Bayu

Old Ones of the Mountains

The Bayu people are people of Human origin dwelling on the east coast of the major continent of Dergonhad. According to their legends they are the descendants of the mythical Toba people who once dwelt in the heights of Dadon Duul Hahad. In these tales some of the children of the Toba were out playing and found and rode a river of rocks down the mountain. They were unable to return as the river only flowed one way. These children were in a new land of thick forests free of the dangers of the high mountains. With no way to return, they settled into their new home and became the Bayu.

The Bayu lived in their secluded lands for most of history. While there is no recorded history of contact with any other peoples until the Viakagi Era, evidence suggest there was some contact through the ages. Pottery from other cultures have been found in ancient sites for example. There is also similarities betwen their native language of Baran and several other regional languages across eastern Dergonhad. The Bayu lived in small villages along rivers in the interior of Aibib throughout their history. The culture's mythology claimed the sea as a route to other worlds, so the people avoided it.

By the Viakagi Era their isolation had shifted. The nations of the east coast of Dergonhad had long become seafaring cultures, using the safer Cota Ocean coastal routes for trade, rather than the dangerous land routes of the Dergonhad interior. Aibib was largely seen as unpopulated and unproductive. Eventually expeditions landed and contact with the Bayu was established.

With the formation of the Viakagi, Aibib was chosen by the coalition as a gathering and launching point into the Cota Ocean. The Bayu, a peaceful people, were easily subjugated into slave labor for building the ports such as Songau. This lasted through the Viakagi Era. It was until the era of raiding and conquering ended and an era of trade began that the Bayu began gaining more and more independence. An independence that led to the full autonomy of their nations Baru in the modern day.

Much of the Bayu's history was lost as they were not a people with a written language prior to the Viakagi Era. What they know of their ancient past comes from surviving oral traditions. Tribal traditions are important to the Bayu, with a cultural trend for every individual to find his or her tribal origins.

The Bayu have prospered since their independence. Baru is a wealthy nation of trade across the ocean. Songau might be the hub of the trade routes, but every port sees heavy traffic during the seasonal trade months. All though not every Bayu is wealthy, most families can be counted as part of the middling class, with the foreign dwellers of Baru often being the poorer citizens of the cities. This is often due to Bayu tribal affiliations within each city-state. The controlling tribe of a port shares the profit with known members of the tribe. These profits are often small, being divided among so many, but a coin or two can add up over time and keep a family financially safe, especially with working members of a household making their own income.

Tribal tradition forbad marriage outside the tribe, a practice that vanished during the Viakagi rule over the people. This has somewhat returned with the younger generations as tribal fervor has grown. Courting and marriage are ritualistic act among the Bayu. A male is expected to initiate contact. 'Dating' is a chaperoned affair by the female's father. After a year of this, the man is expected to come live with the woman's family for two years. The first year he works for the father to build a new room onto their dwelling, which in the second years he and his wife-to-be dwell together alone. At the end of this three-year courtship, the couple can choice to marry or go their own ways, having found they are not compatible. Should they marry at this time, the binding is complete, and they can never separate or divorce. If the girl gets pregnant during the year of dwelling together, marriage is mandated.

Bayu skin tone is the dark brown common to all Dagmon. Hair is nearly always black or brown in color. Men keeping their hair shaved close to the head in the northern tribes, with southern tribes allowing more hair growth. Beards and facial hair among men is more a personal choice than a cultural preference. Women keep their hair shorter as well, in both the north and southern tribes. Eye color is nearly universally brown or black in color.

The Bayu favor bright colored garments. Men were longer more covering garments, but these breath well in the warm environments of the region. Women are expected to wear long skirts hiding their legs, as legs, for both males and females are a taboo to show in public. Upper garments for women commonly revel midriffs or shoulders, sometimes both. Large colorful headdresses are worn by both genders when in public. These headdresses are unique to the individual; however, their color patterns are designed to represent the wears tribe and region, with each group having their own pattern.

Race: Human

Ethnicity: Dagmon

Homeland : Baru

Alignment: The Bayu people are a widespread culture in their region. A diverse culture, Bayu culture does not favor any one alignment. The citizens of Songau, for example, fall far more into lawful alignments, while the coasts fishing villages to the north fall into the neutral alignments, and the inland groups are far more chaotic than their city kin would like.

Age: Bayu live an average human lifespan of between 60 to 80 years.

Size: Bayu are a tall people with 6 feet being a common height. The men are usually taller than the woman, some reaching 7 feet in height.

Language: The Bayu speak Baran as their native tongue. Dergon has spread across the region over the years with most Bayu citizens of Songau speaking the language. So also learn the Common Tongue of Ethae as well.