Shāmaltā (Shaah-mall-taah)

The name Shāmaltā is recent because they've only used it for half a dozen millennia. Roughly translated, it means "the people of God."
An elder name for themselves is vegrādu, the third-born, referring to the fact that there was a first and second generation of ancestors (vegrāhid and vegrāqa, respectively) before them. Not, as some might imply, that they are the second youngest of the five races.
This name was distorted when passed through the tongue of the people who would become the Siegarans and came out as dvergar. That drifted over the centuries and became the word 'dwarves' in Lingua Tin'ala, a term that humans (and others) still use for them today. They accept that name, but don't prefer it.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Shāmalta are shorter, on average, than humans but also much stockier. They also have a hardier comparable constitution, due to both their biology and their general size/weight.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Like most 'humanoid' races, Shāmaltā require a large amount of nutrients to stay active. There are also some special restrictions placed upon this due to Shegid rules, but that concerns more how food must be grown or sourced rather than what they can or can't consume. Food is considered shedsha, permitted, when it is grown in the earth or water. This means almost every variety of plant and seafood is permitted, but animal meat must come from animals raised below the surface, usually in one of their holds.
Because they can't source the origin of meat when traveling to the communities of other races, they tend to stick only to vegetable dishes and water leading to the erroneous belief that Shāmalta are vegetarians.
Shāmalta cuisine, when they aren't neutering it for outsiders, is exceptionally flavorful and spicy.
They are masters at cultivating fungus, to the degree they have a multitude of edible breeds just like surface farmers with their crops. With the benefit of some bioluminescent fungus, Shāmalta can also grow many of those same crops.
Some staple Shāmalta foods:

• Kale
• Chard
• Seafood (fish, seaweed, shellfish, etc)
• Garlic
• Hot peppers
• Potatoes
• Moldcheese (bleu cheese)
• Onions
• Mycobrew (fungus beer)

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

The given names of children can vary wildly, from meaningful phrases to terms describing beautiful concepts. But they all share the format of a traditional long-form name used when introducing oneself for the first time as well as on formal occasions or contracts.
This can take one of two forms depending on if they descend from a matrilineal or patrilineal line to one of the vegrāhid:

• Given name, birth father's name + gender suffix, bloodline (which ancestor), and clan.
• Given name, birth mother's name + suffix, bloodline (which ancestor), and clan.

E.g. Bekhel Romnu arFeor deqis Dankil
Adopted children follow the same format with the addition of their birth parent's name:

• Given name, birth father's name + suffix, mish + suffix, adopted parent's name and their parent + suffix, bloodline (if applicable, or region if unknown), and new clan.

E.g Relarial Abhainno at mishno Bekhel Romnu arElynwar deqis Dankil

Major Organizations

• Shādad Rūn: the college of rūn, or the school of magic, a spiritual successor to the original school created by the ancestor Lumina. They're secular historians of the First Empire, attempting to reclaim the knowledge lost with a special focus on Lumina's teachings. They stand apart from any politics but still wield great power. Only a Mazrūn, a rūn master, in good standing can be petitioned by a candidate requesting the use of rūn. There are only a handful of exceptions to this, 'stock' items they make and sell periodically, and at great expense, to help fund their studies and expeditions.
• Bartoq: The capital of Shāmaltā civilization on Tin'ala and, as far as they're concerned, everywhere else too. The hereditary Nadva rules it, currently Zod Thadnu arFeru deqis Balferu.
• Azangushal: The first Shāmalta colony outside Bartoq's territory in over a thousand years. Founded by the Red Hand Company and ruled by Thrantor Thalmudnu arVanadis deqis Mafakithos until his death. Over the last three hundred years, it's maintained steady, if slow, trade and positive relations with Bartoq. While it lacks a branch of Shādad Rūn, Mazrūn haven't been above using them as a stopping point on journeys around the southern part of the continent.
• Drat Unlishar: Usually translated in Lingua Tin'ala as the 'Destroyer Legion', but technically meaning closer to 'Army of the Dead.' This volunteer-only military force requires a prospect to undergo a special ceremony and swear the Ath Drat Unlishar before being branded with the rūn for wrath and ruin upon the back of their hands. These brands glow like coals, emitting no heat, until the target of their oath has been slain. It's only undertaken as the greatest personal penance when one believes nothing else can absolve them of their deeds. They wield no political power but enormous respect, and those who return with blackened brands quenched in the heartsblood of their foe are greatly honored.
• Drat Bartoqaz: The legions of Bartoq, making up its army. Most of their duties involve patrolling their surface holdings to protect against giants or incursions from unneighborly folk. Their civil duties involve constructing and maintaining roads and infrastructure, acting as peacekeepers and firefighters, and guarding the Nadva and government employees as needed.
• Deqis Nesgāhid Deshbaz: the "Ancestral First-Metals Society," one of Bartoq's trade guilds. They regulate the thuraz trade by vetting, grading, and pricing ingots. If it lacks a DND trade stamp, then caveat emptor.

