Mithu
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“Damn my lifegroup. Damn the council. My loyalty has always been to my people, but I’m sick of being their homunculus. I want to test myself, to become something, for better or worse. And if some day, you need what I’ve made of myself…then I’ll consider coming back.”
-Eaoraini, mithu rogue, shortly before her exile
Mithu are mistji born without that race’s affinity for magic. Only one in six mistji are born mithu, and even after years of research by mistji councils, no one is sure why mithu are born “magic blind.” Some speculate that it has to do with the fall of the Daegir, when the mistji lost their spirit forms and were made flesh, but no concrete evidence has ever been found supporting that theory.
Mithu are primarily found in mistji communities serving as craftsmen, scouts, enforcers, and investigators. Most foreigners prefer dealing with mithu over mistji; mithu are personable and friendly, and possess greater knowledge of the “outside world” due to their frequent ventures away from mistji enclaves. Almost all mithu are strong-willed and outgoing individuals, trained from a very young age to be resourceful and adaptive.
Personality
Mithu have a wide variety of personalities, and few are alike. They are encouraged from a young age to rely on their own abilities, while remaining loyal to and trusting of their lifegroups above all others. This manifests in an inner strength and a deep sense of commitment and responsibility to their comrades. Mithu constantly practice to hone their abilities and pick up new skills, and assist each other in learning throughout their lives. They relish the chance to meet new cultures and are very open to new experiences. Mithu generally do not approve of mistji views of other races, and tend to be genuinely friendly when dealing with outsiders–but can be deferential when speaking to well-educated or magical individuals, so used to their place in mistji society.
Physiology
Mithu resemble mistji, though they are often taller with more toned physiques. They average 5 1/2 to 6 feet tall, with long limbs and pale features. Mithu tend to wear their hair long, kept in ponytails or braids to keep it out of the way. Most have flaxen hair, but those born with darker colors often lighten it like mistji. Their eyes are large and inquisitive, most commonly green, but also found in purple, blue, and hazel. Mithu prefer to eat fruits, vegetables, and grains, but are not against eating meat. They live for an average of 80 years, and are considered adults by the age of 18.
Attire
Mithu prefer loose-fitting tunics and breeches in dark earth tones. They are willing to wear armor, and outfit themselves as suitable for their situations. Due to their lifestyle, jewelry is kept to a minimum, though most mithu own at least one exquisite piece (such as a necklace, bracelet, or armband). Mithu wear dark robes when patrolling mistji cities, as well as long stoles denoting their rankings.
In Battle
Mithu are expert tacticians and use stealth and subterfuge over brute force. Their favored weapons are the hylai stick and the ulstakka. A favored mithu tactic is to hit opponents from afar and soften them up for melee combat. When fighting with their lifegroups, mithu fight as a cohesive whole with each member complementing the others. Against especially mighty foes, mithu employ the use of magic items supplied by mistji.
Society
Mistji and mithu serve different roles within their society that are clearly defined and never intermixed. Mithu are granted more freedom and flexibility than mistji, due to their lack of magical aptitude; a single mithu, no matter how dangerous or rebellious, cannot influence the world as a mistji sorcerer can. Coupled with their far shorter lifespans, this makes the mithu segment of mistji society comparatively fast-paced, and able to react and adjust to situations more efficiently than the mistji councils. Mithu serve primarily as craftsmen, scouts, and lawmen within mistji communities.
When young, mithu are placed in lifegroups with others of like age and ability. Each mithu trains from birth almost exclusively with his or her lifegroup and an experienced mithu elder, harnessing natural abilities and learning to become a prosperous member of society. Young mithu and mistji children are encouraged to play only with their own kind, though this isn’t strictly enforced until they grow older. There is usually no resentment over this separation among mistji, as it is an expected aspect of their lives and part of the maturation of young mistji adults. Mithu, however, at times feel betrayed or abandoned by their former friends.
Topics of study for young mithu include unarmed combat, wilderness survival, stealth, and subterfuge. Once they master these early disciplines, they are extensively trained in the use of magic items crafted by elder mistji students. A very few mithu show some ability with magic around this time, and these mithu are fostered by mistji mentors on an individual basis, in addition to their other studies.
In their free time, mithu practice crafts of their choice, perfecting their trades so as to utilize them as adults. As their combat and scouting training continues, mithu learn infiltration skills and special tactics for fighting ulnumaru (widely feared creatures who take sustenance from magic) and other spirit beings. When the time is right, lifegroups serve in training patrols in nearby lands meant to further solidify them as teams.
Once they reach adulthood, mithu take their place in society and serve in the crafts or professions studied during their youth. Even when spread throughout their communities, mithu maintain strong ties with their lifegroups and treat all members as family. Many adult mithu create tools or construct buildings, or help cultivate crops in communities too large to be supplied exclusively by mistji gardens. Mithu crafts are often provided to mistji students, who imbue them with magic. Some mithu take on other roles, serving as emissaries between mistji councils or aides to high-ranking mistji. In times of war–something which hasn’t occurred in over a thousand years–mithu form the backbone of the army and are supported by mistji sorcerers.
