Iyias

Known as the 'hidden people' to some, the iyias are sometimes dismissed as being only a myth. They keep to themselves in their small corner of the world, rarely venturing outside of the boundaries of their four territories. Those who live near where they do are aware they exist as more than a myth.
They are a quiet people, not feeling the need to venture any further into the world than they have already. Some theorize that this is because they are smaller than most other sapient species and are relatively defenseless. If this is the case, it would be wise for them to remain where they know it's safe. Others argue that since iyias have claws, this could not be the case and that their reluctance toward travel is rooted more in their society than anything inherit to them has a species. In fact, there are some iyias clans who are a bit more daring than the others, though even they will not go farther than the safety of the woods surrounding their home.

by Felix Van Huss

~~~~Physiology~~~~

Iyias are on the shorter side of the sapient species. On the shorter end, an adult iyias may be around four feet tall and at the tallest end they may be up to four feet ten inches tall. This is, of course, not including their ears.
An iyias' ears rest on the top of the head and appear much like that of a cat. They move in similar fashion to cats as well, clearly displaying emotion. However, in most iyias society, it is seen as a sign of ill manners to not have your ears under control and pointed upward at all times. Except in the cases where extreme emotion is called for, of course.
Iyias appear very similar to humans, other than their ears, from their heads to their waists. Their waists are where their smooth skin switches to fur in a variety of colours. Their legs are very cat-like and even have paws with retractable claws. They also have tails sprouting from the base of their spines.
Their fur will match their hair in colour. When a kit is born, the colour of their fur is said to be a prophecy for the family. There are many midwives who double as furtellers.
Black fur is very rare, though smoke fur is even rarer. No one knows why this is, some assume that there's a curse on those with black fur. Others assume that there's just something about the genetics that makes it rare. However, most believe that this has to do with the ancient practice of killing black furred kits having eliminated most iyias that carried that gene. This practice is now thought of as being monstrous and horrible, though there is still a stigma around those with black fur carrying bad luck with them.
Iyias' eyes tend to come in one of 6 colours. Amber, blue, green, hazel, brown and yellow. This is not including those with heterochromia, which happens at a rate higher than in other sapient species, though is still uncommon enough to be considered notable.

