Fyrel City Zu'Aan

History

The Fyrel city zu'aan hailed from the city of the Fyrel located in the Rhoillye Mushroom Fields region. They were founded by a C'daia Kiyu, the daughter of a mushroom farmer from the region. This profession was common among the inhabitants of the region due to the abundance of mushrooms and the suitability of the soil and climate conditions. Her early life was harsh and brutal and would inspire her deep dissent for the profit hungry mushroom farmers of the region. Life in these mushroom farms was strict and hard.

Most of the farms were in direct competition with each other and there was a lack of true friends or partners that could be counted on. The environment produced very hard and unfriendly people who would sell their own souls to make a profit. C'daia herself was raised in a very strict business minded family. She along with the rest of her siblings and cousins would be sent to the fields each day to toil over the mushrooms. This was the way of each generation in the Rhoillye and every individual was expected to contribute from a very young age.

Beatings and punishments were a common part of the farm life and most of the children would be resistant to them by the time they crossed over into adolescence. C'daia was a natural slacker and rebel who hated authority. She endured a hard time in the farms as a result and carried permanent scars all along her back and legs from repeated beatings. Even as a young girl, C'daia was obstinate and incapable of change. She chose to escape the farm and make her own luck instead of suffering the farm life.

She found some allies in the form of a few more disgruntled young people who wished to be free from the farm business. This was the start of C'daia’s journey as a leader. She would lead the group into some isolated canyons and gorges in the outskirts of the Rhoullye, where they would carve out their own existence robbing supply carts and the regular mushroom traders. As the group's numbers grew , so did their hideout- it prospered into a full-grown town, with its own walls and a sizeable population and militia to defend it from any outsiders.

The town was named Fyrel and its residents came to be known as the Fyrel City Zu'Aan. They were on a thorn on the side of the mushroom traders for many years until the kin'toni outbreak during the early part of the second era. During this period most of the farmers had already abandoned their lands in fear of the coming attacks. The only place fortified enough to withstand the kin'toni attack in the region was the Fyrel clan's fortress. C'daia Kiyu would die during one of the more hectic kin'toni sieges when a lone kin'toni attacked her from below her position in the ramparts.

The clan would continue to prosper in her absence as her closest friends continued to govern the clan according to her principles and ideals. The clan would outlive the kin'toni outbreak and would go on to become one of the most influential clans to hail from the region.

Psychology

The Fyrel city zu'aan were mainly composed of runaways and rebels from the mushroom farms of the Rhoillye region. These farming households were known for their strict discipline and the harsh punishments that were meted on the younger members of the family. Children were put to work in the fields from a very young age in order to maximize the profits of every family. There was very little attention given to the welfare of minorities which led to a large number of rebellious youths deserting the clan's ranks as soon as they came of age.

C'daia Kiyu was one such rebel who would flee to the outskirts of the region and start a life of crime. She would establish her fortress at the outskirts of the region which provided refuge for such people. Many rebels would join her new clan and follow in her criminal footsteps to sustain themselves. The group became known for their activities, including robberies, theft and ambushes that they carried out on passing merchants and traders making their way into or out of the region with their hefty coin bags.

Thus, the psychology of the Fyrel city zu'aan were naturally wired to be on the rebellious side of things. They questioned all authority and rarely complied with orders and authority. They had deeply rebellious natures along with a loathing for the mushroom farmers and traders of the region. They hated the capitalist and profit seeking ways of the region and would tailor their own clan in the opposite direction. They loved the freedom that the clan provided them and were willing to protect it at all cost.

Their greatest fear was the destruction of their clan and stronghold. They would willingly rise to the defense of the clan in times of war or conflict to prevent their destruction. This fear stemmed from the fact that they had no alternative places to run too- they were not accepted among normal zu'aan societies due to their criminal backgrounds and most of the open terrain was filled with kin'toni hordes who would murder just about any zu'aan they came across. They would tap into this fear during fights and combat, which would transform them into berserk warriors.

They were extremely brave and showed a lot of willingness and initiative. This was also a result of their criminal background where they had to constantly live on the edge and be able to make smart decisions on their feet. They could handle tension and stress very well and could be trusted to maintain their discipline in combat. They displayed a ton of self-confidence and were masters of speech and banter. This could be observed in their interactions around the campfires or during their ceremonies.

The clan members, especially the ones that had been with C'daia Kiyu since the clan's formation shared very close-knit bonds with one another. For these loyal members, the clan was all they knew- it was their entire life and family and they had nothing to look forward to, outside of it.

