Achath Tribal Zu'aan

History

The Achath Tribe had a long line of ancestors who suffered a great deal in order to cross the deadly mountains of Valishiel. These were one of the most lethal and steep mountains with the wildest and most unpredictable wildlife, having a very high causality rate. The terrains of this mountain and the land surrounding it had extreme winds that could unroot the oldest trees. The temperature and climates were so rare that even kintoni couldn't survive there. But the Achath zu'aan were already facing near-extinction crisis in their old land as their village had become a warzone for two clans battling and they were raided very often, getting stripped of their resources and people for blood.

Hence decided to set upon the quest of conquering the mountains no zu'aan ever dared to set foot on. Their decades of ordeals began there. Several lives were lost in the journey just to see what was at the other side of the rocky behemoths. After twenty-eight years of long journey, they finally arrived at the other side of the terrain. A party of 450 zu'aan which set afoot had only one hundred and twenty people left as others succumbed to starvation, cold, animal attacks, high knots of winds, slipping to their deaths and several other factors.

Cries of relief could be heard in the entire valley. A new settlement had began where no one ever reached and the land beyond those heaps of dead bodies was truly heavenly. The cold rivers ran through the land, the lush green grass and the cold climate along with a bit of sun's warmth, fauna no longer having the intentions to kill or hunt and flora that was no longer poisonous. The land was not the most fertile but it was capable of cultivation. A reliable source of water and soon, food was available to them in the vast land where no strong winds were flowing that were capable of throwing them off their feet.

They could finally live a life of lesser risk. They began collecting wood and resources and started to set up secure cabins and huts using stone and thick wooden logs. The wood of these areas had certain properties that provided them with heat naturally during the night as the temperatures dropped. They used tree bark to cover their bodies during the night in order to not die of the cold. Years and generations passed and the settlement prospered. They erected strong and reliable structures on their lands to live safely. They named their village Avaia, translating to "Present from The Mother" in their language. Avaia had no competing villages or surrounding threats due to the harsh path required to reach the land.

Psychology

The people of Avaia grew to be very peace driven. The refrained from talking unless necessary, and sought only harmony and prosperity for others. The women and men had no difference in roles as both would often fill in for each other and take turns in completing tasks around the village. They had very quiet personalities and barely showed any facial expressions. This was due to lesser exposure to threats and problems during their upbringing. The stories of their ancestors and their origins along with the danger of kin'toni was told to them by their grandparents and parents. This also lead to them not fearing anything in their surroundings.

If ever a kin'toni was to actually survive the journey to that mountain, it would be captured by the villagers everyone would gather around the kin'toni to mourn and cry for them. The extremity and near impossible nature of the journey proved that anyone who succeeded had to suffer through fate worse than hell. Hence they would shed tears and feel pity for their own enemy and kill it in the least painful way possible. They did not grow any hate for the kin'toni and carefully held ritualistic funerals for the deceased like it was their own.

They were strong-willed and very strong physically. Their bodies naturally grew resistance against certain poisons and their hunts often were effortless. They were aware of the world beyond the snowy capes but held no desire to explore it for their own safety. They were smart in terms of survival and decision making and possessed strong lower bodies which helped them cross the ragged surfaces in the nearby forests on which they depended on their food. They believed in not exploiting the resources that were granted to them by nature as a result of their ancestor's ordeals and hence never expanded their land or made changes to their structures unless it was necessary.

They did not make their houses bigger or seek for more land beyond the river. They kept their own population under control for the very reason of sustaining materials and living a minimalistic lifestyle. They didn't hold any interest in wealth, power, lust or pride whatsoever. The relation and bond between the villagers was as pure and honest as anything and hence they trusted each other. The village didn't have any huge barricades or walls as their belief in mother nature's protection was irresolute and the mountains that their ancestors had to cross could not be crossed easily by anyone else.

They believed they were the chosen ones who were accepted by the mountains and allowed to pass to the land they resided in.

Culture

The zu'aan of the Achath tribe celebrated the day of their arrival in the land of Avaia every red moon's night. The celebrations never consisted of big bonfires or lights, loud sounds or extreme sports. Instead, they would refrain from speaking at all and not eat any of the meat for the entire day following the red moon. This signified their gratitude for the nature that allowed them the privilege of surviving and residing within that soil. They would embrace the nature and its subtle sounds like the flow of the river and the animals.

