Yenyi (jɛŋji)

The Trenchant Yenyi, Fierce Individualists

A Shulte subspecies, the Yenyi have become known as a strong, physical and fiercely independent species. They are easily identified by their "crown" which is one or several bony growths on their heads such as horns, antlers, or spikes. Other Shulte say they are difficult to work with and stubborn, but the Yenyi are able to accomplish incredible feats when they set their mind to it. They can be incredible friends and the life of the party, but also nearly unstoppable enemies.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

The most notable feature of this subspecies is the Yenyi's Crown.
Most commonly a pair of horns or antlers, there is incredible variety among Yenyi with their Crowns. They can be small spikes nearly hidden by hair to a full multi-point rack of antlers that shed and regrow every year. Less common are single horns or spikes, and the most rare is the spiked crest. All Yenyi have crowns, regardless of sex or gender.
A Yenyi's Crown is hereditary, making family lineages easy to identify on sight. This has created social dynamics and classes which a Yenyi becomes locked into as soon as their crown begins to bud. These social challenges are offset however by the independent nature of the Yenyi, so dynasties are regularly toppled and the Crown of glory for one generation might be a Crown of shame for another.

Ecology and Habitats

The volcanic Yenent lands are the home of the Yenyi, and this has directly impacted Yenyi biology in two major ways.

Air Quality

Due to regular volcanic explosions and nearly constant geothermal activity, certain regions of Yenent have toxic air and the world as a whole could be said to have poor air quality. However, the Yenyi themselves have adapted to this and only struggle to breathe in the most extreme situations of long-exposure to toxic air.

Dry Climate

The world of Yenent is the most dry of all the worlds. Even coastal cities have very low humidity, due to the high salt content of Yenyi oceans. This has resulted in Yenyi having poor reactions to being wet, as their lungs and immune system does not know how to regulate when moisture is present. Additionally, occasional storms of acid rain sweep through the land with deadly results on animals, plants and the land. For these reasons, Yenyi avoid getting wet at all costs and only the bravest dare to step foot in a boat.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Yenent has some of the most fertile lands due to the large amount of volcanic activity. This has resulted in an abundance of food, so starvation is rare. It has also resulted in extensive culinary innovation where the chef is respected nearly as much as the inventor. Of all the worlds, there is the most diversity of flavors in the Yenyi lands, though the Alai have the spiciest dishes. Each of the Yenyi cultures have their own regional dishes and customs, so that will not be explored here.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Yenyi social structure is based on competition for power, attention, and resources. It is considered "healthy" to fight for what a person wants, whether that fighting is literal physical combat or through other means. Blind pacifism is considered foolhardy because the expectation is that someone will always want to fight, so the responsibility of good people is to be so strong that the evil ones cannot win.
Those who are unable to compete at all are considered "blessed" in that they have escaped the eternal struggle of life. They are cared for with great tenderness and fiercely protected by their communities. Their words are respected, but they are not able to hold official leadership positions due to these being won through physical combat or on the field of battle. Many of the blessed have tried to subvert this, but this has often ended in tragedy.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Yenyi names are generally three syllables, though there is some regional variation. Literal descriptive words are common names, like those that fit a personality like Joy or a natural element like Forest. Names that are associated with historic or mythic figures are also common.
Due to ongoing conflict with dragons, Yenyi names are almost never based on draconic words. In families that are particularly antagonistic to dragons, Yenyi pick names that begin with the letters M, B, or P, as these are particularly difficult for dragons to pronounce. These families find great joy in how petty this is.
Yenyi have three names at maturity:

Home Name

Their Home name is given after it is clear that they will not die in infancy. This name is chosen from both what can be told of the infant's personality and also what the parents hope for the child. Prior to this, the infant is simply called "baby" or by their birth order number.

Birthright

The second name is the name of a famed ancestor, someone known to have done great things. Typically, an extended family all are known by the same Birthright, so it is also simply called the Family name. Some Birthright names are so old that the original ancestor who bore the name is largely forgotten, or mythic deeds have replaced solid history. On rare occasions, an ancestor is revealed to be a tyrant or shameful figure, so families will reject their Birthright name. But this is difficult to do, for they are known by that Birthright in their community and stories of legendary evils often outlast the good.

Honor Name

The final name of a Yenyi is earned during their coming of age ceremony and initiation into their culture. The specifics of how each culture does this and naming practices is unique to that culture.
Often, a Yenyi will introduce themselves by their Honor name and Birthright, and only use their Home name with close friends.

