Achu lore (Homelands) (Patreon)

Some one on Fimfic asked about Achu.  Here's the reply I gave.

Achu traditions are based on the myth of the five children of Achu. Achu was the child of the sun and mountains, and he was so strong his footsteps shook the ground and split the earth. He was so strong just walking caused devastation. He was a great hero against primordial monsters that threatened the tribe... but caused terrible collateral damage with his every step. It wasn't until he was wed to the meekest of Carna's daughters that he sat down beneath a tree and remained there for 999 years, granting peace to Zebrinica before passing into the spirit.

Achu's wife had quintuplets and, like their father, they were extremely competitive. Achu, sitting under his cherry tree with his wife, was tired by their constant boasting and arguing and decided to settle which was the strongest. Horo, the mountain, lifted a giant rock and threw it at his sister, Meili, the river, but she was so swift she dodged handily and mocked him. Meili tried to grapple and smother her sister Zhu, the flame, but Zhu was so furious in her fighting that she was untouchable by her sister. Zhu then tried to furiously pummel her brother, Yingjie, the valiant knight, but Yingjie blocked and parried her blows with his fabulous golden sword. When Yingzie attacked the heaviest brother, Changpu, the fat, Changpu absorbed his attacks with blocks until he was exhausted. However, when Changpu tried to beat Horo, Horo lifted him despite his bulk and threw him aside.

The five children squabbled and argued on who was winning and should be considered the winner, until their mother called the five to them together for tea.

Achu philosophy, after being told this fable, is based on the question: who is strongest? There are many different outlooks on what 'strong' entails. Is it mere physical strength? Is it swiftness and speed of action? Is it the will to act and push on? Is it the skill to execute your goals? Is it the ability to weather adversity? The arguments of this question show the heart of the Achu tribe. The masters of the tribe will generally end the debate that point out it was their mother who defeated them all with respect. This generally lasts about five minutes before the arguing starts again, and many Zencori say that Achu went into the spirit just to get away from his children, for whom a winner was never declared.

Most heroes of Zebrinica claim to be either descended from one of Achu's five children or later children he sired. There are some versions of the myth were the first Starkatteri started the bickering watching the five children practice before asking who was strongest.

Prior to the war, the tribe was mostly situated in monasteries that taught martial arts related to which child they revere.

The way of stone taught physical strength above all else was most important. They focus primarily on building their bodies to their peak performance. The way of water taught that speed, maneuverability, and striking points of vital weakness was best. They focus on quick maneuvers, perceptiveness, and ending a foe decisively. Xenith, I believe, would belong to this school. The way of fire involves in never giving up and coming at your foe until you overcome them or are defeated. They prize inventiveness, tenacity, and fury above all else, and Blackjack would be an honorary member. The way of steel focuses on skill and knowledge to prevail over your foes, by knowing more you act to your victory and their defeat. And finally the way of wood emphasizes patience, minimizing damage, and pressing forward when your foe is exhausted.

Most Achu are either born into the tribe or convert by joining a school. The process is designed to be difficult and frustrating, to weed out those that break and leave early. After a person joins, there are five levels of growth: infancy, childhood, adulthood, elder, and wise. If an Achu achieves the third rank, they're generally respected as a member of the tribe. If someone can't get out of the first or second rank, they're generally only tolerated. Earning the final two ranks are difficult, and the fifth rank involves a trial invoking spirits of the zebra's greatest weakness for them to overcome. Some elders are so broken and harrowed by the trial that they take a vow of silence so to never speak of it again.

Finally, and most annoying to the Achu, there are zebra who insist on trying to master all 5 ways. This is because of the Zencori myth of Wei, the perfect student, who was a student so bad that he failed to learn anything, yet some how learned the most vital aspect of whatever he studied. He often vexed teachers to the point where they either gave up or became better teachers, and was more a cautionary tale for educators. However, Wei did exist, he was born Achu, and he did enroll in all five schools before dropping out to study at a Zencori academy. For the Achu, he's more a cautionary tale, as no one mortal has enough lifetimes to become wise in all five ways... but that didn't stop some from trying.

Unfortunately, the war broke the Achu. They weren't big fans of it in the first place, since trying to be stronger than a pony is just foolish. However, in participating, they simply weren't able to react to the realities of modern weaponry. A machine gun doesn't care how much you can bench. Artillery doesn't care how fast you run when the shells fall. It doesn't matter how fast you are if the rest of the unit isn't. One expert is useful, but not when thousands of generalists are needed. And just waiting for the enemy to come is a recipe for disaster. Worse, all recruits and aspirants who would have joined the schools were sucked up by the war effort. After 20 years, the Achu were little more than empty monasteries and old zebras with no one to teach.

After the war, they passed on what they could before the Legions butchered Zebrinica in the name of saving it. What remains of the Achu are scattered remnants barely remembered by the Zencori. They are arguably tied with the Eskashik for second most likely to go extinct, after the Starkatteri.