Kel
WIP
Language
The native tongue of the Kel people is known as Kellish. It shares no similarities with the other local languages spoken in the area. Because of this it is hard for outsiders to come to learn their language. The Kel also can have a hard time learning new languages because of it as well.
Kellish has a distinctive trait behind it. The language has a naturally poetic flow to it. When a Kel is speaking in their native tongue it sounds as if they are reciting a poem or a play to a crowd or as if they are telling a story from memory. While quirk makes Kellish a beautiful language to listen to even if not understood. It also produces a very unique accent from native speakers as they always retain that poetic or storytelling flow even when using other languages.
Kellish has a distinctive trait behind it. The language has a naturally poetic flow to it. When a Kel is speaking in their native tongue it sounds as if they are reciting a poem or a play to a crowd or as if they are telling a story from memory. While quirk makes Kellish a beautiful language to listen to even if not understood. It also produces a very unique accent from native speakers as they always retain that poetic or storytelling flow even when using other languages.
Habitat
The Kel people call the rocky coasts and mountains south of Amol-Kalit between Cortos and Vel Anir their home. They refer to this area as Kelon. It is a land made up of three distinct regions: temperate rainforests along the coasts, arid grasslands along the Amol-Kalit border, and valley filled mountains between. Each of the three regions have their own unique biomes, but share a few similarities. All have poor soil quality making growing crops difficult, experience strong winds, and the local ecosystems are dominated by gryphons.
The border region with Amol-Kalit is known as Acra in the local Kellish tongue. It is the driest of the regions, but also the best for raising herds of cattle, horses, and camels. The tribes and clans here are the most nomadic and most reliant on their herds for survival. The local wildlife is dominated by feathery reptiles of all kinds with only the apex predator (gryphons) causing them issues. Rich dyes can be extracted from the feathers of these beasts and thick, scaly hides that are turned into high quality leather goods and armor.
The central mountains are known as Arema in the local Kellish tongue. Rocky cliffs surrounding green valleys, it is the most varied of the regions. Each valley often is unique to itself being able to range from lush meadows to thick groves to sandy shrub land depending on how much water the winds can bring in from the Cortosi Coast. The tribes and clans of this region live the closest to the gryphons and tend to be the most devote members of the culture. Rich iron and mineral deposits are easy to find within the mountains. Salt is the most common of the minerals found. Very few other types of metal can be found in the mountains.
The coastal region is known as Leveta in the local Kellish tongue. Winds blow abundant amounts of water from the Cortosi Coast into the mountains that then flows down and into this part of Kelon. Forests and rivers are common because of this and make it the best of the regions for growing crops, although the soil is still poor as a whole. The tribes and clans of this region are the least nomadic and have the most trade ports. This makes it the most populated region and the one that sees the most merchants and craftsmen. Salt is harvested from the Cortosi Coast in various parts of this region.
The border region with Amol-Kalit is known as Acra in the local Kellish tongue. It is the driest of the regions, but also the best for raising herds of cattle, horses, and camels. The tribes and clans here are the most nomadic and most reliant on their herds for survival. The local wildlife is dominated by feathery reptiles of all kinds with only the apex predator (gryphons) causing them issues. Rich dyes can be extracted from the feathers of these beasts and thick, scaly hides that are turned into high quality leather goods and armor.
The central mountains are known as Arema in the local Kellish tongue. Rocky cliffs surrounding green valleys, it is the most varied of the regions. Each valley often is unique to itself being able to range from lush meadows to thick groves to sandy shrub land depending on how much water the winds can bring in from the Cortosi Coast. The tribes and clans of this region live the closest to the gryphons and tend to be the most devote members of the culture. Rich iron and mineral deposits are easy to find within the mountains. Salt is the most common of the minerals found. Very few other types of metal can be found in the mountains.
The coastal region is known as Leveta in the local Kellish tongue. Winds blow abundant amounts of water from the Cortosi Coast into the mountains that then flows down and into this part of Kelon. Forests and rivers are common because of this and make it the best of the regions for growing crops, although the soil is still poor as a whole. The tribes and clans of this region are the least nomadic and have the most trade ports. This makes it the most populated region and the one that sees the most merchants and craftsmen. Salt is harvested from the Cortosi Coast in various parts of this region.
Culture
Hierarchy/Government
The Kel people are divided up into a layered system. They live in tribes that are made up of clans that are further made up of different families. Families have some autonomy but are mostly subordinate to their clans. Each clan is led by a gathering made up of the families’ heads. A leader is chosen by this gathering to lead the clan who then choses advisers and companions to assist them. Tribes are made up of a council of the clan leaders. The tribe choses a chieftain who then choses advisers and companions in much the same way as clans. Clans retain more autonomy than the families do, but are still expect to obtain the tribal council and chieftain.
Conflict between clans is common as they vie for more influence within their tribe. Tribal conflict is rare. Tribes always seek more peaceful resolutions between each other to avoid bloodshed. Conflicts between families in the same clan is even rarer as their clans tend to keep a tighter leash over their activities, but a conflict between families of different clans has been a common cause for conflicts between clans.
The Kel people will sometimes have confederacies form between the tribes when outside conflicts arise. The tribal leaders form a council and elect a leader in the same way it has been decided for clans and tribes.
Leadership is decided based upon respect amongst the Kel people. Their leaders are not always the smartest, strongest, or wisest of their kin, but they are always the most respected. This has led to their leaders being farmers, craftsmen, or merchants as often as a warrior.
The Kel people live in a community focused system overall. Every action taken should be to the benefit of the whole. Actions taken for oneself should not cause an ill effect to the group. Playing games, friendly competition, pursuing romance, and comfort seeking are all acceptable and encouraged. They also believe in the ideology that the group is only as strong as their weakest member. This has led them to encourage constant self betterment and a level of independence not normally found amongst other group focused cultures. Their laws all revolve around this idea of the group coming first while still respecting the individual by not demanding conformity from the members.
The Kel people have a rather simple class system in place. Those born into the culture and raised by a member of the culture are known as Kel. Those who adopt the culture and their first children are known as Kelkin. Kelkin share all the same rights as the Kel with the exception of not being able to become heads of clans, chieftains of tribes, and leaders of confederacies. They are able to be advisers and companions to those in the leadership positions. The Kelkin’s right to join the priesthood is situational. They must find a priest that is willing to take them and train them. A divide on this issue of allowing Kelkin to become priests has formed and is heavily debated by the members.
Settlements/Buildings
The Kel are a semi-nomadic people that move between two main settlements based on the time of year. Typically every tribe and clan has a winter hold and a summer hold that they live within. Their winter holds are generally situated in places that are less effected by the colder weather or are built into the sides of the mountains/hills so as to avoid the often snow filled season. Summer holds are built in the best places for farming and grazing during the warmer months. These holds usually are more widely spaced out so as to allow ease of constant movement as wagons, people, and animals are heading from place to place so frequently. Because of this they tend to be in more open locations and made out of clay bricks and/or mortared stones.
