Valkah

A matriarchal tribe scattered through Central Hilana and the outskirt regions of the Atalem Jungle.   The Sahhydras are considered the best fighters in the world, versatile in almost every weapon known. They are excellent trackers and stalkers. Some accuse them of being witches because of their beauty and mysterious ability to vanish into thin air. Their skills are not the result of black magic, rather it is years of training that have honed their skills of slipping away unnoticed and moving without being seen.   Because of their skills in unseen movement and blade handling they are best known for being hired as assassins, mercenaries, and bounty hunters, but this is only a small minority. Most Sahhydras follow professions of jewelery and accessory making alongside their warrior training. Sahhydra Silk is highly valuable for its beauty and texture.   Technologically the Sahhydras are basic. Most of their technological knowledge comes from their assimilation with the Hilians.   The Sahhydras are deeply religious and live humble lives. Most of their people have assimilated into Hilian society and found regular jobs. A radical group of Sahhydras called the Zelots who believed the world had fallen into darkness for their lack of faith in Eloh tried unsuccessfully to cause a rebellion to overthrow the Hilian government. They fled to Valkary Haven, a heavily fortified settlement deep in the Atalem Jungle, and have remained there.  

The Zelots

The Zelot uprising created a prejudice against all Sahhydras, most of which had actually supported the Hilians during the conflict. The backlash from the Hilians caused many Sahhydras to abandon Hilana and join the Zelots at Valkary Haven.   Atalem Jungle is not a place one would choose to call home. The trees crawl with dangerous animals and plants and a dark energy purmeates the stagnate air the deeper you go. Valkary Haven was unwittingly built right on the edge of the area known as the Dark Jungle.   The energy that eminates from the Dark Jungle has a corrupting effect on all life who ventures in. While Valkary Haven is far enough away to avoid most of the energy's ill effects, it has created a disease among the Zelots that oddly only affects the men. Most sons born to the Zelots die by age two and those who survive are usually sickly in appearance.   The Zelots follow a strictly matriarchal structure largely due to the scarcity of males. The lack of sons has resulted in the Zelot practice of polygyny and unrestricted sexual relations. A lucky Zelot man who survives and is relatively healthy can have multiple sexual partners at once, most of which he is not married to. This practice comes out of the Zelot womens' desperation to have children and preserve their way of life. Zelot women are sometimes called Sirens because of their natural beauty and skills at flirting and seducing men into bed with them. Some have found work as prostitutes and strippers, giving their people a bad reputation.