Inkanyaba

The inkanyaba (in-kan-YAH-ba) are the undisputed masters of Modui’s waterways. Their massive bargetowns trawl her rivers, moving people and goods from the fertile deltas of Saltsong Reach in the north, down through the dense rainforests and pampas heartland of central Modui, all the way to the turbulent, freezing waterways of the Five Claws in the extreme south. Their use of gargantuan eel-like beasts as draft animals allow them to pilot against the current, giving their bargetowns total freedom of movement.

Control of river trade has made the inky merchant-lords fabulously wealthy, which has in turn brought them into close alliance with the resource-rich Empire of Hacik. Traditionally, one of these semiaquatic burghers will fill the role of Minister of Trade under the Queen-Navarch, and there is a large inky population in the Silt Ladder neighborhood of Hacik’s capital, Queen’s Cloak.

Inkanyaba are the most physically imposing race on Modui, their thick bodies easily double the width of most humans. An inky’s tail must be extremely muscular to propel this massive frame through the water, making it a natural club. On land, an inky’s movements are ponderous but powerful; in the water, however, they are particularly dangerous.

While an inky’s hide is tough and rubbery, it can be extremely uncomfortable if it becomes dry. To combat this, poorer inkys will often wrap themselves in wet rags while on land, while the more well-off can afford water-bladder packs, which they use to periodically douse themselves. Some even have special Lodos-made “water-breather” masks which keep their sensitive eyes moist and their throats free of dust and dirt.