Gender Ideals

Due to the low modern population numbers of Shāmaltā, they're less concerned with enforcing a code of gender and are more concerned with if a couple can produce healthy offspring to continue the species.
Culturally, Shāmaltā recognize a gender trinary: male, female, and epicene. This manifests in seven acknowledged genders: male, trans-male, female, trans-female, non-binary masculine, non-binary feminine, and epicene.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

• Shāmaltāz: their native language.
• Lingua Tin'ala: the trade language of the continent, descended from old Teryn and blended with several other languages along the way.

Common Etiquette Rules

Shāmaltā are courteous, respectful, and humble in practice. They, in general, embody the virtues of their faith.

Common Dress Code

A loosely defined sense of 'appropriate' that seems to be instinctual to Shāmaltā rules their fashion. Most will dress in clothes that are colorful, attractively cut, and practical for their occupation. The only time there is an actual dress code enforced is during Molshakh prayer at the Shāvāpar, demands there are only long sleeves, long pants, and a head covering. It's said, but not clarified, that it should be 'new' or 'fine' clothes.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Outside those Shāmaltā who believe nothing, there are two traditional forms of faith: Sashagda, who worship Shapla and view the ancestors as his emissaries, and Savagra, who view Shapla as the chief deity of the pantheon with the ancestors as his children and subordinate gods.
Religions:

• Shegid - the dominant religion of Shāmalta, they worship Shapla as the one-and-only god. In Shegid, the ancestors are treated as emissaries of Shapla rather than the focus of divine worship themselves.
• Zepid - the Fellowship of the Hammer, an ancestor cult focused around Lumina and rūn in general. They seek wisdom and knowledge that was lost, as well as experimenting to discover new rūn.
• Efir - the Fellowship of Iron, an ancestor cult focused on the worship of Feru.
• Malna - the Defiant Ones or the Order of Lead, an ancestor cult focused on the worship of Molyna. They constantly push the boundaries of stagnation and conservatism: asking questions, demanding better, and pushing for growth and change.
• Regid - the Fellowship of Silver, the ancestor cult of Argad.
• Erim - the Fellowship of Gold, the ancestor cult of Oram.
• Venis - the Splendid Fellowship, ancestor cult of Vanas.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Holidays:

