User:Zamatix/Tahkaha-Dah

"Treant boolu oho kuhe, bosho tinok fashoon ahano." - "We saw when life began, we will see it to its end." - Ele.

It is said that the ones the mortals have come to know as "The Ancients" have been there since time began. This is not true. Though old, the living tree-figures came to be at the arrival of the Pantheon onto Azeroth. Many in numbers, back then, "The Ancients" were spread all across Azeroth, covering every region with their kin. The race is much smaller now, the ones known as "The Ancients" have lent their aid to the Kaldorei of Kalimdor while their Takhala-Dah brethren have mostly vanished.

= History = ''“The Pantheon first created the Matriarchs, large creatures, higher than mountains and wider than lakes, covered head to toe in dark, polished wood. Their arms were massive, it was said that a Matriarch could lay down its arm and reach from one end of the continent to the other. This, of course, was not true, but it is how we like to remember our first echelon. There were four of them, each as different as the rock beneath their giant feet. Where one was a giant, high as a mountain and wide as a lake, the other could be as small as one of the mortal beings they were created to protect. “ “Now, you are probably thinking that the larger Matriarchs had control over the smaller ones, but that is not so. The Matriarchs all shared to same purpose, none were below the other, other than in height of course.

“When the mortal race’s age came to a start, ours came to an end.” “Thinking back on that, we should have been upset. But we did not; it was merely the way of nature, the way of life. Some claim to have known all along, and they wouldn't be wrong in that. But as the ages turned, it still came as a surprise. It had happened quicker than any had anticipated. The Anshe-Ohala called for all Ents, a summon like none before. Every Ent answered, they knew the reason for it, the age of the mortals had come. You see, at that time, the mortal races were primitive, unshaped, rough. They had yet to learn how to develop their wit and how to use it. But the summons changed that, the summons was the sign that the first mortal had killed an Ent to use its body for tools. “ “Ashia-Thrun, do not fear. We did not. We knew that some of us would have to lay down our lives for the sake of the mortals. That is why, after all, we were created.” “But the mortal’s needs knew no bounds. Relentlessly, they assaulted the Ashe-Ohala, stripping the body of the dead to use for weapons and tools. For the first time ever, we were divided into two. “

“The first of the new group was the Taktala-Ohala, the first of what the mortal races known as “The Ancients”, refused to let mortal lives take away theirs. While all understood that many would perish, they would not allow for all to do so. - Some say they went away from the maker’s intentions, but maybe they did just what was intended. They fought to live.

There had never been a need to have the knowledge of the Ents stored; it was freely floating between the previous Echelons. But as the mortal’s hunger for tools grew bigger, we understood, for the first time, that our line might well be wiped out completely. So the Lore Keepers were created, these were the first to be taught our line’s history and of the lines before. They got to know how we were shaped and why we existed. The lore keepers would remain hidden, while the rest of the Takhala-Ohala, the “Ancients”, did what they could to protect themselves and the keepers. “

“The other group, the Taktala-Dah, accepted their fate. It was, they believed, as the makers intended. While the Takhala-Ohala moved themselves from the barren lands to find shelter elsewhere, the Taktala-Dah rooted themselves into the ground, to give them to the mortals, they soon covered most land with their bodies.” “But no one had anticipated the fury the mortals brought. Instead of being treated with respect and dignity for their sacrifice, they found themselves being mercilessly cut from the ground and stacked upon each other, with tools made from their dead kin. “ “It is said that some of the Taktala-Dah tried to flee, tried to remove their roots from the ground below, but couldn't. Their roots had grown in place, caged by the dirt around them. They would have screamed, told each other to get away, had they not forgotten how.” “It is said that there are still Taktala-Dah out there, standing amidst their children, screaming out to any who listens. You see; the forests that you wander through, are the saps of Taktala-Dah. But they are no longer Taktala-Dah, the trees you see are husks, shells of their former echelon, they are plenty, but they are dead.”''

The age of mortals
Undiscovered.

The age of tools
Undiscovered.

Rebellion
Undiscovered

The Grove
Undiscovered

Sacrifice
Undiscovered

Awakening
Undiscovered

= Culture = Takhala-Dah: The Takhala-Dah were firm believers that the maker's will was to let them give their, and their race's, to help advance the mortal race's civilizations.

They do not have structure or hierarchy, despite most of them living in societies which can contain up to two hundred members. They were fond of trading tales with one another and often exaggerate them to no extend, they believed that history was what you made of it. The Takahala-Dah usually didn't wander too far away from the rest of their society, a trait they gained when the race was split into two, before they decided to root themselves into the ground.

Takhala-Ohala (The Ancients): The Takhala-Ohala were against the opinion that they should give their lives for the sake of the mortals. They believe that it was the maker's intention to let them decided for themselves and chose to fight against the mortals instead of succumbing to them. They too were fond of telling tales but went to great lengths to make them as accurate as possible, even going as far as to punish those who altered it. Unlike the rest of their kin, the Takhala-Ohala created members in charge of keeping the lore of their race, these are now known as "Ancient of lore".

