From EncyclopAtys
“akep
- to Refyia for your magnificent lucios, whose framing and finesse of the grain are matched only by your burning and imperial beauty,
- to the Imperial Library staff for giving me access to their treasure of knowledge,
- to the various members of tribes who granted me an interview,
- and finally to my father, who left too early because of that damn kirosta…
Introduction
The Fyros people is more than just an Empire and its cities. It is also a multitude of tribes scattered over the Bark, some still very strongly committed to the Empire, while others openly declare war on it. This work deals with these tribes, thus bringing a new perspective on Fyros history. The informations were gathered by talking to some tribal members, but also by consulting the archives of the Imperial Academy. Note, however, that some informations are to be taken on a conditional basis, as not all tribes are open to dialogue with a patriot, especially when this patriot is in the status of an akenak.
Tribes are here sorted into three categories. There are the officially friendly tribes, that is, those who support the Empire and therefore have its trust. They can be based in the Burning Desert or outside. Then come the tribes rather neutral with the Empire. They all have a common history with the Empire but some are a little bit in disagreement with it, while others prefer to live their lives on their side. Lastly, there are tribes that are enemies of the Empire. These tribes are composed of homins in open war with the Empire. Only those tribes that have a link to Fyros history are included in this list. No Matis tribe is therefore part of it.
All these tribes are then sorted according to their location on Atys, namely the Burning Desert, i.e. the one under the authority of the Fyros Empire, the "Matis" desert, i.e. officially under the authority of the Matis, and lastly the Prime Roots.
The friendly tribes
In the Burning Desert…
The Leviers
The Leviers tribe had been created in 2505 in response to the persecution of the Fyros orchestrated by the Matis, who have decided in 2504 to impose a surtax on Fyros goods passing through the Verdant Heights between the Desert and the tryker country.
The Leviers also had the purpose of fighting smuggling in order to guarantee the arrival of quality Fyros products essential to daily life. The Leviers believe that the best fyros products should be reserved for Fyros and not sold to foreigners. They are thus for the introduction of a tax on Fyros products sold to foreigners. They monitor commercial activities in the Imperial Dunes region. The authorities in Pyr have a more open attitude towards foreign merchants and consider the attitude of the Leviers to be rather excessive. The Leviers follow the Kamis, who they consider to be the guardians of the natural resources of the Bark, which allows the Fyros craftsmen to practice their art.
The Water Breakers
The tribe lives on the edge of the Oflovak's Oasis. It is composed of highly talented tanners. These Fyros craftsmen are incomparable, who provide the city of Pyr with high quality products. The need for water, essential for their work, brought them to the Oflovak's Oasis. Conscious of the chance to work in this refreshing environment, the Water Breakers work tirelessly to maintain their privileges.
Since they have very little leisure time, they do not appreciate teaching their techniques. However, they will share their knowledge if the apprentice is gifted or willing to do the dirty work. They also know a technique of beer brewing they keep secret.
The Water Breakers consider the Fyros as their best customers. The Matis and some Zoraïs are also among the customers. Moreover, the presence of Matis in the tribe is due to the fact that some Matis, surprised by the know-how of the Water Breakers, have decided to stay within the tribe to develop their tanning skills. Trykers, as for them, are often seen as thieves and are therefore frowned in their camp. The tribe follows the Kamis as guardians of the water sources. The current tribal chief is the master tanner Boeseus Xalon. He's an initiate. He is in charge of conducting a rite about the famous Fyros explorer Oflovak Rydon.
The Frahar Hunters
The Frahar Towers area is crossed by high plateaus and steep passages. These gorges are inhabited by Frahars who represent a constant threat to passing homins. The road leading to the village of Dyron crosses these gorges. The tribe that had the duty to watch over the Water Route in the Old Lands is now mandated by the Empire to ensure the security of the region. Frahars hunters have many guard towers in the Frahars Towers area for this purpose. These Fyros hunt down the aggressive Frahars that threaten travellers.
The Frahars, who are more violent than they used to be in the Old Lands, probably because of the reduction in their living space, are not afraid of fire. The Frahars Hunters therefore have a certain respect for them and only kill them if necessary. They follow the Kamis who help them as long as they are respectful of nature and do not kill without cause.
