This page serves as a source for information about how this subject is applicable to World 42 Roleplay. It may contain Lorebending information and such should not be considered 100% Jagex canon.
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A TzHaar-Mej, one of the race's mystic class.
This page serves as a source of information about the TzHaar race as it is applicable to World 42 roleplaying characters. If you or someone you know feels this page is incomplete in any way, please do not hesitate to contribute as best you can.
A Brief History[]
The TzHaar were once part of the TokHaar race, who were created for the sole purpose of creating mountains for the Elder Gods on various planes, but diverged from the TokHaar and became the TzHaar. This occurred early in Gielinor's life, at some point before the First Age, before Guthix arrived to shape the plane. Their original creation is known to have occurred inside of the Elder Kiln, a sacred and forbidden place to the TzHaar.
At some point on the TokHaar journeyed back to their sacred Elder Kiln, a group of them separated and decided to live in the volcano that they had built around their kiln. Over thousands of years, they carved out a prosperous city from the molten volcanic rock underground and settled in it, forming an efficient and organized society. According to TokHaar living in the Elder Kiln, the city-dwelling TzHaar are shameful to their race, since they have left the sacred and life-giving lava pools of their origin and since carving out the rock to make their city is sacrilegious to their natural mountain-building purposes.
Peaceful contact was first made with the surface world and its inhabitants in the Fourth Age, though very little came of the contact. It wasn't until the 196th year of the fifth age that the great TzHaar city publicly opened its doors to the surface world.
Caste System[]
The TzHaar follow a caste system, each TzHaar, with the knowledge of their ancestors before them, automatically know which caste they belong to the moment they are born. There were once four castes, but the inclusion of the Ga'al was added as a fifth towards the end of the Fifth Age.
Unlike most other caste systems, each caste is equal in power an respectability to one another, in this way the TzHaar maintain a power balance and formal respect for one another that is not seen in most races. Images of a member of each caste can be found below in the gallery.
TzHaar-Ket[]
TzHaar-Ket are the main caste of guardians, security, and law enforcement. They generally practice melee and are in almost all cases the physically strongest. They act as soldiers and follow a sort of morality code similar to chivalry.
TzHaar-Xil[]
TzHaar-Xil are the hunting class; supplying food and other wild game products to the city. They are both agile and skilled in combat. They typically use ranged and melee techniques, and have a small competitive, yet good-natured, relationship with the TzHaar-Ket.
TzHaar-Mej[]
TzHaar-Mej are the mage class and also the race's governing authority. They are typically the wisest and the most reliable record-keepers for the TzHaar city. They are not the strongest TzHaar caste in combat, but have knowledge of some very ancient magics, relying on said magic to fight
TzHaar-Hur[]
TzHaar-Hur are the artisans of their people. They do not tend towards combat and are not usually too proud to ask for help if they are attacked. They are critical to non-combative society, though, and are often incredible smiths, miners, architects, sculptors, etc.
TzHaar-Ga'al[]
The Ga'al are TzHaar born without memories, much like human babies, and were originally not seen as a caste of TzHaar. This class of TzHaar was inducted into the caste system after the events of the rediscovery of the crucible took place. Previously the Ga'al were seen as useless and were thrown into the fight pits to die honerably, but their fates took a turn for the better with the help of a human adventurer. Since they can learn more easily than other castes of TzHaar, not having any experience and memory to limit this beforehand, they can develop a wide range of skills, and are also useful because they can leave the volcano; not needing heat to survive. They now serve as something akin to an adventurer caste of the TzHaar.
Language[]
The TzHaar possess a simplistic language consisting of short words and phrases, and while they often speak the common language for visiting foreigners, they commonly add in words of their own language during conversation.
Known Words[]
These words have been confirmed.
- Ak - Forked, twin
- E - It, the
- Ek - Blade, knife
- Em - Hammer, mace
- Haar - Holy, sacred
- Hur - Builder, crafter, sculptor, small
- Im - Pickaxe
- Jad - Elemental
- Jal - Foreign; not TzHaar
- Kal - victorious
- Ket - Blunt, defender, guard, large
- Kih - Air, fly, wing
- Kl - Us, we
- Kot - Protect, save
- Kul - Token, value
- Mej - Mage, magic, priest; also loosely translated as parent
- Mor - old, retired
- Om - Club, maul
- Rek - Baby, young, youth
- Tal - Rod, staff
- Tok - Hard, material, rock, obsidian
- Tz - Burn, fire, hot, life
- Ul - Circle, ring
- Xil - Dangerous, hunter, killer, sharp
- Xo - Plus
- Yt - Cold, dead, freeze, ice
- Zek - Attack, harm
- Zi - Minus
- Zo - Ring
Unknown[]
These words are unconfirmed, but are assumed to be correct.
- Dill - Armadillo
- Hurt - Material, resource
- Hok - Speaker, voice
Phrases[]
Some basic words can be combined into more complex words. Here are some examples:
- JalYt - Outsider (literally, cold foreigner), often said to humans.
- TokKul - TzHaar currency.
- TzHaar - TzHaar species as a whole (literally, sacred life or fire)
- Tz-Kih - A species of fairly common fiery bats living within the volcano.
- TokTz - Obsidian (usually referring to objects and obsidian equipment).
- Tok-Ket - A block of stone. Used in construction; sourced from their own mines.
