Maiko's Note

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They call them sky beasts, but I’ve never seen anything closer to a prayer in motion. The Empire thinks them untamable. I think they simply refuse to be owned.

One Kosuklani told me: “You do not ride the Shadunar. You accompany it.”
That stuck with me.

They fly without reins. Without fear.

And when their chests glow with the breath of fire — just before a flame-tongue licks the air — even I stop running the odds. I just… watch.

Just don’t light a torch near their chests unless you really know what you’re doing. Some gods don’t forgive clumsy hands.

The Sky Beast

Shindjal: Shadunar

Faction:

Kosuklani

"When the sand gives way to sky, listen for the whisper of wings, and mind the breath you share."

– Kosuklani Sky Prayer

1. Overview / Summary

The Shadunar is a majestic and dangerous skybeast, revered by the Kosuklani of Madun’s desert regions. Capable of gliding vast distances, it owes its flight to both its powerful wings and unique internal gas sacs that provide buoyancy. These intelligent, volatile creatures can only be ridden by bonded Windbinders - elite Kosuklani trained in breath-matching and neural alignment with their mounts.

2. Origins & Background

Though little is known about their original evolutionary path, it is believed the Shadunar adapted to life along Madun’s arid cliffs and wind tunnels. Whether native or genetically altered descendants of Earth fauna remains debated by scholars. Tribal legend claims Daninsha herself breathed life into the first of them, gifting them to the Kosuklani as companions of the wind.

The term Shadunar derives from awashadun walanar, meaning “sky beast” in Drabàshabal. The creature’s mythic status among desert people places it alongside the Ulmorith and Krovil as one of Madun’s elemental lords.

3. Cultural / Environmental Context

Shadunar lair high in mountainous desert cliffs, launching into “wind rivers” - strong, consistent thermal currents. Without these currents and vertical elevation, they are unable to take flight.

Their anatomy is uniquely suited to long-distance gliding:

Two vast, membranous wings
Clawed forelimbs used for gripping and ground movement
Lightweight skeletal structure
Internal gas sacs filled with a hydrogen-like compound, produced through electrolysis of consumed organic matter

These sacs can be expanded or deflated at will, adjusting lift and balance dynamically based on air conditions and rider weight.

Kosuklani Windbinders are trained from youth to attune themselves to their beast’s breathing rhythm. This breath-matching enables partial neural entrainment - a state of symbiosis that allows coordinated movement, even in battle.

Shadunar are not bred, but chosen. Wild ones are sought and courted in dangerous trials by prospective riders.

4. Role in the World

To the Kosuklani, the Shadunar is sacred - a living expression of the sky goddess Daninsha. Only Windbinders, spiritual warriors of the highest class, are permitted to bond with them. Their primary role is:

Ritual patrols of desert territories
Messenger runs across vast stretches of land
Aerial strikes and ambushes in warfare, using elevation and stealth

In battle, they are vulnerable: a burning arrow striking a gas sac can cause explosive collapse. However, in the open sky, their speed and silence make them feared. When charging into battle, elite Windbinders often carry flame-sticks — short torches designed to ignite the gas exhaled from a Shadunar’s chest sacs. A skilled rider can trigger a searing fire burst by timing their exhalation with a flame without causing the beast to explode mid-air. This tactic is used sparingly due to the danger it poses to both beast and rider.

The Empire views them as savage beasts, yet they’ve failed to tame or breed them. No imperial soldier has ever ridden one.

5. Language & Terminology

Shadunar = sky beast
Awashadun = sky
Walanar = beast/animal
Windbinder = elite rider (Drabàshabal term: Shedanirun, lit. “wind joiner”)
Breath-matching = ritual practice to sync rider and beast
Wind rivers = invisible air corridors used for launch and travel

6. Notable Locations / Figures

Cliffs of Teshkaral: Known launchpoint and lairing area for Shadunar. Site of many bonding rituals.
Shedanir Malashi: Fabled Windbinder who once crossed the continent in a single moon without landing.
The Burning Spiral: A failed bond attempt where both rider and Shadunar exploded mid-air from ignited sacs - still used as a cautionary tale in Windbinder training.

7. Lore Snippets or Anecdotes

“We do not fly them. We listen. We breathe when they breathe. If they dive, we dive. If they stop, we fall. No reins. No force. Only trust.”
– Shedanir Malashi, in training scrolls of the Kosuklani Sky Temple