Only in the past hundred years have uembians, once called Dideic or ‘mixed’, come to equal social standing. Like the other aboriginal species in Marcwith, they are of the same family but a distinct genus that are nonetheless capable of producing fertile hybrid offspring. Once the indigenous population in southern Marcwith, uembians were historically a tribal people who were enslaved by almost everyone who passed through their land; the Deerless, the Hwoxin, the humans in the north, as well as the Drepa who took many uembians with them to Iokeihiko and Asiri Asa. This mixing of cultures led to the extinction of ‘full’ uembians, though their genetics have proven resilient to crossbreeding. Because of this, many residents of Marcwith have incredibly old uembian traits – charcoal skin, jewel colored hair and eyes, pointed ears, some females even retain the ability of Mamamanii. Although they are of mixed backgrounds, individuals with pigminted skin are often referred to as uembian.
Uembian Traditions
There are several notable traditions that Io has adopted from uembian tradition. Shaving is the most well-cited example. For many uembian tribes (especially those with close relations to the Lar Chamlek), hair carried negative energy out of the body. Shaving hair meant removing this negative energy after the body purged it, in many localities shaving was treated as a common ceremonial event. This contrasted the reigning powers in Marcwith, namely the Arnoon, Extiez, and Stormvice families, all of whom wore long and intricate hairstyles as symbols of status. As cultures merged, hair on the face and head was kept, while body hair, which could be hidden under clothing, could easily be shaved away without appearing to rebel against non-uembian norms. After years of intermixing the remaining families of Marcwith adopted this tradition of body hair removal to nurture contrast between their increasingly extravagant hairstyles.
With the advent of coalescence and diaspora many uembians, lacking the bright colors or paints that separated their tribes in their homeland, took to the use of hairstyle, tattoo, or even facial piercings to show their loyalty to different local tribes. One such common tattoo is several jagged marks on the neck. The tradition dates back to early Dideidic culture when affection for a friend, partner, or lover is shown through biting the skin between neck and shoulder over the trapezius muscle.
Characteristics and Ecology
Pigmented skin is the most famed aspect of uembian appearance. However, uembian physiology differs in more than aesthetics. Despite this, like the other families in Io, uembians have long been able to produce hybrid offspring. In modern terms this is called coalescence.
Many of uembian descent retain larger, pointed ears and occasionally pointed canines and incisors. These are both remnants of a carnivorous diet. Some believe that ancient uembians were overwhelmingly supercarnivores.
Mamamanii
Mamamanii is unique to the uembian family. This viscous substance is produced by sexually mature females during intercourse. This fluid is mainly used to lubricate genitals for sexual reproduction but can also contain a 'female sperm'. Although not potent, Mamamanii has been known to impregnate other females. This ability was most common in areas where food availability and viable shelter was scarce. In instances of a Mamamanii pregnancy the child is almost always carried to term (an estimated 7% chance of miscarriage in healthy women of childbearing age) and is almost always male. Because of this high success rate, Mamamanii has been sporadically used for artificial insemination. However, as most uembian women are unable to create Mamamanii (or unaware of the ability) and the chances of a pregnancy resulting from Mamamanii introduction is minimal, it has not been considered a widely viable option.
Lifespan
Like the Deerless and the Hwoxin, uembians enjoyed long lifespans. Historic documents suggest that in most uembian cultures children reached adolescence in their late 20's and adulthood in their mid 40's. Similar to their northern brethren these long lives were marked by surprisingly little reproduction with occasional generations being raised by parents almost 90 years their senior. This survival strategy is thought to evolve from the harsh living conditions on the super-continent. Many would spend their entire lives without having intercourse and think nothing of it.
Ancient uembians varied greatly by locality. In southern Marcwith, possibly due to a close association with Bava, many uembians were carnivorous, crepuscular, ambush predators. With food scant near the Creeping Desert, these loosely formed nomadic tribes were known for their dark charcoal skin, the most common coloration in uembians today.
Widespread inland on both Ternomei and Dideh, omnivore uembians of much smaller stature than their desert counterparts had a blue-black coloration useful for residing in low-laying rainforest, montane rainforests, moist evergreen forests and even deciduous forests. This coloration is the second most common in modern uembians.
Near the coastal areas of the islands and the southern mainland uembians were largely bright colored and only slightly shorter than the average Deerless population of the day. Common among these sea-dwelling people were bright pastels and neons, thought to be an evolution preventing harm from UV rays. This theory is heavily disputed, with most proponents believing the most common colors in uembian hair (blue, purple, or pink) support their ideas. However, many uembians in the area also had ashy grey and even bright white coloration.
In addition to the differences in coloration, not all uembians displayed the rough skin, sharp teeth, and pointed ears so commonly assigned them. These traits were found mostly in crepuscular uembians, while those who enjoyed a diurnal lifestyle lacked these qualities. Over years of intermixing among tribes and settlements, uembian traits have become difficult to place in one geographical or cultural area. It is widely accepted that uembians on the mainland were never the cerulean pigment of most Westerners or displayed the mottled characteristics of Deerless skin.
Enslavement and Diaspora
It is likely that uembian enslavement began prior to recorded history at the hands of the Deerless. However, it wasn't until the middle of the Age of Intikilla that enslavement was seen as a form of monetary gain. By the Age of Enlightenment, uembian was at its peak, spread to all corners of the globe. This distribution of culture and genetics is the widest in history. Many scholars refer to this diaspora as a genocide as true uembic people no longer survive.
Marcwith
In the continent of Marcwith the uembians – then called Dideic - were so integrated in the culture that though they were originally enslaved by the Deerless, their customs were generally accepted and they could often work to buy their freedom. The Hwoxin were less tolerant of the uembians. In most parts of Marcwith, uembians were allowed to buy their freedom after years of service to a family. Most uembians were born into slavery or destined to become slaves. Those enslaved were born under the rule of particular territories or families, and were sometimes traded between the two in payment of services, goods, or debts. Those who worked hard, showed great loyalty to their owners, or were born to a released slave were considered ‘free’, though they led restrictive lives.
Globally
Throughout Asiri Asa, where their cultural differences were vast, the uembians were also enslaved. They were imported through Fylan and upon entering the main islands were employed as personal servants or sex workers – both unnatural applications of uembians who had little to no sex drive and limited knowledge of keeping an eastern home. They were not allowed to stay in the same houses as their owners and despite having no interest in physical intimacy were cruelly and specifically bred with humans to create a more appealing ‘creature’. The term uembian also originated in Asiri Asa as a joke mocking the way uembians naturally spoke. Years later the term was reclaimed and is now the preferred name above the previously common ‘painted people’.
However, uembian slaves imported to Iokeihiko were treated almost as equals. The religious beliefs of the humans who brought them and the extreme physical isolation eventually resulted in the earliest and largest population of coalescence in Io.
Religion
Traditional Beliefs
It is thought that Mageroa evolved from a series of Uembic practices. As uembic culture developed alongside human, Lar Chamlek, and Deerless populations through all recorded history, it is difficult to say what practices may have originated from which tribal area.
Descendants of the Mazinodenga
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Coalescence
Since the Uembian Rights Project rocketed to fame all of Marcwith has formed an obsession with tracing their roots. While some who had proudly worn their indigenous history for generations criticize the movement as another prime example of the human tendency for martyrdom, others have plunged headlong into their family trees as if they were prospecting for gold.
‘Uembian Coalescence’ has become the politically correct term for those who chose to recognize their mixed background. Generally the term is applies to those who are recognizably human with minor uembian biology, but it also refers to those with more noticeable features (that in the past had been called ‘mixed breed’, 'painted people' or ‘potmuck’).
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