Yarada (yä-rä-dä or "yah-RAH-dah")

The Yarada clan of hido, known for their razor-sharp teeth, fiery red eyes, and long intricate braids when most hido are entirely hairless. This clan, and thus this culture, developed in the untamed Western Isles protected by not claimed by Hoyoko even to this day. That's because these are home to the ancestors, the oni. While all hido are evolved from jeido, there is a reason jeido aren't naturally found outside of the SW Isles.
Those elsewhere long ago became hido.
The Oni crafted the Yarada by hand using jeido as their clay along with powerful magic and their own blood. What was born was intended to be the warriors of the oni, honored servants and soldiers. Their first task was to go prove their sovereignty by conquering the other clans.
Truthfully, at this time, Hoyoko was one of many nations in the southern isles, but as the Yarada clan conquered the others and eventually founded the Shogunate, most Hido began to find a place in the Yarada lineage or claim one long enough that eveyrone believed it true. Both demi and hebido in Yarada are treated as equal citizens in their cultures.
The Yarada are an old dynasty founded in blood and won with steel. They are some of the most feared warriors on Hayethe both for their tactics and focused advancement in warfare for so long. Where nations like Binhia and Biencia stopped the Alsani advance with diplomacy and politics, the Yarada did it through strength of arms and a fearsome reputation.
This clan once made an invasion attempt in Songuk hundreds of years ago, yet were turned away by shadow warriors sworn to defend the land. These people, the ancient people of Aiwa, then stowed away on their retreating ships to infiltrate their homeland.
While the fighting settled on the main islands of Hoyoko and the smaller island of Toko fell to the Aiwans and the other hido who joined them, others that were captured or forced into hiding in Hoyoko soon found themselves killed or assimilated. Some of the demi became lords in service to the Shogunate in Hoyoko or Teshi.
Homeland:Originally hailing from Teshi, the Yarada clan split into two warring factions during the Starkened Night. One is the Yarada later called the "Hi-Yarada" or "East Yarada" were forced to fend for themselves against Nascents and wild monsters alike as they fled in exile through hostile territories. Other clans picked at them as they retreated, tearing off mouthfuls of the once great beast. However, the Hi-Yarada were not done, and by the end of the Starkened Night had built up an new set of strongholds and began to cut through the islands like a burning sword seizing territory after territory.
In Teshi, the Oka-Yarada, the "Mother Yarada" refused to be chased from the land the Ancestors (Oni) sent them to claim. They remained in the land now known as Teshi and fought for their lives, establishing themselves in a tiny settlement first, then a village, town, city, and in the time the Hi-Yarada were conquering Hoyoko, they formed their own nation.
While they have yet to completely reclaim their homeland, the skirmishes between differing clans have all but ended. Only one clan fights now, and it fights the only worthy adversary it has ever found: itself.
Jeido (Goblins) exist almost exclusively from this culture aside from sparse minor tribes elsewhere. They are seen as lesser creatures worthy only of serving their betters by most hido.
Demi Appearance: Yarada are rarely ever free of Hido (Hobgoblin) blood in some degree. This gives them coarse but straight black hair, eye color ranging from dark human colors to a bloody red, and skin that ranges in gray shades or stark red ones. It can be very difficult to tell the difference between a Yamoto or Yarada demi and a hebido at a glance.
Primary Religion: Ya Trada
The Yarada follow the teachings of Ya Trada, or "One Path," a religion that centers on the unifying belief that every life holds a unique purpose, and the measure of one's worth—Ya—lies in their deeds and accomplishments along that path. Ya Trada honors a divine triad of deities: Rebirth, the Crux of the Cycle; The Paragon, the embodiment of perfected virtue; and Zenkainaki, the Shadow of Conviction.

The Teachings of Ya Trada
At its heart, Ya Trada asserts that a misguided life weakens the greater whole, and only through steadfast dedication to one’s cause can an individual achieve true fulfillment. The faith encourages followers to strive relentlessly toward their goals, upholding values of honor, integrity, and resilience. In Yarada society, every trial is seen as a test of one’s Ya, and even failures are valued as opportunities for growth and understanding.
Rebirth represents the cyclical nature of existence, guiding mortals through birth, death, and renewal. Worshipers look to Rebirth to align their lives with the greater cosmic cycle and to accept the inevitability of change as part of the journey.
The Paragon serves as the ideal to which all Yarada aspire. Once mortal, The Paragon achieved divine status through unparalleled deeds of valor and integrity, symbolizing that greatness is attainable through steadfast commitment to one’s purpose.
Zenkainaki embodies the weight of conviction and the shadows cast by difficult decisions. As the arbiter of consequences, Zenkainaki reminds followers that every action has a cost, and true worth comes from embracing those costs in pursuit of a greater cause.
Rituals and Practices Ya Trada’s followers engage in rituals designed to reflect on their deeds and reaffirm their dedication to their chosen path. These often include recounting accomplishments before shrines to the triad, participating in trials of endurance, or presenting offerings symbolizing personal sacrifices. In Yarada culture, acts of service to the clan or one’s cause are seen as living prayers, and great deeds often become the stuff of legend, celebrated by future generations.
The Heart of Yarada Faith The faith of Ya Trada serves as the moral backbone of the Yarada, binding their people together in a shared quest for purpose. It is a religion of action and conviction, where lives are weighed not by intent but by impact, ensuring that the Yarada remain ever steadfast and unyielding in their pursuit of greatness.