They would play soft music produced by thinning out the bark of the trees and slightly tapping their hands to produce melodies. This was their way of thanking their surroundings. They would sit in silence and all work would be suspended for the day. They would burn leftover bark of the scented trees and sit together at the village's gathering area. The melody would continue to play with each person playing the instrument for a minimum amount of time. They deeply respected their elders and trusted them to lead the village and make the important decisions required.

Every month, they would hold a hunting event where the best game or meat bought and cooked for the elders of the village was awarded with the hide of that animal to cover themselves with. They deeply cleaned the skin before wearing it. The elder would present a dance as a form of respect and gratitude for the winner of the ritual and the entire village. This dance was called Oriao, and was taught to the children of Ellararen blood since their childhood.

The elder would dress up in very loose and fiery colored, red robe and hold an hollow instrument filled with small wooden balls which produced sound on movement, to produce music as they danced. The villagers would sit and watch this dance. Whenever a death occurred in the village, all the zu'aan would gather and cry for the deceased despite their relations with each other. The family of the deceased was offered fruits, grains and ration for three weeks.

They believed that meanwhile mourning the dead was important, it was also important for them to soon move on and continue providing for themselves and their families as the dead were gone and nothing could be gained from just mourning them endlessly. The deceased was stripped of all clothes from their body and carefully buried in the ground on the other side of the river, praying mother nature to accept their child. They considered that the dead had no use of cloth or warmth and hence the clothes would be given to the poorer people of the village.

No one was significantly wealthier than others, and they heavily relied on their abilities to swim, hunt, chop wood and such. They could trade their services and products for other products. There were also artistic zu'aan, who carved wood to make figures and representations of the spirits of the forest, water and the earth which they worshipped. Such figures were made in a large size and kept at the center of their village for everyone to view and worship.

Government

The government consisted of the eldest member of the Ellararen family, who were said to have led their ancestors throughout the entire journey to these grounds. They believed that it was in the best interests of the Ellararen family's elders for the villagers and placed their trust in the eldest member. The people of Avaia were raised without the concept of greed and hence none resided in them. No hate, malice or greed drove the people of the village. Hence the elder was consulted for the village affairs and important decisions.

The elder wasn't the highest power within the village but was considered to be the leading power that would lend an ear and solutions to everyone's misery. The people of Avaia had the complete right to speak for themselves and any unfairness amongst them but usually no hateful exchange took place between them. The Elder were cared for and lead the people until they grew senile. The people would themselves decide whether the Elder were any longer able enough to lead them or not. They had very long lifespans and were highly charismatic and intellectual beings. However, criminals of the zu'aan were not forgiven for any sins committed.

Since the village itself didn't believe in bloodshed, they would restrain the "sin bearer" even for the pettiest crimes such as theft or violence of any kind. They would release the criminal beyond the boundaries of the village, ordering them to descend the mountain by themselves. No one eventually survived the cruel hills and it was considered as nature serving of justice upon the criminal. Another punishment was for the zu'aan to be buried alive until they suffocated to their death.

It was a not used commonly due to it being a very ruthless punishment but in cases where the entire village would vote upon the punishment to be carried out based on the crimes, the ritual was done. No funerals would be held for the person as they believed it was a consequence of their action and the spirits entrusted the villagers with the custom. The reason for such low tolerance under their belief was that if a person could commit a petty crime first then they had those feelings and capabilities of committing greater crimes and could not be left without trial.

Children were exempt from such a trial but they would remain under the guidance of the elder for the rest of their lives in order to erase any possibilities of them bearing risks to their customs.

Military

Military personnel of the village were selected and trained by the elder themselves. The elder could be either male or female but they were both physically capable. The fighting and combat were very rarely used, sometimes in order to detain criminals but mostly to hunt and fend off threats of larger animals or creatures. Their style of combat constituted mainly of very slow yet heavy movements, where they would release the power of their muscles not in an explosive manner but rather progressive.

They were highly capable of lethal and fatal attacks but only used such attacks for hunting, as killing was forbidden when it came to a zu'aan life. The people of the village were required to serve in the military until the elder required them to, as almost all villagers possessed the necessary skills to defend the village in situations. The villagers almost never face a kin'toni attack but there would often be casualties at times such a situation. The elder would commemorate the lives lost of the martyrs but never blame the kin'toni for the deed either and give them all a proper funeral.

