Races of Avendar, Chapter IX: The Ch’taren

An excerpt from the Races of Avendar, an in-game text found in the school of heroes, this chapter covers the ch’taren.

Ch'taren: Section 1

The ch'taren race is the newest to join Avendar's racial tapestry, appearing
at the climax of the War of Night.  Early ch'taren described themselves as
'refugees', but also spoke of their lives on their home plane.  It was there
that they were born of the twin gods, Rystaia and Vaialos, and they were
imbued with the powers of Spirit.  

The precise location and character of the ch'taren home plane is disputed,
as the concepts which characterize it cannot be expressed in current mortal
language.  What is known of it is that it was more fully attuned to the pure
force of life and the spirit realm.  The legendary living metal, ch'lonin,
is said to have been forged there.  

Rystaia encouraged passion, joy, and zeal in the hearts of the ch'taren,
while Her twin, Vaialos, encouraged the race's monumental intelligence and
affinity for magic.  However, a dark shadow would be cast across this
perfect world in the form of Tzet-Askhari's whose presence would devastate
their world, and change the face of Avendar forever.  

Ch'taren: Section 2

The Dragon devoured many of the outer planes which were unprotected by the
Avendarian Compact, and one of them was the home of the ch'taren and their
twin gods.  Their hope of survival was virtually non-existent when faced
with the terrible might of the Overgod, and it seemed only a matter of time
until the Dragon's victory.  

Rystaia and Her high priest, Shathalith, uncovered the plans of the shuddeni
to create a great nexus to the void.  While they prepared for the passage of
the ch'taren to the Prime, Vaialos valiantly faced Tzet-Askhari.  His power
was nothing compared to the dread might of the Dragon, and He was devoured,
along with the ch'taren home world.  

However, with the gateway open, the ch'taren poured through the portal,
arriving suddenly in wartorn Avendar.  This sudden reversal of fortune put
the near-victorious shuddeni on the defensive, and would be remembered for
all time as the Day of Two Dawns.  Quickly, the tide of the War of Night
turned in favor of the surface races, and the shuddeni were driven into the
earth.  

Ch'taren: Section 3

The Republic of Earendam granted a number of parcels of land to the ch'taren
in the wake of the War.  These three locations became known as the ch'taren
havens.  To the far north, was Avayn, the haven of Ice.  To the south, was
Ad'masteisa, haven of Wind.  And on the isle of Alensha, was Jh'ten, the
haven of Waves.  

As the human Republic fractured, the shuddeni made one last desperate move
against their ch'taren foes.  Mobilized by the rising god, Arkhural, the
remnants of the shuddeni war machine struck at Ad'masteisa, and destroyed
it.  The great hero of the War of Night, Chalane Tyra, died a martyr in
defense of the haven of Wind.  

After the atrocity, the famed ch'taren heroine, Calaera, led her vengeful
warband in pursuit of the shuddeni butchers.  The warband offered no mercy,
and swiftly put the shuddeni to the sword.  This victory only exposed the
frailty of the havens thus, in its wake, Calaera saw to the construction of
Sy'ceera, which would ward off future attacks.  

Ch'taren: Section 4

In the lead up to the modern era, the ch'taren integrated themselves into
the societies of the Prime.  Their unusual looks and immense beauty made
them popular, and this was only cemented by their reputation for goodliness,
valor, and zeal.  Yet, ch'taren could never fully become a part of these
other societies, and mostly focused upon their havens.  

With the rise of the shuddeni Scourge, and a new blindness-inducing disease
known as the Eyeblight, the ch'taren have sealed off their two remaining
havens.  As the Scourge ravaged many strongholds of Spirit magic and the
city-states of the Prime, the ch'taren again found themselves mobilized to
action.  

Over a number of generations, the last of the Scourge's strongholds were
routed.  The ch'taren goddesses, Rystaia and Calaera, supported those who
battled the shuddeni, which has only deepened the anger between the two
races.  However, once again, the ch'taren are respected throughout the world
as liberators and combatants of the highest order.  

Ch'taren: Section 5

Ch'taren appear as translucent, golden-skinned humanoids.  Their most common
hair color is silver, and their eyes are often a vivid and unearthly shade. 
They are not fully present upon the Prime, making their physical sensations,
including injury, less pronounced.  As a people, they are a generally
carefree lot, untroubled by most affairs.  

With the collapse of their original culture, the ch'taren often adapt with
relative ease to the governments or cultures of those around them. 
Ch'taren, as a general rule, do not lead wholly settled lives, taking up an
adventurous mindset for at least some portion of their youth.  They excel at
magic, but often struggle when the rigor of discipline becomes too great.