Many parts of Acra follow this semi-nomadic trend but with a different twist being more arid. They built two different holds but move between them based less on the seasons and more on the rains. Their winter holds tend to be at the foot of the mountains near springs where water can be more readily found year round while their summer holds are built near oasis and temporary ponds that are fed by the spring rains when fresh grass is everywhere. Their farmers huddle around rivers that flood their banks and leave large deposits of silt with summer holds built near flood plains. The tribes of Acra tend to be more nomadic because of this than the ones of Arema and Leveta.
All Kel settlements are made primarily of clay bricks and stones, which both can be found everywhere. They mix in the powdered bones and ash of their ancestors to the clay and mortar used for religious reasons. The exact layout of their buildings can vary dramatically, but they have an odd preference for more rounded buildings even if not perfectly circular. The biggest feature of their buildings is all of them have a large communal space in the center of them with the individual rooms surrounding it. The offshoot rooms fill the roles of acting as storage space, bathrooms, and some times bedrooms. It is not uncommon for Kel bedrooms to be used by multiple family members at a time or for everyone to just sleep in the communal room itself. Every other function and activity of the home is done in the communal space. Their other buildings hold this same idea although typically with their own special layout as so many of them are used for storage. A Kel shop for instance typically is made out of two large spaces. One space acts as the store front and the other as storage forming a rough and usually uneven 8 shape.
Random buildings are also common to find outside of the holds. These are used by hunters, foragers, herders, and any other Kel who are spending most of their time away from the holds and out in the wilds. These act as way stations to act as shelter for those traveling for the night or as temporary bases of operations when staying in the area for a short period of time. These are almost always entirely communal space with only a bathroom set off as its own separate room.
Despite their semi-nomadic nature, the Kel do have some permanent settlements in place. These are their trade cities/ports and their mines. Given the static nature of trade hubs and mines, some of the Kel have adapted to living settled lives. Mostly however those who keep these locations running just cycle through who is operating and living in them into a more shift like structure similar to patrols for mercenaries out of Kelon. Residents will spent a few years working then leave to live in their tribal/clan holds until it is their turn to operate the city or mine yet again.
Religion
The Kel religion revolves around the worship of gryphons and their ancestors.
They believe that each Kel contains a spirit housed within a mortal body. When they die their spirits remain trapped within their body. Their spirit can only be released to join in their shared afterlife once their body has been destroyed. Once their spirits are free they are able to be enjoy the joys of their shared afterlife and able to provide aid, protection, and guidance to those still living their mortal life.
The Kel perform sky burials while within Kelon. They leave their dead on alters in the middle of large circles of stones engraved with Kellish symbols and gryphons. Animals that eat carrion pick the bodies apart until only their bones remain. The Kel collect the bones of their dead after they are done. While outside of Kelon if a Kel dies then they are cremated and the bones and ashes are collected. They do this so their spirits can be released. It is considered the highest honor for a gryphon to be the one to be the animal that shows up during a sky burial.
The Kel store the bones and ashes of their dead in great communal ash pits or urns. The bones are ground up into a powder as well. They then use the ash and powder to add to many different things. They will add it to clay bricks,the mortar used to hold stone blocks, and to create steel for their armor and weapons. They believe this will strengthen their bond with their ancestors and allows their ancestors to provide greater protection and aid to their lives. This mixture also plays a vital role in allowing an outsider to become a Kelkin. They believe by rubbing it onto their bodies it will attune their spirit to being able to join the Kel afterlife.
When a Kel needs aid from their ancestors they will pray out to them. They believe they are never separated from their ancestors’ spirits and so the simple act of asking for their help is all that is needed. If the help does not come then it means it was never needed, their ancestors did not feel they were worthy of the help, or that something must have blocked them from answering. Moments of misfortune are seen as normal. Prolonged misfortune for an individual or a group is seen as a sign of either a curse blocking their ancestors spirits or of their ancestors deeming them unworthy. When this occurs, a priest will be called to attempt to commune with the spirits to find out what is needed to be done. If it is an individual they often might be sent out to find a gryphon to be judged. They can not flee the gryphon. If it lets them live their curse is lifted. If they die then their spirit is freed to join the afterlife but may not be able to come back to aid their kin if their bones are unable to be recovered.
Gryphons are sacred to the Kel. They are seen as symbols of life and death. They are the reapers of their culture and aid in the process of transitioning from the mortal plane to the afterlife. It is believed that they come from the same spiritual plane that the Kellish spirits go to in death. When a Kel is cremated the fire acts as a beacon for a spectral gryphon to retrieve their spirit and carry them to the afterlife. The actions of a gryphon are always viewed as being destined and in the right. If a gryphon kills you then it was your time to pass on. If a gryphon saves your life then you still have something important to do before you die.
With so much importance to the cycle of the Kel people’s lives, gryphons are to never be harmed. Even if a gryphon attacks a person all the Kel can do is let it happen or attempt to flee. If any direct harm comes to the gryphon then a Kel must atone for their grave sin. If the gryphon dies by a Kel’s hand then they will either be exiled or entombed in a stone coffin so that their spirit can never escape their body.
The Kel mark those exiled faces so that they can never rejoin the faith or claim it around the faithful. Once in the outside world, the exiled must be fearful as it is seen as an honorable act to kill them on sight. Ignoring their existence is the best an exile can pray for from the Kel.
If the Kel come across an injured or dead gryphon they are expected to immediately do for it what they would do for another Kel. They must either attempt to save the gryphon’s life if it is injured by feeding, watering, and nursing it back to a healthy state. Crippled gryphons are to be cared for until their death. When a gryphon dies they are to be given either their own version of a sky burial where the tribe or clan eats its flesh in a feast dedicated to the gryphon or cremate it. The bones and ashes of the gryphon are treated the same as those of the Kel and added to their ash pits and urns. This is a great honor for them when they do. The other parts of a gryphon (if any are left intact) are given to the priests and the leaders of the clan/tribe to be worn during religious ceremonies and rituals.
The Kel speak of a divine avatar that is the mother of all gryphons and great queen of their afterlife. Most do not believe her to be real, but any who do find the great queen (Velaeri) will drop to their knees and begin praying to her asking she be merciful and kind to them. Anyone who disrespects or dishonors the great mother of gryphons will soon find a sword in them and their form offered as a sacrifice to the most divine.
The Kel believe that many afterlives exist. These others may be horrific or tranquil. None of them are blessed by the gryphons and allow their ancestors to aid the living however. These other afterlives are seen as sad places where the spirits of outsiders find themselves alone and lost for eternity. The spirits and ghosts are seen to come from these places in an attempt to stave off their loneliness. Some are hostile. Some are friendly. All are to be pitied for they are not of the Kel.
Because of this necromancy is seen as the worst kind of sin. Forcing the spirits of the dead to unwillingly do the bidding of another is the highest form of disrespect. The Kel priesthood does their best to keep any and all necromancy out of Kelon, least they bring the wrath of the Mother of Gryphons upon them all.
