Gemna

"“We’re a stubborn people and we’re not without faults, but we’ve gone further in ingenuity than any other culture on this rock. Never underestimate even our most foolish of folk.” - Prince Grythorn the Revolutionary"Hailing from deep below the Hiyehm Mountains, the hardy and proud people known as the Gemna hammer away in their great subterranean forges and mines. As a culture who values personal legends over true history, every Gemna strives to carve their names into the stone of time and live eternally through their legend, as their family’s ancestors did before them. As a result, most Gemna try their absolute hardest at anything they choose to do, whether that be combat, brewing, mining, or most famously crafting. Their most unique creations are the masterful machines of war their expert spellcrafters have developed, though these are techniques their military keeps secret from even lower Gemna.

They are stubborn and foul tempered, easily angered if their honor is impeached, and they heavily value gems and are drawn to them on an almost instinctual level. They continue to dig into the mountains to find and extract these gems, which have properties that they use in their spellcrafting, adorn themselves with, or trade.

Masters of their Craft: Due to a war riddled history, the Gemna have developed what outsiders may consider a somewhat elitist approach to crafted goods, choosing to only use Gemna Made, or as they call them “New Era”, items (particularly with weapons and armour). This is not without reason however, for few craftsmen in the world can create any competition against Gemnan steel, it’s quality is unmatched, as is its potential to be enchanted through spellcrafting. However, their two most famous crafts will always be their smithing and brewing, as there are few better weapons and armour than those made by the Gemna, and their alcohol is some of the only in the world to compete in quality with that of the humans (though any Gemna will tell you that Gemnan drinks are infinitely better). Tis said that there is no finer drinking companion than a Gemna with a bottle of Imperial Brandy.

Art
Gemna Jewelry is said to be beyond compare, as are their strange machines and devices created through spellcraft, all of which are imported all over Haven for the near flawless expertise shown in their craftsmanship. The Gemna are also renowned for their alcohol, for their giant stills where ingredients are traded to their people. They experiment and try different beers, wines, and spirits constantly, and it has come to be a known artform and enjoyed by connoisseurs of the trade even among other races. Smithing itself has also become something of an art among the Gemna, and one who has seen the beautifully gilded crafts of a master Gemna have a hard time arguing it is anything but artwork.

Appearance
The Gemna are a strong and sturdy people dark coloured hair, old Myths say the colouration is due to their long exposure to coal and soot. The clothing they use is just as the people that wear them, sturdy and harsh. They favour simple durable clothing, coloured hoods and heavy cloaks for travelling, often using belts and other accessories of gold or silver to show their wealth rather than the fanciful clothing other races lean towards. It is also not uncommon to see a Gemna adorned in furs or lavish hats, as it gets cold outside of the forges below the mountain. The men usually sport beards, a longer beard often being something to be respected, in times of old, one who dishonoured the crown was sometimes stripped of their beard, for they did not deserve the respect it represented. Some Bloodlines still keep this practice, though the Kerricks themselves do not. Both men and women both have excessive dark hair on the backs of their hands, arms, legs, and feet. Their tails are the same colour as their skin and the fur at the ends of their tails is the same colour as the hair on their head.

Cuisine
Food is limited under the mountains and they rely heavily on trade from their gems to the other races, so their food has become varied and different. The majority of their food comes from their close neighbors, the Hillanders, but passing caravans always stop at the mountains to trade for whatever outlandish goods they can get their hands on. The Gemna have hunters and rangers that go above ground and hunt for wild game, but that is usually only for personal consumption.

Trade/Commerce
Their main trade is the gems that they mine from the mountain along with a large selection of ores, such as copper, tin, silver, gold and more. It is rare that they trade their spellcrafted goods, their flawlessly crafted "New Era" weapons and armour, or alcohol, but some silver-tongued traders (mainly humans) have been able to weasel away some of their creations. Though they never sell their spell crafted machines of war or the plans for them for they assure the Gemna can always seize the upper hand should another war break out.

Geography
They live beneath the mountain surfaces, creating vast cities where it is still warm in the sides of the mountains of Hiyehm. Deep beneath the mountain lies riches beyond all imagination. Gems, gold, silver, and other precious items of the earth, desired by all, but desired and lusted after most by the Gemna. They have very ingenious minds and their technology has started to surface amongst the residents of Haven, but the majority of their creations are kept safe and hidden under the mountains. They have managed to bridge the gap between science and magic.

Traditions and Holidays

 * Spirit-Fest - During Hollow’s Season, the Gemna crack open the kegs, the stills, and the bottles of their art, and drink themselves into a stupor while feasting upon foods from around Haven. It’s a time when the uptight Gemna can let loose without any judgement being passed upon their activities. Spirits, Beers, and Wines are tasted and judged by Kerrick and a panel of judges to determine winners, who are showered with gifts and prizes accordingly.


