Immakandi

The Immakandi are a group of Felkata that are a single breed of lion looking or vaguely lynx like people to some that inhabit the savannas of central Masselonia. They are isolationists by nature and hunters by tradition. When it is said that they are hunters, this can’t be understated in any way with these people. They live to hunt and live to live. The Immakandi are hunters of such prowess that they often outdo the local Massara and even the elite Tong’Fei. They hold little to no rival when on the hunt. Organized into a small tribal group, the Immakandi are divided into two subgroups, the Krasa or the familial groups that make up the bulk of the tribe, and the Forai or the hunter warriors that the Immakandi are famed for.

Their tented tribes are led by 4 shamans called the Rakora, a word of theirs meaning “True Sight”. They are said to speak with the spirits of their ancestors and divine the course of actions of the tribe. The Immakandi follow a faith called Umboro which to them means “Hunter’s Creed”. It lays out by means of various rites of the hunt how an Immakandi can come into their own and how they can stay true to their ancestral ways. These rites are brutal and unforgiving and can often lead to death or exile from the tribe if failed. They are organized into four trials known as Th’wei’s or “Bloods”.

The first is Omuga’th’wei, the “Primal Blood.” In this right one must hunt a local animal or beast that is seen as a threat or predator to others. The hunter must hunt it alone or with a group of 3. They must track it and not allow it to make the first attack, rather they must strike without being noticed to prove hunting prowess. After the kill they are to honor the prey by marking their weapon in the blood of the kill with a sigil of the sun, showing that no prey can hide forever. Afterward they are to take a trophy of the kill, either something on the corpse or the skull which is more preferred. Once the rite is over the next begins, this is Sanaka’ th’wei, the “Nearest Blood”.

In this rite the hunter is to track and kill a beast or creature in a neighboring land. The same protocols apply as the first rite but they must do so without alerting the rulers of that land. Doing this rite shows that nowhere is safe for any prey once marked. The hunter is to take a trophy of the kill and mark in blood of the kill an eye on their weapon. Next comes the Kencala’th’wei, the “Far Blood”. This ritual sees the most deaths of the ones undertaking it, as it requires the hunter hunt alone, a prey of a far off region that would otherwise be more than a match for the hunter. If the hunter wins, then they are to mark their weapon with the sigil of a star, to symbolize there is nowhere for prey to run that the hunter can’t intercept.

With trophies taken from the last hunt, the final challenge lay before them. The Ameda’th’wei, “Familiar Blood”, is the ritual that sees the most failures as it calls for the hunter to kill either a member of their hunting party or a member of their own clan. This proves total devotion to the Creed and shows the hunter is worthy of the Immakandi name. If the challenge is met and the prey is slain the hunter takes the trophy and marks their weapon with a sigil of a crescent moon, symbolizing that the long hunt for glory has come to an end and the hunter has earned his place in the ranks. The Immakandi with their hunting faith might appear savage to some but there are rules in place to check the bloodlust of a hunter and maintain honor. They are never to hunt the ill, disabled, or them expecting children nor children themselves.

The hunters are to only hunt those which can hunt or kill them back. It is key to hunt with one tool and to discard said tool if the prey is unarmed and willingly seeks combat. And finally if a hunter in a party falls to a prey, the prey if able is entitled to a trophy of the fallen hunter or five days without being tracked. These rules keep the Immakandi tethered to an honorable hunt and ties them to a tradition they claim harkens back to the dawn of time for their people. These practices make them prime candidates for outside groups to hire them as assassins but the Immakandi will consider such matters only if the target is worthy of their time and skill. This has also gotten them into a fair amount of trouble with other groups as sometimes they hunt members of said groups for reasons that matter not to the “unblooded” and seem like murder to others. While not hostile to them with the courage enough to approach them on their own grounds, it must be understood that it is because they hold no reason to fear outsiders as they are literally walking into a lions’ den.