Mapek Gens

The Mapek Gens is a Fas ethnic group comprised primarily of the communities living in the villages of Fashot and Mapoz. They traditionally live in the mountain valleys of Southern Kotuye on the planet of Aravu, purposefully isolated from most other societies. They sustain themselves primarily via hunting, gathering, raising cattle, and trading leather and fur with northerners in exchange for fruits and vegetables.

Culture

Unlike most Fas ethnicities who center themselves around the eldest member, the Mapek are ruled by a council of elders and the wealthiest members of their gens. Their hierarchy are determined indifferently, choosing the status of its new additions only according to what sort of person they need. Some are made serfs and others, rulers, by pure chance.
The Mapek have strict rules regarding who is or isn't allowed to speak to outsiders. In most circumstances, only one individual from the council is chosen to represent the entirety of their gens at a time. This makes a true overview of their culture difficult, even despite recent events bringing the Mapek and the northern cultures of the Yashelin and Fas closer than ever.

by Luke Thornton

History and Current Events

by Lucas Leonel Suarez

Avalanche Disaster

Last winter, when the Mapek were just beginning to prepare for spring, disaster struck. An avalanche of previously unheard of proportions in the area swept through the villages of Fashot and Mapoz, covering them up to their chimneys in snow and ice. Amongst the survivors, many were injured and everyone was left homeless.
The Yashelin mining outpost immediately sent word to their northern kin, both to rebuild the destroyed southern Chamatoye Public Railway and help the Mapek. Aid was immediately offered in the form of medical personnel and food, but the Mapek council rejected it for five days straight because it would require breaking their historic silence.
By the time the council broke, the situation had become so dire that the Mapek and the Yashelin came to an agreement: most of the residents would evacuate to a safe place until summer, when they would return and hopefully rebuild. Some volunteers stayed behind to care for the surviving cattle, but not before shelters were erected that were strong enough to protect them from any late season blizzards.

Life in the North

After the evacuation, the Mapek refugees now live in temporary housing on the outskirts of Heshi Ariko. Despite their proximity, Mapek individuals are a rare sight, even the council often declines to interact. Instead, the Mapek outcast and "traitor" Dimas serves as their interpreter in their place. The most Dimas is willing to reveal directly about the Mapek is their appreciation for the plentiful food and water as well as their restless desire to return home and rebuild.