Andu

The Andu were one of the five tribes of Aduria, the patron of the Andu was Anduiras, god of nobility, strength and war. The Andu also respected wisdom however, and when the power of Azrai the Shadow grew in Aduria, the Andu fled to Cerilia.

The Andu did not travel the seas to any extent and therefore they marched across Aduria and into Cerilia by means of the land bridge between the continents. The Andu settled on the first land they came to in Cerilia, driving out the native goblins (and often elves) and then defending the land against those tribes which tried to settle in their lands.

The Andu had (by most counts) twelve great houses, including the Andu themselves, the Elins, the Mhora, and many others. The number twelve was sacred to Anduiras and thus the 'houses' as their clans were known were referred to as the 'twelve houses' even though from time to time one would be absorbed, or another split in twain and thus the actual number of houses varies from count to count - even today scholars argue whether this tribe or that was one of 'the' twelve or merely a lesser house. Indeed many scholars argue that the Andu consisted of just five houses - although the detractors of the scholars in question believe that those scholars misinterpreted the five tribes of man as the five houses of the Andu.

The Andu were and indeed still are, quite a varied people. Those who settled to the north of Anuire (in modern day Talinie, Mhoried and to some extent Dhoesone) are often referred to as 'the highlanders' a term older than Anuire itself which refers not to just to the lands they live in now but those they held in Aduria; while the Elins and others who settled in the east of Anuire are sometimes known as 'the glorious' for their often 'impractical' concerns for 'a certain idea of Anuire' and focus on the construction of monuments and other flamboyant mannerisms. Even the stolid citizens of the heartland however must concede that 'the glorious' are far more 'sophisticated' and artistic than the rest of the Anuireans and without them the nation would be far more prosaic land, even drab.

The Andu suffered greatly at the battle of Mount Deismaar, as Roele and Haelyn dragged almost every able bodied man in Anuire to the battle, but unlike the other tribes the rapid consolidation of power by Roele meant that the Andu recovered far more swiftly. Within a decade Roele had united much of the Andu houses and driven the Vos and beast-men almost completely from their lands (straight into Brechtür in most cases, for the cold lands of the Rjurik were well guarded by the clans and the beasts of the wilds and the deserts of Khinasi were unwelcoming, ironically the chaos of Brechtur which was used by Roele as justification for its pacification in later years was partly caused by Roele himself). By the time Roele had unified the Andu the people were known as Anuireans, the people of Anuire.

[top]Tribes of the Andu

At the time of Deismaar, the Anuireans were known as the Andu. They were a federation of tribes, much like the Germans in Rome's time, although they were more technologically and culturally advanced. We know that the Deretha, the Fifth House, became the folk of Diemed, and the Elins became the people of Elinie. Other tribes tend to fall along the lines of the Twelve Duchies, one problem for scholars is that the Andu held the number twelve as lucky, even in some respects sacred, meaning that early scholars often 'made up the numbers' to ensure that records held twelve major tribes, or re-wrote the prominence of this tribe or that to just.

• Anwe (1st House of (the) Andu) - This was the tribe that Roele's father ruled before the battle of Mount Deismaar and is believed to have held the lands situated along the banks of the lower Maesil. This group may have had some kind of ceremonial leadership status over the Andu as a whole. (The Gorgon's cardsheet and BE:Atlas of Cerilia (AoC) p.29)
  
  
• Boru (2nd House) - Little is known of this house apart from the fact that it eventually became the archduchy of Boeruine. (Book of Priestcraft, p.118)
  

• Mhora (3rd House) - This tribe of highlanders overthrew the goblin realm of Kar-Durgar and eventually became the realm of Mhoried. (Dragon 241, p.30)
  

• Elaime (4th House) - The Dukes of Alamie and Tuornen claim direct descent from this house.
  

