mistji
| Lands | Beasts | Races | Personae | Faiths | Lore | Arcana |
“There cannot be peace within if there is no peace without. The elders look beyond themselves and see the young, and believe all is well. We look beyond ourselves and see the world, and know all is not. So while it pains me, I must depart, and fulfill my role as healer. I will meet other peoples, and find what ails Avadnu. And I will make it right.”
-Selianus, mistji sorcerer
First of all sentient mortals, the mistji are an ancient spirit race created from pure magic by the all-father Temulea. When the thirteen gods cast the Daegir to Avadnu, however, the mistji were ripped from the spirit world and made flesh. In the ways of magic they have no equal–but such power comes at a price. Their frail bodies have difficulty containing their power; their blood is slow to clot, and they easily become exhausted.
Mistji are isolationist scholars, whose lore and knowledge has accrued over millenia. They can be found in scattered communities consisting only of mistji and mi’thu, each carefully structured and organized to provide every community member a role to fulfill. Since the time of the xxyth and the destruction of their original homeland of Koulan Tyr, the mistji have lived as pacifists who primarily consort with their own kind. They refuse to take sides in outsiders’ conflicts, and are equally adamant about keeping outsiders from meddling in their affairs.
The mistji population has greatly expanded in recent centuries, and there is one mistji or mi’thu for every several hundred humans. Nearly all live hidden within their enclaves throughout Rothaaren.
Personality
Mistji are polite, but somewhat arrogant when dealing with non-mistji. In conversations they often appear detached, as if their minds are focused elsewhere. This is due to the focus and self-control they develop, and their efforts to not to let their emotions rule their actions, but it makes it difficult for non-mistji to gauge their reactions and feelings. Like their emotions, mistji humor is subtle and difficult for outsiders to appreciate. If anything excites a mistji, it is usually related to the study and practice of magic; no other race appreciates the flow of magic better, or experiences it so directly. Mistji are dedicated first and foremost to their communities, and the well-being of their society. Those who develop more personal goals learn to pursue them indirectly.
Physiology
Mistji are thin humanoids with pale features. They stand between 5 and 6 feet tall and weigh between 100 and 160 pounds, with females generally thinner and shorter then males. A mistji’s large eyes are colored blue, purple, gray, or green, and usually speckled with silver or gold. Mistji hair grows straight or wavy, and is most often the color of wheat. Those born with darker hair generally dye it lighter with a mixture of herbs and fruits. All mistji wear their hair long. Males do not grow facial hair, and often keep their hair in long ponytails (as opposed to the loose female style).
Mistji value all life, and their digestive systems are weak; hence, all mistji are vegetarians. Mistji are considered adults by the age of 20, and while they can live for well over a thousand years, they never appear a day over 30.
Attire
Mistji prefer comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. Robes are by far the most common garment, usually in subdued colors that match the earth or sky, but any simple and practical garb suffices. In cold climates, mistji often wear long, heavy cloaks over their normal robes. A mistji’s clothes are usually augmented with a single piece of jewelry made of glass, wood, or stone. Mistji never carry weapons in plain sight, but most males move about with the aid of ornate wooden staffs.
In Battle
Second in intensity only to their devotion to magic is mistji’s abhorrence of bloodshed. Ever since bringing about the destruction of Koulan Tyr, mistji have opposed direct conflict. They are a peaceful race, and only enter combat in the most dire of situations or in defense of their own lives and communities. Mistji avoid the use of all weapons besides quarterstaffs, and instead rely on magic to subdue their enemies.
Some younger mistji believe their noninvolvement with the world’s conflicts will lead to their race’s demise, but these outspoken mistji are frowned upon by the governing councils. Some of these mistji use weapons or carry daggers as a last line of defense, but being in possession of any edged weapon is a shameful secret which is hidden from other mistji–even close companions.
