Barraw is a plane governed largely by wilderness: civilisation at most is fragmented and small, and one's wits and natural wisdom provide better a guide in life here. To many a visiting planeswalker, it seems like a barren wasteland. Those who stick around, or at least explore a little, though, see the diamond in the rough, and find an incredibly beautiful and mesmerising landscape.

Barraw's climate is not for the faint. There is very little rainfall, decades passing between wet seasons, and when it comes it does so in immense, torrential deluges that are less of a blessing and more of an apocalypse. And most of the time the days are searing hot and the nights cold, sand and dust storms passing through every once in a while and wildfires devastating vast areas almost daily. As if that wasn't enough, most of its wildlife is incredibly dangerous: many species venemous spiders, insects, lizards and snakes, large predatory marsupials, vicious flightless birds, running terrestrial crocodiles, rampaging diprotodonts, rabid dingoes, the list goes on and on.

The known world is mostly governed by a vastness of desert, semi-desert, scrubland and steppes, punctuated by strange highlands of red rock, forming distinctive mesas and other formations. However, the world is not limited by this: a vast network of aquifers and underwater reservoirs surfaces, forming large areas of mallee forests, shrublands and savannahs, though these woodland and grassland mosaics may gradually disappear or shift. A massive river known as the Bila crosses the plane, a relatively narrow cannal of shallow waters, but a life giving belt nonetheless. Massive salt deserts dot the outback, barren wasteland within barren wasteland, but they periodically flood over to form enormous lakes. And in the tallest highlands, humidity from the air clads them in montane rainforests and hanging wetlands, a stark contrast to virtually the rest of the plane.

A strange feature of Barraw is how reality relates to the mind. Consciousness exists outside of time and space, in a sort of independent stream, that can be accessed in dreams and out of body experiences. It isn't a proper realm per se: each trance, each dream is perceived in a highly individualistic manner, not easily accessible to other minds unless the spell caster so allows. Through this medium time and space are witnessed in an almost omniscient perception, unfettered by history and its progression, all of one's lifetime and all of Barraw's events accessible readily. Truly experienced spell casters can further utilise it to perceive reality as their canvas, capable thus of unleashing tremendous magical power, limited only by the amount of mana.

The Trancetime is accessible to all sapient beings not just in dreams, but whenever their minds wander, and as light dims the division between reality and it lessens. At its most basic, the person experiences extrasensorial perception, but its easy to will the mind to accomplish more. Most take care to remain tethered to reality, however: the more the mind wanders, the more lost it becomes. The more one grows used to the Trancetime, the more normal time and space come crashing down violently. A sufficiently lost mind cannot exist anymore outside of it, and thus it is severed. This happens to everyone at the time of their deaths, regardless of their involvement in Trancetime during their lives, and the mind can either choose to exist as a ghost with minimal agency on the physical world, or be reborn.

Suffice to say, even mild Trancetime experiences can be extremely surreal, and some planeswalkers seek the plane for recreational purposes.

Residing in the arid outback, the Aningan are composed of 70 different sub-tribes, wandering nomadically in the harsh environment. Though some Aningan groups still try to usurp territories from other tribes such as the Maligun, for the most part they are content with their lives, considering themselves the strongest and most endurant people in the whole plane, capable of making a living in the desert on a regular basis. They are most closely associated with the Maligun, with whom they have a well established trade, if an overall uneasy relationship, and they are more distrusful of the Ilaugir and the Laiu, competing with both for territory and for trade, respectively. The Aningan rarely interact with the Batarka, but generally scoff at them, seeing them as pampared isolationists.

To survive in the outback, the Aningan have a close understanding of how the wilds operate, exploring them and sharing this knowledge with the group. Because to survive in the desert you need cooperation, but also exploration and resourcefulness, the Aningan have a curious dichotomy between valuing their community and family, but also individual merit and resourcefulness. Different groups within the Aningan balance the needs of the group and those of the individual differently, but it is generally agreed that both duty to the group and a good amount of personal agency are required. Some Aningan groups place a lot on acts of selflessness, while others warn against excesses of compassion in cautionary tales against ungrateful strangers. Outright ruthlessness is usually frowned upon and sometimes an outright sentence for exile or execution.

Most Aningan communities have rather simple traditions, having little need or want for complex ceremonies. Most important to them are coming of age rituals, whom they see as the most important and indespensible rite, and individuals passing into adulthood are awarded with several markings and tattoos. Marriage is a lesser celebration, and while the relationship between mother and child is held to be particularly sacred, ultimately most of the community helps raising the children. The tribe's leader is usually not hereditary aside from a few specific communities, and the shaman is his/her advisor, and general second in command. Not much is dedicated to arts and crafts, though music is a valued recreational tool, their favoured instrument being the clapstick.

They venerate the sun as their patron goddess, seeing her as a mother who lost her child, looking for him all over the world with her all-illuminating torch. They wish good luck to the sun every dawn and dusk, though they also beg for her to keep illuminating the earth after she finds her son, as it is her duty to also look for her other children. The Aningan also have a good understanding of astronomy, mapping constellations in the nightsky and relying on the stars to navigate themselves.

