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.

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-= Durnathi =
+{{Races Infobox
+|Name=Duranthi
+|Civilized=Yes
+|Image=[[File:Duranthi Merchant.jpg|center|frameless]]
+|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]]
+|Inhabitants Name=Duranthi
+|Realm=Terasil
+}}
+{{Races Sections
+|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).
-The '''Durnathi''' are ancient, sentient beings composed of living stone. Once widespread across all of [[Orethil]], the Durnathi are now primarily found in the mountainous region of [[Terasil]], though rare individuals or reclusive enclaves may still exist in other hidden parts of the world.
+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.
+[[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.
+|Culture and Society=<noautolinks>{{See also|Culture and Society of the Duranthi}}</noautolinks>
+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.
+|Literature=[[Orasian]] literature is preserved through engraved tablets and oral resonance. Texts focus on memory, cycles, and the shaping of consciousness.
-== Origins and Nature ==
+{{Quote
-The Durnathi are believed to be among the oldest beings to walk the surface of Orethil. Formed in the deep memory of the world itself, they are not born but awakened—emerging slowly from the stone over centuries, shaped by time, magic, and silence.
+|text=Daathir’s consciousness gathers in the silent depths.<br/>
+[[Oras]] awakens, formed of stone.<br/>
+Terasil stands, shaped by steady breath.<br/>
+No ornament disturbs its structure, no flourishes distract.<br/>
+Here, earth and will exist as one, bound in literal creation.
+|author=Unknown Duranthi
+}}
-Each Durnathi is unique in form, with features resembling carved statues or naturally worn formations. Their bodies are made of mineral, crystal, and stone, yet they move with a ponderous grace and possess immense physical strength.
+Notable works include:
+* The Songs of Stone – Poetic descriptions of shifting landscapes.
+* The Endless Echo – A meditation on geological time.
+* The First Fracture – Historical narrative of the [[Erosion Wars]].
+|Music=[[File:Terassil.ogg|thumb|Orasian Music]]
+Music emphasizes resonance and percussion:
+* Resonant Drums – Large stone drums.
+* Chime Pillars – Monolithic tone-generating stones.
+* Echo Flutes – Wind instruments resonating in caverns.
+|Dance=Orasian dance is grounded and slow, embodying geological forces. It often reenacts land formation, erosion, or the flow of mineral memory.
+|Art=[[File:Orasian - Art 03.jpg|thumb|An Orasian relief sculpture.]]
+All art is stone-based and often functional.
-== Culture and Thought ==
+* Living Carvings – Dynamic sculptures designed to evolve over centuries.
-Durnathi culture is centered on patience, memory, and balance. They see time not in days or years, but in ages. Their language is slow and resonant, often sung or vibrated through stone. It is said that when two Durnathi speak, the conversation can last for hours—or days.
+* Monolithic Murals – Wall-carved memory records.
+* Sacred Obelisks – Landmarks resonating with ancestral energy.
+|Education=Instruction occurs communally through oral tradition, echo transmission, and engraved teachings. Elders serve as guides, and learning is tied to experience and ritual.
+|Traditional Medicine=Healing practices are mineral-based:
+* Stone Reabsorption – Drawing minerals into the body for structural repair.
+* Geomantic Restoration – Resonant meditation to restore cohesion.
+|Cuisine=Orasians do not eat; they absorb nutrients and energy from mineral substrates through direct contact.
+|Clothing=No textiles are worn. Instead, Orasians etch personal markings and embed ornamental stones to denote clan, caste, or spiritual alignment.
+|Livelihood=Core professions include:
+* Shapers – Architects and builders.
+* Keepers – Historians and mystics.
+* Guardians – Defenders and spiritual sentinels.
+* Geomancers – Diviners who read the vibrations of the land.
+|Names=Names are descriptive and earned over time, often referencing formation or endurance.
-They record history not in books but in [[veins]] of crystal, shifting strata, and fault lines beneath the mountains. To the Durnathi, knowledge is a geologic force.
+Examples:
+* Tahr-Thak – “Stone that withstands the tide.”
+* Jek-Lak – “Echo of the mountain.”
+* Meh-Thak – “Stone formed under pressure.”
+|Origins and Nature=Orasians are expressions of the earth’s latent awareness. Their formation occurred over geologic time, shaped by resonance and mineral density.
-== Decline and Survival ==
+=== Formation of the Orasians ===
-The decline of the Durnathi presence across Orethil is attributed to ancient upheavals—wars, shifts in magical ley lines, or perhaps simply the slow erosion of their kind. Whether they are dying out or choosing retreat is unknown, for the Durnathi speak rarely of such things.
+Originally massive and formless, early Orasians have since refined into diverse, structured forms. Size and shape vary based on geological context and age.
+|Abilities and [[Osia]]=* Earth Manipulation – Limited terrain shaping and construction.
-Today, they remain mostly in [[Terasil]], where they are regarded with reverence, fear, or awe by other peoples. Some are guardians of ancient places; others slumber beneath mountains, dreaming in stillness.
+* Stone Communion – Sensing historical and spiritual memory embedded in stone.
+* Regeneration – Absorption of minerals to repair structural wear.
-== Powers and Abilities ==
+}}
-* **Stoneform:** Their bodies are resistant to damage and immune to many mortal ailments.
+[[category:Terasil]]
-* **Geomancy:** Some Durnathi can manipulate earth and stone, especially in areas aligned with deep magic.
-* **Stone Memory:** They can recall events and vibrations stored in rock over millennia.
-* **Longevity:** They live for ages, though their perception of life and death differs greatly from other races.
-== In Other Regions ==
-Though concentrated in Terasil, there are whispered accounts of lone Durnathi wanderers in the [[Ash