Sheyeru

Sheyeru Sheyeru
Flag
Status	Unorganized people
Capital	None (no organized authority)
Largest city	Shyubyi Rowsch?
Official languages	None (no organized authority)
Recognised national languages	Sheyeru
Religion	Ryeifinism?
Demonym(s)	Sheyeru
Government	No organized authority
Population
• Census	~50,000-100,000+

"Sheyeru" is a term for a catgirl people who were first spotted in the Tranquil Sea out of an anomalous whirlpool. The name "Sheyeru" is believed to have derived from their native denonym. They have been observed as exclusively female, and being composed primarily of catgirls. They have been spotted fishing and resting in the coasts of several bodies of water in Pelia, coming into intermittent contact with several nations' fishermen and inhabitants near the sea. Their technology such as maritime vessels and tools, along with their general outlook has been described as "archaic" and "very primitive".

History

The Sheyeru were reported to have arrived from "Jawmund Sheyer". It is unknown what kind of place or world "Jawmund Sheyer" is, and little is known about the history of the Sheyeru in the time spent in that world.

The initial arrival of the Sheyeru by around January 1613 was marked by migrations of catgirl flotillas that reached the coasts of various nations. They sailed in fleets of galleys, outrigger boats and dugout canoes. They arrived in the coastlines of Prestore, Crown Royal, Magia Regnum and Regeliana at the same time.

By February, a river mouth adjacent to Crown Royal Goverment was settled by a number of flotillas. Villages and camps were observed to have been constructed in the area. The name given by the Sheyeru to the river mouth is "Shyubyi Rowsch", which translates to "river mouth" or "estuary" in the Sheyeru language. This area has now been regarded as a de facto territory of the Sheyeru.

By March, catgirl flotillas have arrived in the coasts of Lurynia and the northern coast of Prestore in the north. In the south, catgirl flotillas have arrived in the southern shores of Crown Royal Goverment and the Sea of Gold as well as in the Bisyach Archipelago.

Since May 1613, the number of catgirl flotillas in the Tranquil Sea was reported to have decreased. This has been observed mostly due to the fact that lots of flotillas have went further south and north. Sheyeru Catgirl vessels were also spotted at Khijovia, Kasifken, Panghompang, Yulsan and Tohokushima at Kaidokoku. Sheyeru settlements were also seen expanding at the The Conscious Lands outwards from Shyubyi Rowsch, and camps were spotted at the southern coasts of the Estethan Desert. Island settlements and campsites have also been spotted at previously uninhabited desert islands at the Bisyach Archipelago and at islands at the Ulwu Rim.

Sheyeru interactions on the coast

The nature of Sheyeru interactions with the locale has been varied. Most contacts have reportedly been peaceful, and cruise ships and cargo ships have reported spotting Sheyeru vessels with no problems whatsoever. A few of the Sheyeru have also tried to barter with fishermen or beach resort goers.

On Jan 14, 1613, Sheyeru vessel landings were spotted on Prestore. The landings of wooden boats and catamarans on Prestorean beaches caused bewilderment among Prestorean beachgoers and bystanders on the coast. The operations of Oyster Paradise Beach Resort in Triding, Prestore were disrupted by the landing of Sheyeru Catgirls' vessels. The effect of the Sheyeru beach landings on local tourism has been varied, with some resorts reporting a decrease in revenue due to interruption by the catgirls, while some resorts reported receiving more visitors due to people wanting to see the Sheyeru for themselves. The Sheyeru in some places has also been treated by the locals as a tourist attraction.

Though violent interactions were also reported. A number of Coast Guard vessels from nations in the Tranquil Sea have tried to restrict the Sheyeru from fishing in their territorial waters. Coast Guard crew from Prestore have reported a violent encounter with a Sheyeru boat, with the catgirls in the boat throwing spears and shooting arrows at the crew, reportedly forcing the crew to fire on the catgirls in response. The encounter was posted on Youtube on Jan 21, 1613, gaining 1.6 million views. Experts on maritime law have said that dealing with Sheyeru incursions on territorial waters and exclusive economic zones is murky because while Sheyeru sailing does technically represent a territorial incursion in itself, the Sheyeru is not a state and so cannot be held to be a party on maritime law, and as the Sheyeru lacks knowledge of modern laws and norms, they cannot be understood to know or comprehend the implications of their actions. Experts say that the closest analogy to dealing with the Sheyeru would be the domain regarding indigenous peoples.

Catgirl raids on beachside properties

CCTV footage of a Sheyeru catgirl burglarizing a mansion in Athelney, Prestore.

Raids by catgirls on coastal properties and beach houses have also been reported. One beachside mansion in Chester, Prestore was burned by Sheyeru catgirls on Jan 27, 1613. The incident was caught on CCTV showing five catgirls burning the mansion with torches, but not before pilfering the mansion with items they regarded as valuable. Beach properties were looted by the catgirls, but it seemed that they have no knowledge of what items are expensive or valuable from a modern capitalist point of view. They resorted mostly to stealing curtains, glassware and household furnishings and seem to only take away items that they can personally carry. Electric rubber cords from appliances and electronics were also cut. Electronics were reportedly left behind, taken as proof that the Sheyeru does not understand either electronics or modern consumer goods and consumerism. Another beachside property in Mitterschlag, Crown Royal was also burned as well, and in Weißenthal, Crown Royal, a small beachside duplex bungalow was also looted.

The arson and looting of these properties, which were mostly owned by upper-class citizens became polarizing on social media, with many people with anti-elitist sympathies tweeting the incidents with hashtags "#CatgirlsStealtheRich". Many users with anti-capitalist tendencies symphatized with the Sheyeru catgirls for stealing mostly coastal properties owned by wealthy residents. Sabrina Watson, a Prestorean anthropologist said that the Sheyeru probably does not understand class distinctions, and these properties were only targeted due to their promixity to the coast; the fact that they turned out to be all high-value properties or owned by wealthy residents only is entirely coincidental.

