Ankalaw City Zu'aan

History

The zu'aan of Ankalaw city were a complex, yet simple people. They didn’t have much in the way of modern technology, they hadn’t built their buildings into tall sky touchers as other zu'aan had, and they didn’t wear the same type of clothing as the others did. Instead, they did the opposite of change. The Ankalaw zu'aan decided they would revert from the new ways and do as the animals did, live off the land and give back to it, instead of only taking from it. There was something about being natural and allowing nature to consume them that was addictive to the zu'aan in Ankalaw city. They wanted to be as natural as they could be while not taking much from the planet.

This fad began when there was a researcher that went out to study some of the animals with the intention of updating their library. There was some information that was missing, and so this zu'aan wanted to make it right to ensure they were learning properly. While he was conducting his research, the man found that the animals weren’t taking anything from the land unless they gave something back to it. When they died, they gave their life to the land, allowing it to consume their physical form to allow more to benefit from the land. The zu'aan researcher realized then that he wanted to pass that on to the city, having them follow the same rules that the animals did.

When he came back to the city, he sat for long hours in front of the council, telling them everything he had learned and wanted to implement. At first, the council laughed at him and told him they wanted him to leave, because his ideas were too insane. There was no way they were going to succumb to the ideas he had when their city was already perfect in their eyes. That was, until the city crumbled. The zu'aan researcher had reached out to as many of the zu'aan from the city as he could, and he called them to change with him. if it had been up to him, he would have changed everything on the first day, but he knew it took time, and so he agreed to wait out the process.

Over time, more zu'aan began to follow the lead of the animals, changing their ways completely to work with what the researcher had been telling them. Many of them began to take apart their houses, forsaking them because they weren’t natural materials, and instead they moved to the outskirts of the city and made huts that allowed various animals to have complete access to their homes. They didn’t want to forsake homes entirely, as they wanted to have warmth and cover from the elements, but many of them would build their huts so they were blended in with the tall grass and trees around them. The way they saw it, the closer they could get to being akin to the animals, the closer they were with the world.

It took a while to get the whole city on board, but once they did, the old buildings were brought down and the new huts were built, giving the Ankalaw zu'aan a new outlook on life, a life that was wholly closer to that of their animal counterparts. This way, they could be as natural as possible, instead of trying to delay the inevitable and live an unhappy life surrounded by technology.

Psychology

Since the researcher had been able to convince the Ankalaw city that they needed to follow the ways of the animals, many of the zu'aan who followed suit quickly went overboard. All the man wanted done was to have the city dismantle their buildings and live in a way that was closer to the animals, while still maintaining that they were different from them, but there were some zu'aan that felt the need to be the exact same as the animals, thus taking it too far. There were some that felt the need to eat raw meats and only speak in growls or grunts, and there were some that no longer wore clothing, as they felt that if the animals didn’t have to, then they didn’t have to.

Since their huts were accessible to the animals, as they would allow more and more of them in, the zu'aan would take the time to observe how the animals were acting and reacting with each other before they would try to adapt their ways to be similar. It wasn’t like this with every zu'aan from the city, but there were definitely those that were more comfortable trying to match the ways of the animals and change their lives to match. If an animal wouldn’t lay on their makeshift beds, the zu'aan would throw the bed away and try a different way to get comfortable. If the animal didn’t like something in the hut, or something scared them, then the zu'aan from that hut would go out of their way to make sure they changed it or rid themselves of the problem.

Of course, there were many zu'aan that didn’t like how they had to change their lives to suit the animals, and because of that, they decided they would rather leave than continue living there. To them, it wasn’t worth changing everything they were and forsaking modern inventions to be closer to nature when they weren’t animals themselves and were meant to live off the land in their own way. Some of these zu'aan that left went to other cities to ask that they eradicate the Ankalaw city, preaching that they were a danger to other cities and other zu'aan, and that they were going to draw the kin’toni to them. Most other cities looked at them with shock, unsure of how to proceed as they hadn’t heard of the city that changed everything.

Many of them wanted to see for themselves, and when they got there, they would meet with some of the “safer” zu'aan who would assure them there was nothing to worry about. While there wasn’t a set leader in the city, there were hierarchies that needed to be followed, just as there were in the animal kingdom. There were males that fought to be more respected, as well as females that would submit to the men and let them do the heavy lifting while they were the ones that raised the children. For the ones that followed it, the routines worked well for them, and they seemed to prosper as a city, happily living off the land and keeping to themselves.

