#dalak band

[ivendarea]

The Aapha

Touched by the Storm

Banner art based on and supported by my Patrons ♥

The natives of Darthonis call themselves “Aapha”, which means “the touched ones”. Darthonis is a small country in the north of Ivendarea, attached to the landmass, yet separated from the Ivendarean nation by a natural border in the shape of a deadly, everlasting storm of snow and ice. Both “Aapha” and “Darthonians” can be used interchangeably when referring to the people of Darthonis. They use “Aapha” among themselves and in conversation with others more often, while “Darthonian” only when speaking to outsiders about their nationality and country of origin. “Darthonian” is the term more commonly used by foreigners.

The Aapha spend the majority of their lives in isolated cities built to a large degree underground, as a means to protect themselves against the cold of their homeland. In Darthonis it is winter for the largest part of the year, and in the heart of the landmass the snow and ice do not even melt during the few weeks of spring and summer. Along the Darthonian coast though it can get warm enough for vegetation to blossom and fruits to grow in the fields - it is a time of celebration and festivities. The Darthonians are known to be hardened sailors, sustaining their small nation considerably through trade with other nations nowadays. Their most-exported raw goods are rare metals from deep within the earth, and they are known to be talented enchanters, smiths, and builders of ships and other sturdy vehicles fast as the wind. Travel between their cities happens predominantly via sleds equipped with sails or drawn by wolfhounds.

Table of Contents:

History and Way of Life

Aapha Society

The Darthonian Government

Naming Conventions

Beauty Ideals and Fashion

Biology, Genetics, and Ageing

Biological Cycle

Reproduction and Family Ties

Interspecies Relationships

The Aapha and the Nyr

The Aapha and the Assadin

The Aapha and the Kitu

Continue reading below or on World Anvil

[Support the Ivendarea Project on Patreon]

History and Way of Life

According to Darthonian legends the lands they now call their home were shaped by the storm in Ivendarea’s north. The wind was so cold and so strong one fateful day, it froze the ocean around its eye in its entirety. In the moment the water solidified, a small fleet of ships was caught in its middle - a band of sailors who had left their land of origin. The reasons for their journey and what happened to their homeland vary slightly from tale to tale. But with their ships frozen in place and nowhere to go, they had no choice but to set up camp and try to somehow survive the storm. During the fifth night of their forced stay, the majority of the crew at the brink of death, the spirit of the storm and ice itself appeared in front of them and touched them. Their hair turned white the like the ice and snow, but the cold had suddenly become bearable. Forever changed, but in a now much less dire situation, they managed to survive and founded the first Darthonian settlement, today the capital Lagharda, ever since calling themselves the Aapha.

Today the Aapha still almost exclusively live in their home nation of Darthonis, an environment that seems impossible to live in for outsiders, but which they love and feel connected to on a spiritual level. Since the beginning of the trade relations with the Nyr, a decent amount of Darthonians has also begun to settle down in Ivendarea, particularly near the border region, such as the cities of Canwyl and Westpoint. Another influx of settlers arrived only a few decades ago when king Leoros married princess Therstina; the first political marriage ever between Darthonis and Ivendarea.

The Darthonians are considered smart inventors and crafty survivors with revolutionary architecture and farming techniques that allows for surviving in a world of ice. They also are famous for being skilled sailors, building some of the fastest ships. Their wise elders are powerful mages, but not all Aapha are magically inclined.

Aapha Society

The Aapha are adapted to one of the most hostile environments of the world: an icy wasteland haunted by deadly blizzards and supernatural creatures. The Darthonian cities are far spread and tightly knit but manage to stick together as a nation through means of magical long-distance communication. While journeys between the cities are necessary throughout the year and carried out on a regular basis, they are risky and can end deadly on many occasions. Most people therefore choose to travel or visit family during the summer, when the storms calm down and the coastal cities blossom. The Aapha are at home in cold and ice, their skin burning easily when exposed to the sun for too long, and getting uncomfortable in warmer climates, which is why the majority of the Ivendarean Aapha live in the north of the nation and wear protective veils covering their faces elsewhere.

