The People of the Book. The primary culture of the land of Gnial. Governed by a monarchy held currently (2500 AA) by King Usruthsramni IV of the Tneathmne iamsre, Saéamtr clalâth. The capital is Cláíl Stóram Ó, built on high ground at the southern tip of Gnial, where it commands trade between Ómnurrir and Nusrawá. The economy is a mix of farming, ranching, and mining. Most of the population is on the coastline, stretching up both the eastern and western coasts.
The culture is known as the People of the Book because of their holy book, Iúsur Mnór, the Book of Leaves. It is about the size of the Bible and contains the foundation of their culture, with collections of wisdom, proverbs, and rules for living written in a sacred verse form (mlusal glaâl) devised by the legendary author, Yath Mnesren. In addition, each iamsre and clâlath maintain their own books, called the Wath Lrie Lre (one leaf / one life) books, which are added to as required for marriages, deaths, births, and the like.
For reasons that are unclear, the Iómr Mnór have much shorter lifespans than other peoples. Most of them die before the age of 35. However, they have the ability, again unique among humans at this time, to pass on their memories to their children. When they are about to die, they perform a special ritual called the Mnir Nsawatr (the “chapter meal”), in which they prepare a meal for their children to eat. The children then gain the memories of their parents, which include all the memories of their parents and ancestors, going back two thousand years. These sacred memories are known as the iúsur, the leaves.
In part because of this, gender is not so strong a factor in Iómr Mnór society as in other cultures of the time. Some of the male monarchs of the Iómr Mnór, for example, are named Usruthsramni, derived from Elizabeth, a well-respected female monarch ancestral to some of the royal family.
The Iómr Mnór explain the origin of this ability via a myth, which states that the god Usad granted them eternal life in exchange for their loyalty, reaffirming the commitment of Abraham (Ánnahâ); but since no single mortal body can hold an immortal spirit, their bodies must die, and their spirits pass on to their children. Thus the greatest curse that can befall one of the Iómr Mnór is to have no children, since that is, for them, true death.
Axon Firings 