Yndij is a race in the Rebs faction
About
The first human colonial settlers of Azure IX did not expect to find any sentient life and for five cycles the colonisation proceeded smoothly. It was only when the colony outgrew their first Shensig habtainers and began to clear a small section of forest for more that the native Yndij made themselves known. Approaching the colonists peacefully, the Yndij explained that while they were happy to share their forests with the new residents, there were sacred laws regarding the felling of trees. To keep from angering the gods, permission had to be asked before any logging began, and to take more than was required was a grave transgression.
The colonists took their words to heart, and Azure IX has since become a beautiful blend of the best of corporate culture and the wonder and splendour of the natural world. Sculpted, decorative plascrete twinned with carefully tended trees, low-hanging branches supporting lattice-weave habitats open to the humid night air, and other, even more exotic delights bring travellers from as far as the Core Worlds. Azure IX is a holiday destination rated by Galactic Flaneur Magazine as second to none.
Since the GCPS 'overran' their home planet of Azure IX, many of the Yndij people have thrown in their lot with the Rebellion, fighting to ensure that other races do not suffer the same fate that theirs did. All Yndij are naturally gifted hunters and trackers. Most are simple scouts, their natural talents at hunting combined with their preference for operating alone making them ideal in the role. A very few ascend to the rank of Sergeant, directly supervising other members of their team and using their talents and skills to direct the flow of battle.
Corporate propaganda seems to take pleasure in painting Yndij as rebel fighters. Today, in many population centres across the GCPS, 'Yndij' is synonymous with 'traitor'. But while they may be unhappy with the treatment of their race, not all Yndik see a need for open, armed revolt. The Tree Sharks believe that the best way to serve their people is to play DreadBall.
Wearing kits reminiscent of their ancestor's armour, these Yndij bound about the pitch, leaving the opposition grasping at their shadow. They spend much of their free time funding advocating for the fair treatment of their species throughout the GCPS and have made some headway in showing the Yndij as a race that can fully and successfully incorporate into the GCPS.
Somewhere between the two extremes of perfect integration and rebellious extremist is the Yndij expatriate community, who could be working anywhere from an actuary job at a cubicle farm on Plors Termina to homesteading on the frontier or perhaps as a bounty hunter or corporate marine.
Culture (Shock)
The marketing department of Nader Zaelos has gone to great lengths to paint a picture of the Yndij as wise mystics, at one with nature and possessed of ancient truths that the pace of modern life has caused GCPS citizens to forget. The truth, as it always is, is a bit more complex than that. The Yndij do have a mystic tradition, and as hunter/gatherers maintain a great deal of reverence for their jungle homes. However, this regard is more akin to the respect one has for a worthy and deadly adversary. The forest is their home and the source of their food, but its darkened boughs are host to razorbats, tree sharks, and a myriad of other predators ready to catch the heels of an inattentive hunter.
Additionally, not all Yndij are clinging to the old ways. The arrival of the technologically advanced and racially diverse Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere has sent a sharp jolt through traditional Yndij society, and many of the younger generations are fascinated with life beyond the canopy of their home. Inspired by A’teo Adysi, the first Yndij to take to the neodurium professionally, more and more young Yndij are looking for work amongst the stars. The Ninth Moon Tree Sharks, Azure IX’s most famous DreadBall export, represent the potential for fame and fortune beyond the jungle. Less well-known are the scores of unlucky Yndij who don’t make it, falling foul of conmen, indentured labour contracts, or loan sharks.
The Yndij elders have mixed feelings about all of this. On the one hand, the new tools and technology of the GCPS has made their lives immeasurably easier: If you asked a Yndij huntsmaster to give up their repeating laser carbine and go back to hunting rattlebirds with a crossbow, you would be met with a very, very firm refusal. Yndij are living longer, healthier lives, helped by the medicine and technological wonders they are now able to earn.