Culture

The Fyrel city zu'aan had a rebellious culture that was at times unruly and chaotic. This culture was a product of the circumstances under which the clan was formed. They had a natural disregard for authority and orders, and lived life freely. The culture within the Fyrel city allowed them to live freely; they were under no restraints and compulsions to work in the fields and were not treated harshly. Their lifestyle consisted of all sorts of criminal activities that were carried out in the Rhoillye and the surrounding regions.

They ransacked trading posts and robbed the traders and farmers who entered the region. Occasionally, they would have to fight off the bands of mercenaries and bounty hunters who were sent after them. This outlaw lifestyle would become an intangible part of the Fyrel city zu'aan city culture. The clan members would spend their days planning and carrying out heist while indulging in the hardest of drinking and merrymaking during their spare time. Many of the region's youths who were disillusioned with their routine and regulated lives in the mushroom farms would escape to the Fyrel city.

Here, they would get their first taste of freedom and would never look back again. Their activities earned them a bad reputation among most of the other zu'aan clans and groups. A member of the Fyrel city zu'aan could abandon all hopes of being welcomed in any other zu'aan settlement in the region. This inevitably led to the members fierce loyalty to their own clan. They regarded all outsiders with suspicion and were very determined to protect and defend their only refuge from outsiders.

The Fyrel zu'aan culture was known for its fun-loving ways which was in stark contrast to the lifestyle in the farms where every aspect of life such as sleep and timings were strictly regulated. The Fyrel city zu'aan would gather together and enjoy each night around their bonfires where they would drink, sing and mad make loud conversations. They were known for their rough spirits that they would consume during these gatherings. Much of their free time was also spent on training or crafting and improvising their tools.

They would etch out beautiful sculptures and etchings on the handles of their weapons or on their armors. They had a deep knowledge of the terrain as well as the vegetation of the region and could identify some poisonous mushrooms that were used to create a variety of arrowheads and darts. The Fyrel's food culture was similar to most of the zu'aan in the region. They consumed a lot of the readily available mushrooms along with the occasional meat. Accomodation and dining was communal as the clan shared most of its dwellings and possessions, apart from personal weapons.

Food was served in large communal gatherings at the center of the city each night, after which the clan would retire to any of the open dwellings within the city to rest. Their culture was based on sharing and openness- and was in direct contrast to the capitalist mindset of the farmers and traders in the region.

Government

The Fyrel city zu'aan's government style was established by their founder C'daia Kiyu. The clan was initially founded as a bunch of rebellious runaways who had just escaped from the harsh conditions of the mushroom farms. She became the natural leader of this bunch of runaways due to her seniority and her confident personality. She was known for her articulate speeches which she used to win the support of people around her. C'daia would consult the entire gang before every decision.

The entire group was heavily involved in every decision-making progress and had a fairly equal status in all matters. During these early days, she was involved in all activities of the clan. She would participate in risky heists and robberies as well as fights against mercenaries and bounty hunters. She was not afforded any special status or protection due to the smaller scale of their operation and the group's natural disdain for authority. It would have been unthinkable to assert her leadership at this point, as most of the members had just escaped the authorities in the mushroom farms.

She would begin to grow more assertive only after the kin'toni outbreak when the clan's membership saw a sudden explosion. The zu'aan who had previously regarded C'daia's clan with suspicion and contempt began to collect outside their walls, seeking refuge within their impregnable Fyrel fortress. C'daia being a shrewd leader, accepted these members into the clan but made a clear division in classes so that these new members would be separated from her core followers- whose loyalty she could count on.

This led to a deeply entrenched class system within the Fyrel city zu'aan. The high class were the members who had gained their membership as bandits and partners of C'daia while the newcomers constituted the lower classes. The division of labor would be decided according to this class system, with the higher classes receiving commanding positions over the lower classes laborers. She would devise a rotating shift for workers that was meant to ensure that there was always a unit at work at all hours of the day.

These ensured that repairs on the walls and defenses could continue nonstop. Thus, the kin'toni were never able to breach the cities defenses. C'daia made very strict domestic policies throughout these sieges. It was not a hidden secret that she valued the life of her core members more than those of the lower class. She regularly sent the lower class out on suicidal missions and projects which they readily accepted out of fear of being expelled from the safety of the settlement.

A member of the lower class could only rise to the higher class through sacrifice in combat; which would lead to his progeny being raised as members of the high class. This was because the higher class viewed the newly arrived lower class as zu’aan who were just after the security of their fortress without contributing anything to their cause. This class system would continue to exist long after her death and became a legacy of the Fyrel city zu'aan.

