Adbur Tribal Zu'aan

History

Born in the sea, the zu'aan of The Abdur Tribe spent most of their lives on the Great Ship of Harulerin, which was made by the zu'aan a generation ago in order to escape and relieve themselves from the captivity of the kin'toni along with the constant risk of death. The zu'aan of Abdur were held as prisoners in kin'toni clans during times of scarcity. These kin'toni would select one prisoners everyday to eat and survive in order to fulfill themselves. The zu'aan in captivity devised a plan for mass escape and hid for days on end in lands far away from the kin'toni.

But the risk remained as high as ever and hence they decided to voyage into the sea by making a ship as the odds of a kin'toni reaching them were lesser. After a decade of hard work, evasion and tactical hiding, The Ship of Harulerin was prepared for its journey. They all boarded and set off into the sea. There they learnt to purify water, grow herbs in the ship using soil and water and mainly to swim underwater for longer period and fish and hunt for seafood. The zu'aan would face storms often and ship would get damaged too.

They kept travelling from island to island for resources, bartering for food and wood. They used the wood and reinforced their ship so be able to sustain major hits and storms for a longer period of time. They kept increasing the size of the ship alongside in order to accommodate the growing population of the tribe. During the initial years of their journey, they would come across giant sea creatures that would disrupt their ship's alignment and waves. This would cause them to lose their original direction and often damaged the ship too.

During one of their deep sea dives, they noticed that a specific area had an uncommon lack of sea creatures. This intrigued them. Upon further inquiry it was found that those parts of the sea had a special marble-like stone at their bottom, which acted as repellants against such creatures probably due to their light and smell. They started to mine that ore underwater using their increased lung capacity and stone tools and implanted the stones on the base of their ship. They named them Shaia stones. They were very effective against the giants. The generations kept going on with the ship being operated by new and more qualified individuals slowly.

They had a good amount of resources and when on land, they would trade these resources for other materials. They were richer than most in such terms. The ship in itself was a very huge one, equivalent of a village since it held the zu'aan of one. They obtained large amounts of metalic ore for the purpose of defense and strengthening the ship in exchange for Shaia stones and large fishes. Very less often, on land they would encounter kin'toni but had the required defensive methods to overcome such a situation. They bore a risk of coming across The Tiess Kin'toni, which were sea water adapted, meaning they could come in contact with the large ship.

Psychology

The zu'aan of Abdur hated kin'toni severely due to the oppression faced by their ancestors and the hardships, pain, suffering and death that were inflicted upon. They were strong, open-minded and free zu'aan who celebrated events to their fullest without fear. Whenever they came in contact with a kin'toni on land, they wouldn't hesitate even for a second before killing the creature and would stand their grounds even ready for war even with the kin'toni clans, which were capable of overpowering them easily on land.

They would worry less about the consequences and let their hatred fuel their rage and bodies. The strategists of the military were careful in making sure their land stays were shorter due to such risks, knowing that such reckless behavior was not going to bear a good outcome for their overall resources and casualties would be large in case such a war broke out. During their voyage, they came across the Tiess kin'toni thrice which resulted in a battle between the villagers and the clans. It was a very resource draining situation but still the Abdur tribe always came out victorious.

They would mourn the deaths of the martyrs in battle and remember their names for years on end. The zu'aan were very united and no man had to stand for himself alone. No one was richer than the other and everyone got to eat to their fill, as every family was considered equal. Each family was provided with a wooden cabin where they would rest. Children were taught to swim since a very young age as they believed the skills would gradually increase over time and would train their lungs better.

They were were tough minded and never backed down from any sort of situation as their definition of courage was concrete. They were highly energetic and intelligent when it came to directions, cartography, astronavigation and memory. They specialized in being able to detect wind knots simply by standing on a high altitude along with the direction and in whether to open the mast or not to set sail. This allowed them to travel efficiently across the sea by mapped routes which were also marked for areas with the risk of kin'toni.

#Whenever a suspicious or probable kin'toni encounter occurred, they would prepare for complete war, all the children would be locked inside the cabins and every zu'aan on the ship would pick weapons up. They were not the kind to wait for their enemies. As soon as they received a visual of their enemies, they would begin the hellfire upon them, making sure they were caught off guard and their enemies would face damages first. They would initiate and take the offense and this was the same format for the last decades and every war they ever partook in. Hence they were known for their severe aggressiveness and extreme behavior but came out victorious under the best conditions every time.