The Watchers
A tribe founded in 2484, the Watchers are the guardians of the main source of natural fire: the bothayas of the Flaming Forest. This ancient forest was consumed by a large fire before the arrival of the Fyros in the Burning Desert. The tribe watches over the bothayas, a pyrophile plants that use the heat rising from the soil to burn the surrounding plants and thus extend its territory, so that no natural fire becomes out of control and escapes from the forest. The burning embers from the forest make it possible, thanks to Fyros know-how, to maintain the magic fire, notably used at the Cerakos Gates at the entrance to Pyr.
Given the importance of their role, a certain prestige is attached to the Watchers even if some Fyros hold them in contempt, because the members of the tribe are not real warriors. However, they must resist the many attacks of the creatures that inhabit the Flaming Forest. They support the Kamis who trust them to keep control over the natural fire. A Kami ambassador is, besides, present in the camp to watch them.
The Barkers
The tribe is established in the Sawdust Mines. In 2483, the Barkers tribe was commissioned by the Empire to build the city of Pyr. To this end, they dug the Bark of Atys to extract the immense quantity of resources needed to build the city, but also the roads and bridges crossing the Burning Desert. They became such experts in their fields that once their work was completed, they were deemed unfit for combat or any other occupation.
The Empire therefore decided to give them another role, the one of locating and extracting the finest materials the Bark can offer. The Barkers took up their new functions despite their bitterness at being forced to live far from the city their ancestors had erected.
The Barkers retain a certain resentment towards the Empire even if they continue to be loyal to it. They follow the Karavan which protects them from the wrath of the Kamis, who do not like the exploitation of the Bark practiced by the tribe. Moreover, they don't like Trykers, which they think are stealers of materials. The Karavan provided them with new construction techniques, which the Barkers then passed on to the Empire, such as the construction of roads or of the Forge in Pyr.
In the "Matis" desert…
The Oasis Diggers
They replace the former guardians of the water source in the Hidden Source area of Matis land. Recently settled in the region, they are conveying water for their brothers who live in the Desert and study the soils in search of water. They do not like the Kamis who sometimes prevent them from drilling what they need and therefore prefer to turn to the Karavan. On the other hand, they are friends with all nations, especially the Matis.
In the Prime Roots…
The Pyromancers
The Pyromancers tribe is settled in the Prime Roots, in the Trench of Trials. This region includes ancient rift lines that the Fyros believe were caused by Fyrak, the Dragon of Myth. Pyromancers are the most gifted magicians in the Empire. Composed of experts in fire control, whether natural or of kamic origin, the tribe uses its knowledge to benefit the Empire in the search for the Great Dragon. Fire is thus used to probe the depths using special techniques. As the Prime Roots less vulnerable to fire, mages are also more comfortable with their training than they would be on the surface. Alas, their use of fire is prone to irritate the Zoraï Theocracy.
The tribe is mainly composed of hominas, because the in-depth mastery of fire and the use of magic rather than brute force attracts more hominas than homins. However, the tribe makes sure to set up mixed-sex patrols to oversee the surroundings.
The Dragon did not show up since their establishment in the Primes, but the Fyros continue to check the area and to perfect their in-depth knowledge of fire, helped by the Kamis whom they deeply respect.
The Root Tappers
It is at Under Spring in the Prime Roots that the Fyros draw part of their water supply for their cities in the Desert. Water in the region being mixed with sap, it is hard to retrieve but has certain properties that are used in many potions and drinks. A number of Tryker magicians help the Fyros extract water for a large amount of money. The Zoraï and Kami have a negative view of this retrieval, fearing that it will dry up the area, putting them at risk of dead branches falling off the Canopy. The Root Tappers are helped by Karavan who defends them against the Kamis. A Kuilde's agent is present in their camp.
Neutral or in bad terms tribes
In the Burning Desert…
The Dune Riders
This tribe was founded by exiled Fyros who refused the authority of Dyros the Great, the founder of the Fyros Empire. Since their break with the Fyros people, they have built their society on a new social order. After the Great Swarming, they rebuilt themselves in 2497 by setting up their camp south of the Savage Dunes.
