L'Veyan (Leh-VAY-an)

Appearance

Dark of skin and proudly passionate, the L'Veyans are a powerful, proud and nomadic people, who wander the ever-hot landscape of the world of Yudram, the ever-hot world. Heavily adapted to a world constantly roiling with heat, and working together on the Great Hunt with the Yudris Flame-Mane Shedu, the L'Veyans are rarely seen living among others in 'the colder worlds' as they term it, and even then, they are most often seen in the warmest places on those worlds: Deserts, near volcanoes, near the homes of Salamanders and the like. Though they are descended from the ancient Mogus who adventured afar and settled in the harsh world of Yudris, L'Vayans see completely covering themselves in stone as an indication of being one of high standing in their community, given the molten or hot nature of their own earth manipulation. Thus, they tend to integrate their own stone into their fire and heat resistent clothing, often formed through a special form of textiles combining woven special grasses found on Yudris, and/or the woven animal fur from the shed manes of the Shedu they bonded with for survival. They often wear a single draped cloth over the rest of their shorter clothing, with their outer cloth beaded with various beads and jewelry signifying their tribe and family, with much of their clothing dyed in varying shades of red, black, and white.

Common Personality

Many who have encountered the L'veyans have described them as a generally happy people, passionate about life and quick to adapt to any situation. They have been said to remain positive even in dire straits, and given the dangerous nature of their homeworld, this seems to be a trait that helps in their survival: their positive but observant nature allows them to see a path through to their survival. They see strangers as curiosities, and love understanding more about the colder worlds. Sometimes these stories inspire some of their members to go out and explore, returning to regale their members with further tales of the lands beyond.

History Summary

In the first Flowering since the fall of Mogus, the Mogulians who had been captured and enslaved by the Zenitherian Empire staged a desperate escape, seeking the nearest (and hidden) Dragontree in an attempt to place themselves in the hands of the Mother and escape through the Tree iteself. Led by L'Vaya Ba'Atolitey, a group of several thousand managed to succeed, at the cost of several thousand more, the final result being a major loss for the Zenitherian Empire. Those who succeeded found themselves in the otherwise inhospitable lands of the hitherto unexplored world of Yudris, granted powers by their passage through the Tree to be able to survive the outcome. Newly elevated as their matriarch and Paragon, Ba'Atolitey brokered a pact between themselves and the apex predators of that world, the Yudris Shedu, whose powers of flight and ability to fight the elusive and ever migrating prey, the Sky Serpents, as well as other lesser ground prey, resulted in a mutually beneficial relationship: A greater guarantee of meat for the Shedu and their Pups, and protection from other harsh predators for the L'Veyans. For thousands of years, this became their method of survival, and the once small tribe became a series of scattered but large clans moving across the world, comminicating and trading among themselves as they moved across the hot plains and forests of their world. 

Society and Common Environment

The L'Veyans are a generally closed society due to the harshness of the environment in which they live, though they are more than willing to help those who manage to find themselves in Yudram, on the basis of assisting in survival. For L'Veyans, the path of power is the path of survival. Despite their powers being extremely dangerous, they have honed its use for more practical purposes, using them more broadly as a method of providing rapid shelter and protection against the harsh environment. They see survival and collaboration, the wielding of power for living instead of causing the death of others, as being paramount in the use of power. Thus, they are practical in their approach of their use of power: inoffensive in approach, but not to be underestimated when turned to deadly effect. Thus, their martial arts methods are a deep secret, known only to a select few, and only available to those who have been Named in their naming tradition.
Due to their harsh environments, L'Veyans see practicality in not possessing large amounts of things, or possessing things as a collective. The ability to create temporary structures, for longer stays, leave them behind to return to, and to hold on to what can be carried is an important characteristic of their everyday lives. Those who carry more, carry what is important to everyone: Food, trading goods, etc. Everything traded is traded for something that benefits all: Materials for weapons, communication, living, and more.

International/Multi-ethnic relations

For more than a thousand years, the L'Veyans wandered Yudram, the sole Maphran inhabitants of that world, isolated due to the sheer adversarial nature of their environment. Their first encounter after establishing themselves in this way were the Faeians, who sought a pact with Yudram itself to form the moon later known as Thaomeruda. While tensions initially were high, all factions came to an agreement, and the L'Veyans extended their trade network to the Faeians in exchange for their moon through which they estabished their trade. Thus, one of the tribes of the L'Veyans, the L'Daazei-kae have established a permanent residency on both the inner and outer realms of Thaomeruda, as a consequence of the pact and as the major trading connection to their people on Yudram at large. This exposed the L'Veyans to further uses of their own technological advances, as well as the development of further technology and the discovery of unique and sustainable items for trade, increasing the wealth distributed among the tribes, and allowing for the development of enclaves and small cities to protect against the harshness of their world. Nevertheless, the wanderlust of a thousand years is not easily broken, and despite the creation of such hubs, many wander among and between the cities even to the current era. 

Religious Tendencies

The L'Veyans see death as a return to a central cycle of life, and engage often in ancestral worship, especially that of their Paragon L'Vaya Ba'Atolitey, their first Matriarch. While this makes the Ba'Atolitey Tribe the main seat of influence among all the L'Vayan tribes, they are also established in their influence by sending out shamans to all the other major and minor tribes, who help guide the tribes according the the various principles and survival practices left behind by Ba'Atolitey herself. These practices are treated as gospel, and further expanded upon with the addition of developing new and better ways of practicing what was expressed in the ancient Ba'Atolitey guide. Thus, a sub-sect of ancestral worship known as the Atol'Tes, are constantly seeking methods of not only self preservation in all situations (even those in the 'cold lands') but seeing survival of the many without as a key tenant of their philosophy. This resulted in the vast majority of the L'Veyans being in some way versed in Atol'Tean Philosophy.

Ethnic and Racial Traits

• Racial Categories: Ao'Maphran or (rarely) Lacrimaphran : Due to their rare disribution beyond the Cold Lands, L'Veyans are often married among the many major and minor tribes of their homeworld, and do not often mingle with other peoples, though there is nothing culturally dissuading such a practice.
• Languages: L'Eeiyan (with varying sub-dialects among the major tribes), Yudram Common (for communication with the Yudram Shedu), ElderTongue (For communication with the Fae)
• Atol'Tean Philosophy: Those L'Veyans raised and immersed in Atol'Tean philosophy gain a reduction in difficulty in all aspects of survival regardless of location (-1) with bonuses in hot climates (-2), and especially Yudram's climate (-3). This includes the creation of items for basic survival, where they can subsititute Survival for Crafts when making objects for surviving in such a climate. 
• Unique L'Veyan Items: Flux-Obsidian Shortsword/Spear, Layered Balsalic Spaulders, Lion-Eye Beaded Jewelry

Aspects

• Almost all L'Veyans have the Aspect of Molten Stone as their power. Those who do not possess this are not shunned, but rather methods of societal integration are employed.

Unique Martial Tradition

• Al'Kahadi'Kahan - The hidden martial arts of the L'Veyan, makes use of their powers over earth and magma, as well as the discovery and harnessing of Flux-Obsidian, to wield weapons of extra-ordinary lethality. Closed practice, difficult to access or teach.

Associated Nation: The United Tribes of L'Veya
Associated Languages: L'Eeiya