Relationships
Takhala-Ohala --> Friendly / Unfriendly. (Depending on the view of the Takhala-Dah, the their brethren can either be seen as those who made the right choice by refusing the maker's will, or renegades, exiles, because of that choice.

Trolls --> Unfriendly. The trolls are one of the oldest races on Azeroth, they might be the cause for the Takhala-Dah rooting themselves into the ground. Due to this, the awoken Takhala-Dah may have a strong hatred to them.)

Kaldorei --> Neutral / Friendly. (Unlike their Takhala-Ohala brethren, the Takhala-Dah do not have any relationship with the Night elves of Kalimdor. Although they respect their ways of treating nature, which earns them a neutral state of acceptance.)

Orcs --> Friendly / Hated. (The orc race was not around when the Takhala-Dah and are a very new addition to the races of Azeroth (Compared to their lifespan), at first the Takhala-Dah will perceive them as demons, but if convinced that they are not (A condition is that the Orc do not have red eyes), they will be perceived as friendly. )

Draenei --> Friendly / Hated. (As with the orcs, the Draenei are a new addition to the races of Azeroth. They too are perceived as demons until convinced otherwise, after which they will be on friendly terms with the Takhala-Dah.)

Humans --> Neutral. (Due to their young age, the humans have not cut down a lot of the rooted Takhala-Dah, this means that the Takhala-Dah have a relative neutral approach to humans.) NOTE: The Takhala-Dah do not see the difference between gnome, dwarf or human. They refer to all as human.

Magic
Available to: Given as a gift of honor by a Matriarch, who allows the "organ" to be grown inside the character. It is available to both the Takhala-Dah and Ohala. (Cannot be taught.)

Mana resource: Glore Yden. (Courtesy of Brent Weeks.) (Is an organ located inside the Takhala-Dah, it fills with a magical energy called the "Glore Yden" though photosynthesis. To regain energy, the character has to spread its leaves in the sun and collect the energy. It is possible to cast spells during the night, if the character has saved energy in its glore yden, but cannot regain more energy until the sun is up.

Mana available: Limited. (Depends on the size of the character's Glore Yden organ. It can grow, but only to the extend the body allows it.)

Means of replenishment: Photosynthesis.

School: Nature magic (Mastered): Specialty: Weaves. Weaves are similar to enchantments, but has a much larger effect. In time, a weave can re-direct an entire river or make mountains crumble. Though powerful, this process can take thousands of years. To most mortals, this would be considered a natural phenomena. Weaves can also affect items and give it several boons. Although short made weaves, such as an item enchantment, wears off over a couple of days.The character is able to hasten the effect of their weaves if they empty their glore yden into it over a couple of months.

Nature of learning: Cannot learn new spells. The race cannot learn to use new forms of magic, other than that they already know. This is because the race is an extremely slow learner.

Belief
(To be added!)

Overview
Although the race does not have a hierarchy per se, the higher tiers of the race are more widely honored and revered. The Matriarchs most of all, who, by some, are revered as deities.



V The Matriarchs
They are the ones responsible for creating the Asho-Kahl and the rest of the species. They are believed to be long gone, however the race cannot progress past tier III without receiving a gift from the Matriarchs, which indicates that they are not.

IV The "Gifted"
These are the ones who have either directly descended from the Matriarchs (The Asho-Kalh) or have been gifted by them (The Ancient of Wonders and Lore). These are gifted with the ability to use magic through their "Glore Yden", they are very few in numbers and widely respected and revered by the rest of their species.

III The "Protectors"
These are the ones who grew from the Takhala-Ohala without being gifted the "Glore Yden", they are specialized in battle and have stronger trunks as well as fighting abilities. They originated shortly after the Takhala-Dah rooted themselves, as a defense mechanism. They are often shunned by the Takhala-Dah.

II The Takhala-Dah and the Takhala-Ohala
These are the original decendants of the Asho-Kahl, they are more in numbers (Although still small) and possess no exceptional traits. The Taklaha-Ohala appear older and larger than their Takhala-Dah brethren. This is mainly because of the Takhala-Dah's sacrifice.

I The Treant
These are the lowest form of the species who have grown from the Takhala-Dah. They are wild by nature and almost always require a druid to control them. While not shunned by the rest of their species, they are far from being respected. They are also mute.

The Tree
These objects clutter the world of Azeroth and Draenor both. They were created by the Takhala-Dah during their hibernation. Few of the most ancient of trees are old Takhala-Dah. They have long since forgotten to communicate through vocal means, but some are able to communicate if connected to their roots. They are, however, often insane if anything. The majority of the trees on Azeroth have become so degenerated that they have forgotten who they are, rendering them as the objects we know as trees today.