• Shupva Shataz

History

Most of their early history is lost in contemporary form but survives as ancient stories passed down among their people. Their more recent millennia of history have been meticulously recorded.
What has survived the long ages of the world tells that Shapla created the seven ancestors, though they awoke in successive order. The elder would have enough time to understand the knowledge given them, and the next would awake. Then those awake would pass on their knowledge to the next, and so on.
The first was Feru and he taught Argad about Shābalak, the Way. Together they taught their first sister, Lumina, who was gifted with Shālemna: the Wisdom. Three taught the fourth, Oram, and he was a dutiful brother. Molyna was fifth, and though her elders taught, she was unwilling to conform so completely. Vanas was as her brother Oram, dutiful and diligent. Youngest was Ithos; wise like Lumina and diligent like Vanas.
When each had grown into their Wisdom and the Way, for they had awoken full of form, a spouse was created; husbands for the sisters and wives for the brothers. So Shapla decreed that the men would be obedient and faithful to their wives, and the women faithful and obedient to their husbands. Thus were there seven men and seven women to fairly birth a race.
They spread out and settled many holds, creating over their long lives an empire that would one day cross the entire continent of Teryn. It's said that the knowledge of various sciences and magics possessed by the vegrāhid allowed them to make tunnels and caverns in solid stone like a potter sculps clay.
When men formed the kingdom of Teryn and became a great power in their own right, they discovered the Shāmaltā: already established and strong. With the wisdom of the benevolence of Shapla, the First Empire instead allied with the surface power. Regdāhid and king alike shared tables and hosted each other's children. Together they were two sides of the same coin.
This continued for many generations until Regdāhid Thekdrolir Thekdralornu arFeru deqis Feruqebed, later known as the Zamtha Thekdrolir. From the time his father Thekdralor was still Regdāhid until the outbreak of the Kings' War preceding Makshakh, the Last Day, Thekdrolir befriended four generations of Teryn kings:

• Eadwig Teryn Lavklad, son of Aelfred
• Eadred Teryn Lavklad, son of Eadwig
• Eadweard Teryn Lavklad, son of Eadred
• Vaz'shar Teryn Lavklad and his twin Par'mor Teryn Lavaklad, sons of Eadweard

The Teryns' cognomen came from the longer Shāmaltāz lavakhuklad, meaning swiftblade, an epithet given them in ages past by one of Thekdrolir's ancestors.
It's said he was closest to Eadweard of them all, and that the king named his sons in a Shāmalta fashion. If so, he did it poorly, but it's commonly believed that Thekdrolir's affection for the 'boy' would allow him to find humor in it.
Were it not for the approach of Makshakh, and Shapla calling Thekdrolir to serve as zamtha in preparing the Shāmaltā for it, it's believed he would have had a prosperous and peaceful, if unremarkable, reign.
But he raised the Thisragad and consecrated it as a home-on-earth for Shapla to summon all Shāmaltā together again after the great calamity and struggle. He created the Dratunlishar and fought beside them to his death to allow as many Shāmaltā as possible to reach arks and survive.
It was many long years before a semblance of a society could be reformed, let alone civilization. But in this time, the words, teachings, and memories of Zamtha Thekdrolir guided the Shāmaltā back together figuratively and literally. The nearest remnant of a hold to the Thisragad was chosen as their new home, and Bartoq officially became the city-state and later capital of their reforged civilization.
The title of Regdāhid was retired, as they were no longer an empire, and none could equal the zamtha. So they adopted the title of Nadva, meaning successor or descendant, as the first Nadva was believed to be a descendant of Thekdrolir via his son Thekna.
It's unknown how much knowledge was lost due to the generations struggling to survive, but many historians believe it was far more than was preserved. They cite the remnants of numerous unidentifiable items in any new ruins encountered as evidence of the theory.

Historical Figures

Vegrāhid, or firstborn:

