Yewen

The yewen are a species in Rideen who bear some resemblance to humans. Descended from arcane beings who were banished to the mundane plane for attempting to overthrow humanity, modern yewen possess a stronger connection to the arcane plane than most. In recent years, much of yewen society has become dominated by an ethnofascist regime called Order Through Blood, with a racialized caste system. A people with a complicated history and present, yewen are generally regarded to be magically gifted, eccentric, and deeply spiritual.

Please note: much of yewen society is explicitly racist and fascist, and their caste system is presented in this article according to their own beliefs. It is worth clarifying that just as in the real world, the racial categories the yewen recognize are entirely constructed and not backed by real biology. Please see this article for further clarification of the author's position on racism within the Rideen setting

Origins
In the early days of civilization, as humanity conquered the continent of Pritami and butchered each other for land and power, arcane beings called Yew watched with dismay. They asked the gods to subjugate humanity in order to unite them under one benevolent and wise leader. The gods explained that mortal being were subject to temptations beyond the understanding of the Yew and that it would be their responsibility to learn to overcome their nature by themselves.

Unable to accept this explanation, the Yew attempted to conquer humanity themselves, leading to a bloody war in both the mundane and arcane plane. In the aftermath, Farando, god of Justice, decided that an appropriate punishment for the Yew was to turn them into mortals, so that they could gain perspective of what the human experience is like. The descendants of these mortal Yew are the yewen people.

Anatomy
Yewen tend to be human height or slightly taller, with thin, delicate builds. They have skin that comes in a wide variety of shades and hues. Their most distinctive features are their fin-like ears and their "mantle" - a bony structure atop each yewen's head that varies wildly between people, ranging from antlers, to horns, to ridges, to fins. Mantles are often used as a way to distinguish between different bloodlines among yewen.

Ethnicity
Yewen society is dominated by a caste system divided along racial lines. How strictly the system is enforced varies from place to place but even where it holds no legal backing, it still has a strong influence on everyday life. Each of the races or "bloodlines" among the yewen are believed to be the descendants of particularly notable Yew ancestors, and the "purity" of these racial lines is highly valued and sometimes even enforced by anti-miscegenation laws. Ostensibly, the caste system outlines the particular "natural" strengths of each bloodline, with no particular hierarchy. In reality, the Archon bloodline holds the majority of positions of power in yewen society. The other bloodlines are on even footing, but those of mixed heritage are reduced to second-class citizens. Though yewen ethnicities are widely varied, the four largest and most commonly recognized bloodlines are as follows:

Sentinel
Sentinel yewen are characterized by antler mantles and brown or green skin. They are believed to be perceptive, loyal, honest, and athletic. They are often guards, law enforcement, judges, and lawyers.

Archon
Archon yewen are characterized by horned mantles, usually in the pattern of a crown structure around their head, as well as yellow, orange, or pink skin. They are believed to be natural-born leaders. They are often rulers, politicians, bureaucrats, or priests.

Empath
Empath yewen are characterized by fin-like mantles and pastel blue or green skin. They are believed to be natural-born caregivers. They are often teachers, social workers, doctors, and surgeons.

Wayfinder
Wayfinder yewen are characterized by rows of bony ridges for their mantles, as well as pink, red, or violet skin. They are believed to be naturally intelligent, intuitive, and inquisitive. They are often scientists, engineers, and artists.

Mental Illness
Yewen have a statistically higher risk of most mental disorders, a risk that actually increases as they age. Some speculate that this is a consequence of yewen having the minds of arcane beings and the bodies of mortals. This has led to a stereotype of yewen as eccentric or mad. It also may contribute to their slightly lower life expectancy.

Culture
Much of yewen society in the Star Cradle is under the influence of the Order Through Blood regime. Order Through Blood has re-implemented caste systems all across the Cradle, even in places it had previously been eliminated. It has also rolled out new laws against mixing certain bloodlines, enforced by law. The Order's resentment towards "mutts" borders on the genocidal by the day, and for this reason there has been a massive flux of yewen out of the Cradles into other countries.

Religion
The most prominent religion among the yewen is Farando's Circle. Adherents believe that Farando has been closely watching them ever since they were first cast out of the arcane plane. Upon death, yewen who lead lives of devotion, kindness, and righteousness will be allowed to return to the arcane plane and become Yew. Those who don't achieve this honor are reincarnated to try again.

Within the Star Cradles, Farando's Circle has been co-opted by the ethnofascist "Order Through Blood" regime. Many adherents now believe that mixing yewen bloodlines risks contaminating the reincarnation cycle, and those who inflict such a horror on a child risk dooming that child to being trapped as a mortal forever.

Government
For much of its history, the Star Cradles were a hotspot of brutal ethnic conflict. Broken up into smaller states each ruled by feudal lords, they warred constantly for control of the meteor craters that hold spiritual and cultural significance as the places where their ancestors first appeared in the mortal world. These conflicts were frequently along ethnic lines, as different bloodlines of yewen each competed for what they saw as their people's legitimate birthright. Just as yewen society was starting to overcome this perpetual feudal conflict, the warlords of the Star Cradle were united by a single regime: Order Through Blood. OTB established a new racial caste system, which states that although all the yewen bloodlines are equal, they are each born with specific tendencies making them suited for specific kinds of work and life. While some saw this as a step up from the constant racial conflict across the Cradles, others saw it as a frightening sign of worse to come, especially as OTB established its caste system even in regions that had overcome their differences. Now, OTB's hold over the Cradles is nigh absolute, and their policies of racial segregation are growing more strict by the day. Yewen of mixed bloodlines flee the cradles, fearing that they may move from second class citizens to non-persons as OTB grows less tolerant of "mutts." The Cradles rocket towards a genocide, with little in the way of slowing down.