Traditions
The Kel have a reason for why they wear masks and closed face helmets around outsiders to the culture. It is to represent their belief in their shared afterlife. It also aids in providing their warriors and merchants a shared reputation so that they are not reliant on building up an individual reputation in order to find work and being allowed into ports and cities. It also acts as a form of intimidation to discourage others from attacking them or trying to cheat them.
The Kel wear torcs as a way of identifying which clans and tribes the wearer belongs to. These even act as identifiers if one is a Kel or one of the Kelkin. Torcs materials also can be used to identify how a Kel provides for their people, but most of the time is just a personal preference in material.
The Kel are a people with a love for exotic foods and spices. A foreign merchant can make a hefty profit just by importing these goods to Kellish trade cities.
Kellish food relies heavily on dairy, potatoes, beans/peas, and meat/fish/seafood. They do not have many grain based foods traditionally and what bread they do make tends to be either flat, corn based, or potato based. They love to add all kinds of herbs and spices to their dishes.
The Kel are known for their hospitality, even towards outsiders. They will feed and shelter their fellow Kel without second thought. Becoming violent or overly insulting your host can get a Kel exiled from their tribe or clan no matter which tribe or clan their host belonged to. For outsiders it can be grounds for throwing them out or even killing them.
Only the Kel people are allowed in their homeland outside of trade cities. In the cities outsiders are to be treated with the same level of respect as the Kelkin. Any offense towards them by the Kel is treated as if it were done towards another Kel. If an outsider is found outside the cities then they will be given one of two options based on how far from a trade city they are: escorted back to a trade city or death. Those stranded in Kel lands via shipwreck or becoming lost in the Amol-Kalit desert will be escorted to the nearest trade city.
The Kel mark their progression through life by the completion of certain rites. Some rites vary based on clan/tribe. The ones all Kel share are:
Rite of Birth:
When a child is born and survives for a full year they complete this rite. They are finally given their child name and their first torc.
Rite of Adulthood:
When a child reaches puberty and bodies begin to mature they undergo this rite. They are given a choice of tasks and must complete one of them within a period of three years to complete the rite. They will be considered an adult from this point, given their first tattoos, and are given their adult name. This rite must be completed alone or in a group with other children taking the rite of adulthood. The tasks they are given are always to provide some form of benefit to the tribe/clan. This can range from hunting beasts to provide food, hides, and/or protect herds; gather materials or food from the wilds; craft tools or goods for the tribe; trade off all their supplies with a different tribe/clan; or obtain food and materials through herding and farming.
Rite of the Warrior:
When a Kel wishes to become a warrior and be granted permission to work as a mercenary or sellsword they must complete the rite of the warrior. This rite involves the completion of three challenges. They must go through a series of duels and be judged worthy by judges selected from the Kellish warriors. The duels can be between anyone and in any form that the judges choose. If a participant passes this challenge then they must complete a hunt with a judge for a difficult beast to hunt. The beast can be a large predator that is capable of killing the participant, a swift and agile beast that can easily escape the participant, or an elusive beast that is very difficult to track and find. The participant must complete this challenge within a set amount of time determined by the judges in order to pass it. From this point the rite changes according to the whims and individual traditions of the judges. Once this third challenge has been completed then the participant completes the rite and is welcomed by the warriors. Often they gain a new tattoo or torc with the tribal/clan markings to designate a warrior.
Rite of Atonement:
When a Kel commits a sin and offered a chance for atonement then they will begin this rite. They either must be judged by gryphons by seeking one out with a highly respected Kel to act as witness and accept whatever fate they are given, or they must undergo exile for a number of years determined by the priests and respected members of their tribe/clan. They are to send resources of any kind that are helpful back to their tribe/clan throughout their period of exile. They complete the rite if they are able to continue supporting their tribe/clan throughout their period of exile. If they stop supporting their tribe/clan during this time and hoard it for themselves then they will be permanently exiled and given the exile’s facial mark.
Appearance
The Kel people can be a range of races with their own unique physical traits, although the majority of them are human. But they still have similarities in their appearances that makes them standout. They have tattoos that mark which clan and tribe they belong to in various places on their bodies. Over their hearts they all possess a gryphon tattoo with some variety in design based on local style.
The Kel are known for two articles of clothing that they wear as well: face masks and torcs. While outside their homeland or around foreigners in their trade cities, the Kel wear masks over their faces. They can be made from bone, wood, or metal. They can be various colors, but they all lack any recognizable facial marking. They are blank and faceless. They all either resemble a closed face helmet with only eye open slits or a T slit in them to allow breathing. It is difficult to make out their faces. They wear torcs their whole lives and out of the same materials as their masks. Unlike the masks, their torcs can be plain to heavily decorated depending on the individual. Their torcs often are etched with the same markings as their tattoos with gryphons being the most common symbol found.
A distinctive feature of the Kel is their colorful clothing and armor. Due to the presence of so many rich dyes in their lands, the Kel have a wide variety of cloth and leather goods to suit any taste in color. Even their armor tends to be painted or stained into various colors to represent their clan and tribe or even stand out as an individual.
This love for colors extends beyond their clothing and armor as well. Kellish ships are known for their multicolored sails. Kellish wagons often are painted to stand out against the sands of Amol-Kalit or the verdant woods and fields of Vel Anir and Cortos. Kellish homes, stores, and tents all are deeply expressive with their colors.
The Kel from Acra have a tendency to wear the colorful feathers and scaly hides of the feathered reptiles native to their region of Kelon. This adds an extra layer of texture and color to what their appearance. The Kel from Arema and Leveta often wear the furs of otters, wolves, and other furry predators native to their regions instead. The most popular way is by having the feathery hide/fur draped over the shoulder of the less dominant hand.
Economy
The Kel people have an economy built off of the exportation of rich dyes, rock and sea salts, high quality leather, and valuable finished goods to foreign markets; importation of everything else; and highly trained mercenaries and sellswords. Trading of agricultural goods and food products is important amongst themselves, but rarely involves an exchange of gold. They rely more on bartering or exchanging services between themselves and reserve the use of currencies mostly for outsiders.
Tribes rely heavily on agriculture for their bartering and payment for services as the tribes of the different regions exchange goods with each other to obtain what is available in the other regions.
Agriculture
The Kel people have developed a unique system of agriculture. They rely heavily on herds of animals and utilize a system of layered cropping to feed themselves. With poor soil, they need to plant a wider variety of crops than other places to survive. Planting several kinds of plants in the same spot helps to preserve the soil quality and diversify their crops at the same time. Beans/peas, gourds, and corn plants are the most common combination to be seen in fields together with potatoes, but any combination of crops that can all grow together without competing against each other will be done.
Another unique agricultural technique commonly used is using bees to pollinate orchards of various fruit and nut trees. The honey produced is used to preserve the fruits grown for long periods of tme as well as commonly used to make less flavorful nuts more appetizing. The wax produced by the bees is also used in the storing and transport of other foods.
Herds of all kinds of animals are important to the Kel as they produce meat, leather, cloth, and dairy products. They also provide manure that is vital for fertilizing the poor soil for their crops. A favorite food for the Kel is cheese and is the most common dairy product used in their dishes. Cream and butter being the second most common.
