Yabbu

The Yabbu are a sentient race in Latani that have been on two very different extremes throughout history. In the past up until Ledoux's rule over Latani, the Yabbu were by far the most feared beings in the entirety of the continent. They hunted and killed where they pleased and lived wherever they wanted uncontested thanks to their flexability, speed and fear tactics in battle, entire villages would up and scatter if there was any sign that the Yabbu were migrating their way. The Yabbu kept the deep-rooted fear for them alive in the hearts of nearby communities in extremely sadistic and brutal ways just to show who was truly ruling over the lands they inhabited. Nowadays, after their near extinction at the claws of Ledoux and his dragon legions during the Second Reform, the survivors of the Yabbu have become a very peaceful and friendly race who live safely in the protected Forest of Chrome, even after Ledoux's defeat. They help and trade where they can and some even scoff at the concept of needless violence altogether. Most other races obviously prefer the new ways of the Yabbu and actively seek to keep it that way by being just as friendly and helpful back to them to avoid invoking their savagery once again. The Yabbu are very tall when standing completely upright, around 7 or 8 feet tall. They have pitch black fur, back-facing antlers, and shaggy manes around their head and neck area. Their bodies and arms are long and lanky with wicked claws on their hands and feet which have the appearence and sharpness of obsidian daggers. Their long tails are tipped with a plume of long hair which makes it look like a large black feather. Their necks are noticeably long and thick when compared to the rest of their bodies, this is due to their overly complex larynxes, which are used to make haunting cries and screeches into the night air. They speak in varied, complex tones and pitches, making them unnervingly difficult to listen to, especially because it sounds like 3 deep voices speaking at once. Their heads are also geometrically stable and can turn 270 degrees like an owl. The most defining aspect of Yabbu physiology is that of their faces, which have been said to be so horrifying and disturbing that some people have been left with chills and nightmares by simply gazing upon them. This new peaceful generation of Yabbu have taken upon the new cultural custom of donning simple carved wooden and porcelain masks around visitors and as of most recently, casually around each other. Many Yabbu have become very self-conscious about their terrifying looks and violent past, which is why most of them try to be as caring and friendly to people as possible as a way of historical compensation. Other Yabbu, mainly older survivors of the genocide and previous Yabbu warriors, do not share the same sentiments, and dream of returning to the old days of terror and fear. These Yabbu have left the forest of Chrome to venture out alone, looking for purpose and solidarity away for their new "shame-faced" brethren. These are the Yabbu you must avoid at all costs.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Most Yabbu follow the Vejhim religion and pray to the entrenched god Meledus and his eternal candle. It is believed that those with amber irises are servants or envoys of Meledus, such is the case with the Yabbu with their thin orange irises on pitch black sclera. Candle shrines are often set up in the center of their small woodland villages.

Common Dress code

The Yabbu traditionally do not wear clothes, as their fur covers their entire bodies already, so they have no worry of covering up. Their main article of apparel are the wooden and porcelain masks they wear to hide their faces. Some Yabbu paint or carve designs into them to make them stand out more and look more appealing, which has become a more and more common practice over the last couple years.

Art & Architecture

Though the custom has since died out after the Second Reform, the Yabbu once made towering statues of bone made from the skeletons of their victims and prey. These skeletal statues depicted intimidating humanoid beings that often stood upwards of 15 to 20 feet tall. These were used as warnings to travelers that they were now in Yabbu territory. Some of these structures can still be found deep in the forests that once belonged to the Yabbu of old, most reside in the northern Kitt Forests.

"I have seen the true face of a friendly and welcoming Yabbu while I was studying him, and it sent me into a frozen state of shock for a few seconds before he got the hint and put his wood mask back on. I now understand why Ledoux wanted them eradicated during the Second Reform by any means necessary."
F.L.

The greatest fighters of the Yabbu were the fabled "Terror Warriors", more commonly known as the Yabbudachi. The Yabbudachi would combine fear, claw weapons, lightning fast reflexes, and feral animalistic fighting styles to sweep through opponents with ease. Though almost all of them were wiped out by Ledoux and his forces, some are still rumored to be alive today, stalking the woods ready to satiate their primal urges to kill.

Related Organizations