Adrastai

What's an Adrastai?

In most Elenari societies, gender roles are clearly defined. Tradition is very important to Elenari. As always, one will find occasional exceptions to the general rules with males in traditionally female roles and vice versa, and the People accept these readily. Still, most of the People tend toward the accepted societal norms in their chosen professions, children usually learning their trades from their parents.

Because of this, Adrastai are almost always male. In all my time training hundreds of them, I think I saw perhaps 2 females among them.

Adrastai must regularly deal with experiences that other Elves never encounter. They undergo extreme physical training of one form or another nearly every day.  Their goal is physical perfection, and as many of them return to their villages of origin after they leave the school, they must know what it takes to maintain their strength on their own in their very bones. Their mental, emotional and spiritual training is equally intense. They must be strong on all fronts for they are the first line of defense of the People should any threat arise.

Adrastai serve many functions. They patrol the perimeters of villages, taking care of any threat and looking in on folks in outlying areas. They mediate minor disputes if such should occur. They serve as Temple Guards in Sarna and the capital city. They serve as bodyguards for the Royal Family, the 'Lesia and her Maidens, and other officials of rank such as Council members. They are the army in times of war and the police force in times of peace. They are usually the best hunters in a given village due to their training and are often asked to provide meat for the entire village in cases where the population is very few and domesticated animals are not kept. They act as couriers when official governmental materials and messages must be transported that cannot otherwise be sent by boosted transmission from the weathermancing towers. And that's not all they do by any means.

Risk

They Dance with Death. Adrastai must willingly sacrifice their own lives for the sake of others without a thought for themselves or a shred of fear. They must be able to kill their own kind without hesitation if it is warranted (usually happened during the Last Days due to obvious Taint), an act your average village Elf would find abhorrent and an unthinkable abomination.

All Elenari are interconnected through mental, emotional and spiritual linkwebs. There are webs within webs of energy links - national, racial, clan, family, Life- or Lovemate group, parent/child, siblings etc. Each Elenari carries within his or her unique energy signature a bit of StarSong. It is how we recognize each other as Elenari even if we have never met previously. When an Elenari ends a note of StarSong in another by killing that person, no matter how tainted, that Death of the Song slowly begins to seep into the killer's soul and eat him or her alive. It will drive an Elf insane like nothing else.

Adrastai take that personal risk for the greater good of the People every time they go into battle. They also risk their own lives of course. Because of this, they are highly respected and greatly honored by the civilian population. They are the Knights of the Realm amongst the peasants, the rock stars of our society. It is the skill and honor they gain that drives many young Elves to come to the school.

Their training changes who they are inside and out and makes them into something they weren't before. They are different from other Elves. In the Adrastai School at the Temple at Sarna, Kharie'l, the Captain of the Guard, trains them in physical conditioning and fighting techniques. (Of course, there are mental and emotional aspects to that.)

I, being the 'Lesia, trained them in the use of certain energies and defensive magicks, how to charge their fakhai'n to make them more deadly, for example. I also built energy pathways within them so that they could be guided by a special form of group effort, or Draelren, in battle.

And it was I and the junior priestesses under me, the Maidens, who cleansed them of Death when they killed. If not done correctly, the priestess performing the cleansing can become endangered by the Death herself. She takes it from the body of the Adrastai and delivers it to the Goddess for transformation. If any is left within her, it can eat at her the same way it would them, so her work is risky as well.

Uniforms

New recruits in the school at Sarna are issued a loose fitting grey tunic and black linen trousers to wear for training during their first year. When they are not training, they wear their own civilian clothing for they are not yet Adrastai.

Adrastai are issued uniforms once they complete their first year of training and pass their first battery of tests (though they remain at the lowest level of rank). Uniforms are replaced when they wear out or are damaged beyond minor repair and are an item regularly stocked in the armory. Adrastai are responsible for the day to day care of their uniforms, cleaning and oiling them and polishing the buckles.

All Adrastai, no matter at which school they train, wear the bright red sash of service that marks them as Adrastai. Each school usually has its own style of uniform over which the sash is worn, but an Adrastai may choose to wear it over civilian clothes once he leaves a school and returns to his home village. Typically, the sash is worn either tied about the hips or over one shoulder tied diagonally across the chest. Which way is "proper" for a particular Adrastai depends on which school he hails from. All Adrastai who go through the school at Sarna wear theirs tied about their hips with the knot just in front of the left hip bone.

The uniform of the Adrastai in Sarna was designed by my mother, who was 'Lesia before me. At the time she designed it, she was Lovemates with Captain Kharie'l. She designed the uniform with him in mind as the one to wear it. Some would consider it a little too sexy for cultivating a militaristic mindset, but my mother was no fool. Sexuality is an overt part of Tularin culture, and one of the 'Lesia's primary concerns is the morale and well-being of all, civilians and Adrastai alike. She knew that if you think you look fabulous and intimidating, and you feel sexy, your confidence increases. So she made all the Adrastai look fabulous.

The uniform she designed consists of a pair of black leather pants that fit tightly but not too much so. Over this is worn the double black scabbards and black-hilted fakhai'n (twin blades) all Adrastai carry. Over the belt holding the scabbards is tied the red sash. Over this a black leather jacket is worn without a shirt beneath it. It is closely fitted through the waist and ribs, but slightly looser in the armholes and shoulders to allow freedom of movement for fighting. The collar is a high stand-up or "Mandarin" style that protects the back and sides of the neck. The sleeves are long and taper to points just past the wrists.

