The ancient race of Yesh-him, Yeshen men or women who retain the old Yeshen ability to transform at will into a kind of merfolk, has been dwindling for over 450 years. Theirs was the first human race to arrive on Little Dream, fleeing a terrible foe that is now forgotten by all but a very few, sailing across the Sea of Silver so long beyond memory of the Yeshen people.
In the days of the Terrible Flight, over 500 years ago, most Yesh-him landed on the east Yeshen Coast right away and set up their new life there. This was the first wave of colonization, undertaken by the Yesh-him warriors and crafstmen, who did not practice much magic. The common Yeshens have lived there ever since, gradually losing their abilities to transform as they settled on the new continent. The very first settlement of any human kind was at Diyesh Yesh-him, but later sailors found the continental coast, and eventually the site was abandoned.
The Yesh-him users of magic, however, singled out the Hollim yel Diyesh as a holy island, and the Islands of Shem a place of holy secrets. Secrets from the mother continent are kept there, they said, under magical protection, and the old gods have a strong presence. These people moved on to the continent after the great quake of what would later be called Y.C. 97.
Over the centuries, the Yesh-him devolved from their enchanted form and their once promising colonies, built out of desperation in a foreign land, have declined. Only 2/3 of children born to two Yesh-him parents retain the special powers of the sub-race. They have retained their superior seamanship, and they have three larger and mildly prosperous cities on the rocky shores on the Silver Coast, but their greatness has declined, and the Yeshens now mostly feel fear or suspicion towards the ancient stories of the Yesh-him. Most don’t believe they still exist, if they ever did.
In the far city of Mothar yel Yesh-him (“Lost Home”), most of the ancient knowledge is retained and hidden among those Yesh-him that remain. Here their population is clustered, although it is still less than half of the city’s 350 people. The ways are still underground (literally, in catacombs and labyrinths beneath Mothar, much of them underwater), although the ancient stories are better believed in Mothar, and the enchanted people less feared. The sub-culture keeps the traditions alive as best it can, through lore and magical power, but their ways are disappearing, and the population of Yesh-him dwindles every year. Their forgetfulness on the new continent is gradually fading them away.
Wizards and Bards study ancient Yesh-him magic and lore, and Clerics who worship the old sea god Hal-Nereshi still work their Old Magic, praying for a return of the race and venerating the great ocean that is their home. They and all Yesh-him feel compassion and love for the Yeshens, and they wish to protect the people, and maybe just maybe bring them all home to the forgotten land across the Sea someday. But the way has been forgotten, and it seems daunting to go back on the long journey.
Part of their arcane practice, when they complete their apprenticeship, is to make a quest/pilgrimage. A very few go to Hollim yel Diyesh (“Island of Ancients”), to retrieve their special spiritual gift from the Old Gods, but many undergo intensive study at home after their apprenticeships are done. The island is the original landing and dwelling place of the Yesh-him who fled to Little Dream so long ago, but it has since been abandoned to ruin. The island is shunned by the common Yeshen population, as a place of terrible hauntings and dangerous supernatural power. Yeshen ships give it a wide berth on their journeys, but the Yesh-him know legends: it is a secret place of ancient power and connection to the Old Ways.
Some Yesh-him users of magic have been making this pilgrimage for 250 years. They are usually singled out as magic-users with certain uncanny abilities. Some have left for the island and never returned. Some come back completely transformed, ready to use their powers for the good of the Yeshens, or for other purposes. Most often the Yesh-him will undertake activity for the sake of the Yeshen race, but some have broken away and wandered the continent for other purposes. Many of them are plenty curious about Little Dream, and why it might be draining the population and powers of the Yesh-him over the centuries.
Unlike the Yeshens though, the Yesh-him are less attached to the continent, and they prefer to stay near the Sea unless called to other places by adventure or the seeking of knowledge. They are well-traveled in the Yeshen Free Cities, and often travel the Breaks to seek knowledge or offer benefaction to the Yeshens there. (They are delighted by the Halfling people there and enjoy their simple and hearty merriment.)
The Yesh-him now live in the small town of Mothar, west of the larger Yeshen cities. They are isolated there, and although perhaps they shouldn’t, they like it that way. Some of them worry that their cloister will bring about an end to their race, but many others simply wish to carry on the old ways as much as possible without being bothered. Rarely, some Yesh-him leave Mothar to go and spread their songs, epics, poems, and stories. They can be found in Alderham or Coastport now and then, although they are often anonymous. Their incredible and haunting talent is recognized, but rarely their ethnicity.
Much more below on contemporary Yesh-him culture.
As far as Yesh-him history is concerned, the common Yeshen person knows that their race landed on this continent in ships some long time ago, and that this was not their land (and still may not be, but here they are and they must make a living). Their arrival was after a great flight from great danger, although few know what that danger was (even among the learned, this information is not readily available). Very few know the truth of the Yesh-him, that they existed or (even less) that they still do.
There is still concern among the Yesh-him, as for every three children born (on average), only two are Yesh-him, and one is Yeshen. It is the fate of the race on this new continent, and some few in Mothar are actively trying to find a solution.
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