Astanlar

Written by TheirGraceGrace

Delan Doroza leapt out of the way of the wolf as it leapt towards him, rolling along the grassy ground. He pulled his bow back, and loosed an arrow directly into the wolf's side, wounding it very badly. The wolf snarled and tried to rush him once again, but the deft astanlar leapt up into a nearby tree, and shot a second arrow directly between the wolf's eyes. The beast limped forward before falling to the ground, dead.
After skinning the beast and drying the hide alongside a couple of others, the graceful half-elf collected them and walked the few hours required to get to the small town of Niskar. In broken Weddic, he eventually claimed a small sum of money from the dwarves of the mining town, securing enough arrows and other supplies to last him a couple more weeks.
In celebration of the end of this hunt, Delan decided to sit in a clearing and look up at the stars. He guessed that his elven parent would have likely known the names of all those stars, what they meant, maybe even if they said anything about his future. All he knew about the ibelilar was that one of them had met his long-dead human mother and had a pair of children with her. That, and what the dwarves told him about the graceful people living in the trees.
Suddenly, the night came alive around him with sounds of owls and crickets. It didn't matter who his parents were out here. The forest never cared about any of it. Out here, he could be whomever he wanted.

Appearance

The astanlar appear to be a blend of the ibelilar and tepilar races. On the elven side, they have the vaguely graceful features and pointed ears of the ibelilar, as well as a hint of their respective skin tones depending on the ethnicity of their ibelilar parent. Their height and muscular build is much more reminiscent of the tepilar, and they can grow beards unlike the ibelilar.

Senses and Magical Resistance

Due to the influence of their elven parentage, the astanlar can see a limited distance in the dark (although not to the clarity that the ibelilar can), seeing these things in various shades of grey. Those assaulted by fay magicks (especially those relating to sleep or charms) will find they are not affected by them to the same degree as their human parents.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Among the Tólâg, the astanlar have created many of the city's elite organizations and factions, heading many of the powerful lumber and carpenter baron families that form the Many-Armed Masters of Tólâgìr and the Crimson Crocodiles. On Sedesta, their influence is much more limited, although many find their mixed lineage useful for diplomatic work with the major Sedestan nations.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Like many other races that come from mixed parentage, the astanlar have often formed a culture around not fitting in. Either by finding a middle ground between the elven and human cultural traditions or by forming a culture of their own, the astanlar try to find something akin to a home.

History

The first astanlar began to appear when the tepilar and ibelilar communities of Daganti began to merge and mingle at the end of the First Era. Their existence was minimal and their contributions to the history of the world equally small, but they do have a couple of noteworthy heroes, most notably Tollgalir.
Following the Sundering, these communities scattered to the wilds of either Sedesta or Kerath. Tollgalir and his forces settled the wilds of the Tólâg Jungle, taming the muddy soils to create the city of Tólâgìr, while cities such as Lerdelore and Voldawë became home to communities filled with both tepilar and ibelilar.
Over the centuries, the astanlar have rarely been able to make their own culture or form their own communities in Sedesta. Attaching themselves to other communities of humans or elves, they have attempted to make a name for themselves, often butting heads with their elders. In many communities, they are often cast out, believed unworthy of the community that they call home or a reminder of a quickly-regretted encounter.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The astanlar, for all of their "outsider" reputation, have very good relations with other races on Orkanis. The tepilar find their slight elven nature an interesting feature, and many are willing to accept them into their communities, if only on the fringes of them. The ibelilar often take a haughty attitude, refusing to treat them kindly and even abandoning them in the wilderness in the case of the berilar.
Many of them travel the world or find their own homes, sometimes inserting themselves into weddelar or vidashlar communities tall, hardworking foresters or hunters. They tend to stay to themselves even then, understanding that this link with civilization is very fragile and vital for their survival.
Other "outsider" races such as the vileshlar or the grakonlar have sympathy for them. Larger and diverse adventuring guilds love to take on astanlar for their worldly experiences or diligent attitudes.

Also known as

Half-elves

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Ibelilar
• Tepilar

Lifespan

90-110 years

Average Height

1.6-1.8 m tall.

Average Weight

65-80 kg.

Naming Traditions and Languages

The names taken and languages spoken by astanlar are heavily dependant on the society in which they grew up. Those living among their elven parent will often grow up speaking an ibelilar tongue (Berian, Caldian, Xertian or Zëganian) and take an ibelian name, while those growing up in human society will take on a name consistent with the norms of that society and speak the local language. In the case of Berilar-born astanlar who grow up on the outskirts of civilization, they might take the name of plants, animals or other natural items and speak a broken version of the local language.

Geographic Distribution

Due to its significant elven population, The Kingdom of Loria is home to the largest number of astanlar. But due to the spread-out nature of the remaining elven enclaves of the world of Orkanis, it isn't uncommon to find a few in any large town or city.

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)