Tenebriel

From Codex Vocrotha

Physical Description

While bearing far more than a passing resemblance to their kinsmen, the Solindriel, the Tenebriel are more lithe, and perhaps not quite as hardy. They stand from five feet to almost seven feet tall, and have white, silver, auburn or black hair colouring: for whatever reason, the tenebriel do not bear gold-haired children. Their skin color ranges from albino to extremely fair, and it is this extreme paleness that will generally identify a Tenebriel, although there are enough pale Solindriel to make this categorization tenuous. Tenebriel find it amusing, in a very cynical sense, that they are so outcast from their bretheren, and yet so easily disguised; much to the irritation of the Solindriel, many Tenebriel will pose as a Solindriel simply to live undisturbed. Like their kin, a fine, downy hair covers a Tenebriel's entire body, including the face, and vestigal gills, barely noticeable amongst their hair, cover both sides of their necks. Too, their eyes have a tendency to alter in appearance rapidly based on mood, shifting from relatively normal to full black when excited or enraged.

Sociopolitical Outlook

The greatest pride of the Tenebriel is that Eredil Lantradi, the Throntorian Emperor, the Redeemer and twice vanquisher of the Daloric Warlord, was one of them, although this fact has been long buried under the Solindriel protest against Tenebriel practices of Sorcery and blood sacrifice. That pride has kept them sensibly aligned against the Daloric Warlord at all times -- "sensibly" ranging from full opposition to grudging service, depending upon the time and opportunity. The fact that Eredil outlawed sorcery after the defeat of the Warlord is often glossed over, especially since he was supposed to be a master sorcerer himself. It is not forgotten or ignored, however, and is a sore spot with most practicing Tenebriel sorcerers.

The Tenebriel still do not entirely understand what "all the fuss" is about, when it comes to the condemnation of Sorcery. The Zephriel, their Fey cousins, have tried many times to explain the wrongness of Sorcery to the Tenebriel, who simply do not comprehend why there is so much wrong with the practice -- especially since its use won victory against the Warlord once. Tenebriel often use sorcery to punish their worst criminals and wartime adversaries, and they see this as a most effective use of the art. The Zephriel have all but given up trying to explain the vagaries of moral wrongness when countered with such pragmatism.

Interestingly enough, the Tenebriel have largely adopted Toras, goddess of Death, as their patron, and her Word is spoken in nearly all Tenebriel gatherings, for they are a devout people. Still, many of the other deities of Night are attractive to the Tenebriel, and followers of Rigos and Vran may be found coexisting in Thurgar, the Tenebriel capital carved from under the Northern Ice. While the Church of Dalor also exists there, few openly worship; Dalor is meant to be respected, they believe, not worshiped. A little surprisingly, it is rumored that there are those who follow Ardus, a hidden movement whose existance has neither been proven nor disproven.

Allies & Enemies

Because of the slander applied to them by the Solindriel, many of those who would otherwise be allies with the Tenebriel are instead aligned against them. The Ur, the Gochin, the Drakkhozhn and the Lyđuđræ are the closest things to allies the Tenebriel possess, their long association with the Daloric Empire having made them familiar with each other. Their dealings with the Drakkhozhn are minimal, though they recognize the extreme strength these creatures represent, and they are careful not to get in their way. Too, they have been exposed to the Dolgothros as allies, though they are not generally pleased with this association. They have slowly strengthened their ties with the Ur, mainly in a gambit to enhance their own power; the Ur, glad at last to have someone treat them as partners instead of fools, have responded positively towards this new-found attention, and this alliance may be an important one in the days to come.

Sadly, nearly anyone who cannot be listed as an ally is truly an enemy. The only exception to this rule are the meddlesome Zephriel, who take a patronizing approach that most find irritating. The Zephriel, or "faerys," as they are called derogatorily, still visit the Tenebriel, who they believe are their "children," in order to try to mend the rift with the Solindriel. They are not slain or openly disrespected out of respect for their power, and the odd possibility that there may be some shred of truth in their outlandish stories -- but they are forcefully escorted out when they have overstayed their welcome.

All the rest are enemies. The Feralis have sided time and again with the Solindriel, and against them. What few Kâlindur still remain blame the Tenebriel and their allies for their extinction. Humans have dealt more and more exclusively with the Solindriel -- those not openly supporting the Warlord, anyway -- and this dealing has poisoned the minds of humankind against them. And the Kâlindival, as usual, have sided with their "cousins," the Kâlindur.

And above all else, of course, is the hatred by and for the Solindriel. Their haughtiness, their lies, and most of all their unaccepting, unreasonable, unrelenting feud. A traditional Tenebriel saying goes, "The only good solind is a dead solind," and if one should make these words to live by it certainly won't hurt one's reputation amongst the Tenebriel.