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"O Lhourd, Root of the Mountain, King of Heights, Farseer, First Among Gods, claim this, Your holy ground, as Yours. We have taken it for You, O Lhourd, that Your power may increase, that Your Word may be spread to these heathens, that Your Glory be felt by those who see Your Wisdom, that Your Wrath be felt by those who deny You. Accept this, our token, O Lhourd. We humbly ask Your forgiveness if this, our gift, is not worthy of Your Sight..."
- Prayer to Lhourd, God of the Mountains, to consecrate land conquered by the Ahlimite Dominion, c. AG 6050
A mountain people, specially adapted to high altitudes, the Ahlimites originated on the Island of God, Ahlimis. Of slightly shorter than average height, these stocky people have dark to light brown curly hair, dark eyes, ruddy skin, and more than average body hair.
Highly secretive and religious, the Ahlimites are a cohesive race. Unlike the Savatir, Pharsan or Gaeli peoples, many of whom belong to different faiths and nations and who may often call their racial cousins enemies, the Ahlimites believe that all members of their race are chosen, and all other races are infidel. Centuries before Thyren, this attitude drove the Ahlimites into a religious jihad, conquering a significant portion of the mainland. Since that time, however, most Ahlimites have become xenophobic, fearing the influence of strange ideas and cultures, and have retreated back to the Island of God. However, a small percentage of Ahlimites do go abroad to sell their services as mystics, astrologers, and alchemists, and are highly prized in many Thyrenacian courts.
Currently, Ahlimite intermarriage with other races is exceedingly rare and would result in the banishment or murder of the Ahlimite in question. During the time of the Ahlimite Dominion, intermarriage was also rare, but Ahlimite governors would often take native concubines and consorts and so Ahlimite blood does exist in other races. Most notable of these crossbreeds was Cuuris Dyshan, the Governor of the Continental Conquests. Despite his impure bloodline, Dyshan was accepted by his mother as her heir. In AG 6390, Governor Dyshan converted to Ineiism, a sect of Shannanism, much to the horror of the insular Ahlimite Council of Elders. Dyshan was removed from his post, but so loved was he by his people that he led a successful takeover of the colonial government. In four years, the Dyshanti Sovereignty was born, and Ahlimite culture, stunned by the impiety of its mainland colonists, cut off all contact with the world beyond the Island of God.
Notable Ahlimites include Valat rhin Halak, Alchemist to Master Drakkar, and Ahsmitas Zaralan, the Watcher In The Dark, supposed writer of the Account of the Ahlim, compiled in TC 70.
OOC Note: The Ahlimites are of uncertain origin. Their isolationist culture has kept racial mixing to a minimum, so the current Ahlimite stock is pretty much the same as that of the original colonists of the Island of God. But the ancestry of those original colonists is unclear. There appear to be influences from the Norse cultures of Scandinavia, the Israelites, and the Sherpas of Nepal, but these groups alone cannot account for all of the features of the Ahlimite race. The Ahlimite tongue is a language isolate or unknown origin, so it provides no help in determining the origin of the race.
Last Modified 11/11/2003 1:58:42 AM