Esera Tribal Zu'aan

History

The Esera Zu’aan can trace their roots back to the semi-legendary city of Xhesir, whose roots go back to the late 3rd era. The founder of the Esera is generally stated to be Exharai, who founded the tribe after the kin’toni began to attack the city of Xhesir. The petrayan – the founding mythos of the Esera – gives the story of Exharai as follows:

Of Exharai do we come from, and from those days of olden does Exharai come from, and of Maynadh [the primary deity of the Esera] as well. He was of [the city of] Xhesir, born to Hamaixh and Taxhisa, and thus claimed his descent from the ancient Maska’at tribe, wherein he was raised to the position of [???, implied to be of high rank]. In this position he oversaw the instruction of the youth in the ways of warfare, and furthermore organized the youth into clans in the event that they were to be called upon to fight for the city.

The Petrayan, section 1

After the city fell and Exharai was killed, his successor – Yaxhir – and some 50,000 inhabitants of the city began to scrounge whatever they had with them and began the trek to Aightu, which they considered to be the holy site of their religion, which still remains the religion of the Esera to this day. Upon immigrating to Aightu, they learned that the kin’toni had begun to attack the rear guard of the tribe, taking numerous lives, including that of their leader. As a result – and after a new leader was appointed – the Esera began an attack on the kin’toni that had pursued them, resulting in a victory despite massive casualties. After the battle, the kin’toni’s attacks on the Esera decreased, although there were still occasional times where a kin’toni clan would go and attack the Esera.

After this battle, the Esera settled in their new territory, although they had to frequently move around Agihtu due to fear of attacks. During this early period of Esera history, the first of the oral traditions of the Esera – the petrayan and the mayxheyn – were compiled as a way to document and archive the early history of the Esera, for fear that their roots might be lost. After the death of the leader Maxhyre – who replaced Yaxhir following his death – the leaders of the Esera tribe elected his son, Trayxha, as leader of the Esera. As leader, he implemented the division of the Esera between the aytwaxhyn and the mexhtwaxhyn, allowing for the specialization of labor within the Esera.

As a result, the aytwaxhyn began to serve as a semi-aristocratic class of the Esera, while the mexhtwaxhyn comprised the laborers, soldiers, etc. of the Esera Zu’aan.n After the death of Maxhyre, the rest of the completed oral traditions – the setwaxh maynadhil and the sebayt – were compiled during his successor's reign and the office of xhaynil was established for those who had memorized the oral tradition. In addition, the setwaxh began compilation, growing longer with each new leader of the tribe. In the modern Twilight Age, the Esera remain isolated from other tribes and continue to fight off occasional kin’toni attacks in an attempt to protect their homeland – in the process, the Esera have developed a distinct way of life and governance that distinguishes them from the other tribes of Taerel.

Psychology

The Esera have remained fairly isolated in regards to contact with other zu’aan tribes, and therefore primarily remain a group comprising insiders that don’t like to have others join their tribe unless proven otherwise to be worthy of the group, usually shown through trial by combat or through other valiant acts. Given this isolation from other zu’aan groups, the Esera have been able to develop a crude form of language that is primarily used to keep track of the history & records of the tribe, thus giving them a link to the past that they long to seek knowledge of. Knowledge of this language is used as a gnosis that is used as the primary distinguishment between the ayxwaxhyn and the mexhwaxhyn, the latter of which have a spoken language of their own that is more crude than that of the ayxwaxhyn.

Given their general distrust of outsiders over the years – and as dictated by their oral tradition – the Esera have adopted a warrior mindset in order to prepare for conflicts against other zu’aan tribes or against the various kin’toni clans that prowl the land. Regardless of social class, a common belief of the Esera is that, through training and conflict, all people are brought down to a near-equal level, and only through experience do they surpass that level and bring victory to the tribe. Thus, it is imperative to the tribe that every member that is conscripted to be within the tribe’s army is in top mental and physical shape, so that they may conquer their rivals and foes if the time comes for the Esera to do so.

