Iku

The Iku were meant to be Seth's most perfect creation; travelers who would inhabit every corner of the dream cradle. They were gifted with an eternally restless mind, and near limitless endurance within their bodies, that pushed them to explore every corner of the dream. Despite this, they were also the weakest of all races created by the gods, hardly capable of magic and on par with the Sigmir in strength. Their species was designed around perseverance and sacrifice, and it was over generations that they grew in power.

After their creation, the Iku swiftly became the most populous race within the Dream Cradle, traveling from one pocket of reality to the other with the help of the Arát; eventually inhabiting a majority of the settlements in existence. Over time, they were subjected to the rule of the Oraphin, Sigmir, and Fariah within the cities, who viewed them as sub-divine, and beneath the other gods' creations. As time wore on, the Iku, who became more firmly entrenched in major cities, fought back against the conditions they were subjected to. As conflict and death accelerated, the Fariah descended into the cities in the first aggression of the God's war, in an effort to restore order to the dream.

The plight of the Iku became the focal point for moving the war forward, as more races began to enter into conflict in an effort to maintain balance between the two mounting forces. As the war began (and even before), Seth began to weave magic that would allow his Arát to ferry the Iku out of the cities through tears in the dream. While technologies of the side of creation began to outstrip those of destruction, they lost the Iku, who had become slaves administering to the manufacturing and energy production throughout the city. As the war continued, an increasing number of Iku were sent to battle, eventually raising billions of soldiers who rushed relentlessly into a war of Seth's design.

In the years following the great war, many Iku remained within the cities, with the largest populations establishing vast kingdoms deep within the mountains, and small congregations of warriors remaining in the Undercity, with the remnants becoming wanderers, outlaws, or settling amid the vast mix of wilderness and settlements across the expanse of the dream. The Iku continue to persevere across the dream, growing through generations of struggle as they mature deep beneath the dreaming world.

## Characteristics

The Iku's lifespan are relatively short, generally between 50 and 70 years, and are born and raised much quicker than any other race. Despite this, they carry the remarkable trait of having near infinite stamina, and even a child Iku can remain active upward of 150 hours. In fact, the physical capabilities of a child hardly differ from that of a fully grown adult, and it is only in the final months of life that they begin to notably age or deteriorate in their capabilities. The trait that develops most as Iku age is their will, as child Iku rarely exhibit the mental fortitude to utilize their endurance without being worn down. For any Iku past the age of 30, it is expected to be able to exert themselves fully for at least a week straight, to the extent that they can generally run at a full sprint for this entire length of time. To back up this incredible physical trait, they can metabolize most sustenance within an hours time, and use this to replenish their need for sleep, magical energy, and stamina.

Given these characteristics Iku barely need sleep, and so hardly ever enter the dream, with the act of falling to sleep becoming ritualized by the tribes living beneath the mountains.

## Culture

The Iku have never had much of a unified culture, being born as nomads who lived in the cities of others. For much of their history, the city born Iku were occupied and divided from one another, worked and quartered away to prevent organizing or uprising. As a result of their historical place in society, their heritage grew to be one of perseverance, loyalty, and community. The majority of Iku grew up in this framework of society until the God's war forced every species to adapt to war.

The Iku in large part embraced violence, with brutality becoming their strongest weapon against enemies far superior in strength to their own. Their previous goals growing up in regimented lives often pushed to physical and mental extremes lent themselves well to war, with Iku armies being formed from insular battalions of close-knit Iku. The high paced guerrilla warfare pushed their previous ideals to their extremes, giving and doing anything needed for their survival. In this way, the Iku quickly transformed into a species revolving around extreme displays of force and violence, devotion, and constant action. As the war reached its peak, there was a schism among the top officers of the Iku, with three major factions emerging. The first continued their place amid the war, with a small enclave defecting to follow the teachings of Seth's prophets who remained alive. Of these two, Marik travelled together with a sizable number of formidable warriors to protect the Undercity, while Anora brought millions to reside within the distant mountains to build their own kingdom.

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### City Dwellers

Of those who remained a part of the war, most ended up back within the cities, or other heavily populated centers. Many lost the legacies of their ancestors, and teachings of the prophets who had taken part in the initial revolts preceding the war. For many of these Iku, strength, violence, and loyalty became central to their ways of life, leaving war to reenter society as mercenaries, laborers, and among criminal organizations pedaling dream medicines and pre-war technology.

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### Undercity

Marik and his followers, many of which were the most powerful warriors of the Iku, departed the war with Osha to fight for and preserve the Undercity. These were among the strongest and most magically capable Iku who were dedicated to the preservation of the dream, and came to serve Seth directly, who joined them often within the Undercity.

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### Terris

The final group of Iku left to form their own civilization, where Iku would live and thrive together deep within the mountains. These Iku took the history of their species, and strove to create something their kind had always been denied. The web of cities that make up Terris have become a cultural hub for Iku, unleashing their potential held back by centuries of servitude and suffering. The Iku here are taught to live a life immersed in dreaming, contrary to most, who view their endless energies as a sign to push forward at maximum capacity at all times. These Iku are instead brought up cultivating and honing the precision and mastery of their own mind, becoming powerful dreamers with far extended lifespans, and blooming magical pools within their dreams.