They relied almost never on the use of weapons or armor but did use wooden tools at times. The bark of some trees was venomous but most of the villagers were immune to it. They would create spears out of such trees and when someone was struck with the spear, several splinters would be left inside their bodies even after its retraction, giving the victim a lot of pain contrary to their beliefs. They only performed the dance with the spear in grave scenarios where life was first priority.

These spears were carved by the weaponsmiths of the village but they rarely came across metal ores, leaving them with minimal options and limited durability of their weapons. The leader of military was appointed by the elder, who would select the best warrior amongst all the others. The others made sure their commander did not abuse their powers in any ways and reported to the elder in such cases. The rules of the village were simple but severely strict and the people were vocal about their issues in case there was any with the military.

The medics of the village possessed a vast knowledge of the different plants, poisons and antidotes along with diseases. They served for the military and took care of the people of the village in case of injuries. The medicinal properties of the flora were very strong and when mixed with other supplements, they could easily heal may words. But they were not many in number and would try to pass their knowledge to their children and future generations. The procedures that were used by the medics required a lot of precision. Hence, any metal ore found was often used for the creation and betterment of the equipment used by the medics.

Religion

Achath Tribe worshipped their mountains that protected them, the forests that offered them wood and nutritious meat, the soil that grew their crops and the rivers that quenched their thirst. They believed that they were the children of mother nature and were assigned with the task of looking after the people who suffered such great hardships to reach the land they resided in. They never polluted the river and burnt their wastes. They never took more than required from the forest be it wood or animals.

They never treated their agricultural soil harshly with carcasses to increase fertility as it was against the soil's will and what it had to offer. The life in the rivers was worshipped and never killed or eaten. They displayed great gratitude for their surroundings and it was considered as the elder's job to offer the prayers to their providers and keepers. Greed, Hate, Lust and other such feelings were considered as sins and anyone acting upon it was punished by the village in a very strict manner.

But such occurrences were again very rare. In times where a villager was in trouble or suffering from diseases, the elder would pray for the zu'aan for three sunrises and four sunsets continuously and the medics would try their best to give the villager as many antidotes and medicines as possible to cure them. Upon failure of treatment, the elder would starve themselves for the next four sunrises as an apology to the family of the zu'aan and take it upon themselves as their own failure. They believed the person who died early was chosen by the spirits of the forest to have the honor of serving the forest and other spirits.

The people who disobeyed the Elder or ever used more resources than they were meant to be were not punished but instead made to explain their point and present their verdict before anything as doubting an elder was considered a transgression amongst them. The people who were deadly sick were relieved of their pain by the use of medicines and the medics would induce death if they did not have the cure for a disease, as they considered themselves as the first defenders of mother nature and felt the need to put a person out of their pain and misery.

Miscellany

The staple food of the villagers was a slow-cooked stew-like food called chowatar. Chowatar was made with a few easily available herbs and meat along with the flowers and vegetables that their land grew. The crop grown was not highly nutritious but the chowatar was very healthy due to the meat of chiras, a species of common occurrence in the forests surrounding them. These animals were vicious and often hunted alone but were very intellectually weak. Hence they would fall for easy traps and contraptions.

Despite their weak mental capacity, these were considerable large and provided with a lot of food for the people. Their clothes were loose and heavy often with long sleeves and completely covered their bodies. One of the vegetations that easily grew in their soil was ch'taith, a highly deformed, sour and watery vegetable which was put in chowatar or could be eaten after cooking or boiling it. It could not be eaten raw as its seeds were highly poisonous and could prove fatal even against their poison resistant bodies.

This was mainly because the chemical in the seed was highly corrosive and it would do more physical damage to the body than poison. The corrosive chemical was stored inside the seed and its walls were covered with slimy substance which prevented the seed from bursting. The seeds were often used against threats and against larger animals for defense. The seeds were removed very carefully before eating the vegetable and stored. Any ch'taith with a burst seed could be differentiated as the poison would leave deep pigmentation marks and eating that vegetable or using it in Chowatar would poison the entire batch which could easily kill the zu'aan.

Hence every Ch'taith was carefully checked before being used and the seeds were to be removed with extreme delicacy.

Nearby Groups

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown