Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-08T10:19:16Z

(via JWB)

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{{Infobox:TwilightAgeGroup
|Type = Zu'aan tribe
|Name = Malikdin Tribal Zu'Aan
|Parent Groups = N/A
|Descended Groups = Unknown
|Areas Controlled = [[Fondatiama Coastal Bogs]]
|Date Founded = 4E 340
|Date Disbanded = N/A
}}

==History==
The Malikdin zu'aan clan were founded by a former slave by the name of Hundimfn Ovami. She was formerly of the Wegivart region where she was captured by slavers and brought over to the thriving slave markets in the [[Fondatiama Coastal Bogs]]. She endured many years of hardships, torture and appalling conditions during her time here, which eventually contributed to her becoming one of the toughest and fiercest individuals within the camp. She was known for the tenacious attitude and was known to fight off people who were twice her size.

This reputation earned her quite a following and would be a hint of things to come. She would hone her skills in manipulation and leadership and would eventually get her chance when she was finally sold to a rich zu'aan trader. She would make a name for herself and become notorious as a rebel when she organized many slaves like herself in a revolt against her owners and broke free. Together, they would roam the countryside looking for disgruntled and rebellious slave to free and include in their little band.

Over time, Hundimfn began to accumulate a large following of strong and vengeful slaves that she named the Malikdin clan. They marched from region to region, wreaking havoc on every slave-owning clan they came across and recruiting their slaves. Their methods were harsh and Hundimfn gave strict orders for the destruction of both owners along with slaves who refused to join them. She led her army to the Fondatiama coastal bogs, leaving behind a trail of burning settlements and dead bodies. She was intent on capturing the region from the slavers and founding a new dynasty.

Her activities were also beginning to attract the attention of many slavers from all over the zu'aan world who feared that the news of her success could incite further rebellion among their own stock. These fearful slavers spent much of their own coin and resources to muster up an army to oppose and put an end to Hundimdn's venture once and for all. She would meet the slaver's army in the site of a large plain surrounded by wooded hills on both sides. She would deviously tempt the enemy to charge at her by occupying the lower steeps of the gently sloping plain.

Unbeknown to the slaver's, they were walking straight into her trap as two separate groups that she had hidden in the woods joined in the battle and completely encircled the slaver's forces. The Malikdin were merciless in their victory, taking the slavers as captives and using them as their own slaves. The Malikdin would establish themselves as a power in the region and would begin their own slave trade and establish contact with many powerful clans of the region.

The period of the kin'toni outbreak would be particularly harsh on the clan, as the kin'toni were attracted to their large concentration of zu'aan slaves in their market and continually attacked and turned many of their slaves. This eventually forced them to release their slaves and pursue a more isolated way of life. Hundinfn sustained major injuries during a kin’toni raid and succumbed to his wounds in 4E 12. The clan collapsed soon after her death as there was no strong leadership to hold the clan together.

==Psychology==
Most of the core membership of the Malikdin were from among the slaves of the Fondatiama coastal bogs. These slaver markets were known for their harsh conditions and the general lack of sympathy and humanity. Life was brutal and harsh and only the most hardy and resilient folk made it through to adulthood. The general lack of basic requirements like food and water made survival a chore in this region and slaves had to constantly battle for their existence day after day.

They endured constant beatings and torture which resulted in their inhuman endurance to pain and their capacity for mental strength which rivalled the capabilities of any other zu'aan. These conditions created very individualistic and selfish brutes who were only dedicated to their own survival at the expense of everyone else. This mentality was the same that existed within the Malikdin clan. The members were all focused on survival and knew that their best chances lay in being grouped together as a clan.

Their founder and leader Hundimfn Ovami regularly exploited these feelings to garner the clan's support for his ideas and ventures. She had to regularly resort to displays of authority and strength to show her dominance over the clan. These tyrannical methods were the only way in which a leader could retain control over the naturally chaotic Malikdin clan. The clan were composed of the most rebellious and insubordinate former slaves, and could turn very aggressive when they perceived that someone was actively threatening their existence. They were relentless fighters and were willing to fight to the death if the situation came down to it. This was typical of their lives in the slave markets where they had to fight for every morsel to survive.

There was a characteristic lack of personal feelings and emotion within the clan. They were usually cold and closed off and unwilling to make new acquaintances and contacts. This was a relic from their days as slaves when they couldn't afford to get close with make friends due to the risks of losing people to deaths or to slave traders. The clan was known for its lack of diplomatic contacts or allies. A common purpose within the entire clan was their deep desire for vengeance against their slaver overlords.

It was every Malikdin members dream to one day take over their enslavers operation and to become the masters themselves. This was a desire that their leader Hundimfn Ovami promised she would fulfil if they all swore their loyalties to her. She was true to her word and succeeded in taking on the slavers as an army and defeating them. The clan were known for their love of chaos and were led by the equally chaotic Hundimfn. There was no room for morality within their clan and judgements usually favored the side that was superior.

