit eidetic recall, retaining detailed memories of people, places, and experiences throughout their lives.
+|Abilities and Osia=Like many peoples of Orethil, the Duranthi practice Osia, the spiritual art of [[attunement]] to Ascendant Spirits. While a variety of paths are followed among the Duranthi, the most prominent are those aligned with '''memory''' (Varunel) and '''stone''' (Oras).
-|Biology and Physical Traits=
+The ''Path of Memory'' focuses on the spiritual discipline of remembrance. Practitioners can interact with nascent spirits of memory influencing people's perception of what has occurred.
-Duranthi are semi-mineralized human beings whose physiology reflects the influence of Oras and the spiritual memory embedded in the landscape of Terasil. They are marked by their dense, stone-like skin and long lifespans.
+[[File:Duranthi Osiari.png|thumb|Osiari of the Path of Oras]]
+The ''Path of Stone'' enables practitioners to interact with nascent earth spirits, allowing for the controlled manipulation of stone, soil, and subterranean structures.
-* Stone-Skin Gradient: Duranthi who live near the [[Citadel Mountains]]—especially around [[Kar-Thal]]—tend to develop pronounced geological features, including hardened dermal plates, mineral inclusions, and angular facial structures. Those born or raised farther from the mountains exhibit more human-like skin with subtle stone textures or colorations. This **gradient of stoniness** is culturally significant and often interpreted as a sign of spiritual proximity and ancestral legitimacy.
-* Eidetic Memory: Many Duranthi, particularly those raised near the domain of [[Oras]], exhibit near-total recall. This ability to retain precise civic and ancestral information is highly valued and contributes to societal continuity.
-* Geological Inheritance: Physical traits often correspond to local stone types—slate, basalt, quartzite—resulting in regional distinctions. While not always visible, these traits influence personal identity and social alignment.
-* Durability: All Duranthi exhibit high resistance to pressure, weather, and erosion. Their internal structures are dense, and their skeletal systems mineralized, allowing for long lifespans and gradual physical evolution.
-* Class Distinction: In traditional Duranthi society, visible stone density and refinement—such as obsidian clarity or embedded veining—are seen as signs of ancestral resonance. Though official caste divisions are discouraged, **social respect** is often unconsciously correlated to the presence of "deep stone."
-Some Duranthi, known as Ancients, have endured for centuries. Many of these individuals are small, eroded, and slow-moving, their bodies worn by time but their memories intact. They are rarely seen but are revered as spiritual and civic elders.
-[[File:Duranthi - Male 01.jpg|thumb|A Duranthi male]]
-Some Duranthi, known as Ancients, have endured for hundreds of years. These ancients are often very small due to years of erosion.  These Ancients are revered for the continuity of their consciousness and the clarity of their thought.
-.
 |Culture and Society=<noautolinks>{{See also|Culture and Society of the Duranthi}}</noautolinks>
-Duranthi live in harmony with the land, guided by ancestral memory, ritual meditation, and a caste structure aligned with the natural world.
+Duranthi society is structured around the principles of longevity, heritage, and continuity. Objects, institutions, and traditions are designed to endure across generations, often remaining unchanged for centuries. To outsiders, this can give the impression of cultural stagnation, as many Duranthi communities maintain practices considered antiquated elsewhere. However, among the Duranthi, this continuity is viewed not as a limitation but as a defining strength.
-|Spirituality and Beliefs=Duranthi spirituality centers around the belief that consciousness is inherent within the earth and that the slow transformation of stone reflects the deeper rhythms of existence. Their belief system is not based on divine command or revelation, but on memory and the enduring presence of the land itself.
+|Literature=[[Orasian]] literature is preserved through engraved tablets and oral resonance. Texts focus on memory, cycles, and the shaping of consciousness.
-The primary spiritual framework is the Stone Cycle—a philosophy that sees all existence as a continuous process of formation, erosion, collapse, and renewal. Rather than fearing dissolution, Duranthi embrace erosion as a sacred transition, a return to the greater whole.
-They revere Oras the [[primordial spirit]] of earth, who is acknowledged as the stabilizing force and source of their essence.
-Practices include:
-* Meditation – Tuning oneself to the memories of the surrounding stone to access ancestral memory or insight.
-* Communion Chambers – Cavernous spaces where Duranthi gather to harmonize with the land and one another.
-* Erosion Rituals – Ceremonies held for Duranthi entering decline, honoring their return to stillness rather than mourning loss. The remains of Duranthi are returned to the earth itself.
-Spiritual authority is mostly decentralized. Lore keepers, the caste of spiritual historians and interpreters, guide reflection and practice through ancient inscriptions rather than doctrine. Belief is expressed through structure, not enforcement—through enduring participation in the rhythms of the land.
-|Mythology and Legends=[[File:Terasil_-_Shattered_Pillar_01.jpg|thumb|Fragment of the Shattered Pillar.]]
-The Duranthi mythic tradition includes creation, conflict, and continuity.
-=== The Awakening ===
-Describes the first emergence of sentient stone spirits, predating speech and form, when consciousness coalesced in silence.
-=== The Erosion Wars ===
-Historical conflicts of the spirits of earth, caused by external elemental intrusion and internal divergence. Their legacy is etched into Terasil’s terrain.
-=== The Slumbering Ancients ===
-Legends tell of colossal Ancestral spirits of earth, dormant in hidden strata, whose awakening would signal tectonic change.
-=== The Shattered Pillar ===
-A foundational myth centers on a monolith believed to have anchored the first consciousness. Its fragments are dispersed across Terasil.
-|Bibliography=* {{BibliographyEntry|Category=history|Title=Stone Echoes: Early [[Orasian]] Rituals and Records}}
-* {{BibliographyEntry|Category=history|Title=The Measured Earth: A Geomantic [[History of Terasil]]}}
-* {{BibliographyEntry|Category=history|Title=Before Wind and Flame: A Chronology of Isolation}}
-|Literature=Orasian literature is preserved through engraved tablets and oral resonance. Texts focus on memory, cycles, and the shaping of consciousness.
 {{Quote
@@ Line 117: / Line 76: @@
 * Regeneration – Absorption of minerals to repair structural wear.
 }}
-[[category:Orasians]][[category:Terasil]]
+[[category:Terasil]]