Setting:Tabula Gloria/Phrennoack/The Yatoka People

Of course, there are those who are tempted by the ever-burning flames of Eltya's antlers which flicker through the deepest fog of death. There are those who wish to seize the flames for themselves, to chain it and to live forever. There are those who see eternal life not as a mere soulless existence, but as the ultimate goal of all life. One such people are the Yatoka, a sect of the Eltyain who has split from them due to such differences in philosophy. They ended up moving to the western Forest, more dangerous than the eastern Forest but not nearly as populated either, in order to pursue their agenda.

The Great Blasphemy

The Yatoka see Eltya as not their benevolent shepherd of life and death. Rather, they see Him as an oppressor, claiming the flame of life as His alone, as an enemy of the very life in which He looks over. They exhibit this outlook on life in some of the most radical ways imaginable. For one, the magically attuned members of the tribe actively seek out the dead and dying, waiting for the right time before he strip the souls from their dead bodies and chain them into the ancient trees of the Forest. These Horns of Eltya (ironically named, likewise meant to be named as such) are then forced to serve their Yatoka masters. They also barter with the predatory Falserjacks, which mimic the Stags but offer a stay of life to the dying, in which those who agree find their heads ripped off of their bodies for the foul creatures' collection, soul still intact within the removed head. They breed the living abominations of the Wretches of Ya'soniya, chimeric creatures made of human and animal parts and souls, to become cattle, warbeasts, and worse.

There are also signs that the Yatoka are beginning to push their presence back towards the eastern Forest. The Echoes of Alboniset Lake, for instance, seem to be growing more and more ferocious towards anything that moves, suggesting that an alliance has been made between the two. Strange creatures have been seen entering the eastern Forest as well, creatures much like the Wretches but larger and more dangerous, suggesting among scholars the work of the ancient Vashialian Fleshmages. Perhaps the Yatoka has gained knowledge of their terrible arts. There is also the occasional rumor among the more fearful Eltyain about the Yatoka somehow corrupting the mighty Forest Harvester and attempting to turn it into a siege beast to finish off the Eltyain and their guardians once and for all.

The Uneasy Truce

That last rumor would seem to be mere hearsay though. Though the Yatoka are hostile towards almost any and all civilized peoples, especially Imperials who intrude upon their territory, they stay their hand upon the very Eltyain they loathe and split from so long ago. There is no real reason why they do not attack their more traditional kin. Perhaps they are still not ready to wage a full-out war with them out of tactics or a lack of power. Perhaps they are still ultimately connected to Eltya, though on different sides of philosophy. No one can tell for certain, but at least the Eltyain can pass through the western Forest without too much a risk of harm yet.