They were uncorruptible as they had no love for coin or possessions and led very stoic lives, devoid of any excessive luxuries or pleasures. Their only weakness was their sometimes-detrimental commitment towards vengeance.

==Culture==

The Malikdin culture was known to be very grim and had very little celebrations or festivities. Their single day of celebration was one that celebrated the day of their liberation from the yoke of their enslavers. The clan was known for their very stoic and shy culture that discouraged material possessions. People were not keen on socializing and gossip was heavily disapproved of in the clan. Individuals who talked a lot were seen as liabilities and often dubbed as collaborators- a derogatory term used to reference the slaves who collaborated with their enslavers.

Their culture stressed on the importance of hard work and discouraged anyone who skimped off work or engaged in talk or other distractions during work hours. This could also be seen as a throwback to their slave days when lax or careless work by one individual could lead to punishment for the entire company. The Malikdin culture also had a strict policy towards fighting- every physically capable individual was expected to join the clan in the military campaigns. There was a popular Malikdin lore about how their leader Hundimfn riled up the slaves to her cause.

She promised them the chance to fight their enslavers and demanded that all individuals who still had their dignity and were ready to fight were welcomed to join her. Thus, joining the fight against the slavers was demanded by the culture of the Malikdin. The Malikdin’s language and habits were a mixture of practices from all over the continent. This was because of the nature in which slavers captured their slaves from distant lands and brough them all together to their slave markets in the Fondatiama coastal bog region.

Their language had evolved to become a mixture of many different languages- mixing together phrases and shrubs from many different sources. Their religious practices too were a mix of many different gods that were adapted from conventional zu'aan gods with changed names and appearances to suit their needs. The Malikdin were known for their class system that existed within their culture. The two distinctive classes were clan members and slaves- once composed of members of the clan as the name suggests and the other composed of the clan’s captives who they auctioned off in their slave markets.

It was ironical that the clan actively engaged in and thrived on slavery when they themselves had been slaves not long ago. Their foray into the slave trade began as an act of vengeance against their former enslavers but would later turn into a full-blown business that they ran for their profit.
The Malikdin culture valued all conventional traits that were necessary for survival. This included strength, resilience and authority. They were the basis on which leaders arose from among their ranks and ensured that their leaders had the required mettle and resolve to withstand opposition.

It was also necessary for any leader to possess an authoritative trait in order to successively lead the clan who were naturally chaotic and respected only the strongest of leaders.

==Government==

The Malikdin zu'aan clan were known for their unruly manners and habits and their rebellious attitudes towards authority and leadership. This was because of their previous history as slaves which made them look sourly at all kinds of authority figures. As such, their first leader, Hundimfn Ovami had to approach them as an identical slave who had gone through the same struggles as them. She knew all about their desire for vengeance and their need to reclaim their dignity- she would exploit their desire by promising them a chance to fight their enslavers and have their vengeance on them.

She also knew that she would have to overcome decades of the clan's survival instincts which made them extremely wary and individualistic. She had already started imposing herself even as a slave when she resisted the attempts of others to intimidate her into parting with her daily rations. This cemented her reputation as a fighter and the thrill of this power began to grow on her. She began to actively assert her dominance over the rest of the slaves soon after by brutally murdering anyone who opposed her authority.

As a leader, she employed similar methods that included brutal discipline and punishments to bring the clan under her control. She earned their respect by flaunting her power and showing them that their best hopes of survival were with her. This was in keeping with the principles of the slave pens where the strongest and most powerful were able to collect the best of the food and supplies as well as the living conditions. Hundimfn organized the Malikdin into an authoritarian society where she controlled every aspect of their lives.

Her band of loyal companions were responsible for maintaining order in society and actively suppressing anyone who opposed her. Under Hundimfn's style of leadership, she was responsible for all aspects of the clan's lifestyle and conditions. She led them both in civil life and in military and regularly made laws to keep them all under check. She developed their economy by rebuilding their own slave trade. In which they first enslaved all their previous masters and slavers who had been responsible for their capture and treatment as slaves.

The wealth received from this trade renewed her clan's loyalty and belief that she was the one to lead them. She would use this wealth to embark on many campaigns and spread the Malikdin's influence in the region. The vital aspect of this strong leadership was visible in the way the Malikdin began to collapse soon after her death from major injuries sustained during a kin'toni raid in 4E 12. Leaders who came after her were too soft with the clan and began to lose their authoritative edge which led to an upheaval of resentment and chaos within the clan and the rise of individualism.

Many members would desert as a result and dealt a huge blow to the future of the clan.

==Military==

The Malikdin zu'aan clan were known for their very aggressive and confrontational attitudes. The clan had a distinct chip on their shoulder and were willing to take on anyone who tried to take away their freedoms or threatened their survival. This attitude helped them fit into a military structure seamlessly. This was a major recruiting point for Hundimfn who tapped into the clan's desire for vengeance and promised them an opportunity to fight back against their oppressors if they followed her.