She chose leather as the material for their uniforms because it affords them some small protection without overly restricting their movement. Adrastai wear no other armor. Leather tears less readily than fabric and can take a lot of abuse, outlasting woven or knitted cloth several times over. She chose black because it is the most readily available dye, covers inconsistencies in the hides during tanning, and she thought it looked really good with Kharie'l's black hair and green eyes. It creates a sharp contrast for the red sash as well.

Because wearing leather can become hot, especially in the warm climate most Tulari prefer, my mother closed the jacket with a single button just above the navel, creating two points hanging down in front of the hips. This closure allows for quick removal of the jacket for fighting if necessary and also creates a plunging neckline that leaves the chest open to the air for ventilation. Yes, the chest is unprotected, but my mother knew their blade skill and magick would handle any threat there.

There is also a more formal looking jacket for dress that is double-breasted in style. It has the same high collar, but with a double vertical row of large decorative buttons on the front. It closes higher on the chest. This jacket is worn when the Adrastai is serving as a diplomatic representative or courier rather than a warrior.

On the feet are matching black knee high boots with pointed sections extending up to cover and protect the kneecaps.

Marks of rank

Rank is marked by 0 to 4 small stud pins according to the rank the Adrastai has earned through skill and years of service. These studs are set with clear jewels and are placed in a line going down the left side of the outermost tail of the Adrastai's red sash. On the Sarnan uniforms, this is duplicated again on the left collar of the jacket. The Adrastai who have earned 4 studs are the elite guard and are qualified to maintain their physical conditioning on their own. Therefore, they are not required to come to morning practice. Three studs allow one to begin to teach others and lead some of the drills at morning practice. Ranks below that signify level of tests passed only.

Kharie'l tes Kesperion, the Captain of the Guard, is entitled to wear the "double sash". He wears a smaller red sash tied around his head that runs across his forehead and under his hair. This marks him as Captain.

The Captain is usually also the 'Lesia's Champion. The Champion wins this position through a system of honor challenge duels that are performed with live steel in a ring on the practice field. It is usually a foolhardy Adrastai who would challenge the Champion to an honor duel. The Champion usually has skills perfected over several centuries and is often considered unbeatable. An Adrastai who does engage the Champion is often painfully injured to teach him a lesson in under estimating both his own skills and that of his opponent. (This is quickly healed by the Healers in the Healing Wing of the Temple, but the injured Adrastai suffers that pain in the meantime and doesn't soon forget it.) Only those who have earned 4 studs may challenge the Champion to an honor challenge duel.

The Champion wears a much thinner white sash tied over his main red one. This is the 'Lesia's token, her personal recognition of him as the best Adrastai there is, and her acceptance of him as her personal bodyguard. It is embroidered by the 'Lesia with her personal rune and the symbol of her office. White is the color of the priesthood and indicates his status as her Champion. He can represent her when she cannot be present.

Kharie'l was my mother's Champion while she was 'Lesia. He was also my Champion until very recently, when his Eldest son won it away from him. This eldest son is Torlinque, whom Kharie'l has trained from the moment he could stand up, and to whom I have had the pleasure of teaching many magicks. Torlinque is also one of my Lifemates, so it is only fitting that he become my Champion. Kharie'l is proud of his son, but remains Captain.

Other marks

Tattoos are unknown amongst the Elenari. If it were tried, the Elven immune system would heal the skin in such a way that the tattoo would disappear. The body would believe the ink to be a toxin or foreign material and would remove it. Body painting is done for adornment during festival days though.

The Adrastai have a custom unique to them. They use the same black makeup with which they line their eyes to paint horizontal lines on their faces, beginning at the cheekbone and working downward. One line is painted for each kill they make in battle be it tainted Elf or Beast (hunting one's dinner doesn't count), and the lines are worn for one entire day. These are called "kill lines" and are usually drawn in a recurved shape to echo the curves of their fakhai'n. These kill lines usually bring an Adrastai an extra glass of wine or two and extra affection from the serving maids in the Great Hall of the main house. People ask them about their kills and they then become the focus of attention while they tell the story. It is honor they richly deserve.

Adrastai have another custom unique to them and possibly unique to the school at Sarna. I think it began a couple centuries ago because Kharie'l had a winemaking accident (winemaking is his favorite hobby). I think he started this trend as a ruse to cover his embarrassment over his atypical lack of grace in spilling juice on himself, but that's just me. He has always smugly maintained he started it on purpose as a bonding and morale boosting ritual for his Elves.

He showed up at practice one morning with a red stain in his hair. The juice of wineberries does not stain the skin, but will stain hair it touches a bright red for a week or so before it washes out. The stain was on top of his head, and extended down into his bangs.

He told his Elves he had done it on purpose, as an adornment. The guys all thought it looked really cool. Those who didn't were summarily told by Kharie'l that it was indeed really cool, and they were to then shut up about it or face kitchen duty.

And so, streaking one's hair red in various ways with the juice of wineberries became an Adrastai custom. Some just dip the tips of their braids in the juice. Others go for big bold streaks. You can always find several of them engaged in the practice outside the armory.  Kharie'l still does it too. In my opinion, it looks better on darker hair than it does the blonds, but they wear it too. Kharie'l says it's really cool, and he's the village rock star, so there you go.