Menywod

Women whose voices shatter stone and glass.

Name

Their name translates as “women”, a plural word, but has evolved over time to be used singularly and plurally.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Akhoata

• Taxonomic Family: Veyetheans

• Alignment: Infernal

• Energy: Cacophony

• Lifespan: 300 years

• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare, usually bird's eggs, seeds, heavy soups, and venison

• Habitat: Forests

Origins

The screams of pain of Mother Shem as the men of the world destroy her, taken consciousness and seeking to serve the interests of those same men.

Description

Menywod are an all-female-assigned nation of menywod. They appear to be human, but their hair is more brightly colored, being blue, green, or violet naturally. Their voices can break stone or glass, even when spoken quietly.

Procreation

Menywod reproduce with the male-assigned members of any sexual species that has male-assgned members, always producing menywod children, except when reproducing with enders.

Powers

Menywod are immune to bonding magic of any kind. Imperium, ethereal energy, and yahas do not touch them. They are able to fly for short periods of time under the night sky.

Voices

The voice of a menywod is like a nail on a chalkboard, and when they "sing" it can snap branches, shatter stone, break glass, and burst eardrums. They are able to bounce their voices off solid objects (usually breaking them) to target other objects or people. Their voices are filled with raw cacophonic power, and in its use, they can cause metaphysical connections to break as well.

Weaknesses

Euphony harms them. Arcane shadow weakens them.

Nations

There are three main nations of menywod:

• Ch’uẖeti: a nation in eastern Taggarus who use the First Language to control their own voices such that they are able to speak without destroying.

• Gwichians: the original nation, dwelling in Shrikewood, where they live in small, violent communities.

• Karjuda: a nation in Surva in Ranu who took a vow of silence and generate arcane shadow in order to live in secret.

Culture

The culture of the Gwichians is one of isolation and conflict. They live in small communities in a region of Ansulym known as the Shrikewood (sometimes “Shrike Wood” - it is never consistent whether it is one or two words), named for its famous birds.

These small communities all answer to the most powerful amongst them, which is ruled by a woman simply called “the Regent”, who gains her power from being an absolute monarch. Each community is its own feudal fiefdom, controlled by vassals to the Regent, who each believe themselves to be in the line of succession. When a Regent dies, they all scramble to prove their worth, with the victor of the ensuing battles winning the metaphorical throne.

Vassals rule by threat of violence. They keep a force of powerful warriors, the saethwrs, who use arrows that they surround with cacophonic auras that shatter metal armor, stone, wood, and bone. They kill anyone who threatens the power of the nobles or the Regent; they also have standing orders to capture or kill any outsider who enters the Shrikewood, with only a few exceptions.

Because menywod rely upon beings of other species to reproduce, captured men (or anyone with seed) are often kept as prisoners for that purpose. They also use outsiders as slaves for other labor.

It is rare for a man or person of another species to have any standing among the menywod, and those who do do not last long. Children among the ruling menywod are raised by slaves or weaker menywod. They are trained from a young age to be self-sufficient, brutally so. If they survive to adolescence, they usually start a gang of weaker menywod. These gangs develop into violent enforcers of their power, which grows into their personal guard as they become vassals. Children among the oppressed menywod are raised similarly, but they instead become members of the gangs and enforcers, hoping not to be relegated to slavery or servitude.

Menywod are considered adults when they reach the age of 16. At that age, they are expected to either become warriors, rulers, or servants.

Art, music, and crafts are rare in their brutal society, but there is some work amongst the poor and indentured, mostly creating works that have meaning only to themselves. Their isolated and individualist society encourages such works to be inscrutable. Their whole lives, they are encouraged to be alone, and any semblance of community feeling, love, or connection between them and others is seen as weakness. Only loyalty to the vassals or Regent are considered acceptable.

National Cultures

• Ch’uẖeti: a nation in eastern Taggarus who use the First Language to control their own voices such that they are able to speak without destroying. They live as part of the broader culture there, living among the Sewochu people.

• Karjuda: a nation in Surva in Ranu who took a vow of silence and generate arcane shadow in order to live in secret. They live in a very small community there.

Esoterica

Menywod are beings of cacophony and its finest users. They cannot use ethereal essence, imperium, or yahas, nor can they use euphony. Sonic aether becomes cacophony when they wield it. Arcane shadow dampens their natural powers. True shadow and gemtkhereg are awkward for them to use. Other celestial or aetherial powers are rarely used, though some wield nzwara murazvo, prasinofos, and tykva vlast in their work in the forest.

They commonly use ibbissu, thorn energy, arnum, bedrog, fusei, blasphemy, corrogatio, gossamer light, slitna, stravomenos, sterisi, misfortune, mollesse, razdavit’, uafas, d’qiarsea, oalkhaylaoataa, kakraohy, b’qar, flux, fuinneamh, kutsegula, and fortune.

Religion

The Gwichians worship Neidi, whom they see as a primal goddess who represents opportunity and hunting, a huntress who eviscerates her prey (like a shrike) and strikes when they are weak. In every community, there are sanctiaidd (sing. sanctaidd), or priestesses, who lead the community in worship, performing rituals of violence. Elder sanctiaidd leave for seclusion, embodying the disconnection they created their whole lives, and become lleians (nuns). Among the lleians are llais, or prophets, who claim to speak for Neidi directly and instruct them. The lleains take down their words, then send them to the priestesses, who use them to guide the people.