Aningan magic is very diverse, drawn from their outback environment. Spell casters draw mana from the red, sun-scorched lands, specialising in powerful geomantic and pyromantic magic, not only making them formidable opponents in battle, but also helping them survive, allowing them to clear obstacles, dig out tubers, find underground reservoirs, create wildfires that lead to new growth, and of course defend themselves from predators. They also have a strong connection to the sun and stars, and powerful spell casters use the Trancetime to conjure powerful light magic, capable of healing any sickness and burning entire enemy hordes to cinders.

Most Aningan skim the Trancetime lightly. They see it as a tool to help them navigate themselves, the extrasensorial feelings associated with it a welcome boost when it comes to guide oneself. They generally remain firmly tethered to reality, though a few explore it for recreational purposes. Shamans train in its use, spending years trying to master the necessary discipline to use Trancetime to empower their magic in the physical world and to fully explore its potential as a knowledge source.


Representative/Authorithy

The Aningan don't have a clear cut leader, but the Taika known as Kiva has risen in power, acting as a sort of spokesperson in diplomacy with other tribes. A woman in her late 20's, a good chunk of her snout is disfigured due to a snake bite, and perhaps in part of this she has come to be seen as a charismatic display of the endurance of the Aningan. Claiming to have seen an auspitious vision in a dream, Kiva has made her life's mission to unite the Anningan, and she is using progressievely more violent and ruthless methods to achieve this.

Humans

The Aningan are the tribe where humans are the most common. Some sub-tribes are human dominated groups, but for the most part they get along with other races, being usually willing to cooperate in order to survive.


Aven

Aningan Aven resemble wedge-tailed eagles. Large and raptorial, these Aven are generally prized as scouts, hunters, warriors and shamans, but the birds themselves are rather solitary and play only marginally in community dynamics. Taking a pragmatic worldview, Aningan Aven do have duty for the tribe, combining a genuine moral gratitude with the benefits of a group in the wastelands, but they are very detached nonetheless. Because of their usefulness, they can get away with more ruthless behaviour than usual for Aningan members, some being downrightly sociopathic. They feed on the corpses of the dead, and combined with the general Aningan disregard for complex funerary rites they serve as corpse dispensers, preventing disease and predators from noticing them.


Viashino

Aningan Viashino resemble large monitor lizards, bearing particularly mesmerising gold, white and black stripe patterns. Gracile and elegant, the Viashino are fast, cunning adversaries, but their real weapon is a neurotoxinous venom that induces terifying seizures on the victim, sometimes causing total nervous failure and thus death. In spite of this fearsome attribute, they're engaged community members, if having reckless tendencies. They lay their eggs in termite mounds, the tribe's nomadic ways preventing them from staying behind for long. It is thus a common courtesy for the communities with Viashino members to return to pick up the young once they're born.


Cyclopes

Also known as Papinijuwari are large, cyclopes are red skinned humanoids with a single eye, more human-looking than bestial forms elsewhere. Though prone to bloodlust frenzies when hunting or fighting, they're reliable backbones for Aningan communities, their large size and strength being obvious assets, particularly when protecting against attackers. Those who specialise in the ways of the shaman develop a particular affinity to star magic, using it both to heal and protect as well as to rain down celestial devastation.


Taika

Large anthropomorphic thylacines, the Taika are powerful fighters and hunters, loyal to their allies and terrifyingly murderous to their enemies. A few tribes are exclusively composed of Taika, and even in larger Aningan groups they're rather reserved. Nonetheless, many often bear a zealous devotion to their community, and if the Aven are common shamans, they're common leaders. They're particularly notable for their stamina, and are capable of surviving toxins and venoms few other races can withstand.

The skies above the outback are dominated by large flying creatures: Barraw's local Pterons, the Ropen. Massive, they possess immense membranous wings in comparison to a relatively small torso, which is also dwarfed by their very long necks and massive beaked heads, their jaws twice longer than a human being. They're covered in white or gold pelts, thick and bristled, giving them majestic manes along their massive necks, some having black bands around their shoulders. Their wings also serve as legs, and their wing fingers and membranes pack up neatly against the body when on the ground, making them surprisingly elegant when walking. They launch using their massive forelimbs, taking off fast and swiftly, making them virtually unafraid to land anywhere.


The Ropen are predators that pretty much eat anything that fits in their beaks. They rarely scavenge - aside from what appears to be distaste of dead meat, their inflexible necks and straight jaws are of poor use probing and dismantling carcasses, respectively -, and they swallow their targets alive, a fate greatly feared by most sapient races as they don't have qualms eating them. A Ropen can land suddenly, swallow people alive, and then take off before retaliation can occur; quite a nightmarish scenario for most of Barraw's natives.


The Aningan have a complex relationship with these feared predators. On one hand, they're rightfully feared, but on the other they're exalted as the greatest challenge to life in the outback, and as such quite admired and respected. In turn, individuals can inspire respect in a Ropen via sheer conviction and tenacity, and as such the flying beast will offer its services to such an individual, acting as their steed. Most revered are the leaders who can command a Ropen, strong in both body and character.


