Roleplay Lore - The Bomur

[Aegonian]

The Bomur
Wood Elves of Enethea

History

According to legend, the Bomur are descendants of the creations of the Aezathera of Life, Panafor (also called Panfora). These creations were called the Promuri, which is Bomuri for proto-elves. All Promuri lived in Enethea before the event known as 'the Fracturing', when the province of Aedana broke loose form the rest of Enethea. The Promuri who remained in Enethea developed into a number of Elven races, of which the Bomur is the best-known. The Promuri who were trapped in Aedana developed into the modern Aeduri.

Until some 2000 years ago, all Bomur lived in Rhahinelm, the most densely forested province of Enethea, which is known for its towering trees. The Third Wood Crisis, (a Rhahinelm forest fire of an immense scale) forced small populations of Bomur to flee to the north, into the great forests of Gaekylha: Baerdel.
At first, they were seen as a threat by the Aeduri living in Gaekylha, which resulted in a number of fights between the two Elven populations. The initially weak Bomur grew stronger, but never counter-attacked the Aeduri settlements. After little more than four years, the Aeduri realized that the Bomur had no bad intentions: They just sought a new home. Over the following years, relations between the two populations started to improve, and the two lived in a mutual relationship ever since.

The First Invasion, where the Dhaguran Empire first sought to conquer Gaekylha, led to the formation of the Elven Coalition, which marked the beginning of an everlasting alliance between the Bomur and the Aeduri: The Gad'en Ara, which is Bomuri for 'the Divine Skies'. The name refers to the Battle of Gridania, where the Elves rained down arrows upon their enemies, and finally defeated the Draton. According to several Elven legends, the Aezathera themselves assisted the Elves in their fight.

The Bomur who remained in Rhahinelm after the Third Wood Crisis were able to rebuild their civilization with the help of Panafor. The Great Mother Tree, Bomu d'Ura, was restored, and with it having returned to its former strength, the forests of Rhahinelm quickly started to recover from the fire.
During the First Invasion, the Dhaguran Empire also targeted Rhahinelm, but its army was instantly defeated at the Dhagura-Rhahinelm border. The core of Rhahinelm's Bomuri civilization was hardly affected by the war, and as such, it was able to develop itself even further.
Once every month, a number of Bomuri caravans travel from the capital of Rhahinelm, Woodhearth, to the Bomuri villages in Gaekylha. They exchange wood and other supplies, as well as stories, songs and other writings.


Culture and society

The Bomur often lack great social skills, but are nonetheless very caring about their brethren. Their society is democratic in shape: All Bomur have the right to speak their mind at the Great Table, and all must be listened to. The Council of the Table, also known as the 'Pola Fora', is a group of ten highly respected Bomur citizens, who are to 'steer' the Table Conventions, and to ensure that the will of the majority is followed. They lead the Bomuri Armies and act as representatives of the Bomuri section of the Gad'en Ara. The Aezathera of Life, Panafor, is worshipped by all Bomuri, and he grants them long life and great forests, given that they do not harm his trees. This is the reason for the Bomur to import wood, instead of gathering it from their own forests.

Almost all Bomur know the 'Chan de Bomur' (which translates to 'Song of the Bomur'), a thousand-years old song written by Commander Forkraga, who led the Bomuri Armies in an ancient war against the long-lost Elves: The Allmuri. At the time, the Bomuri army was nearly invincible, losing only a few dozen soldiers, where the Allmuri lost thousands. According to legend, Forkraga's song granted the Bomur supernatural strength, and since the ancient war, the song has been sung during all major battles fought by the Bomur. The song's original lyrics are:

"We ar' Bomur, kin de gade!
War din ei lanè, lan' de nawe!
We kragè bo draug, vo war kin!
We stanè e'gar, vo all'e tawe!

We ar' Bomur, kin de gade!
Tawe we stanè, vo all'e e'star!"

This roughly translates to:

"We are the Bomur, children of the gods!
Our art is the hunt, the hunt on the lesser*!
We fight until our deaths, for our brethren**!
We stand in honour, always together!

We are the Bomur, children of the gods!
Together we stand, always in glory!"

*Nawe has many translations, and the translation used largely depends on the translator. 'Unworthy ones', 'others', 'beasts' and 'enemies' are all commonly used, too.
**Kin means both children and brethren, although some believe it translates to 'brethren' in both cases.

[JorgasElite]

I want to be a Bomur.