Omenari

CONCERNING OMENARI
In general, Omenari resemble a more husky version of humans, and are the second most populous race. They can be found in abundance in every country except New Wyntiri.

Omenari have heads slightly larger and elongated than that of humans, with wider shoulders and torso. Their skin is gray with a hint of red pigmentation; birthmarks of dark gray and red mottle their skin (a legacy of the Spellglyph that destroyed their ancestors)and grow more pronounced as they grow older. Most Omenari are around six feet tall and weigh in the neighborhood of 250lbs.

Despite the mottling, Omenari tend to striking (though brooding) facial features, with sunken eyes, dark heavy brows, and irises of blue, teal and green. It is somewhat common for Omenari to be born with mismatched eyes; in such a case, one is always gray.

The Heritage of Imperfect Magic
Omenari are the mixed-race descendants of the Ennari, the people of the Orh-Kish Empire. (Cahdrists are quick to point out that they should properly be referred to as “Om’Ennari” — “Descendants of the Ennari”) Now centuries since the Empire’s self-inflicted destruction (4521 CY), the Omenari remain as living reminders of hubris and the two-edged power of magic gone awry.

The Shadowglyph
Omenari are intimately connected to history and the doom of Or-Kish through the twisted magic of the Shadowglyph.

In the final days before the fall of Mistmight, the Orh-Kish capital, the proud Ennari archmages within the city poured their mystic energies into powerful runes that would release an apocalyptic plague on the ever-swelling hordes of Goblins that besieged the city. When the Goblins finally broke through the walls and poured into the city, the mages — who had not yet perfected their runes for the plague — were forced to release their power in desperation. With a crackle of supercharged arcane electricity, their glyphs became energy, and that energy became death. This came to be known as the Shadowglyph.

The hordes of Goblins quickly fell in and around the city as the plague’s shockwave radiated outward. Soon, in the whole of the valley that housed Mistmight, not one Goblin was left standing. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of the city, the Shadowglyph did not end there. While the spell did not kill the Ennari outright as it did the Goblins, it’s imperfect creation seemed to take on a life of its own, swirling and spiraling outward, seeking its Ennari creators as if it were a tracking assassin. Within days, the Ennari of Mistmight were transformed, warped and deformed by the power of the magic, all ultimately succumbing to an agonizing death. Those outside the valley or in surrounding cities died as well, falling to the relentless plague as it radiated outward like a consuming ripple. Only those in the more remote cities initially survived — but even they were ravaged by the nature of the magic. Modern Omenari are spawned from the remnants of those survivors.

Spawned From the Remnants
Within a generation from the fall of Mistmight, Ennari were unable to conceive or bear children with other Ennari. As their race dwindled in number, male Ennari began to wed human women in hopes of producing progeny. Children of these unions were generally healthy, though their bodies and minds continued to be marked by the ravages of the terrible magic which had plagued their parents, Less than three generations later, the pure-blood race of the Ennari had died out completely, but their half-scion, the Omenari, remained.

Modern Omenari are have more human blood than Ennari, but still retain much of the physical characteristics of their Enarii ancestors. In addition, the marks of the Shadowglyph — both physical and metaphysical — are reminders of what their ancestors once achieved, and how they lost it.

Keen Minds, Brooding Emotions
Like their Ennari ancestors — who codified magic and built the largest civilization since the Wyntiri Empire sank beneath the ocean — Omenari have a reputation for being keen thinkers and astute scholars. Even Maughtheni Cahedrists, who tend to elevate their own scholarship above those of other races, quote Omenari scholars from time to time, and occasionally even use their work as support their own Cahedrist theories.

Compared to the humans around them, Omenari tend toward more brooding or pensive attitudes. They use the word “mojic” to describe their personality — a layered word created during the brief generations following the fall of Or-Kish, which carries equal parts “grief” and “unresolved anger”.

Visions and Prophecy
Additionally, perhaps owing to some lingering strand from the Shadowglyph or a deep seated desire to rekindle future greatness, many Omenari are zealots of prophecy and fate, and tend to spend considerable time and resources to receive (and debate) auguries, foretellings, and prophecies. Omenari believe that members of their race are occasionally privy to brief glimpses and visions of the future. Most such are quick, vague and often deal with people, races and events not Omenari, but provide topics for endless discussions with others of their persuasion.

Occasionally Omenari are born that have a more serious gift of prophecy. These are usually given to an Omenari organization called the Runecult, and are sheltered under the highest levels of protection and education. Each prophecy that a Runecult member receives is meticulously recorded. These prophecies are commonly the topic of conversations among Omenari, and are frequently debated concerning their meaning.

The Runecult
Omenari contend that they have prophesied that one of their own, of “pure” Omenari blood (whatever that means), will rise in the future and reclaim the glory that was once Orh-Kish. (This is often the reason given for marriages only within their race). Many who believe this are part of an organization called the Runecult.

Charged to be the guardians of prophecy, its members lead shadowy (and slightly feared lifestyles) always looking to tip the scales of fate in the favor of the Omenari race.

Omenari Names
Omenari names often reference classic names from the time of the Orh-Kish Empire, though some have taken more common human names as a deliberate step to put the past behind them.
Male: Ardasheer, Dariz, Fhalsoon, Garhet, Hrazik, Khath, Maarku, Orzhel, Rahim, Shanaz, Xerzmon
Female: Bahar, Esteril, Hester, Jaleni, Omid, Roksa, Shadi, Sharazad, Shinrini, Vashti