Tinhuviel Artanis

First off, thank you for taking my poll about the Greys. I didn't even know they still had the poll option on LJ, but my knowledge about LiveJournal declined after I lost Semagic, which isn't supported on a Mac.

The symbol above is a holy one, according to the Tarmi. It was the rune that represented the original Deaghydhe from which the three nations sprung after setting off across the multiverse in search for a new home. The three nations were the Rhyllans, the Thranodiena, and the Tarmi. Supposedly, the symbol has been seen by humans who have found themselves on board a Thranodiena craft. When I began mapping out the history of the Deaghydhe (DYAH gih theh), the symbol was one of the first things that arose from the first few brainstorms. It dates back to around 1985-86.

I still have oodles of notebook paper with notes about the Rhyllan and Tarmian histories. I have never really written much about the Thranodiena, because I wanted to keep them a mystery, even to myself, the reason being they were based on the Greys. They really didn't come into existence in relation to the Deaghydhen annals until I "reverse-engineered" an illustration of a Rhyllan, and it turned out to be a dead ringer for the Grey depicted on the cover of Communion. The only things I've suggested about them are 1) They fell in love with the Infinite Astral, their nation growing in the expanses between the stars, 2) The effects of radiation, solar winds, and gravity - or lack there of - triggered an evolution into bodies that were better suited for a space-dwelling people, and 3) Long after the Tarmi settled on Earth, the Thranodiena arrived as well, but made no contact with their Deaghydhen kin. Instead, they began studying the nature of Earth and its endless lifeforms, including humans. They've been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years. Why? I don't know. Someday, I may attempt to create a theory but, for the time being, I think the mystery sits well.

The only Tarmian creation that utilised the Deaghydhen rune and survived the purging of the race by the Apostate is Cadmus' staff, given to him by Kelat in The Blood Crown. I drew the staff on Cadmus' 5-page profile back in 1996.

• Their original species was sung into existence by the sentient universe. They were known as Deaghydhe (dYAH gih the) and possessed starry raiments for corporeal manifestation


• Over time, the Deaghydhe chose more physical forms and moved away from the Song. A small number of Deaghydhe moved closer to the Song and became Deaghydhen Avatars.


• The Avatars, along with the sentient universe, collaborated to create a world of beauty and wonder for the Deaghydhe. While the Deaghydhe created incredible ships to travel the immensity of space, their new world Eterah was being created. Eterah contained it's own special Song, which became an indwelling sentience unto itself, able to create new life on the young planet. This became known as Menaterah.


• The Deaghydhe began the great journey from their vast wasteland of a home world to their new home. They travelled on three celestial ships: Threnodi, Konot'incalime (KUH-nuht in CAL ee may), and Sechlourendal (seh KLUR en DELL). They were travelling worlds unto themselves, created to be able to sustain life over the course of thousands of years, for it was believed that the great journey would last for several dozen generations of Deaghydhe, even though they were incredibly long-lived.


• Konot'incalime ceased to move and was drawn into the gravitational pull of a large planet illuminated by twin suns. The kindred of Konot'incalime had become dedicants to the Avatar Rhyll over the course of 300,000 years. When they landed on the planet, they emerged from the celestial ship as Rhyllans and called this young planet their home, believing it was the Will of Rhyll for them to be pulled onto this planet.


• The kindred of Threnodi became enamoured with the eternal immensity of the universe and chose to wander the dark places between the stars. Over time, they became what humanity commonly calls Greys.


• The kindred of Sechlourendal made their way to the promised world of Eterah. They had long called themselves Tarmi, which meant Hopeful Ones, for they never faltered in their belief that they would someday make it to Eterah.


• The Tarmi are the source of humanity's myths and legends of an ancient alien Elfin race that coexisted with humans for a time.


• The Tarmian lifespan was typically 900-1200 years.


• The Tarmi walked on the balls of their feet, giving them a graceful, birdlike appearance.


• Tarmian bones were hollow, making even the largest Tarma lighter than most humans.


• The Tarmian patron Goddess was Kessilon, the Star Goddess.


• There were many things invisible to humans that Tarmi could see. Minor spirits sung into being by Menaterah are one of example. There was also the colour the Tarmi called chiamsa (kee AHM zah). Humans usually see a calico look, but the colour is actually a solid shade that was beyond human eyesight.


• Tarmi wove fabric by singing the weave. As their melodies wove together, so did the fabric. All Tarmian clothing was made of sung cloth.


• Tarmi also sang ships, strapping themselves to the masts to sing the wind into the sales. This is why so many longships of later years had the carving of a person or angel on the mast. This harked back to the days when the seas were filled with song and the pathways to Meybhelahn were open.


• The Tarmi had five great empires on Eterah: Omanola, Khemeth, Thessalonika, El'Tour'Adhoa, and Meybhelahn. In actuality, Meybhelahn still exists, but is hidden from human intrusion because of the animosity that was bred between the two species, causing much death and sorrow among the Tarmi


• The first Vampires were originally Tarmi.


• When humans first emerged from the imagination of Menaterah, the Tarmi took them to heart and dedicated themselves to teaching this younger race. For thousands of years, humans were cradled in the wise embrace of the Tarmi, learning the magicks of the earth and the wisdoms of the stars.