The Ropen are mostly impervious to offensive spells, bathed in an aura of purity that dispells noxious magic, and also has healing and charisma enhancing. They are able to influence Trancetime, capable of breaching the individual nature of it and capable of attacking an individual experiencing it, destroying their soul with searing light.

The Bila river criss-crosses Barraw, passing through a variety of different landscapes from its source in the highlands to its mouth in the deep unknown. Through most of it pass canoes, transporting the inhabittants of the river, the Laiu.

Like all tribes, the Laiu are nomadic. They establish temporary settlements along the riverine shores, but they're always on the move, just long enough to gather resources and establish trade. Bila, like everything on Barraw, is temperamental and unpredictable: sudden floods or sudden withrawals are common place, and the Laiu cannot afford to spend much time on a given location, leaving after a few weeks. Nonetheless, they do afford the easiest and fastest route of all of Barraw, so travelling they do with stride.

The Bila is both rich in resources and allows speedy ventures, so the Laiu are the best merchants of all. The Laiu have a well established trade with the malee dwelling Maligun and the upland Batarka, oftentimes acting as a medium between both cultures. For their skill they have a rockier relationship with the Aningan and Ilaugir, particularly the latter, which become serious competition during flood events. Ironically they respect the Ilaugir the most, for their sheer tenacity and cunning. They are largely indifferent to the Batarka beyond seeing them as good productors, though their relationship with the Maligun is mostly pragmatic, disliking their ways otherwise, and they afford minimal respect for the Aningan, where they see the worst traits of the Maligun replicated with the added bonus of violent hostility.

Because of their wealth in resources and easy travelling, the Laiu have a rather relaxed view on life. Like the Bila shapes the outback, they shape their lives to their desires, but also go with the flow, knowing when to just let things unravel by themselves. They are very hedonistic, and recreation is a big part of their culture. They are particularly renowed for playing the didgeridoo, doing so in ceremonies, celebrations, or merely for personal amusement. Traditions are plenty, and vary radically between tribes. Universal costumes include celebrating birthdays or accomplishments with tattoos, sacrificing whenever good trading relationships are established, and throwing revelries whenever floods or strong rains occur. They have mild social darwinistic tendencies, an individual's strength or cunning being rewarded in their meritocratic society, but the lack of complex hierarchies, abundance of resources and general hedonism are counter-conductive to lethality in "might makes right".

They're overall well attuned to Trancetime, entering it whenever they feel like doing so. The down side means that it is rather easy for them to get lost in this conscience altering medium, and as such most engage in physical pleasure in order to remain tethered to reality. Nonetheless, their prowess in Trancetime makes them resourceful spell casters, mastering metamagic and elemental spells. They do not have shamans or clergies, seeing magic and spirituality as common individual pursuits.


Representative/Authorithy

Rather lax with their leadership, the Laiu nonetheless obey a common figure, the tribal leader, a position contested in ritualistic combats. Currently, the human Pakau Liva holds the title, and has done so for a decade. A flamboyant chubby man in his 40's, Pakau Liva is jovial and festive, most interested in enjoying his life to the fullest. He is quite cunning, capable of lightning-fast thoughts and schemes, and quite capable of cruelty, but for the most part he is genuinely well meaning and holds no grudges.

Humans

Compared to other tribes, there are relatively few humans in the Laiu, though suffice to say they're still common.

Platypusfolk

One of the strangest races native to Barraw, platypusfolk live and breathe the Laiu virtues, having a general laidback and playful demeanour. Spending most of their time in the water, they're capable divers that exploit underwater resources like shellfish and lost relics. They're infamous for their ankle spurs, capable of producing a powerful venom that, while not lethal, is excruciatingly painful. To make matters worse, some study lightning magic, charging their spurs with powerful electrical pulses.

Vedalken

Also known as Wadjinas, Laiu Vedalken bear lamp-like heads with blank eyes. Compared to Vedalken elsewhere, they're more emotional and capricious, but they're less overtly hedonistic than other Laiu, having a more content attitude about life. They specialise in atmospheric magic, at most basic controlling the sorrounding air, while specialists can conjure rain or electrical charges.

Aven

Laiu Aven resemble cockatoos, and in true parrot fashion are noisy, extravagant and curious. Having the same reckless mentality as goblins do in other planes, Laiu Aven are sometimes considered insufferable by even other tribe members, having no concept of personal property and often endangering diplomatic meetings and relationships with other tribes with their antics. Nonetheless, they're still largely considered endearing due to their devotion and loyalty, and they're pretty useful when released on the Laiu's enemies.

Viashino

Some Viashino have left the life in the outback amidst the Aningan for the more pleasure filled life with the Laiu. Leaving the Aningan isn't easy, but the Laiu do welcome the reptiles with open arms, and over time several have joined. Unlike the Aningan or the Ilaugir, the Laiu neither regularly come in contact with termite nests nor return to them, so Viashino seldomly can successfully reproduce, though a few Platypusfolk mothers have taken interest in incubating their eggs alongside their own.

