Namarti
The Namarti are the vast majority of the Idoneth Deepkin. They form the lowest caste of Idoneth society and serve as workers and menials throughout the Idoneth Enclaves, as well as the infantry of the Idoneth Phalanxes.[1a]
Origins
When the Cythai fled to the depths of the realmseas in the Age of Myth, they soon discovered that most of the children born to them suffered from an affliction of the soul, and few lived beyond early childhood due to their souls withering away. After many years of experimentation, the Cythai discovered the magic of soul-transference that allowed them to take the spirits of other mortal races and use them to reinforce the souls of their weak-souled kin. These aelves granted extended life through stolen spirits became known as Namarti - a word meaning blessed and damned.[1a]
Lifespan
Although soul-transference allows the Namarti to live to adulthood, it does not grant them the long lives of other aelves. A Namarti who does not die from misadventure lives but a handful of decades. If an enclave is especially successful in its soul-raiding, some of the captured souls can be used to extend the lives of adult Namarti somewhat by repeating the soul-transference ritual, but even this does not allow a Namarti to approach a full-souled aelven lifespan.[1a][1b]
The average lifespan of a Namarti varies between enclaves, with those of the Ionrach living longest, though for all enclaves a span of some four decades is considered a full life.[1b][2a]
Appearance
The Namarti resemble their full-souled kin almost completely, possessing the same lithe and athletic physiques as other aelves. However, they are born blind, with their eyes covered by a thin stretch of skin. The soul-transference rituals that enable them to survive beyond infancy are agonizing and require runic branding and heavy iron collars, marking them as obviously Namarti. Some enclaves also undertake further ritual scarification as part of the ritual, though this is not strictly necessary.[1a][1b][2a]
Seeing Without Sight
In the deep, dark places inhabited by the Idoneth, sight is often a secondary sense, and the Namarti take inspiration from the abyssal predators to learn how to navigate their environment. They learn to sense changes in pressure and current within the ethersea and to feel the small pulses of energy emitted by living beings. These replacement senses can become so sensitive that they can detect things hidden to those who see with their eyes, though their perception does not extend nearly as far as eyesight.[1b][5a]
Social Status
Between their short lives and their souls tainted by the addition of souls of "lesser" beings, the Namarti are accorded the least respect of all the Idoneth castes. Their lives are directed by the Akhelian and Isharann noble castes and are usually considered the property of one of their enclave's noble houses.[1a][3a]
The lives of young Namarti are fully occupied with learning how to see without eyes and undergoing various lengthy arcane rituals to ensure their survival. These tasks prevent their entry into the dedicated asydrazor military academies of the Akhelians or the túrscoll temples of the Isharann, and so their skills develop more slowly than their full-souled kin for lack of a directed education. When they reach maturity, most Namarti become the labourers and tradespeople who perform the unglamorous but necessary work of keeping their enclave running.[1b][4a]
The most physically able Namarti may volunteer to serve as part of the auxiliary battalions of the Idoneth Phalanxes, where they are assigned those tasks that their Akhelian commanders view as beneath their esteem. The Akhelians drill them in the skills and tactics necessary for their role, which may include forming Namarti Thrall formations to act as the main infantry of the phalanx or Namarti Reaver formations to act as screens and skirmishers. While they lack the lifetime of training that grants the Akhelians their superlative skill at arms, the Namarti are still aelves, and so they fight with skill and dexterity few other races can match.[1b][5a]
Sources
- 1: Battletome: Idoneth Deepkin (2018)
- 2: Soulbound: Champions of Order
- 2a: Idoneth Deepkin, pg. 45-49
- 3: Soulbound: Core Book
- 3a: Idoneth Deepkin, pg. 193
- 4: Soulbound: Bestiary
- 4a: Forces of Order, pg. 13-20
- 5: White Dwarf April 2018
- 5a: The Ultimate Guide to... Idoneth Deepkin, pg. 32-39