All mithu reunite with their lifegroups for three months each year when they serve in the local militia. Lifegroups serve on a rotating schedule, assuring they retain a practiced edge to their abilities. The militia fills a wide variety of roles, and is overseen by a mithu prefect who works with the mistji councils to decide the direction of the entire militia.
The militia’s core responsibilities are to maintain laws, keep the peace, and deal with outside threats. Crime prevention and maintaining order are important, but rarely necessary. Few laws are broken, and crimes usually require no investigation. In the instances where transgressions occur, mistji councils are summoned to deal with the offenders. Evidence is provided by the militia, but cases are judged by the councils. Mithu see no problem with this method, as it has been a long-standing tradition that they maintain order, while leadership duties are left to mistji. A mithu who breaks laws is judged by the mithu prefect, unless the crime is committed against a mistji (in which case the council judges).
Militia scouts are also important in maintaining the safety of mistji society. They keep watch on other cities and the movement of nearby skarren kulvraks, and act as liaisons when necessary. While outsiders occasionally balk at not meeting mistji representatives, mithu have a greater practical understanding of the outside world and the traditions of other peoples, making them preferred diplomats.
Within the strictly separatist mistji society, some tension does arise. The mithu are forever pitied by their mistji forebearers, and kept at arm’s length due to their magic blindness and their experience in matters mistji fear or do not understand–weapons and armor, interactions with other races, and travel through the world. In return, mithu dislike the narrow views and close-minded haughtiness of the mistji, and sometimes heated debates can arise. These debates are few, however, and while friction between the two peoples is common, their differences are overlooked for the good of the collective society.
Religion
Mithu share the philosophical tenets of mistji, but do not see themselves as part of the flow of magic. The ideals instilled in them and the strictness of their ways provides them with guidance through life, and they are expected to find peace in being a necessary part of mistji society. Those who need more guidance can converse with mistji elders, who are considered more knowledgeable about such matters.
What happens to mithu upon death is an unprobed mystery, and mithu are encouraged not to dwell on such intangibles. Mistji do not believe mithu become one with magic, and some philosophers suspect that mithu are reborn as other, more earthly creatures. Mithu occasionally discuss this possibility among themselves, but never with mistji.
Race Relations
Mithu get along well with humans, sulwynarii, and zeidians. These races do not especially like dealing with the arrogant mistji, and look forward to dealing with their more level-headed kin. Of all races, mithu feel a strongest kinship with zeidians, who live similarly-specialized lifestyles. Mithu can be envious of the accomplishments of sulwynarii, often going to great lengths to befriend them. Humans (and skareth) they approach on an individual basis, due to the wide variance in personalities.
Most mithu have little experience interacting with ngakoi and vulnar, and the strangeness with which those races conduct themselves leaves many mithu longing to learn more about them. Of the two, dealings with the vulnar are far more common, as vulnar trade routes lead through mistji territory as often as anywhere else. The ngakoi are distrusted by mistji, and show no interest in reversing this attitude; thus, dealings with them are extraordinarily rare.
Skarren are considered potential threats, and mithu tend to be terse and blunt when dealing with them. Conflicts often arise between the two peoples, leaving mithu wary.
Lands
Mithu have no lands of their own, as they are almost all integrated into mistji society. There are rumors of a large band of mithu residing in the Buerlar Forest, but the mistji councils dismiss the notion as hearsay. Officials in Kulloren insist on the existence of this band, which they call Quelem or “the Free Ones,” but no formal relations exist between the band and any known groups.
Alignment
Mithu are raised to obey the rigid system of their society and have a very structured outlook on life. This view can become conflicted in their later training, as they are encouraged to be free-thinkers and more independent to better survive in their self-reliant roles. Because of this, mithu usually favor neutral alignments with a tendency to follow good; unlike mistji, who are bound by societal traditions, mithu have the freedom of acting morally. Evil mithu are extremely rare, but mithu who become frustrated with the duality of their society can harbor dark intentions.
Language
Mithu do not have a language of their own, but learn and speak Mistji.
Names
Mithu use the same naming conventions as mistji.
Adventurers
Mithu mostly take up adventuring out of a desire to experience what mistji call “the outside world,” heeding an call to see what life away from their stringent society is really like. Some wish to become more than they are allowed under the mistji, or to fight for their people in ways normally forbidden. Though adjusting to life among other races is difficult, most mithu have no fear of venturing out on their own.
Mithu tend to become rogues, monks, rangers, and bards. They have a diverse skill set and are naturally drawn to classes with a combination of practical and martial abilities. Those with a stronger interest in combat become fighters, but barbarians are generally restricted to mithu brought up away from their people (such as lost children or orphaned survivors of an attack). Of the pure arcane spellcasters, wizards are most common, as all mithu gain a scholarly understanding of the magic that so permeates their society. The inherent magic native to sorcerers does exist in mithu, but is far less common. Paladins, devouts, and druids are extremely rare among mithu. Mithu rarely accept the narrow focus of the former two classes, and though some possess an affinity for nature, mithu with a love of the outdoors tend to become rangers.
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