Merfolk

Also known as Muldgewangk, Merfolk are the most distant members of the Laiu. Though easy going and relaxed, they have little patience for the hedonism of the rest of the tribe, and associate with them marginally, establishing friendships and other relations but not involving themselves in celebrations. Nonetheless, they still proudly bear loyalty to the Laiu, answering when called for combat. They do little trade, preffering to hunt fish and use other aquatic resources.

Living along the Bila are massive python-like serpents with iridescent scales, gleaming in all colours of the rainbow. These giant creatures are known by many names, and though they are most fervently honoured by the Laiu, they receive at least some degree of admiration by nearly all tribes.


Rainbow Serpents exist partly in the Trancetime, making them rather subtle and evasive when they want to be, as well as exceptionally powerful, capable of truly reality warping capacities. They reside along the Bila, swimming subtly and almost invisibly except for their glistening scales, though those in the Trancetime can witness them more directly. Chancing upon one is an incredibly surreal experience, as the barriers between reality and Trancetime are thinner than ever, and if the serpent desires it can influence directly one's Trancetime experience, messing with the victim's mind and emotions. They are generally benign beings unless provoked, however, and will gladly help tether lost consciousnesses if they can, as well as offer council and knowledge if pleased.


Rainbow Serpents are associated strongly with water, and they occasionally take flight. When they do so they conjure rains, and their atmospheric magic are the main reason there's any form of rainfall on Barraw. Sometimes this is a blessing, sometimes a curse, as Rainbow Serpents can unleash anything from mild rains to torrential floods. Nonetheless, they're consistently considered symbols of fertility and healing across the plane, and they're thus the subject of many magical and spiritual practises amidst the tribes.


The Laiu honour the serpents most frequently, sacrificing food, beverages and blood to them whenever they or their magic manifest themselves, and using the Rainbow Serpent as their heraldic symbol. The serpents don't bear any favouritism towards them, however, and they will just as easily come in aid of another tribe if they can appeal to them.

Residents of the mallee and associated scrublands, wetlands and savannahs, the Maligun are the wealthiest of Barraw's tribes. Though they too occasionally see themselves forced to move in accordance to the changes of their territory as the underground reservoirs dry up, they do afford to stick around long enough to build fortifications, being the only tribe to do so besides the Batarka. They haven't managed agriculture or widespread domestication, but they are well attuned to the patterns of their wilds, ensuring both enough resources for themselves and to trade with other tribes.

Though ultimately not sedentary, the Maligun do move as little as possible, and combined with their defensive stance they have fragmented into multiple sub-tribes, whose interspecific relations are every bit as complex as with outside groups. In regards to other tribes, the Maligun have managed to retain healthy trade relations with nearly all other tribes, including the upland Batarka through the river Laiu; frictions with Aningan and Ilaugir groups do occur, but they are exclusively individual conflicts that rarely impact the overall relations between the tribes. Because of their wealth and Barraw trade as a whole being focused on them, the Maligun do tend to see themselves as superior to the other tribes, though they acknowledge the Batarka and to some extent the Aningan as close to equals. They generally have little patience for the Laiu and Ilaugir, but they're pragmatic enough to keep their trade relations going smoothly. Both within and without, relationships are established through a complex system of envoys and diplomats, always faultlessly cordial.

Maligun society as a whole is rather rigid, focused on civic welfare first and the individual latter. Though overall strict castes systems are rare, there is a general distinction between shamans, warriors, hunters, gatherers and crafters, none of the ranks intrinsically higher than the other, as individual groups may be lead by a chief from any of these that shows sufficient charisma and skills. An individual's path is predestined, the community just "knowing" by perceiving the child in Trancetime; if there are disenting opinions, the shaman's usually trumps all, even the chief's. There is no hope to change one's fortune in life, other than exile and the off chance of starting anew in another group. The Maligun do have a slave "caste", usually composed of prisoners, people bought from other tribes, outcasts or members of their own tribe, stripped from their social role and human dignity in the face of "wrong doings". Overall, personal contentment is more valued than ambition, though pragmatism and ruthlessness directed towards outsiders are considered valuable assets.

In the face of civic welfare and strict social function, the Maligun do have a complex system of traditions. They have a variety of civic religious ceremonies, honouring local spirits and deities in lavish but rather subdued public festivals. Their artistic expression is mostly based on crafts, singing and dancing; the former is naturally reserved for crafters, while the latter is can be practised by anyone under the right contexts. Craftmanship in the Maligun manifests as lavish and suberb decorations, ornamentations and carving, being well renowed for their use of fiber based textiles for vibrant clothing and tapestries as well as intricate figurines and weaponry, often commissioned by other tribes and as such part of their trade. They generally frown upon painting or the use of musical instruments, finding the former distatesful and the latter cheap enhancement for music.

Maligun magic is quite varied, often related to their path in life, with shamans having naturally the most power. Under shamanic magic, the usually individualistic experience that is Trancetime becomes somewhat more communal as consciousnesses are linked, but not fully connected, as with the thoughtweft of kithkin elsewhere. As such, a Maligun community in Trancetime can be remarkably powerful, provided they remain in perfect alignment and harmony. The Maligun do have a lot of power individually, however, and through the use of methods like sacrifice - of animals, slaves, or even the consciousnesses of enemies -, they can tap into rather dark magics.