The clan were militaristic right from the start since most of the people who flocked to her side were driven by a desire for vengeance. They would equip themselves with whatever weapons that they could fashion out of the resources available in their environment and succeeded in breaking free from the grasp of the slavers. The clan would quickly build their reputation for combat as they terrorized the countryside, attacking all slaver establishments and quickly amassing a stockpile of weapons that they had pillaged off their dead enemies and their razzed barracks.

They also supplemented their numbers with rescued slaves who were willing to join their cause- leading to a quick rise in thier numbers. The Malikdin were known to only recruit the individuals who were willing to fight and had the same motivation of vengeance against their overlords. Thus, their military was composed of their entire clan. Slaves who could not contribute in combat or unwilling to join their cause were remorselessly cut down along with their owners, as an example to all the witnesses.

She led her army around the Fondatiama coastal bogs for many years, leaving behind a trail of burning settlements and dead bodies. She was intent on capturing the region from the slavers and creating a new dynasty of former slaves. Her activities would eventually attract the attention of slavers from all over the zu'aan world who feared that the news of her success could incite further rebellion among their own stock. These fearful slavers spent much of their own coin and resources to muster up an army to oppose and put an end to Hundimdn's venture once and for all.

The animosity would culminate in a large battle that would cement the Malikdin's place in history once and for all. Under Hundimfn's capable command, the Malikdin met the slaver's army at the site of a large plain surrounded by wooded hills on both sides. She would deviously tempt the enemy to charge at her by occupying the lower steeps of the gently sloping plain. Unbeknown to the slaver's, they were walking straight into her trap as two separate groups that she had hidden in the woods joined in the battle and completely encircled the slaver's forces.

The Malikdin were merciless in their victory, taking the slavers as captives and using them as their own slaves. Their military success would see them rise in the region as new slave recruits joined them from all over the continent bringing along with them superior weapons supplies and tools. This gave the Malikdin army access to metalwork and some of the most advanced military tools in the zu'aan world and helped them further destroy many slaver colonies in the Fondatiama region.

==Religion==

The Malikdin were famous for adopting many different beliefs from around the region and giving these gods their own unique names. This practice was a result of the slaves of the Fondatiama coastal bog region being captured from many distant lands in the continent. The people brought along with them their own beliefs which they renamed in the conventions of their new language and culture. These new beliefs retained no similarity to their previous beliefs and were adapted to fit into their new cultures and surroundings.

The Malikdin had no particular reverence for any one religion and encouraged their members to pursue any belief as they saw fit. This policy fitted in well with the chaotic nature of the clan with many different practices all going on at once. Despite all their beliefs, the Malikdin were very grounded in reality and realized that they had to work together as a clan to ensure their own survival. Thus, religion and beliefs were private affairs of an individual usually kept within the privacy of their walls.

In public affairs, their leader was seen as the leading authority and no religion or god was allowed to interfere in between a clan members responsibility towards the clan. If anyone was found to be slacking or having the performance of his duty hindered by his religion, he would consequently be given an ultimatum to renounce his beliefs and expelled from the clan after. Their founder, Hundimfn was also a brilliant example of this practice as she kept her religious beliefs to herself and rarely spoke openly on any religious matter.

She urged the clan to follow the same example and only asked for their unquestioning loyalty in the fight against their enslavers and oppressors. Some of their most famous beliefs included their sae-kol god that was an adaptation brought over by some slaves from the steppe regions. clay figurines of this god could be found within households or in necklaces.

They were carved into ornaments and worn as lucky charms to protect the wearer from bad omens and physical harm. The belief was quite unusual given the boggy environment that they lived in and the distinct lack of any mounts in the region. Some of their other deities included a zu'aan god of war who was believed to be responsible for bravery and the fate of warriors in battle. Believers of this god would wear scraps of their opponents' bones in necklaces as a source of strength and bravery.

They were also known to offer blood sacrifices before and after combat in order to gain the favor and blessings of their god. Shamans and priests had a very minor role within the Malikdin clan. They were not accorded any official position and had no power to dictate the activities and positions of the clan in political and administrative affairs. Their duties were mostly related to helping out the clan members in private affairs and providing emotional and spiritual guidance and support in tough times.

==Miscellany==

{{NearbyGroups
| Centre = Unknown
| North = Unknown
| Northeast = Unknown
| East = Unknown
| Southeast = Unknown
| South = Unknown
| Southwest = Unknown
| West = Unknown
| Northwest = Unknown
}}

{{CrossSiteAttribution
| User = [https://www.freelancer.in/u/Jangou Jangou]
| Holder = Jangou S
}}

[[Category:4th-century Twilight Age zu'aan tribes]]
[[Category:Jangou S's contributions]]

Malikdin Tribal Zu'Aan - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)