 * Day of Remembrance - This small somber festival is held once a year upon the day that the Gemna remember their King returning to them. It is a day of contemplation and mourning over the loss of the great war that drove them under the mountains and killed thousands of their people. The Hillanders and Cultuni are also invited to attend as they are remembered as their brothers and cousins who decided to not take the “Path of the Mountain”, to amass with hopes of returning and retaking the surface.

Military
As forward thinkers, the Gemna train a vast army under the mountain that also acts as the race’s scouts, hunters, and rangers. They prepare for any eventuality that may befall their people and they will not be caught unaware again. And because they have such a large army, they offer their services to those who will trade what they need, mostly to the other Mountainfolk, such as the Hillanders and Cultuni, though recently also to the Knight’s Orders not affiliated with any Human Merchant House. At the present time, despite the reductions forced by the Sidhe Emperor after the war of time, and the losses brought by the Gemnan Revolution, the Gemna armies and terrifying spellcrafted machines of war are vast and could easily rival the Fairfolk army on numbers and power.

First Era (before year 0):
The youngest son of the Kerricks survived, returning to his people where he was called a hero and proclaimed King of the Gemna, the Monarch of the Mountains. He focused his people upon advancements in both mastering the crafts of mining and smithing ores, but also training beyond anything the Humans could imagine. It was as their focus turned to vengeance and war that the Hillanders parted ways with the Gemna, King Kerrick granting them the foothills of the Hiyehm Mountains in which to build their new "peaceful" lives.
 * 1st Human/Gemna War - In the early days of the race, they Kerricks were a vast family, but when the Humans drove them to the mountains with violence, they gave their lives to protect their people as they fled.

Second Era: (0-1499):

 * 2nd Human/Gemna War (300-305 P.E.) - When they re-emerged from the mountains many years later, it is said they had created great machines of war, constructs of spellcrafting, fire, and metal that drove the Humans to near extinction. Before wiping out their final city however, King Kerrick showed pity and turned back, allowing the Humans to rebuild, knowing the danger that angering the Gemna would bring them.

Every 100 years after this time, the Armistice has to be renewed by both parties or they would be at war once again. After this time, the Gemna began to distrust the Fairfolk as much as the Humans, the racial tensions growing ever hotter. However, the Gemna did begin to trade with other Regions during this time, including even the Fairfolk (though the Humans still hated them until the Third Era). However, the racial tensions ran hot with the Fairfolk, and would soon boil over.
 * 1st Gemna/Fairfolk War (305-309 P.E.) - After being on the world for a period of time, the Fairfolk witnessed the Gemna storm the Human lands in an act of “revenge” for driving them to the mountains and slaughtering their people. During this time, the new Empress, Brea, saw that the Gemna held an artifact of great power that could contact any keystone on Haven from one location. The Keystone. And after what they did to the Humans, she did not trust the Gemna with it’s power. While the Gemna seemed weakened by the first war,  Brea’s forces captured Compass Rose and the Keystone. However, the Gemna were still feeling the rush of war after defeating the Humans so completely, so the Gemna turned their armies on the single town. After retaking the town with their great machines of war, the Gemna pushed through into Fairfolk lands, clearing and burning the forest as they went. This war went back and forth for some time until eventually Brea and King Kerrick called a temporary end to the slaughter, signing an Armistice that could last a maximum of 100 years.
 * 2nd Gemna/Fairfolk War (809-827 P.E.) - The strained relations between the Gemna and Fairfolk boiled over yet again in 809 P.E. when the Gemna had enough of accepting what they saw as “condescending” treatment from the Sidhe, and the Gemna simply refused to renew the Armistice. It took nearly a month for anyone to act, not sure of what was going to happen, and it was the Gemna who struck first this time, retaking all of the land they’d lost to the Fairfolk and quickly pushing in on the Fairfolk lands again.
 * The Seige of Grecale (824-826 P.E.) - It is recorded that they made it as far as Grecale, which they sieged for nearly 2 years, it’s supplies constantly refilled through magical means and it’s ritualistic wards refusing to yield. There has never been a finer example of an unstoppable force against an immovable object. However this massive siege gave the Fairfolk forces, primarily made up of Serta troops, plenty of time to move around and encircle the attacking Gemna host. It was at this time that a large force of Cirkaan Sluagh were teleported inside of Grecale, who then used their genetic fear-causing ability to scare the Gemna back into the incoming Serta ranks while pushing forward a line of their own. There were not many survivors from that main host, and the Gemna still hold a grudge against the Fairfolk to this day for this dishonorable strategy.


