Zeyot

The Zeyote (//, singular Zeyot) were a nomadic, somewhat peaceful people that lived on the planet Mandos. They were hunters and gatherers. They were best-known for their hoods, which obscured the view of their faces. The Zeyote believed that they could only remove their hoods in front of loved ones. They governed through discussion and then a council vote. They traveled constantly to follow food or interact with other Zeyote to trade or talk. Most Zeyote lived in Mandos's tall grass plains, but some made their homes in the snowy mountains.

Biology and appearance
The Zeyote were a race of bipeds with ashen black skin. The dark color of their skin allowed them to withstand higher temperatures and exposure to the sun. Their eyes were solid colors and were usually in shades of blue, green, purple, or red, although orange and yellow were rare variations. Their naturally high metabolism made them thinner than similar-sized humanoids. Though they had solid color eyes, it was thought that they saw much like a human only with enhanced vision in the infrared spectrum. They had five-digit hands and feet.

Society and culture
The Zeyote were a pacifistic people by nature. They chose to discuss any disputes and if an agreement could not be met then one party would move.

The homes of the Zeyote were constructed of animal hides and wood. Leathers of various types were used to fasten the structures together. Though known to be nomadic, there were cases in which a group of Zeyote would settle in a place for years at a time. If a member was too ill to travel the Zeyote would not move and leave the member behind. Groups were known to stop for pregnancies as well. Most tribes settled for months at a time before moving to a new place. They never left a site barren, always leaving crops or game still available in case another group would move in later. They always planted more crops before leaving an area.

They were not hostile towards other groups, using the interaction as a way to trade food, tell stories, or help each other. This was also how Zeyote met their life partners from time to time. It was also not uncommon for members of one tribe to move to another tribe. This was not shunned but instead encouraged. The average tribe ranged from twenty to seventy members with some tribes being as many as a few hundred members. These larger tribes usually broke apart after a time and formed smaller tribes which went their own ways.

If a member committed a crime of extreme violence such as murder or rape, and was voted guilty by the tribe, it resulted in the convict being stripped of his hood and exiled.

Religion
The Zeyote were an extremely religious people. They all wore hoods of various colors to hide their faces from their gods. They believed that they were so flawed from what their creator intended that they should not be looked upon. It was prophesized that they would remove their hoods when they had been forgiven. The Zeyote believed that Rin Sakaros was an embodiement of their sun goddess.

Some of the Zeyote joined the Cult of Rin, thinking that perhaps if they showed enough devotion they would receive a sign that they could remove their hoods. Every Zeyote older than four years of age wore hoods.

Military
The Zeyote did not have an organized military. In a fight the people of the tribe that were physically able would take up arms to defend their fellow tribe members.

History
Little was known about the Zeyote before the Golden Empire. The people there were quiet and kept to themselves, not developing space travel. Their nomadic ways and almost isolationist habits made it hard for other species to even track down and speak with the Zeyote.

There had never been a major war on the planet, as the Zeyote shunned violence. From time to time there were small fights, but due to the low level of technology that the Zeyote possessed, these battles provided nothing more than a death toll.

When the Golden Empire came it had a great effect, mostly due to Rin Sakaros. The Zeyote believed Rin to be the incarnation of one of their gods and a craze swept through Mandos. It united all the Zeyote in the way that they believed one of their deities was back and they wanted to please her. This also led to the adoption of offworlder space travel technology, as the Zeyote believed that they should spread the word to others so that they could be enlightened about the goddess walking among them. As a species, they were constantly members of the Cult of Rin, along with the Massassi and various others.

In the galaxy
Zeyote were instantly recognizable by their hoods, and many joined the Royal Integration Corps and the Ministry of Diplomacy to help spread the Empire to new worlds. An extreme exception to their usual pacifism occurred in the Zeyot Centurion Zahyr, who became Rin Sakaros's personal assassin.