Jindari

Name:

Jindari

Alternate Name:

Scarecrows. Shadowmen, Mortalforged

Description:

The Jindari are very different from other forms of mortals - they did not evolve from natural biological life but were created by some unknown mortal race. Built for war, they outlived their masters and established their own culture. Each Jindari appears like a loosely clothed member of any humanoid species - bipedal, with two grasping limbs with hands that contain between three and six fingers. Jindari are short, generally four feet in height, give or take an inch or two, and are sometimes mistaken for children of other species at a distance. While the Jindari appear to be clothed, the cloth coverings are actually a sort of skin that covers the actual Jindari being. Instead of flesh, each Jindari is a semi-gaseous form that is a deep black except for two specialized eye structures in the ‘face’. The body is at risk of ‘scraping’ off in small amounts when it encounters physical objects, so the cloth allows the Jindari to avoid constant contact with the physical world. They can even feel from across the cloth, much like other species do through the skin, and can gradually regrow or change the cloth over time. The ‘face’ is the only part of the gaseous-like body exposed, and even then, some Jindari wear masks in imitation of animals or other mortals to aid in communication.

The Jindari are sexless in their biology but not in their identity - a relic of their bi-gendered mortal creators. Each Jindari is born from the donations of two parent Jindari essences (note: in rare cases, more than two in certain poly-based families), which do not need to be of any particular gender identity. Instead, Jindarri who are close friends or romantic partners may choose to engage in child rearing by creating one or more children and dedicate themselves to the mandatory two decade period of raising the child in a shared living space. The created children are raised by all parents equally and usually in the shared home. They do not have any particular gender identity assigned at birth, but are instead allowed to choose one at the age of majority, at the end of the two-decade period. Some see gender identity as a fluid concept and may actually change their expression several times over their lives. Gender is a little more than a concept to the Jinadari, so they often struggle to understand why other species hold to the idea of gender roles or identities so strongly.

Because they regenerate and seem to exist without many of the complicated internal structures of normal mortals, Jindari can live an extremely long time, just like humans. Their own weakness is that both their cloth ‘skin’ and their gaseous inner bodies are incredibly flammable. Even a small flame like a candle can prove lethal to a Jindari, and open flames are unheard of in Jindari homes.

History:

The history of the Jendari is only fully known by the remaining elders who live somewhere on the Jindari homeworld. The most commonly accepted legend is that they were created by another mortal race to fight in a war, but gained their independence and fled their creators. Those original creators then destroyed themselves, leaving the Jendari to inherit the world. Ancient murals depict the Jendari settling in the world, carried by immense walking transports made of leather and wood. Metal, for whatever reason, was a precious commodity on their world, and the ancient Jendarri could create amazing artifice using as little metal as possible.

Such walkers are venerated pieces of equipment, only kept in the largest of their settlements now. In recent history, Jendari have lived and mixed freely with other races, with minimal adaptations. Some have taken precautions, such as additional non-living leather or wood coverings over their cloth to reduce the risk of tears and fire, or emergency canteens of water worn around the belt.

Culture:

Jindari culture is defined by its great fluidity—they consider little permanent, from their names to their identities to even their professions. Some go so far as to completely ‘reset’ every century, choosing to learn a new profession and moving to a new city-state. Jindari names are likewise unique - they consider numbers to have their own meanings beyond quantity, and appending a defining number like ‘Nine’ for added luck or ‘Thirty’ as a reference to martial skill is common. Some numbers and their meanings:

Seven: Faithful

Nine: Lucky

Thirty: Martial Skills

Forty: Cooking Skills

Three-Seven-Nine: Heroic, a reference to the number of Jindari defenders in a famous last stand