Representative/Authorithy

The Maligun as a whole currently answer to the Levar-Maligun sub-tribe, in turn lead by the woman known as Varle. A former gatherer who rose to dominance by demonstrating her communitary skills in the face of disaster, Varle is held in high esteem by her fellow Maligun, a true leader and a motherly figure to her followers. In her early 30's, Varle is very involved with the politics of the Maligun, hoping one day to truly unite her tribe. Though very active in her community, she usually leaves the fight to her followers, whom do her bidding with fanatism.

Humans

Humans are very common amidst the Maligun, though very rarely are there human-only tribes. Maligun humans see themselves most often in the roles of gatherers, crafters and shamans, being generally less physically skilled than other races.

Taika

Over time, some Aningan Taika have joined the Maligun ranks, and now are reasonably well established, having introduced some Aningan traditions like sun worship. Maligun Taika are present mostly as hunters, warriors and crafters, with a few having specialised as shamans. Like their Aningan cousins, Maligun Taika are rather reserved and dettached, perhaps more so given their more restricted environment that doesn't prommote the same zealous passion. Nonetheless, they're considered rather useful, their strength and stamina making them particularly effective in the roles they're assigned.

Batfolk

Maligun Batfolk resemble flying foxes, and like them are mostly frugivorous. However, they are far from harmless, being both large physically powerful as well as adepts in shadow magic, using it to great effect when dispatching enemies. They work mostly as shamans and gatherers, using life-oriented magic both to heal and to generate rich harvests. They're rather involved with their communities, being generally gregarious and friendly.

Yara-ma

Some of the creepiest creature samidst the Maligun, the Yara-ma are small, impish creatures with red skin, massive heads with toothless mouths, and thin limbs with suckers where feet and hands should be. They spend most of their time resting on fig trees, until an unfortunate victim passes by, which the Yara-ma jumps on and attaches its suckers, draining the blood out of the victim. The victim survives the attack, weaker, smaller and with a reddish skin; the Yara-ma may then proceed to keep feeding multiple times, until eventually the victim becomes an Yara-ma themselves. Not at all sapient, Yara-ma are creatures derived from sangromantic magic, and are controlled by either their creator or whatever spellcaster manages to dominate them, serving their will faithfully.

Yowie

Resembling yetis, Yowie are ape-like humanoids with thick brown pelts. Gentle by nature, they are nonetheless strong when provoked. Most work as gatherers and hunters, using the knowledge and bounty of the land for the benefit of Maligun communities, though some also work as shamans and crafters, and more rarely as warriors. Yowie are among Varle's stronger supporters, many believing her to bring about the necessary peace and stability the Maligun need.

Barraw's demons are ancient denizens of the mallee, beings born from the darkness that accumulates in the deep caverns and reservoirs beneath. Barraw demons are more beastial, and arguably more beautiful, than their counterparts elsewhere, resembling anthropomorphic tasmanian devils. In lieu of horns, their ears are particularly sharp and innerly curved, and in some the arms have partly converted into bat-like wings, using their forelimbs thus both for manipulation and flight.

Like most demons, Barraw's are mostly concerned about their personal power, though they do have an unusual respect for order and community. They bear a complex relationship with the Maligun: some groups fear and shun demons, and relations with them are punished very severely, while others accept them and even practise demonolatry. An individual's sub-tribe's policy matters ever so little, however: if a demon wants something, he gets it. He may be the whispers in the forest, he may confront you in the Trancetime. If someone catches a demon's interest, they're going to have to deal with it sooner or later.

In open worship, blood sacrifice and murder are ritualistic practises meant to satisfy the demon's hunger of both flesh and spiritual essence, and thus working as means to gain his approval. In private pacts, however, the sacrifice is usually far more personal, meant to test the individual's ambitious nature at the expense of their emotional or moral tethers. Demons do hold their end of the bargain fairly, often working through to influence the community they're interacting with - either directly or indirectly via a pactee - in a benign manner, but the price of failure is direly high: the victim's consciousness is devoured by the demonic beast, trapped forever without hope for reincarnation.

Rarely do demons leave the mallee, though some may venture themselves into the dry outback or be drawn to the hanging swamps of the uplands, thus interacting with the Aningan and Batarka. Neither group holds demons in high regard, and will attempt to kill them on sight, but demonic pacts in these tribes are known to rarely happen.

Most tribes are nomadic to some extent, but the Ilaugir are notable for leading a dual, migratory existence. Through most of their time they dwell in Barraw's red mountain rocks and outcrops, climbing down to forage in the sorrounding outback. However, when the flooding rains come, the great salt fields become flooded, turning into immense lakes. It is for that moment that the Ilaugir live for, and when the floods happen they take to the waters with their boats, enjoying the richest aquatic fishing grounds in all of Barraw, as well as fast and swift trade, until the flood waters receed. Life for the Ilaugir is thus a dichotomous cycle.

