Tuesday, August 29, 2006

What is a Jogauni?

I'm often asked what species I am. When I tell them Jogauni, they usually say, "umm, ok.". Well I decided to put an end to that and post here what exactly the Jogauni Tribe is. I have taken the myth below from a well written notecard. The information is provided by Luskwood Creatures (c) 2006

Myth of the Jogauni

In the beforetimes, when the planet was young, unstable, and prone to disorder even more so than it is today, there was a great need for balance between the opposing forces of the universe. From origins lost to the infinity of time, a tribe of mystical creatures emerged - then several, as they split off, squared against one another, not out of malice but out of necessity. They were the guardians of the these integral forces, the keepers of the things basic and vital to all life- preservers of the balance.

Each tribe scattered throughout the world, broken into small and large groups both, drawn to the places where their stewardship was the most strongly felt, places abundant in the force they were to guard over. They are something of mystic and something of mortal, belonging squarely with neither group. Their task of balance is overwhelming and all consuming, and demands unusual interaction. Opposing tribes may be in physical conflict one day and carrying on civilly the next, if it serves the purposes of their calling. And onward the wheel of balance turns.

Each tribe has a traditional and somewhat magical weapon, gifted to each individual upon reaching a certain age and completing their adulthood quest. Very little is known about these ceremonies except that they always begin at night - even the location of the questing grounds is a secret, kept only in their minds and never spoken aloud.

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Mato - Earth Tribe

Earth Tribe Jogauni are traditionally found living in caves, crevasses, holes dug in the sides of hills, and in other places where nothing comes between the soles of the feet and the earth. They are social in a practical way that has less to do with any need for companionship and more to do with the fact that many will acomplish the tasks of life and duty more easily than one. Groups vary in size between roughly 5 and 15 individuals.

They suffer greatly when not in physical contact with the earth for any length of time - the planet is so massive that it is an extreme source of power for those aligned with it. Strength of that degree is addictive, and Earth Tribe Jogauni often become disoriented and unwell when deprived of it.

They are highly in touch with the seasons and the overall state of the earth, and are able to communicate with one another over vast distances in a vague, broadcast sort of way, provided both are in contact with the planet.

In general they are practical, hard working, reasonable and calm, though obviously individuals will vary.

Opposing tribe: Air
Complimentary tribe: Water

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Hava - Air Tribe

Air Tribe Jogauni are traditionally found living at the tops of mountains and the edges of cliffs, where the eddies swirl and dance and the wind races across the land. They are highly social and will often group based less on individual qualities and more on ideas and likemindedness. Groups tend to be large, from 20 to 50 individuals in a settlement, but one member may become lost in their own mind or in the pursuit of an idea for great lengths of time.

They are very sensitive to stagnancy, both of their physical environment and of mind - dullmindedness will physically choke them as easily as stuffy air. This is not to say that they are intellectuals in the strictest sense - no Jogauni tribe has a written tradition or a course of study - but that they draw strength from ideas that flow as freely as the air.

They are highly in touch with the weather, with wind and storms and clouds, and can often predict weather patterns for days in advance with amazing precision. They cannot fly but their understanding of air currents makes assisted flight - with handmade sails similar to hanggliders - much more practical and useful for them than for the other tribes.

In general they are curious, innovative, and prone to daydreaming, though obviously individuals will vary.

Opposing tribe: Earth
Complimentary tribe: Fire

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Pani - Water Tribe

Water Tribe Jogauni are traditionally found living near rivers and oceans, stretched along the banks and coasts like string, never far from the water's touch. They are social in a tightly-knit, serious way, living in family groups from birth until death, loyalties never swaying. Family groups are usually 10-20 individuals, and settlements are often as many as 100, stretching over vast expanses of beach and riverbank.

They dehydrate quickly and are very unamenable to prolonged exposure to heat, particularly dry heat. Their ideal environment is humid and temperate. They draw incredible strength from water's healing embrace, and so they are often found immersed and near-catatonic when in need of personal centering and balance.

They are highly in touch with the tides and the cycles of heat and cold streams through the ocean. They can process salt water into fresh within their own bodies and as such can live on the edge of the ocean without ever needing to venture inland. They cannot breahe underwater, but can hold their breath for longer than most, and can go into a near-catatonic state requiring no oxygen when necessary - but only if completely immersed and surrounded by water.

In general they are calm, hard to anger, zenlike, and extremely protective of their own, in a peculiarly rational and deliberate way, though obviously individuals will vary.

Opposing tribe: Fire
Complimentary tribe: Earth

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Ago - Fire Tribe

Fire Tribe Jogauni are traditionally found living near volcanos or in deserts - the hot, dry places of the world. They are social but volatile and often you will find several small groups of 5-10 in a given area which constantly rearrange membership and loyalties as easily as the wind shifts. Left to their own devices, these local politics will consume them, but when in opposition to another tribe, they are loyal to each and every of their own, regardless of local groupings.

They are very sensitive to dampness and chill, and should their fur become wet, it will take an extremely long time to dry out. Usually just an inconvenience and an uncomfortable one at that, this can occassionally lead to illness and debilitation. As such they avoid water as if it were poison, and draw strength from the hot dry air that reaches across the flames.

They are highly in touch with the basal energy of the world - the fire in its belly - the heat that keeps the planet moving and living. They are the first to know when something is out of balance, as the life and heat gutter and flicker when the planet is unhealthy. They are therefore usually the ones to start an action towards rebalance - a fact that has them wrongly regarded as being warlike and hotheaded, when in reality, they simply see the need for correction before any of the other tribes do.