Takhala-Dah

 * [[File:Koal icon 2.png]] Unknown

Takhala-Ohala

 * Ashyen
 * Elderlimb
 * Hastat the Ancient
 * Nordu
 * Onu
 * Stoma the Ancient
 * Vartrus the Ancient
 * Furgus Warpwood


 * Arei
 * Big Baobob
 * Gnarl
 * Old Ironbark
 * Ivus the Forest Lord
 * Karonas
 * Selenn

= Personality = Takhala-Dah: The Takhala-Dah are often skeptic about mortal races, which makes them hard to befriend. They are old and wise, they never act irrational and calculate everything. They are often slow in their speech, to the dismay of the mortals, and slower in their pace. A Takhala-Dah can speak the language of the area it awoke in, but dismays speaking it. The quick articulations (Compared to their own language) of the mortal's tongue compares to a constant stream of swearing in the ears of both the Takhala-Dah and Ohala. Although the Ohala are getting more used to it. They are mostly relaxed and will not intervene to save one mortal from another. They do, however, react with surprisingly quickness when attacked or threatened. They do not address individuals, but rather the whole race, so if the Takhala-Dah engages in conversation with a human, it will simply refer to him or her as "Human". They do not differentiate between genders either. The choice between using masculine or feminine is up to the individual Takhala-Dah, but does it consequently. The Takhala-Dah do not differentiate between Human, Gnome or Dwarf, it calls them all human.

When first asked, the Takhala-Dah refers to itself as "We", but can, if befriended, give out its own name. This is a great honor for those who gets to hear it and should not be given easily.

Due to the events of them rooting themselves, most of the Takhala-Dah (May) have grown insane by witnessing their kin being slain by the number. These Takhala-Dah have a great hatred for mortals and only reluctantly speaks with them. They try to avoid any contact with mortals as much as possible. Some may actively engage in combat with the mortal races, although these cases are very rare.

Learning
Due to their extensive lifespan, the Takhala-Dah are notoriously bad learners. To learn a language, a Takhala-Dah must have spent several hundreds of years with the race. To compensate for this, the Takhala-Dah can root and connect themselves with their degenerated brethren (The "regular" trees) and speak with their memory of the spoken language. This only works when the tree has been around the spoken language for a long time.)

The race as a whole will have a hard time remembering the names of those it may travel or ally itself with. It will often simply refer to them as their race.

= Apperance = The Takhala-Dah look similar to their Takhala-Ohala (The Ancient) brethren - Except much younger. Despite the two branches (Pun) being able to live for thousands of years, the Takhala-Ohala have grown older, unlike the Takhala-Dah who rooted themselves and thus retained their young and vibrant appearance, despite being thousands of years old themselves.

It is unknown why the Takhala-Ohala (The Ancients) have aged so rapidly in such a "short time", compared to their lifespans.

Ages
The Takhala-Dah were grown at the same time (With only a couple of hundred years in between), this gives them an approximate age of 140,000 years (On Azeroth). However, it is important to note that when the Takhala-Dah rooted themselves they went into a sort of hibernation, so they may not be aware of everything that has happened. They rooted themselves at approximately at year -16.000. (NOTE: These years are only to give a general idea and may be changed according to (new) lore.) Which means that they may or may not have culminated knowledge during their hibernation and may or may not be aware of how the times have changed. Some may still "live in the past", so to speak.

= Language =

- Oho - Acorn [Represents growth, youth, potential, and good will.] - Wuhu- Sapling [Represents change, resilience, innocence.] - Kuhe- Leaf [Represents multitude, opinion, frailty.] - Ehele - Tree (Feminine) [Can be used as a modifier or descriptor.] - Ohala - Tree (Masculine) [Can be used as a modifier or descriptor.] - Treant - Speaker [Represents speech, peace, patience.] - Ahaia - Strength [Represents assurance, determination, willpower.] - Ahano - Longevity [Represents wishing, dreaming, waiting.] - Kee - Forward/North [Directional] - Ro - Backward/South [Directional] - Ash/Ish - East/West (Either) [Directional] - Thrun - Death, Decay, Rot [Represents sadness, quiet, loss.] - Dah - Unmoving, Still [Represents impediment, weakness.] - Boolu - Water [Represents flow, life, and cold.] - Taktala - Earth [Represents home, family, loyalty.] - Fashoon - Fire [Represents heat, danger, warning.] - Bosho - Wind [Represents thought, song, and motivation.] - Anshe - Sun [Represents intensity, change, power.] - Elune - Moon [Represents calm, tenacity, caring.] - Tinok - People [Represents outsiders, strangeness, discussion.]

For instance: Oho-Ahaia: Grow assuredly, a greeting.

Oho-Ahano: Grow long, a farewell.

Combining words like this is up to you and need not be limited. Enjoy and have fun with it! I'd say "add your own," but I think the overall goal is to keep the language simple and symbolic, and let it grow through improvised combinations so that it can still be understandable by everyone.

The language above is the language of the Takhala-Dah and Ohala, it is their primary language by them, it is called "Ent. Or Entish". By culture, the longer the words can be stretched the finer and more exquisite the conversation is. The etiquette is, that a sociable acceptable conversation lasts at least four hundred years. With others taking up to thousands of years.

However, when engaged with mortals, with much shorter lifespans, they can hasten their sentences far enough for the mortals to understand. although it is not considered good to do too often. By default the Takhala-Dah do not speak any other language than Entish, they can, however, have learnt the language of the area they have rooted themselves in.