The Koyatzi Curse of Moda Pass

For many years people reported seeing spiritlike white beings that hid among the rocks of Mount Dusti and Mount Mare in the Iriyen mountain range. It was believed that you could test ones character and will by sending them through the pass at night. If they were able to safely cross the mountain pass they would be deemed well intentioned and/or honest. Those that didn't met a harsh death, signs of their death could regularly be seen in the form of bloodshed spread across the rocks. Featuring prominently in this test was the practice of listening for howling as this often preceded an attack. It was perceived to be an indication that the spirits of the pass had seen someone for who they were and that what they were was unworthy. The name of the curse derives from the expedition group, the Koyatzi party, which initially cleared the pass connecting old world Heffa and modern day Erdaza. Some said the spirits were situated there to prevent unworthy individuals of bridging both worlds. It was argued that the mountains themselves used to serve as that test but once they were breached the spirits were awakened.  It wasn't until 2210 that this myth was challenged. A team of zoologists and wildlife biologists mapped the fauna of the region and documented it in a book called 'The Southern Continent Collection'. Among their book's many discoveries was the finding that what had long been identified as spirits in the past were in fact large primates whose coal-black skin was covered in a thick white coat of hair. These primates now known as the 'Koyatzi' possess large family structures that often pool around the pass because it is an ideal place to trap prey. The humans killed by these animals were most likely unintended byproducts of this hunting method and were not likely the intended prey of the Koyatzi. Despite this discovery, the myth lives on and is of some cultural significance to many who remain on the continent.