Culture

Culturally, there weren’t all too many things that the Ankalaw zu'aan would do. Many of the things they did, they would allow to happen naturally. Almost all of their proceedings were void of traditions, ceremonies, or laws, allowing them to live freely and abundantly without worrying about keeping to a set list of rules. Their culture, however, consisted more of how they followed the rituals and idiosyncrasies of the animals inhabiting the terrain around them. Everything that happened, happened as naturally as possible, allowing them to enjoy their lives without having to worry about anything. When it came to the births of children, their birthdays, or other celebrations, the zu'aan liked to try and make things as special as possible.

To them, there wasn’t a lot that they liked to do, but making their families feel special when it came to their birthdays was something that was important to them. Usually, there weren’t any gifts that were exchanged, but when their children came of age, they would take them hunting for the first time. As well, the parents would make sure to teach their children how to know which animals were for eating and which were to be left unbothered. It didn’t take long to teach the children how to live, as there weren’t any laws to follow, and everything was as free as possible. When it came to how they received visitors, the zu'aan from Ankalaw city would try to make their visitors as comfortable as possible while also reminding them that they lived their lives a certain way and weren’t about to compromise that for their visitors.

Anyone who would come to visit them, for any reason, would be reminded that they were a naturalist community, which meant there would be genitalia seen, there would be mating in public, and there would be random wild animals that would be see wandering around the city. As well, visitors were always reminded that they would have to leave without disturbing the environment, which meant no litter, no debris, and with them only following the “rules” of their stay. Visitors weren't allowed to bring any advanced technology into the city, as there were children there that had no idea what it was. They were encouraged to dress as “naturally” as possible, but it wasn’t something that was required, as the Ankalaw zu'aan didn’t want to change other cities to be like them if they could avoid it.

Overall, the Ankalaw zu'aan just wanted to live and let live when it came to how they enjoyed themselves. They would take as many avenues as possible to avoid advancing above a caveman level. Of course, they had clothing and they had tools. But that was as far as their advancements went, as anything above that made them feel less in line with the land. The only other thing they did within their city that continued their knowledge, was to continue researching the animals so they could remain as closely related to them as possible. They wanted to make sure they had the most current knowledge possible, which meant they were always writing down their findings and sharing them among their fellow zu'aan.

Government

Before the researcher enlightened the city about what they were doing wrong and thus changed the city forever, Ankalaw city had a government that heavily believed that the elders were to be listened to and that their knowledge was above everything. There had been a group of elders, around two dozen, that sat in a heated shed, much like a sauna, as they believed they would be able to sweat out old knowledge and replace it with new. Whenever there was a zu'aan that needed to meet with them, they would have to wait for an appointment for the elders to want to listen to them, and they would have to brave the heat of the sauna to speak with them. Their inquiry would be heard and then judged, all without the zu'aan being allowed to contest the decision.

When the researcher came to the elders to talk to them about the animals and how they should change their ways to be more like them, he was met with laughter and was told to leave. The elders were so set in their ways that they didn’t want to leave the hot room. To them, there was nothing better than enjoying the heat and having people coming to them when something was needed, so why would they want to change that for one zu'aan that wanted to tear down their entire city as they knew it? The researcher didn’t feel as though he was being fairly judged, so he went to the zu'aan in the city and told them what he found and what he wanted to do. He was met with the same laughter, but after some talking, more and more of the zu'aan began to believe what the researcher was saying.

From there, the city continued to change until there was nothing left, forcing the elders to conform or to leave. There wasn’t going to be a government any longer, instead replaced with hierarchies as seen in the animal kingdom, so the elders were free to either leave, or to conform. Many of them chose to leave, no longer wanting to be affiliated with the city if they weren't allowed to make the rules. They didn’t think it was fair that they weren't allowed to rule any longer, even though there was no need for them to. Once the old government was abolished, the zu'aan went about their lives in a happy harmony, no longer worrying about any laws and rules that didn’t directly involve the upkeep and advancement of the city.

