D'ni (race)

From MYSTlore

Esher, a D'ni

The D'ni (D'nE^[?], "new beginning") were one of at least two civilizations resulting from the destruction of Garternay.

[edit] History

Main article: Timeline

[edit] Origins

The D'ni, like the Terahnee (and perhaps other currently unknown civilizations) are Ronay in origin.

They are descendants of a minority of several thousand Ronay who followed Ri'neref's lead to build a new life of the Age he had written, called D'ni. Compared to Terahnee, the refuge of the vast majority of Ronay, D'ni made everyone's life a lot harder: Ri'neref believed that this would effectively prevent people from giving in to temptations.

They were therefore named D'ni after the Age; they moved underneath the surface and settled in a huge cavern, where they built the City of D'ni.

During 0 - 6977 DE ^{(7656 - 679 BC)}, D'ni was ruled by a king who would be advised by the Guilds and usually prophetesses. Apart from a very brief interregnum under the Judges of Yahvo (1352 DE ^{(6304 BC)}), this system lasted until King Kerath abdicated in 6977 DE ^{(679 BC)} and instituted the system of Five Lords and the Council.

The Council consisted of 5 Lords, the 18 Grand Masters of the Major Guilds, and 19 other elected representatives per guild.^[1] Various subsets of this body would discuss and decide issues of policy. This system lasted until the fall in 9400 DE ^{(1745 AD)}.

[edit] Fall

Main article: Fall of D'ni

The Fall of D'ni was brought about by the criminal A'gaeris and the D'ni noble Veovis. A'gaeris planned the destruction of Veovis and eventually D'ni in order to take revenge for his expulsion form the Guilds. He forged documents in Veovis' handwriting, thus framing Veovis for several crimes. Veovis was judged and sentenced twice but A'gaeris also freed him twice from his prisons. A'gaeris manipulated Veovis through his alienation by being wrongly accused and his disapproval of Anna, a human, entering D'ni society.

Veovis was now an ally of A'gaeris. The two planned bombing attacks in the City and caused earthquakes. Eventually they released a poisonous gas through the ventilation of the Cavern. Every person in contact with it died but many D'ni managed to link to other Ages; however the pair collected infected bodies and linked them through some of the Ages in order to infect even those who had escaped.

For 70 years almost all of the survivor D'ni chose to stay in their new colonies. The only D'ni who stayed behind was Gehn son of Aitrus and Anna, who brought him up to the surface. He returned to the Cavern, studied the lore of the D'ni and tried to revive that civilization in the Ages he wrote, like Age 37 and Riven; he attempted to revive the Guild system and the Art.

[edit] Relocation

Atrus, son of Gehn, with the help of Averonese gained access to the wider Cavern and began looking for Linking Books. After months of labour he managed to find D'ni survivors who fled into various Ages during Veovis' revolt but were reluctant to return all those years. However those colonies were remnants of the D'ni nation and didn't form a civilization.

Atrus after finding many survivors in many Age colonies, convinced them to return to the Cavern and consider rehabilitating it. During that attempt, D'ni relived again and the Book of Terahnee was discovered. Atrus therefore re-established contact between the millenia-split descendants of the Ronay. However the fact that Atrus was of human blood was not acceptable to the Terahnee purism. While the life of Atrus and the Averonese was at stake, coincidentally a plague spread through the world; Atrus abandoned it.

Atrus then wrote Releeshahn as a new home Age for the D'ni people. The D'ni left the cavern behind for ever and refounded the Guilds and presumably all their civilization anew until today.

[edit] Physiology

A portrait of Aitrus, a D'ni

The D'ni were almost indistinguishable from humans. Compared to a human however, a D'ni was taller and slender.

A D'ni could live up to approximately 365 years. An individual was considered to be mature after their 25th year, and entered what they called the Age of Reason. At 125th year, one entered the Age of Wisdom.

During the time of the Fall, after millenia in the Cavern, their complexion was very light; their eyes also grew ultra-sensitive to light. Their pupils were pale and when they were forced to deal with very unhealthy changes of light (outside the Cavern), they almost invariably wore goggles.

Fertility was limited: D'ni women are able to conceive only during a space of 30 hours every 72 days which explains the moderate number of births during such a long lifespan.

[edit] Culture

[edit] The Art

Main article: The Art

The Art was considered a gift from Yahvo and it was the very way they were relocated from Garternay. The Writing of Ages was maintained in the Cavern and was a significant trait of their culture. The Guild of Writers was the most prestigious of the 18 Guilds. Ages were vital since the life in the Cavern demanded harvesting Ages for resources, including, of course, food.

[edit] Guilds

Main article: Guilds

The Guilds had a significant role in D'ni civilization. The 18 Major Guilds were founded by Ri'neref and modeled somewhat after those of Garternay, although dedicated to Yahvo and a higher purpose than what Ri'neref saw as self-aggrandizement of the older Guilds. The Major Guilds were eventually open only to the highest classes as the price of enrollment rose, and only men could be members. These guilds played a major role in government after Kerath's abdication.

The first Minor Guilds were established in the reign of King Mararon as part of a general improvement in the educational system. Eventually women were first allowed to join these guilds.

[edit] Religion

The official religion of D'ni was the worship of Yahvo. There were other religions such as worship of The Tree, Water, or Sacred Stone, but by 6000 DE ^{(1656 BC)} these had mostly died out. D'ni society had an official Church of Yahvo that apparently followed the ideas of Ri'neref.

A major split that developed in D'ni theism was between the view of Tevahr, centered on love for Yahvo, and that of Gish, centered on following Yahvo's commands. By 7000 DE ^{(656 BC)} Gish's view predominated. Taygahn, "to love with the mind," was a chief cornerstone of D'ni belief. The word implies a close, personal relationship with and knowledge of another person. While in a religious sense taygahn implied a relationship with Yahvo, the same word was used to describe a relationship between spouses. The concept of taygahn had grown more important in later years, with some believing that only taygahn with Yahvo was needed to go to the Perfect Age, and that following Yahvo's commands was not needed.

The D'ni had laws and commandments against adultery, which were often ignored, especially by kings with affairs. Children (those under the age of 25) were not accountable to Yahvo for their actions and decisions. The power of Writing Ages was considered also a gift from Yahvo.

Through the grace of Yahvo, healings and miracles were possible (the cults said this came from nature, their leaders, or Yahvo). D'ni religion spoke of angels that could take away people.

It was believed by worshipers of Yahvo that after death one would pass through the Judgment Age to either the Perfect Age or the undesired Jakooth's Age.

Other religious groups included those who read the words of the Watcher or Nemiya, the Writers of Yahvo, and several small radical groups.

[edit] Background

The name "D'ni" originates from an unfinished novel of Robyn Miller's, Dunny Hut.

References