But, it is hard not to feel a strong nostalgia for the old ways. Even now, the hum of hover-cars can be heard over the call to evening prayers, and the lights of the treetop resort gleam through the shadowy canopies as the warriors stand their night-time vigil against the predators who would otherwise steal their children in the night. The light promises a life free of the fear of jungle creatures, but it also lures away the next generation to an uncertain fate, taking with them the future of the Yndij way of life.Traditional Yndij culture revolves around the hunt. The jungle hosts many dangers, and as such, the Yndij have developed many rituals around the proper way to prepare oneself: hunters are given a drink made from fermented nuqtauk fruit, prayers are offered to the great forest spirits for courage and permission to take from their bounty.
Yndij rarely war amongst themselves: While territorial disputes and personal disagreements do happen, all Yndij know that they must save their strength for the hunt. As such, inter-tribal warfare is largely ceremonial: Battles are preceded by a Yunker-hai, a ferocious dance designed to intimidate and to celebrate the coming victory.
Combat is limited to a small skirmish, with the loser honour-bound to cede the matter under dispute with no further animosity. Since the Azure IX League began, the sponsors have hired Yndij cultural groups to perform their cultural dances as curtain-raisers; the Tree Sharks in particular are very enthusiastic about bringing their culture to the neodurium, performing a Yunker-hai after each strike, and the haunting call of traditional cultural songs can be heard from their Yndij cheerleading section at their games.
Yndij can also be found riding a Tigrax, either for war after joining the Rebs or in the Overdrive pits.
Most Yndij miss the thrill of hunting in the forests of their homeworld. Some left the Rebellion fleets to join up with pirate crews, seeking their fortune around the shipping lanes, but later found themselves drawn to the unlicensed DreadBall circuit where their speed and agility drew even greater wealth.
The Azure Lie
Rebel Propaganda sample 5821.32
Category: Non-permissible (accuracy)
Author unknown
"Do not believe the lies of the imperialists! Brothers and sisters: The corporations lie, and no lie is more pernicious, more abhorrent, than the great lie of Azure IX!
Our world has two faces: One face shown to the galaxy, and one face kept hidden. One is beautiful, an image that is carefully shaped to present the illusion of benevolent governance. The other face, however, is horrific: The corporations are ravaging our world, and the galaxy appears not to know or care.
The gravitic forces of our sun and parent world mean our gentle moon spins at the same rate as Azure itself. As such, every McKinley cruiser only ever sees our home from the one hemisphere. The dark side of Azure IX, however, is being systematically cleared for industrial agriculture. Our trees are torn down and hacked to pieces, their wood shipped to the Core in the form of executive office furniture.
What’s more, the vermin of Acosta Biológico lay claim to our very bodies, saying that the license they bought included the rights to our very genetic code. By corporate law, all births must be registered and our children’s DNA sequenced, lest their precious intellectual property slip through their fingers.
If anyone speaks of this they are silenced. Famed documentarians attempting to share our struggle are buried under libel suits. Activists protesting this treatment are arrested, beaten, or killed by corporate assassins. The only choice left to us, is direct action.
Take up arms, kin and comrades! Smash their machines! Kill their soldiers! Know this: For every one of us that falls, ten more stand behind them. We will bring their enterprise to a halt, even if we must choke the gears of industry with our very bodies. But in the end, we shall prevail, and our people shall breathe free!"
Quotes
“I figure, this way I’m still sticking it to the Corporations, but I’m getting a fair day’s pay as well.”
– Yndij Reaver interviewed about why he chose to play DBX
"I remember, as a child, sneaking away from my family’s home to climb Ha’Te’So – the tallest tree in the forest, sacred to our people. Its name in our tongue meant something like ‘the ladder to Heaven.’ For a youth to climb it was forbidden, for its branches were treacherous and many who tried died in the attempt. I climbed all that day, and part way into the night. The way was hard, and my body ached when I came to the summit. It was the first time I saw the stars, pale dots of light spread above the trees, framing the world you know as Azure like dew-touched leaves spreading across the sky. And I knew then, despite how high I had climbed, my climb to the heavens was not done."
- A’teo Adysi, A Life in Motion: Memoirs of a Striker
Dreadball Teams
Gallery
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Yndij Model -
Yndij Art -
Yndij Art 2
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Yndij Art Gun
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