Tenebrarius

The Tenebrarius family is the most maligned family in Archland. They have transformation magic.

Names

 * Clan Name: Tenebrarius
 * Masculine Form: Tenebrarius
 * Feminine Form: Tenebraria
 * Gender Neutal Form: Tenebrariae
 * Plural Form: Tenebrari
 * Adjective Form: Tenebrarian

Abilities
The Tenebrari have the ability to transform things into forms other than their original forms. Their magic is complex and has many requirements, because transforming something to take up more space or less space than it was designed to is complicated. Almost all Tenebrarian magic requires the use of what is called an imitor, which acts as a replacement. That is, for a Tenebrarius to transform one thing into another, an imitor is needed to take on the original form for the duration of the spell. Imitori are usually made of clay, wood, stone, or any other abundant, malleable item. The spell is performed by writing the name of the object onto the imitor and wiping the name away when the spell is complete. Some Tenebrarian spells are so common that they do not require an imitor, but there are only a few of these. The duration of Tenebrarian spells is dependent on the strength of the caster, but all Tenebrarian spells expire at midnight.

Appearance
The Tenebrarian people are almost all short in stature, with the tallest reaching no higher than 4 ft (and that would be very tall by their standards). They tend to have a boxlike shape with large hands and tough skin. They have adapted to subterranean living over time, so many Tenebrari are blind when they come above ground (though they see perfectly well underground). There is no standard in skin or hair color among Tenebrari except that they all have a peculiar pallor that comes from living underground. Most Tenebrari go their whole lives without ever feeling bad about their appearances--their standards of beauty are quite different from those who live above ground. Nevertheless, there are some populations who do try to transform themselves, with little success. The average lifespan of a Tenebrarian is 600 years, far exceeding the next-longest lifespan of the Nerei, who live 300 years.

Geography
The majority of the Tenebrarian population lives beneath the Archland mountains, which runs through the center of the country. There is also a subgroup living in the Orgo mountains in Vallonia. However, some Tenebrari have adapted to above-ground living, and they reside in obscurity in the less densely-populated regions of Archland, such as the forests and crags in Norarchland. They are hardly ever found in the south because of the intense sunlight their, which despite their adaptations is still stressful for them.

History
The Tenebrari have a long and dark history. Because of their closeness to dark habitats, they are particularly susceptible to the machinations of Coelae, the antithesis of the High King. They received the most of Coelae's shards in their eyes and hearts, leading them to be easily corrupted. The first major puppet of Coelae was King Tenebrarius Ulysses Fomentum, who conquered Archland and ruled in tyranny until he was defeated by Queen Leviana Helena Polaris and King Bernas Artorius Polaris. From this time on, the name Tenebrarius was blighted and their people were hated. They were banished beneath the mountains, and it was centuries before they were even able to show their faces above ground again. They were just beginning to obtain scraps of goodwill when King Tenebrarius Bellator Praereptor began causing trouble.

This trouble was continued by his son, Tenebrarius Appius Praereptor, who was the next person to be contacted by Coelae. Appius was less of a puppet than his ancestor, however, and he worked as a partner with Coelae under the promise that Coelae would grant him control over all the kingdoms. After his original scheme to take over the surface realm by marrying his sister to Prince Bernas Loren Polaris, he developed a way to mix Coelae's dark magic with his and frequently curses people to take the form of animals. It was in this way that he helped destroy the royal family of Archland. His sister, Queen Tenebraria Ulyssa Praereptora, fights against him despite being banished, and she continues to rule the kingdom in her absence. Many Tenebrari have no interest in Appius or his plans, but their strength is frequently used without their consent.

Because of Coelae's schemes, the Tenebrari are considered evil universally, despite the untruth of this. There have indeed been evil Tenebrari, but no more or less than there have been men of evil in other clans. Queen Ulyssa hopes that by fighting against Appius and Coelae she can help clear the name of her people.

Undecim
In Undecim, the god of the Tenebrarius family is '''Abyssi. While most Tenebrari are predisposed to follow Verafidei''' instead of Undecim, Lord Appius and his factions promote the worship of Abyssi to prevent worship of the High King from gaining strength.

Verafidei
Most Tenebrari, despite the way that they have been maligned by other members of the religion, worship the High King. Some of their traditions are different, but they so acknowledge him as their one god.

Aevitas
Because trees are not a natural part of the Tenebrarian environment, Aevitas is not practiced among them.

Notable Members

 * King Tenebrarius Ulysses Fomentum
 * King Tenebrarius Bellator Praereptor
 * Queen Tenebraria Chariclo Praereptora
 * Queen Tenebraria Ulyssa Praereptora
 * Lord Tenebrarius Appius Praereptor
 * Queen Dema-Tenebraria Cinera Polaris