| The Six Dai of the Erithi - Family Traditions
All the Erithi on Elanthia can trace their ancestry back to one or more of
six extended family groups who made up the original population in Atan Irith.
Reverence for one's family history and ancestry is important to them - not
in a religious sense of ancestor-worship, but as an assurance of keeping
the history of the people and honoring the deeds and wisdom of those past.
Those of the various bloodlines do not live in isolated groups - though some
regions comprise a larger percentage of one bloodline than others, due to
being settled by family groups in the past - and individuals of various
bloodlines often intermarry, with the male taking on the family identity
of the female in most cases. (Perhaps two-thirds of all marriages remain
within the same family bloodline. This is not a matter of marrying close
relatives - as many of the same 'tribe' are only related by blood through
centuries-old ties - although marriages as closely related as cousins are
not forbidden or unheard of, and even encouraged among the Eloth Dai.)
Members of the same Dai recognize their common kinship, and take part in
family ceremonies of history and remembrance on certain days important to
each clan. They also often go into business ventures or other cooperative
undertakings with their kinsmen, and those in need of help tend to turn to
others of their clan for aid. A small percentage of Erithians do not count
themselves as a member of a Dai, usually because they have voluntarily disowned
their family because of some dispute, very rarely in cases of a few who have
repudiated all ties to others for some personal quest or other reason. These
independent spirits are not outcast from society or hated for their status,
but simply do not enjoy the benefits of kinship.
Erithi lore states that there were originally ten family bloodlines in their
original homeland, but four of these were not represented in the population
who arrived on Elanthia. These four families are referred to here only as
the Agan Dai, or "old clans, and though individual members are mentioned
in old historical writings, their family histories are not part of Erithi
life on Elanthia except at certain ceremonies of remembrance.
The six Dai of the Erithians of Atan Irith are
as follows:
The Eloth Dai:
Descended from a long line of adept magic users, the Eloth Dai are the most
insular of the clans, tending to keep family business among themselves and,
although they often live among others, rarely marrying outside the clan as
many hold a firm belief that a talent for magic is passed along by blood.
Males of other clans who wish to marry into the Eloth Dai cannot do so without
the approval of the clan elders, a restriction not present in any other clan.
The great savants and mages Tirathi and Eliko Atelecha were of the Eloth
Dai. Children of this bloodline tend to have very light-colored skin, eyes,
and hair, the latter often silver or white from birth. The name means "the
sky clan" or "high clan, and their symbol is a grey owl.
The Surath Dai:
The family traditions of the Surath Dai revere the power of the physical
world, the planet, and the forces of essence that emanate from and surround
it. Like the Tichan, they reside throughout Atan Irith, and like the Eloth
Dai, they comprise many adept users of magic, especially of elemental or
spiritual nature, though they are more sociable and open to relations with
other clans than the Eloth. Eonak is considered a patron by many Surath.
The clan name means, "The stone clan" or "earth clan, and their symbol is
a silver or white ram.
The Nathala Dai:
The Nathala are perhaps the most geographically defined of the clans. The
majority of their members hail from the coastal regions of Atan Irith, which
were settled over a thousand years ago by a large group of Nathala who left
Eloth-Ra to expand the range of Erithi civilization and founded the town
of Nathal-Ra and its surrounding settlements. Perhaps paradoxically, the
Nathala tend, as a group, to be both the most peace-loving and the most skilled
in weapons and combat of all the race; as due to their greater experiences
with actual conflict through defending against pirates and other dangers
of the sea, they have learned to hate violence and also to defend against
it. Those of Nathala descent tend to be of slightly darker coloration than
most Erithi, tending more toward pale olive or freckled skin, light brown
or red hair, and brightly-hued eyes. The clan is named after its historical
founder, thousands of years ago, and its symbol is a bronze or golden nautilus
shell.
The Yachan Dai:
Although members of this clan are found in most Erithi lands, the majority
have settled in the more temperate woodlands and valleys in the south of
Atan Irith, where the greener lands are not overwhelmed by the harsh ice
and mountain climes. Many artists, craftsmen, and bards, as well as magic
users of a spiritual or mentalist bent, descend from this clan, which
traditionally values the wonders of nature and meditations on its beauty
and complexity. Yachan, too, was named after an ancient founder of the family,
and its symbol is a butterfly, of any color or many colors.
The Tichan Dai:
The most populous of the clans, the Tichan Dai make up at least a third of
the population in Eloth-Ra and most other central settlements. Tichan often
find they are related to just about everyone else in their town through some
intermarriage or another, and often hold the more public jobs in town life
- shopkeepers, healers, merchants - though among adventurers, all professions
are equally represented. The Tichan Dai is named after an ancient matriarch
of the race, and its symbol is a fish, often a silver salmon.
The Valaka Dai:
Due to the fact that the Valaka Dai have never settled in large family units
in any one place, and have often intermarried into other clans through their
history, they are the fewest in number of all the clans, though they live
in all regions and can be found anywhere in Atan Irith. Many explorers, traders
and others who habitually travel are of Valaka blood, as they often have
less clan ties and responsibilities to keep them close to home. Valaka is
named after a historical ancestor, and its symbol is a grey or white falcon.
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