Zayre

The Zayre were a sentient, birdlike species native to the Dimensional Chasm, although they were later given Ankarr. They were also called the Avengers, due to their unforgiving nature, and lust for revenge.

History
NOTE: AS PROJECT CRUENTUS DEVELOPS, I WILL ADD TO THIS

Culture
The Zayre had a very warlike culture, and were a very warlike species. The hierarchy of the Zayre species was based upon battle prowess, and strength with weaponry and other tools of war. The more powerful in Zayre culture would be the ones who had gained reputation in battle, and each Zayre belonged to a clan, or tribe. Each tribe would consist of around fifty to two hundred Zayre, and the clans would regularly engage in wars over territory and over goods, keeping alive the Zayre culture of survival of the fittest. Eventually, it becane so that each new born Zayre baby was tested before being allowed to live by the clan elders, and the baby would be put through a number of exercises. If it was deemed worthy it would be allowed into the village. If not, it would be killed and its body burnt, a terrible punishment in Zayre culture.

In Zayre culture the female Zayre were the most powerful, being better adapted than the male Zayre, with large, powerful wings and being more powerful. In Zayre government, both in clans and in the High Zayre Government, it was the women who held the power, and the leaders of the whole species in desperate times were all, notably, warlordesses, such as Warlordess Storm Ironwings, with the only notable exception being that of Warlord Hurricane Tempest. The reasons for this was because the females were stronger than the males in battle, having adapted originally from their primitive state and from guarding their young fiercely during the mating season.

All young Zayre, once accepted into the tribes, would have to fight their way from birth. From the age of two, they would attend sparring and combat lessons in the Clan, and would be separated from their parents. The academies where these lessons would take place would be led by a Teacher of War, and these were filled with violent fights going on between the young acolytes. There was no submission in these fights, and the way that an acolyte would win would be to concuss his opponent. If the Zayre lost a sparring match, the young Zayre would be locked in a dark hut for up to a day and a half, depending on the age, with no food or water, and would be flogged every few hours, depending upon the age, to promote survival of the fittest. Any Zayre who tried to flee or backed out of a fight would be given to the other acolytes for punishment. Often, the victim would be killed.

They attended this school up to the age of twenty four, when they were transferred to the tribes war camp. This war camp was usually led by a revered war veteran. Whereas they had only learnt un-armed combat in the childhood camps, they were now instructed in a variety of different weapons, such as the stave, battle staff and sword. They trained here until the age of thirty, when they were finally inducted into the tribe fully. On average, only about 83% of the original number from the childhood school made it through into the Clan.

They would then fight in their clans wars. It was Zayre custom to not leave any fighting members of the other clans alive in battle, and it was always a fight to the death. The members of the clan who were either too young to be fighting in their Clan's wars, or too weak, were then brutally enslaved. There were no Zayre rules about the treatment of slaves, and it was often horriffic. After many wars, when a Zayre reached an old age, they would be allowed to retire, and become a War Veteran. These War Veteran's would then take the combat camps, or do other jobs for the Clan.

Males in Zayre culture, if too weak to fight, would be the ones who would gather food for the tribe, or do the cleaning or other domestic labor that would need to be done.