Faj Tasarru

The Faj Tasarru, also known as the Techno-Shamans in Common and Tasar colloquially among themselves, are a tribal people who believe that the nanophage, known in their language as Yutmaya, is the key to divinity and power. Their name means Phage Warriors in their native Tasari.

They are remnants from the fall of the elvish empire, living in scattered tribes warring for resources. They venerate the nano-phage and its effects on the world. They deliberately expose themselves to the virus to gain vision and mutations that they consider the will of their gods.

Overview
The leaders of the tribes upon ascension consume tainted water to gain the powers of the gods, this is performed through a ritual trance where the tribe gathers and flays the leader's flesh with whips made from phage-bone and leather. After they have endured this they drink the tainted water, Faj Suyu, and if they are deemed worthy by the gods the wounds close, filed with phage-bone and mutated flesh.

Society
Most Tasarru tribes are organised in a patriarchal nature. Some exist in a more egalitarian sense but most tend to focus around a primary male leader.

The females of the tribes are, in most cases, forbidden to enter combat or command men. Instead, they tend to tribal matters of home and healing. Many tribes have a Veba Kadin,  who is the oldest woman in the tribe and is responsible for telling the fables and helping younger women with children and matters of the home.

The tribes' central religion, Yutmaya, revolves around the worship of the sun and nature, they construct shrines made from wood and the mutated phage-bone of animals and humanoids. They offer up food and sacrifices to the gods for a good harvest/hunt. The tribes revere the nano-phage virus most above all, they believe it is the blood of the gods and consuming it grants divinity.

The tribal warriors weapons and armour is crude and scavenged, they use remnants of the old world and most weapons and arms are considered sacred weapons of the ancestors, many have legends of great deeds attached to them. The tribes raid outlying villages for supplies, they are considered a pest by the human empire but not a priority.

Tribes
There are six main tribes of the Faj Tasarru, each with their own ideologies and twists on the central belief system.
 * The Birlik are the de facto leaders of the Faj Tasarru, having the most territory and being in a central location relative to all other tribes. They are comprised of all races about equally, and they adopted their name to mean "the united ones". Their tribe city of Vagorgyla serves as the capital of the Faj Tasarru and neutral territory for warring tribes. Their mutations allow for psychic communication through their new phage-bone exo-skulls, glowing eyes and it gives them natural armour where they are wounded.
 * The Claddghym are the "warriors of the forgotten ways" - they are the most devoted to their history and heritage. They utilise the huge weapons of the old war often and wear scavenged Altarnie technology. They mainly comprise of drow, owing to their heritage as the members of the engineer caste who were exiled from the Altarnie due to their refusal to adapt to the new ways. Their mutations give them bestial features, mainly in the form of huge claws, enhanced canines and lashing, spiked tails made of metal.
 * The Izcanytlan live in the trees and drink of the Faj Suyu to become more like the mutated wildlife that lives there. They hope to embody the birds in the treetops and the snakes that slither in the undergrowth unseen. They are mostly comprised of humans who paint and adorn themselves with feathers and scales. Their mutations make them more serpentine and give them feathers.
 * The Khemisa are most closely connected to the orcish Kegvarkin. As such, they incorporate the beliefs of the Orcs with their own. Instead of drinking the Faj Suyu, they pour it directly into their wounds for an immediate reaction. As a result, their tribesmen are more heavily mutated and larger than other tribes. Their mutations tap into their adrenal gland and can make even gnomes the size of a tall, fit human. They are easily mistaken for the orcs due to their hulking mass.
 * The Sakti are led by a matriarchal council of older women. Their former Veba Kadin, a Tiefling named Garip (Tasari for strange), usurped the position of the Veba Lideri by killing him after he had drank from the Faj Suyu. Garip reasoned that if she could kill him without the blessing of the Faj Suyu, she should be strong enough to rule instead of men. She then instated a council of her peers and they are the most open of the tribes to trade with other factions, with its capital of Libatii being considered the central exchange. Their mutations give them fur and boiling blood that can be used as a weapon to better suit their cold climate.
 * The Tsamirvan have been influenced by living on plains with no trees, and so are masters of hiding in plain sight. They consist mostly of diminutive races who are harder to see at first glance, such as the dwarves and gnomes, who drink of the Faj Suyu to increase their reflexes and cunning. Their mutations make them more suited to the plains, making the Tsamirvan digitigrade and gain tails to balance better and run far faster.

Relations

 * Kegvarkin: Rivals for territory, tenuous at best. The Khemisa have contemplated joining them.
 * Wylders: The Sakti and Birlik are friendly to the Wylders and trade often, swapping resources within their capitals. The other tribes place some distance.
 * Altarnie: The Claddghym recognise them as their ancestors, though they are treated as just a rumour among tribes at large.
 * Gratus Confederacy: Distrustful of the large nation and do not like to enter their territory - unfriendly.

Notable Places

 * Vagorgyla: Their capital, located within Birlik territory.
 * Libatii: Capital of the Sakti territory, often treated as capital for trade both from within and from without the Faj Tasarru.