 * However, with the Gemna defeated, the Fairfolk marched into the foothills of the Mountains, torching Hillander villages they believed to be connected to the Gemna. King Kerrick heard of this and saw no choice but to renew the Armistice to protect the cousins of his people.

Third Era (1500-2019):
The wars however, had changed Gemna culture forever. The Kerrick line ran as a Monarchy from generation to generation, and continued to push for only the best from their people. The technology of war lead to great advancements in other forms of crafting, on both the fronts of warfare and of domestic life. As well, through the mining required to create the great machines, they had expanded underground beyond what anyone on the surface could think possible. However racial tensions lead to many wars with the fairfolk, even siding with the Fairfolk who wished to return to the dream during the Fairfolk Civil War.
 * The Fairfolk Civil War / The War of 10 Houses (2017-2018 P.E.) - When the Fairfolk broke into a Civil War, one side led by wraiths who escaped Death's Realm and sought to return the Fairfolk to the Dream, and the other by Brea, the Gemna naturally supported the act of removing the Fairfolk from the world and returning them to the Dream. Through non-violent takeover by a rogue daughter of Kerrick named Kajnay, the Gemna took back the town of Compass Rose from the Fairfolk, leveraging Brea to sell it willingly or begin another War.
 * The Return of Gotrek (2018 P.E.) - Kajnay's true intentions were soon revealed, working to bring her Uncle Gotrek, a once ritually banished War Criminal, back to Haven. Though the citizens of the town failed to stop the summoning, they did manage to run her out of town, as she had lost the support of King Kerrick for Capturing the town un-ordered and returning a War Criminal to the world. Both her and Gotrek were captured and imprisoned. Theirs fates after this point are unrecorded.


 * Due to this mess, the Gemna withdrew their support from the Civil War in order to avoid a war with the Fairfolk they did not intend for, however distrust was beginning to be thrown at King Kerrick XXXI. And a nephew of the King would soon be fed up.


 * The War of Time (2019-2020 P.E.) - After being on the losing side of too many wars, they decided to side with the now dead gods Tanana and the Game Master in the War of Time, who King Kerrick felt with the help of the Gemna were guaranteed to win.
 * The Gemnan Revolution (2019-2022) - However the War of Time did not go as planned for the Gemna as it appeared to be the final straw for the Gemnan people, leading to a revolution thanks to a young member of the Kerrick family, a nephew of the King by the name of Grythorn Rivios. The Revolution quickly turned into a full scale civil war however, but the distraction allowed the armies of the War of Time who sought to protect the world win, as the Gemnan forces the enemy was relying on were too preoccupied with the Revolution.

Fourth/Current Era (2020-2278):
The Fourth Era dawned with the sudden and unexplained death of both the current King Kerrick (XXXI) and the legendary Empress Brea of the Fairfolk, after which the Gemnan Revolution was swiftly won by Grythorn who then seized the throne and led his people into a new age of prosperity as King Kerrick XXXII. Tensions with the fairfolk as still strenuous at best as the Empress’s successor Emperor Dae’avel blamed the Gemna for the death of his mother, for the Fairfolk believed only they could concoct a weapon so vile and powerful.

Folklore and Cultural figures
"'The first Compass was a sewing needle made of iron, struck by Lode stone, placed on a leaf in a cup of water. Some of the greatest inventions were once viewed as silly ideas. With the stars and sky constantly changing, it opened up a new way of traveling without landmarks. But beyond that, it gave our Society the first Forces Magi, and opened up a world of possibilities for our people. And finally, the greatest discovery of all time, a mystery that still has not been solved to this day. All needles point Rosewards ....' -King Kerrick VII"

King Kerrick the Vengeful
The 5th in the Kerrick line, Kerrick the Vengeful's reign saw the Gemna's return to the surface and the near genocide of the Humans in the 2nd Human/Gemna War. He was seen as a hero of his people at the time, his speeches of taking back the surface still resonating today. However, he was felled in one of the later battles of the 1st Gemna/Fairfolk War, which led to his son taking the throne who brokered the Armistice with the Fairfolk.

Grythorn the Revolutionary (aka King Kerrick XXXII)
A brave Sensus Devoted and nephew of King Kerrick XXXI. He led the rebel forces in the Gemnan Revolution, saving the Gemna from being on entering a war they did not want to fight in. After which he seized the throne and led his people into a new age of prosperity. While he is a hero among the people for his bravery and tactical wit, his revolution also showed the Gemna that the people truly hold the power, and if the people turn on him there is little the King can do to stop them.