They are most of all motivated by territorial acquisition and are against the expansion of other homins, as they believe that this would be a threat to their own lands and resources. Essentially, Dune Riders understand force only. However, they are willing to negotiate peace agreement in exchange for a technological know-how they have lost or never mastered, or for territorial warranties.
The outpost of the Southend Dune Farm, installed on a nexus detected by the Kamis in the south of the Savage Dunes and founded in 2490, was the cause of friction between the authorities of Pyr and the Fyros clans who refused any allegiance to the Empire. The leaders of these tribes came to tolerate the existence of the outpost, after the payment of a substantial tribute. It was finally abandoned in 2494.
The Fraiders
The Fraiders tribe inhabits the Scorched Corridor area. These are smarter than normal frahars. They use the magic of fire, with some of their members mastering these powers with dexterity. They are violent with an extremely limited vocabulary. Their craftsmen hardly deserve the title: they prefer to steal objects rather than fabricate them, even if most do not know what they can use them for. However, they made their own clothes. Those who manage to win their good graces can hope to access their treasure, which is partly composed of technological objects from Karavan. Indeed, as the gibbaïs, the frahars have some memories of their origin. However, they do not express these memories in words but with their treasures.
Fraiders avoid Kamis who hate fire. They will sometimes approach members of the Karavan to whom they are drawn because of the objects worn by the technolords, which remind them of their own treasure. The power emanating from Karavan instils fear in the Fraiders.
They fight in the Scorched Corridor to keep hold of their territory and preserve their treasures. Fraiders do not care about their more primitive cousins, whom they consider to be little more than beasts and who are even victims of attacks.
They feel a certain affinity with the Fyros, which explains why they are less suspicious towards them than towards other races of homins.
In the "Matis" desert…
The Woven Bridles
They are former water guardians of the Hidden Source region in Matis land. For several decades, they fought tirelessly against the Matis for control of the region's water points so that they could supply the Fyros cities. They were paid for the work they did. They did not hesitate to cut off the water supply in case of non-payment. Every time the Matis took over, they managed to recapture the plateau by attacking supply convoys to starve the Matis. Over time, and particularly with the signing of the Four Nations Treaty, the Fyros and Matis have learned to live in peace. The warriors have gradually been replaced by more peaceful communities composed of Fyros and Matis who now run the water points (the Oasis Diggers and the Arid Matis). Considering this an insult to their honour, the most Fyros among them did not accept the peace treaty and refused to return to the Burning Desert. They will not do so until they are received with the honours they consider their due.
The Woven Bridles have thus become thieves who attack all travellers. They refuse to venture further on the plateau where they have already shed too much blood. The Matis are their prime target and they dream of seeing relations between the Empire and the Kingdom worsen in order to be able to return to their former jobs. They worship the Kamis, who they consider to be linked to water springs.
Some gossip tongues say that they prefer to fight against the weak Matis rather than against the fire, and above all that they are no longer able to withstand the Heat of the desert.
The Berello Gorge Border Post, named after Matis captain Arcando Berello who fortified it, was founded in 2491 and abandoned in 2493. It has been the scene of clashes between the Matis and the Woven Bridles tribe.
In the Prime Roots…
The Firebrands
The tribe has set up camp in the Forbidden Depths. In the past, Fyros have found some of the most prized resources in this region. Invaded by the kitins, only the Fyros elite spent time in the region where the choice was reduced to hardening or death. Unfortunately, many Fyros quickly sank into violence and madness as they struggled to reach the ultimate warrior stage. As a result, the Fyros stopped sending warriors to swell the ranks of the Firebrands.
The tribe attacks anyone who dares to challenge its supremacy on these lands. They are not afraid of the kitins with whom they fight on a regular basis. A kitins lair, the Demon's Lap (one of the worst of all those listed) is besides located not far from their camp.
They sometimes have trouble recognizing their own and the Fyros say they have become even more dangerous than the kitins themselves. The Firebrands continue to collect various materials, although this is only a pretext to keep fighting. They are opportunists followers of the Karavan which has been a better support for them in their fight against kitins. A Kuild's agent is present in their camp.
