Tribal Wars

Righty, this is where I try to explain the world I’ve placed this story in. I’ve borrowed it from my favourite role playing game Tribe 8. It’s a post acopalyptic world (remember the mad max movies?). Their homepage can be found here; http://www.dp9.com/Worlds/t8.htm

For those who are (like me) too lazy to look at the page, I’ll try to make sense of stuff here.

Firstly, the known world is divided into three parts, Vimary, Outlands and the Z’bri lands. Vimary is in the middle with Z’bri lands to their north and Outlands to the southeast. Between Vimary and Z’bri lands lies a crumbled wall of some sorts called The Seven Fingers. Its called that because of the seven towers it harbours. Vimary is separated from Outlands by a large river and in the middle of that rives lies Hom, the little island where the Fallen live. In the west of Vimary lies an ocean that no one have crossed and they believe that there is nothing on the other side of it other than more water. The east of Vimary is a wasteland with red sand and dirt. No one goes there, as there are no source of water known and no wildlife to live of.

Secondly, the tribes…
There are seven tribes and each of them has a Fathima. A Fathima is the one who each tribe get their traits and distinctions from and they are basically a human archetype. The mother goddess sent them to the camps in hope of liberating the humans from the Z’bri. And in the beginning there were 8 Fathimas, 7 female and 1 male. Joshua the Ravager was killed in the final battle. The Fathimas are sisters, but that doesn’t mean that they live in peace and harmony. They too are divided into three factions and are suspicious of each other.


Agnites; Agnites are the most cruel of all of the tribes, this is due to the fact that their Fathima is a child and the tribe is run by children. All they want to do is play and have fun and they live on the whim of their leader. Agnes might decide that she doesn’t like you and before you can say candy cane you are out and a Fallen. Agnites are in general spoiled (they keep their elder tribe mates as slaves), easily distracted and whimsical beings. However those who are kicked out tend to grow up fast, as they are literally hit smack dab in the face with reality. Agnites are divided into three sections; from the age one to seven you are a child and do nothing but play and have fun. From seven to seventeen you are an overseer who got the power to boss the other children around, you basically are at the top with all the benefits and none of the responsibilities. After you turn seventeen you are either to become a breeder or a barren. A breeder doesn’t do anything but pump out children (if you are female) or knock up other breeder (if you are male… frankly I think male Agnites got the best deal here, lol). If you are unlucky enough to be infertile you are doomed as a barren. Barrens are the ones who do all the work and get all the blame if something goes wrong. They do the cooking, cleaning, all the chores that the others don’t want to do and are totally at the mercy of spoiled children. Now if you make it through to the age of thirty and haven’t run off yet, you are officially kicked out and become Fallen.

Agnes the Child, Fathima of Capriciousness and Inspiration. Innocent and spoiled, Agnes was not alive during the Camps. She was born from Mary the Forgiver, a Fathima who died soon after Liberation. She doesn't like being marginalized by Her elder siblings and is prone to dangerous tantrums. Agnes can reduce others intellect to that of a child and can create playmates from inanimate objects.


Yagans; Yagans are a morbid tribe who loves to do nothing more than plough through dusty tomes and read the future in stretched, dried up human skins. Their Fathima Baba Yaga was born old and wrinkly and she was the first of the Fathimas to be born. Yagans display their love for death by cutting away pieces of their own flesh so that the bones are exposed. They believe that the older you get the wiser you are, and once you do die your wisdom can be deciphered in your skin. So naturally when you die you get skinned… Yagans are secretive and gloomy, they rarely mingle with people outside their own tribe.

Baba Yaga the Crone, Fathima of Death and Fate: Creepy and morbid, Baba Yaga is the oldest Fathima and in many ways their senior member. She has dominion over death and her tribe is renowned for the curses they can cast. She is also the Fathima of Fate and can see the future and travel about as a spirit.

Dhalians; Dhalians are nomads who travel the roads of Vimary. They are masters of mischief and love nothing more that play you a painful prank. If a Dhalian thinks you are too arrogant they’ll make sure you eat more than one piece of humble pie. Dhalians are a lively bunch and its common for a caravan to have a couple of Agnites in it.

Dahlia the Trickster, Fathima of Illusion and Motion. Dahlia is the troublemaker of the Seven Fathimas. Never comfortable with order, she pushes for change and chaos even if people get hurt in the process. Dahlia can change her appearance at will, cast illusions, and move with uncanny speed.

