Heibai

**Heibai** is a loose federation of villages and cities to the north of Skye. It primarily is run by a council made up of each area’s chiefs. Heibai’s military is not particularly large, but it is protected by its harsh climate and a mountain range called the Razor’s Edge. Heibai is mostly located on a large glacier, so it is understandably a cold place. However, Heibai’s history is rich, as it played a large role as a base during the War of the Fragments. Many of the ruins and forts are buried under a blanket of snow, so little is actually known about what happened there centuries ago.

## Culture

Culturally, Heibais live in elaborate tents, igloos, and cabins with beautiful, colorful designs. There aren't really any big cities, and most people live in small, isolated communities. The majority of citizens are poorly educated, as Heibairs see basic survival skills such as farming as being more important than history and geometry. Heibais dress for the weather and wear pants, boots, and fur coats with lighter layers underneath for hot weather, if they ever get any.

Heibai has a distinct name system, as most of their citizens are given complicated names with many syllables and a surname. Surnames are passed down through the father's generation, and a bride adopts her husband-to-be's surname on their wedding night.

A significant portion of Heibais do not use Shaping. This is partially due to the expensive and inefficient natures of such demon summoning rituals, and partly because Shaping is not incredibly useful in the Heibai lifestyle. Heibai Shapers are the exception rather than the norm, and they are often related to one of the chiefs or work for them.

Most Heibais do not form strong political opinions, instead focusing on their simple lives and survival. They live their lives day-to-day and do not pay much attention to politics or social issues as long as they do not affect them. This behavior is not understood well by most other people in Skye, and it would not be inaccurate to call Heibais single-minded. The small amount of societal taboos involve sex; most Heibais have very conservative views on the subject. For the most part, couples wait until marriage day to lose their virginity, and people who have bastard children are typically shunned. Still, some illegitimate children still remember their birthplace with fondness, such as Chihiro Kanto-Khan.

## Military

The Heibai military is very small, and most peasants don’t have any military training whatsoever. Only the chiefs and special forces really have any military training. The military is almost never used offensively; rather, it is employed to defend the region from invaders. By unanimous law, and professional soldier in the Heibai military is required to have a demon and some Shaping ability.

The elite warriors of Heibai are known as the Heibai stalkers. These commandos are trained to use the harsh climate of their home to their advantage. They are known for appearing seemingly out of nowhere when a blizzard hits an enemy, and are so quick to retreat that soldiers have been known to insist they were attacked by ghosts. Due to their severely limited firepower, Heibai stalkers rely heavily on simple tactics that use uncomplicated weapons such as pistols and knives. While not unheard of, any weaponry heavier than this is rare.