When living in the mountains, the Ilaugir have an advantage that few other tribes in Barraw can afford, that of elevation. Adept climbers and frequent flyers, the Ilaugir are usually safe in the red natural fortresses, which combined with their value of speed and cunning over direct strength gives them an unfortunate reputation for cowardice, particularly among the hardier Aningan, whom they compete with the most for territory and resources until the flood waters come. Their mountain dwelling also grants them the best access amidst the tribes to precious gems, and they trade them for food with the Maligun, to whom they have a pragmatic, though not particularly enjoyable relationship. Their trade in turn makes them competitors with the Laiu, who do respect the Ilaugir, though the latter mostly fear them as unpredictable and capricious. The upland Batarka are occasionally trading partners where their ranges overlap, but for the most part there isn't a lot of significant interaction between both groups.

Ingenuity is highly valued by the Ilaugir. While the Aningan and Maligun rely on their connection to their environment, the Ilaugir value fast action and thinking outside of the box. Though foresight and planning are quite necessary when dealing with their dichotomous lives, an Ilaugir's true strength is in imediate problem solving, and impatience is almost a cultural norm, trying to accomplish things as fast as possible. With their ability to be relatively prosperous even without the abundance from the lakes, the Ilaugir have a somewhat carefree, hedonistic attitude towards life, though they're more responsible than the Laiu. Communitary and valuing compassion, they're the tribe most willing to help outsiders, though they still have a largely condescending attitude towards other tribes.

Ilaugir communities are mostly self-contained families and associates when they spend their time on the mountains. When the floods come, though, nearly all of the tribe unites in the lakes, and for this reason the Ilaugir are the most internally united of all the tribes, individual groups seeing themselves as all part of the same one and acting as such when they come together. They have a strong value for crafts, the very same gems that they sell to the Maligun also used by themselves in brilliant necklaces and decorations, with the opal being particularly prized. Alongside the Laiu, they also make use of the didgeridoo, though it is usually reserved for welcoming ceremonies when they gather in the lakes, and most often they use flutes, clapticks and drums for their music.

Ilaugir Trancetime use is both recreational and pratical, particularly when used alongside music, and more so than any other tribe they're able to achieve more complex levels of consciousness. Most curiously, in spite of their close attunement, they remain firmly tethered, and as such can enjoy it with less risk of getting lost; the secrets for this, if there are any, aren't known. In Trancetime they have a lot of skill in preservation magic, a skill particularly useful in maintaining food and drink when they live in the mountains. The Ilaugir, like the Laiu, have no shamans, all individuals being expected to achieve some degree of magical prowess.

Representative/Authorithy

The Ilaugir are led as a whole by Talanga, an old Aven that has managed the tribe as a whole for 20 years. Elected by the tribe in a particularly auspicious flood, Talanga roams Barraw, coming in aid of both Ilaugir and others alike, and as such is particularly renowed as a peace keeper, establishing fair resolutions to whatever conflicts that crop up. Even those who dislike the Ilaugir at least show some degree of respect, and he is an old friend of Kiva, though their relationship has recently began to deteriorate. He is a contemplative person, spending most of his time pondering about the nature of reality, and as such is one of the leading authorithies when it comes to the Trancetime.

Humans

After the Laiu, the Ilaugir are the tribe with the least amount of humans, though obviously they're still common.

Taika

Taika are less common amidst the Ilaugir than with the Aningan and Maligun, but nonetheless very well established. Interestingly, Ilaugir Taika are less reclusive than their cousins elsewhere, and well integrated within the Ilaugir communities, having none of the dettachment Aningan and Maligun Taika have. Like Maligun Taika, Ilaugir Taika tend to be less zealous, which combined with general Ilaugir apreciation for compassion make them particularly invested individuals.

Aven

Ilaugir Aven resemble cranes. Elegant but strong, they are particularly renowed as pacifists, a reputation quite deserved as they avoid conflicts when possible, though not without some rather nasty exceptions. They're quite valued for their ability to fly, allowing them to serve both as scouts and messengers. In turn, some also specialise in sharing with other Ilaugir the gift of flight, though like most of their tribe they're very diverse when it comes to magic.

Viashino

Like with the Laiu, Ilaugir Viashino are descendents of Aningan ones, which have left for a variety of reasons. They are welcomed openly by the Ilaugir, but on the condition that they don't use their venom, which is considered too gruesome and barbaric by them. Many of these Viashino symbolically rip out their venom glands, but some instead magically charge them, turning their secretions into hallucinogenic substances. Like with the Aningan, the Ilaugir return to termite nests where Viashino eggs have been laid, though some use the heat of the mountain rocks or Platypusfolk pouches instead.

Platypusfolk

Some Platypusfolk have abandoned the Laiu fr the Ilaugir, for a variety of reasons. Like with the Viashino, they have to accept the condition that their venom isn't used, and many similarly change it into more benevolent secretions. For this reason, they have a special kinship with the Ilaugir Viashino, and many readily accept to incubate their eggs.

Merfolk

Ilaugir merfolk spend most of their time hibernating beneath the salt fields, isolated in coccoons, where they are suspended in Trancetime, yet still firmly tethered to reality. When the floods arrive, they emerge, taking the massive lakes as their own. In spite of this hibernation, they see themselves fully as Ilaugir, and when the tribe gathers in the waters they happily take place in their society, working mostly as fishermen and healers. They uniquely cannot sleep outside of their hibernation, so they're well renowed as diligent, since they work through most of the time they're active.

