Heraldic Device of the House of Aerendor
Along the shores of Cailumire, a bloodline of hardy Eldrini Elves stands out for their longevity and hard working nature. The bond shared between them goes further than blood alone, with all who find themselves lost and in need of family being welcomed as kin. Their strict work ethic driven lifestyle and storied religious traditions has earned the House of Aerendor respect as the Fishers of Cailunmire.
Origins
When the Eldrini began their nomadic travels across the world’s young seas, the task of seafaring and fishing to feed the Elves fell to those with the most familiarity with the boats and the tides which they venerated. It is here that the first of the Aerendor bloodline arose from the lower-class labourers to note; the prospect of working with their hands to better the lives of their kin was taken as a great honour and accepted as the mantle their bloodline would bear for generations to come. Calaer Aerendor, the first to bear the name recorded in the salt water warped journals passed down from grandsire to youth, is thought to be the ancestor from whom the core bloodline persists to this very day.
Whilst the modern twisting family tree is hard to truly follow all the way back to before the Catacylsm, it is from Calaer that a long line of Eldrini Elves with a noted affinity for the ocean can be traced in some form or another. While not all bore his familial name, each lived by the adage that good days work is its own reward, and that all efforts to better the lives of others are repaid in the unspoken appreciation of your kin. Living relatively unremarkable lives as fishers, sailors and labourers whilst other Eldrini began to devote themselves to other pursuits, the House of Aerendor slowly grew as Calaer made a home for any who was displaced from their kin within his family. Caring not for the traditional ties of blood bonds, he welcomed those in need with open arms, giving even his name to those who wished for it.
Such an existence would inevitably be upturned during the time of Gaerion Aerendor, thought to be a son of the sea himself as his true parentage had been lost as the Great Despair struck the lives of the Eldrini. When the seas turned black and the sustenance they provided was torn from the seaborne Elves' hands, the simple lives of those in House Aerendor were put to trial, as was their faith. As the calamity afflicted the world and hope began to wane, Gaerion bolstered the few ships he and his own saw over, treating all those aboard as if they were his true blooded siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and children. He taught the able bodied to sail the black sea as they continued their search for a new home, the feeble how to navigate by star paths and Solathris’ light above, and tended to the sick with his own hands, not wishing any others to suffer sickness than himself. This unending fount of selflessness would come to define the true tradition of the Aerendor bloodline.
When the sudden turn of the sea against the elves caused many of the Eldrini to doubt their faith in Solathris, the House of Aerendor did not turn their doubt into their new dogma but instead shifted their faith to that of a penitential respect for the sea itself. Solathris’ domain over sun and tide was not forgotten, but rather rephrased by those guided by Gaerion to devote respect to the sea which had forsaken them more readily. Their prayers changed to a thanks for what had been given before, and a hope that it would one day be given again after a period of penance - a hope that this test of the Elves who had been so dependant on the sea for their lives would be deemed to be passed and a new dawn would eventually break where they respected the sea for all its bounty, not just the glimmer of its tide.
This new dawn did eventually break on the world and the cataclysm ended shortly before Gaerion passed his patriarchal role on to his son, Airehíse. With hair the colour of the beaches of Cailunmire itself, he established his home on the coastline to remain close to the tide and the legacy of his father. Following in the footsteps of Gaerion he became the patriarch of the family, bonded through their handship with a new deeply instilled connection and respect for the sea itself. With the bounty of the sea once more available to the Eldrini, he turned the old battered boats that had carried them to their new homeland back to the water as vessels for fishing and feeding all those in need.
Whilst the modern twisting family tree is hard to truly follow all the way back to before the Catacylsm, it is from Calaer that a long line of Eldrini Elves with a noted affinity for the ocean can be traced in some form or another. While not all bore his familial name, each lived by the adage that good days work is its own reward, and that all efforts to better the lives of others are repaid in the unspoken appreciation of your kin. Living relatively unremarkable lives as fishers, sailors and labourers whilst other Eldrini began to devote themselves to other pursuits, the House of Aerendor slowly grew as Calaer made a home for any who was displaced from their kin within his family. Caring not for the traditional ties of blood bonds, he welcomed those in need with open arms, giving even his name to those who wished for it.
