Ustyck City Zu'aan

History

Ustyck City lies within the Xaorei Thicket. It was founded by a nomadic tribe right at the beginning of the Twilight Age. This nameless tribe had been forced to constantly move due to the kin’toni hordes. Discovering the Xaorei Thicket was like a miracle for them. They didn’t understand why, but they felt that this place was the home they had been searching for. They decided that they wouldn’t let anyone, kin’toni or zu’aan, to force them to leave it. It was time for them to stand their ground. They split up the tribe into builders and warriors.

While the builders built the city, the warriors would protect them. The warriors set off in groups, hunting down kin’toni and zu’aan who got too close and seemed a little too aggressive. This arrangement lasted for years until they finished Ustyck city. To further protect their new city, the corpses of kin’toni and zu’aan were hung around the thicket, warning off others. The Xaorei Thicket offered them camouflage and extra protection. It was dense and hard to maneuver through, making it perfect. The tribe were already used to navigating through tough environments and they were really good at quickly adapting, so it didn’t take them too long to get used to it.

They decided that they would run the city like they ran the tribe. They never had one leader leading the tribe, so elected Elders would make all of the decisions. Hunters would be in charge of hunting down animals for the food. Warriors would serve as the protectors of the city, striking down any who wish to do them harm. Gatherers would gather resources for the city. This includes fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants, and things for weaving. Healers would help the wounded and the sick. And the Shaman would handle all of their religious concerns. It was a system that they were the most comfortable with.

While it was easy to get used to their new environment, it was hard getting used to staying in one spot for an extended amount of time. They were so used to constantly moving that they became a bit claustrophobic in their new city. They didn’t really know what to do with themselves now that they didn’t have the kin’toni breathing down their necks. To combat this, small groups of zu’aan would leave the city for short amounts of time to get them moving. When they came back, they would switch off with another group. Each time they left, the amount of time they would be gone decreased.

After a few years of doing this, they were down to only needing to spend a few hours outside of the city before coming back. It didn’t take too much more time until they no longer felt the urge to leave the city to escape the suffocation that they had once felt. Together, they had made a city that offered them everything their tribe had and more. Before, most of them were too scared to start families in fear of losing them. Now, they were allowed to do everything they had been too afraid to do.

Psychology

Even though they have evolved into a settled city, they still keep a lot of their nomadic tribe mentality. Especially when it comes to surviving. They were never able to completely change their way of thinking. To survive where death surrounded and followed them, they had to become strong and violent. Each day was a new struggle for survival. After fighting for so long to create a place for them to settle down, they are very protective of their city. They meet their enemies head on and without hesitation. They even go as far as to hang up the corpses of their enemies around the city to show others how violent they can be.

As a tribe, they feared the kin’toni. They would force them to constantly be on the run, never allowing them to even think of finding somewhere permanent. Once they found a place to settle down and build, there was no way they would let the kin’toni run them off. They stopped fearing the kin’toni and willingly took the fight to them. For years, they would send zu’aan out of the city to hunt down any nearby kin’toni. They craved the chance to finally be hunters instead of prey. They have a very open, understanding, and fluid way of thinking. Same sex couples are common, as are relationships with multiple people.

They are a highly sexual city as intercourse is viewed as one of the most basic and necessary pleasures in the world. They see nothing wrong with having as much of it as possible. It’s one of the best ways to enjoy life. Many view them as deviants and quite promiscuous, not that they care. The opinions of other zu’aan cities doesn’t bother them. Instead, they find it sad that most see intercourse as just a way to produce life and shy away from intercourse simply for pleasure While they are very supportive of each other, fights over zu’aan often happen and will usually end up bloody.

Marriage is not something that happens often due to zu’aan wanting to seek pleasure with more than one zu’aan. This can sometimes lead to overlapping with partners. Most are not what would be considered the commitment type. This is why divorce is looked down upon and so hard to get approval for. Those who decide to get married have found the zu’aan or zu’aans that they want to commit to. It is considered a big deal in a city where commitment is scarce. They consider themselves lucky to not be in a city where status is everything. While it’s nice to have prestigious status, it is not something that they strive to get.

They find other cities that crave status pathetic and weak. It’s obvious that with status comes division. Division leads to discord between the zu’aa. Discord leads to weakness within the city. And that weakness eventually leads to death. They believe that cities with different statuses and class systems are bound and guaranteed to fail and destroy themselves.