The Kel along the coasts and rivers will fish and forage during low tide for shellfish and seaweed. Hunting is a common practice in all regions as well as foraging for seasonal plants. This is all done to supplement their agricultural practices. During times of drought or famine they will shift back into relying more on hunting and foraging to feed themselves until agriculture can support them once more.
Codes of Honor
The Kel are a people that live under codes of honor. A general code of honor exists for all members of the culture and is considered to be the primary code to be held above all the others. This primary code is then supplemented by specific codes of honor for the different ways of life.
Primary Code:
The Kel live for their kin.
The Kel live for their clan.
The Kel live for their tribe.
The Kel live for their people.
The Kel always keep their word.
The Kel do not kill one another.
The Kel do not steal from one another.
The Kel do not lie to one another.
The Kel offer what they are able to their fellow Kel.
Warrior Code:
Do not kill other Kel outside Kelon.
Take care of other Kel outside of Kelon.
Do not flee battle.
Always fight for your people.
Never let an outsider hold a fellow Kel captive.
Merchant/Trader Code:
Always be fair to your fellow Kel.
Do not hoard too much wealth.
Bring new things back to Kelon.
Spread word of your fellow Kel.
Craftsman Code:
Always offer your best to your fellow Kel.
Always keep your skills honed.
Always seek to improve.
Share your knowledge with your fellow Kel.
Farmers/Herders Code:
Always work hard to feed your fellow Kel.
Always seek to improve your yields.
Always seek new sources of food for your fellow Kel.
The Kel people are divided up into a layered system. They live in tribes that are made up of clans that are further made up of different families. Families have some autonomy but are mostly subordinate to their clans. Each clan is led by a gathering made up of the families’ heads. A leader is chosen by this gathering to lead the clan who then choses advisers and companions to assist them. Tribes are made up of a council of the clan leaders. The tribe choses a chieftain who then choses advisers and companions in much the same way as clans. Clans retain more autonomy than the families do, but are still expect to obtain the tribal council and chieftain.
Conflict between clans is common as they vie for more influence within their tribe. Tribal conflict is rare. Tribes always seek more peaceful resolutions between each other to avoid bloodshed. Conflicts between families in the same clan is even rarer as their clans tend to keep a tighter leash over their activities, but a conflict between families of different clans has been a common cause for conflicts between clans.
The Kel people will sometimes have confederacies form between the tribes when outside conflicts arise. The tribal leaders form a council and elect a leader in the same way it has been decided for clans and tribes.
Leadership is decided based upon respect amongst the Kel people. Their leaders are not always the smartest, strongest, or wisest of their kin, but they are always the most respected. This has led to their leaders being farmers, craftsmen, or merchants as often as a warrior.
The Kel people live in a community focused system overall. Every action taken should be to the benefit of the whole. Actions taken for oneself should not cause an ill effect to the group. Playing games, friendly competition, pursuing romance, and comfort seeking are all acceptable and encouraged. They also believe in the ideology that the group is only as strong as their weakest member. This has led them to encourage constant self betterment and a level of independence not normally found amongst other group focused cultures. Their laws all revolve around this idea of the group coming first while still respecting the individual by not demanding conformity from the members.
The Kel people have a rather simple class system in place. Those born into the culture and raised by a member of the culture are known as Kel. Those who adopt the culture and their first children are known as Kelkin. Kelkin share all the same rights as the Kel with the exception of not being able to become heads of clans, chieftains of tribes, and leaders of confederacies. They are able to be advisers and companions to those in the leadership positions. The Kelkin’s right to join the priesthood is situational. They must find a priest that is willing to take them and train them. A divide on this issue of allowing Kelkin to become priests has formed and is heavily debated by the members.
Settlements/Buildings
The Kel are a semi-nomadic people that move between two main settlements based on the time of year. Typically every tribe and clan has a winter hold and a summer hold that they live within. Their winter holds are generally situated in places that are less effected by the colder weather or are built into the sides of the mountains/hills so as to avoid the often snow filled season. Summer holds are built in the best places for farming and grazing during the warmer months. These holds usually are more widely spaced out so as to allow ease of constant movement as wagons, people, and animals are heading from place to place so frequently. Because of this they tend to be in more open locations and made out of clay bricks and/or mortared stones.
Many parts of Acra follow this semi-nomadic trend but with a different twist being more arid. They built two different holds but move between them based less on the seasons and more on the rains. Their winter holds tend to be at the foot of the mountains near springs where water can be more readily found year round while their summer holds are built near oasis and temporary ponds that are fed by the spring rains when fresh grass is everywhere. Their farmers huddle around rivers that flood their banks and leave large deposits of silt with summer holds built near flood plains. The tribes of Acra tend to be more nomadic because of this than the ones of Arema and Leveta.
All Kel settlements are made primarily of clay bricks and stones, which both can be found everywhere. They mix in the powdered bones and ash of their ancestors to the clay and mortar used for religious reasons. The exact layout of their buildings can vary dramatically, but they have an odd preference for more rounded buildings even if not perfectly circular. The biggest feature of their buildings is all of them have a large communal space in the center of them with the individual rooms surrounding it. The offshoot rooms fill the roles of acting as storage space, bathrooms, and some times bedrooms. It is not uncommon for Kel bedrooms to be used by multiple family members at a time or for everyone to just sleep in the communal room itself. Every other function and activity of the home is done in the communal space. Their other buildings hold this same idea although typically with their own special layout as so many of them are used for storage. A Kel shop for instance typically is made out of two large spaces. One space acts as the store front and the other as storage forming a rough and usually uneven 8 shape.
Random buildings are also common to find outside of the holds. These are used by hunters, foragers, herders, and any other Kel who are spending most of their time away from the holds and out in the wilds. These act as way stations to act as shelter for those traveling for the night or as temporary bases of operations when staying in the area for a short period of time. These are almost always entirely communal space with only a bathroom set off as its own separate room.
Despite their semi-nomadic nature, the Kel do have some permanent settlements in place. These are their trade cities/ports and their mines. Given the static nature of trade hubs and mines, some of the Kel have adapted to living settled lives. Mostly however those who keep these locations running just cycle through who is operating and living in them into a more shift like structure similar to patrols for mercenaries out of Kelon. Residents will spent a few years working then leave to live in their tribal/clan holds until it is their turn to operate the city or mine yet again.
Religion
The Kel religion revolves around the worship of gryphons and their ancestors.
They believe that each Kel contains a spirit housed within a mortal body. When they die their spirits remain trapped within their body. Their spirit can only be released to join in their shared afterlife once their body has been destroyed. Once their spirits are free they are able to be enjoy the joys of their shared afterlife and able to provide aid, protection, and guidance to those still living their mortal life.
The Kel perform sky burials while within Kelon. They leave their dead on alters in the middle of large circles of stones engraved with Kellish symbols and gryphons. Animals that eat carrion pick the bodies apart until only their bones remain. The Kel collect the bones of their dead after they are done. While outside of Kelon if a Kel dies then they are cremated and the bones and ashes are collected. They do this so their spirits can be released. It is considered the highest honor for a gryphon to be the one to be the animal that shows up during a sky burial.
