Iuste Therian

The Therians of the Iuste tribe dwell in the Carrion Swamps of Terra Novae, and have suffered greatly over the last few generations. Surviving subjugation, war, and plague, the cautious werefolk have allied the charter of Port Harmony.

The tribes of therians who came to call themselves the Iuste (Ai-oo-stay) originated in the far east lands of Yomi with the rest of the Therian peoples. They share much of the culture of the early therians. They are primarily hunter-gatherers, divide themselves into clans based on species (with a few exceptions noted later), and primarily worship the Cycle (the therian tradition of worshipping Stalk). Centuries ago, the different clans (Clan Muscalla, Rurida, and Chiros) that would later become the Iuste found themselves losing too much hunting territory to the other clans. So, under the guidance of the were-bat Clan Chiros, they chose to leave the Namarin plains rather than face starvation. After many months of sailing, and guidance from unlikely allies, they found their way to Terra Novaa. They eventually settled towards the inner swamplands, dubbed the Carrion Swamp, finding an abundance of swamp game, berries, insects, and medicinal herbs to sustain their people.
Eventually, the Dredkar found them. Devastating early raids on the settled therian clans saw their populations rapidly diminish, and the therians found themselves ill prepared for a prolonged war campaign. They were forced into a pattern of isolation and nomadic practices, fleeing the area when signs of a Dred'kar war pack were near. The therians found that in their diminished state, the old cultures of the early therian people were not protecting them against this new foe. So again, Clan Chiros stepped into leadership, declaring all therians in this new world of one tribe in the name of unity and protection. They would work together as one family against the Dred'kar, and would one day find a way to enact vengeance against them, and free their enslaved peoples. The First Chieftess was crowned, and called Iuste. The tribes honored her bravery in battle by taking her name as their own, which also began the culture of matriarchy of their people.
They have lived this way ever since. Chiefs were selected on their intellect and bravery, on being able to outwit and avoid the Dred'kar. This led to the female chiefs being drawn from the most talented priestesses, which has eventually led to the current chieftess, Viata, a werebat High Druid, who has ruled the Iuste for the last two-hundred years.
With the fall of the Janja, and the dispersal of the Dred'kar hordes, the Iuste are now looking forward to healing. Thankful to their new allies, Chieftess Viata has sanctioned the migrations of many Iuste to Port Harmony. Having dwelt in the Carrion Swamps for generations, many of these therians seek to repay the debt to the foreigners of Port Harmony for their part in the defeat of the Iuste’s oppressors, while others seek to rekindle lost contact with the therians of Erolan. Whatever their drive, therians of the Iuste tribe are free to choose their own fate beyond simple survival for the first time in many centuries.
The Iuste Therians still value honor, and strength, but the effect of the Dred'kar on Iuste culture has given rise to an appreciation for cunning and intellect in their leaders. A mindset of “minimizing loss” has been promoted to the new status quo, with resources, territory, and lives being measured as the cost of every choice. Disputes among the Iuste are rare. The threat of raids and slavery has forged the Iuste into a tight family unit, with ritual honor combats being seen as a last resort. Most combats are not to the death, though it does sometimes escalate to such extremes, but most times the combat result in the defeated party paying the winner in goods and services, or more severely, banishment. The Iuste worship the Cycle, the same religious practice that Erolan Therians participate in. This belief system focuses on the preservation of the balance between predator and prey. The only minor difference is that the Iuste do not know the name “Stalk”, but when referring to the entity that personifies the Cycle, they refer to it as the “Anybeast”.

-Werebats (Clan Chiros)
-Wererats (Clan Muscalla)
-Werebadgers (Clan Rurida)
Lifespan: ~150 years

Makeup:
Werebat: Dark fur along the hairline, and along the eyebrows. Area around the eyes is dark, with bat markings along the nose. Members of Clan Chiros sometimes also have longer claws and fangs than other clans, but this is not a constant.
Wererat: Dark fur along the hairline, and along the eyebrows. Area around the eyes is dark, with mouse markings along the nose, with pronounced whiskers along the cheeks from the nose.
Werebadger: White fur along the hairline, and along the cheeks, with one or two heavy black fur stripes coming down from the forehead to a dark nose.

Important People:
-Chieftess Viata, Werebat High Druid of the Cycle, head of Clan Chiros, and undisputed leader of the Iuste people.
-Speaker Grayle, Werebadger Warrior, and Champion of the Chieftess

Starting Health: 5
Racial Skill Choice:
Assert Dominance: Once per day, a natural beast regards you as ally, 5 minutes
or
Bestial Nature: Once per day, +1 base damage with fists 5 minutes