Gha'alia

Compendium
Gha'alia is nestled deep in the Great Pillar Ocean, far from neighbors and limited in land. The isle is as frigid as it's people; cold, stormy, and difficult to traverse. Though limited in vegetation, what they have of it is voracious.

Gha'alian elves are not originally from the island of Gha'alia; though where they come from is as much a mystery to them as it is to anyone else. They have fostered a violent, tumultuous culture centered in their Forces; a large, remarkably lethal army of highly trained Gha'alian elves.

Gha'alian Art
Gha'alian art and fashion is, perhaps surprisingly, wildly popular across the Pillar Ocean. The cultural appetite Gha'alians have for the lavish and expressive combined with the brutality of their Forces and seclusive nature has altogether made their few exports highly valuable; the fashion elite of other cultures eager to collect and mimic whatever is new on the stormy island.

But Gha'alia, too, develops it's trends as a mirror to others; albeit in a morbid way, true to Gha'alia's nature. They have a tendency to adopt fashion, architecture and style from those they've conquered. Every succesful expedition a surge of newly refined Gha'alian art floods the island, and inevitably, great profit for Gha'alian entrepreneurs. (Yet, rarely the artists!)

Suris Culling
In the winter, every other year, a culling takes place in Gha'alia. The Suris Culling - sometimes called Suris Celebration - lasts only one night.

Suris himself was a crafty elf, known to have been among the initial Gha'alian founders. He was a keen survivalist, responsible for pushing back the early harpy threat which imposed severe risk on the population. In modern times, the Suris Celebration follows a somewhat similar narrative; Gha'alian adults willing and able will leave the confines of their fortressed city and venture out into the harsh Gha'alian woods. There they will undergo competitions and rites, all tied to the slaughter of harpies.

Gha'alian Weddings
Marriage in Gha'alia has historically been a celebrated affair, meant to seal the union of two forces in progress. On rare occasion, marriages in Gha'alia are arranged, almost exclusively between one Gha'alian party and a foreigner from a country in the process of creating Gha'alian alliances. These marriages, rare as they are, tend only to occur in specific families of high power marrying foreign parties of high power.

Most traditional Gha'alian weddings are late night and one of the few markedly less formal gatherings among Gha'alian celebrations. Often after a long evening drinking and revelry, the two parties to be married take arms and battle to establish which family's name will be taken for the union. This battle is often decided beforehand not in any formal way but is merely understanding the respective power of the two to be wed; a predictable outcome that unless purposfully thrown (one such thing that if made too obvious, extremely disgraceful), can be reliably counted on. In certain occasions, when either party is unable to battle, a family member might fight in his or her place; this substitution is called a Feukrayah.

Gha'alian Harpies
Gha'alian harpies are vicious, winged, lithe creatures native to the Gha'alian island. They share no biological connection to Brevat harpies, Soka harpies, or Vale harpies, as indeed the only prevalent similarity between Gha'alian harpies and most others is a bird-mammal quality and voracious appetite. Indeed, only the most narrow minded and cruel would call a Brevat harpy a 'beast', where the Gha'alian sort are often perceived as mindless predators. The female Gha'alian harpy will group with four to ten other females, forming 'matriarchies,' leaving adult males to roam alone or in brother-pairs outside of mating season. Male Gha'alian harpies are significantly smaller than females; they are significantly more fearful and do not often attack full grown elves unless driven to by desperation. The female harpies have no such reservation, with their larger stature and pack-hunting, they will take any opportunity to fill their nest.

Gha'alian Wyverns
As infamous as the elves themselves, Gha'alian wyverns are rarely believed until and seen and once seen, rarely forgotten.

Though small for a dragon, Gha'alian wyverns strong enough to carry multiple riders, ammunition and firebombs. Their slender frame makes them fast and agile, and properly riding one requires years of training and a very strong stomach.

The Black Fortress boasts over a dozen dragon spires, each roost to twenty seven wyverns resting in wait for their next battle. Though it neither confirmed nor denied, many have claimed to witness Gha'alian wyvern riders unleashing their hungry mounts on the bloody remains of a battle.