The Kel store the bones and ashes of their dead in great communal ash pits or urns. The bones are ground up into a powder as well. They then use the ash and powder to add to many different things. They will add it to clay bricks,the mortar used to hold stone blocks, and to create steel for their armor and weapons. They believe this will strengthen their bond with their ancestors and allows their ancestors to provide greater protection and aid to their lives. This mixture also plays a vital role in allowing an outsider to become a Kelkin. They believe by rubbing it onto their bodies it will attune their spirit to being able to join the Kel afterlife.
When a Kel needs aid from their ancestors they will pray out to them. They believe they are never separated from their ancestors’ spirits and so the simple act of asking for their help is all that is needed. If the help does not come then it means it was never needed, their ancestors did not feel they were worthy of the help, or that something must have blocked them from answering. Moments of misfortune are seen as normal. Prolonged misfortune for an individual or a group is seen as a sign of either a curse blocking their ancestors spirits or of their ancestors deeming them unworthy. When this occurs, a priest will be called to attempt to commune with the spirits to find out what is needed to be done. If it is an individual they often might be sent out to find a gryphon to be judged. They can not flee the gryphon. If it lets them live their curse is lifted. If they die then their spirit is freed to join the afterlife but may not be able to come back to aid their kin if their bones are unable to be recovered.
Gryphons are sacred to the Kel. They are seen as symbols of life and death. They are the reapers of their culture and aid in the process of transitioning from the mortal plane to the afterlife. It is believed that they come from the same spiritual plane that the Kellish spirits go to in death. When a Kel is cremated the fire acts as a beacon for a spectral gryphon to retrieve their spirit and carry them to the afterlife. The actions of a gryphon are always viewed as being destined and in the right. If a gryphon kills you then it was your time to pass on. If a gryphon saves your life then you still have something important to do before you die.
With so much importance to the cycle of the Kel people’s lives, gryphons are to never be harmed. Even if a gryphon attacks a person all the Kel can do is let it happen or attempt to flee. If any direct harm comes to the gryphon then a Kel must atone for their grave sin. If the gryphon dies by a Kel’s hand then they will either be exiled or entombed in a stone coffin so that their spirit can never escape their body.
The Kel mark those exiled faces so that they can never rejoin the faith or claim it around the faithful. Once in the outside world, the exiled must be fearful as it is seen as an honorable act to kill them on sight. Ignoring their existence is the best an exile can pray for from the Kel.
If the Kel come across an injured or dead gryphon they are expected to immediately do for it what they would do for another Kel. They must either attempt to save the gryphon’s life if it is injured by feeding, watering, and nursing it back to a healthy state. Crippled gryphons are to be cared for until their death. When a gryphon dies they are to be given either their own version of a sky burial where the tribe or clan eats its flesh in a feast dedicated to the gryphon or cremate it. The bones and ashes of the gryphon are treated the same as those of the Kel and added to their ash pits and urns. This is a great honor for them when they do. The other parts of a gryphon (if any are left intact) are given to the priests and the leaders of the clan/tribe to be worn during religious ceremonies and rituals.
The Kel speak of a divine avatar that is the mother of all gryphons and great queen of their afterlife. Most do not believe her to be real, but any who do find the great queen (Velaeri) will drop to their knees and begin praying to her asking she be merciful and kind to them. Anyone who disrespects or dishonors the great mother of gryphons will soon find a sword in them and their form offered as a sacrifice to the most divine.
The Kel believe that many afterlives exist. These others may be horrific or tranquil. None of them are blessed by the gryphons and allow their ancestors to aid the living however. These other afterlives are seen as sad places where the spirits of outsiders find themselves alone and lost for eternity. The spirits and ghosts are seen to come from these places in an attempt to stave off their loneliness. Some are hostile. Some are friendly. All are to be pitied for they are not of the Kel.
Because of this necromancy is seen as the worst kind of sin. Forcing the spirits of the dead to unwillingly do the bidding of another is the highest form of disrespect. The Kel priesthood does their best to keep any and all necromancy out of Kelon, least they bring the wrath of the Mother of Gryphons upon them all.
Traditions
The Kel have a reason for why they wear masks and closed face helmets around outsiders to the culture. It is to represent their belief in their shared afterlife. It also aids in providing their warriors and merchants a shared reputation so that they are not reliant on building up an individual reputation in order to find work and being allowed into ports and cities. It also acts as a form of intimidation to discourage others from attacking them or trying to cheat them.
The Kel wear torcs as a way of identifying which clans and tribes the wearer belongs to. These even act as identifiers if one is a Kel or one of the Kelkin. Torcs materials also can be used to identify how a Kel provides for their people, but most of the time is just a personal preference in material.
The Kel are a people with a love for exotic foods and spices. A foreign merchant can make a hefty profit just by importing these goods to Kellish trade cities.
Kellish food relies heavily on dairy, potatoes, beans/peas, and meat/fish/seafood. They do not have many grain based foods traditionally and what bread they do make tends to be either flat, corn based, or potato based. They love to add all kinds of herbs and spices to their dishes.
The Kel are known for their hospitality, even towards outsiders. They will feed and shelter their fellow Kel without second thought. Becoming violent or overly insulting your host can get a Kel exiled from their tribe or clan no matter which tribe or clan their host belonged to. For outsiders it can be grounds for throwing them out or even killing them.
Only the Kel people are allowed in their homeland outside of trade cities. In the cities outsiders are to be treated with the same level of respect as the Kelkin. Any offense towards them by the Kel is treated as if it were done towards another Kel. If an outsider is found outside the cities then they will be given one of two options based on how far from a trade city they are: escorted back to a trade city or death. Those stranded in Kel lands via shipwreck or becoming lost in the Amol-Kalit desert will be escorted to the nearest trade city.
The Kel mark their progression through life by the completion of certain rites. Some rites vary based on clan/tribe. The ones all Kel share are:
Rite of Birth:
When a child is born and survives for a full year they complete this rite. They are finally given their child name and their first torc.
Rite of Adulthood:
When a child reaches puberty and bodies begin to mature they undergo this rite. They are given a choice of tasks and must complete one of them within a period of three years to complete the rite. They will be considered an adult from this point, given their first tattoos, and are given their adult name. This rite must be completed alone or in a group with other children taking the rite of adulthood. The tasks they are given are always to provide some form of benefit to the tribe/clan. This can range from hunting beasts to provide food, hides, and/or protect herds; gather materials or food from the wilds; craft tools or goods for the tribe; trade off all their supplies with a different tribe/clan; or obtain food and materials through herding and farming.
