The Zondartons (zon DAR towns), sometimes called Zonners, are a matriarchical society in the Great Archipelago. They are assumed to have been formed from squads of female soldiers that existed in the Titan Enchanters’ army. Most people believe them to be a myth, but they are frequent characters in stories.
The Zonners were originally of pure Tandish stock and many tribes remain tall, pale skinned, blond haired women. They are warriors, or at least their leaders are. They are a two caste society; there are warriors and there are slaves. The warriors fall into three ranks: leaders, elites, and archers. These ranks are typically chosen for the girls depending on their skills in their teen years. Archers are considered secondary to the elites.
Slaves also fall into two classifications: women and men. The female slaves are simply breeding stock. The warrior women will not allow the physical contact necessary to mate with men and would not waste their valuable time with pregnancy. For the slave women, impregnation is incredibly brutal. However, once pregnant, the breeding stock is treated fairly well and cared for by male slaves.
The male slaves are in for a worse fate. Though some are kept as house servants and serve their warrior mistresses for many years, as soon as they are either too old to perform their duties or considered too rebellious, they will be slaughtered and cooked. Most of the regions of the Archipelago where the Zonners live have limited food sources, which have caused the males to be seen mainly as cattle.
Zonners are extremely proud people. Their warriors consider themselves to be without equal (and they are likely close to correct). A common ceremony within Zonner tribes is ceremonial combat. Though the rules may change from tribe to tribe, all these ceremonies must show that the warrior is succeeding due to her skills and not due to her equipment. Zonners have no magic, and their culture does not believe in its existence. They know that the titans controlled some powers that they cannot hope to match, but they see these things as elemental, like the weather, and not “magic” in that sense of the word.
The Zonners are a proud race. At times this pride may get in the way of their survival, but they feel that they must be the best in all things. Stories tell of this pride being used to trick them into outrageous stunts, but these legends are likely mythical.