Yehani

The Yehani are a learned and enterprising people whose homeland Yashalen was once a cluster of islands in the middle of the Adelantean Sea, before being destroyed several hundred years ago when the holy Mount Elemnis erupted violently and drowned it beneath the waves. They can now be found spread across the known world, generally settling in urban areas. The largest concentrations of Yehani are found in coastal cities, which they favor not only on account of the opportunities for trade and generally more tolerant cosmopolitan attitudes, but also because their love for the sea has not waned even in the centuries since the loss of their island home. However, a great many Yehani can be found living inland as well, particularly in large towns and cities along major trading routes.

The Yehani were the first worshipers of the One God, whose favored people they believe themselves to be. They are known for performing animal sacrifices to the One God -- a bloody reputation that is often much exaggerated to include human sacrifice as well -- and are generally distrusted by other peoples. They receive more toleration and acceptance in the Sirdabi Caliphate than elsewhere, but they still often dwell within specific enclaves separate from their neighbors. They often perform jobs that are forbidden to other peoples due to religious restrictions, but are also famed for their physicians and scholars.

Appearance

Like the Tessouare peoples to whom they may have some distant relation, Yehani generally have aquiline features, brown or black hair, and a middle range of skin tones. However, due to their extensive travel and contact with other peoples over at least a millennia, some groups particularly in southern Ruvera may have fairer hair and skin such that they only stand out slightly from their indigenous neighbors. Yehani are distinctive for having eyes in all the varied colors of the sea, including pink.