Rite of the Warrior:
When a Kel wishes to become a warrior and be granted permission to work as a mercenary or sellsword they must complete the rite of the warrior. This rite involves the completion of three challenges. They must go through a series of duels and be judged worthy by judges selected from the Kellish warriors. The duels can be between anyone and in any form that the judges choose. If a participant passes this challenge then they must complete a hunt with a judge for a difficult beast to hunt. The beast can be a large predator that is capable of killing the participant, a swift and agile beast that can easily escape the participant, or an elusive beast that is very difficult to track and find. The participant must complete this challenge within a set amount of time determined by the judges in order to pass it. From this point the rite changes according to the whims and individual traditions of the judges. Once this third challenge has been completed then the participant completes the rite and is welcomed by the warriors. Often they gain a new tattoo or torc with the tribal/clan markings to designate a warrior.
Rite of Atonement:
When a Kel commits a sin and offered a chance for atonement then they will begin this rite. They either must be judged by gryphons by seeking one out with a highly respected Kel to act as witness and accept whatever fate they are given, or they must undergo exile for a number of years determined by the priests and respected members of their tribe/clan. They are to send resources of any kind that are helpful back to their tribe/clan throughout their period of exile. They complete the rite if they are able to continue supporting their tribe/clan throughout their period of exile. If they stop supporting their tribe/clan during this time and hoard it for themselves then they will be permanently exiled and given the exile’s facial mark.
Appearance
The Kel people can be a range of races with their own unique physical traits, although the majority of them are human. But they still have similarities in their appearances that makes them standout. They have tattoos that mark which clan and tribe they belong to in various places on their bodies. Over their hearts they all possess a gryphon tattoo with some variety in design based on local style.
The Kel are known for two articles of clothing that they wear as well: face masks and torcs. While outside their homeland or around foreigners in their trade cities, the Kel wear masks over their faces. They can be made from bone, wood, or metal. They can be various colors, but they all lack any recognizable facial marking. They are blank and faceless. They all either resemble a closed face helmet with only eye open slits or a T slit in them to allow breathing. It is difficult to make out their faces. They wear torcs their whole lives and out of the same materials as their masks. Unlike the masks, their torcs can be plain to heavily decorated depending on the individual. Their torcs often are etched with the same markings as their tattoos with gryphons being the most common symbol found.
A distinctive feature of the Kel is their colorful clothing and armor. Due to the presence of so many rich dyes in their lands, the Kel have a wide variety of cloth and leather goods to suit any taste in color. Even their armor tends to be painted or stained into various colors to represent their clan and tribe or even stand out as an individual.
This love for colors extends beyond their clothing and armor as well. Kellish ships are known for their multicolored sails. Kellish wagons often are painted to stand out against the sands of Amol-Kalit or the verdant woods and fields of Vel Anir and Cortos. Kellish homes, stores, and tents all are deeply expressive with their colors.
The Kel from Acra have a tendency to wear the colorful feathers and scaly hides of the feathered reptiles native to their region of Kelon. This adds an extra layer of texture and color to what their appearance. The Kel from Arema and Leveta often wear the furs of otters, wolves, and other furry predators native to their regions instead. The most popular way is by having the feathery hide/fur draped over the shoulder of the less dominant hand.
Economy
The Kel people have an economy built off of the exportation of rich dyes, rock and sea salts, high quality leather, and valuable finished goods to foreign markets; importation of everything else; and highly trained mercenaries and sellswords. Trading of agricultural goods and food products is important amongst themselves, but rarely involves an exchange of gold. They rely more on bartering or exchanging services between themselves and reserve the use of currencies mostly for outsiders.
Tribes rely heavily on agriculture for their bartering and payment for services as the tribes of the different regions exchange goods with each other to obtain what is available in the other regions.
Agriculture
The Kel people have developed a unique system of agriculture. They rely heavily on herds of animals and utilize a system of layered cropping to feed themselves. With poor soil, they need to plant a wider variety of crops than other places to survive. Planting several kinds of plants in the same spot helps to preserve the soil quality and diversify their crops at the same time. Beans/peas, gourds, and corn plants are the most common combination to be seen in fields together with potatoes, but any combination of crops that can all grow together without competing against each other will be done.
Another unique agricultural technique commonly used is using bees to pollinate orchards of various fruit and nut trees. The honey produced is used to preserve the fruits grown for long periods of tme as well as commonly used to make less flavorful nuts more appetizing. The wax produced by the bees is also used in the storing and transport of other foods.
Herds of all kinds of animals are important to the Kel as they produce meat, leather, cloth, and dairy products. They also provide manure that is vital for fertilizing the poor soil for their crops. A favorite food for the Kel is cheese and is the most common dairy product used in their dishes. Cream and butter being the second most common.
The Kel along the coasts and rivers will fish and forage during low tide for shellfish and seaweed. Hunting is a common practice in all regions as well as foraging for seasonal plants. This is all done to supplement their agricultural practices. During times of drought or famine they will shift back into relying more on hunting and foraging to feed themselves until agriculture can support them once more.
Codes of Honor
The Kel are a people that live under codes of honor. A general code of honor exists for all members of the culture and is considered to be the primary code to be held above all the others. This primary code is then supplemented by specific codes of honor for the different ways of life.
Primary Code:
The Kel live for their kin.
The Kel live for their clan.
The Kel live for their tribe.
The Kel live for their people.
The Kel always keep their word.
The Kel do not kill one another.
The Kel do not steal from one another.
The Kel do not lie to one another.
The Kel offer what they are able to their fellow Kel.
Warrior Code:
Do not kill other Kel outside Kelon.
Take care of other Kel outside of Kelon.
Do not flee battle.
Always fight for your people.
Never let an outsider hold a fellow Kel captive.
Merchant/Trader Code:
Always be fair to your fellow Kel.
Do not hoard too much wealth.
Bring new things back to Kelon.
Spread word of your fellow Kel.
Craftsman Code:
Always offer your best to your fellow Kel.
Always keep your skills honed.
Always seek to improve.
Share your knowledge with your fellow Kel.
Farmers/Herders Code:
Always work hard to feed your fellow Kel.
Always seek to improve your yields.
Always seek new sources of food for your fellow Kel.
History
Age of Uroghosh:
The Kel trace the beginning of their culture to this age. They do not know the exact time everything took place, but they do know what events took place in the formation of their people.
The ancestors of the Kel in their homeland were constantly at war with each other during this time over the limited resources available. Some of these tribes practiced ancestor worship and some a form of shamanism. It was a bloody age that the first of the Kel, Kellos, was born into. He grew up in one of the tribes from the central mountains of Arema. The people feared gryphons and often went out of their way to kill them.
Kellos was no different until he went out hunting one day as a young adult. During his hunt he spotted a giant gryphon and decided to take his time to avoid its attention. This delayed his return by hours. When he neared his tribe’s hold he spotted smoke rising high into the sky. A raid from an enemy tribe had taken place and saw many deaths. Kellos was furious, upset, yet also thankful. If not for that gryphon he likely would have died as well.
From this point on Kellos began to change his opinion on the beasts. Instead of killing them he would avoid them or scare them off. His tribe was divided on his push for others to end the violence towards gryphons, but more and more joined him every year.