Of course, some of the elder zu'aan that stayed tried to band groups of zu'aan together so they could go back to the old ways, but their efforts were in vain. Their schemes didn’t end up working as the zu'aan they recruited typically went back to enjoying their new lives, finding that this way was much more fulfilling than succumbing to the rule of a group of old men.

Military

The military from Ankalaw city used to be a tight knit group of zu'aan that would stop at nothing to protect their city and help others who needed it. When the Twilight Age happened, they were on the front lines, making sure other cities and troops were getting enough support and help when it came to fortifying their front lines and keeping their cities safe. Every chance they got, the Ankalaw military were at another city, helping out with anything that was needed there and making sure everything was safe before they even thought about leaving. After the city changed to allow the zu'aan to become closer to the earth and love themselves more, the men and women that had been a part of the military were at a loss for what they were going to do.

They had been so used to listening to orders and making sure they were following them that when they were no longer needed, they decided they would continue to be the military anyways. If there wasn’t anything else they could do, they would continue to protect their city in any way they could. While they weren't allowed to have modern weapons and armour because they weren't derived directly from the earth, they were allowed to make their own tools and armour if they felt they needed them. Of course, there were some that made clubs and others that made knives so they could have another means of protection if they needed it. They would spend their time patrolling the city, making sure everyone was safe and happy.

From there, they would typically go around the city and knock on doors to see if anyone needed anything. It was their honour to make sure everyone had what they needed and were living their lives to the fullest. When there were attacks against the city, the military was always the first one there to make sure everyone was safe and protected. When kin’toni threatened to enter the city and make a meal of the children who couldn’t defend themselves, they banded together and made sure to protect their own, driving off the kin’toni and/or killing them when they got the chance. It wasn’t required that they kill the kin’toni when they attacked, but for some of them, it made them feel better to know the kin’toni were dead at their hand, for the protection of their city.

The military never looked for praise when they defended their city, but they never turned down the compliments when they got them. If they could make sure they were keeping everyone safe as well as happy and they were doing it while also making sure they were keeping the animals around, then they were happy themselves.

Religion

When it came to their beliefs, the Ankalaw zu'aan believed that being just like the animals was their way of worshipping the world. If they could have changed themselves into animals to be closer to the world, they would have done it. It was healing for them to give back to the world and take less from it, which became a deeply religious practice among them. If there came a time when they needed to take the life of an animal, for any reason, they would make sure to praise the animal. While they knew they couldn't be understood, the zu'aan always wanted to comfort the animals and tell them how good they were and how much they contributed to the land. They would then ask the earth to bless them and to bring them back in another life so they could then continue to bless the world with their presence.

Once they felt as though they had praised the animal and their life enough, they would take the life of the animal while praying the whole time. There were usually other zu'aan that would gather around to watch what was happening, and they would pray as well, asking for the life of the animal to be remembered. The body of the animal was then buried, or it was used by the city for anything that was needed. If they were able to eat the meat, then they would make a sacrificial feast from the body. Any fur or skin would be used for clothing or tools for those who needed them most, and the bones would be ground down for fertiliser. Each part of the body was used, as they wanted to make sure nothing went to waste if they could help it.

It was the same when it came to zu'aan passing, aside from using their bodies for things they needed around the city. There would be prayers for zu'aan who were passing away and who were convinced they weren't going to make it. Their lives would be recounted for them, with each other their achievements being highlighted and praised for them. They were thanked for everything they did before they passed, and many of the other zu'aan from the city would visit, telling at least one story of something that zu'aan did for them. When they finally passed away, their body was taken to the “sacred” burial ground where they were then prayed over as they were buried.

There were some zu'aan that would ask to be cremated instead, asking to have their spirit sent directly to meet the one who made the earth, rather than waiting after being buried. Their wishes were always accommodated as closely as possible, as their lives were seen as holy and therefore needed to be cherished, even after the zu'aan had passed. If there was something that couldn't be accommodated, then they would default to a burial, but not before asking the family if there was anything else that could be done. While the zu'aan was already gone, it was still believed that they could come back with the knowledge they had in the previous life, and if their bodies weren't taken care of properly, then that zu'aan could come back as an animal and would come back to hurt them.

Because of this, the passed zu'aan was always respected to the highest degree.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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