Alalaríans
The ancient Alalaríans1 were ancestors of all the Elakic peoples of Dragonía (and Jaarels). Their culture was later absorbed or replaced by that of the Útels.
During this expansion they encountered Þóvaríans, a race of sapient, bipedal wolves, in the southern part of the forest. Initially the two peoples avoided each other as prey was plentiful, but tensions rose as their populations grew and the best hunting grounds became increasingly contested. Eventually, both factions came to a silent agreement with the Alalaríans ruling the northern part of the woods (Ela'k Forest) and Þóvaríans the south (Jarrak Forest), but the former were always wary of the latter. Þóvarían presence changed Alalarían society in many ways, the tribes began claiming their own lands and used early warriors to keep other neighboring tribes at bay, pottery became widespread for storing food and some tribes began domesticating animals to keep them from wandering.
At Erra Lake, one tribe began mining for metals in the caves of Vúrakesen Mountains while at the same time growing crops by the lake. Disagreements over whether moving permanently into the caves or living by the lake was the best course of action eventually split the tribe, with the former becoming the ancestors the Jaarels while the latter became the first Útels. Alalarían culture eventually died out as the Útels spread their new ideas across the forest.
During the late Alalarían period, the most powerful tribes were located around modern Kelúra, Lakóp, Lehel, Úlmora and Þól.
The dead were painted with ochre, placed in huge urns and buried, preferably under an oak or with an acorn planted on top. The soul was believed to either travel up the tree on its way to the afterlife, or inhabit the tree itself.
Common weapons included clubs and spears, while armour consisted of leather helmets and tunics adorned with, feathers, boar tusks and dyed beads.
Appearance and abilities
Distant relatives of the Tíþenk Apes in Jarrak Forest, the Alalaríans resembled most closely their Útel descendants who now populate Ela'k Forest; copper brown skin, dark to reddish hair, green, brown or amber eyes, and slightly pointed ears.History
Alalaríans were one of the first sapient species of Dragonía, along with the Gobíls and Brariians, appearing some 50.000 years ago during the last ice age in Ela'k Forest. Originally confined to the slopes of Vúrakesen Mountains, using the cave systems there to escape the freezing cold, the Alalaríans slowly spread throughout the woods as the ice age came to an end and became nomads.During this expansion they encountered Þóvaríans, a race of sapient, bipedal wolves, in the southern part of the forest. Initially the two peoples avoided each other as prey was plentiful, but tensions rose as their populations grew and the best hunting grounds became increasingly contested. Eventually, both factions came to a silent agreement with the Alalaríans ruling the northern part of the woods (Ela'k Forest) and Þóvaríans the south (Jarrak Forest), but the former were always wary of the latter. Þóvarían presence changed Alalarían society in many ways, the tribes began claiming their own lands and used early warriors to keep other neighboring tribes at bay, pottery became widespread for storing food and some tribes began domesticating animals to keep them from wandering.
At Erra Lake, one tribe began mining for metals in the caves of Vúrakesen Mountains while at the same time growing crops by the lake. Disagreements over whether moving permanently into the caves or living by the lake was the best course of action eventually split the tribe, with the former becoming the ancestors the Jaarels while the latter became the first Útels. Alalarían culture eventually died out as the Útels spread their new ideas across the forest.
Society
Alaríans were made up of several tribes. Originally, each tribe was ruled by a chief (man or woman) whom the elders chose depending the immediate needs of the group, during hunts they would choose the best tracker, during wars the most experienced warrior etc. As Alalaríans began to settle down due to pressure from the Þóvaríans, the chiefs' status eventually became hereditary and their role mostly revolved around leading bands of warriors and communing with the spirits of nature. The elders handled matters within the tribe in the chiefs' absence.During the late Alalarían period, the most powerful tribes were located around modern Kelúra, Lakóp, Lehel, Úlmora and Þól.
Culture
Apparel
During the ice age, clothing consisted of tunics and wide trousers and boots made of skins, often decorated with ochre and bone shards. Later on, clothes became lighter, made from plant fibres and eventually hairs of woolly rabbits. Chiefs often wore a wide collar made of ölan panther skin, adorned with feathers and boar tusks.Architecture
The first villages appeared relatively late in Alalarían history, before which the tribes had lived a nomadic existence, gathering in certain places during summer and then scattered during winter. Houses were made of wood and clay, with straw roofs and formed a rough circle around a central plaza where the elders held their meetings and the chief performed ceremonies on a low platform. Event today, each Útel caste has its neighborhood arranged in similar way, arranged around a meeting place for the local elder council.Cuisine
Alalaríans diet resembled the modern Útel one in a lot of ways, hunting the same animals that are now domesticated and gathering mostly the same cereals, nuts and vegetables. Their cuisine differed in some ways though; mushrooms were commonly eaten, as were the bulbs of the aned'ber flower, both of which would be serious taboo among the Útels. They rarely ate almonds and didn't make almond milk, popular ingredients today, but that's because the sweet variety of almonds had not yet been cultivated.Pottery
Pottery was used early in Alalarían history, a byproduct of using clay to make baskets watertight, and differed greatly from what's used by modern Útels. Jars shaped like stylized trees, acorns and grape clusters were popular, often painted in bright colours. Aside from storing goods, they were widely used as vessels for making libations to the ancestors, to store fermented grapes used in ceremonies, and the dead were laid to rest in huge urns.Language
Main article: Alalaric.Religion
Alalaríans worshipped mischievous nature spirits with animal sacrifices and benevolent ancestors with libations. Tribal chiefs performed most ceremonies related the spirits, while ancestor veneration was more personal. Spirits were associated with hunting, warfare and coming-of-age ceremonies, ancestors with home and hearth.The dead were painted with ochre, placed in huge urns and buried, preferably under an oak or with an acorn planted on top. The soul was believed to either travel up the tree on its way to the afterlife, or inhabit the tree itself.
Warfare
Tribes sometimes clashed with each other during famine or if one had offended the other early in Alalarían history, but with sedentary lifestyle these skirmishes evolved into endemic warfare. Battles were held at certain times of year, full of ceremonies and taboos to keep casualties to minimum and often ended when one side retreated, though sometimes warriors would fight to the death if the tribes held an extreme grudge against each other.Common weapons included clubs and spears, while armour consisted of leather helmets and tunics adorned with, feathers, boar tusks and dyed beads.
1Original icelandic: Alalaríar, singular: Alalari
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