Cernaron

The cernaron are stoic warriors from another realm, living out their days far from other civilizations in the coldest reaches of Ol-Duthrain, warring constantly agaisnt dragons and giants, and defending the material plane against threats from the elemental Plane of Ice.

Beasts of The North

The cernaron come from the elemental Plane of Ice and live near a rift between the material and ice planes far in the north. They live in Ultherok, in the Everfrost, which is governed by five great tribes, which all swear fealty to the kjar, the king. They do not always have a kjar, so they mostly rely on a great council made up of wise leaders to rule. The reason they do not always have a kjar is due to the fact that a cernaron can become a kjar only by surviving the Rite of Rimefire, in which a wise warrior is set ablaze with rimefire for three days. If he survives, his icy carapace becomes rimesteel, a unique form of ice that only rimefire can produce, and he gains the right to lead and to wear the Iceblood Crown.

The cernaron live in the harshest of cold environments, which are home to frost giants, white dragons, and more. More so, they must contend with the rift between the Material Plane and the Ice Plane, out of which come icy horrors the cernaron defend the Material Plane from. Horroth, qorrashi, and the quari make up the largest threats from the Plane of Ice, threats the world doesn't see thanks to the efforts of the Cernaron.

Masters of Rimefire

The cernaron are adept at using a special form of fire from the Plane of Ice called rimefire. Ths fire is black, absorbs light, and freezes whatever it touches, creating red ice, which is hard as steel and doesn't melt (save for the hottest fires). This red ice is called rimesteel, and makes up a large portion of cernaron weaponry.

Cernaron druids and wisemen have also learned how to conjure and manipulate rimefire, making them the masters of a unique and hidden form of evocation magic. This practice is considerd sacred and can only be learned by those who have the 'natural gifts', and is never passed on to outsiders.

Lives of Battle

Many otherworldly and powerful creatures terrorize the Everfrost, forcing the locals to form unique strategies to combat them. The cernaron tame and ride winter wolves into battle, wielding rimesteel weapons and being led by a hornmaster, whose horn blows signal to warriors where they must go and which maneuvers to perform.

Apart from winter wolves, the cernaron have a much more terrifying weapon they use in battle: the remorhaz. Some warriors carry special drums with spikes on the bottom, which they drive into the ground and begin to play, changing rythm and intensity based on the hornmaster's signals, and the remorhaz feel the vibrations of the drums and perform certain actions based on the drum's rythm and intensity, as they were trained from hatchlings to do. The remorhaz are especially effective in use against giants and unsespecting dragons, and are quite excellent for sieges and creating tunnels for troops.

The honored dead are laid to rest in mausoleums made of clear ice, where their splendor might outlast the ages. They are typically buried with their weapons, house emblems, and other signs of honor or significance.

Appearance

The cernaron appear quite alien, standing around 8 feet tall and having charcoal black skin covered in an pale blue carapace made of ice, which constantly gives off a gentle, cold mist. They have six eyes, three on each side of their eel-like heads that protrude forward from the body, which dimly glow blue. They have four arms, each ending with hands that have four fingers. Their legs appear to have a 'zig-zag' structure, and their feet have two large claws in the front and two smaller ones in the back.

Cernaron have a habit of grafting trophies of their enemies into their icy carapaces, such as teeth or claws. The more trophies a warrior has, the more respect he earns, especially if those trophies come from fearsome opponents such as dragons. They can also create other cosmetic alterations made of iron, wood, or other sturdy material.

Additionally, cernaron fighters wear battle skirts that bear either the house emblem or a mark of honor, proudly declaring to the enemy that they are a force to be reckoned with.

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