Iantlla City Zu'Aan

History

The Iantlla city zu'aan were founded by a native zu'aan sheriff named Wulfgare Mabynnt long after the start of the kin'toni outbreak, the year 4E 47 to be precise. The clan was based within the coniferous forests of the Raugangago region where they lived on treetop structures to avoid detection and to stay out of reach of both the predators and the kin'toni. Their leader was a legendary forest dweller who had a comprehensive knowledge of the geography as well as its inhabitants. He led a very simple life that revolved around the hunting animals for his food utilizing every bit of the carcass to carve bone tools, fur coats and leather shoes.

He acted as the eyes and ears of the forest, helping out wherever he could- from helping pregnant animals to creating water pools in dry seasons. The local zu'aan population were deeply dependent on him for any tasks associated with the forest. He would be asked to guide bands of travelers through the forest to avoid getting lost or to find easier and faster routes. His most famous involvement however, was his continued assistance and success in tracking down many zu'aan who went missing in the forests- including babies, young ladies and entire caravans, who were not always found alive or in the best conditions.

Most of these cases would be related to the increasing presence of outlaw elements in the forests who would engage in kidnapping, extortion, rape and looting. This incident would earn him the praise of the locals who appointed him as the sheriff of the region. When the kin'toni outbreak occurred, the entire region was unprepared for it. Wulfgare was powerless against these enemies who always hunted in packs and at night, while also being physically superior to the zu'aan.

He scouted the pattern of attacks and raids and came to the conclusion that these only happened around the open terrain and in well-travelled areas with sizeable zu'aan populations. His bold proposition was for the zu'aan to adopt a new way of living deep within the woods where their scent would be masked by the thousands of wildlife in the region and where their activities could go unnoticed. He found many followers for his plan along with many who dismissed it, saying that it was unfeasible and a risk that exposed them to more threats than it helped them.

The ones who followed him would join him in his forest home which was turned into a small colony of treetop homes that came to be known as the Iantlla city and its people, the Iantlla city zu'aan. They established a successful forest clan that survived and prospered for many centuries after the kin'toni outbreak. They avoided most of the attention due to their discreet living conditions and were able to handle the light attacks that they faced. They continued to build up their treetop defenses which became bastions and watch towers for the clan.

They remained isolated for many years due to their fear of getting discovered and their city's location becoming public knowledge.

Psychology

The Iantlla clan were formed from among the zu'aan inhabitants of the Raugangago Mixed Coniferous Forest. Their psychology was heavily geared towards survival and prosperity. They wanted to lead easy lives without any of the hardships associated with the past ages. It was common for these zu'aan to seek out comforts to make their lives easier. They were obsessed with leading peaceful lives and their greatest fear was that their lifestyles would collapse once the kin'toni outbreak took over the region.

Their obsession with order was evident in their appointment of sheriffs all throughout their lands who were responsible for maintaining the order and keeping the harmful elements of society in check. The founder of the Iantlla clan was also one such sheriff who kept order within the Raugangago forests. They admired positive traits and viewed uncorruptible and unselfish characters such as Wulfgare in a very positive light. They naturally deferred to his authority when he proposed his idea to keep the zu'aan safe by establishing an isolated forest settlement.

They were known to be very loyal towards their people and culture and were always welcome to suggestions and better ideas. This made it easy for Wulfgare to make his proposal for a new settlement. They prized education and learning, and the clan was renowned for adopting many new practices in their lifestyles- including construction practices, agriculture, warfare and government. They had an affinity for the forests that surrounded them on all sides. They relied on it for their food as well as resources and for recreation.

They embraced the risks that were associated with wandering into the forests such as wild animals. This would change during the latter part of the first era when the forests began to experience an increasing presence of outlaws and highwaymen. The clan began to contract more sheriffs in the process of cleaning up their beloved forests. Despite their easy lifestyles, the clan members were very resilient and could adapt to the difficult conditions of the kin'toni outbreak.

The clan would follow Wulfgare into the forests where they adapted to a new way of life and took to living on top of their tree top homes. Wulfgare taught the clan the need to maintain secrecy and to shun unnecessary contact with the outside world. They were suspicious of the intentions of the remaining zu'aan in the region and did not want to compromise the location of their new settlement in case the kin'toni got a hold of it. They learnt to become self-reliant and did their best to remove all trace of their existence from the region.

They were almost paranoid in their adherence to secrecy and viewed all strangers with suspicion. They did not have a violent culture and shunned it in most cases unless it was extremely necessary. They denoted certain sheriffs within their clan who were responsible for keeping the safe and conducting all necessary acts to achieve this goal. Any violence or bloodshed within their settlement and society was shunned and even criminals were given many chances to reform themselves. The helpless causes were expelled instead of executed.

