Jehaleda City Zu'Aan

History

The city evolved from a tribe that inhabited the Randgriok forest. It gained more inhabitants after the new religion was implemented and the trees recognized as the sacred Taik'uun trees. Thus the Temple of Growth brought priests who brought commerce with them. The brotherhood of the leaf governed the city with fairness until the Hard Reformation of 823 .ALW where the faction of the sun broke away from the new religion, in response the stronghold of the region sent the Eight Brothers to take control.

Jehiiah IV took the power and brought his warriors and his six wives with him. The city prospered under his command and new routes of trade were opened with other parts of the continent. In 881.ALW Jehiiah IV would die due to axphixia and his eldest son Xaisar I would succeed him in ruling. Decadence took hold of the city for twenty long years until the extremism of the plains reached them.

The Dark Night:

This era begins in the longest night of the year 880.ALW when the leaders of the new religion made official a decree that condemned the non believers, focusing on war with the other Provinces and the eretic inhabitants of their own. This lead to 'The War of the Eight Brothers' where power was decentralized and many atrocities were comited. In this particular city most eretics were used as slaves to farm crops, but some people served as examples and were tortured and killed in a public fashion. It was quite tame compared to the others.

The Resurgence:

After years of war and carnage the war was ended with 'The treaty of the Sons' in 897.ALW. Power was centralized again, this time in the son of the first brother who, with his allies won the war, the others pledged allegiance to him and the church of the sun which became the main religion in most of the continent. The city of Jehaleda suffered from economic backlash and a famine, but were quick to recover thanks to the advance in technology and farming techniques.

Three big economic crisis overcame the city, yet it managed to survive them all and thrive, becoming a popular touristic and metropolitan area due to its beauty and remote location.

Now the lower levels are abandoned and the city is governed by an elder council, it currently does not accept outsiders inside the walls. The citizens populate the skyscrapers and have partially learned to use some of the technology at hand, using the elevated walkways and sky tunels to go from skyscraper to skyscraper. They have not interacted with the kin'toni spies and managed to keep to city in a lock down, making them believe it had fallen. The kin'toni have no plans of attempting any incursion due to the fact there are no valuable resources.

. ALW- After the Long Winter|BLW-Before the Long Winter

Economy

What earlier was a prolific urban area now is a ghost town. Form the three million zu'aan who lived here now less than 900 remain. The living conditions are way better than the drifters or other cities at war yet that does not mean they are good.

The survivors mostly use trade and the only common currencies you can find are salt and bark or sap from the sacred trees.

The economy is mostly agriculture based as they managed to maintain some of the rooftop gardens and convert them into fertile land as well as use a vertical farming technique.

Other minor activities are:

Energy farming. The citizens make use of the renewable wind turbines installed in the skyscrapers to generate energy and power various necessities. Their other energy resource is burning waste, and by waste goes everything, food gone bad, animal carcasses, wood, fecal matter and even their dead. The energy later powers the water valves and the lights using for farming as well as waste disposal is used for heat.

Water gathering. Water is a very prized good, thankfully in Jehaleda thanks to its almost permanent mist and clouded sky it's nothing especially scarce.The people will put big leaves and containers to collect water, some is used for watering the crops and the rest is boiled and later drunk.

Hunting and gathering. These activities are only done by the explorers, who venture into the forest to find berries, seeds, mushrooms as well as wood and sap from the ancient trees. They also hunt if an they find an animal into the forest, check the traps in the lower levels or hear the homemade alarms (Never going out with the express intention of doing so.)

Healing. This activity is limited to the elder females, it mostly consist of practicing child deliveries, amputations or mending broken bones. They use natural ingridients for homemade remedies and cures. Their most prized and effective cure is the sap of the scared trees that in a liquid form mixed with water act as a natural desinfectant and reduce the pain. This sap mixed in a secret recipe with different herbs, water and mushrooms also helps to lower the pain of child birth or amputation. For its rarity is only used in rare occasions or when the one who request it has a good trade offer.

Culture

The zu'aan that live in this city have a set of morals that Altough dubious at times proves to be unshakable for some things.

Most of the ancient culture of the city has been lost to the fall, the residents only conserve the colorfull murals that used to adorn the big halls decaying like the rest of the city.

These particular city is focused on utility and austerity. The arts are practiced briefly, drawing maps and designs, singing songs for amusement and coordination and in the odd month a play to entertain themselves after a long day of work. Still most of this songs and plays feature farming prominently some even being educative.