Tribes began to form factions at this time and soon enough it led to war. Kellos’ tribe found itself in an alliance with the tribe that had raided them that day he saw the giant gryphon. He was unsure, as were most of his tribe, but their chieftain demanded their trust. They gave it and it proved to be foolish. When their alliance was to meet with the fastest growing faction on the field of battle, his tribe (as well as other smaller tribes) were betrayed by their previous raiders.
Their enemies and the traitorous tribe grouped up and were nearly ready to fall upon the struggling to regroup alliance when a great shadow fell over the battlefield. The giant gryphon that had changed Kellos’ life so deeply was flying over them that day. He dropped to his knees and began to pray. Pray for forgiveness and mercy from what could only be a divine being. His enemies did not share his reverence and opened fire with their slings and arrows upon the majestic being.
The great gryphon was not kind this day. No one knows if her actions were divine retribution for the slaughter of her kind until now or the utter disrespect they showed daring to attack her unprompted. All those who had gathered to crush the alliance of tribes Kellos belonged to were slaughtered or left forever broken. Due to Kellos’ prayers, or the respect at not opening fire on her, the great gryphon saved the lives of his tribe and allies as well as delivering punishment upon those who betrayed them.
Kellos formed the foundation of the Kel faith by beginning to worship gryphons that day. The great gryphon that had saved them was forever to be known as the Mother of all Gryphons and the Great Queen. In the wake of the news of the battle, tribes and clans began to gather around Kellos and his followers. In just a few years they had grown strong and began a crusade. A message of conversion or death was brought by them all until they had reached every corner of Kelon. None of the ancient cultures were left. Only the followers of Kellos remained. They remained themselves as the Kel and named their lands Kelon in honor of all he had done.
Peace followed as they tired of the blood wars that had already cost them so many of their loved ones. The sting of their spears and arrows would be saved for their neighbors when they raided them for the vital resources the Kel lacked.
Age of Wonders:
Life for the Kel grew strange during this age. Their culture did not fit into the great leaps suddenly taken by the dwarves so far away. Nothing of value to the dwarves could be found in Kelon. The Kel found themselves on the edge of civilization at this time. Barbarians and brutes that worshipped catbirds was what they were called in the ancient texts. A grand gryphon cult that were littler more than shepherds and raiders preying upon their betters.
For the Kel, things were different. Instead of reveling in the new marvels of the age, they deepened their devotion and developed their new faith closer to what it would become. They raided for goods they lacked the resources to make themselves. Trade was not an option for them as those outsider their homeland looked down upon them and their devotion to their faith.
Their skills slowly were honed even as the age came to a close as “civilization” collapsed in on its own weight. To the Kel it was only natural for they had forgotten their ancestors and fallen into greed.
Age of Expansion:
The great civilizations were gone yet the Kel remained. They found themselves with new neighbors. Where once abtati and other people of Amol-kalit had been to the West they were now replaced with the Cortosi kingdoms and citystates. These new neighbors didn’t appreciate being raided and soon the Kel found themselves facing an army marching on their homeland.
For the first time since Kellos’ time, Kelon would know war.
The Cortosi found immediate success as the Kel were taken completely by surprise as their armies suddenly marched across their Western border and landed ships along their coasts. They quickly began to take land in the Western half of Leveta, but the moment they were at the mountains of Arema their situation changed. The rough slopes and danger of wild gryphons slowed the Cortosi from a sprint to a crawl. It bought the Kel tribes time to regroup and gather together. The Confederacy of Kellish Tribes rose their gryphon banners and the Cortosi would take no more ground in Kelon.
The Kellish army pushed the Cortosi back to where they had come from through many hard won battles. The Cortosi held the advantage of numbers but the Kel proved to be the more tenacious warriors willing to fight to the bitter end. The war turned from quick victory for the Cortosi into a meatgrinder for both sides. The cracks in the Cortosi forces began to grow as their natural divisions from back in Cortos began to resurface. Fields were left unattended back home. Leaders of foreign cities and different faiths asked them to throw their lives away in seemingly suicidal battles against an enemy they knew would not break or back down. Loneliness set in as they remembered loved ones. The spirit of the Cortosi soldiers grew weaker and weaker every day. Desertion soon was rampant with entire armies from states leaving the fight to head home from a land seen as worthless.
After years of bitter fighting and nearly pushing the Cortosi completely out of their lands, the Kel were victorious as the last Cortosi leader surrendered. An agreement was reached. The Kel would no longer raid this sole Cortosi’s lands and in return they would leave Kel lands. Payments of goods and gold would be paid to the Kel to ensure good faith from both sides.
This proved to be the event that would bring about the modern Kel culture. Once an enemy, the goods these Cortosi brought sparked a hunger for foreign foods in the Kel. For the first time in their history the Kel had a trade partner. Quickly they adapted. They would never let an outsider bring blood and war to their homeland again, so they opened up trade cities and ports along their borders and coasts so that they could trade while controlling the movement of outsiders. The masks that they began to wear during the war for protection were adopted after seeing how the Cortosi reacted to them on and off the field of battle.
Years later it proved to be a benefit to the Cortosi and a start of their mercenary culture when King Grichen’s army began to march through Cortos. The Kel had requests for aid from their various new trade partners. At first the tribes could not come to an agreement on if they should help outsiders or not, but then the offer of payment came. The Kel realized how beneficial this could prove and so finally agreed. The gryphon banners were raised once more and marched out of Kelon for the first time.
Ultimately King Grichen’s army would prove too much for the Kel, but they proved their worth. Before his army could march into Kelon the Confederacy was able to make a deal with his Empire. In return for tribute and mercenaries from the Kel, the Empire would save Kelon for the end. Thankfully for the Kel King Grichen forgot about the details of their deal. They made a name for themselves at this time as elite warriors capable of doing whatever job they needed done.
As Grichen’s Empire fell into ruin and broke apart, the Kel found themselves in a better position by the end. Their warriors were highly desired by lords as mercenaries. Their merchants were known for being honest and trustworthy. Their craftsmen known for their colorful products of high quality. Finally gold was flowing into Kelon and they used it to sate their desire for exotic goods.
Age of Chronicles:
In the current age little has changed for the Kel from the previous age. Their reputation has not waned as they have worked so diligently to uphold it as a people. More of the wider world is aware of them and what they can offer. It is not uncommon to the see the Kellish mask in major ports around Liadain.
The Kel trace the beginning of their culture to this age. They do not know the exact time everything took place, but they do know what events took place in the formation of their people.
The ancestors of the Kel in their homeland were constantly at war with each other during this time over the limited resources available. Some of these tribes practiced ancestor worship and some a form of shamanism. It was a bloody age that the first of the Kel, Kellos, was born into. He grew up in one of the tribes from the central mountains of Arema. The people feared gryphons and often went out of their way to kill them.
Kellos was no different until he went out hunting one day as a young adult. During his hunt he spotted a giant gryphon and decided to take his time to avoid its attention. This delayed his return by hours. When he neared his tribe’s hold he spotted smoke rising high into the sky. A raid from an enemy tribe had taken place and saw many deaths. Kellos was furious, upset, yet also thankful. If not for that gryphon he likely would have died as well.