Culture

The zu'aan celebrated the victory of battles and their journeys with loud sounds and extreme dances along with lots of lavish food and drinks. They produced loud sounds and music by using and carving the bones of large fishes and assembling them in such a manner that they produced sounds when air was blown through them. They also used thick cloths and hard wooden hollowed instruments to produce melodies. They drank a certain and very strong drink on very large occasions that gave them hallucinating and stupor inducing effects.

This drink was called Chulira and was enjoyed by the grown ups of the tribe and even the elders. Children were exempt from it as it proved too strong for their bodies and would cause them to fall ill. They would always look for reasons to celebrate. They followed a ritual for when the children turned old enough, they would be thrown off board from the ship in the middle of the night without them knowing and would be asked to retrieve a singular piece of Shaia stone in the dark waters. The stone had a glowing effect in the dark which made this challenge not completely impossible, as the children could see the stone heading towards the ocean bed.

This was a very risky ritual as it put to test the swimming skills, vision, panic control, lung capacity and bravery of the child to be deemed worthy of being a responsible member of the tribe. But this ritual could also result in deaths. In order to prevent such a thing from happening, a rope was tied to the leg of the child as a safety measure. The child was thrown into the water and in case they faced a large creature or something severe enough to threaten their life, they would have to aggressively start tugging at the rope which would serve as a signal for them to be pulled out. This religion was done for both males and females as it was considered that their lifestyle required both to be equally brave and strong.

In case that a child would fail this challenge, the elders would dive in to save the child and this child would be taught how to grow herbs, butcher meat and handle such other responsibilities which were equally necessary. They did not make the child feel ashamed of their inability but made them believe in their other abilities. These were the zu'aan who were later on responsible for brewing chilura and were highly respected for their knowledge on the brewery of the drink as it was highly valued amongst them.

The ones who passed the ritual were taught to use weapons since childhood and mid range combat that mainly constituted of being able to tank blows and inflict stronger ones on the enemy along with parrying potentially lethal ones. But they were also taught to enjoy their life by watching the grown ups around them have a great time so often, raising them to lead a more enthusiastic life.

Government

The Abdur tribe had several roles that needed to be played by zu'aan in order to compliment their lifestyle and sustain it. The ship needed a group of 6 Helmsmen and 6 Helmswomen in order to navigate and steer the enormous ship. They had henchmen under their arms which would look out for distant objects at an altitude and carry out the orders of the Helmsmen and women. They were considered as the leaders of the entire village as they would be the ones mainly routing and mapping their journey.

Out of all the children in a generation that underwent the ritual, the six most capable men and six most capable women were selected and taught to learn a great deal about the ship and how it would work. They would have to work together in the working of the ship as it was completely impossible for one person. These were considered the highest bodies of power and the villagers would often have to comply to their orders and guidance. Under them came the head of the warriors who lead the battalion and these were considered the second most power.

The head chef was a singular person responsible for ordering the other workers in the kitchen to make food in large amounts. All the zu'aan on the ship ate at the same time due to their belief in equality and unity and the workers were responsible for serving the zu'aan . After others had eaten, the servers and the Head Chef would eat together. The head chef was the third most power. In case of disagreement between the power levels, a committee was set up in front of the entire village where decisions were taken on the basis of majority and what the villagers would want.

They Helmsmen and Helmswomen were not to misuse their powers as they served the ship in the end. The criminals would face punishment on the basis of the crime committed. In case of unfair treatment or violence, the zu'aan would be forced to do unpaid and extreme labor until they collapsed. In cases of theft and more severe crimes, the person would be tortured by the military personnel for a long time until they regretted their actions. But if a murder or act of treason took place, the zu'aan was tied with a rope and several pieces of meat were attached to them.

They were then thrown into the water to be devoured by the creatures that were attracted to the meat. If the criminal had committed several crimes they were found guilty of, they would be held prisoner till the time of the year they reached The Relowerin route where they offered their gifts and food to Alrisira, The God of the Sea and thrown along with other food items and objects of worship as a convict to be tried in her court of justice and under her

Military

The commander of warriors, the second most powerful entity, was often a male. He would be responsible for leading the army and giving tactical orders as whether to engage in battle or not. The ship's resources were always kept in mind before taking such decisions as they could not afford a near-famine condition in the middle of the sea. The children ones who succeeded the ritual were taught to use weapons and mid range combat that mainly constituted of being able to tank blows and inflict stronger ones on the enemy along with parrying potentially lethal ones.

