Dhalkenor, and the lands of shadow

In many of the realms of Polaris, shadows are but mere areas of shade, cast by objects in the sunlight. Not so in Dhalkenor. Here, shadows are semi-tangible, and not governed by light. Shadows have wills of their own, and cause mischief if not controlled by their owners. But, as the Dhalkili people have come to realize, shadows wield great power when they are harnessed.

In these realms of darkness, shadows are used as weapons, dark warriors and even building materials. As this resource is in no lack of supply, the Dhalkili use it wherever they can.

At first, many mocked the armies of shadows marching into their lands. But in combat, the sheer futility of killing shadows dawns on those that oppose the Dhalkili, and shadowy blades rend blood from real bodies. When dusk settles in over the battlefield, there will be no dawn.


1. Etymology

'Dhalkenor' is a Saeothan term, from the root words "Dhalenden" - twilight and "kenor" - realm. It is a cross between a label that the Saeothan people have given these people and a transliteration of the term these people use of themselves: "Thel-Keni" (TH.pngE.pngL.pnghyph.pngK.pngE.pngN.pngI.png)- the people of shadows.


2. History

The Sages of Saeoth have tried very hard to piece together the history of the people of Dhalkenor, however they cannot attribute their origins to any one of the Seven Tribes, for none of the ancient manuscripts mention the power to manipulate shadows. And the level of cultural development surrounding surrounding the use of this power is so great that sages estimate its introduction into their society happened before the dispersion of the tribes.

All that the Saeothan Empire knows of the history of Dhalkenor is that they appeared as a wandering band of travellers from the east, some time during the second age. They established a permanent settlement at the southern edge of the Mountains of Aithos, however their presence at this time was not particularly noticeable compared with the many other things that occurred during the second age.

However shortly after this settlement was created, shadow lore was learned, or possibly remembered. Other villages shunned these outlandish and unnatural practices, inciting hatred towards the otherwise peaceable Dhalkili. Small battles broke out to push them from the known lands, and for a time the Dhalkili shut themselves away for a time. However as the third age began, the Dhalkili returned, full or resentment. They conquered the outlying villages and expelled the citizens from those lands.

Since then, the people in Dhalkenor have kept to themselves, currently indifferent to the other nations and content to keep the current silence. Whilst Saeoth has made various attempts to negotiate and make alliances with Dhalkenor, naught but a few trade agreements have been made.


3. Politics and Government


4. Foreign Relations

As other races see shadow manipulation as trickery and deceit, relations with the people of Dhalkenor have been shaky at best. Dhalkili leaders are very sensitive to racial discrimination and often a misplaced word has started a full scale war.

Foreign Country Relations with Dhalkenor
Bandit Realms Neutral
Dark Lords Hostile/Neutral
Courage Tribe No Relations
Gemstone Kingdom Neutral
Kaithel Principalities Neutral
Knowledge Tribe No Relations
Justice Tribe No Relations
Saeoth Hostile/Neutral

5. Geography

Dhalkenor covers an area of approximately 32,700 square leagues (294,300 square kilometres). On it's longest side, the country is about 274 leagues across, and on its shortest side only 152 leagues across. Dhalkenor posesses a variety of landscapes, ranging from mountain ranges and high-altitude steppes in the north and south, hilly forests running in from the western borders, and grasslands stretching through to the east.

5.1. Climate

Through the central and eastern lands of Dhalkenor the lands are subtropical, almost dry enough to be classed as arid. However to the west and north, the climate is much more temperate. The northern steppes experience the most extreme temperatures, with dry summers andcold, snowy winters.

5.2. Major Waterways

The River Selam, The largest river in Dhalkenor, cuts into Dhalkenor on the western border and weaves a path down and continues south for many leagues. The second-largest river, the Kaleim, runs down from the north-east, snaking around through the central plains before entering Lake Yn in the nation's north-west. There, joined by many smaller rivers flowing of the hills in the west, the Kalein River continues north where it reaches a delta and flows into the shores of the Great Sea, far north of the country's borders.


6. Economy


7. Demography


8. Culture

8.1. Sciomancy (Shadow Lore)

The Dhalkili possess a power that no other nation known to Saeoth possess: the power to manipulate shadows. Whilst other cultures are willing to accept other magical arts such as controlling the elements, controlling shadows is often looked down upon as a very unnatural practice. Many view such abilities to be only one step away from full necromancy in all its twisted evil, however Shadow lore can be far more constructive (and destructive).

Whilst most other nations view their lores for special purposes only, the Dhalkili have openly used shadow manipulation to enrich their culture and further technology. The Dhalkili have an order of mages that constantly study the shadow lores - the Prophets of the Abyss. They have discovered methods of turning shadows into an obsidian-like stone for building structures and more recent advancements can create stronger objects with comparable properties to metal.

However shadow lore just not stop at creating substances. The Prophets of the Abyss can create shades out of people's shadows a grayish copy of that person with reddish eyes. Shades can phase in and out of materialization, making them very hard to kill. Their obedience is also complete and eternal, similar to the necromantic loyalty of skeletons. Shades, however, are more affected by different times of day. While at night they are terrors on the battlefield, by day they are handily defeated.

The most powerful of all shadow lore is the creation of abysses. The Prophets can condense shadows so much that matter can get lost inside it and not return. It takes undivided attention of a high Prophet to create and maintain such a thing, but when a multitude of prophets gather together, they can create an abyss potent enough to wipe a small village from the face of the earth. This is only reserved for the most dire of emergencies, when the Dhalkili are under threat of extinction and no other option is available to them.

8.2. Arts

Smoke Puppets

The arts of sciomancy can be used creatively. A common example is in storytelling. The most skilled tellers in Dhalkenor not only use their voice to tell the story, but burn small leaves and use sciomancy to create shapes out of smoke as the weave their tale.

When telling a tale, tellers heap special leaves and powders in small mounds on a flat square plate. As the teller weaves his story, he lights one of the mounds, and uses the rising smoke to create the visual aids for his story. The powders contain various metals, and produce many different coloured flames, which are used to help set the mood of different partsof the story. The leaves, on the other hand, are specifically chosen by the way that they burn up, if they produce smoke quickly in a rush (for creating large action scenes), or produce a slow steady wisp of smoke over a longer time (for more subdued points in the story).

In particularly windy weather, shadow puppets become impossible to create. Tellers often find for themselves another talent in such times, for telling stories without smoke puppets in Dhalkenor is considered second-rate.

In many foreign countries, such telling has never been seen before. Large paying audiences become enthraled in the swirling images and glowing embers. Thus many amateur storytellers with dreams of glory travel around the world, making much more money in other cuntries than they would telling the same story amongst professional smoke puppeteers and a more critical audience.

8.3. Architecture

8.4. Cuisine

8.5. Industries and Trade

8.6. Literature

8.7. Science and Philosophy

8.8. Sport


9. Language

The main language in Dhalkenor is the Common Tongue. Whilst the people of Dhalkenor had previously used their own native tongue, the widespread acceptance of the common tongue in other lands caused it to quickly assimilate into their own culture, displacing their native tongue almost completely. Its simplicity and straightforwardness enabled even less-educated villages to pick it up, thus only a handful of citizens ever learn the native tongue and only for reasons of heritage.


10. Religion


11. Education


12. Military Structure


13. National Identity, Emblems and Symbols


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