Ini

The Ini are a race of small-statured, generally dark-skinned but light-haired people, inhabiting the world of Ym. They are native to, and still most common in, the Spice Jungle on the continent of Lli, just west of the southern part of the Central Sea.

The Ini have special abilities related to stealth and observation, and are valued for their utility as spies and infiltrators. To some degree, this has now backfired, as many people assume whenever they meet an Ini that he must be spying for someone, and Ini are widely mistrusted—and while of course some Ini do work as spies, many others pursue other, honest professions and do not merit such mistrust.

Description

The average adult male Ini stands about fifty-eight centimeters tall. The average female is only slightly shorter, at fifty-six centimeters. Ini tend to have slight builds, with little muscular bulk, and usually little body fat (though there are certainly exceptions). They are relatively long-limbed for their small size. Their hair is usually straight, though occasionally somewhat wavy; Ini generally have little body hair. Their faces tend to be somewhat pointed, with small ears and noses but wide mouths.

The Ini have dark brown skin, ranging to almost black, though their palms and soles are often a lighter color. Their hair, however, is much lighter, seldom darker than a medium brown and often blond, sometimes almost white. Black-haired Ini exist, but are rare. Ini usually have brown or golden eyes, though blue, green, or orange eyes are not terribly uncommon.

Culture

The Ini tend to be a secretive people in many ways, often refusing to tell strangers and even acquaintances of matters that other people might consider too inconsequential to bother hiding. However, they are also lovers of riddles and guessing-games, and many of their secrets may be ferreted out that way; it's common, when an Ini won't divulge information, for his interlocutor to propose a question game to divine the answers. This is not to say, however, that an Ini feels obligated to participate in a question game, and if it concerns something the Ini really has good reason not to tell, he can and almost certainly will turn down the proposition.

Though slow to trust strangers, Ini place great value on friendships; while it may not be easy to really befriend an Ini, once one does one has often gained a very loyal friend. It is only with their close friends—more so than even their family—that Ini are forthcoming with all their secrets. Even a friend of a friend an Ini will be much more likely to trust than a stranger with no such connection.

Traditionally, an Ini at birth is given a second name, known only to his mother and to anyone she chooses to tell... which usually includes the Ini himself when he is old enough to understand, though even this is not necessarily the case. At coming of age (for this purpose generally considered sixteen years old), an Ini chooses yet another name for himself, called the full name, which he likewise keeps secret, sharing it only with a few close friends. These names mostly serve a symbolic purpose, but there are some spells and other powers that depend on them.

Powers

There are a number of innate powers that can be developed by Ini. Many Ini achieve a supernatural silence, able to pass over any surface and perform many actions without making a sound. Ini can also develop a weak sort of camouflage, and can blend in with their surroundings not perfectly enough to compose full invisibility but well enough to avoid being seen. Yet another relatively common Ini ability is that of wall-climbing; some Ini are capable of climbing up sheer vertical surfaces, apparently by some sort of local manipulation of gravity. Heightened senses are yet another fairly common Ini power; many Ini develop supernaturally acute vision, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, or any combination of these.

Other abilities are much rarer, found only in a relatively few individuals. Some Ini go beyond simple camouflage and do attain true invisibility; others are able to pass through walls. Still others develop a sort of penetrating vision, or even full-fledged clairvoyance or another form of clairception. Some few Ini even develop the power of translocation.

Subraces

Like all the major theeds of Ym, the Ini actually comprise a number of subtheeds, similar but slightly varying in their appearance and their powers. The Bhen tend to be darker-skinned than other Ini, and to have torsos somewhat more laterally flattened. They may develop additional powers concerning darkness and night, including the ability to travel between shadows. The Vanji have a reddish tone to their skin, and occasionally to their hair as well; they have power over light, and some of them develop the ability to weave complex illusions. The Tasara are slightly smaller even than other Ini, and tend to have slightly larger and more slanted eyes; they are more prone to develop camouflage than the other subtheeds, and in some cases may even achieve transmutation. The Weradi tend to have wavy hair and rounder features than most Ini; some of them develop powers of transfigurement. Finally, the Srgan have slightly fairer complexions than most Ini, and thinner faces; they may develop powers of supernatural speed.