Culture

The Culture of Ustyck City revolves around carving. As a nomadic tribe, they took on carving to pass the time. It became and still is a huge part of their culture. Carving is more than just recreational fun, it is intertwined into everything. When zu’aan marry, they give each other a hand carved totem. They spend several days before the ceremony carving intricate designs that represent them together. They exchange them after reciting their vows. Marriage totems are exchanged to represent taking care of each other, of holding each other’s lives in their hands.

Divorce is highly looked down upon and is very rare. If it can be proven that there is absolutely no chance of reconciliation, then it is reluctantly approved. They take their totems and burn them to represent ending the relationship. It is extremely hard to get approval for divorce, which is why most try to reconcile. Only extreme reasons, like abuse or infidelity, get immediate approval. When children are born, their parents carve small totems that they give the child. They are small enough for them to put in their mouths and play with, but big enough for them not to swallow it.

After each year, a new totem with a new carving is added by the parents until the child is old enough to carve themselves. By the time they reach maturity, there are several totems attached to each other. There is a group of trees in the center of the city called the Death Grove. When a zu’aan dies, their family carves something representing them into one of the trees. They can come there at any time to mourn. Most come to the grove during Mourning Day, a day where the entire city visits the grove for a mass mourning. Death is something that is understood in Ustyck but is still mourned a great deal.

The Festival of Carving is one of the biggest celebrations in the city. It is a chance for zu’aan to show off their carving skills. It is held once a year over the course of several days and the zu’aan spend the majority of the year preparing for it. The zu’aan can trade their carvings with others for tools. There is also a live carving event. They are given from the beginning of the festival until the end to do the most intricate carving they can on a huge piece of wood. Winning the contest comes with great prestige. They are a culture that is highly dismissive of other cultures. They see others as inferior. Those new to the city, that wish to stay, must adapt to their culture.

If they can’t, they are not allowed to stay in the city. They can also be quite violent when it comes to their city. Even though they haven’t been a nomadic tribe for decades, they still carry their tribe-like mentality. A lot of things had to be resolved through a violent show of force in order to survive. That has carried over into the current city.

Government

Before becoming a city, the zu’aan where a nomadic tribe. The way they ran their tribe is the way that they now run the city. It was easier to use their tribal governmental system than to try to adapt a new one. Everyone has to work together to make the city work. There are several positions within the city that zu’aan can decide to join. The Elders and the Shaman are the only positions that not just anyone can join. Elders are elected by the city. They are usually on the older side and have the knowledge to lead. Every once in a while, a young zu’aan will obtain the position of an elder.

The word ‘elder’ doesn’t refer to age. It is an acknowledgment of a zu’aan’s knowledge and ability to lead. It is about the respect that the elders have gotten from the rest of the city. Elders make all of the major decisions in the city. They listen to complaints, make judgements, and decide on punishments. If someone wishes for divorce, they must get the approval of the elders. They are the only ones who can decide if the zu’aan can get divorced. The Shaman is in charge of all religious and ceremonial events. The current shaman chooses the new shaman when they are born.

When the shaman is approaching a specified age, they will choose a new one from the recently born. They will teach the new one in preparation for their death. They learn how to communicate with the gods. Shamans have this role for a majority of their life. The zu’aan come to them for prayer for a variety of things. The rest of the responsibilities have been split between different groups. The Hunters are in charge of hunting animals. They provide the biggest source of food. They mainly use bow and arrows to hunt as this allows them to hunt from a distance.

Only those who have mastered the weapon can join. The Warriors protect the city. They are considered the strongest and the fastest. They are made up of both men and women who are able to prove themselves capable. The Gatherers gather fruits, vegetables, and other resources for the city. Anything that they believe could be of use, even animal bones, they gather. Healers heal the wounded and sick using a variety of techniques and medicinal plants. They help pregnant women prepare for birth and help new mothers take care of their children. Healers, for the most part, are women since they are considered natural nurturers.

Every once in a while, a man will become a healer, but it doesn’t happen often. This is the only position that has a bit of a set gender. No matter what, the city comes first. This was the mentality they had as a tribe. The community as a whole has to be put above everything else. It’s the only way to continue to survive. If a zu’aan can’t respect their way of life they are either banished or executed. They only execute those who pose a serious threat to the city.

