| Vahar Family | |
|---|---|
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Family Name: |
House of Vahar |
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Head of Family: |
Hassir Vahar - Family Patriarch
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Family Type: |
Trading, Nobility, Witchcraft, Patriarchy |
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Founder: |
Razeem Vahar |
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Alignment: |
Menaphite Pantheon, Spiritualism, Ancestor Worship |
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Family Colours: |
Green, Ochre & Brown |
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Family Animal: |
Python |
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Residence: |
Al Kharid |
The Vahar Family formally identified as the House of Vahar, and recently referred to as the Vahar Dynasty, are a Kharidian merchanting family recently thrust into power as the ruling house of Al Kharid.
To the public eye, the Vahar family are merely wealthy merchants with a history since the founding of Al Kharid. To those who know them privately will know about the long and impressive involvement the family have had in the occult and the arcane.
Customs and Rites[]
In their day to day lives, Vahar follow a lifestyle similar to most Kharidians. However, due to their Witchcraft and natural worship/attunement to the spirits and nature they tend to adopt a more caring and passive style of life regarding some acts which may be deemed detrimental or cruel to the planet. The death of animals in which are used for food, clothing or furniture/decor must be done in a certain manner - humanely and then blessed - thanking the animal for their sacrifice. The Vahar are not entirely pacifistic but their origins stem from Druidic values which still exist today so it is uncommon though not impossible to find a member of the family who so directly believes in necessary violence.
The Vahar family is a patriarchy, ran by the eldest male heir, whilst the Coven is ran by the eldest female heir of the patriarch. Whilst the Vahar are all members of the Coven, not all members of the Coven are Vahar. In fact, many of the members are independent witches and warlocks who have been welcomed into the group.
Traits[]
Beyond usual Kharidian features, Vahar possess no unique traits or so. They reach average height and build and tend to possess dark brown hair and eyes.
Religion[]
Their worship lays with the Menaphite Pantheon - particularly Tumeken, Elidinis, Het and Icthlarin though the others receive equal prayer and worship in the family at times.
Besides the Pantheon, the unseen and unnamed spirits of nature are highly regarded as are their ancestors - though they are not worshipped. This reverence and respect for the spirits of the world has given the family something of a foothold into the spiritual world in a sense. Spirits are keenly aware of their presence and their attention is drawn to the family.
Ceremonies[]
Birth[]
The birth of a member of the Vahar family is always a celebration, particularly amongst the members of the Coven. It symbolises new life and opportunity and many members of the family and coven gather and hold a day long feast with merriment and festivities.
Initial Blessing[]
Five days after the birth, the child is taken into the Sanctum and placed on the Altar. There, the Matriarch of the Coven and the mother present the child to the congregation of the Coven Members. Here, the ancestors are invoked to provide a blessing onto the child.
Penta-Kaal[]
On a member of the family's fifth birthday they officially begin their studies into the occult and witchcraft. A ritual is held to awaken the child's magical potential and allow them to begin learning.
Pentadeci-Kaal[]
At fifteen years old, the student rises to the rank of apprentice - here they are permitted to begin studying independently and begin writing their own spellbook as well as being allowed limited supervised access to the family grimoire. They also must craft their own athame which will aid them in their studies; this is done as a show of progress and transition into adulthood.
Completion[]
On their twenty-fifth birthday, the apprentice is expected to have completed their studies and will become a full member of the coven in their own right. A series of tests are given to ensure the witch is ready to ascend to full coven member status. Unrestricted access to the Vahar Grimoire is given and the teaching of the younger members of the family and coven are expected.
Marriage[]
Unlike many other families, the Vahar do not have many customs or ceremonies regarding marriage. Though, some are encouraged though none are mandatory:-
- During the wedding itself, the bride and groom drink from a jewelled chalice - filled with a fertility potion - to symbolise their purity and faith to one another. A loose coil of rope is loosely wrapped around both bride and groom's left wrist and hand each to symbolise unity.
- Consumating the marriage after the wedding is expected to allow the fertility potion to take effect.
- The spouse of the Vahar are encouraged to undertake The Collective ritual and join the ranks of the Coven.