In general they are vital, energetic, of strong opinions, and live very much in the moment, though obviously indivuals will vary.

Opposing tribe: Water
Complimentary Tribe: Air

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Katha - Wood Tribe

Wood Tribe Jogauni are traditionally found living in forests and jungles, where trees grow thick with age and the virtue of an unhurried life. They are social and egalitarian - all members of the group are equally valuable, no matter who carries what bloodlines. They seem to have no actual concept of family, only troupe- pairings happen for reproduction but then split apart, and children are raised by the entire group. Groups tend to be medium to large, usually 50-100 individuals.

Order and uniformity leaves them feeling constrained and frustrated. They are individuals, each as unique as the twisted trunk of a tree, no two alike, at least in mind. There is a beautiful simplicity in the entropy of an untended forest that they must have a connection to in order to function; they are such adherents to this particular form of truth and beauty that they are often the last to act on the task of keeping the balance, tempting and teasing disorder at the edges, always wanting to see how far it can be taken before it becomes absolutely necessary to push it back.

They are highly in touch with all living and growing things, but share a particular connection with trees. They are able to access a tree's 'memory' by touch, and can get a feel for how long it's been there, what conditions have been, if there was trauma to its growth. They have a knack for helping things to grow, but often do not know exactly what they are doing or how.

In general they are relaxed, unhurried, of long thought and careful words, and have great respect for life, though obviously individuals will vary.

Opposing tribe: Metal
Complimentary tribe: Light

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Phalama - Metal Tribe

Metal Tribe Jogauni were traditionally found living in natural mines and along mineral veins - they were a small group as there was very little of their element naturally occuring in the world. Many would tunnel down into the earth just to find a vein of metal to live near. This has changed as the world has modernized, and many of them now make their homes in the cities of the world. Their social pattern has not changed, however, and they tend towards very small groups, about 3-5 individuals.

Disorder and chaos bother them greatly, and will often compromise their otherwise stellar ability to think logically through any situation and confuse them to the point of disability. They draw great psychological strength from a neat and ordered environment, and do not tend to rock the boat, socially speaking. Many times siblings of similar age will be indistinguishable from one another, as the social pressure towards uniformity, even within such small groups, is very strong. They are often the first to want to act on the task of keeping the balance, though rarely the first to see the need for it, as they are somewhat blind to the entropy that is its call to action.

They are highly in touch with the order of things on a molecular level, with the underlying patterns and repeated themes that make up the universe. To them, it is all just a beautiful wind-up machine, playing out its history in the only way it possibly can- as such, they believe in a sort of mechanical predestination. They are capable of seeing an underlying pattern and extrapolating it out to its final result, a skill many wrongly interpret as supernatural presience.

In general they are logical, somewhat cold, of ordered thought, and somewhat fatalistic, though obviously individuals will vary.

Opposing tribe: Wood
Complimentary tribe: Shadow

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Ujyalo - Light Tribe

Light Tribe Jogauni are one of the two migrating tribes - they traditionally summer in the Arctic Circle and winter in its southern counterpart. The migration is long and arduous and some have stopped midway through and taken up residence in other bright spaces of the world, rather than continually chase the midnight sun from pole to pole. They tend towards a solitary life, but are not hostile or disgreeable to company when it finds them. They generally pair up for the migration, which is made easier by the companionship, and this is often the root of very small, and temporary, family groups.

They are crippled in deep darkness - disoriented, blind, incapable of rational thought as though caught in a panic attack. Even marginal darkness will make them edgy and prone to fight or flight. Many will opt to carry lighting with them so that they can travel in the darkness, but it is a very uncomfortable experience. They will often bask in the sun, recharging at least mentally, warmed and held by the light.

They are highly in touch with the sun and its quirks - they do not have a word for sunspots but know when they are there and what they do. They have a distinct talent for healing, though they themselves often do not understand exactly what it is they're doing.

In general they are pleasant, calm, warm, and tolerant - all of this despite their solitary nature - though obviously individuals will vary.

Opposing tribe: Shadow
Complimentary tribe: Wood

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Chayam - Shadow Tribe

Shadow Tribe Jogauni are one of the two migrating tribes - they traditionally winter in the Arctic Circle and summer in its southern counterpart. The migration is long and arduous and some have stopped midway through and taken up residence in other dark spaces of the world, rather than continually chase the midday moon from pole to pole. They are strictly solitary - they pair up momentarily for the needs of reproduction but otherwise greet any Jogauni they meet, of any tribe, with either wary distance or outright hostility.

They are blinded by the brightness of daylight, made sleepy and unresponsive by the sun. Some have managed to travel abroad in daylight by draping themselves in cloth and covering their eyes, but for many it is simply not worth the effort. In the brilliance of a star-strewn night sky, they find their greatest power and wisdom, and are wholly different creatures than the dull and listless ones they are in the day - they become articulate, sharp, and alive with the vitality of youth.

They are highly in touch with the cycles of the moon and stars, and can often detect shifts in the currents of the world by feeling for them in the still, clean night air. They can see brilliantly in near total darkness and have the most acute sense of hearing of all of the Jogauni.

In general they are moody, cynical, sharp-tongued and solitary, though obviously individuals will vary.

Opposing Tribe: Light
Complimentary Tribe: Metal

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All the above (c) Luskwood Creatures 2006

1 Comments:

At 12:17 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

a very useful guide to the jogauni, i think i'll keep it in mind if i decide to join second life...

 

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