Chaja

Overview
STR	25
INT	17
WIS	17
DEX	23
CON	23
CHR	17
Resists	Light
Vulnerable	Illusion
Special	Giant, dark vision, iron stomach

Resilient and resourceful, the subterranean chaja are known most widely for their countless generations of enslavement by the shuddeni. Many remain under the thumb of the shuddeni, but populations of free chaja continue to grow more prominent in both urban centres and their ancient mountain enclaves.

Biology

Chaja are gigantic humanoid mammals with caprine features and robust, hirsute bodies. The hair and skin of a chaja ranges in colour from cream to brown to black, and gradually darkens with age. Some chaja have small horns, though these are often concealed by the long, woolly hair which mantles their head, shoulders, chest, and back. At maturity they can reach over nine feet in height, and have strong, robust builds padded with layers of protective fat. They possess little sexual dimorphism, with both sexes possessing thick body hair and often facial hair as well. Their eyes have no visible pupil; chaja who mature underground will often retain milky white eyes, while the chaja who have regular exposure to sunlight can have eyes in a variety of muted shades.

The ability of the chaja to eat nearly anything is legendary. Not only are their stomachs exceptionally acidic, allowing them to eat even spoiled or rotting foods safely, their gut biome is uniquely extensive and dramatically expands the range of things they can derive sustenance from.

Culture

Chaja are a largely subterranean people within the Brintors, their mastery of the druidic arts transforming their underground caverns into sunlit, verdant spaces. The influences of the gods Elanthe and Kurion alongside Kyana have made them a thoughtful, stoic people, prone to quiet introspection often mistaken for dullness or stupidity. Though not especially inclined to violence as a people, their potential for martial prowess owing to their size, strength, and sheer tenacity has become legendary.

The written language of the chaja is a simple cuneiform, and is reserved for mundane and every-day matters; things of personal or spiritual importance are preserved and conveyed in art, song, poetry, or tale. Much of their culture surrounds the concepts of narrative and fate, and the proper disposition in the face of ones' circumstances. The tension to balance defiance against fatalism is a constant.

Like the shuddeni, the chaja raise giant tame breeds of spider from whom they create the silk that comprises most of their clothing. Unlike the shuddeni, they regard spiders as sacred, being the favorite creatures of Kurion; spiders and their tenders are thus treated with a kind of dread respect, and spider flesh is not eaten by them, though edible silks are common features in their dishes. Alongside this they cultivate a variety of strange insects, subterranean fish, and fungi, which they incorporate into curries popular even on the surface, albeit without the addition of ingredients toxic or fatal to all but the chaja.

Beauty and attractiveness is not gendered, and features, talents, clothing, or jewelry are regarded as such regardless of the gender of their bearer. Their garments are not stitched, instead being comprised of various arrangements of long, wide lengths of silk. These are wrapped, folded, tied, and tucked into different kinds of clothing, such as saari or dhoti, according to the personal tastes, occasion, intended message, etc. These are dyed in a rainbow of fungi-derived dyes as well as embroidered or adorned with precious metals and gemstones. Likewise, all genders wear an abundance of such jewelry, particularly styled to be pinned to or draped over their hair.

Their isolation and quiet nature means chaja are often best known outside the Brintors, and particularly in Earendam, for their frequent use as slaves by the shuddeni. During the War of Night in particular they were forced to be shock troops for the shuddeni, causing them to be vilified as mindless, vicious monsters. The shuddeni continue to predate upon the chaja, kidnapping them for enslavement as laborers, hunters, or servants. Crude stereotypes and lingering prejudice have made chaja lives in outside cities such as Earendam or Ashta Harrud frustrating ones. They can frequently be found commiserating with alatharya, who experience similar prejudices.

Religion

Like the chaja themselves their deities have been shrouded in obscurity since the War of Night, but counted foremost among them is Kyana, the ancient and mysterious goddess of the stars. Upon emerging from the Brintor mountains, the chaja are said to have gazed up at the stars and cried out to them in awe of their beauty. Their cries stirred Kyana from her sorrow, and she took the chaja as her own, imparting on them prophecies concerning the fate of their people and the world and altering their species to be exceptionally resilient and capable of surviving in even the harshest conditions.

History

The chaja were the first to settle the Brintor mountains following the Sundering, emerging from the heart of the mountains and spreading across the ranges. In the time between the Sundering and the War of Fire, the chaja built many towering structures across the ranges which would later be repurposed by the aelin of Daphoa. The War of Fire marked the beginning of true chaja isolationism however, as in obeisance to Kyana's foresight they retreated into underground sanctums to avoid the devastation of the fiery warlords ravaging the surface. Some enclaves attempted to retain their surface holdings, but all of them, as well as the aelin, were obliterated.

As the enclaves retreated further underground, they encountered the shuddeni in the places their warrens interacted with the labyrinthine shuddeni underground. Though their past interactions with the shuddeni had been relatively peaceful if brief, the shuddeni of the Yithoul clan were at the time engaged in a war of extinction with another clan. Seeing an opportunity in the vulnerable chaja, the shuddeni used their burgeoning psionics to execute a swift campaign of domination against the handful of enclaves they were able to find, pressing them into service against their enemies in that and other conflicts, such as the War of Night. The chaja continue to be a target for shuddeni slavers, who use a combination of psionics and collusion from divines of Kurion to keep them in chains.

In modern times, the chaja strongholds of the Brintors maintain a state of extreme secrecy and isolationism, while the free chaja of the lowlands find themselves struggling against ancient prejudice and comparisons to the alatharya.