Fiction:The Firmament/Amaz

"Aye, the idea of a land populated by a bunch of scantily glad and shapely gals sounds promisin', but it ain't that simple! Them Amaz don't tolerate people, chuckin' spears and arrows and weird magics at anything that don't strike their fancy! And they do that stuff with the most stoic face I ever seen... Make no mistake, matey, them gals are not human. Humans don't got glowing eyes."

- Bertrand 'Whale-Eye' Siegel, Meerlander pirate

Amaz are a mysterious species of humanoid who serve as the namesake of the land known as Amazq. Resembling savage human women, these beings are widely believed to be related to humankind in some manner, but possess a number of strange characteristics which make them remarkably inhuman in nature.

Biology
The average amaz resembles a human woman, though their proportions are slightly different; they are noticeably taller than common men, standing near the height of a fully grown elf, and possess a similar grace and shape to elven females despite their clear human faces and ears. Their skin is generally a light brown colouration and their hair is often a dark shade of green, red or white. Among their most inhuman trait are their eyes, which shine a constant glow which only ceases when the amaz dies. No male amaz have ever been seen and are assumed to not exist, leaving the question of how the creatures reproduce in the air; despite wishful myths of amaz taking human men as partners, there are no human populations in southern Dryadala, leaving most scholars to assume they reproduce through unknown magical means.

History
The origins of the amaz are a mystery, for despite their clear resemblance to humans, there are no records of human populations ever existing in the region. Amazq's neighbouring territories of Khalmartis, Grungirnur and Kultaurus have reported sightings of these beings for at least a few thousand years. Some scholars believe them to a missing link between elves and humans, while others propose them to be some sort of race which blurs the line between humanoid and fey, as they share many characteristics with dryads and nymphs. As the amaz themselves are extremely isolated from the rest of civilization, there is no telling what their stance on the matter is, if they have any.

Culture
Amaz culture is vastly unknown due to the territorial and isolated nature of the race. From what little has been observed by explorers and treasure hunters, amaz make their homes in temples deep in the jungles of Amazq, amassing precious metals in order to create idols. It appears their society is a theocratic one, with elderly shamans leading over younger workers, huntresses and warriors.

Religion
The most known facet of amaz culture is their worship of Boiha'taht, the eternal guardian of Dryadala and lord of coatls; the deity is widely believed to make his nest within the amaz's lands, and they venerate him by creating idols of gold and other precious metals in his image. Their culture is believed to be polytheistic, however, as idols in forms reminiscent of Aldirei, Kumyus, Almonohuim, Druacath and Hamoilles have also been discovered, hinting the involvement of more deities during their vastly unknown history.

Relations with other races
The amaz are extremely protective over their territory and will generally react to intruders in a hostile manner; bands of warriors will descend upon the would-be invader and cut them down, generally without any attempt at dialog. The lamias of Khalmartis are the only race which the amaz tolerate, likely due to their veneration of serpents. The duergars of Grungirnur occasionally raid the lands of the amaz to take them as slaves, while warheards of Kultaurian minotaurs are constant foes at their eastern borders.