• Deretha (5th House) - This tribe occupied the area currently in the hands of Diemed and it's breakaway states. The BoR claims they perished c. -300 HC but PS: Ilien and PS: Roesone both attest to their survival up to Deismaar. It could be that the tribe as a whole was largely destroyed c. -300 HC, but the ruling family and small groups of survivors continued to cling to the coast and some isolated mountain holds until Roele called them to arms just before Deismaar. (Dragon 241, p.30, PS: Ilien and PS: Roesone p.4)
  

• Aeren (6th House) - The line disappeared in 1254 HC, however Queen Liliene of Aerenwe claims to be both the last descendent of the royal house of the Aeren and a distant descendent of Roele.
  

• Bheallach (7th House) - This line is believed to have died out when the former duchy of Bhalaene was absorbed into Ghoere.
  

• Elin (8th House) - From their name and the region they occupied, this tribe appears to be the ancestors of the inhabitants of modern-day Elinie, the last duke of the Elin royal house was slain by the Khinasi adventurer Daouta ibn Hammoud. The Hammoud have often married brides from far off Khinasi thus maintaining their strong Khinasi roots and distinctive features. (Dragon 218, pp. 11-12). Given intermarriage between noble houses, and the tendency of noble males in particular to engender descendents amongst common women no doubt many folk in Anuire hold the heritage of the ancient Elin line.
  

• Brosen (9th House) - When first conquered by Roele, the Brosen had no central leader, and so he named Aranoch Marko, a warrior in his entourage, as Duke. The Marko line died out in 378 MR. The Mierelen line succeeded to the throne through marriage, claiming the ducal title. The realm passed out of Boeruine's control early in the post-Imperial era and became a vassal of Avanil roughly 50 years ago when the Prince of Avanil backed Maeric Mierelen for the throne of Brosengae over his opposition within the Mierelen family.
  

• Gehaiste (10th House) - This ancient line died out with the formation of Ghoere. A cadet branch of the family lives on in the Militant Order of Cuiraecen, but they have long since forsworn their inheritance.
  

• Duireina (11th House) - the Duireina inhabited modern Taeghas, the noble line died out when the last prince was slain by Rhuobhe Manslayer 15 decades or so ago leaving a succession of short lived dynasties.
  

• Carel (12th house) - The Carel originally inhabited lands in northern Alamie, but many emigrated north into the Aelvinnwode as the elves retreated before the Andu invaders. The Cariele family was driven into exile after a rebellion and eventually came to inherit Coeranys.
  

Other names ascribed by sages to the houses of the Andu include the Tucallian House (this may have been another name for house Anwe, the Norwen, according to some sages the true sixth house of Andu with the Aeren a far more minor tribe. Other houses of the Andu known in Aduria include the Yllenthae - the learned sage Foerde of Diemed argued strongly that this house of Aduria never emigrated to Cerilia, and also house Ravan, possibly another name for the tenth house of the Andu and said to have a fell reputation, again some say that this house did not emigrate to Cerilia, indeed that it embraced Azrai's teachings. The Dhoess are said to have been a branch of the Bheallach or Mhora who settled in the north and settled in the Rjuven land of Hjalsone after its conquest. Finally the Mornan, a minor house that ruled the Royal city of Trunt (now Feldersburg)

[top]Nobility amongst the Andu

Not much known about the nobility of the Andu. From old writings of Adurian sages such as Mangal the Wise it is believed that the Andu people regarded their nobles as chosen by divine providence, and held to strict ideas of inheritance. The Andu did not practice or accept slavery, however they did recognize bondsmen and serfs who were obligated to one of superior rank, although the nobles also had strong obligations to their tribesmen that are typically overlooked by the more casual scholars - particularly those seeking to paint the empire in an unwholesome light.

Each house had its own customs and nobility, and of course its own patriarch, often referred to as the king or monarch. The boundaries of the loosely organized Andu were divided primarily by physical borders such as rivers, forests and mountains; other differences included whether males alone or both males and females inherited and ruled, the types of terrain inhabited (the highlanders were said to be very different from both the people of the plains and of the shores).