The Darthonian Government

Each of the Darthonian’s insular communities is led by a so-called Konar, a wise seer and spiritual leader. The Konar determines a city-state’s fate and influences daily life and decisions to a great degree, and their life is fully dedicated to their task - they have no family of their own, as all citizens of the community are considered their children and their responsibility. The Konar of all cities are in constant communication with each other and the spirit of the lands. They hold the nation together - but they are not the government as such.

Below the Konar, who is a religious, spiritual leader, stands a city’s worldly ruler, the Dalak. They have the status of a high-ranking monarch and usually stem from a long dynasty of rulers. When a Konar steps down or dies, their successor is usually chosen from one of current Dalak’s children. Therstina, partner of king Leoros of Ivendarea, is the youngest child of the Dalak of Lagharda. Despite the Aapha’s cities being far apart from each other, they are tightly connected through the Konar and the Dalak, who marry their children with each other to strengthen the nation’s bonds.

There is actually no one distinct ruler at the head of the nation, although the Dalak of the capital of Lagharda is by many considered the most prestigious and respected position. In the whole nation there is always a slight competition for influence, dominance, and wealth among the city states in terms of who can best represent the nation and its values to the outside world.

Naming Conventions

The Aapha carry a family name along with their given name. When they get married one of the partners has to give up their family name and take the other’s - usually, when a person comes from another city to marry into the family they give up their old family name. But exceptions now and then are possible, particularly when the person marrying into their new family carries a particularly influential or old family name.

Aapha given names are highly poetical and prophetic, chosen depending on the day they are born; noble families will often ask the Konar for guidance and advice in naming a child, commoners can consult a variety of books and scrolls with tables upon tables of suitable names to pick from. Picking a child’s name is neither an easy nor a quick process, and it begins as soon as the approximate date of birth has been calculated - at the latest on the child’s first birthday though a name has to be given to them.

Sometimes Aapha can have two given names: their fate name, picked by parents and spiritual guides, which is mandatory and legally binding. In cases though where it is an exceptionally long or highly abstract word, they can choose to also carry a so-called mundane name, which does not even necessarily have to be of Darthonian origin. The mundane name is used in daily life by relatives and close friends, the fate name for official documents and ceremonies.

Therstina for example was born the 7th child to her family in the depth of winter. Her name means “herald of the first light”, which was the Konar’s recommended choice after conversing with the spirits. Therstina’s parents at first considered it meant that the harsh winter she was born in would soon end. Today though her name is said to have prophesied her marriage with Leoros, heralding a new prosperous era between their nations. When she was younger, Therstina was usually called by her mundane name “Sina”, which is just a simplified, more light-hearted version of the very heavy and serious sounding “Therstina”. With her social status of being the partner of the Ivendarean king it would be insulting for anyone but her husband or close relatives to call her “Sina” now, and even then, only in private, never during public events.

Beauty Ideals and Fashion

Tall, strong bodies are considered the most beautiful, as are elaborate hairstyles that showcase artisanship, pride of one’s heritage, spirituality, creativity, commitment, and the wealth to maintain them.

A young Aapha of mid to high social status dressed for various occasions. The formal coat on the left is embroidered and features details made of gold, a handful of jewels and crystals, bone, and wolf’s teeth. It would be worn only for formal events and ceremonies indoors, as it is rather delicate. The tunic and skirt in the middle are a lot more casual and sturdier, warm enough to be worn outside. The flower-decorated veil is a commonly seen headgear worn outside during summer celebrations - only just translucent enough for the facial tattoos to be visible, otherwise protecting the wearer of the harsh sunlight. The part worn across nose and mouth is detachable, and there are other versions with slightly more translucent fabric that also covers the eyes. The coat on the right is made for exploration and travel, at sea and on land, the headband keeping the hood in place even in strong wind and the thick fur and leather keeping the wearer safe and warm.