From this point on Kellos began to change his opinion on the beasts. Instead of killing them he would avoid them or scare them off. His tribe was divided on his push for others to end the violence towards gryphons, but more and more joined him every year.
Tribes began to form factions at this time and soon enough it led to war. Kellos’ tribe found itself in an alliance with the tribe that had raided them that day he saw the giant gryphon. He was unsure, as were most of his tribe, but their chieftain demanded their trust. They gave it and it proved to be foolish. When their alliance was to meet with the fastest growing faction on the field of battle, his tribe (as well as other smaller tribes) were betrayed by their previous raiders.
Their enemies and the traitorous tribe grouped up and were nearly ready to fall upon the struggling to regroup alliance when a great shadow fell over the battlefield. The giant gryphon that had changed Kellos’ life so deeply was flying over them that day. He dropped to his knees and began to pray. Pray for forgiveness and mercy from what could only be a divine being. His enemies did not share his reverence and opened fire with their slings and arrows upon the majestic being.
The great gryphon was not kind this day. No one knows if her actions were divine retribution for the slaughter of her kind until now or the utter disrespect they showed daring to attack her unprompted. All those who had gathered to crush the alliance of tribes Kellos belonged to were slaughtered or left forever broken. Due to Kellos’ prayers, or the respect at not opening fire on her, the great gryphon saved the lives of his tribe and allies as well as delivering punishment upon those who betrayed them.
Kellos formed the foundation of the Kel faith by beginning to worship gryphons that day. The great gryphon that had saved them was forever to be known as the Mother of all Gryphons and the Great Queen. In the wake of the news of the battle, tribes and clans began to gather around Kellos and his followers. In just a few years they had grown strong and began a crusade. A message of conversion or death was brought by them all until they had reached every corner of Kelon. None of the ancient cultures were left. Only the followers of Kellos remained. They remained themselves as the Kel and named their lands Kelon in honor of all he had done.
Peace followed as they tired of the blood wars that had already cost them so many of their loved ones. The sting of their spears and arrows would be saved for their neighbors when they raided them for the vital resources the Kel lacked.
Age of Wonders:
Life for the Kel grew strange during this age. Their culture did not fit into the great leaps suddenly taken by the dwarves so far away. Nothing of value to the dwarves could be found in Kelon. The Kel found themselves on the edge of civilization at this time. Barbarians and brutes that worshipped catbirds was what they were called in the ancient texts. A grand gryphon cult that were littler more than shepherds and raiders preying upon their betters.
For the Kel, things were different. Instead of reveling in the new marvels of the age, they deepened their devotion and developed their new faith closer to what it would become. They raided for goods they lacked the resources to make themselves. Trade was not an option for them as those outsider their homeland looked down upon them and their devotion to their faith.
Their skills slowly were honed even as the age came to a close as “civilization” collapsed in on its own weight. To the Kel it was only natural for they had forgotten their ancestors and fallen into greed.
Age of Expansion:
The great civilizations were gone yet the Kel remained. They found themselves with new neighbors. Where once abtati and other people of Amol-kalit had been to the West they were now replaced with the Cortosi kingdoms and citystates. These new neighbors didn’t appreciate being raided and soon the Kel found themselves facing an army marching on their homeland.
For the first time since Kellos’ time, Kelon would know war.
The Cortosi found immediate success as the Kel were taken completely by surprise as their armies suddenly marched across their Western border and landed ships along their coasts. They quickly began to take land in the Western half of Leveta, but the moment they were at the mountains of Arema their situation changed. The rough slopes and danger of wild gryphons slowed the Cortosi from a sprint to a crawl. It bought the Kel tribes time to regroup and gather together. The Confederacy of Kellish Tribes rose their gryphon banners and the Cortosi would take no more ground in Kelon.
The Kellish army pushed the Cortosi back to where they had come from through many hard won battles. The Cortosi held the advantage of numbers but the Kel proved to be the more tenacious warriors willing to fight to the bitter end. The war turned from quick victory for the Cortosi into a meatgrinder for both sides. The cracks in the Cortosi forces began to grow as their natural divisions from back in Cortos began to resurface. Fields were left unattended back home. Leaders of foreign cities and different faiths asked them to throw their lives away in seemingly suicidal battles against an enemy they knew would not break or back down. Loneliness set in as they remembered loved ones. The spirit of the Cortosi soldiers grew weaker and weaker every day. Desertion soon was rampant with entire armies from states leaving the fight to head home from a land seen as worthless.
After years of bitter fighting and nearly pushing the Cortosi completely out of their lands, the Kel were victorious as the last Cortosi leader surrendered. An agreement was reached. The Kel would no longer raid this sole Cortosi’s lands and in return they would leave Kel lands. Payments of goods and gold would be paid to the Kel to ensure good faith from both sides.
This proved to be the event that would bring about the modern Kel culture. Once an enemy, the goods these Cortosi brought sparked a hunger for foreign foods in the Kel. For the first time in their history the Kel had a trade partner. Quickly they adapted. They would never let an outsider bring blood and war to their homeland again, so they opened up trade cities and ports along their borders and coasts so that they could trade while controlling the movement of outsiders. The masks that they began to wear during the war for protection were adopted after seeing how the Cortosi reacted to them on and off the field of battle.
Years later it proved to be a benefit to the Cortosi and a start of their mercenary culture when King Grichen’s army began to march through Cortos. The Kel had requests for aid from their various new trade partners. At first the tribes could not come to an agreement on if they should help outsiders or not, but then the offer of payment came. The Kel realized how beneficial this could prove and so finally agreed. The gryphon banners were raised once more and marched out of Kelon for the first time.
Ultimately King Grichen’s army would prove too much for the Kel, but they proved their worth. Before his army could march into Kelon the Confederacy was able to make a deal with his Empire. In return for tribute and mercenaries from the Kel, the Empire would save Kelon for the end. Thankfully for the Kel King Grichen forgot about the details of their deal. They made a name for themselves at this time as elite warriors capable of doing whatever job they needed done.
As Grichen’s Empire fell into ruin and broke apart, the Kel found themselves in a better position by the end. Their warriors were highly desired by lords as mercenaries. Their merchants were known for being honest and trustworthy. Their craftsmen known for their colorful products of high quality. Finally gold was flowing into Kelon and they used it to sate their desire for exotic goods.
Age of Chronicles:
In the current age little has changed for the Kel from the previous age. Their reputation has not waned as they have worked so diligently to uphold it as a people. More of the wider world is aware of them and what they can offer. It is not uncommon to the see the Kellish mask in major ports around Liadain.
Lore
“Great Queen, I humbly ask for your mercy. Fill me with the strength I need to win this day. Or make my end quick so I may rejoin my ancestors in the next life.”
“Feathers fall faintly. Gracefully they twirl. They dance with the wind bobbing about. Life is about movement and joy. But eventually they must touch upon the ground. An end to their dance. Ever still.”
“Feathers fall faintly. Gracefully they twirl. They dance with the wind bobbing about. Life is about movement and joy. But eventually they must touch upon the ground. An end to their dance. Ever still.”
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