Through this mentality, the Esera have conquered various smaller tribes that serve as vassals, giving them more manpower to defend their tribal land and to wage war. The worship of Maynadh – supreme god of nature – is also seen as important by the Esera, as they see it as the representation of the nature around it; because of the importance placed on defending their homeland, they therefore worship the gods of nature that have been worshiped since the times of Xhesir, thus giving them another link to the past, furthering their legitimacy in the eyes of the Esera. To disrespect these gods in any way shape or form is thus seen as a serious crime against the tribe, and can result in various punishments depending on the judgment of the tribe’s governing bodies.

Among the upper echelons of the Esera, the pursuit of knowledge is seen alongside conflict and training as a noble pursuit, and therefore much time is spent by the aytwaxhyn on studying the past, cataloging whatever they can find and passing down this information to their descendants. In this way, the aytwaxhyn have oral traditions separate from that of the tribe as a whole, giving them a further argument on why they should be separate from the mexhwaxhyn, whom they see as somewhat uncivilized due to their focus on work & labor, instead of pursuing knowledge and becoming in great shape, whether physically or mentally. In some cases, however, the warriors coming from the mexhwaxhyn have been granted respect by select members of the aytwaxhyn for their service to the tribe in battle.

Culture

Oral tradition

The culture of the Esera Zu’aan centers primarily around 5 pieces of oral tradition, which are considered vital to the Esera Zu’aan’s existence. Each of these pieces are divided into sections, with each section being memorized by a person named a xhaynil (khai-nil“[person] of the expulsion”, implying they were there when the expulsion of the Esera occurred due to their knowledge). The overall group – some 140 people in total – comprise the xhuraxh xhaynili (khur-akh khay-nili, “council of xhaynili”), which ensures that the Esera do not stray from the ways that they have known for all of their existence. Of the oral tradition of the Esera, 2 pieces center around the history of late Xhesir and the beginning of the early Esera – as well as their retreat into the Aightu Mountain Forest while fighting off the advancing kin’toni – another details the history of the Esera after the earlier 2 pieces, and the 4th piece regards the near-modern history of the Esera.

These pieces are grouped into the pexhayn (pe-khain “before the expulsion”) and the mayxhayn (mai-khain “after the expulsion”, alternatively “present”), with the 5th piece – the setwaxh maynadhil (se-twakh mai-nad-hill, “Law of Maynadh”) – serving as the religious text of the Esera. The pexhayn comprise the petrayan (pe-khayn, “before the fall”) and mayxheyn (mai-khayn, “after [the fall of] Xhesir”), which discusses the Esera’s history from portions of the late history of Xhesir to the sebayt twaxharils (se-bait twakh-harils, “battle of the crossroads”), which is discussed in further detail in the mayxhayn. The petryan begins with the story of Exharai, the founder of the Esera Zu’aan, and continues with the history of Xhesir in Exharai’s lifetime.

It ends with the battle for (and the fall of) Xhesir, as well as the death of Exharai during the fall while he attempts to protect the city. The mayxheyn details the early history of the Esera after Exharai, detailing their exile to Aightu while fighting off attacks from the kin’toni as well as other tribal groups. It also describes the tenure of Yaxhir – who succeeded Exharai as the leader of the tribe – who himself was killed while fighting off a kin’toni attack. The mayxhayn comprises the sebayt (se-bayt, “the battle”), as well as the setwaxh (set-wakh, “the law”). The sebayt narrates the story of the aforementioned sebayt twaxharils, which occurred during the tenure of Maxhyre, who succeeded Yaxhir as leader.

It narrates how Maxhyre – after consulting with his council – decided to ambush the kin’toni that had followed the Esera to Aightu, resulting in a decisive victory for the Esera (though at great cost) and a reduced number of attacks from the kin’toni. On the other hand, the setwaxh lists the full law of the Esera, which is determined by every leader of the Esera. Each leader’s decisions and decrees are mentioned by section in the setwaxh, which is the largest piece of oral tradition for the Esera, requiring 74 xhaynili to recite in total. The setwaxh determines the rites and rituals of the Esera – including marriage, death & burial – and gives the Esera people their law.