Society
Mistji society is efficient and unfeeling. Mistji believe that through the rigidity of their society they become more reliant upon one another, and the cohesiveness of their world is maintained. Their many laws are intricate and interwoven, matching an equally complex society in which mistji and mithu have their roles ingrained in them from birth onward. Unity is considered paramount, and mistji grieve and celebrate as a whole, keeping strong ties with one another and to their ancient traditions.
Each mistji community is governed by a council consisting of the oldest and wisest of the enclave, and a supreme council exists to govern all mistji. Mithu serve as enforcers of the councils’ laws, but this is mainly a symbolic task; few rules are ever broken, as the importance of serving the community is held above all else.
Similarly, the importance of family is slight among mistji: while respect is paid to mistji parents, the community as a whole acts like a single family. When one person brings shame to himself, or a young mistji strays from the path and rebels, the entire community takes responsibility and suffers. Each adult mistji lives in his or her own home, often a simply-furnished wood or stone hut.
Young mistji are trained in the workings of magic and its place in their daily life. Early years are spent poring over books about history, magical theory, incantations, meditation, and the interaction of the elements. Once a mistji develops an aptitude for a particular element, that mistji is housed with others of a like inclination and trained by an elder in the use of magic. A mistji’s education is considered to be of the utmost importance by the community, and mistji youths spend many long hours in study with little time for play.
In addition to magic, young mistji are schooled extensively in herbalism and medicinal practices. Because their bodies are so weak, they are trained to concoct salves and anodynes and to spot and heal a multitude of common ailments. Simple crafts and manual skills are also touched upon, but more difficult tasks are left to magic and the mithu. Mistji are encouraged to aid one another in their studies, which helps them to bond as a group and a community.
Those students who display a strong grasp of magical theory are taught further, and shown how to make minor magical crafts and potions. These items exist in great abundance among the mistji, and are often given to mithu to aid them in everyday duties. In their spare time, mistji pursue their personal studies, experiment with their powers, and enjoy periods of self-reflection.
When they reach adulthood (around age 20), mistji are accepted into society and serve in the roles they are best suited for. The most powerful spellcasters become educators, politicians, and healers, while others serve as craftsmen, architects, scribes, or gardeners. Station is important to a mistji, though the well-being of the community comes before any personal ambition.
Few mistji ever venture far from their homes. Their communities are self-sufficient, and do not require trade with other races to survive. What little mistji experience of the outside world comes through study, magic, and mithu scouts. Mistji who do venture into the wide world are mourned deeply, and though they can return, they can never again truly be accepted by their communities.
The relationship mistji have with the mithu is complex, and rarely understood by outsiders. Though of the same blood, the two peoples live almost opposite lives. The mistji pity mithu for their broken link to magic, but mithu are well-treated and cared for; no matter how strange the mithu seem, they are as integral to the shared society as magic itself. Feuds do arise between the two peoples, but most are overlooked and differences are set aside. For without one another, their society would crumble.
Religion
Mistji have no formal religion, as their magic supplants their interest in divinity. They give magic the same reverence that other races give religion and the gods. Mistji do acknowledge higher powers, but such beings are viewed as ancient, all-knowing spirits who achieved such might through wisdom and the passing of ages. No creation myth exists in mistji society, and while Temulea is believed responsible for their existence, their origin is not dwelt upon or philosophically discussed.
The high mistji council has ruled for thousands of years, and teaches that worldly and inner peace, contemplation, and devotion to magic serve as the common guides throughout mistji lives. In death, a mistji is thought to rejoin with the flow of magic, perhaps to one day be born as a mistji once again.
Race Relations
Mistji are uncomfortable in the presence of any other race besides mi’thu. Humans, they treat like children whose shortsightedness brings problems such as war, famine, and plague. They view skarren and skareth as primitive barbarians who lust only for battle and bloodshed. Sulwynarii receive a measure of respect from mistji, but this respect is kept hidden; mistji fear the influence and power that a single passionate sulwynarii possesses, and keep an eye on any sulwynarii in close proximity to their communities. Ngakoi and vulnar are kept at arm’s length because of their strange and alien ways, and while the abilities of zeidians are respected, the zeidian focus on protecting humans and their martial training are not. Mistji have few allies other than neighboring mistji communities, but they are content with this arrangement.