Culture

The Iantlla city zu'aan clan were known for their treetop living culture that was pioneered by their founder Wulfgare Mabynnt. They adopted this lifestyle as a means of blending in with the forest and avoiding detection. It also placed them out of reach of the predators dwelling within the forest and the kin'toni hordes. They did their best to lead a secluded way of life to minimize the amount of zu'aan travelling around their surroundings. Their culture was not active in trade and other activities that involved contact and travel.

They were able to avoid many confrontations with the kin'toni in this way as the kin’toni tended to concentrate their efforts towards known areas of zu'aan habitation. More zu'aan in an area, meant more opportunity for the kin'toni to "turn" these zu'aan and add to to their numbers. This was a crucial cycle that the Iantlla understood and countered with their own concealed approach. The clan previously lived in built-up settlements and were already knowledgeable of advanced construction methods which they brought over to the forest to build the Iantlla city.

They culture revolved around these forests in more ways than one. It provided them with abundant wood and game as well as wide trunk trees that were perfect foundations to build their structures on. Their culture highly valued skills associated with the forests such as hunting, gathering and tracking. Every member of the clan was expected to master the basics of these skills to make them self-reliant and ready for any emergencies. They had a closely knit culture that valued the unity of the clan and discouraged individualism.

They were taught responsibility at a very young age and lived by a moralistic code of conduct. They valued each member of the clan and made every effort to develop their abilities, skills and happiness. This was visible in their attitudes towards criminals within their clan. They were given every chance to redeem themselves and prove that they had learnt from their mistakes. Their unique culture detested violence and chose to avoid it whenever possible. They considered their secretive and taxing way of life as a better alternative to clashing with other clans and asserting their dominance over the region.

Their culture was known for its constant desire for improvements and their civilized attitudes towards debate and differences in opinions. All members of the clan were welcomed to voice their opinions and their opinions were given equal consideration. This led to a high level of fulfillment and happiness within the clan. They celebrated many religious as well as culturally significant festivals that marked important dates such as the formation of their clan. The clan’s celebrations were conducted in a more reserved manner as compared to other clans.

Celebrations usually occurred during the day in order to avoid burning large bonfires or creating large light sources that could potentially give away their location. Loud noises and music were also frowned upon and were usually muted affairs where the clan gathered together and spent time with each other, while taking a break from their regular activities.

Government

The first government of the Iantlla city zu'aan was formed by their foremost survival expert Wulfgare Mabynnt. He was a sheriff prior to the kin'toni outbreak and rose to prominence due to the difficult conditions of his times. He was raised in the Raugangago forests since birth and was well versed in the geography as well as the conditions of the region. He could trak down all manner of zu'aan and kin'toni located within the forests and was also familiar with the skills such as medicine and healing, due to the influence of his mother.

He was already associated with the zu'aan of the surroundings before they became part of his clan when he would regularly carry out tasks and missions on their behalf. This earned him the position of sheriff, where he distinguished himself for his exemplary conduct and high morals. His experience was vital for the survival of the clan, and the natural authority that he exercised as a sheriff allowed him to be accepted as a leadership figure for the clan. Being the only member with extensive experience of living in the wild, he was unanimously voted to take over the leadership of the clan and to ensure their survival through this rough period in history.

Wulfgare's leadership was heavily based on his knowledge of survival methods and the environment. The clan followed his word and advice on all matters and actively approached him with their problems. Prior to becoming the Iantlla city zu'aan clan, their tribes were led by a council of elders who made all the decisions on behalf of their people. This structure became obsolete once the kin'toni outbreak struck the region. The zu'aan found themself out of touch with the demands of their new surroundings and realized that they needed they needed to adapt quickly in order to survive.

They handed Wulfgare the reins to their clan and made him the sole leader of the clan. A lot of thought went into this decision and it was mostly driven by the need to make quick decisions at every turn along with the unfamiliarity of their old councils with their new way of life in the forests. Wulfgare maintained a circle of advisors who kept him informed about all matters within the clan and to recommend measures that could help the clan. He had a lot of empathy for his fellow zu'aan and had a humble attitude that made him easily approachable.

He quickly adjusted to the zu'aan's close social customs and attitudes within their society. He fully embraced their tolerant attitudes and the policy of giving chances to repeat offenders of their laws. He created laws to ensure the clan's survival during the tough times of the kin'toni outbreak. The laws were aimed at restricting the clan's contact with the outside world. These laws were enforced by a local police force that was composed of the most responsible members of the clan. These members were recruited and trained from a very young age to maintain order and enforce the rules.