Such an existence would inevitably be upturned during the time of Gaerion Aerendor, thought to be a son of the sea himself as his true parentage had been lost as the Great Despair struck the lives of the Eldrini. When the seas turned black and the sustenance they provided was torn from the seaborne Elves' hands, the simple lives of those in House Aerendor were put to trial, as was their faith. As the calamity afflicted the world and hope began to wane, Gaerion bolstered the few ships he and his own saw over, treating all those aboard as if they were his true blooded siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and children. He taught the able bodied to sail the black sea as they continued their search for a new home, the feeble how to navigate by star paths and Solathris’ light above, and tended to the sick with his own hands, not wishing any others to suffer sickness than himself. This unending fount of selflessness would come to define the true tradition of the Aerendor bloodline.
When the sudden turn of the sea against the elves caused many of the Eldrini to doubt their faith in Solathris, the House of Aerendor did not turn their doubt into their new dogma but instead shifted their faith to that of a penitential respect for the sea itself. Solathris’ domain over sun and tide was not forgotten, but rather rephrased by those guided by Gaerion to devote respect to the sea which had forsaken them more readily. Their prayers changed to a thanks for what had been given before, and a hope that it would one day be given again after a period of penance - a hope that this test of the Elves who had been so dependant on the sea for their lives would be deemed to be passed and a new dawn would eventually break where they respected the sea for all its bounty, not just the glimmer of its tide.
This new dawn did eventually break on the world and the cataclysm ended shortly before Gaerion passed his patriarchal role on to his son, Airehíse. With hair the colour of the beaches of Cailunmire itself, he established his home on the coastline to remain close to the tide and the legacy of his father. Following in the footsteps of Gaerion he became the patriarch of the family, bonded through their handship with a new deeply instilled connection and respect for the sea itself. With the bounty of the sea once more available to the Eldrini, he turned the old battered boats that had carried them to their new homeland back to the water as vessels for fishing and feeding all those in need.
✶‒—‒✶
The Aerendor bloodline of Eldrini Elves, though not always bound by true lineage, endured as a tight-knit, hardworking family centred in the coastal region of Cailunmire; a family defined by their unwavering sense of duty and their charitable nature. This tradition, born with Gaerion Aerendor, had become a symbol of the family, as had their being a home for any who needed it. The darkest time of the Great Despair had forged the House of Aerendor into one to be respected by common Elf and Noble alike.
Entering into the modern age, the House of Aerendor maintained their bond with the sea, instilling each new generation with a tireless work ethic and profound charitability. Though sometimes informal in their blood ties, they remain united by their dedication to community, tradition, and the bounty of the waters they call home. Now known as the Fishers of Cailunmire, they live by the rhythms of the tide and offer their labour as a service to the people of the region unasked.
Homeland
The Aerendor bloodline has remained close to their ancestral home first constructed by Gaerion upon the coastline of Cailunmire for generations. The golden shores are as much home to them as they are the fish they catch each day, with homes carved into the cliff faces and built out onto the docks being passed from father to son or daughter as part of an honoured tradition. Their lowborn status is of little concern to the majority of them, with only a few rarely living elsewhere in Cailunmire due to their want to remain close to their family.
Beliefs, Traditions & Personality
Much of what forms the dogmatic beliefs of the Aerendor is thought to have come from their difficulty during the Great Despair. During this time and for some time after their veneration of Soltharis waned, though unlike their kin it was not shifted to a fear of the unknown, but rather a respect for the ocean and its depths. Whilst they began to separate their faith in the tide from Soltharis, there was an underlying acknowledgement that it was still his domain - a willing ignorance adopted to prevent too much interference with their lives as they continued to do as they had before the questions began to be asked of the truth behind the teachings of the Old Gods.
Whilst many of the traditions born in this time of hardship have since reverted to being towards Soltharis since, they do remain pointed towards the sea rather than the sky in most cases. Traditions such as water births in the ocean are commonplace, as well as eating only a seafood based diet as a teenager, and an annual ocean feast where all of the family members living on Cailunmire are expected to be present remain to this day, being practised by even the newest generation of Aerendor.
Driven by their work and labour, seen as an act of benevolence cast to their broader family - those who call Cailunmire their home - Aerendor elves are a hardy people in all manners. Boisterous compared to some, they value kinship and the reward of a hard day’s work over all else. Whilst perhaps not as intelligent as the higher born Eldrini elves of Cailunmire, they remain collected even when facing problems they cannot simply push through with sheer physical effort. They consider their knowledge of the sea, tides, and ocean currents to be greater than any book-learned navigator or such, though they do not allow pride to threaten their livelihoods or way of life in Cailunmire.
