Bi·rrendi

Bi·rrendi (Rendej: /biʈʼæⁿdi/ - fields) is a chain of five islands, at least one of which is located on the Eastern Ocean.

Geography

The islands of Bi·rrendi are flat and mostly grassy, with few trees present. The climate is temperate and somewhat dry, with a noticeable dry and wet season. The southernmost island - Jifir-a-Sul is located on the north-east part of the Eastern Ocean and is partially unreachable by sea, due to the Perpetual Storm which surrounds most of it, as well as completely covering the other 4 islands. Travel between the islands is possible due to narrow passages within the storm.

Inhabitants

The islands are home to about 6,000 people, who call themselves "Rendej" (/ʈæⁿdætʂ/). They are a unified agricultural society ruled by an elected figure referred to as the Dux (/dɯʂ/), which simply means high.

Physical description

The Rendej are rather short, the average man being 160cm and the average woman 150cm. They have somewhat curly hair, which can be various shades of gray, ranging from jet black to almost white, the hair has an opalescent quality. Their skin is pale and can be virtually any hue, tho aside from pigmentation disorders it is always very bright and pastel colored. The hue of a child's skin is roughly halfway between the hues of their parents. A single white horn protrudes from the middle of their foreheads, the horn only appears at about 12 years of age and never stops growing, most file them regularly to maintain a comfortable size.

Culture

The Rendej are skilled at farming Citrin - an aquatic saltwater crop which produces grain during the late wet season. Citrin plants also have a thick and flexible stem, which the rendej use to weave baskets. They live in communities of houses constructed out of clay and stone, and are experienced with building canals, which allow them to grow more citrin, and of which they have an extensive network. Aside from citrin the Rendej also farm several types of fruit-bearing shrubs, as well as a species of domesticated flightless bird known as fatti, which they keep for it's meat, eggs and feathers. The Rendej language is written using a simple syllabary, which contains 52 symbols, and is written from left to right, typically on a surface of ging-ham tree bark, which peels off in large soft chunks. Rendej create stone tools, clay pottery, wicker containers, wooden carvings and simple mechanical devices, such as cranes or levers.

Religion

The Rendej believe everything, including them, to be commanded by an omnipotent god called Arnan, as such they believe their actions to be somewhat predetermined. They claim to hear Arnan's commands, and try their best to act according to them, since disobeying would anger Arnan, who would cause bad things to happen to the disobeyer and to the islands at large. Arnon is however able to be swayed with prayers, and as such the Rendej often recite prayers directed at Arnan, though this is hardy ceremonial, since not wanting to cause Arnan to anger they will usually pray while doing other tasks.

Rule

The Dux is elected in a biannual fashion by all adult residents of the island and serves for two years, though there is no limit on the amount of terms one can serve. Alongside the Dux, five figures known as the bû·radfur rule each island, with the exception of the largest island - Nhilu, which is split between two bû·radfur. Each adfur is elected by the residents of the island they rule, and serves for two years, like the Dux.