Military

As a clan that was heavily involved in criminal activities, the Fyrel city zu'aan were participants in a host of criminal activities that plagued the region. These activities involved a fair amount of combat when the authorities would send well-armed mercenaries and bounty hunters after them. Their combat style was greatly influenced by stealth and they preferred to remain undetected when they could. During these early parts, every member of the Fyrel city zu'aan was a participant in their military activities.

This was simpler during these early times as the clan members were all runaway criminals who were already familiar with violence. The Fyrel city zu'aan were equipped with both the physical and mental faculties to carry out military activities. They had a deep love and loyalty for their clan along with their freedoms. They were willing to go to any lengths to preserve their freedoms. They loved the freedom that the clan provided them and were willing to protect it at all cost. Their greatest fear was the destruction of their clan and stronghold.

They would willingly rise to the defense of the clan in times of war or conflict to prevent their destruction. This fear stemmed from the fact that they had no alternative places to run to in case they were invaded- they were not accepted among normal zu'aan societies due to their criminal backgrounds and the presence of kin'toni hordes all over the open terrain further complicated their survival hopes. They would tap into this fear during fights and combat, which would transform them into berserk warriors.

They were extremely brave and showed a lot of willingness and initiative. This was also a result of their criminal background where they had to constantly live on the edge and be able to make smart decisions on their feet. They could handle tension and stress very well and could be trusted to maintain their discipline in combat. The Fyrel city zu'aan armies were known to scavenge for better gear after battles. Their locally made resources were usually of inferior quality and were usually used only as a stopgap until a better substitute from a neighboring clan was found.

Their armies were known for their deep and intricate knowledge of the geography and terrain which they used to ambush and gain an advantage over their adversaries. The also used a variety of poisons in their arrow tips which were extracted from several poisonous species of mushrooms in the region. The kin’toni outbreak provided them with an opportunity to showcase their military skills. They would fight many defensive battles to safeguard the region and their city from the kin’toni.

The clan would also suffer the loss of their founder and leader, C’daia Kiyu at the hands of the kin’toni. Despite these setbacks they won many decisive victories and were able to survive this period. They came out of the kin’toni outbreak stronger and better prepared militarily to handle all kinds of threats. The battles exposed them to many new weapons and tactics, and helped the development of their clan’s military.

Religion

The Fyrel city zu'aan founded new gods that were separate from the conventional gods and deities of the region. They did this as an act of defiance to show the mushroom farming communities that they had no associations with them. This would help the Fyrel carved their own separate identity and culture away from the traditional belief systems of the region. Their gods were related to their activities and lifestyles including banditry, robbery and violence. Some of the most famous gods of the region included their god of cunning and trickery named Bloessan and the god of wildlife named Kimild.

They regularly carried artistic representations of their gods in many of their weapons, tools and equipment. Their urge to differ from the main zu'aan of the region was such that they even refused to take part in similar prayers and idol worship. Instead, their believers chanted long, written prayers asking for the blessing of their gods. The Fyrel city zu'aan believed that their gods were physical beings that existed in the world at one point of time. Their religion believed that souls existed and that these souls were responsible for a lot of events that occurred in their world.

They believed that these souls roamed the surface once a person died. They believed that the soul gained supreme powers upon death. The Bloessan was the trickster god of the Fyrel city zu'aan clan. He was the official deity of the city and was seen as their guardian and protector. He was portrayed as a tall and handsome zu'aan who had a way with words and a charismatic personality that he regularly used to lure people into his traps. The god originated during their early days as a criminal group when they relied on their guile and guts to attain success.

Later, the clan would take inspiration from him during battles and wars when they would set traps for their enemies. The god had many priests and devotees among the clan who regularly held communal prayers and preaching's to convert people into believers. The Kimild was a half animal god of the zu'aan who was responsible for the fertility of their plants and animals as well as their population. The god was commonly portrayed with the head of a hog-like animal and robes of the finest silk cloth.

He was the variation of a god that was worshipped among the mushroom farmers of the region. The Fyrel city zu'aan prayed to him regularly asking for healthy newborns and wealth. The Fyrel city was filled with large religious monuments that were built of wood and were open walled like most of the building in the city. It facilitated easy access and exit. Everyone was welcome to worship in these places which were maintained by dedicated groups of priests and servants. There were no private donations and sacrifices like other clans as the Fyrel did not maintain any personal belonging beyond their weapons.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Fyrel City Zu'Aan

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