But they were also taught to enjoy their life by watching the grown ups around them have a great time so often, raising them to lead a more enthusiastic life. The blunt ended weapons added a more internal effect on the enemy than external as the sheer force would cause bones to shatter instead of just making cuts and breaking skin. This heavy style allowed them to hunt and inflict severe pain upon their enemy. The metallic ore that was obtained from trading with villages on land, was used for making weaponry for the convenience and smoother victory. The warriors of the village were very fierce and possessed high physical strength and durability.

They never lad themselves in armor as they believed it displayed their pride, fearlessness and strength even more. They used thick blades and heavy weapons made of wood infused with metal for minimum metal ore expenditure and maximum efficiency. For Tiess kintoni, they used a special weapon in battle, which was a poison infused metallic staff which could be used in long range. This weapon was very heavy and was wielded by only the commander, who was physically the strongest amongst everyone.

This staff was very rigid and a bit flexible, meaning it could bounce off the ground or deliver high momentum with more efficiency. They named it The Kara, and it was passed down to every new commander in a ritual announcing his responsibilities and oaths. It contained a small vial at its epicenter which was filled with lethal and corrosive substance and via this vial, poison was slightly dripping on the surface and the farther end of the staff meaning that every time it came in contact with the enemy, it would immediately start to corrode and burn their skin and enter their blood stream, slowly killing them.

But this staff was not used in the cases where the war grounds were crowded, as the poison from the staff could accidentally spray and hit a comrade, resulting in unnecessary casualties. The poison used was extracted from Shaia stones themselves, but it required months of preparation and a large amount of stone just to create a very small amount of it. The stone itself was not easy enough to obtain let alone use it for poison making but it became necessary after the second war with the Tiess, meaning they needed a solid counter against their enemies while making sure their enemies had none against them.

Religion

They were also highly religious, as they believed in a higher power that wished all good for them and that every form of trouble they faced was an ordeal. They worshipped the sea that granted them with protection and food and Shaia stone. But the mainly worshipped Alrisira, The almighty God of Sea. Alrisira was an entity with a very large snake-like body as long as an entire country, which resided at the bottom of the deepest ends of the sea where not even the sunken ships could reach. It was said that she was betrayed by the Gods of Earth and The Stars after they both promised to marry her and join their terrains together.

But they tried to kill her instead by taking her to their domains in order to capture the Seas and have them for themselves. Alrisira defended herself from them and escaped to her own domain, where no harm could be done to her and laid herself deep in the sea, sorrowing and sleeping for years on end. They believed that the day Alrisira would wake up from Her slumber, she would ascend to the surface of the water and carry The Ship of Hulerin on her back to the Land of Laenaith, The heavens themselves where food would never run out and always be delicious, no enemies would ever be able to reach them.

She would grant their wishes only because they were the ones who truly never betrayed her for years on end and kept worshipping her even in her slumber. The place where they would know of no pain and no one would ever get ill. Where they could celebrate everyday as special and where their ship could float in calm waters and never stop, and never require a helmsman or woman, where Alrisira would grant every wish of them as their reward for the suffering and misery of the recent years and a land no kin'toni would ever know of.

Hence they would offer a large amount of meat on The Relowerin route, which was the deepest part that they had come across where it was believed Alrisira lay in her deep slumber, waiting to be awakened only by true loyalty, dedication and worship.

Miscellany

The ship traded soil in order to harvest and grow herbs and medicinal crops from the islands in the way of their voyage. But these could often cultivate into weeds that could harm the ship's wood by their roots growing deep within the planks and causing cracks and tears. Hence, they made large stone boundaries and a base of stone in the part of the ship where these plants and herbs were to be grown in order to protect the ship's planks and let their harvest go unhindered. Their diet mostly consisted of fish and meat from the sea only, often hunting animals that were larger in size by forming parties and using great amounts of lethal poisons which their bodies were mostly resistant to.

Nearby Groups

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