- The surname is unimportant, but a Vahar generally does not give up their surname.
Funerals[]
The Collective[]
A unique bond shared amongst all witches of the coven, The Collective is the equal shared power of every member. Being welcome into the Collective boosts ones magical potential by granting them access to the rest of the Coven, but also allows their own power to be shared. The Collective manifests in a sense that through focus and concentration, one may distantly feel the pull of another member in distress of harm. When a member of The Collective dies, it causes a ripple and weakens the bond, alerting all others to the passing of a member.
Locations[]
Emerald Keep[]
The ancestral home of the Vahar within the desert. The manor stands three floors high, located within a small valley in the foothills south west of Al Kharid. Crafted of the sandstone found in the quarries of the western desert, in its current form it has stood for over 200 years. The building gets its name from the natural emerald gem reserves found around the manor grounds, which have largely been left unchecked.
It acts as the family home for most members of the family until they reach the age where they leave, though many family members opt to live there at different periods of their life. A few even choose to retire back at the place of their birth.
The Sanctum[]
The Sanctum is the main ritual grounds for the Coven to practise their group rituals, but also where the Coven meets during gatherings or important events.The Sanctum lies directly below Emerald Keep, accessed through a doorway under the main stairs of the house, or through enchanted medallions given to members of the Coven granting them teleportation.
A cavernous hall, it is completely pitch black without light provided by the many torches kept along the walls and the fire pits located around the corners. At the centre lies a raised platform of smooth obsidian with a golden pentagram carved into it. It is here where the Matriarch and Coven Elders stand during rituals, or when addressing members of the coven.
The Grove[]
An underground oasis located under the eastern plateau of the northern Kharid, The Grove is a place of rest, religious, serenity and thought for the Coven.
Discovered sometime during the early fifth age, The Grove is a large underground cavern,where a section of the River Elid falls high from the cavern wall and had created a natural valley of sorts. With a large opening in the cavern roof, granting in sunlight and moonlight, this valley flourished with life, with many species of trees, flowers, plants and animals coming to call the place home. The name comes from a grand yew tree at the very centre of the valley. On a small patch of land, the stream flows around it, giving the impression of an island.
The Grove is treated as a place of worship and relaxation for the Coven and family, with the funeral rites of most members occurring here.. It is the place with the strongest physcal connection to the Ancestor spirits and it boasts a natural amplication of spiritual energies.
Witchcraft[]
See: The Vahar Grimoire
With druidic origins and the lack of runestones in the Fourth Age - then with the curse of being unable to use runes, the Vahar adapted to alternative means of magic; utilising the very energy of nature around them and in themselves. Other means of magic include invoking energy from the spirits - either of their ancestors or those of the world. Most of this is commonly achieved through rituals, incantations, spells and potions.
Forms of Magic[]
- Ancestral - To draw upon the collective power of the spirits of the family ancestors.
- Collective - To draw upon the collective power of the living members of the Coven
- Demonic - Calling on demonic spirits for aid in spells - often malevolent spells and comes with a hefty price. Though studied this is almost never practised due to the ill-fortune and malevolence of it.
- Sacrificial magic - The slaying of any life force to use the life force of the creature in the desired spell/rituals.
- Traditional - most common form, relying upon use of one's own energy and sometimes the energy around - to direct and create spells - as well as the use of herbs or so.
- Spirit - Similar to ancestor though it calls upon any and all spirits of the world and particular ones depending.
- Heretic - The inability to use magic of one’s own, they drain the anima and magic of others to use in spells - this is seen as a disgraceful form of magic and the family do not practise it.
Active Abilities[]
- Channeling - focusing on invoking extra forms of energy via external forces.
- Telekinesis - Aided primarily in spell casting though often used in day to day life.
- Divination - The act of gaining information of past, present or future based on ESP. No Vahar can access the future without Seer blood.
- Clairvoyance - Viewing current events not within natural proximity/over distance .
- Psychometry - Learn the history/past through an object.
- Mediumship - Commune with the spirits of the deceased.
- Pyrokinesis - Basic creation and manipulation abilities - generally lightning candles.
