The Silent Tribe of the Valley - The Ishaa

[Night_Phlox]

"Born of shadow and rain, the Ishaa dance on the edge of light and darkness, where silence holds the secrets of existence."

ORIGIN

  Long ago, before the Silent Expanse was known by that name, it was a land of shadows and mirages, where Jiuweihu's sun scorched the earth, and Gala's night brought only glimpses of a life that could have been. In this desolate land, a notorious mana beast, perhaps a god in his own right, Tó Neinilii, wandered with a gleam in his eye and a hunger in his belly.

He was a coyote, but not just any; he was Áłtsé hashké, the Fickle One, a beast both revered and feared, known for his cunning and his unpredictable nature.
One day, as Tó Neinilii roamed the barren landscape, he grew tired of the emptiness around him.

"What a dull place this is," he mused to himself,

"There's no one to laugh at my jokes, no one to trick, and no one to gamble with." The coyote god sat on his haunches in the sand, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon, and an idea began to form in his mind.

Using his power, Tó Neinilii reached into the shadows cast by the few scraggly bushes and twisted rocks. From these shadows, he began to mold figures, shaping them with his paws as if they were clay. He gave them form, making them tall and strong. These figures were the first of the Ishaa people.

But the figures were only shadows, and Tó Neinilii knew they needed something more. He looked up to the sky and noticed the clouds drifting lazily by, full of rain that had no place to fall. With a sly grin, he decided to gamble with the clouds. "Let's make a wager," he said, his voice echoing in the empty desert. "If I win, you'll give your rain to these figures and bring them to life."

The clouds, curious and bored themselves, agreed. The game was one of wits, a test of riddles and cunning. For hours they played, the sky darkening as the sun dipped below the horizon. Tó Neinilii, being the Trickster he was, managed to outwit the clouds, winning the game with a riddle so twisted even the wisest could not solve it.

Being sore losers, the clouds unleashed their rain upon the figures, drenching them in life-giving water though they would have their flaws and deformities. The shadowy figures began to solidify, their skin darkening to the rich tones of the earth. They blinked, breathed, and for the first time, the Silent Expanse pulsed with the sounds of life.

Tó Neinilii watched with satisfaction as the people came to life. They danced in the rain, their bodies adorned with the markings he had given them, each symbol telling a tale of their creation and the god who had tricked the rain into giving them life. "Despite how ugly you all are, you are my children now," he told them, "born of shadows and rain, and you shall thrive in this land, for I have made it so."

From that day forward, the Ishaa tribe flourished in the desert of Sa'al. They built their homes from the earth, simple and sturdy, and dyed their clothes in the vibrant colors of the few plants that grew in their oasis. They marked their bodies with black ink that spoke of their origins and the spiritual guides that their god would grant them once they come of age. They honored him as a god of fertility and rain, knowing that while he could be vain, greedy, and foolish, he also held the power to bring life where there was none.

CULTURE

    The Ishaa people are deeply rooted in the values of family and tradition, with a strong emphasis on the bonds that tie them together. Their society is built on the principles of loyalty and honor, with each family line carrying the weight of its ancestors' deeds and the responsibility to uphold their legacy. Traditions are sacred, passed down through generations with reverence, and the tribe's customs are steeped in the wisdom of their elders and the teachings of Tó Neinilii.

However, they are not a passive people. While they cherish their own, they are fierce in protecting their land and way of life. Feuds with nearby tribes are common, as they compete for the scarce resources of the Silent Expanse. The Ishaa are not above taking drastic measures to ensure their survival, including the capture and sacrifice of those they consider enemies.

The tribe's medicine men and women hold powerful roles within the community, believed to be conduits of the spirit world. They perform dark rituals to harness the souls of their captives, imbuing their weapons with the essence of those who have fallen to the Ishaa's might. These weapons are considered sacred, thought to carry the strength and fury of the souls trapped within them, making them formidable tools in both battle and ceremony.

The Ishaa is a mostly nonverbal tribe, communicating primarily through facial expressions and body language, though they do understand spoken Brittonian (courtesy of animunculi envoys from the Proto Institute) and have a sign language of their own. The elders have a deviation of telepathy wherein they have a deep sense of empathy and understand the feelings and moods of other people, but this is a technique becoming gradually lost to the newer generations . . .