Under the priestesses are derwyddi (sing. derwydd), or druids, who commune with the forest and use it to protect the communities; wylofains (those overcome by the sacred noise) who scream and wail continuously; and canwr mawls, who shriek in praise as a chorus.

Some menywod remove themselves from their communities and live alone, worshiping Neidi and engaging with natural cycles as a llyg, or witch.

Within the communities, religion is whatever the priestesses say it is. They end up being very different from community to community. The focus is always the importance of individualism, opportunistic hunting, and isolation.

Gender

All menywod are assigned female at birth, and any variation is brutally suppressed.

Economy

Menywod live in a feudal society of loosely connected vassalages ruled by a Regent. Serfs, peasants, and slaves make up the underclasses.

Military

The military of the Gwichian nation is made up of warriors from each vassalage and the larger army of the Regent. The bulk of them are made up of saethwrs, archers who can use their cacophonic voices to enshroud arrows to make them explosive, and specialists such as trywanwrs, who use their sniping skills to assassinate enemies, and the cerddwrs, who have a bond to the Shrikewood and serve as scouts. The Regent also employs terfysgols who use their cacophonic archery powers to disrupt and destroy enemy communities in acts of terrorism. Rare amongst them are the ymladdwrs, who are much the same as saethwr, but use melee weaponry enshrouded by cacophony.

Language

Their language is based on Welsh.

Trade

The Gwichian nation of the Shrikewood trades fruit, hunted meats, materials gathered from prey, and weaponry with other nearby nations, but never with Mwyr Aeld, their rivals to the south.

Occupations

• Meteldalen - metallic instrument makers who are employed by the Regent to create instruments that resonate with menywod voices.

• Cerflunydd - menywod who practice sculpting stone or wood with their voices, usually among the oppressed.

• Canwr Drwg - bards among the menywod who share stories and noise that discourage romance, love, or other positive connections.

• Perllan - forest keepers, the bulk of serfs and peasants among the oppressed, who tend the woods and gather fruit and animal goods for their vassals.

• Camgam - dancers who move to the arrythmic noise of the menywod, creating disturbing forms that only the Regent and vassals enjoy.

• Gwenu - jesters who serve the Regent and speak strange tales and japes that disturb listeners.

• Twyllwr - menywod who gamble using their voices to disrupt games of chance, often from the underclasses.

• Diadurwr - menywod who gather information and share with the public, usually tasked to spread information on behalf of the Regent. They are a cross between towncryer and journalist.

• Regent - the feudal leader of all the Gwichian nation. A vicious ruler who is said to be completely untouchable.

• Anerchwr - messengers who serve the vassalage and Regents.

• Hysbysebwr - advertisers in advanced technological times whose work is empowered by cacophony.

• Cerddwr - rangers who bond to the Shrikewood.

• Difyon - those who use cacophony during sex to prevent procreation or emotional attachment, often killing their partners.

• Athraw - “teachers” who disrupt and confuse, spreading disinformation amongst their pupils.

• Porthor - those whose voices can tear reality and create portals.

• Cyflymaf - jet pilot in advanced technological eras whose powers help their aircraft break the sound barrier.

• Ymladdwr - melee warriors who wield cacophonic weaponry.

• Saethwr - archers who turn their arrows into cacophonic missiles.

• Llyg - witches who live in the wilderness alone and use cacophonic powers to disrupt natural cycles.

• Wylofain - religious figures who are overcome by noise and scream and wail unrelentingly in honor of Neidi.

• Derwydd - druids who commune with the Shrikewood.

• Lleian - nuns, retired sanctiaidd, who live in isolated communities and serve Neidi.

• Canwr Mawl - religious leaders who praise Neidi via noise.

• Sanctaidd - priestesses who lead every community in worship of Neidi.

• Llais - prophets who claim to speak for Neidi amongst the lleians.

• Astwen - celebrities in technologically advanced eras who use cacophony to terrify and confuse audiences.

• Gwneuthurwr Delwedd - menywod who create disruptive soundtracks on television or film in technologically advanced eras.

• Gair Llafariad - spoken word artists who use cacophony to confuse and disrupt audiences, driving them to be alone.

• Llenor - poets who use cacophony to turn their art into isolating and confusing works.

• Trywanwr - sniper assassins who serve the Regent.

• Terfysgol - terrorists who serve the Regend.

• Twyllodrus - thieves who use cacophony to disrupt and open locks.

All menywod are cacosingers by birth. Other species become cacosingers to mimic their natural powers.

Outside View

Menywod are seen as mysterious and mystic figures who live in a part of Ansulym that is heavily isolated from outsiders. They are feared and exoticized.

Notables

• Sgïwr, Menywod Manifest, Aeonian

Estimated Populations

• Ch’uẖeti: 50,000

• Gwichians: 500,000

• Karjuda: 3,000

• Other: 100,000

Sample Stats

PRO 9
ATH 9
STR 8
AWA 8
WIL 7
PRS 7
STH 8