Evans; Nurturing, caring and loved by all, Evans are farmers and healers. They value family and traditions and a good life is having a loving family and a patch of dirt to grow crops. Although being born an Evan might seem like the best thing that can happen to a child it really isn’t. From birth Evans are bound strictly by traditions and they have little if no freedom to do what they wish. They have few choices in life and even whom you marry is decided by the elders.

Eva the Mother, Fathima of Empathy and Life. A nature Goddess, Eva and Her tribe hold dominion over fertility, agriculture and animals. Renowned for Her caring attitude, she also tends to smother Her children and grants her followers very little freedom. She can both promote life and choke it out of things that displease Her.

Joanites; considered the police force and army of Vimary, Joanites are warriors. They are raised to obey their orders and kill before they are killed. Often looked upon as dumb brutes or brainwashed soldiers, yet they are the ones who venture out into Z’bri lands in order to keep the rest of Vimary safe. Joanites are divided into several families and ones fate is more or less decided on which family one is born into. If a Joanite wishes to become a Templar, it is almost impossible if you are not born into the Uhan family. There are ways to become a Templar without being a Uhan, but one would have to work twice as hard and stand out on the battlefield as exceptional. Joanites start their military carrier at the age of 14 as a Blade in the Watch. Most stay in the Watch all their lives unless you are from a family who allows you to either a Templar, Smith or Wolf. A Templar is a member of Joan’s personal army, they are her guards and they spend most of their life fighting in the war with the Z’bri. A Smith can either make weapons or armour and their work is the best in all of Vimary. They are masters in their craft and what ever they make is a piece of art in it self. A Wolf is a shaman or a priest. They are highly secretive and they worship the wolf spirit who aided Joan in her battle against the Z’bri lord. It is said that they can take the shape of a wolf and call upon any wolf to aid them in battle. On a side note; Joan haven’t spoken a word or uttered a single sound since her twin brother Joshua died in the final battle.

Joan the warrior, Fathima of Devotion and Fury: Deadly in battle, Joan often seems to be a simple tool for Tera Sheba and the other Fathimas. She is loyal and honourable, but has not learned to question the orders She is given. Joan fights with supreme skill and wields devastating weapons.

Magdalites; Concubines, whores, diplomats, spies, assassins… and so much more. A Magdalite is a double-edged sword and to be treated with caution. They will seduce you and have you spill all your secrets to them while your brain is trying to process the pleasure they are giving you. Magdalites are masters in making poisons, drugs of every kind and body art. If a Joanite wants a scar shaped in a certain way they go to a Magdalite body worker. Magdalites don’t discriminate in any way, be it preference to sex, fetishes, shape or from of the body.

Magdalene the Lover, Fathima of Conflict and Sensuality. Masked and veiled, Magdalene embodies both the softness of romance and the hard edge of animal lust. She thrives of secrets and forbidden pleasures and Her tribe are masters of espionage and seduction. With a glance she can throw people into throes of passion and revel their most minute weaknesses.

Shebans; Judges, it says it all. Shebans live for the law, (often tattooing their favourite laws on their bodies) order and red tape. They have a knack for knowing if your lying or not and they are polite enough to let you chose if you wish to undergo torture or not, they will have the truth no matter what. It is usually better to just tell the truth from the start as it saves you a headache. There are a few tribes who believe that Tera Sheba is using Joan and her tribe to further her own goal, but then again it could be just the Sheban Judges who are using the Watch as they see fit. Shebans have a tendency to view them selves as above the law, seeing as they are the law and thus know how to cover their tracks. They are hard and unforgiving, merciless and cold, the law is the law and no one are above it…

Tera Sheba the Wise, Fathima of Truth and Wisdom. The stern judge of the Fathima, Tera Sheba leads them with a iron will. She believes in laws and order and in harsh punishments for those who disobey. Tera Sheba can compel one to tell the truth and understand the true nature of anything She sees.