Barraw's phoenixes are very rarely seen, spending most of their time as massive, opal eggs, buried in the salt deserts. When rains come, or when these eggs are cracked, however, they explode in a blast as bright as the sun and as colourful as the rainbow, resulting in their glorious rebirth. The cracked egg shells sit at the bottom of the now flooded lakes, the precious "lake opals", and these are highly sought by most tribes both for their beauty and value in Trancetime magic, being thus harvested by the Ilaugir and either sold or kept by them.

The phoenixes themselves are majestic creatures, great elemental birds lit in blue and golden flames. Once reborn, some remain on the vicinity of the lakes, but most fly to Barraw's red rock mountains, now vacated from the Ilaugir, which they use as their perches, overseeing the outback. Like most phoenixes, they're forces of destruction, spreading wildfires and causing widespread devastation, that nonetheless paves the way for new life and growth. They're intelligent creatures, however, and are often motivated by curiosity and fascination, often observing mortals intently from above. They are infamous for their unpredictability: one moment they may attack out of the blue, another they may aid those in need.

For this reason, they have a very ambivalent relationship with the tribes of Barraw, with the Maligun despising their casual destruction, the Batarka and Aningan seeing them as necessary but undesirable, and the Laiu admiring their beauty. The Ilaugir bear a specific and unique connection to the phoenixes, seeing as they switch locations with the onset of the floods. They see the birds as the idealisation of their own nature, creatures that are free and wild, but not devoid of compassion or the desire to understand. They don't worship the phoenixes, but they see them as an inspiring influence, one that should be emulated to some degree. Perhaps tellingly, the phoenixes rarely attack the Ilaugir, and seeing one taking interest in the tribe is considered a great honour by them.

Aven of all kind see themselves as descending from the phoenixes, and react differently according to this belief. Aningan Aven distate their wild nature, and seek either to use them as an example of what they should avoid, or to dominate them in some regard. Laiu Aven find them beautiful, and try to fashion themselves after them, dyeing their feathers and acquiring their egg shells, but don't connect with them on an emotional or spiritual level. Ilaugir Aven take their tribe's admiration for the birds and try to perfect themselves to become like phoenixes, or even attempt to transcend their mortal coils to be reborn as one of the firebirds, though some actually have a bitter envy instead.

After a while, usually but not always coinciding with the drying of the lakes, the phoenixes leave their mountain posts and let themselves fall like meteorites, becoming the opal eggs upon collision. Many fall randomly, and the resulting crater becomes a new salt field, and eventually a lake.

Most of Barraw is a rather arid environment. However, up in the tallest highlands, above the threshold of the clouds, the air is rich and humid, and so dense rainforests cover these distant plateaus and ranges. Rivers criss-cross them, most of them eventually gathering up to source the Bila, and water pools in the slopes, forming the strange visage that are the hanging swamps. This misty world so different from the rest of Barraw is the home of the Batarka, the plane's most staunch isolationists.

Composed of about 8 different sub-tribes, each isolated in the plane's remote highlands, the Batarka are the most isolated of all the tribes. They only interact regularly with the Laiu, who climb up-river to negociate with them, and occasionally with some of the Ilaugir, who manage to climb high enough to meet them. They trade indirectly with the Maligun through the Laiu, and they have virtually no contact with the Aningan. Because of their isolationist tendencies, most regard the Batarka as pampared, arrogant and condescending peak dwellers, looking with contempt down on the rest of Barraw. Certainly, some are, but for the most part the Batarka simply want to lead their own lives in tranquility, far from the conflicts down below. Batarka groups are isolated even from among themselves, though communication manages to happen through Trancetime or other divination means, and those capable of flight may easy cross across Barraw's skies to another Batarka territory.

The Batarka are ostensibly the most technologically advanced of Barraw's tribes. They have invented agriculture and domestication, and have the most complex buildings on the plane, wood carved and arranged into designs reminescent of ships. The most ostentatious of these are the central assembly buildings, meticulously ornamented with poles and figurines. In spite of this, the Batarka strive to connect with the natural world around them, trying to co-exist with the forests of which their villages are part off, and mold them to suit their needs.

Asceticism is a common feature of the Batarka culture, as means to connect with nature and perfect the individual. Rites of passage and important ceremonies are marked by fasting, and meditation and personal discipline are highly valued. Self-indulge is at best frowned upon, and the Batarka have virtually no patience for hedonism, and no respect for those who give in to their basic desires. Paradoxally, they do value mindless instinct, particularly if it emulates the strong beasts they share their environments with. The Batarka admire the natural cycles and life and death, and though reincarnation is pretty much a well established fact in Barraw, they revere it on a special level, pin pointing precisely who was who in their past lives. Most hope to reincarnate in the best possible life, though there is no moral dimension to this, simply a testament to one's magical capacities.

