Vastaya (Vah-s-tie-ya)

"The vastaya named the world. We named the trees, the wind, the mountains. We know their power." -Xayah
The Vastaya are a chimeric race of Runeterra that are the weaker magical descendants of the Vastayashai'rei - enlightened mortals that took the power of the spirit realm into themselves - and Humans. Vastaya can look considerably different from one another, but they all share animal and human characteristics.
In an age lost to myth, the harmony of the First Lands - Ionia - was shattered by war between mortals and a race of titans that had come from the skies above. Calling upon the wisdom of their ancestors, the most enlightened mortals took the power of the spirit realm into themselves, becoming Vastayashai’rei—deathless shapechangers who could wield the natural world itself as a weapon. The titans were eventually defeated, and the Vastayashai’rei were hailed as the heroes of the age. Even so, they refused to put themselves above their mortal kin, choosing instead to live among them as equals.
Their descendants were known as the vastaya. These were mystical, chimeric beings, neither mortal nor truly immortal, and greatly attuned to the magic of Runeterra.
In time, as the balance between realms was restored, the power of the Vastayashai’rei began to wane, and the vastaya left to form their own tribes. They proudly took their names from those who had defeated the titans—noble Kiila, dutiful Chyr, cunning Lhotl, and countless more besides. For thousands of years, the vastaya have sought to uphold their own spiritual legacy, even when it would bring them into conflict with one another.
More recently, as humans have continued to disrupt the currents of magic in the world, relations with the tribes have soured. No new vastaya have been born in several mortal lifetimes, and it could be that this ancient race now perceives another time of great change approaching…
Not much is known about their culture due to the mysterious nature of this race. However, we do know that many significant acts involve heavy use of magic. Some vastaya tribes have a leader, or a hierarchy, but not uniformly, and not across the entire species. Certain tribes consider having children with a non-vastayan a taboo, and expel those violating the norm.
There are three main Vastayan tribes (sea, landwalker, and sky) each with their own sub-tribes:

Tribes of the Sea

• Marai. A tribe with piscine and aquatic traits.
• Makara. A tribe with shark and predatory fish traits.
• Raylu.

Landwalker Tribes

• Kiilash. A tribe with large feline, such as tigers and lions, traits
• Khonlui. A tribe with a mix of rhino and bear traits
• Ophelis. 
• Ottrani. A tribe with bovine, such as goats and sheep, traits.
• Lhotlan A tribe with avian traits, such as ravens and peacocks.
• Shimon. A tribe with primate, such as chimps, traits
• Sodjoko 

Tribes of the Sky

• Besheb. 
• Chyra. A tribe with siren-eagle traits
• Strig. A tribe that is described as 'reptillian butterflies.'

Long Lost Tribes

• Vesani. A tribe with fox traits.
• Oovi-Kat. A tribe with chameleon traits

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human
• Vastayashai’rei

Geographic Distribution

• Ionia
• Targon

Related Myths

• The Mourned