Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-10T12:41:43Z

(via JWB)

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{{Infobox:TwilightAgeGroup
|Type = Zu'aan city
|Name = Uskdser City Zu'aan
|Parent Groups = N/A
|Descended Groups = Unknown
|Areas Controlled = [[Lamido Dying Forest]]
|Date Founded = 4E 409
|Date Disbanded = N/A
}}

==History==

Uskdser City lies deep within the [[Lamido Dying Forest]]. The forest wasn’t always dying. It used to be a forest bursting with all kinds of life that drew many zu’aan to enjoy the sights. It was a popular tourist sight. Greedy elitist zu’aan didn’t want to appreciate the beauty, they wanted to cut it down. Their grand vision of true beauty wasn’t trees and colorful flowers, it was sharp lines and walls of concrete. They destroyed the forest in their bid to build their artificial utopia. After laying down the foundation, before they could really start building, the outbreak happened.

The zu’aan had no choice but to abandon their project, but the damage had already been done. They had destroyed nearly two thirds of the forest and the damage was irreparable. The Lamido Forest was slowly dying. The Uskdser Tribe wandered to the forest not long after the Twilight Age began. Deciding to settle there, they believed that the kin’toni wouldn’t look for them in a dying forest. They also settled there for the remaining beauty of the forest. Most of the forest was still dying, but there were parts of the forest that had somehow been left untouched and were still alive and beautiful.

They were able to use the foundation of the abandoned utopia to create a more natural city that worked with the forest instead of against it. It was a tough place to settle into those first few years. Since the forest was dying, there wasn’t much food. Plants in most of the forest were inedible and the majority of animals had already left for a new home a long time ago. They would find a few edible plants further in the forest that had yet to start to die, but they didn’t want to destroy more of the forest. They had to develop a diet that would allow them to eat as little as possible until they found a solution.

One day, their luck finally found them. After much prayer, they had travelled further into the forest in search of food and discovered a small lake. Not only had they found fresh water, they had also discovered animals and fruits of all kinds. They dug a line from the lake towards their city to create a river that they could drink from. They took the seeds of the fruits and planted them at the back of the forest, where there was still fertile ground. They took the animals and raised them, allowing them to grow and breed with each other so that they could have meat.

While they had already learned to accept death, this helped them to accept life as well. The zu’aan came to understand and truly appreciate life and all that it gave them. This understanding and acceptance led them to putting their hopes into the women of the city. It led to women being their number one priority as they were the ones who could bring new life into the world.

==Psychology==

The zu’aan of Uskdser are of a very accepting mentality. They accept the way the world has become, they accept their place in the food chain, and they accept that one day they will all die. Being surrounded by death on all sides made them see that death is simply a part of all living things. It will come whether they want it to or not. They accept death with open arms and they celebrate it as they do with life. They do not view death as the end. This is not to say that they willingly throw their lives away or wish for death to take them. They appreciate life fully and wish to live long and healthy lives.

They have just come to realize that death is nothing to be afraid of as it is inevitable. Due to this mentality, they are able to live their lives to the fullest without worry. They live each day as if it is their last. If death should come to them, in whatever form, they are ready. Every day they wake up and every night they go to sleep is considered a blessing to be grateful for.
Women are revered in Uskdser. As they are the ones who carry life and bring life into the world, they are the only hope for continuing the zu’aan race. The men are highly protective of the women, to the point of it being a bit suffocating.

Women can’t do dangerous jobs in fear that it would affect them in a negative way. The women in this city, while they love being protected and cared for, many also wish that they had a bit more freedom. Pregnant women are even more guarded leading to them feeling even more suffocated. There is a lot of unspoken and unintentional pressure on women to have as many children as they can. While it is not something that is mandatory, it is something that is expected of all women to do when they reach maturity. Those who can’t or won’t have children are kind of scorned and looked down upon.

It’s not something that is done openly, but it is easy to see the disdain and sometimes even hatred on the faces of passing zu’aan. They don’t understand why a woman wouldn’t want to do the very thing they were made to do. Women that have lots of children are celebrated and praised, and those who have lots of girls even more so. The more girls that are born, the better. Though they want many girls to be born, they don’t shun the boys. With that being said, there is an obvious difference in treatment between the two. A female child is more likely to be treated a lot better, given more love, than a male child.

A male’s upbringing is a lot more strict. They are taught to always respect women and treat them well, as they are the hope for our future. It is drilled into their heads how important women are.