Now, onto the Fallen… A Fallen is a person whom the Fathima believes have gone against their will, killed someone or just been plain unlucky and been on the wrong place at the wrong time. Fallens are shunned and no one would beat an eyelash if a tribe person killed a Fallen in broad daylight. They are outcast and dealing with them is a crime, they are persona non grata, not to be spoken about and most people in the tribes find it better to just pretend that they don’t exist. The Fallens live on the small island of Hom where they try to create a new life for them selves. This however is not so easy, Hom can’t sustain it self and food and goods needs to be imported from Tribal lands. There are few willing to trade with the Fallen and food is always a problem to come over.
It would have been easier to make a living had it not been for the fact that the Fallens are divided in four sections.

The Doomsayers: The Doomsayers are concerned with prophecy and destiny and most especially with Joshua the Ravager, the slain Fathima. They are dark prophets and have abilities that allow them to divine secrets and see in darkness.

The Herites: The Herites are holy crusaders, determined to destroy the Fathimas and affirm the spiritual liberation of the Fallen. They are highly driven and often obsessed. They have abilities that allow them to evade capture or domination and recognize their enemies.

The Jackers: The most violent of the Fallen, Jackers are driven to extract justice for the wrongs done to them. The Z'bri are their most hated enemies. Jackers have abilities that allow them to face the gravest dangers and strike with unparalleled power.

The Lightbringers: Leaders and politicians, the Lightbringers are focused on bringing the Fallen together into a united whole. They are also prone to intrigue and politics. They have abilities that allow them to unite groups and convince others of their beliefs.

These four are usually arguing about something or the other. Doomsayers and Lightbringers arguing over the future, Jackers telling them to show it where the sun don’t shine as there are Z’bris to kill and Herites keeping to them selves and generally not caring if the other three kill each other off. This doesn’t mean that a Lightbringer can’t be friends or get along with a Doomsayer or a Herite, it’s just the general perspective of it all.


Now, Z’bri… aliens, aliens, aliens! The horrors who destroyed the World Before, the Z’bri are the purest forms of evil in Tribe 8. Originally creatures of pure spirit, they went mad when they entered the physical world and now take part in perverse pleasures of the flesh. Able to mold and regenerate flesh and posses many bodies, they enjoy pain as much as pleasure. They wield a terrible power called Sundering that allows them to control souls and bodies and use it to subject humans to a wide variety of tortures.
The Z’bri are ruled by a relatively small number of Lords, immensely powerful monstrosities able to possess many different bodies. These Lords command numerous Vassals (lesser but still potent Z’bri stuck in one body), Chained (savage Z’bri who possess animals) and Serfs (lowly human slaves).

House Flemis: The faceless Flemis follow a series of intricate and highly ritualised ceremonies that celebrate their hive-like mentality which frowns upon Individualism -- and their use of Sundering reflects this. They can send out distress signals immediately calling any nearby Flemis. Most Flemis prefer to communicate telepathically, being among the few who still remember the Ancient Z’bri languages.

House Koleris: Rage and anger, the fury of the Z'bri, the Koleris are violent and aggressive. Bursting boils and countless wounds cover their bodies, illustrating their temperament and their love for fighting. Of all the Z'bri Houses the Koleris have nothing but burning hatred of the tribes and delight in causing them as much agony as possible.

House Melanis: Fascinated by knowledge the brooding Melanis are secretive and enigmatic. They spend their time dissecting flesh in an attempt to uncover its power, and relishing in the pain they cause at the same time.

House Sangis: Ephemeral and entrancing, the Sangis retain some of the sublime essence that the Z'bri possessed before the Closing. Impossibly beautiful, the Sangis are likewise impossibly cruel, feasting on the torment and pain of humanity like some sweet nectar.

Now for the Sefs; they are the lowest of the low as they serve the Z'bri. They are considered traitors by all.

Other kinds of people are Keepers and Squats. Keepers are non-tribal people who are obsessed with anything that came from before the Z'bri or as they call it; the Old World. Things such as cars, guns, flashlights, compactdisks... in short what we in the modern world have. They were not amongst the others in the camps, but instead had locked them selves in in underground shelters and survived like that.
Squats are people from the Outlands, they are considered barbarians and just above or below beeing civil (depends on who you ask...). They are treated with caution and are mistrusted.


Hmmmm… oh yeah, magic, or special powers. It exists and it’s real… In the game it’s called Synthesis, but I’m not going to call it that. It will be referred to as Reiatsu abilities and I hope you will be patient with me for not telling you what each of the characters can do, it would spoil it I think.

Hope the world is a bit clearer for you now, a bit easier to understand my poor attempt to explain it during the fic.