Biology, Genetics, and Ageing

With an average height of 180 centimetres the Aapha often stand out in a crowd, in addition to their rather unique appearance. With skin-tones generally very pale and translucent they have an almost ethereal aura about them. Their eyes, in contrast, are of unusually vibrant colours, usually red, pink, and purple tones. The Aapha are known to see well in the dark, adapted to life underground and the long dark winters of Darthonis. Most also have pale hair colours going along with their bright skin. Even younger individuals might have white or silver hair, more commonly seen though are fair and light red tones.

In general, the Aapha have a rather androgynous appearance and also have no overly strict differentiation between gender roles.

Biological Cycle

A typical Aapha’s lifespan encompasses about 350 years, although some individuals can reach ages above 400 as well. Infancy lasts about 5 years, followed by a relatively short childhood, and with the age of 30 years Aapha are considered adults, with all rights and duties attached. The Aapha’s fertility begins to decrease at an age of 300 years, but sometimes even individuals older than that can still have children. Aging in general is a slow, drawn out process, and first signs of age usually already begin to show at 60-100 years of age.

Reproduction and Family Ties

Most Aapha families have 3-5 children on average, and their family ties and relations are spread as far as their nation’s cities lie apart. People tend to have more children to marry them off to several other cities, to strengthen relationships, but also avoid inter-marrying within one’s own family, as the cities are quite isolated. Since the Aapha are androgynous in appearance, they show off their relationship statues, family ties, social role and rank, and other clues about their personality through facial markings painted or tattooed on. This helps not only with forging and showing off allegiances but is a major part of Darthonis’ social life. Aapha are capable of reproducing with Nyr, Assadin, and Kitu, but such unions and resulting children are rare, particularly with the Assadin and Kitu. Children of such mixed heritage usually show characteristics of both parents, usually taking a bit more after the Darthonian side than the other in the case of unions with the Assadin and Kitu, while children of Aapha and Nyr often show more of the Nyr parent’s appearance.

Interspecies Relationships

The Aapha and the Nyr

The neighbouring nations and their peoples have a long-shared history. Both only knowing a life of isolation were surprised to find each other’s homelands side by side yet divided by a sheer insurmountable wall of snow and ice. The first contact was therefore only established via the ocean, the skilled Darthonian sailors landing on Ivendarea’s western shores, beginning a trade relationship as well as sharing knowledge and technology. Their relationship was not always free of obstacles, but never characterized or damaged by violent acts. One sore spot always remained the Nyr’s refusal of engaging in politically motivated marriages. While they are common in Darthonis, arranged relationships are rare and sometimes even looked down upon among the Nyr. Overall though this was only a small disagreement the nations had, and it only was brought up again recently with the marriage of king Leoros and Therstina of Lagharda, stirring up tension and negative feelings on both sides of the borders in various communities.

The Aapha and the Assadin

The Aapha were not pleased at all by the Assadin’s invasion of Ivendarea, fearing that their campaign for expansion would eventually hit Darthonis, too. The Darthonians would have faced the same problems as the Nyr, having no highly trained military available that could have withstood the attack of the foreign forces. Things came differently though, and peace returned to Ivendarea eventually, with no Assadin intents of taking over Darthonis for the time being.

Over the course of the next few centuries of Assadin rule in the south, only a handful of kings started off arguments over borders and territories, but given the fact that there is nothing of value in the icy border region - and it is impossible to cross it via the land anyway - it was not something worth waging war over. Finally, the Assadin agreed to what the Nyr had always refused: a marriage to strengthen the alliance between their nations and work on a future together. It was not a choice taken light-heartedly, considering the fact that Ivendarea’s government had been targeted by rebel attacks over and over again in the recent years and was recovering still from the effects of the last civil war. Both sides hoped though that strengthening the alliance would lead to prosperity - and, in the case of further attacks, the Darthonians would be more willing to help fight the rebels back.

