Prominent traits exhibit themselves among the races – various bloodlines have diverged to the point where such physical and ability traits can often point one in the direction of his general ancestors; among the most notable concerns the eyes of those with some measure of Glimmdrad heritage, but others will be noted as well. The skrivor~~ asks pardon for only covering the most common delineations, as the reality of such circumstances spanning several realms is, of course, far more complex.

Eye Havens

There are five primary eye constructions among those of Glimmdrad descent – these are known as the Eye Havens:

Glimmdrad – Lumin Haven – The eyes of nearly all the faere-folke possess a luminescent, faintly glowing quality that appears hazy and auric to many. These come in an assortment of colour schemes (as quite briefly aforementioned in the Third Account).

Ælves (of the Hybrikin) – Lucid Haven – The eye-colours of the ælf-folke are many and varied, but most possess traits that appear almost the opposite of their ethereal Glimmdrad kin: some ælves possess brown (and occasionally pitch-black) eyes; the most commonly known trait across all pigments, however, is the silver or blue streaks that appear like cracks in the iris.

Hawkinfeye (winged descendants of Sythroth) – Auroric Haven – The winged-folke are the only Glimmdrad-kin who exhibit rare eye colours such as violet and deep teal or emerald. Their most distinctive trait is the presence of multi- or dual-coloured irises.*

Imrakiim (also Hybrikin) – Dragon Haven – Such is an allusion not only to this folke’s slit-like pupils (which diverge into two branches at the bottom of the iris), but also to their reputed, yet enigmatic skills in managing the self-same beasts of flight. None – in all the realms – surpass them in this feat.

Varathgard (Hybrikin of Ccyrn) – Ccyrrhic Haven – the pupils and iris of these faere-kin are both so light that they appear to be a singular, penetrating stare of ice-grey.** In some, the pupil is clearly visible as with most other orbs, but the iris remains a light pinkish white.***

Among those who speak Middlish (the conglomerate stew-pot commonly understood across the Realms), many have taken it upon themselves to refer to the faere-kin according to their Havens: for example, an Imrak spoken of by a Human may be called a Dragon, and a Varathgardråk/Gardian~~, a Ccyrrhic. This delineation is not intended to be derogatory and often stems from a lack of knowledge regarding the Glimmdrad-bloods; in some cases, when one is unfamiliar with the self-same, it is used out of respect. Nevertheless, this usage must be highlighted as sizeable generalisation, and in some cases, is incorrect in comparison with the scope of reality.

Of Bloods and Burials

It must be noted here, due to the Haven delineations listed above, that some will interpret the Glimmdrad and their fellow faere-kin as bordering upon a different specie-level than the Human, Dwarf, Gruagach, etc. bloods. This is not remotely correct, given the blood-integration recounted at the beginning of these Annotations; if anything, Humans themselves trace their origin to the death-life curse brought upon the Bloods by the Glimmdrad Ëyord.

As pertaining to burials and such traditions to which the faere-kin may adhere, there is simply not enough space in this account to detail their full extent. Thus, a mere briefing of overarching practises and themes must suffice for the moment.

The Glimmdrad are very attached to nature and its embellishing; trees, nightfall, dusk, dawn, stars, moonlight, waterfalls, leaves, and rivers are common themes in their lore-songs. The faere-folke are so attune to the soaring boughs and trunks among their lands, and consider these guardians of their secrets to be such close friends, that their affinity has given rise to the quip: ‘Better the lief (leaf) for the sage.’ To be buried among the trees in Glimmdrad tradition is a great honour, for it signifies a willingness to allow the deceased’s soul to depart in peace. The narrator has seen but one burial among the faere-folke….and a grave and quiet event it was, much like an unturned stone.

As for the Hybrikin, many of whom have been disgracefully alienated from society (and enslaved in various god-forsaken wormholes), some have taken up much more chaotic themes such as children of the storm, night-blades, or fyre-kindlers. As with any Blood, there are pen-dragons (pun intended with no regret whatsoever), yet their kind as a whole are not so completely devoted to writing arts as are their Lumin kin. Killian of Caacia was one such warrior-turnt-writer. As many of the faere-kin must needs have fought for every inch of freedom in their possession, their tales (often via oral tradition) recount many bloody and grim wars. Funerals are sorrowless affaeres, frequently accompanied by a pyre and tearless mourners.

Additional notes

*Complete and/or segmental heterochromia.

**Some questions over the ‘white-pupil’ description given by the narrator express concern over whether such a trait is actually a symptom of retinoblastoma; although his Annotations do not specifically mention whether certain lineages are more prone to such cases, it can be inferred that these descriptions are largely general, and that, from a surface analysis of his and other writings, no adverse effects from such an appearance have been documented among these people groups. This, however, cannot be known for certain yet as no concrete medical studies have been conducted in this area.

*** Possibly indicates the presence of albinism as many individuals from the Varathgard lineage display especially pale skin tones and platinum hair. Those with darker skin tones still typically exhibit traits like freckles, blue or pinkish irises, and blonde hair. Adding into this hypothesis is the fact that the Varathgard are well-known for their ability to hunt by sound and touch, rather than by sight.

~~Skrivor – a colloquialism on the part of the narrator (most likely picked up from his travels) meaning writer, narrator, or storyteller.

~~Gardian – a shortened form of the term Varathgard, which is how those of the Ccyrhic Haven refer to themselves; not to be confused with Guardian, a high-ranking Keeper level of Lysmagikk.