Beauty Ideals

A Yenyi's Crown is considered the most important factor in determining beauty. Typically, a Crown is considered beautiful if it is symmetrical and balanced, or if a lone horn or spike is centered. Broken horns or antlers are a mark of shameful defeat or of some other defect. Unique Crowns are considered the most beautiful, like a crest of spikes, and in rare occasions, an asymmetrical yet balanced Crown can be breathtaking.
A prestigious family's Crown is also often viewed as beautiful, but this has more to do with the social status of the family than the Crown itself.

Gender Ideals

Gender is largely personal and defined by the individual Yenyi themselves. There are some biology-based stereotypes expecting masculine figures to be physically stronger and feminine to be more dainty, but these are not hard rules. It is rare for Yenyi to idealize a hulking over-muscled masculine or an extremely thin feminine. These extremes are viewed as liabilities to competition and not assets, given that they end up limiting one's overall strength rather than enhance it.

The ideal of competition and individuality interact, allowing Yenyi to express themselves in multiple ways and preventing any one of the prior stereotypes from gaining too much traction. Every Yenyi knows that a small feminine assassin can easily kill a massive masculine warrior from a distance, and that the warrior could destroy an assassin caught unaware. So strength and weakness are considered profoundly relative, and gender expression doubly so. To the Yenyi, it doesn't matter what gender a person is, the question is how capable they are.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The majority of Yenyi only speak Low Draconic (Common), due to the simple practicality of a common language. However, some pockets of various ancient Yenyi tongues still exist in remote areas or among dusty scholars. During the time of Yenyi Progress, many were swept up in an effort to resurrect the ancient tongues, as a form of rebellion against the rule of dragons. But these efforts were destroyed by The Fell Calamity and have not had much attention since.

Common Etiquette Rules

Greetings

The most common Yenyi greeting is a friendly head-butt.

The Yenyi never wants to lower their crown, so they hold their heads high at all times. Bowing to another is very rare and a sign of incredible respect.

Excitement

The most common Yenyi response to excitement is screaming in delight, occasionally accompanied by headbutting. Words are rarely used in these happy displays

Fear

Yenyi almost always respond with aggression and fighting when threatened.

Conflict

Duels take a particular form among the Yenyi in what's called Crown Tossing. This is a display of strength and cunning where one Yenyi will attempt to wrestle the other down. The first Crown to touch the ground is shamed and loses the duel.

Crown Tossing will occasionally then devolve into a more violent duel with weapons to the death, but how often this happens is largely regionally dependent.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is a sign of openness and honesty, signalling that friendship is desired and nothing is being hidden.

A lack of eye contact is believed to communicate either a lack of trust or that someone is hiding something themselves.

Common Taboos

The biggest Yenyi taboo is to blindly trust a dragon.
The second is to forget who one is and blindly follow a crowd.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Yenyi are highly antagonistic to the dragons, viewing them as tyrannical monsters who must be destroyed. This has resulted in eons of conflict between the two species, though rarely in the form of direct battle or war.

The Yenyi people's also distrust the fae, though they are less antagonist to them when compared to dragons. There have been intermittent periods of conflict with fae, as well as times of collaboration against the dragons. Overall, the Yenyi give begrudging respect to fae as allies against a common enemy.

Religions surrounding the Vlosado Powers are surprisingly well followed by Yenyi. Scholars propose that this is because often power can be had by following the Vlosado, and rarely do the Vlosado made demands in return beyond basic religious lip-service. To many Yenyi, this is an easy trade. But Yenyi Spiritists fear for their people, worrying that some day, one Vlosado or another will awaken and call the Yenyi to account for their debt.

In general, Yenyi believe the Feeling animals, plants, and the land are all inferior to the Thinking species. Even the Hybridit Sonnyu who merge with land animals believe they are "elevating" the animal they merge with, and that it is a great gift to that animal. Yenyi view non-Thinking things as valuable resources to be managed well, but give it little additional thought.

Lifespan

70-90yrs

Average Physique

All Yenyi have some form of bony cranial growths called "Crowns" in the form of horns, antlers, or spikes. These develop at puberty.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Yenyi have solid body tints in a wide variety of browns, pinks, and tan shades, with the occasional reddish completion.

They lack any spots or stripe markings.

Geographic Distribution

• Yenent

Related Ethnicities

• Duthoa Empire
• Vizehkt Dynasty