Yak folk Yak - folk were a race inhabiting the remote mountains of northern Zakhara . They referred to themselves as the yikaria , which translated as " Lucky Chosen " in their language . Yak - men was another common name for them among the natives of the Land of Fate . Description . Yak - folk were ogre - sized humanoid s . Their heads resembled those of a and their bodies were covered in coarse fur . They preferred to wear robes and wield staves , some of which were magical . The only distinguishing feature between females and males was that the females were only slightly smaller . Their feet were hoofed but their arms possessed hands with five digits . Combat . Yak - folk were deadly opponents to face in combat . Many of them had access to an impressive array of magical items . Yak - folk leaders were always spellcasters who had access to both arcane and priestly magic . All yak - folk had the innate ability to summon and command dao . These dao were utterly helpless slaves under the control of their summoner . Angered by their situation , these dao vented their frustration on the closest available target : the yak - folk ' s enemies . One of the yak - folk ' s most terrifying powers was the use of an ability similar to the " magic jar " spell . If a yikarian was able to physically touch another being , they could possess their body . This process took a few minutes to take effect , during which the victim was typically restrained . Yak - folk often used this power to infiltrate Zakharan society as spies . A yak - folk in possession of a victim had complete access to that individual ' s memories , skills , and abilities , but not their magical or psionic powers . Yak - folk in possession of another body always kept their own body stored away somewhere for safe keeping . It was usually guarded by other designated yikarians . They could return to their body instantly regardless of the distance separating them . If the possessed body or the yak - folk ' s body was destroyed , then the possessed victim would instantly perish . Habitat / Society . Yak - folk preferred to dwell in the highest regions of the World Pillar Mountains where they could rule their empire . Their cities were usually populated by five to six thousand yak - folk and many more slaves . Slaves were used as currency between among the yak - folk . The buildings in a yikarian city were made from stones imported by the dao from the Elemental Plane of Earth . These stones were gray with a greasy surface . They were incredibly strong , making the siege of a yikarian city a daunting task for any would - be attacker . Many small outposts were scattered in the valleys surrounding the larger yikarian cities . Though few yak - folk occupied these outposts , usually at least ten dao were present , making them formidable locations . Tribute was demanded by these outposts and any who refused were utterly destroyed . In this case , the land was handed over to slaves who had the proper attitude toward their yikarian masters . As a race , the yak - folk were a " malignant theocracy " , fanatically following their Forgotten God in all aspects of their lives . The entire race claimed to be descended from this deity . The Forgotten God was pleased with sacrifice . The yak - folk satisfied this by performing slave sacrifices for each of the prime elements , including : immolation ( fire ) , live burial ( earth ) , drowning ( water ) , and tossing a victim from a cliff ( air ) . These sacrifices were performed daily . They served to tighten the bond with their god , but also to remind slaves that any who disobeyed would likely be the next sacrifice made . The Forgotten God was the sole reason the yak - folk were able to utterly enslave dao . Legend stated that the Forgotten God once traveled to the Elemental Plane of Earth where he bested the ruler of the earth elemental s through trickery . The ruler of the earth elementals was forced to accept the Forgotten God ' s terms — allowing his yak - folk followers control over the dao while making it impossible for the dao to retaliate . This bargain was said to last for 1001 years and , as of 1367 DR , it was believed that centuries still remained before it expired . The empire of the yak - folk was ruled by the Lotus Emperor , who was regularly sacrificed to their god . He was assisted by the powerful Seven Sages , who each controlled one of the realm ' s provinces . The yak - folk were on good terms with the marrash , who helped maintain control and order in their empire . Yikarian societies sent forays into civilized regions of Zakhara in search of new human slaves . The yak - folk were meticulous on their missions , preferring to always scout targets and locations before taking action . Yak - folk could also be found in the Elemental Plane of Earth , where their influence on the dao and earth magic was especially strong . There they maintained good relations with the azer , the wind walker s and the xorn , and were also involved in the administration of the realm of the elemental lord Grumbar . Ecology . All yak - folk possessed an inherent thirst for knowledge , especially if they could use it to gain more power . Any knowledge that was inaccessible to them was to be destroyed in order to deny others . Yak - folk had no family bonds . Instead , they held loyalty to their god and their race as a whole . Their young were sent to communal societies once they were weaned from their mother . Outsiders knew little about the reclusive yak - folk , save those who entered their lands and were killed or enslaved . Most Zakharans treated them as " boogie men " . Yak - folk were particularly fond of enslaving dao . Through their sheer ingenuity , the yak - folk used their dao slaves to create a new race of tasked genie called miner genie s . These miner genies were put to work deep beneath the earth to find riches for their Forgotten God . Rumors surfaced that dao leaders were working with the Forgotten God to help him defeat other genie lords and enslave the other genie races , potentially granting the yak - folk power over other genies as well .