Military

The Iantlla city zu'aan clan were not particularly known for their military prowess. The region was not particularly known for combat and the inhabitants were more obsessed with other interests. The absence of large-scale combat in the region led to more development in peacetime activities and other aspects. There were small scale skirmishes that would occasionally break out between the clan and other bands of outlaws and miscreants who settled in the forests of the region.

The zu'aan delegated the responsibility of dealing with these outlaws to designated sheriffs that they appointed all over the region. These sheriffs were responsible for maintaining law and order during the old era and were regularly involved in scraps and violence. Their founder Wulfgare Mabynnt was one of these sheriffs and was renowned for his able handling of the job. He was skilled in ranged combat using bow and arrows which he used alongside his stealth abilities to deadly effect. He became a legend among the zu'aan of the region as the mythical 'man of the forest'.

The local zu'aan population were heavily dependent on him for any tasks associated with the forest. He would be asked to guide bands of travelers through the forest to avoid getting lost or to find easier and faster routes. His most famous involvement however, was his continued assistance and success in tracking down many zu'aan who went missing in the forests- including babies, young ladies and entire caravans, who were not always found alive or in the best conditions.

Most of these cases would be related to the increasing presence of outlaw elements in the forests who would engage in kidnapping, extortion, rape and looting. He took no joy in combat and violence but was very adept at carrying out these acts. The kin'toni outbreak would force violence upon the Iantlla city clan. Their first few encounters with the kin'toni made them realize that they were no match for the physically superior kin'toni in a face-to-face confrontation.

To pile on to their problems, they did not have any military organization or formal training in military discipline and their ranks broke within a few hours of encountering the kin'toni hordes. This ragtag bunch comprised of civilian tradesmen and civilians who used whatever weapons and tools they could find within their settlement to defend themselves. Their tactics and organization were also no match for the kin'toni's overwhelming flood of foot soldiers who easily overwhelmed them with their numbers.

Sunlight was the only reason why the clan was not decimated on that very battle. The majority of their numbers managed to flee the battlefield and slowly made their way into the forests. The encounter made them aware of their weaknesses and they actively began to seek out ways to survive the outbreak. When Wulfgare formed these zu’aan into the Iantlla city zu’aan clan, they had no organization responsible for self-defense and protection. He would create a class of sheriffs within the clan who were responsible for overseeing law and order within the clan and also for protection against the kin’toni.

He trained them in archery and stealth, and deployed them as a scouting force. They were advised against attracting the attention of larger and stronger armies. and were to only engage small numbers of kin’toni who wandered too close to their settlement.

Religion

The Iantlla city zu'aan clan held many traditional religious beliefs that originated from the primitive dwellers of the Raugangago forest. These native zu'aan were in awe of the dark foreboding atmosphere of the forests and believed that it was the abode of spirits and supernatural characters that were outside of their comprehension. They believed that there were different spirit realms within the forests that held the souls of all the deceased zu'aan. They had an almost religious reverence for these woodlands and many holy monks and priest would wander into them to live the rest of their lives in isolation and to find out the meaning behind their existence.

It was forbidden for people to wander into the woods all by themselves as they believed that they would be disoriented by the presence of these spirits. According to their culture, not all these spirits were well intentioned and there were malevolent varieties that fed on the souls and life energy of the zu'aan. Children were considered to be especially vulnerable to this effect and they were never carried along in any journey that involved travel through the forests. They had many artifacts and sacred ornaments that they wore to keep these unwanted elements away from them.

Over time, these beliefs would become more fleshed out as they began to create myths and stories around them. This gave rise to many characters and gods that they created for themselves to represent many different phenomena that occurred within these forests. Some of the major gods that rose to prominence included their tree god- Esthang, the fire god Rileit and the rain god Wordyn. They believed that in order for peace and harmony to exist in their realm all three of these components had to be in an equilibrium and it was the zu'aan's responsibility to achieve this by offering regular prayer and sacrifices to these gods.

Their tree god, Esthang was portrayed as a large living tree that had a zu'aan like face that was embedded into its trunk. They believed that he existed in this form, deep within the Ruagangago forest. He was responsible for the regular cycle of the plants and vegetation as well as the lives of all zu'aan. He was the caretaker of their souls after death and families with dead relatives would regular offer large sacrifices to ensure the good treatment of their loved one's souls.

The Rileit was the fire god of the zu'aan who was portrayed as a large zu'aan like figure on fire. He was the god of death and was considered to be a vital part of the balance in their environment. Without his influence, there would no longer be any cycle or equilibrium in existence. They regularly used fire to clear out lands before the next planting season. Fire was seen as a positive cleansing influence within their clan. The Wordyn was the god of rain. He was worshipped during the rainy season and was one of the most important gods for the more agriculturally inclined zu'aan.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Iantlla City Zu'Aan

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