Politics

Photo captured by a Prestorean news crew on the western shores of the Tranquil Sea in Pelia on Prestore of a Sheyeru boat rowed by a group of Sheyeru catgirls who seem to be wearing orange raincoats. It is unknown how did this group acquired said raincoats.

The "Sheyeru" are believed to have no formal governmental authority, though experts believe that this is a result of their recent migration, and not necessarily due to an anarchistic model or lack of knowledge of formal political organizations. Witnesses who encountered them in their forays on the coast did not describe them as egalitarian or lacking authoritarian models, but as actually hierarchical as the fleets of fisher catgirls seem to refer to a "catgirl" or a "girl" who has authority over a specific section of fishing flotillas. The Catgirls are also said to not partake in decisions of their own, and always refer to "catgirls" or "girls" who are of higher authority over them.

Experts believe that this is evidence of a formal hierarchical organization among the catgirl flotillas. Observers also believe that the Sheyeru have the trappings of a formal political or religious organization, as the Catgirls refer to a "High Princess" or "Daschi Horunryonen-schyu" of a conflicting name, either "Shiyara" or "Mira". They also refer to priestesses or "High Priestesses" named "Ryifin". With all these information, the consensus is that the Sheyeru are a formal polity just undergoing a recent migration, and a more formal political or religious organization will likely be set up after they have finished their migration, in contrast to earlier observations that they are "anarchist" or "egalitarian".

Military

There are no observations of a standing army or military among the Sheyeru, but witnesses have observed weaponry being carried by the Catgirls such as spears, or fishing harpoons. Sheyeru Catgirls are also observed wielding atlatls or spear-throwers. Sheyeru technology is believed to be fairly primitive.

Reports emerged of the Sheyeru Catgirls having access to some firearms such as pistols, but it is believed that firearms are being wielded in fairly small quantities, and have been gained through trade and theft or looting from encountered police officers or coast guard crew.

Economy

It is unknown if the Sheyeru have an understanding of money or currency. The Sheyeru Catgirls primarily engage in barter among fishermen or people they encountered in the coast, with no observable commodity money or mediums of exchange. The Sheyeru are currently engaged mostly in coastal fishing, or in barter with the inhabitants of the coast. Eyewitnesses describe them as always in constant awe or bewilderment in encountering modern goods or technology. There are also faerie girls among the Sheyeru who were observed as just giving out colorful pebbles or rocks to bystanders with no discernable function. Not much is known about these faeries, or the significance of these transactions, or about the colorful pebbles being given away.

Religion

Most people believe that the Sheyeru have a polytheistic religion called "Ryeifinism". The Sheyeru are believed to worship a pantheon of exclusively female goddesses, as no male gods have been mentioned. Some of the Catgirls have been observed in the middle of religious rituals or prayer. Eyewitnesses have recounted the Sheyeru Catgirls worshipping "Ryumine Marmargaels" as a "faerie-goddess of the seas". Experts believe that there are more goddesses or "faerie-goddesses" that are yet to be mentioned.

Culture

The Sheyeru Catgirls are believed to possess a vibrant musical tradition. Lots of Catgirls on boats have been seen carrying drums and clapsticks, and chanting and singing in unison. Eyewitnesses on the coast have regularly seen Catgirls singing and chanting in Sheyeru songs before landing on the coast. Clapsticks seem to be a prominent musical instrument in the Sheyeru musical repertoire.

The five-pointed star seems also to be of special symbolic and ceremonial significance among the Sheyeru Catgirls, as lots of boats or galleys have been seen with a "catgirl flagbearer" carrying a tall wooden pole with a five-pointed star on top.

Architecture

Sheyeru villages and settlements were spotted in an unnamed river mouth adjacent to Koskeau and Crown Royal. Satelite imagery shows wooden piers, tents, mud thatched huts, wooden houses, clearings, trails and campfires. Sheyeru architecture has been shown to be very primitive, but the size and amount of the settlements seem to be increasing.

Science

Recent knowledge of Sheyeru science with the discovery of the Penketh Slips have cast doubt on the previous idea that the Sheyeru were a backwards or a primitive people.

The Penketh Slips showed that the Sheyeru have a positional numeral system, sexagesimal number system, concept of zero, knowledge of arithmetic and the four basic arithmetic operations such as additions, subtraction, multiplication and division (including long division), symbols for arithmetic operations, prime numbers and fractions; the combined knowledge of all were deemed to be relatively advanced by the standards of Iron Age societies known elsewhere.

The Penketh Slips also showed that the Sheyeru calendar is divided into 365 days, which is uncannily similar to the modern-day Sparkalian calendar. However, unlike the Sparkalian calendar, the Sheyeru calendar only seemed to have 30 days for each month, while the remaining 5 days were presumed to be added in externally of any month. The Sheyeru calendar also appeared to have intercalation, as a leap year is also added every four years. Anthropologist Ray Bennett said that the similarity to modern-day calendars is "uncanny". The Sheyeru also seemed to have divided each hour into 60 minutes each and conversely, 60 minutes into 60 seconds using a sexagesimal number system, however, every day is instead divided into 28 hours, which is hypothesized to reflect the rotation period of the planet of Jawmund Sheyer.

Cartography is also well-developed, as exemplified by lots of maps seen by outside observers. Observers have reported seeing boulders with drawn calendars and maps on them on Sheyeru sites. Sundials are also common in Sheyeru settlements and camps, implying an advanced knowledge of horology and a degree of importance attached to hourly time.