The Desert Clan

One of several distinct Sheikah factions in the club's Generic Post-TP Setting, the Desert Clan are an offshoot who dwell in the Gerudo Desert, somewhere in the vicinity of the Desert Colossus. They were created by SushiBagel; the information here was adapted from Faolan's profile on dA.

Basics

Independent of the other clans, the Desert Sheikah live closely with nature and rely on the land to make their way. They trade with other races only rarely, and only exchanging what is necessary. They collect many unique plants and animals that can only be found in the unforgiving terrain of the Gerudo Valley, where few people venture long enough to make a profit from the unusual resources.

The desert clan also breed horses, the animals being a necessity for fast travel across the arid desert. The sheikah trained their horses without bridles or saddles, simply using a mat and a loose head stall, resulting in much more intelligent and responsive steeds. They were selectively breed to be fast, agile, and endurant - making the horses valuable and much sought after. Though a large profit could be turned by selling the horses, the sheikah kept them to themselves, only selling select stock to the Royal Family for Hyrule's cavalry.

Physical Description

As a general rule, the desert Sheikah are lean and dark-skinned, with long, pointed ears (moreso than most Hylians). Their hair ranges from white to a range of light blondes with an occasional brunette, a milky sand color. Their eyes are typically of a lighter hue than other Sheikah, with colour varying from red, pink, purple to a almost white. This grants them especially keen eyes, able to spot things in harsh light that others could not.

Along with their skin, their hair and eyes help protect them from the sun. As they are exposed to the sun, their already light hair bleaches, reflecting sun and heat. Members of this clan also typically have the ability to retain more water then others (they rarely sweat), making desert travel more comfortable, and enabling them to go a few extra days without food or water. Their clothes are usually in light colors, reflecting the sun's heat, and mostly consist of wrappings, robes, and shoulder covers. In men, cloaks are common, as well as hoods, long pants, and arm wrappings. Women typically wear tight leggings with a long skirt draped over top. The children and teenagers usually have little to no tops; boys shirtless and girls with a short shirt. This exposure to the sun when they're small works to their advantage, helping to make their skin darker and more resistant to the sun as they age.

Relations with Other Races

The Gerudo are frequent plunderers of the desert sheikah, taking what they want in vicious raids, from horses to young men. Because of the clan's reliance on the horses desert resources found there, they stayed despite this threat, and adapted their lifestyles to defedn themselves. To protect themselves, they took up a rigorous training course designed to teach young Sheikah (especially boys) how to defend themselves. Skills with weaponry were also essential; long-distance weapons being the ones of choice, as close range combat with a Gerudo proved to end in tragedy.

Because of their bad relations with other races, they stayed to themselves and rarely were seen by anyone other than the Royal Family. This reclusive nature made contact and trading sparing, making Faolan's clan separate from the rest of Hyrule and able to develop their own unique culture. This separation also led to the mysterious mythical role these sheikahs played as "shadows" of Hylians. Although they did seemingly excommunicate with Hyrule, they were not ignorant, the clan being knowledgeable of all races and current events.

Culture and Customs

Gerudo Fortress Challenge

It was a rite of passage among the boys of the clan to hand-raise a foal until it reached adulthood. Then, when both the horse and boy were grown, they were challenged to ride into the Gerudo Fortress and return alive, showing the unique red dust from the fortress on horse's ankle. If the rider and horse had trained hard and trusted each other, they would be able to escape. If not, they were captured and kept by the Gerudo. In this way, the clan would only contain the strongest males and the Gerudos would be satisfied enough to not go on raids.

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