The Aapha and the Kitu

The Aapha and the Kitu are on neutral terms, both seeing themselves as guests-turned-locals among those who live in Ivendarea, but outside of Ivendarea they have little contact or dealings with each other.

Thanks so much for reading ♥

Read more about Ivendarea on World Anvil

[Support the Ivendarea Project on Patreon]

[hypexion]

Victory of the Daleks is the episode where the Daleks win. The title sort of gives it away, doesn’t it?

This episode is a bit of a pain to write about because there’s secretly not much going on. It’s the last of The Daleks Are Back episodes, with Doctor Who finally admitting that yes, the Daleks will remain a recurring villain. The whole episode exists for this ends, which means that nothing else really happens.

The alleged conflict of Victory of the Daleks is that Winston Churchill thinks that the Daleks, or “Ironsides“, are pretty neat and can defeat Nazi Germany, while the Doctor knows they are evil murder monsters who would probably prefer to work with the Nazis. This conflict effectively doesn’t get resolved because the Daleks reveal themselves to be evil murder monsters after the Doctor’s Doctor Speech backfires. Thus we are spared from fictional Winston Churchill doing a Bad Thing, allowing us to ignore the fact that the real Winston Churchill did Bad Things.

In fact, let’s take a detour to consider that this episode’s historic component... isn’t. The war serves as a backdrop, and Winston Churchill is ultimately just another in a long line of people trying to use alien technology to obtain victory. The entire setting could be swapped out, and nothing would change. Since the Daleks are 200% evil, there’s no consideration if using them might be an option worth taking, because it can’t be. This combines with the British tradition of never looking at our history in any critical way, leading to Winston Churchill just being a guy who got tricked by evil murder monsters, as opposed to someone doing Bad Things to win the war. Hell, Torchwood should still be around during World War Two, so having them show up could have been interesting.

But Victory of the Daleks is about the Daleks and their victory. So it’s a very linear progression from “it’s the war!“ to “oh no Daleks“ to “new Daleks” to “Daleks win“. The episode exists to deliver the New Paradigm Daleks. Which might have been okay if the New Paradigm hadn’t gone down like a brick ballon.

You can’t discuss Victory of the Daleks with mentioning the new Paradigm Dalaks, since they’re the entire point of the episode. A new Dalek menace, bigger, stronger, and at eye-height for Matt Smith! Children across the country would be sent running behind the sofa at the mere sight of this new Daleks. Or at least, that was the idea. In reality, the new Daleks were met with near-instant mockery, due to their new and exciting colour scheme. It wasn’t long until the Power Rangers comparisons started, and the New Paradigm Daleks were soon discarded.

So what went wrong? It’s simple - there were too many types of Daleks. What’s the difference between a Drone Dalek and Soldier Dalek? What the hell is an “Eternal Dalek“? These are meant to be the Doctor’s great enemies, not a Dalek-themed Spice Girls tribute band. Since they were all colour-coded, it opened an easy pathway to mockery. I think the New Paradigm Daleks would have gone down much better if there were only two types - The white Supreme Dalek, and a bunch of red or blue Soldier Daleks. That way you have an obviously leader to act as the main villain focus, and a bunch of Dalek mooks to do Dalek things. Clean, simple and efficient, like the Daleks are mean to be, really.

Other than the Daleks, this episode doesn’t have much going on. Amy saves the day via the power of sin (sort of), once again showing that the Doctor’s constant gravitation towards darkness isn’t really helping. Dr. Bracewell has a minor crisis which is not really engaged with, and some Spitfires go to space. It’s that kind of episode, really. Does Mark Gatiss ever actually write one that’s good and free from weird problematic subtext?

So Victory of the Daleks fails to achieve what it set out to do. Judged on it’s other merits, it is found lacking. Sometimes episodes are winners, but this one is more of a loser. How ironic.

[harrisnovick]

"DALAK BAND - SINTAYEHU" (ETHIOPIA, JAZZ, 1960s) 

michaelxxquintero posted this to r/vintageobscura at 2017-03-27 23:04:47 UTC