WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0062 0062
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aur well, for creatures of such amazing memory capacity should not have trouble remembering or reciting
history…so why do they know so little about their arrival
on Khitus?) Why they might have been transplanted
here along with their animalistic elephantine relatives
is a mystery. Regardless of reasons or full histories, the
Pachyaur are denizens of Khitus’ sand and soil, having
as deep and rich a cultural history here and as firmly
rooted here as any other race.
During the Barbarian Age, more primitive, nomadic
Pachyaur created no permanent settlements and wandered the grasslands. Like others during the Classic Age,
they prospered beneath the benevolent rule of the Daragkarik. Most notable of the Pachyaur-centric Dragon Kings
were Astul, Nyoriim, and Delnishar, whose royal courts often hosted many Pachyaur and humans alike, though they
and their courts are now naught but ghostly memories.
The Classic Age saw the building of the first magnificent
pachyesh cities. While yet shrouded in mystery to outsiders,
something occurred that divided the Pachyaur irrevocably.
While neither can deny their shared racial heritage, friction
to outright hatred on some parts still separate the two factions yet extant today: the Watu and Brachachon.
Since the split, both Watu and Brachachon have prospered separately. Just as with humans and all other
races, both factions too have suffered with the climate
changes across Khitus.
Ranks & Types
Power among the Pachyaur, be it social or economic
or any other, now stems from matrilineal organizations
Vidijo: The “Tiny Races”
To the massive Pachyaur, all non-Pachyaur are vidijo,
or “tiny races,” an epithet descriptive of their comparative size. In general, the term is neutral in use and
covers humans of all tribes, the Oritahl, and all colors
of Krikis as well. The Brachachon treat all vidijo with
at least the same respect others treat young adults—as
creatures of few experiences, much bluster, and who
need to prove their worth. Once a Brachachon respects a vidijo and his or her talents, relationships shift
toward more egalitarian stances and friendships.
To the Watu however, vidijo is a slur word indicative
of a being’s lesser importance in the greater scheme of
things—at least as the Watu perceive things. While they
encounter vidijo more than the Brachachon and trade
slaves with them, the Watu see them as they see most
other creatures: as untethered slaves or tools to use.
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and familial institutions. During the Barbarian Age,
battles among bulls for mating rights within or dominance of a particular family group were the norm, as
were clashes for dominance over other bulls and what
they controlled. Among modern and civilized Pachyaur,
at least since the Classic Age, wealth and social standing
often supplant the primitive right to rule as measured
by brute strength. Still, such challenges continue on
rare occasions and often prove to be especially violent
and destructive to both property and persons.
• Bwasana are the matriarchs of each pachyesh family group.
• Khubwa and Atili: Beneath her, khubwa females,
most often sisters, manage the calves, assisted by
the youngest caregivers known as atili.
• Wongoza: The predominant bull in a family group
is the wongoza, an often-changing rank as bulls
come and go; one bull can be wongoza to different
family groups, and may depart for a time only to reemerge and take his position once again.
• Mwalu bulls remain dedicated to a single female,
pair bonding and caring for his unique offspring in
a recent cultural variance.
• Semaji are bulls that have never held any position of dominance in a family group; this dubious
epithet carries a social stigma of weakness or unreliability, since most males assume that mantle at
least once during their young lives.
Customs & Culture
All Pachyaur governance and culture revolves around
their traditional family group organization. Matrilineal
family groups dominate their civilizations, where relatively
settled females rear the young in well-manicured and wellprotected settings (like a multi-building estate with accompanying grounds). The male or “bull” Pachyaur are more
transient, associating with numerous family groups over the
course of their lives; even when in association, males most
often live separate from the family groups, whether in discrete urban areas or wandering in the wilderness.
Bwasanas rule both their families and any businesses or
lands. Early pachyesh settlements were a conglomeration of related bwasanas whose families held or controlled
contiguous lands and/or related trades. Modern pachyesh
towns and cities fall under the control of a singular Habwasana, the elder “grand-matriarch” among the interrelated bwasanas whose families and lands comprise the
settlement. Family groups and lesser bwasanas dominate
particular fields or roles within pachyesh settlements, and
only major upheavals in a family structure change the
balances of power more than minute amounts.
