View source for Chapter VII - The Shuddeni

-1-

The shuddeni are a subterranean race, living in underground 
cities far below the surface of Avendar. Shuddeni appear as
extremely thin humanoids with ashen gray skin, absolutely
lacking in all body hair. Most distinctive about  the shuddeni,
though, is the complete absence of eyes. In the place of the
orbs of the eye, shuddeni have nothing but a slight indentation
of smooth flesh. Rather than seeing in the conventional sense,
the shuddeni have some other way of detecting shape and
essences.
 
Most of shuddeni culture revolves around life in their cities,
which were originally formed by successful families, or Septs
as they are now known, of  shuddeni. In time, the holds of the
Septs acommodated allies of the family, until they eventually
became large enough to sustain themselves independent. 
 
Today, shuddeni cities are governed by a ruling caste of
priests, who maintain their power through the use of magic
and command of the lion's share of the city resources.
Shuddeni guard their cities with the aid of the chaja, a race of
massive slaves. Shuddeni cities will occassionally ally
themselves with one another, but bloody disputes have been
known to erupt over matters of territory or itinerant raiding.

-2-

Human contact with the shuddeni occured in the years prior to
the War of  Night, when mining expeditions in the Brintors
revealed a passage to Yithoul, one of the largest of the
shuddeni cities. After several initial ventures there met
their end, the shuddeni established a gradual relationship with
the Republic.
 
What the senate did not know was that these initial peace
overtures were merely the first step in a massive shuddeni
campaign of conquest for the surface world. Extending their
power to certain groups not in favor under the policies of the
Republic (Srryn and humans willing to practice forbidden
magic among them),  the shuddeni began to ally themselves
with these factions. 

When the shuddeni burst to the surface, they brought with them their most potent weapon -- the magic which drew on the 
negative energies of the void, binding demons and horrific
plagues. The shuddeni had with them their savage chaja
slaves, who formed the bulk of their fighting forces, along
with their  trained swordmasters, all wielding the dark blades 
of their kind.

-3-

On the surface, srryn turned against the Republic, along with
small pockets  of human rebellion, particularly among
scholars. The shuddeni boiled to the surface, rapidly
consolidating a foothold in the Brintors and the northlands
Once secure, the shuddeni conquest became a less rapid, if
seemingly just  as certain.
 
The humans and their allies began to fight in desperation,
attempting at least  a holding action against the shuddeni. The
Republic's fortunes seemed to be taking a turn for the worse,
with each step forward followed by two steps backward. The
shuddeni, though, were not content for a lengthy and
protracted war. They were eager to take possession of a land
not denuded by the consequences of war. They wanted a  swift
victory -- and took steps to ensure it.

Drawing together the greatest archmages of the void, the
shuddeni sought to create an immense nexus to the void. The
gateway was to open for three days, to bring through and bind
the largest and most powerful of demons, for use in one final
assault on Earendam. The result of their Summoning,
however, was not what they intended. Instead of an army of
demons, they brought through a great host of ch'taren,
refugees from an outer plane.

-4-
 
The ch'taren, desperate to escape perceived threat, broke
through the lines of the shuddeni, and fought their way to the
surfaces with the aid of human slaves. Using the magics of
spirit and their numbers, the ch'taren brought the
War of Night to the swift end that the shuddeni had hoped for
-- with a victory for the Republic and the forces of the light. 
 
The shuddeni were defeated, but still a threat. Some shuddeni
remained in  strongholds in the Brintors, proving too
entrenched to easily removed without considerable loss of life.
The main shuddeni tunnels to the surface were  walled off,
preventing the easy passage of large bodies of shuddeni.
 
In the centuries following the War, the shuddeni took
advantages of the weakening of the human Republic to
cultivate a more favorable attitude toward them on the surface.
Still feared, some shuddeni became known for their scholarly
works, providing magical transportation across Avendar.
Others cultivatedtheir reputation as exotic bards, convincing
noblemen of the artistic merits of the bizarre shuddeni musical
scales.

-5-
 
In time, some shuddeni came to find permanent homes on the
surface, still mistrusted but accepted as a necessary evil in
troubled times. Below the surface, some shuddeni still scheme,
plotting a return of conquest,  viewing themselves as
predestined rulers of Avendar.

Back to: [[On the Various Races]]