Ixaj

The Ixaj (sing. ix) are the most diverse and varying of the major classes. They have some sense of sentience and speech beyond 'animals'. Amphidera leave their families, their parents, their wild lives, and stand along side their human. In return for protection and extended life and wonders of the world and speech, they serve as magical conduit, partner, and companion.

Physiology
Has the largest abundance of appearances and covers all creatures on land and air, excluding sea creatures and insects. Examples include creatures that resemble bears with long scruffs, small two tailed mice as blue as cornflowers, bird with beaks like sharp swords. There are antelopes in rainbow colours, gnarled toads, triple winged dragon flies, soaring eagles the size of doors.

Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
Sex is binary and is used for procreation, there is no real need for genders

Family
Each ix has its own family structure but broadly, species will consider themselves families and are wholly more loyal to themselves or their own kind than others.

Status
the ixaj provide the conduit for kansoro magic, protected thoroughly by the jaya.

Name
Chosen by parents more often than not

Language
Language tend to fall into groups of language: antelopes and grazers of that nature can communicate, while the large cats can. There is a bit of overlap between things like cougars and wolves however so while they are no related, due to their lifestyles, they are somewhat mutually intelligible in a very basic way. The jaya transcend all this and as far as is known except in lore and myth, there are no living ixaj who can communicate outside the bounds they are given (deer have never spoken to the wolves), nor have the kansoro been able to learn or decipher it. Sometimes, the jaya act as the peacemakers between species, but there is a general order understood where wolves do eat deer and such forth.

Culture
Domesticated ixaj are given different treatment than wild ixaj, having been born into a trusted place. There are no pets, as livestock make choices (usually milk bearing creatures). Some are conscripted to be animals of burden - hauling and so on, but this isn't the usual. You wouldn't see oxen ploughing as a regular occurence nor expect it.

Combat and War
Not well understood as generally there is not war in a formal sort but some sorts of animals seem to have warrior castes which from time to time go to war. The jaya sometimes know and sometimes don't, but it is always odd for the kansoro to see. There is a tale of the Wolf War, started for reasons kept secret to the Jaya, how a kansen woman walked through and was not harmed till she was drawn to a brave dog-wolf. In that moment of bonding, he became her amphidera and out of respect for that sacred bond, the wolves ceased their war and the packs drew apart.

Diet
A huge variety of eating life styles, including preying on other species. The Kansoro and Jaya don't involve themselves.

Beliefs
Oddly it seems that a lot of the ixaj have prevailing beliefs about deities specific to them - the mouse god for instance. They are fanatical in their beliefs and ritual which no one stops (or could). Both jayan and kansoro have beliefs regarding them.

Magic
They provide the route to the base pool of magic as the amphidera.

Medicine
More primitive and is passed down from parents to offspring, mainly based on herbs

Education
Passed on generally from both parents as a jack of all trades. Some systems will have a basic: gatherer/protector structure, depending on the type they are.

Art
Basic history and lore is passed down in strong, ritualized traditions, either at times of day or between certain members of a society. Rarely is the ixaj perspective honoured in the telling of stories, unless they are amphidera.

Origin
Ixak are told to be the culture that comes from the water and returns to it - they are treated differently everywhere. With a cool and mild disinterest from the Kansoro of the Third Kingdon, to a labour driven society in the First kingdom.

Insects and fish are not considered part of the ixaj and are just considered 'water spirit', incapable of being ixaj or making the amphidera bond -these things are therefore acceptable for all peoples to eat, which they do so.