==Culture==

In Uskdser, the zu’aan has a culture that celebrates both life and death equally. They believe that everyone should live their lives to the fullest and celebrate the life they have. And they believe that death is a natural part of life that is inevitable and will happen to every living being. They have two festivals to celebrate life and death. The Festival of Life happens during the beginning of the year and lasts for eight days. It is a festival that celebrates life and all that it gives them. Women are given priority during this festival. They believe that women should be celebrated for carrying life and bringing life into the world.

A small group of women, who have reached maturity, perform the Ahra or the Dance of Fertility, in honor of Adura, the Goddess of Fertility. This is a special dance that is done to ask Adura to bless the women with high fertility. It is also performed to thank Adura for allowing those that are pregnant to become so. This dance is a soft and slow performance with soft music and light steps. Many say the dance is so mesmerizing and beautiful that they forget where they are as their eyes stay locked on the dancers. Everyone is completely silent, leaving only the music to fill the air, for the entire performance.

Women wanting to get pregnant have been known to place their hands over their stomach during the dance, praying in earnest for their wombs to be blessed.
At the end of the festival, after much food and laughter, the Li Dahi or Dance of Life is performed by the children. This dance is in honor of Aara, the Goddess of Life and Creation. They thank Aara for giving them life and allowing them to live it to the fullest. They ask that she continues to look over them and bless them. They ask that she brings the next generation forth with great health.

The second festival is the Festival of Death which happens around the middle of the year for seven days. This festival celebrates death and those that have already passed. Death is never something to be mourned in the Uskdser. There are no funerals or wakes. When a zu’aan dies, a grand celebration is thrown in their honor. It is a celebration that honors the life that was lived. They see no need to mourn and feel sadness for those that have left the world. Children are taught at a young age that death is a natural part of life and that they should not cry when someone dies.

They should be happy that they were able to live their lives as they did. To celebrate death and honor those who have passed, Da’ Mai or Death’s Dance is performed. This dance is full of loud drums, stomping feet, clapping hands, and smiling faces. Some could say that this dance is livelier and happier than both the Ahra and the Li Dahi. They believe that by performing the Da’ Mai, the souls of the dead will be soothed on their journey into their next life.

==Government==

The government is run by a small council of men and one woman who have been elected. The woman is more of a representative to bring forth any issues the women may have. This position is usually filled by one of the older women that is completely set in the ways of the city and sees no reason for anything to change. She doesn’t really have a voice and can’t make any decisions. She is mainly there to bring a female perspective as women know women the best. She simply makes suggestions that she believes will benefit women.

The men of the council take the suggestions into consideration and if they believe it will be helpful, they will adhere to them. A small group of women have been trying to gain more power so that they may have more say in the way the city is run and have more freedoms. They have been trying to get a younger woman into the council but there are a lot of older women who are vying for the position as well. Unfortunately, those that want change are outnumbered by those that don’t. They have a strict set of laws that were created with the protection and restriction of women in mind.

The first four laws are the only ones that are truly important. The first law is that under no circumstances is harm to come to women. The second law is that women are not allowed to harm their bodies in any way. A woman’s body is a temple to be worshipped and taken care of. The third law is that women are not allowed to hold dangerous jobs. The fourth law is that a woman must not abandon her child. As far as punishments go, there are a separate set of punishments for men and women. Men who commit crimes have punishments that range from imprisonment to being whipped depending on the severity of the crime.

Some are forced to serve in the military and others are forced into manual labor. There is no slavery system, so manual labor is more like community service. So something like helping to repair the city. Women who commit crimes are simply imprisoned in their homes. They do not want to inflict any kind of pain onto them in fear of harming them and their ability to have children. The only punishment not allowed for either side is execution, with one exception. Men who break the first law are executed. While they do not believe in cutting one’s life short with their own hands to punish, there is no forgiveness for men who physically hurt women.

The only other time the zu’aan here will take the life of another is to end pain. Those who are close to death and in pain can choose to have their lives ended if they want. It’s only allowed if there is no way to save them. Serious crimes that would usually end in execution in other cities end with confined imprisonment for life.

==Military==

Though they are accepting of death, they still try their best to preserve life. Their military is split into three units. The first and second units are the defensive units. They are both in charge of protecting the noncombatant zu’aan. The first unit is primarily in charge of protecting pregnant women and children. This unit is made up of the least amount of soldiers, that are highly trained, and they have the high powered weapons. They have the majority of the guns and mounted weapons. The second unit protects everyone else and is the second line of defense.

