The Venris have not always been barbarians desperate to take new lands in the name of an overarching master. Once they dwelled in the frozen south in relative peace, even if the land was harsh and the winters bitter. They trudged across the tundra hunting woolly nemach's for their meat and hides, making townships in deep caves and hollows carved from the ice and rock. It was a harsh life but it was one that the Venris were well adapted to. At least this was true until the coming of the thing that called itself the Shadow. In a single generation it took control of the Venris by leaving them no choice but to serve. It stole the children of the entire Race and took them hostage in Darmah, a vast, ruined and cavernous complex of tunnels and pits. Left with no choice but to serve, the Venris have adjusted to their slavery, most coming to serve willingly when given the chance to invade other lands and take pillage, especially since they are all raised in the care of the Shadow.
Physical Description: As a species the Venris show a great deal of variation. Those raised away from the influence of the Shadow a very pale with dark hair and eyes, a good adaptation to life on the snowy tundra of Midian. The servants of the Shadow however are almost exactly the opposite, with dark, almost onyx skin and pale hair and eyes, an influence of the Shadows' corrupting presence. Beyond that they are tall, muscular humanoids with powerful low-light and night vision, able to see in rudimentary infra-red in the dark. Virtually immune to the cold through long generations of evolution, the Venris are surprisingly similar to humans in outward appearance. Their lack of a heart makes their difference obvious however. Venris instead have a multitude of smaller nodes in important confluences of arteries that pump blood around their body. This makes the Venris extremely difficult to kill as the nodes are reactive, shutting off valves to areas of the body that are heavily damaged to stop the Venris bleeding out. They heal through slow regeneration of the tissues instead of the contents of red blood vessels.
Personality: Survival of the fittest best describes Venris mentality. In the frozen lands of Midian there is no room for the weak or the disabled. If a hunter becomes wounded and does not heal within a handful of weeks many of them, regardless of their current condition, take the Iliakrim, Long Walk, out into the night snows of Midian with only the furs on their back and spear for protection. This mentality of self over society influences their actions towards others as well. Believing that they need to fight for everything they desire, the Venris take this attitude with them to war, making them ferocious opponents on the field of battle. They fight for everything in their lives, from food to caves to live in to women to bed and produce offspring. This has made the species into a hard, cold race with little sympathy for others who are not of immediate use.
Religion: Any religion the Venris once had has long ago been stripped from them by the overarching presence of the Shadow. They both fear and venerate this incredibly powerful being, shrines to appease the monster lurking in the darkest area of every cave the Venris inhabit. Choice cuts of meat are offered up to the shrine and left to rot in the dark along with cups of wine made from snow berries. These offerings are supposed to persuade the Shadow to not send his NightEaters to come and take the families children away. However the Shadow cares not for appeasement and sends his ebony-flesh slaves to take fresh children whenever it decides it wishes more worshippers. There is some small hope however. A very few Venris worship the deity known as the Lady in secret, hoping for divine forgiveness and aid from the Goddess of Absolution. So far she has not answered their prayers, though it is said that the Lady helps most those who help themselves.
Relations: Relations with other species are universally negative for the Venris. War is the only outcome from any meeting with other Races these barbaric snow-dwellers have. Sometimes it almost seems like it's the only thing they understand, for they certainly seem to show no signs of losing interest in pursuing the stalemated war against the Nemar. Ebony-fleshed commanders whip and bully the pale-fleshed hordes of fur-wearing, axe wielding barbarians into battle against all comers, regardless of the odds.
Territory: Midian is a desolate, frozen land of snow, tundra and very occasionally spindly pine forest. Its coastal waters are bitterly cold and filled with jagged edged, crashing ice-bergs that grind to splinters most ships that try to travel to this most southerly of islands. A single, nearly frozen river sluggishly wends its way from east to west, before spilling out into a black pit of cycling, twisting water, forever altering ebb and flow and current. Here is a great concentration of Dark Magic and it is here that it is easiest to contact the God of Lies, the Dark God for this is his temple. On Midian also rests the largest city in the South, Darmah, home to nearly a million Venris NightEaters and a million other Venris as well as millions of other slaves taken in raids on Ancient DragonLord, Conflaris and Nemar territory. There are even a few Sirens held captive for the Shadows pleasure.
Language: If the Venris ever had a language of their own it has been stripped from them long ago. Instead they communicate though a bastardised mix of High Tongue and Demonic, the same language hissed in sibilant whispers by the Shadow.
Names: Venris names range from very harsh Demonic forms to noble, High Tongue words to archaic Common names. For example:
Male: Bratorim, Kirok, Cal, Neasirom, Froziar
Female: Beautaria, Naroc, Silafay, Liashandrin, Merryn
Crush them! Kill them for the Shadow!
Venris NightEater commander giving the attack order
I promise to fight for you and keep you safe until I fail.
Venris wedding vow
© Joshua Binks (Paladin), Christopher Riley (Carnage) and Vanessa Vaughan (Andanin) 2002 -