Common Races: Hebido, Hobgoblin (Hido), Jeido (Goblins), and Human (Demi).
Background Skills:

Artistry

- Caligraphy, Haiku Composition, Martial Performance, Tea Ceremony

Lore

- Clan History, Famous Battles (Nation), Oni, Rituals of Ancestors.
Background Traits:
Veteran of Battle - Counts as a Regional Trait, instead of a Religion Trait.
Into Enemy Territory - Counts as a Regional Trait, instead of a Combat Trait.
Superstitious
Cultural Equipment:
Tetsubo

Yara Language:

Yara is flowing and soft on the edges which sounds nothing like what the hard-edged philosophy of many Yamoto and Yarada would imply. The language has many oddly specific words and phrases that can describe precise situations or states of mind and among native or fully fluent speakers can allow ideas to be communicated very quickly. However, it's breadth of ability makes it obvious when a speaker is choosing not to say something.
Written: The Yara alphabet is composed primarily of characters that represent entire words or specific sounds and tend to develop in small pieces. The written language is notoriously difficult to parse and characters have many different parts that denote their core characters, adjectives, and even mood behind it.

Dialects
Daisa - The "outsider's" Yara, formed normally by people outside of the native Yara-speaking lands. This dialect feels (to native speakers) as if it's missing some elements of substance due to it being void of the intricacies of the attached culture.
Oka - The version of Yara brought originally by the Yarada, into the islands of Hoyoko. This has a small amount of synergy with Slu'un given that the original Yarada emerged from the western isles after mingling with the Oni. It is the dominant native dialect in Hoyoko.
Uro - The mother dialect of Yara. Those who speak in this tend to say they speak "Uro" especially if they're from Teshi. This is the birthplace of the langauge known as Yara in modern times.
Yama - The dialect spoken primarily by Yamoto, especially those from Toko. There are words not used in any other dialects that have been folded into this dialect.
Mizu - The "trade" dialect, also used by outsiders, but mostly it is a simplified and more deliberate version of Yara easier to grasp for outsiders but still tackle practical and pragmatic complexities of trade and negotiation.

Yarada Abilities and Lore

While there are a few subdivisions of the Yarada mostly based on if they're from Hoyoko lineage or Teshi, when outside of their homeland, they tend to forgo any animosity that would be expected in the isles.
Those heavily invested in their culture have a hard time accepting foreign traditions and tendencies often finding them impractical or at the least inefficient.
The main cultural quirk is one they strangely share with the Yamoto. They are highly suspicious of magic and seemingly terrified of curses.
The former has roots in their longstanding conflict with the Alsani Caliphate, the master of the arcane in Hayethe, but it has been along even before that.
The latter have varying reasons with different families and communities having different reasons they seem to wary of curses.
Those who learn spellcraft are not shunned but are painted with a certain stigman and fear that sets them apart in Yarada society. Those born with sorcerous abilities tend to get the worst of it if no one of station discovers them and even then they're often exploited.
They are much less individualistic outside of the nobility and ruling class.

Oni Lineage

Even though Yarada must trace their bloodline back to the oni masters to some degree, there are are few from outide their lineage who still identify with their culture. These non-oni were often raised in the appropriate lands as slaves, servants, or welcome artisans, or were being adopted by a powerful lord.
The most accurately one can trace their bloodline to the Ancestors, however, the more room they have to maneuver socially even if they would normally be low-born.
Some believe that the end of the path for the Yarada is to unite the Southern Isles and welcome the Ancestors into new thrones before expanding their empire.
Others are more convinced that their seperation from the Ancestors was necessary for them to truly pursue their own destinies.

Culture Ability:

The Yarada may, once per week, say a quick prayer or mantra. This utterance is in the spirit of being prepared for anything and to never freeze when destiny beckons. Doing so means that the next time the Yarada rolls initiative, they may roll twice and take the better.

Common Superstitions:

• Yawning without covering one's mouth is a way for spirits of ill-omen to enter.
• The number 4 is unlucky as it shares the same sound as one word for "death".
• A crow's caw just before dusk is bad luck.
• A portrait or picture of someone hiding their eyes is said to be cursed.
• A person's name written in red is bad luck.
• Good dreams bring good fortune, but only if one waits a day to share them.