Lands
Equally common in V’leren, Kulloren, and the Deep, mistji take up residence in areas far removed from civilization. They live in communities numbering as few as a couple hundred mistji to as many as several thousand. They prefer areas that are naturally beautiful and that can support plant life; mistji villages are often built around gardens, from which enough food to support all present is magically procured.
Communities can often be found on the shores of remote lakes, deep within forests, midway up the highest mountains, and in shallow caves. Mistji that inhabit the Deep live harsher lives due to the difficulty in maintaining crops, and are more prone to trade (using mi’thu proxies) with neighboring civilizations.
Outside of Rothaaren, mistji are scarce; it is difficult for them to maintain crops (even through magical means) in such wild lands and remain self-sufficient. A few distant colonies of mistji do exist, however, and these mistji are often more tolerant of other races.
Alignment
Most mistji place tradition and community above all else, and favor a strong and orderly government. They are seldom swayed into action by the plight of outsiders, no matter how greatly they might be needed or how they personally feel. The laws of their people are their sole guiding force.
Some mistji do not believe in noninvolvement and strict dedication to their own society. Those who feel this way often befriend outsiders and help other races. Most are young, and often go on to become adventurers. They are kept under close scrutiny by mistji councils, and if they cause too much disruption are usually asked to depart. This banishment is never a public event, and is often done in the quiet of night, leaving other mistji to wonder why the upstarts disappeared.
Evil mistji are not unheard of, usually arising when personal ambition overcomes societal restraints. The worst of these individuals are cast out of civilization, and mistji councils go to great lengths to hide the identities of these transgressors from the rest of their people. It is rumored that some mistji learn to pursue dark designs within the confines of their society, but mistji councils balk at this claim.
Language
When spoken, the mistji language is elegant and melodic. Its grammar is complicated and multi-layered, allowing mistji to explain events with much greater precision than humans. The mistji written language is beautiful, made of long, graceful arcs, and uses the Celestial alphabet.
Names
Mistji names are long and usually consist of at least three syllables. As with the rest of their language, their names are graceful and flowing. Other races often have difficulty pronouncing these names, and mistji–though they don’t like to–sometimes use shortened forms when dealing with outsiders.
Male Names: Adiliwar, Daniolas, Fhilolar, Lelnarian, Meogalana, Naesseus, Osirinius.
Female Names: Aeriella, Eaoraini, Kelomarania, Madoniel, Nilfonia, Qeniladia, Shandalathos.
Adventurers
Of all Avadnu’s races, none is less common among adventurers than mistji. Mistji receive an extraordinary amount of magical training throughout their lives, and many mistji “commoners” are powerful sorcerers or wizards. Safe within their homes and focused on their communities, they can obtain power, knowledge, and peace without the quests undertaken by others. Still, there are some who feel called to the outside world, and their numbers have grown in recent years. Other mistji wish to involve themselves with other races, or find their views conflicting with those of the councils.
Sorcerers and wizards consist of the majority of mistji adventurers, and even those who learn other trades often maintain a knowledge of sorcery. Those mistji with a strong affinity for nature often become druids, and the path of the bard–traveling, learning, and practicing magic–appeals to many wandering mistji.
Rogues are unusual, but some mistji are impressed with the ways of mi’thu and follow in their footsteps. Mistji rangers, fighters, and barbarians are very uncommon–the pacifist ways of all mistji make them inept at using weapons and armor, and it takes an extraordinary individual to both develop an interest in violence and to overcome natural mistji frailties. Monks are slightly better-known, as an understanding of one’s self is an important mistji principle. Paladins and devouts are uncommon for different reasons: a mistji rarely believes in ideals beyond the scope of his or her people, and almost never becomes devoted to a single foreign cause.
All text and artwork contained in this wiki is © Copyright 2009, The Inner Circle. All rights reserved.
