The Shin'a'in (translation: People of the Plains) are a fictional ethnographic group created by fantasy author Mercedes Lackey.
They are characterized by their chosen homeland, the Dhorisha Plains, an enormous grassland in the bottom of a great crater, and by their refusal to use magic except as part of the shamanic rituals.
Shin'a'in worship their deity in the form of a Goddess, Kal'enel (Sword of the Stars, or The Star-Eyed) with four aspects; Maiden, Warrior, Mother, Crone.
[citation needed] The Shin'a'in are famous for their relationship to their horses, whom they often refer to as dester'edre (Wind-born Siblings), or ever-younger clanschildren (Jel'sutho'edrin).
In appearance they are somewhat coarse, with large, broad foreheads, dusty gray coats and muscular quarters (the hindquarters often somewhat higher than the forequarters).
A great war between Urtho, a wise and good mage, and Ma'ar, an evil one, resulted in the death of both and the destruction of their citadels.
The Clans who shunned the use of any magic except for that of the Shaman were to live in the crater and guard the weapons still sealed in Urtho's tower.
The clans who accepted the second task became the Shin'a'in, and the Goddess covered the ruined land with grass so that they could live there.
This re-populating of the Plains came at a great cost: the lives of the Elders of the four Clans who were the first of the Shin'a'in (Hawk, Wolf, Grass-Cat, and Deer).
If they wish to do neither, then the Shaman will call upon the Goddess to seal away the touch of magic and the child will continue to live life in the Clan.
These Scrollsworn, as they are known, wear a dark navy blue, and are as devoted to the preservation of the Clan and outClan knowledge and history, as the Swordsworn are to the way of the fighting and combat.
This oath involves each participant making a small, crescent shaped incision on their right palm and joining hands to mingle the blood.