Social class

The Esera are divided into 2 main classes – the aytwaxhyn (aight-wakh-in, “above the law”) and the mexhtwaxhyn (mekh-wakh-in, “below the law”). These classes are determined based on whether or not someone can understand the setwaxh: if they can understand the premises of the setwaxh, they are put in the aytwakhyn; otherwise they are put in the mexhtwaxhyn. The aytwakhyn comprise a basic government and the upper class of society, while the mexhtwaxhyn are made to work whatever manual labor is required and are ruled over by the aytwaxhyn. Each person’s ranking in this class is tested upon the death of a leader to ensure that they are keeping in line with the setwaxh.

Government

The head of the tribe is a single leader, who is elected by the entire tribe depending on who has the best skills in combat and who is the most wise out of all of them. The leader of the tribe – also referred to as the seayxhat (se-aikh-at, “the anointed one”), since it is Eseran belief that the seayxhat was appointed and further anointed by agreement of the gods of nature, especially that of Maynadh. The seayxhat is assisted by the xhuraxh xhaynili, who keep records through oral tradition of the law of the Eseran Zu’aan. Upon the ascension of a new seayxhat, the newly-anointed leader has a xhaynil appointed to him, whose primary purpose is to keep records of every law, decree and decision that the seayxhat makes during his tenure as leader.

Furthermore, to attempt to tamper with the records that a xhaynil holds (whether through coercion, threats, or murder) results in trial and – if found to be liable for the act – immediate execution by a hadh or twaxhir, which are considered high-ranking military leaders of the tribe. The hadhi and twaxhiri of the Esera’s military further comprise the mayxhuraxhyn (mai-khur-akh-in, “lower council”), a lower body of government that is consulted in times of war & peace in regards to enemy tribes & clans and in regards to threats to the tribal homeland of the Esera. Overall, the seayxhat, xhuraxh xhaynili and mayxhuraxhyn comprise the tribal government of the Eserans.

Every body of government meets twice a year, once in the springtime and once in the winter. There, each of the bodies gives their opinions on recent events that have occurred in and around the tribal territory of the Esera, with the seayxhat having the final say on what decision the tribe should take. These meetings are held in a place on the highest mountain in Aightu – named Mount Aightu – ensuring that no other member of the tribe (or spy) would be able to eavesdrop on the conversations held by the council without risking death from frostbite. Once the seayxhat makes a decision or order, the xhaynil assigned to him is required to note it – he may also bring along another xhaynil to these meetings to ensure that he does not forget the orders of the seayxhat.

In order to prevent other tribes from spying on them, people not born into the tribe are forbidden from holding government positions unless naturalized through the ritual of sexhisayaxh (sekhi-saya-kh, “seperation”). This ritual is administered by the high priest of the tribe and is overseen by the government in order to make him an inducted member of the tribe. Upon swearing fealty & loyalty to the tribe and the seayxhat and renouncing any previous affiliation, incisions are made onto his chest, back and arm, which are then allowed to develop into scar tissue to signify that the person is a member of the Esera tribe. This ritual is also seen as a coming-of-age ritual for those in the tribe who have reached the age of 17 or above.

Military

The military of the Esera is primarily composed of infantry, which are divided into divisions of around 2,000. Each of these divisions are named after those that were divided up by Maxhyre before the sebayt twaxharils, and are each headed by one of the hadhi maynadhil (ha-dhy mai-nad-hill, “horses of Maynadh”), usually referred to the hadhi who are seen as anointed by Maynadh, who has entrusted the hadhi to lead the soldiers of the tribe into battle. Because of this common anointment between the seayxhat and the hadhi, it is generally agreed upon by the populace of the tribe that a seayxhat should usually be a hadh before becoming leader of the tribe. The hadhi are appointed by a prior seayxhat and are anointed in a religious ceremony performed by the high priest of the tribe. In addition, the eldest hadh is given a regiment of chariots that can be constructed and disassembled with ease; this is the only such unit within the Eseran military.

Below the hadhi maynadhil are the twaxhiri (twa-khiri, “centurions”), who serve as junior commanders to the hadhi and lead groups of roughly 500 men each. The number of twaxhiri has varied over the years, but the xhaynili agree that the number tends to be anywhere from 20 to 25. The twaxhiri are responsible for executing the orders given to them by the hadhi are further responsible for upkeep of the morale and supplies of their men. The twaxhiri have subordinates, referred to as the maytwaxirini (mai-twakh-erini, “below the twaxhiri”), that lead groups of 100 men; they would be responsible for ensuring that the morale of their group remains high, regardless of the situation that the group would be in.

