They’re quite the sad people, even if it might not seem like it from the surface with all the revelry and debauchery they like to partake in. Their pride in themselves and their roots are nearly extinguished and now most of them seem content with withering away and fading into obscurity as their people slowly die out. All but a few brave sods dedicate their lives to ensuring their survival and often those folks are ridiculed and cast from their society for reasons I cannot comprehend in earnest.— Meklin Bokker, Yegrian chronicler
are a species of
geprati who are riddled with guilt, shame, and an unwavering sense of pessimism that has reduced their society to a state of hedonism and extremism. They inhabit the eastern shores of the continent, preferring the comfort, safety, and beauty of their forests. They are rather similar to
humans in their appearance, with the obvious differences between the two being the alcheni’s antlers, pointy ears, and the wider range of eye colours. In addition to those noticeable features, alcheni also have slightly stronger and sharper teeth which suit their more carnivorous diet.
Appearance
When seeing an alchen from afar, the first thing anyone is likely to notice are the impressive sets of antlers on their heads. Unlike those of elk or deer, alcheni do not seem to be able to shed their horns and both men and women have them. the length and impressiveness of them depends from person to person. A larger set of antlers is considered a symbol of strength and virility, but while it might make an individual more attractive in the eyes of others, they can be rather tedious to live with.
Eyes
Besides the wide array of various eye colours that a typical human possesses, the alcheni are also capable of having eyes the colour of various gems and dyes. Humans and panedur often find such vibrant shades alluring, while in alcheni society they considered those eye colours perfectly mundane.
Hair
The heads of alcheni women and men are adorned by locks of hair that range from a near white platinum blonde to hair as dark as the winter night with shades of brown and red in between. Alchen men live free without fear of developing male pattern baldness, unlike their human counterparts.
Ears
Although they might be tucked away behind hair at times, another distinctive characteristic of the alcheni are their pointed ears. The length and pointiness of them can vary from person to person. Alchen ears are also curiously sensitive and ear massages are a common method for relieving stress.
Life Cycle
A peaceful death of old age appears suspiciously rare among the alcheni. Nearly all of them are instead gripped by a strange madness that leads to their early downfall far before their bodies would naturally give in to the decay of time.— Meklin Bokker, Yegrian chronicler
Alchen pregnancies last on average around ten months and the process of giving birth is a grueling and painful experience, which usually requires the help of others. Out of all the geprati, the alcheni are most likely to suffer from complications during childbirth, many of which can cause death or other unfortunate consequences. The higher prevalence of stillborn children and miscarriages has contributed to their slow population growth compared to other similar species.
Early Demise
Rowdiness and disobedience aren’t the only things parents fear from their children when their puberty draws near. That troublesome period of a child’s life also brings with it the first signs of a madness that tears away at the heart of all alcheni.
The signs will be subtle at first, nonexistent noises or shadows moving at the corners of the eye, but Vol’s Visions will intensify in time. There are but a few who are lucky enough to be spared from this condition, but as for the rest of the alcheni, this madness is often the leading cause of an untimely death. If a reliable cure were to be discovered, the average lifespan of the alcheni would increase significantly. This curse strikes hardest past the age of 60 and most perish before they reach their 80s.
Child
Children who are lucky enough to be born with no life-threatening conditions can enjoy the bliss of childhood until their mid-teens. After that, puberty will strike. A lot of alchen end up getting coddled by their parents, which may delay their development as the parents take care of everything for them and never let them fail and learn. While this behaviour is also present among human parents, it is a far more widespread occurrence for the alcheni as their excessive infant mortality rate has forced them to be extra protective of their offspring.
Adult
Historically, both men and women would be considered adults once they got married, but nowadays, with the youth more likely to delay marriage or avoid it altogether, children come of age upon their 24th birthday.
Elder
Adults reach the elder stage of their lives as soon as all the hairs on their head have gone grey. This does, however, also mean that young men and women unfortunate enough to go grey at an early age skip most of their adulthood, even if they still hold on to the emotional maturity of their teenage selves.
Elders are often responsible for taking care of the youth and ensuring that ancient traditions and tales get passed down from generation to generation. This venerable role is more respected among the Nehenians, who are far more conservative and traditionalist compared to their southern counterparts.
History
We seem to know nothing about the ancient homeland of the alcheni and it irks me greatly to know that I’ll likely never have anything else to add on the topic. So many questions left unanswered, mysteries left unsolved. If only we could uncover some crusty old tomes about the subject.— Meklin Bokker, Yegrian chronicler
The Alcheni arrived on the shores of
Lethea thousands of years ago, bearing a united banner, while human society was still mostly tribal and disorganised. Under the leadership of their great imperatrix, the
Imperium of Qerthéllnaval carved out a vast empire for itself, subjugating and displacing many of the humans that had inhabited the east coast of the continent. As the period of conquest came to an end, some of the subjugated peoples began to benefit from the innovations that their new overlords had shared with them. In return for the advances in technology and the quality of life, the
Saralians taught the alcheni all they knew about the
spirits and their power.
Eternal Guilt
Many of the alcheni, especially the Sehenians who formed the southern imperium, are haunted by the terrible deeds of their forebears. The guilt from the ruthless conquests, eradications of peoples, and the brutal oppression of the humans and panedur their ancestors ruled over is a weight upon their shoulders that they cannot seem to escape.
There are some, who seeing the falling civilisation around them, have doubled-down on such atrocious acts and praise their ancestors of having strength and will, but most view upon them with disgust and see the slow demise of their people as justice catching up with their people at long last.
This guilt doesn’t affect the Nehenians as their people opposed the heinous acts of violence and when it comes to the Rehenians, their feelings on the matter are a lot more mixed. Some carry the guilt with them, but a good portion of their populace feels distant enough from those events that it doesn’t affect them.
Downfall
Peace and prosperity reigned for a few centuries, but eventually corruption and decadence had rotted the foundations of the imperium. The realm was divided, with the old government retaining control of the north while the
Imperium of Valhértis, a far more expansionist power filled with ideals of racial supremacy, emerged in the south.
Over a millennium has passed, and still this divide persists. The north fell long ago when the
aberati invaded and the survivors now live in clans, hiding in the forest and defiantly protect what’s left of their ancient customs. In the south, decadence and corruption reign supreme, and the successor states to the once vast imperium now struggle to find their own place in the world.
The human civilisations that surround the alcheni eagerly pounce on their weakened neighbours, using their downfall to claim lands and to subjugate the people whose ancestors had once conquered their ancestral lands. With the bleakness of their situation so grim, many of the alcheni seek distractions to cast aside thoughts of their impending doom.
Can't wait to know more about these guys!