Post by Horsie on Jan 5, 2015 1:55:39 GMT
The Yulbax are one of the races of the live within the White Kingdom, they resemble bears.
The Yulbax are direct, confrontational people; they don't back down from a fight or an argument easily, often arguing over trivial points or refusing to give in when proved incorrect. They admire strength, both physically and in terms of a determined personality.
Their homelands are known for their fertile farmlands, the result of ancient volcanic activity, and the Yulbax are skilled, hard working farmers, exporting food all over the White Kingdom.
In addition to the Enlightened Path, the Yulbax also follow and ancient form of shamanism. They believe in hostile ghosts that inhabit the world and can bring harm and misfortune on the living. Shamans perform rituals to subdue or misdirect this dangerous influences, and Yulbax will often have charms and decorations to keep evil spirits away. A common one is a miniature house placed outside the person's real house, sometimes hanging in a tree. This is intended to trick spirits into bothering the toy house rather than the real one. Yulbax also often follow rules on construction of houses and other buildings to bring good fortune and keep evil away.
Yulbax entertainment is loud and confrontational, like the Yulbax themselves. Fighting tournaments are conducted between martial artists, as well as contests to shatter wood or stone using the powerful spinning kicks which form the main weapon in the Yulbax fighter's aggressive arsenal. Yulbax also engage in insulting contests, where competitors will attempt to quickly write, or even improvise insulting poems about their opponent. These are often extremely crass and aggressive (the more crass and aggressive the better), with tailored insults directed to offend the opponent as deeply and personally as possible. Judges are also impressed by clever rhyming and use of language.
Yulbax do not believe in holding grudges, considering this a moral failing. You fight, you argue, you stand your ground, but when the fighting is done you put away swords and harsh words and return to the fields and speak no more of it.
Within Yulbax communities it is common for people to refer to each other by familial titles, often related to the other persons age and gender. An older woman or female authority might be referred to as "mother" while someone of the same age as "sister". A visitor or respected male foreigner is often referred to as uncle. The Yulbax consider using these terms a sign of respect.
The social and military elite of Yulbax are the Hwarang (male) and the Wonhwa (female), known collectively as Flower Warriors. At a young age they are selected from families in the community to receive advanced education in warfare, art, poetry, and philosophy. The Flower Warriors involve shamanistic practices in both their rituals and philosophy, which often causes the Chang to look down on them as showing the limitations of how cultured and civilised Yulbax can be. The Chang also dislike the way the Flower Warriors are selected, as the idea of "good standing" is quite subjective from one community to the next, and to the hierarchical Chang, letting just anyone join the social elite like that is anarchic.
These Flower Warriors place great importance on beauty in addition to strength, courage and intelligence, and take great care of their armour, steeds and physical appearance. They are charged with showing what is best of the Yulbax at all times. They live by five principles, that are considered supreme virtues to the Yulbax:
1 - Loyalty to the community
2- Love and respect for your parents and teachers
3- Trust among friends
4- Never retreat from battle or back down from argument
5- Never take a life without just cause.
The Flower Warriors will often fight to the death and will only back down in debate if the other side is utterly convincing. In the White Kingdom the phrase "persuade the flowers" is often used to mean achieving the seemingly impossible or unlikely.
The Flower Warriors utilise a form of magic that turns their limbs and bodies into burning, molten stone in battle. This increases their durability, strength and allows them to burn their opponents.
Some can even hurls bolts of molten stone from their hands as projectiles.
Yulbax lava magic is powerful and direct, like the Yulbax themselves.
Yulbax get on reasonably well with the Chang, though they view the Chang as uptight, arrogant, and too reserved. For their part, the Chang often view the Yulbax as backward yokels or even outright barbarians, especially because of their shamanistic practices. The Chang sometimes mock the Yulbax that it was the Chang who defeated the supposedly strong Yulbax and brought them into the White Kingdom. Yulbax commonly counter that the First White Empress defeated them, the Chang were just the army she was leading at the time.
The Yulbax often get on well with the Wu-Yao, who like the Yulbax's strong stands for their principles. The Yulbax and Dol-Kim have historically fought many wars, with the nomadic Dol-Kim raiding the settled Yulbax, and tensions still exist between the two groups over past grievances. Though the Yulbax don't believe in holding grudges, they rarely apply this principle when dealing with Dol-Kim.
The Yulbax have the worst relations with the Gyo. The Yulbax find the Gyo sneaky, smug, underhanded, and downright weird. The Gyo consider the Yulbax simplistic, crude, angry, and gullible. Yulbax respect straight talking, preferably in a loud voice, so the sideways glances, amused smiles, and soft whispers of the Gyo only serve to antagonise them.
The Gyo use the term "pretending to be rocks" to describe Yulbax culture, intended to mock both Yulbax magic and their supposedly limited thinking. While they have not fought historical wars or been rivals, the two cultures are so different they invariably class. Only the organisational skills of the Chang could maintain an empire with such conflicting cultures.