2–3 divisions each comprise a sub-tribe, which is the second order of administration within the tribe (the first being the tribe itself). Each sub-tribe comprises all soldiers of these divisions, as well as their families and immediate relatives. In addition, one of the 2 or 3 hadhi of the divisions is nominated to further serve as the representative of the sub-tribe, giving him the title hadh xhayinil (ha-dh khai-inil, “horse of the clan” or “horse of the tribe”). Given the organization of the sub-tribe, each of the hadh xhayinil are able to call upon twice or double the soldiers in the case of an attack compared to the amount that they would have if they were a regular hadh.

Conscription within the military of the Eseran tribe is mandatory for anyone above the age of 17, unless in training to become a xhaynil. This conscription is done after the ceremony of seayxhat, where an adult Eseran is tested to ensure his physical & mental strength and is then handed weaponry by a maytwaxirin. After their conscription, these soldiers serve sometime until the age of 35, afterwhich they will retire and will return to their lives prior to military service. As of writing, the military of the Eseran tribe consists of 6 sub-tribes, which comprise 15 divisions. Each male member of the Eserans takes his surname from the sub-tribe that he belongs to during military service; if married, then his wife would take his surname, indicating that she has become a member of that sub-tribe.

Religion

The religion of the Esera Zu’aan centers around the worship of Maynadh, considered the primary god of the universe and furthermore the god of nature. The worship of Maynadh is estimated by scholars to have begun sometime in the middle of the 3rd era in the outskirts of the city of Xhesir; by the time of the petrayan, the worship of Maynadh had spread around and became the dominant religion of the city. The worship of Maynadh is overseen by the aypraxhiryn (ay-prak-hear-in, “high priest”) – an institution that has been linked back to the early days of Maynadh’s worship – with the rituals for Maynadh’s worship being written within the setwaxh maynadhil. The setwaxh maynadhil cannot be changed or altered in any way so as to ensure that the worship of Maynadh is always done in the way that it has been since the cult’s estalblishment.

The aypraxhiryn is required to appoint and anoint the seayxhat, the hadhi maynadhi and the sepraxhiri (se-prak-hiri, “the priests”), the latter of which oversee the worship of Maynadh within each of the sub-tribes. The setwaxh maynadhil is divided into 2 main sections. The first of these sections comprises various myths regarding Maynadhil, including the creation of the world, of the Esera and of the other zu’aan, usually implying that the Eseran tribe are superior to other races (as they were “righteously blessed” to have control over the entire world, only for evil spirits to attack the Eseran tribe and divide this world between the other tribes). Due to this, this section of the setwaxh maynadhil calls for a “warrior race” to rise up and destroy the evil spirits and the other zu’aan, so that the Eserans may once more take control of the world.

The second section of the setwaxh maynadhil mainly concerns the rituals and institution of the cult of Maynadhil. The section detailed the roles & responsibilities of the aypraxhiryn and the sepraxhiri, granting them certain powers to bless and anoint members of the Eseran tribe for the purpose to either grant them Maynadh’s approval or to imbue certain powers within them, the specifics of which are mentioned in the first section of the setwaxh maynadhil. In addition, this section of the setwaxh maynadhil defines various other roles in the cult of Maynadhil – mostly to assist either the aypraxhiryn or the sepraxhiri in their roles – that allow the Eseran tribe more involvement within the cult.

While Maynadh is the primary god of the Eserans, there also other secondary deities that have smaller followings. These deities – according to the xhaynili – include Asaxhir, god of the mountains; Xharatyr, god of the forests surrounding Mount Aightu; and Taxhyrya, the goddess of the sun. However, these minor deities have been mostly suppressed by previous seayxhati, as they threatened the religious unity of the Esera and could cause unneeded division in the tribe when none was required. However, worship of these deities (and others) have been permitted by recent seayxhati on a case-by-case basis, allowing for the slow revival of cults surrounding these deities.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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