Khwadatahi

A Khwadatahi male and female.

The Khwadatahi are an equine-esque race of bipedals bathed in cultural and highly spiritual backgrounds that have lasted eons, existing as one of the earliest aliens to achieve interplanetary travel in a variety of databases.

## History

The Khwadatahi were birthed upon an alien mothership along with the Varjlatahi, their mutated kin. A raid by space pirates caused the ship to destruct and land on the humid planet of Diksutayi, wrecking the spacecraft and the inhabitants inside except the Khwadatahi due to the highly secured vivariums they were contained in.

With the technology of the ship completely defunct, the Khwadatahi evolved on the Aeyinn continent as they relied on the scraps of said ship. This brewed up conflict and control over the scraps and the nomadic tribes became barbaric and uncivilised. Such tribes did not negotiate until the Mykarwoa tribe, lead by Ekctewo I, united most of them through great diplomacy and the newly-invented Khwadatahese language. The barbarian tribes eventually died out due to their antisocial behaviour and lack of food.

Mykarwoa soon became a kingdom and their culture sprouted and expanded, despite their unfair gender roles. Generations later, Ekctewo IV began colonisation on the continent of Dhy. However, the mostly-female colonists exploring the depths of the jungles of Dhy embraced an indescribable aura that unlocked psionic barriers within their minds and uplifted them to a higher level of consciousness. The colonists meditated upon this experience and founded Dhyanism, a spiritual practice lead by Tyiwomta, the wisest of the first Dhyanists.

Since Dhyanism's birth, it spreaded like wildfire within the communities, leading to easygoing mindsets and influencing the law to become much more 'utopian'. This also lead the Dhy colony to gain independence and become known as the principality of Dhyarainta, which also became known as Dhyland over time.

Over time, Mykarwoa and Dhyarainta developed to become Diksutayi's two major civilisations as their technology grew and traditions stayed intact. Around the same time, the Varjlatahi would eventually be discovered as they merged with the Khwadatahese societies to ensure a better lifestyle.

The Khwadatahi eventually begun to communicate with foreigners and, eventually, a gateway opened for their culture and religion to spread on a viable level. By then, Mykarwoa had officially expanded across the entire continent of Aeyinn, with Dhyarainta still leaving space for peaceful tribes to roam freely.

## Language

Khwadatahese is the primary language of the Khwadatahi. Whilst fluent in the tongues of their creators, the traditional language is seen as "difficult to fluently speak despite its simplicity" according to some foreign races, leading to words having shortened terms to create a 'simplified' version of the language.

However, In Khwadatahese scriptures, there is a lack of shortened words and phrases, so reading through a scripture with barely any vocal errors is seen as a sign of devotion to the Dhyanist practices.

## Culture and Society

The Khwadatahi have deeply delved in the expression of creative skill and celebration ever since the cradle of their civilisation. Artists and playwrights are not hard to come across, as well as the hobbies of pottery, gardening and dance. Dhyanism further impacted its cultural development, leading to a wide variety of tapestry, paintings and music on a religious scale. A traditional Khwadatahi song tends to involve strings, wood and mallets in performance, so a common instrument can be compared to that of a xylophone.

Afterlife culture is an important aspect of Khwadatahi life as remembrance is a value held by most. As a custom, the dead are cremated and stored in urns rather than an expensive burial, taking the form of simple pots. Urns are reserved for an ancient ritual in which families from different villages come together with their urns to gather around at a plaza or any open-wide area. The gathering is accompanied by a sage to lead the families into a mourning song/dance where, supposedly, the spirits of the dead reawaken to join in with the mortal folk. In the material plane, the occurrence of chiming sounds in the wind are believed to represent the spirits performing.

## Warfare

Prior to the founding of Dhyanism, militaristic ideology was impressive for the time, with war strategies being focused around sharpshooting and recon tactics. The scraps left by the mothership played a part in their developing warfare due to their formidable properties.

After Dhyanism influenced the Khwadatahi, warfare and violence overall became esoteric. Although militaristic technology evolved over the years, Mykarwoa possesses mainly defensive tools in their arsenal. Whilst the Dhy government despises the idea of violence, Mykarwoa will occasionally accept offers to side against an alliance in planetary conflict for a great deal.

Whilst Dhyanists are pacifists, their greatest weapons are their psionic powers, being able to mentally influence whole armies to resist the urge to cause harm and damage.

## Religion

There is no doubt that the dominant religion among the Khwadatahi people is Dhyanism, but some portray this as more of a philosophy and a lifestyle. Otherwise, few Khwadatahese follow foreign spiritual practices. There has been evidence of religious beliefs prior to Dhyanism, including writings carved into boulders that hinted to the belief of certain plants and wildlife being gifts from sky deities.

Dhyanist disciples referred to as sages hold deep devotion to their traditions, becoming enlightened by knowledge and thought whenever they have the free time to do so. Their beliefs have formed them into never wanting to abort their meditative journeys. Such journeys encourage psychic potential and have lead to mystical powers, such that are common amongst the citizens of Dhyarainta. The princes and princesses of the Cinksumnndiyi bloodline are regarded as spiritual leaders of Dhyarainta, devoting their lives of leadership to socialising with citizens and tourists, constantly travelling and assuring the communities are in harmony.

A primary tradition in Dhyanism is to allow one's hair to continuously grow as they fill it with flowers known as Mutayiks, then discarding the flowers and hair before entering a final meditation before passing on. This is a practice that most, if not all, Khwadatahi sages devote themselves too.