~~~~Culture~~~~

by Felix Van Huss

Culture varies a bit depending on which territory an iyias lives, though all their cultures tend toward emphasizing propriety and have a patriarchal bend. Not one as extreme as is seen in some human kingdoms, but it is still seen as improper for a woman to live alone or own property. As an example of how this varies, in Greenridge a woman's duty is seen as birthing and bringing up kits as well as keeping the home in order for her husband. In Mapleshire, however, women are encouraged to have careers and their husbands are seen as lacking if they do not help with the upbringing of their kits. It is, however, still expected that women marry and have as many kits as their husband wishes.
Iyias have a number of their own holidays, most of which revolve around feasting. There is at least one of these days a month. These festivals tend to involve the entirety of a town coming together, pooling their cooking and their other contributions to show that they are a dedicated part of the community, and spending the entire day dancing, eating and letting loose. These festivals are also when it is appropriate to approach someone to start a courtship with them.
A courtship will begin when a man approaches a woman and offers her something that he created, showing that he can provide for her. If she accepts, they will then either begin or join the courtship dance together. This is a specific dance done to bless the beginnings of a courtship. Once the dance is over, they will spend the rest of the festival together. After the festival, they will go on a number of chaperoned outings together until they feel ready to marry, at which point the man will propose to the woman. If she accepts, they will gather their family and inform them of the news. The families will then either construct or renovate a home together for the new couple to live in and once that home is complete, they may have their wedding.
Iyias value community and propriety above most other things, though they also have a very healthy respect for food and rest. They are not combative, except in the arena of gossip and rumours, and seek only to live peaceful lives. Perhaps this, then, is why they do not venture outside their territories. They have no desire to fight and see wars and such to be quite silly.
While iyias technically use the same sort of currency as the kingdoms of men, they have no real interest in wealth or gold. They view currency as something a bit amusing, something they must use to do business with those other species. Among themselves, they operate with a system of trading goods and skills and have very little interest in measuring the exact value of everything they do. They see it as somewhat sad that one would look at their own work and declare it to be worth some arbitrary number of coins.
They are not hostile to the other sapient species, but they likewise have little to no interest in them. They fear ezela only because they've been told they must fear them. If they met a kind and proper individual ezela, that fear would likely vanish easily. They are kind to the humans and the aton that live near them and would be kind to any ucora that somehow found their way to their home as well. Though, they are kind with an air of thinking these other species are all a bit silly, especially for having such concerns about things such as money and war.
War is something of a foreign concept to iyias, who consider a mere fistfight to be quite out of hand. The idea that anyone would be able to hate someone enough to kill them is something that has happened a small number of times in their communities, but to hate another group enough to kill complete strangers over it? That is unthinkably strange.

~~~~Notable Iyias~~~~

While the iyias are largely resistant to fame, there are a number of iyias who have gained a level of notoriety. Some of these iyias are well respected and admired, while others are thought of as needlessly adventurous and altogether far to daring. Still others are notable for the harm they have caused others, leaving a stain upon their family name.
Marigold Maplesweet (née Boulderhill) crossed the blainway river to see what was on the other side. This was more adventure than most iyias would dream of, but Marigold had been sure that there would be something on the other side worth the bother of crossing the wide river. Sure enough, she discovered a great number of maple trees. She learned how to extract the sweet syrup from these trees, thus earning her name and convincing other iyias to settle on the other side of the river in what would become Mapleshire.
Some believe that Marigold experienced some form of vision or had an ability with magic that led her to Mapleshire. While this was initially seen as a ridiculous theory, it began to gain more traction when one of Marigold's descendants proved that iyias were not, in fact, unable to perform magic, as had been widely believed.
Tim Bramblethorn was known to be the best gardener the Medowhavens had ever seen. It is possible that time has exaggerated his skills, but regardless of what is truth and what is fiction, his family is still known as the best gardeners around. It is said that he could even revive seemingly dead plants, and that his crops were the largest and sweetest anyone had ever tasted.
Madoc Knotwise is a figure whose existence is somewhat debated. The story is that he ventured out from the Medowhavens to travel the world. It is thought that his travels are the origin of various other cultures' having some myths of creatures that are similar in description to an iyias. However, it is also argued that these myths are vague, and they're being told third or fourth hand by travelling merchants who visit the Medowhavens from the neighbouring kingdom of Brethia, who would have, in turn, heard these stories from travellers through their own lands. The sources for these stories are not solid and thus are easily dismissed as something told to entertain kits.
Further, records of the existence of Madoc are also up for debate. There are records showing that someone by that name did, indeed, exist long before Marigold Maplesweet settled in Mapleshire, when the Medowhavens were only Duskwell and some of Moongarde. It is not said what happened to this Madoc, however, and even if he did leave the Medowhavens, it is entirely possible that he died before making it very far. The world was a much more dangerous place in the time period when he would have existed, and the idea of an iyias being able to travel the world was long thought to be somewhat ridiculous.
Queen Lily Kirdri (née Maplesweet) is the first iyias known to past even the borders of Brethia. Having joined three ezela on a quest to restore their kingdom of Kavia, it is said that Lily travelled to the Lost Island and even ventured through the Gateway and into the World Between before returning with a blessing from the Gods themselves. The thought of an iyias doing such would be considered laughably unlikely, and yet her quest was successful. After a year of her departure, it was assumed she'd perished on the road. However, from the restored kingdom of Kavia, she sent letters to her relatives telling them of her quest.
Many dismiss most of what is in the letters as embellishments and tales of nonsensical fantasy. The artwork she sent back to show the things she had seen were likewise thought to originate from her imagination rather than reality. Whatever the truth, it is undeniable fact that Lily married King Kolre Kirdri and became Queen of Kavia. The details on how this happened can be debated as much as you wish, that much is verified fact.

~~~~Clothing and Hair~~~~

Iyias prefer practical clothing, though never let it be said that they don't also enjoy a bit of decoration. At the longest, dresses, skirts and pants are cut a few inches about the ankles, though some pants are cut as high as the knees. Women do not often wear pants, though it isn't uncommon for them to own a pair or two in case they need them. Men do not often wear skirts, but it is seen as only slightly odd if they do.
Shirts are often somewhat loose, the length of sleeves vary, as do the colours. Unlike skirts, shirts are rarely patterned. Instead, corsets and waistcoats worn over the shirts will be brightly patterned. Usually these patterns consist of floral designs or other things related to nature. Some popular animal designs include foxes, rabbits, and various birds.
Flowers are also worn often, sometimes as a symbol of luck or some other blessing.
Women tend to keep their hair long, though they tie it back, braid it and/or put it in buns to keep it out of their faces. They will also put ribbons, flowers and pins in their hair for the beauty of it. Men tend to keep their hair shorter than women, though often it will still reach to their shoulders or chin. They more often leave it loose, only tying it back when needed for practical reasons. They will also wear flowers in their hair, as it would be unwise to deny a possible blessing when offered to you.

~~~~History~~~~

It is unknown if the iyias have always existed in the Medowhavens, or if they came there from somewhere else. It is also unknown which God created them. Some believe that the iyias sprang, fully formed, from the ground of the Medowhavens all on their own. A more popular belief is that the Green Goddess had a hand in their creation.
The history of the iyias has been somewhat uneventful. It is extremely rare for an iyias to wander outside the Medowhavens and the aton who live in the surrounding area have long sworn to keep the iyias safe from outside harm. In return, the iyias gift the aton with the best produce known to sapient beings, and they happily do business with them in the markets set up in the more densely populated towns in the Medowhavens.
Iyias were largely unknown to the world until the Quest for Kavia. After Kavia was restored, many believed the new Queen to be a sort of Fae creature. Others, who were more familiar with the idea of the Hidden People, realized that Queen Lily Kirdri was one of these people. The exact location of the Medowhavens was not given to those untrusted by Lily or Brethia, so despite the wider world learning that iyias exist, they remain unable to seek them out and bother them.
The Hidden People remain hidden to this day.