- TokJal-Hurt - A plank. Usually oak planks, treated to make them resistant to fire.
- TokYt-Hurt - Metal. Usually mithril and adamantite, forged in their Lava forges.
- Tok-Ket-Om - A maul or club made of any material.
- Tok-Ket-Em - A hammer or mace of any kind.
- Tok-Xil-Ek - A knife made of any material.
- Tok-Xil-Im - A pickaxe of any kind.
- Tok-Mej-Tal - A mystic's staff
- Kimit-zil - Familiar or Follower
- Kot kl, zek e JalYt! - Save us, attack the human!
- TokHaar-Kal - Sacred-Rock of the victorious
- YtHaar - Sacred-Cold, referring usually to human ("cold") heroes known to the TzHaar.
- Yt-MejKot - A TzHaar warrior priest. This is possibly a misnomer as 'Yt' refers to something which is cold, contradicting both the model's appearance and lore. However, it could also be a relative use of the word, as in "colder," as these appear to be a type of armoured lizard and not obsidian.
Death[]
TzHaar have a different process of death and afterlife than the other races of Gielinor. When a TzHaar dies they are trapped in their body, this process is physically painful to the TzHaar as it has been described as a "crushing pressure". It was not discovered that this cruel fate awaited TzHaar when they died until the late Fifth Age, until then all TzHaar assumed their souls carried on in their descendants. Before this discovery, the bodies of their honored dead were broken up into a form of currency called TokKul, which the TzHaar used for trading.
Once the TzHaar learned that their souls were trapped in their bodies, they began to cremate TokKul in the sacred lava which poured from the crucible connected to the Elder Kiln; which released the souls of their dead and allowed them to return to the sacred lava from whence they came. This afterlife is different from the other resident's of Gielinor, as the TzHaar return to the sacred lava of the Elder Kiln, back to the fires of creation once their remains are melted in the lava, while all others go to the underworld of Gielinor. It is not clear on whether or not TzHaar remain dead once their TokKul is cremated, or if they return to being TokHaar (since their bodies were put in the sacred lava, which returns to the Elder Kiln where the TokHaar reside).
Accepted Lore[]
This section addresses details about Tzhaar that are widely accepted throughout the world 42 roleplaying community.
- The TzHaar have their own language and naming system by the same name, but most can use a reasonably intelligable mash-up of that language with commonspeak.
- TzHaar reproduce by laying and incubating eggs. When these eggs hatch, the healthy TzHaar that emerges usually already has all of the memories of all of its ancestors, and through this memory the new TzHaar knows its caste and how to serve its specific function - these skills are not taught. When TzHaar are born without these memories but only with basic instincts, much like human babies, they are called "Ga'al".
- Generally most TzHaar avoid having eggs until later in their lifetime so that they can pass on the majority of their memories. While this is logical; TzHaar can have trouble producing eggs when they are too old, some left able to only have one when they become elders. If that one egg fails to produce a TzHaar then the memories of the parent are lost to the bloodline of the TzHaar forever.
- Physically, all TzHaar are quite strong, with the combat focused castes having enough strength to very easily lift heavy two-handed weaponry using only one of their four arms.
- TokHaar are a race similar to TzHaar, using the same caste system with one exception: the TokHaar-Hok. The TokHaar-Hok is known as the voice caste and relays the words of the Elder Gods to the rest of the TokHaar. TokHaar also have their own subvarieties of all other known types of obsidian creatures, which originate from obsidian creatures that have wandered into the kiln and fallen into the lava.
Debated Lore[]
This section addresses details about TzHaar in Runescape that are still subject to speculation and discussion. This can be either because of conflicting information in-game or because use of the detail in roleplay creates an unfair scenario (usually involving overpowering or another common roleplay problem).
- It is entirely possible that TzHaar would be able to leave the volcano, as long as they had a portable heat source, but this heat source would have to be incredibly strong, otherwise the TzHaar would be under risk of death due to their body cooling and hardening.
- There are TzHaar colonies that prove that TzHaar can leave the volcano, but these colonies are likewise in volcanic areas where heat is provided via molten rock.
Common Mistakes[]
This section addresses traits that unexperienced roleplayers often bestow their TzHaar characters, or traits that other roleplayers apply to TzHaar, but that aren't actually seen in TzHaar on Runescape.
- Standard stabbing and slashing weapons are usually not effective ways to harm a TzHaar. They are, after all, made of dense rock-solid obsidian.
- A half-breed of a TzHaar would not be possible, for more reasons than just the obvious point of anatomy. TzHaar reproduce asexually without engaging with a partner; one TzHaar makes an egg which hatches into, in essence, an imperfect copy of the parent. This unique form of reproduction would hinder all chances of reproducing with another race.
Other Information[]
- TzHaar still use TokKul as currency, but always aim to cremate it in the sacred lava after recieving it.
- Every TzHaar has four arms with three fingers, as well as three toes on every foot. The only exception to this are the TzHaar-Hur, which have no feet.
- Likewise, every TzHaar has a tail except for the TzHaar-Hur.
- TzHaar actually wear clothes, of sorts. Many TzHaar of all castes like to adorn themselves with jewelry, loincloths, and other ornaments; all made from the bones of the volcano's native creatures.
- These bones are probably brought in by the Xil, as they are the hunter class.
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