Military

The military in Ustyck City is made up of fierce warriors who have trained their whole lives. Even before the founding of the city, the warriors were protectors. They faced the kin’toni and enemy zu’aan, and they did their best to make sure their tribe survived. After the establishment of Ustyck, they became even fiercer warriors. They had the time to really train without having to worry about being attacked. They could run training exercises several times a day. There were areas specifically made for them to train in instead of them having to search for a spot.

They could take their time with making their weapons, allowing them to truly put their carving abilities to work and create a great quantity of quality weapons. Their warriors are divided into two units, fighters and protectors. Fighters are the offensive unit and the first line of defense. They actively go out to face the enemy and are considered the fiercer of the two. They have hand carved spears with them that give them equal speed, accuracy, and power. The wilder zu’aan that crave the adrenaline rush that comes with fighting usually join the fighters.

Protectors are the defense of the city. They guard the city with patrols during quiet times, driving away outsiders that get too close. During war time, they stand between the fighters and the city, standing as the second line ready to fight should the fighters fall. They carry hand carved spears as well, but their main weapons are the shields that they’ve made. They made the shields in a way that allows them to create an actual wall to stop the enemy. There are also slots that are made to allow spears through the wall. Men and women make up both units.

The women in this city have proved themselves to be quite capable warriors, sometimes even fiercer than the men. They have displayed strength that they believe only the women of this particular city could display. Even during the days of the tribe, women joined the warriors. They believe that one’s ability trumps both their age and their gender. Training starts at an early age. Every warrior trains in the ways of the fighters and the ways of the protectors. This is done to allow them a better chance at surviving. The fighters are all about combat. They train in all sorts of hand to hand combat techniques, along with how to fight with spears.

Speed, strength, agility, instincts, and tenacity are important traits for fighters. A zu’aan needs all of them to fight properly. Protectors are about defense. They train in ways to keep the enemy out and protect the zu’aan of the city. Their training helps them come up with different formations of their shields for facing different enemies. They learn how to push the enemy apart, allowing for fighters to attack them. Protectors require strength, focus, perseverance, and patience. Battles that they engage in are usually waiting games to see who gives up first.

Religion

Religion is a major part of the culture. The zu’aan of Ustyck worship four gods, Myius, Eemis, Adea, and Evana. Myius is the God of Death, Eemis is the God of Life, Adea is the Goddess of Harvest, and Evana is the Goddess of the Hunt. Each of these higher beings holds an important part in the city. Myius rules over all death. He guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife. They pray to him on their deathbeds and ask that their death be painless. They ask that he guides the souls to salvation so that they may not suffer. Eemis rules over all life. Through his blessing, life flourishes. They believe that places without his blessing have become barren wastelands, devoid of any kind of life.

The zu’aan here pray to him when trying to give birth. They ask that he guides the child safely and provides them with a long life. Adea blesses the harvest. She fertilizes the soil, provides the rain and sun, and allows the crops to grow. Without her blessing, the soil would be infertile and crops would wither away in the wind. After every successful harvest, they thank her with the Harvest Day Festival. It is a festival that takes place for four days to represent the four steps of harvesting. The first step is the turning of the soil, the second is the planting of the seed, the fourth is nurturing growth, and the last is the harvesting.

Evana watches over the hunt. Whether hunting for food or hunting down enemies, she blesses hunters with instincts, reflexes, and patience. They ask that she guide their arrows so that they may alway hit their mark. They have no physical descriptions or depictions of their gods. Unlike other religions, they don’t make it seem as though they know what their gods look like. Instead, the Shaman claims to be able to hear their voices. The Shaman, who can be male or female, is the only one who can communicate with the gods. They can seclude themselves in the Praying Hut for days communing.

They receive what they believe are visions that are meant to help the city. The zu’ann comes to them when they wish to pray. They believe that asking the Shaman is the best way to communicate with the gods. The Shaman presides over all religious ceremonies, which includes marriage and divorce. The zu’aan don’t believe that the gods grow emotional over them. They don’t become angry and cause storms, nor do they grow sad and flood the land. The gods are not benevolent beings that reward zu’aan that bring them offerings.They don’t believe that sacrificing life in their name makes the gods happy or willing to bless them.

But, they do believe that by thanking the gods, blessings will fall over them naturally. Their prayers towards the gods are more about comfort than believing that their prayers will be answered. Believing in something hard enough tends to make it happen, sometimes in unexpected ways.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Ustyck City Zu'aan

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