Their values are a result of a tough upbringing and existence. Hard work, honesty and community.

Because their population is quite scarce the inhabitants of this carcass of a city tend to have a great sense of community, helping each other to the best of their ability and learning to accept as children that the well-being of the whole outweighs the welfare of the one.

A hard lesson to accept and carry out but a necessary one to ensure their continued existence. It has been proved beneficial as in the scarce cases of kin'toni infection the carriers have chosen to die rather than get into city and infect more people. These mentality ussualy means that people with terminal illness often partake in the ritual called "Becoming the fires" where they walk into the roaring kiln and feed the fire with their bodies benefitting the community with their final act. It is considered a high honor among them only carried out by the fearless and pure of heart.

Government

The city is governed by the council of elders. It consists of five zu'aan who have passed maturity age and are considered the wisest of them all. This council has a main elder who shoulders most of the responsibilities as well as being the one charged with the final word in any disagreement between the five of them. Each elder has their focus on certain activities that help run the city.

The important decisions, like battles or increasing or decreasing the crops of certain plant are decided with a general vote. Only those who are above the age of 21 winters are allowed to partake, making no difference in gender or occupation.

The Elders

The Supreme healer: this elder is in charge of the health of the group. They will look into any outbreak and will help form new healers. Even if the healers are a very small group they are still considered very important. The zu'aan harbor resentment towards scientists and doctors, including the healers themselves, which is why they only use natural resources for their practice. A lot of knowledge has been lost because of the hate for medicine and the Supreme healer is tasked with conserving what is left and trying to advance their practice if possible.

The War Master: this elder is tasked with keeping the group safe. They are also the leader of the explorers, who work under their command. Weapon making, combat training, reconnaissance missions and conserving the fortifications of the city fall under their responsibility. They are also tasked with investigating the kin'toni weak points and making an escape route in case of a last resort. Their knowledge of the exterior world is unparalleled, they are good survivors and know what is beyond the forest. Peace talks with drifters or other cities mostly fall under their scope. The city has been neutral territory for decades under the direction of these elders, it accepts no visitors nor new citizens, which is how they have survived for so long.

The Lead Farmer: they are one of the most important ones also meaning they are very powerful. They deal with farmers, land granting, seed distributing and mainly food production. They must be versed in vertical and rooftop farming as well as the plants that can be used as a posible food source. Their knowledge should extend to illnesses and plagues associated with these plants. Thanks to their expertise at least two big famines had been avoided even if the loss of food hit them hard. With conjuction of the old farmers he instructs the new ones on ways to increase productivity and what to look for to make sure the crops are healthy and well fed. If they feel it's pertinent they can instruct the explorers to bring new soil and seeds, being able to over rule the War Master in this aspect as the safety of the whole is more important than the safety of an explorer.

The Judge: this elder is in charge of justice and supervising inter zu'aan relationships. His labour is very important as he impartially applies the law and solves any conflict the citizens may find themselves in. He is aided by twelve official enforcers, who supervise the rules are being followed and carry the sentencing out. The only ones who can contest his decisions are other elders and it still should be when their own competences. This elder also has the task of hearing general complains people have and if he can't solve it at the moment raise it later with the whole council.

The Fifth: this elder is the most important out of the five of them, they oversee the other elders and can overrule their decisions if need. They are also the one who has the final word in case of a draw in the voting. Because this position grants so much power over the city this elder can only hold it for ten years, or if it's needed to be laid off it is enough for the other four elders to come to an agreement and depose them.

The Law

Altough they don't hav very extensive laws there had to be some to maintain the peace and avoid absolute chaos. These laws have been passed down trough generations, being made by previous elders. These vary for some rules to follow from day to day to grave offenses that deserve harsh punishment.

Some of these pusinshments include fines, jail time, forced work and even death.

Military

The city doesn't have much of a military, their inhabitants rely on camouflage, silence and fortification. Most of the energy is put on growing food or other ways in which to satisfy its inhabitants primal needs.

Being a mostly self sufficient community they also do not need a group of people dedicated to raiding others or gaining more territory. Most of its citizens do not have any knowledge or training of close combat pass the rough brawls they get sometimes into. They do sometimes have emergency drills and a spot assigned to use the long range defense weapons. Yet not many visitors come to Jehaleda and even less try to fight, only using the mist and buildings for cover and passing trough without interaction or trouble.