While both of these units technically have different positions, they work together and often combine. The first unit just pays extra close attention to the pregnant women. The third unit, and biggest one, is the offensive unit. They are the ones that meet the enemy head on, the first line. They are considered the best of the best. Many join the third unit in hopes of helping to preserve the life of the city. They gladly give their lives if it means they can save someone else. Over the decades, they have developed a special style of fighting called the Makyu.

Since the first unit has the majority of the large composite bows that are well known weapons of this city and other high powered weapons, the third unit had to develop a style that would allow them to fight without them. This style allows them to use their hands and feet to rapidly attack their opponents. It focuses a lot on attacking weak points that allow the zu’aan to quickly dispatch the kin’toni. One of the drawbacks of Makyu is matching the kin’toni’s speed. The zu’aan have to think and move quick enough to outpace the kin’toni. It’s a perfect style to use against other zu’aan though.

Women are, under no circumstances, allowed to join the military. Not only would they be facing beings that wish to kill them, they risk becoming a kin’toni as well as any other dangers that lie outside the city. They are far too precious and far too important to be allowed to do such a dangerous thing, putting themselves and the potential to have children at unnecessary risk. The men view them as delicate and weak zu’aan who have no place on the battlefield. While there are a few here and there that wish to join the military, or at the very least have the option to, the majority of them are okay with not being allowed to join.

Males on the other hand begin training at a young age for the military. They consider it their absolute duty to put their lives on the line to protect life. Those who die while serving in the military are honored a great deal. To give you life to save someone else’s is something that the zu’aan here appreciate. They believe that it is one of the greatest and most profound things one can do with their lives. Their deaths have meaning that they should be proud of. They are to always be remembered for their sacrifice.

==Religion==

Religion is a very important part of life in Uskdser City. There are three deities that they worship. They are Aldir, Aara, and Adura. Aldir is the God of Death, Aara is the Goddess of Life and Creation, and Adura is the Goddess of Fertility. There were others that they worshipped before the outbreak, but they have been long forgotten. As they settled into the Lamido Dying Forest and death surrounded them on all sides, they truly leaned into Aldir. Through him, they learned to not only accept death but to appreciate it as well. They discovered that death was something natural, not something to be feared.

For a long time, Aldir was the only god they worshipped and leaned on. After finally learning to accept death, they turned to once again worship Aara and Adura as well. These three deities were all they needed to survive their new world. Aara is the Goddess of all life and creation. She is depicted as a woman with long green hair, flowers of different kinds twisted into the green locks. Her eyes are like a reflection of the blue sky on a clear day, and her skin is a pale yellow. Instead of clothes, blossoming vines wrap around her. Expecting mothers pray to Aara to help them have a safe and successful birth and to bring forth a healthy child.

They pray that she blesses their children with long lives. Older zu’aan thank her for giving them life and allowing them to live it to the fullest. Adura is the Goddess of Fertility. They say she removed her womb to give to women so that they may bear children. She is depicted as a woman with long white hair, smooth black skin, and golden yellow eyes that could rival the sun. She wears a long, flowing white dress that drags behind her. A wreath of Golden Eyire, a golden flower with several wispy petals that represent fertility, sits upon her head. There is always a gentle smile on her face.

Women pray to Adura to bless their wombs with abundant fertility so that they may have many healthy children. Aldir is the God of Death. He is depicted as a tall man with pale gray skin, long black hair, and glowing blue eyes. He wears a dark cloak with the hood covering the top of his face with its shadow, leaving only the glow of his eyes to be seen. He carries a glowing, swinging lantern so that he may guide the souls of the dead to their next life. The zu’aan pray to Aldir that their deaths be swift and without pain. They thank him for allowing them to live as long as they did.

Religion is, without a doubt, the basis of life in Uskdser. They believe that they all would’ve died long ago if they didn’t have their three deities to follow and believe in. Their belief has kept them wanting to live with the world being the way it is.

==Miscellany==

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

{{CrossSiteAttribution
| User = [https://www.fiverr.com/janetrawaters DreamCatchie#3401 (Discord)]
| Holder = Jenetra Waters
}}

[[Category:5th-century Twilight Age zu'aan cities]]
[[Category:Jenetra Waters's contributions]]

Uskdser City Zu'aan - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)