The Yulbax are direct, confrontational people; they don't back down from a fight or an argument easily, often arguing over trivial points or refusing to give in when proved incorrect. They admire strength, both physically and in terms of a determined personality.
Their homelands are known for their fertile farmlands, the result of ancient volcanic activity, and the Yulbax are skilled, hard working farmers, exporting food all over the White Kingdom.
In addition to the Enlightened Path, the Yulbax also follow and ancient form of shamanism. They believe in hostile ghosts that inhabit the world and can bring harm and misfortune on the living. Shamans perform rituals to subdue or misdirect this dangerous influences, and Yulbax will often have charms and decorations to keep evil spirits away. A common one is a miniature house placed outside the person's real house, sometimes hanging in a tree. This is intended to trick spirits into bothering the toy house rather than the real one. Yulbax also often follow rules on construction of houses and other buildings to bring good fortune and keep evil away.
Yulbax entertainment is loud and confrontational, like the Yulbax themselves. Fighting tournaments are conducted between martial artists, as well as contests to shatter wood or stone using the powerful spinning kicks which form the main weapon in the Yulbax fighter's aggressive arsenal. Yulbax also engage in insulting contests, where competitors will attempt to quickly write, or even improvise insulting poems about their opponent. These are often extremely crass and aggressive (the more crass and aggressive the better), with tailored insults directed to offend the opponent as deeply and personally as possible. Judges are also impressed by clever rhyming and use of language.
Yulbax do not believe in holding grudges, considering this a moral failing. You fight, you argue, you stand your ground, but when the fighting is done you put away swords and harsh words and return to the fields and speak no more of it.
Within Yulbax communities it is common for people to refer to each other by familial titles, often related to the other persons age and gender. An older woman or female authority might be referred to as "mother" while someone of the same age as "sister". A visitor or respected male foreigner is often referred to as uncle. The Yulbax consider using these terms a sign of respect.
The social and military elite of Yulbax are the Hwarang (male) and the Wonhwa (female), known collectively as Flower Warriors. At a young age they are selected from families in the community to receive advanced education in warfare, art, poetry, and philosophy. The Flower Warriors involve shamanistic practices in both their rituals and philosophy, which often causes the Chang to look down on them as showing the limitations of how cultured and civilised Yulbax can be. The Chang also dislike the way the Flower Warriors are selected, as the idea of "good standing" is quite subjective from one community to the next, and to the hierarchical Chang, letting just anyone join the social elite like that is anarchic.
These Flower Warriors place great importance on beauty in addition to strength, courage and intelligence, and take great care of their armour, steeds and physical appearance. They are charged with showing what is best of the Yulbax at all times. They live by five principles, that are considered supreme virtues to the Yulbax:
1 - Loyalty to the community
2- Love and respect for your parents and teachers
3- Trust among friends
4- Never retreat from battle or back down from argument
5- Never take a life without just cause.
The Flower Warriors will often fight to the death and will only back down in debate if the other side is utterly convincing. In the White Kingdom the phrase "persuade the flowers" is often used to mean achieving the seemingly impossible or unlikely.
The Flower Warriors utilise a form of magic that turns their limbs and bodies into burning, molten stone in battle. This increases their durability, strength and allows them to burn their opponents.
Some can even hurls bolts of molten stone from their hands as projectiles.
Yulbax lava magic is powerful and direct, like the Yulbax themselves.
Yulbax get on reasonably well with the Chang, though they view the Chang as uptight, arrogant, and too reserved. For their part, the Chang often view the Yulbax as backward yokels or even outright barbarians, especially because of their shamanistic practices. The Chang sometimes mock the Yulbax that it was the Chang who defeated the supposedly strong Yulbax and brought them into the White Kingdom. Yulbax commonly counter that the First White Empress defeated them, the Chang were just the army she was leading at the time.
The Yulbax often get on well with the Wu-Yao, who like the Yulbax's strong stands for their principles. The Yulbax and Dol-Kim have historically fought many wars, with the nomadic Dol-Kim raiding the settled Yulbax, and tensions still exist between the two groups over past grievances. Though the Yulbax don't believe in holding grudges, they rarely apply this principle when dealing with Dol-Kim.
The Yulbax have the worst relations with the Gyo. The Yulbax find the Gyo sneaky, smug, underhanded, and downright weird. The Gyo consider the Yulbax simplistic, crude, angry, and gullible. Yulbax respect straight talking, preferably in a loud voice, so the sideways glances, amused smiles, and soft whispers of the Gyo only serve to antagonise them.
The Gyo use the term "pretending to be rocks" to describe Yulbax culture, intended to mock both Yulbax magic and their supposedly limited thinking. While they have not fought historical wars or been rivals, the two cultures are so different they invariably class. Only the organisational skills of the Chang could maintain an empire with such conflicting cultures.