 The
Six Dai of the Erithi - Family Traditions
All the Erithi on Elanthia can trace their ancestry
back to one or more of six extended family groups
who made up the original population in Atan Irith.
Reverence for one's family history and ancestry is
important to them - not in a religious sense of ancestor-worship,
but as an assurance of keeping the history of the
people and honoring the deeds and wisdom of those
past. Those of the various bloodlines do not live
in isolated groups - though some regions comprise
a larger percentage of one bloodline than others,
due to being settled by family groups in the past
- and individuals of various bloodlines often intermarry,
with the male taking on the family identity of the
female in most cases. (Perhaps two-thirds of all marriages
remain within the same family bloodline. This is not
a matter of marrying close relatives - as many of
the same 'tribe' are only related by blood through
centuries-old ties - although marriages as closely
related as cousins are not forbidden or unheard of,
and even encouraged among the Eloth Dai.)
Members of the same Dai recognize their common kinship,
and take part in family ceremonies of history and
remembrance on certain days important to each clan.
They also often go into business ventures or other
cooperative undertakings with their kinsmen, and those
in need of help tend to turn to others of their clan
for aid. A small percentage of Erithians do not count
themselves as a member of a Dai, usually because they
have voluntarily disowned their family because of
some dispute, very rarely in cases of a few who have
repudiated all ties to others for some personal quest
or other reason. These independent spirits are not
outcast from society or hated for their status, but
simply do not enjoy the benefits of kinship.
Erithi lore states that there were originally ten
family bloodlines in their original homeland, but
four of these were not represented in the population
who arrived on Elanthia. These four families are referred
to here only as the Agan Dai, or "old clans,
and though individual members are mentioned in old
historical writings, their family histories are not
part of Erithi life on Elanthia except at certain
ceremonies of remembrance.
The six Dai of the Erithians of Atan Irith are as
follows:
The Eloth Dai:
Descended from a long line of adept magic users,
the Eloth Dai are the most insular of the clans, tending
to keep family business among themselves and, although
they often live among others, rarely marrying outside
the clan as many hold a firm belief that a talent
for magic is passed along by blood. Males of other
clans who wish to marry into the Eloth Dai cannot
do so without the approval of the clan elders, a restriction
not present in any other clan. The great savants and
mages Tirathi and Eliko Atelecha were of the Eloth
Dai. Children of this bloodline tend to have very
light-colored skin, eyes, and hair, the latter often
silver or white from birth. The name means "the
sky clan" or "high clan, and their symbol
is a grey owl.
The Surath
Dai:
The family traditions of the Surath Dai
revere the power of the physical world, the planet,
and the forces of essence that emanate from and surround
it. Like the Tichan, they reside throughout Atan Irith,
and like the Eloth Dai, they comprise many adept users
of magic, especially of elemental or spiritual nature,
though they are more sociable and open to relations
with other clans than the Eloth. Eonak is considered
a patron by many Surath. The clan name means, "The
stone clan" or "earth clan, and their symbol
is a silver or white ram.
The Nathala
Dai:
The Nathala are perhaps the most geographically
defined of the clans. The majority of their members
hail from the coastal regions of Atan Irith, which were
settled over a thousand years ago by a large group of
Nathala who left Eloth-Ra to expand the range of Erithi
civilization and founded the town of Nathal-Ra and its
surrounding settlements. Perhaps paradoxically, the
Nathala tend, as a group, to be both the most peace-loving
and the most skilled in weapons and combat of all the
race; as due to their greater experiences with actual
conflict through defending against pirates and other
dangers of the sea, they have learned to hate violence
and also to defend against it. Those of Nathala descent
tend to be of slightly darker coloration than most Erithi,
tending more toward pale olive or freckled skin, light
brown or red hair, and brightly-hued eyes. The clan
is named after its historical founder, thousands of
years ago, and its symbol is a bronze or golden nautilus
shell.
The Yachan
Dai:
Although members of this clan are found
in most Erithi lands, the majority have settled in the
more temperate woodlands and valleys in the south of
Atan Irith, where the greener lands are not overwhelmed
by the harsh ice and mountain climes. Many artists,
craftsmen, and bards, as well as magic users of a spiritual
or mentalist bent, descend from this clan, which traditionally
values the wonders of nature and meditations on its
beauty and complexity. Yachan, too, was named after
an ancient founder of the family, and its symbol is
a butterfly, of any color or many colors.
The Tichan
Dai:
The most populous of the clans, the Tichan
Dai make up at least a third of the population in Eloth-Ra
and most other central settlements. Tichan often find
they are related to just about everyone else in their
town through some intermarriage or another, and often
hold the more public jobs in town life - shopkeepers,
healers, merchants - though among adventurers, all professions
are equally represented. The Tichan Dai is named after
an ancient matriarch of the race, and its symbol is
a fish, often a silver salmon.
The Valaka
Dai:
Due to the fact that the Valaka Dai have
never settled in large family units in any one place,
and have often intermarried into other clans through
their history, they are the fewest in number of all
the clans, though they live in all regions and can be
found anywhere in Atan Irith. Many explorers, traders
and others who habitually travel are of Valaka blood,
as they often have less clan ties and responsibilities
to keep them close to home. Valaka is named after a
historical ancestor, and its symbol is a grey or white
falcon. |
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