Batarka society is not very layered, there simply being a difference between the average tribe member and the leading shaman. There may be some sort of pecking order, but it is always shifting: the Batarka believe strongly in might makes right, so whoever is stronger, even in subtle ways like composture and gaze, gets what they want. They distate shows of violence, preffering more subtle methods of intimidation and control. The Batarka occasionally use slaves, but for the most part they frown upon the practise, seeing it as a demonstration of the owner's weakness.

They have a rich set of traditions, celebrating natural cycles as well as an individual's accomplishments both physically and spiritually. Perhaps one of their most spectacular rites is land diving from a massive platform built in the canopy at some 30-40 meters high, only a liana preventing them from colliding with the ground. A particularly gruesome costume of the Batarka is the consumption of the corpses of the dead, an act which they see as simply their loved ones giving them one last gift of nourishment, as well as a demonstration of nature's cycle. Because reincarnation is such a prevelant concept in their culture, they don't load the act with negative implications.

Batarka magic is focused on the use of Trancetime to experience extrasensorial episodes, in which they both perfect their consciousness as well as tap into the primal animalistic part of their minds, giving in to animalistic instincts. People in such a state effectively become mindless predators in a berserker state, stopped at the individual's will. The Batarka also use the Trancetime extensively for divination, the most experienced of their shamans achieving almost complete omniscience as they tap fully into the knowledge of the past and present, and some can also acquire mental omnipresence. Lastly, they can also influence the Trancetime experiences of other people, erasing and destroying their minds and souls at will. Non-Trancetime related magic includes phytomancy, water manipulation and powers over darkness and death.

Representative/Authorithy

All the Batarka sub-tribes have their own chiefs, but the Batarka as a whole are pretty clearly led by the shaman Sarri. A mysterious echidnafolk shaman, Sarri lives by her own in a distant isolated range, having seperated herself from her clan long ago, but she manifests herself wherever and whenever she wants by projecting her consciousness. An old and exceptionally powerful spell caster, Sarri's grasp on the Trancetime is so tremendous that she has almost god-like powers, being without doubt the most powerful being on the plane.

Humans

Batarka humans are common.

Echidnafolk

Slow moving creatures, Echidnafolk are nonetheless formidable, bearing an impressive array of spines. Quite bestial even by Batarka standards, Echidnafolk often work to dig up the fields where plantations are grown, though they themselves feed on worms and other invertebrates their tongues catch. They are very secretive and magically capable, and some have become rather powerful shamans.

Yowie

Batarka Yowie are less docile than their Maligun cousins, but they so similarly share their strength. Among the Batarka they are generally the ones most content with their lives, working little to advance themselves or even just perfect themselves. They work mostly in plantations, occasionally eating from them when they do so.

Batfolk

Similar to Maligun Batfolk, Batarka's are more reclusive and solitary, and work primarily as shamans, though some chose to tend the plantations. They have an air of melancholy about them, the exact reason for which is kept tightly to themselves, and a lot of their Trancetime prowess is dedicated to keeping the reason for that a secret. Their ability to fly makes them quite valuable assets when it comes to physical communication and trade, though they're less common as messengers than the drakes.

Faeries

Creatures that exist partly in the Trancetime permanently, faeries are illusive creatures of the forests. Rather timid, they can nonetheless be approached with the right state of mind, being particularly drawn to those engaged in deep meditation. Capricious and wild, they nonetheless are good willed, and can be persuaded to help one's spiritual development. Some of the faeries warn of a strange, toxic entity known as Hek-sus, whom they supposedly trapped on a tree, but if such a being exists so far hasn't been confirmed.

Drakes

Found in the vicinity of the hanging swamps, Barraw drakes are cunning aerial predators, without a society of their own but associating themselves with the Batarka. They are often used as messengers, their ability to fly being a valuable asset in physical communication between Batarka groups, and they're faster than the Batfolk. They have little regard for community, but enjoy the power and relevance of their function.

Living far in the dense forests and hanging swamps of the Batarka lands, the Bunyip are the expression of Barraw's primal glory, born from the rich mana of the highlands. They are ancient, bestial creatures, resembling a monstruous amalgamation of wild mammals: some bear fearsome tusks, others crushing canine jaws, others even platypus beaks, some multiple heads, others powerful claws and spines, and so on. They are ferocious predators, completely mindless and driven by the thrill of the hunt, having a special affinity to aquatic environments, from which they ambush their prey. They are capable of regenerating themselves, being virtually unstoppable by non-magical means.

The Bunyip are pretty much contained to the highlands, though some have made their way into the lowlands, living along the Bila or the mallee, with a few roaming the outback. They are nearly always seen as monstruous, savage creatures, and are often seen as worse than demons. The Batarka nonetheless do find them inspirational as savage forces of nature, and try to emmulate their primal ferocity, often against the Bunyip themselves. Some Batarka sub-tribes so hold the Bunyip as their totem, but most stop short at actually venerating them, lest they attract their presence.

The Bunyip partly exist in the Trancetime. This means that they both display a great resistance to offensive spells, as well as the capacity to destroy one's consciousness. Defeating a Bunyip, thus, is a feat of great magical power, and even the Ropen, Rainbow Serpents, Demons and Phoenixes are at danger when dealing with them.