The Night Turners
These are a tribe of Fyros miners and craftsmen from Bravichi Lenardi's company who did not join the New Beginning project and left the city of Pyr to go and live in the Prime Roots, not far from the ancient city of Leron.
The making of some objects requires materials that do not tolerate being in direct sunlight. This Fyros tribe designs objects, often of high quality, sheltered from light, using techniques devised in the Prime Roots shelters during the First Exodus. These craftsmen believe they are safe in the Prime Roots, protected from any risk of fire. They consider that Fyros in general would do better to live in the Prime Roots than in the desert under a blazing sun amidst great dangers. They live not far from the Wind Gate, the vortex leading to the Scorched Corridor. Located far from the capital and given the high demand for their science among homins in general, they became independent. The Fyros would desperately like to win back those hardened independentists who despise patriots loyal to the Empire. But the other homins support the tribe, because they would all like to keep access to its crafts. The Night Turners refuse to be under the supervision of the Fyros and do not want to obey other peoples. They are independent craftsmen who intend to remain so. They prefer to follow the Karavan which appreciates their craftsmanship. A Kuild's agent is present in their camp.
Enemy tribes
In the Burning Desert…
The Renegades
The Renegades are former Fyros patriots opposed to the imperial family. Ambitious and often corrupt, they were driven out of the city of Pyr and founded the Renegades tribe in 2497. Increasingly ostracized by the Empire, they have become more radicalized over time. Settled in the Dunes of Exile since their banishment, they have tried to arouse a feeling of revolt among the people. With their personal fortune but also funds possibly provided by the Matis kingdom, they aim to raise an army to march on the city. To achieve their objectives, the Renegades do not confine themselves to enlisting the ordinary soldier. Indeed, they are able to recruit assassins, especially Matis ones, if this allows them to achieve their goal. However, they are open to dialogue if they are given the minimum consideration they consider they deserve.
As the Kamis support the authorities in place, the Renegades follow the Karavan which allows them to move quickly with its teleporters.
The Renegades are ready to put an end to their insurrection in exchange for control of the Fyros cities. They would, for example, welcome a sharükos less hostile towards the Karavan and favourable to their reintegration into the empire's fold. It is also said that Trykers would provide them with weapons. These ones are therefore well regarded among them. The Renegades have, like the tribe of the Frahar Hunters, guard towers deployed in the region of the Dunes of Exile.
The Lawless
Banned in all cities, these outlaws live in the Outlaw Canyon and invariably steal from travellers to survive. They ambush in the canyon crossing the Burning Desert. Particularly violent, they obey unscrupulous gang leaders. They are sly organizers able to bring together the most ruthless homins to carry out large-scale operations. The Lawless are for the most part composed of proud Fyros, too violent to live in society and preferring to fight for the loot rather than against a fancy dragon. However, they respect Karavan in order to take advantage of its teleporters. This support of the Karavan to these robbers is further proof that the Karavan only goal is to enslave hominity and that they must be fought.
The Scorchers
The tribe is composed of warlike aristocrats, failed artists and anarchists, all of whom consider that they have been unjustly banished from the cities of Atys. The Scorchers live in the Scorched Corridor and are largely composed of educated magicians who prefer to use magic to kill rather than brute force. Their knowledge of magic allowed them for a time to avoid open conflict with the Fyros despite their criminal activities. Some sources claim that the tribe was then negotiating with the Empire a degree of tolerance in exchange for the magical knowledge that the Fyros lacked. But times have since changed and Fyros magicians no longer have anything to envy the magic of other peoples. As a result, the Scorchers are no longer useful to the authorities in Pyr and are now considered a threat. Considering itself betrayed, the tribe has no qualms about attacking the Fyros who cross its territory. Their only desire is to maintain their luxury and collect rare objects, even if this must be to the detriment of others. However, they appreciate the Trykers in whom they find this same thirst for disorder and support the Karavan which helps them fight against the Kamis, although rapprochements with the Marauders have been reported.
The outpost of Woodburn Stronghold was built in 2491 on the orders of the Regent Leanon to fight against the tribe that coveted the sacred fire sources of the Flaming Forest. It was abandoned in 2494. The current tribal chief is the Matis Staero Tririni.