Fortification:

They inhabit the top of tall buildings and have closed of the entryways and lower floors making it imposible for drifters or animals to enter. They have also installed traps and makeshift alarms with strings attached to pieces of metal and glass that if stepped on or touched will make loud sounds.

No walls surround the city but the skyscrapers offer good sights of the streets below and give the clan the advantage of height and make it unable for attackers to reach them.

The tallest building, popularly called the Lighthouse, situated in the east centre of the city, acts as an unofficial watchtower, providing an ample look above the ancient trees and into the mountainsfurther north. Although its primary use is destined to vertical farming, the mirrors they use to provide extra sunlight to plants in the lower levels can also be used as defense against kin'toni if needed.

To avoid unwanted meetings and being tracked the outings into the ground floor and the forest are limited to a little group of explorers who after each outing are submitted to a cuarentine period to avoid spreading the illness to the rets of the clan.

These explorers ascend and descend via two lifts, one for goods and other for zu'aan powered either by a system of weights or zu'aan power. If needed they also have ladders to ascend fast in case of atack, they are rarely used because of the energy needed to ascend and the risk it can posses.

Weapons:

The people have made primitive weapons from wood, sharpened bones, glass and metal such as knives, swords and Spears for close combat if necessary. Although in case of drifter or kin'toni attack they have devised long range defense weapons such as bows and slingshots, they also use rocks and boiling water, fecal mater or melted metal. These last things coupled with rocks and other debris they throw down are usually enough to disuade, hurt or kill the enemy without the need to employ valuable weapons.

The Explorers

This group is well versed in close combat and long range combat. They are apprenticed and trained from an early age in this guild like group. Their activities apart from hunting and obtaining needed goods also includes reconnaissance missions into the sacred forest or corpse raiding.

This last job consist on waiting a few days and taking any deceased enemy's valuables as well as disposing of its body.

Religion

BLW :

The religion practiced before was quite primitive, the tribe adored the trees and the sun. They believed in the trees magical properties as well as created a small pantheon of their deities. Sacrifices of farm and wild animals were practices as well as the creation of idols to ward of evil with zu'aan sacrifices. Offerings were made of fertile earth and sweet water, as well as different food items.

Some of this relics were displayed in the city hall before the fall.

ALW and BTF: At these times there were three main religions in the province.

First there was a primitive adoration for the trees, the sun and the earth, where people left joined offerings before the rain season and after collecting the harvest. They were meant to give good luck and plentiful water. Sometimes the trees were decorated with colorfull strings as a promise of eternal love that was said to grow as strong and high as that tree was.

Another religion evolved from that and "The Temple of Growth" was created, being very popular trough the region. Altough the ancient Taik'uun trees were still considered sacred the worship centered itself arround the earth. The earth was worshiped and thought of as creator and destroyer. The people gathered and prayed for good crops, fertility and good health.

Finally after "The treaty of the Sons" the "Curch of the sun" reached the region having been found en in the south. This one forgot about the earth and the trees and centered the worship arround their sun. Many in Jehaleda didn't abandon the old religion completely and as a result some heretics were used as a sacrifice by burning in the first years after the conversion, until a new leader of the sun was appointed and forbid these cruel acts.

ATF:

The citizens adore the sacred trees as well as the sun and rain. Most of the religion is carried out inside the homes, having private altars for prosperity and to remember the dead. The only prominent figure is ussualy an elderly woman who always guesses correctly when the crops will be good for the picking and when the rain season will begin. The people with this gift are thought to be blessed by the earth and are considered very special and valuable to the community.

BTF: Before the Fall | ATF: After the fall. These time marks are referred to the spreading of the virus in 1783. ALW

Miscellany

The city is a conjunction of skyscrapers with organic designs that blend very well into the forest, the materials are durable and sturdy making the destruction of the city by the elements a hard one. These skyscrapers are connected by elevated walkways made of highly resistant materials, and with air tunels which are mostly broken as the glass like material they were build with could not whistand the lack of manteniance or use.

Altough the streets below are were once paved, trees and other plants have managed to break the surface and transform the terrain to a rocky and uneven one. The skyscrapers offer shade and wind down below making it a great spot animals are often attracted to.

Only eight of the main skyscrapers are actually inhabited, surrounding "The Lighthouse". The rest are either abandoned, used for vertical farming or energy farming.

There are some generations of zu'aan that have never touched the ground.

Nearby Groups

Unknown

Jehaleda City Zu'Aan

Unknown