• Feru: the first Regdāhid, ruler of Feruhal, capital of the First Empire. Steel is named in his honor, and it even managed to make it into Teryn as ferrum. Wielded the artifact known as Ferūklad, which became a symbol of the authority of the Regdāhid until it was lost with the death of Zamtha Thekdrolir.
• Argad: dour, noble, loyal. Founded and ruled over Argadhal, which was known for the highest quality of goods produced anywhere in the First Empire. Silver is named in his honor. Possessed the artifact known as Shāragad.
• Oram: generous, humble, hard-working, efficient. Founded Orahal, which became a major trade hub for raw materials and a smelting pot for developing regional cultures. Gold is named in his honor. Wielded the artifact known as Edtash.
• Ithos: longest-lived of the Vegrāhid, and a genius engineer and architect. It's said he operated in an incredibly structured and organized fashion, bordering on obsession. Founded Ithal, which legends say had construction in stone that no other could accomplish. Fittingly, stone is named in his honor. Possessed the artifact known as Thezra.
• Molyna: trouble-maker, non-conformist, defiant. Nicknamed Moly, she burned with strong feelings at all times. She founded Molyhal Lead is named in her honor. Wielded the artifact known as Khālakgus, an artificial arm.
• Lumina: also called the Rūnmaker or Ekhagrūn. Aluminum is named in her honor, and so is magic outside of rūn. It's said that she had such a grasp of rūn that she crafted them even into the most mundane objects just to keep practicing new combinations. She founded the original Shādad Rūn in the city she founded: Lumihal. Wielded the artifact also known as Ekhagrūn.
• Vanas: industrial, boisterous, beautiful, humble. Vanahal was a place of hard work, hard play, and relaxed attitudes. It's rumored the Teryn goddess of beauty and sex was named for her. Wielded the artifact known as Sāzagemfak.

Common Myths and Legends

Īdshāgād: The Vegrāhid gathered together, combining their knowledge and skills in engineering and metalwork to create a great treasure for the Shāmalta. But first, they would need to create the tools to make this great treasure they had envisioned.
Each departed from their friends and family, for they would be gone a long time. Deep into the earth, they traveled beyond the farthest realms of their clans. In these hidden depths, shown to them by Shapla, they came together at an underground river of molten iron.
They forged the tools needed in the murderous heat that would have slain lesser beings. A forge, an anvil, a hammer for forging, a hammer for striking, and a pick for harvesting raw solid materials. In the process, they would also need to make a prosthetic arm for injuries sustained.
With these tools, they forged Ferūklad, the symbol of lordship and birthright of the Regdāhid of the First Empire. The sword was more than a symbol, it was a deadly weapon that could cleave flesh and armor or burn a foe to ash.
Together they were all called Ushgēd, the foundation.
But once finished, they took the tools home separately, claiming it was their due for the labor. Never again would a single item be made using all six pieces; their people were lesser for it.
So the legends say.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Shāmalta tend to have fairly neutral to positive relations with the other races. If they have problems, it's with individuals or groups of people, not the entire race. Their views on the other four races are:

• Dryhtnar: Their culture is too focused on conflict and martial strength, but you can trust them when they give you their word. Stalwart allies to have at your back, deadly enemies to have at your front. Despite their appearance as primitive, they possessed sophisticated knowledge of building and metalwork.
• Human: Too short-lived and fickle, capable of great and terrible actions. Knowing a family for a few generations is best to see how their character will pan out. With such widespread variety, it's difficult to know their cultures from decade to decade.
• Siegaran: With longer lives than their human cousins, Siegarans are easier to get a feel for over the years. They tend to behave like Dryhtnar, also giving off an appearance of being more simple than they are. Stubborn as the mountains.
• Ylfari: Equal parts wise and experienced mixed with arrogant and stubborn. In the wrong doses, it can be infuriating. Those willing to tolerate it can learn a great deal from them. For their faults, if you befriend one of them, there's no closer friend and advocate for all your days. As fellow people of the word of God, they're solid allies. They just make everything so highly ritualized and unnecessarily long.

An exception to their broad view of people is their relations with the Sigkhadak, aka giants. At best, they're in a state of wary hostility and readiness. As both races live in the same local area of the region known as Īdsāzag, they frequently clash... as far as the long-lived Shāmalta are concerned. There is even a special military force that operates bunker fortresses and patrols their territory for troublesome Sigkhadak. They're called the Shallarat, the Frost-Patrol, named for the winter season when they're most busy.

Lifespan

500 years

Average Height

1.5m to 1.75m

Average Weight

80kg to 90kg

Related Technologies

• Erkhav

Related Materials

• Thuraz