Tryker civilisation¶

What they value¶

• Freedom
• Equality
• Tenacity
• Enjoying simple pleasures in life
• Sharing

How they see the Karavan¶

The Trykers consider the Karavan as faithful servants of Jena who stand watch over hominkind and assure their security in case the dragon rises or any other nefarious entity menaces. Over time, however, the common Tryker has come to consider them as lacking that pinch of fantasy to be real guardians from the other world. Consequently, many Trykers treat the Karavan more as overlords not to ruffle than a religious entity. This skepticism came to a head with many a Tryker wondering if they really had anything to do with Jena at all, until in 2506 when Governor Beadley Nimby stepped in line with Matis initiatives to reinforce measures ensuring adherence to Karavan teachings. Today the Trykers remain loyal to the Karavan because they protect them from Kami possession. Moreover, they are the only force on Atys that offers them a clear perspective with Jena, in whom they fervently believe.

How they see Kamis¶

The Trykers did not initially esteem the Kamis for their spiritual worth but rather took them as bizarre creatures with an eerie aptitude for magic. It is said that the earliest Trykers were the first favorites of the Kamis until the day the Fyros began ravishing the Bark and liberating dragon fire. As a consequence, in need of calm and healing, the Kamis grew closer to the Zoraï'i. Moreover, the Karavan disciples came to forbid any contact with the creatures labelling them as evil beings. Nowadays, the Tryker authorities officially oppose relations with the Kamis because they are afraid of Trykers becoming 'possessed' by the weird creatures, like the Zoraï'i and, more recently, the Fyros.

How they see Jena¶

Many Tryker customs are centered around the worship of Jena which is tinged with superstition. Jena gives them a sense to their lives as the Mother of Creation. They readily give her offerings through her disciples on Atys, the Karavan. Many Trykers firmly believe in the prophecy and the existence of another world from which hominkind came before birth. Trykers generally accept that the Great Swarming was Jena's doing as a punishment for the unlawful things the homins in general had been getting up to, i.e. Fyros excavation and Zoraï worship of the Kamis.

How they see Elias Tryton¶

A number of Tryker elders relate how Elias, a man all in white, appeared before them during the Great Swarming of 2481 to tell them how to guide homins to safety through a rainbow. The surviving 'chosen ones' would have Trykers believe that Elias is none other than the husband of Jena, in which case, it would turn out that Elias is the divine father of Atys! In Elias many Trykers have found a vent for their need for a holy father. For anyone knows it takes two to create a homin life! This notion corresponds to their utopian dream of a life where couples have babies and live happily ever after.

During the years that followed the apparition, some Tryker sages founded the Guild of Elias with homins of other races to keep his memory alive. This guild was later portrayed by the Karavan as a sect opposing the church of Jena and prohibited, though many members were able to operate underground easily in Tryker territory.

Nowadays the Guild of Elias still resides underground on Tryker territory though manages to spread the word of the coming of Elias. The Fairhaven government, following Karavan Law, has banished the guild for peace' sake though in reality they turn a blind eye to be able to leave the door ajar just in case Elias really is the Holy Father!

How they see the Matis¶

Though allied in their worship of Jena, in the past the Matis have time again tried to impose their vision of society on the Tryker people so creating discord, and sometimes open conflict. Indeed, it was fear of the overbearing character of the Matis that made the Tryker Council breach the Edict of 4 Peoples and sign a preferential Trade Agreement with the Fyros in 2497, which led to hostilities over Lagoons of Loria.

Nowadays however, the Trykers feel they have earned respect from the Matis who seem to have at last come to accept they share not the same notions of social structure. The ratification of the Homin Rights Act by the Matis in 2518 and the Matis relinquishing Tryker territory in Lagoons of Loria have done much to restore a feeling of fraternity around Jena worship. Today the two peoples live in relative harmony.

In fact, to a certain extent the Matis owe the Trykers their freedom after the dictatorship of Jinovitch. Not only did the Tryker Council give Yrkanis political asylum in Fairhaven in 2508 but Still Wyler escorted him back into Matis lands to defeat Jinovitch and accede to the thrown in 2514. But that was over ten years ago and it would seem that the Matis have a short memory. Indeed, they refuse to admit they were helped by Trykers claiming it was they who helped them free Lagoons of Loria.

How they see the Fyros¶

The Fyros where once allies who gave Trykers protection against the domineering Matis in exchange for water supplies at low cost. But the Trykers learning the art of warfare in their struggle to break the shackles of Matis slavery, thanks to the legendary Company of Loria, soon meant they could negotiate more advantageous trade agreements. Nowadays the Trykers feel they no longer need their condescending Fyros protectors of old, especially with the new feeling of fraternity with the Matis. Furthermore, the Fyros moving closer to the Kamis and the weird Zoraï'i has widened the gap of religious difference.

How they see the Zoraï'i¶

The Trykers distrust the Zoraï mystics who openly transgress Jena Law by venerating the Kamis. What is more, during past troubles in the old lands with the Matis, the Zoraï'i refused to let their forefathers cross the great Zoraï wall into the jungle lands to flee Matis swords. A similar thing happened during the Great Swarming when the Zoraï'i closed their frontiers and let many thousands of Trykers perish in the jaws of the kitins. Although the Zoraï'i have opened up since the exile in the Prime Roots, the Trykers still bear a grudge against the Zoraï'i deliberately turning their forefathers away in their time of greatest need. More recently, it was the Zoraï'i , under Fung-Tun in 2504, who first installed slavery in the new lands, which Trykers strongly oppose.

History In Brief¶

The Trykers, probably the greatest seafarers of the ancient world, lived in floating villages in the lake lands known as Trykoth. Their principle cities, all ports, included Jeniah and Breneth. They formed a myriad of tribes, with each tribe being headed by a counsel whose duty it was to settle disputes and keep the peace. But their peaceful and idyllic existence became blighted when a great fire, known as the Fire of Coriolis, spread across Atys wastelands to the north so cutting off the water route between desert and lake lands as well as their Fyros protectors. Taking advantage of the calamity in the north to break the Fyro-Tryker alliance, the Matis king, Aniro III, led a lightening campaign to the south invading lake lands and easily reducing surviving Trykers to slavery. But an organized fellowship of rebels led by Loria broke away taking refuge in the depths of Atys.

Traveling from the Canopy to the Prime Roots, these Tryker heroes strove to shatter the shackles binding their brothers and led them across the Bark of Atys braving the worst of dangers. At the same time, realizing that without water supplies from the lake lands his empire would crumble, the then aged Abylus the Learned, launched an all out attack on the Matis front in an attempt to re-establish the water route running through Matis territory to the Lake Lands. Matis forces thus engaged in all out warfare were unable to quell the revolt led by the Company of Loria who led their people back to the Lake Lands. Loria masterly divided her people into combat groups, each one led by a member of the Company to exert repeated alternating attacks along the southern front so creating havoc and relieving flagging Fyros forces in the north and west. Faced with Fyro-Tryker pressure, Aniro III eventually took the decision to retreat back to his former dominions rather than risk losing them completely.

The water route was open again and, wiser after the battle, the Trykers further developed their newfound guerrilla skills in case of future attack. And indeed, barely two generations later the Matis, taking advantage of a swarming of kitins in the desert regions which decimated Fyros populations, again turned their eyes to the west and south. However, the Trykers were saved from ever feeling the full force of the Matis. Indeed, it was a far greater force that swept the Trykers from their ancient lands. Kitin onslaughts progressed into Matis territory from the north literally devouring Matis battalions from behind before moving into Tryker lake lands and eradicating all traces of hominkind.