Difference between revisions of "Mhun"

   | weakness = Fragile, perpetually oppressed, loyalty to those outside their race often questioned.

   | weakness = Fragile, perpetually oppressed, loyalty to those outside their race often questioned.

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Most Mhun in the present day hail from the vast mountainhome of [[Moghedu]], an immense network of caverns stretching far beneath the Siroccian Mountains. Prior to the year 422 MA, Moghedu lay instead in the Mhojave Desert, which most Mhun consider to be their ancestral homeland. Between the years 422 and 457 MA, Moghedu was ruled by a brutal Mhun theocracy, and those who grew up during its rule were accustomed to constant telepathic surveillance and mandatory acceptance of Mhun religious doctrine. Even following the establishment of monarchy by Queen Nesvenai, Moghedu remains ruled by a rigid caste system and a preference for Albedi faith, where opportunities for advancement are limited and non-Mhun in Moghedu are discriminated against particularly harshly.

Most Mhun in the present day hail from the vast mountainhome of [[Moghedu]], an immense network of caverns stretching far beneath the Siroccian Mountains. Prior to the year 422 MA, Moghedu lay instead in the Mhojave Desert, which most Mhun consider to be their ancestral homeland. Between the years 422 and 457 MA, Moghedu was ruled by a brutal Mhun theocracy, and those who grew up during its rule were accustomed to constant telepathic surveillance and mandatory acceptance of Mhun religious doctrine. Even following the establishment of monarchy by Queen Nesvenai, Moghedu remains ruled by a rigid caste system and a preference for Albedi faith, where opportunities for advancement are limited and non-Mhun in Moghedu are discriminated against particularly harshly.

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==The Origins of the Mhun==

==The Origins of the Mhun==

== Mhun Culture and History ==

== Mhun Culture and History ==

Mhun culture particularly emphasizes group loyalty; in the face of the inhospitable desert, with oppressors and attackers on all sides, the concept of Mhun identity very quickly transcended mere racial affiliation. Mhun who broke with their brethren, or went to serve the enemy, were shunned by the Great Mhunna, and intermarriage was forbidden by one of the first edicts in the early Epochs. This stance, more commonly violated by escapees and adventurers than common Mhun, has gone a long way toward preserving a distinct Mhun culture.

Mhun culture particularly emphasizes group loyalty; in the face of the inhospitable desert, with oppressors and attackers on all sides, the concept of Mhun identity very quickly transcended mere racial affiliation. Mhun who broke with their brethren, or went to serve the enemy, were shunned by the Great Mhunna, and intermarriage was forbidden by one of the first edicts in the early Epochs. This stance, more commonly violated by escapees and adventurers than common Mhun, has gone a long way toward preserving a distinct Mhun culture.

The history of the Mhun is a long, sad tale - oppressed by Dwarves, Rajamala, Goblins, and Humans, freedom has at once been the highest ideal in their minds, and yet the most unattainable. Long thought to be mysteriously bereft of Divine patronage, the Mhun system of worship, which prioritized seven Spirits, was thought to be an invention by an envious race. Recent times have revealed, however, that the Mhun held Albedi faith in the distant past, and their ill-remembered Spirits were in fact gods of Albedos. The Mhun consider seven of these deities to be primary in traditional practice:

The history of the Mhun is a long, sad tale - oppressed by Dwarves, Rajamala, Goblins, and Humans, freedom has at once been the highest ideal in their minds, and yet the most unattainable. Long thought to be mysteriously bereft of Divine patronage, the Mhun system of worship, which prioritized seven Spirits, was thought to be an invention by an envious race. Recent times have revealed, however, that the Mhun held Albedi faith in the distant past, and their ill-remembered Spirits were in fact gods of Albedos. The Mhun consider seven of these deities to be primary in traditional practice:

These Gods - or spirits, as they were called - were, until a few centuries ago, represented materially by the Great Mhunna (literally, 'Great Mother', in a gender-neutral sense), high priest and a leader of the people, who held sole religious and political authority over all Mhun. The Great Mhunna is considered a position inherited by reincarnation; that though the Great Mhunna has possessed multiple embodiments, they are the same soul, returning again and again. Thus, in Mhun history, there were points at which the Great Mhunna ruled alone, and points at which the caste-leaders ruled by consensus.

These Gods - or spirits, as they were called - were, until a few centuries ago, represented materially by the Great Mhunna (literally, 'Great Mother', in a gender-neutral sense), high priest and a leader of the people, who held sole religious and political authority over all Mhun. The Great Mhunna is considered a position inherited by reincarnation; that though the Great Mhunna has possessed multiple embodiments, they are the same soul, returning again and again. Thus, in Mhun history, there were points at which the Great Mhunna ruled alone, and points at which the caste-leaders ruled by consensus.

Curiously, as a result of this close intermingling of religious practice with racial identity and culture, any being who converts to the Mhun faith is considered a member of the race by most other Mhun, and accordingly forsaken by the Gods of Sapience from then on. One individual who undertook such conversion was [[Dorin Silverbeard]], who lived out the last of his days as a practicing Dwarven Mhun. Mhun who remain loyal to their race, even if they reject the Albedi faith common in Moghedu, are still considered Mhun; those who turn against their own kind are considered banished by the Queen's authority.

Curiously, as a result of this close intermingling of religious practice with racial identity and culture, any being who converts to the Mhun faith is considered a member of the race by most other Mhun, and accordingly forsaken by the Gods of Sapience from then on. One individual who undertook such conversion was [[Dorin Silverbeard]], who lived out the last of his days as a practicing Dwarven Mhun. Mhun who remain loyal to their race, even if they reject the Albedi faith common in Moghedu, are still considered Mhun; those who turn against their own kind are considered banished by the Queen's authority.