- Atmokinesis - Limited abilities to manipulate the weather.
Tools[]
- Pentagram - common use in both ritual circles and tools to represent nature.
- Candles - Witches can harness the energy of the flames to amplify the power of one’s spells.
- Salt - used in circles around a ritual area to provide protection and keep in any malevolent spirits or so.
- Athame - channels energy and anima (anima draining athame suck life from a person and stores it or passes it to wielder).
- Cauldron - used for crafting potions and elixirs (spells bound in liquid form).
- Stones - various minerals which usually boost power or bind it.
- Symbols/glyphs - used as physical representation of spells.
- Incantations - spells cast by words - or used to aid in rituals/spells.
- Amulets - Protect the wearer from harm.
- Talismans - Aid and amplify a witch's power.
Curses[]
The Vahar family through the years have often angered or gotten on the wrong side of many people, often members of their own family - as a result numerous curses and blessings have been placed upon any and all members born into the family.
- Gemini Curse - Twins born in the Vahar share the anima of a single person. This doesn’t manifest until physical maturity when they begin to gradually get ill and by the time of their 25th birthday one of the twins must sacrifice the other and absorb their anima lest they both die.
- Female Strength - Women of the family are naturally more powerful and hold more anima and control.. They also grow more powerful with the more children they bear. Men however grow weaker with each child they sire.
- Fifth Son - The fifth son of the fifth son is born with a higher amount of anima. The fifth child is always the strongest of that generation, but as a way to balancing it out- the fifth son of the fifth son has far more strength - not exceedingly rare but found every few generations they're generally expected to do great things for the family and coven.
- Channel Curse - Vahar witches despite being naturally full of anima and predisposed to magic cannot cast it without some kind of talisman - this usually is the family amulet or an athame - though it can be any magical tool. They also cannot use runestones in any manner.
Notable Members[]
- [To be edited]
To see a full family tree, click here.
In-Character History[]
(The history told in this section is In-Character - so may be subject to bias and not a true representation of the events) House Vahar was formed sometime in the third century of the fourth age, the family going by the name Grennyl. They were Guthixian Druids and had set up amongst the other Guthixians in the new settlement of Taverley. It was during this time that their magic began to adapt and develop through different means - taking on a similar yet different approach to nature worship..They continued to maintain their values and practicised druidism though at some point prior to the year 800 of the Fourth Age, Tensions began to form amongst the other druids and Grennyl and they fled. Whatever happened there was enough to upset the family and they travelled far from Taverley and settled in Nardah within the Kharidian Desert.
Ali - son of the matriarch of the time - opted to change the family name in order for them to blend into the Kharidian culture. Their name became Vahar, after Ali's father, Vahaaro. Time passed on and through continued relations with Nardarite Citizens, their own features became indistinguishable from any other citizen of the desert. In secrecy, they continued to practice their own magic which divulged further from Druidism. With the western Kingdoms slowly forming and settlements becoming permanent, Vahar used this knowledge to provide a form of trade amongst the Kharid and the forming nations of Asgarnia and Misthalin.
In the later years of the Fourth Age A group of Kharidian migrants - of which the Vahar were a part - moved to the north and settled in the land north of the Shanty Pass being against slavery. They settled in the ruins by an ancient Het temple/gladiatorial which became Al Kharid. The Vahar saw this as an opportunity to control the entrance the trade between the Desert and the rest of the world and so slowly became a rising power within Al Kharid.
Legends and Tales[]
(Tales will come here soon)
Modern Day[]
With the recent departure of the Es'ir family from Al Kharid, the current Patriarch - Irqal - saw an opportunity to seize power for his family. The Vahar had long been one of the ruling merchant houses of the city and with his children being maternal relatives of the Es'ir, Irqal used this to his advantage and placed his oldest daughter Samyriana onto the Al Kharidian throne. One would have expected that Saaero, the eldest son would have been made Emir but Irqal was thinking strategically; a powerful man is one thing, but a powerful woman is rarer and will draw in suitors of other powerful men who desire her hand. This would bring in many more ties and powerful allies to the family.