Whilst many of the traditions born in this time of hardship have since reverted to being towards Soltharis since, they do remain pointed towards the sea rather than the sky in most cases. Traditions such as water births in the ocean are commonplace, as well as eating only a seafood based diet as a teenager, and an annual ocean feast where all of the family members living on Cailunmire are expected to be present remain to this day, being practised by even the newest generation of Aerendor.
Driven by their work and labour, seen as an act of benevolence cast to their broader family - those who call Cailunmire their home - Aerendor elves are a hardy people in all manners. Boisterous compared to some, they value kinship and the reward of a hard day’s work over all else. Whilst perhaps not as intelligent as the higher born Eldrini elves of Cailunmire, they remain collected even when facing problems they cannot simply push through with sheer physical effort. They consider their knowledge of the sea, tides, and ocean currents to be greater than any book-learned navigator or such, though they do not allow pride to threaten their livelihoods or way of life in Cailunmire.
Appearance
Given the lack of true blood connections between many members of the Aerendor ‘bloodline’, there is a lack of any particularly distinct feature to tie them together save their affinity for the sea. A few thought to be true descendants of Gaerion bear his golden hair and sea-green eyes. In some, fiery red hair has taken hold and now travels along the bloodline through their children.
The vast majority of Aerendor are much alike with the Woad Elf population of Cailunmire, with sunkissed skin and an average stature; males as tall as six feet and two inches whilst females reach five feet and ten inches respectively. Their work driven lives see many have broader and larger builds than their higher born counterparts within Cailunmire however, with slightly longer limbs giving an edge to them in their swimming.
Despite their physical appearances lacking much cohesion, their lifestyle does see a particular penchant when it comes to their fashion. Many wear more flowy clothing to bear the heat of living on the coastline and being exposed to Soltharis’ golden light more frequently. Some take the care to cover their skin with loose pale scarves during the summer’s peak, but most notably suffer from sun damaged skin as a mark of pride, seen as a symbol of their labour and effort. Many adorn their outfits with scavenged metals and sea glass in place of valuable metals and gemstones, seeing the bounty of the sea as a reward for their servitude to the people of Cailunmire in their work.
Whilst the typical tattoos and markings of Cailumire are present on the skin of Aerendor descendants, it is tradition for those who complete their first solo work days to be marked by the tides across their shoulders and back in the form of waves. These are subtly done to allow for members of the bloodline to receive other markings without issues as they choose, and little expectation is placed upon them to bear the waves themselves if they do not wish.
The vast majority of Aerendor are much alike with the Woad Elf population of Cailunmire, with sunkissed skin and an average stature; males as tall as six feet and two inches whilst females reach five feet and ten inches respectively. Their work driven lives see many have broader and larger builds than their higher born counterparts within Cailunmire however, with slightly longer limbs giving an edge to them in their swimming.
Despite their physical appearances lacking much cohesion, their lifestyle does see a particular penchant when it comes to their fashion. Many wear more flowy clothing to bear the heat of living on the coastline and being exposed to Soltharis’ golden light more frequently. Some take the care to cover their skin with loose pale scarves during the summer’s peak, but most notably suffer from sun damaged skin as a mark of pride, seen as a symbol of their labour and effort. Many adorn their outfits with scavenged metals and sea glass in place of valuable metals and gemstones, seeing the bounty of the sea as a reward for their servitude to the people of Cailunmire in their work.
Whilst the typical tattoos and markings of Cailumire are present on the skin of Aerendor descendants, it is tradition for those who complete their first solo work days to be marked by the tides across their shoulders and back in the form of waves. These are subtly done to allow for members of the bloodline to receive other markings without issues as they choose, and little expectation is placed upon them to bear the waves themselves if they do not wish.
Family Tree
Members of Note
Calaer Aerendor - Progenitor of the House of AerendorGaerion Aerendor - Patriarch during the time of the Great Despair, and founder of many of the family’s traditions
Airehíse Aerendor - The first Aerendor born on Cailunmire
Falfor of Cailunmire- Patriarch of the bloodline in the modern age
Lanthirel Aerendor - A well respected scholar within Cailunmire's religious debates
Attachments
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