[The Book of the Zindu] A Guide To The People Of the Land Hytians - “Of purest blood” While Hytians are listed as a people in many records, there is only one pure example in their population, which makes examining them difficult. The Queen is the only Hytian, and everyone else, even her children, have only a touch of her divine quality. What is known of Hytians begins and ends with qualities of the Queen. They are eternal, they are strong, large, intuned, beautiful. Through Hytian blood we measure the capabilities of others, because the Queen is the perfect specimen. To blemish her name is to blemish yourself. Our only clue about Hytians is in the name. It is ancient language from the North shores, and scholars believe it means ‘Perfect child’. In this way, the only true Hytian exemplifies this name perfectly. Best advice for meeting a Hytian is to ready yourself mentally and physically. Control your every action, because your body will escape you. Inflate your spirit, because their power will dwarf you. You cannot hope to win, and who would wish to? It is important to remember though, that sometimes service to the Zindu means hiding from the divine. Galan - “The aesthetic sisters” The Galan are placed in the first order by scholars, the closest to the Queen’s own blood. Their capacity in strength, size, and beauty, rank close close to the Queen herself. As a people, the Galan populate the lands East of the Northland shores. They live behind the Failed Wall, a grand work of architecture created before the Queen unified her people. Galan have several key strengths and weaknesses that should be stressed in every interaction with a Galan. Galan hearing is sub-par, on a level comparable with the Field-folk. Galan pride is legendary, and they shrink at any defeat, even if it is in games of wordplay, or matters of fashion. Galan strength is divine, but they exercise it regularly, and can be manipulated into exhausting themselves. While Galan are the largest of the peoples, they are also the heaviest, and easily forget their weight can be a disadvantage. Behind the wall, Galan culture focuses on physical beauties. This may relate to their untuned spirit and lack of magical capability. Fashion is a central aspect, as is painting and sculpture. The martial arts are crafted like any other art, and Galan wrestling is a public spectacle, a form of physical battle that is elevated to masterful plays. Characters are established, dramas played out, and the results are set by who falls on the mat. If possible, avoid physical conflict with a Galan, and best them in a battle of the mind. Galan are not less intelligent, but the Zindu knows to avoid fighting on the enemy’s preferred battleground. Field-folk - “The Plentiful” The Field-folk, the Shen, the Brown-tops, the Mitons. The Field-folk have many names, which is part of their status as peoples of the third and lowest order. Their blood is distant from the Queen’s, barely containing any of her spark. They are of average size, their beauty ranges from the ruddy to the simple, their strength of body and soul are both typical. The Field-folk are unremarkable, and it is in this that they are special. Field-folk have the second shortest lifespans among the Peoples. While many Field-folk waste this time, some accomplish great feats in defiance of their short existence. One skill that Field-folk excel at is breeding. While many of the peoples have one child, and may occasionally have two, Field-folk women often have twins, and there are common Field-folk stories of women having as many as 5 children in one pregnancy. It is this drive to populate and continue that makes the Field-folk dangerous, and useful. Another trait among the Field-folk is their short-term loyalties. While Field-folk are fiercely loyal to leaders, that loyalty is known to change with simple manipulation. This trait was amplified in the one derivative people from the Field-folk, the Red-tops, who are are known for their enthusiastic treachery. Field-folk rebel often, backstab often, and fight often. Their numbers made them important in the Queen’s land battles during the unification, but their lack of loyalty makes them difficult to keep as neighbors. They are sometimes known as the Queen’s first conquest, since they joined the empire first in ancient times. The Queen’s own capital, in the Northlands, is actually Miton’s historic capital. A final note about the Field-folk. They are quick to all feelings, and a wise Zindu uses this to their advantage. Their nature makes it necessary that they are quick to anger, but just as quick to love. Tianu - “The Little Peoples” While the Hytian blood has allowed the Queen to live in youth since time immemorial, the Tianu exemplify her youth as a peoples. They are a first order peoples, their blood pure and close to the Queen’s own. They are known for their youthful outlook on life, their strong health and vigor, and their strong connection to the magicks. Tianu physiology is odd compared to other peoples. They may live as long as the Queen, it is hard to know since there isn’t believed to be any Tianu that have died of old age. Unlike a Hytian, Tianu go through different maturity stages slowly, spending hundreds of years in a physical state similar to a child. While their minds advance at a normal rate, there are side effects to their mental state that are not well documented. The Tianu aren’t known to travel away from their home, in the long Valley of Yore in the west of the mainland. There they live as neighbors with the Medika. The Tianu avoid physical altercations in their culture, and use their society’s focus on lore, magicks, and history, to facilitate disagreements through alternative contests like trivial combat. A Tianu may go through hundreds of relationships before they ever reach a physical maturity that allows them to have children. Because of this, they form platonic and proto-romantic relationships that take on a wide variety of shapes and natures. To a Tianu, a sharp mind more attractive than any physical trait, though being at a size comparable to their current maturity helps. - Later: Red-Tops, Nodru, Medika, Tilian.