Shai’Khal’s Native Races

yahidah

The Yahidah are the ruling race of Shai’Khal, primarily from the desert province of Raudhah and the jungles of Kuzen. They have brown skin, generally with black or brown hair and dark eyes. A proud race, there is a fine line between acceptable skin tones and hair colors among the ruling elite. Too dark and one might be considered part Umbeah. Too pale, and one might be part Tsukarai — or worse, Aegalian. Hair is generally wavy or curly, but depending on royal fashions Yahidah will go to exhaustive lengths to straighten their hair. Their clothes are built practically for the desert heat. Layers protect from the sun when outside, but those layers are easily removable for comfort and tasteful showing of skin when indoors. Among the average Yahidah clothing is usually a shade of brown, but the nobility take great pride in flaunting their house colors. Those who can afford it will often embroider designs in silver or gold thread into their clothes, or sew luck coins and small bells. Both men and women wear kohl, though women tend to wear it more than men depending on royal fashion. The Yahidah come from nomadic roots, horsemen and camel herders that thrived in the desert. From this was born the Yahidah obsession with blood purity. Whether it’s livestock, hunting companions, mounts, or human marriages, the Yahidah take particular pride in ensuring the best breeding for whatever standard they’ve put in place. Naturally, this obsession has created a strong superiority complex within the Yahidah culture. It’s a particular point of pride for the Yahidah that instead of a hostile take over of Shai’Khal, they were simply able to marry into the ruling family and take over with careful breeding.

Tsukarai

The Tsukarai tend to be built slighter than the other races, with fairer skin and straight black hair. Primarily from the coastal provinces of Kaitan and Kuzen, the Tsukarai are adapted to colder weather than either of the other two races. As many rely on the Aldruin for their livelihoods, clothing is practical for staying warm and dry. The nobles wear silks painted with scenes from myths or the Akhenic Scrolls. Women paint their faces in stark contrasts, whitening their skin while darkening their eyes and reddening their lips. As a race with numerous coastal ports, the Tsukarai are most open to influence from other cultures. Tsukarai then incorporate the clothing, art, and food of sailors shipwrecked on the coast. In spite of this, the Tsukarai have a strong sense of self. They hold fast to the old myths of the Pantheon yet look forward to the future and have many scholar academies. They are a quiet culture. Over the centuries, the Tsukarai nobles and merchants learned that if they keep their heads down, they’ll avoid notice from the Yahidah and Umbeah — two races often skirmishing or in outright civil war. Their seemingly demure nature, often choosing to stay out of conflicts, has led some to believe the Tsukarai are generally spineless. Nothing could be farther from the truth — they simply don’t believe in the conflicts of the Yahidah and Umbeah. Instead, they believe in profiting from selling supplies (including weapons) to both sides.

Umbeah

The Umbeah are tall, dark skinned people of the western province, Ydeba. They have black hair, which the men often keep shaved under a turban or twisted in dreadlocks. The women braid or dreadlock their hair, generally only shaving during times of war. Those in the westernmost half of Ydeba often use ocher to dye their hair earthen red. They tend to wear brightly colored clothes, with intricate stone and metal bead work jewelry in geometric designs. Those who hold to the ancient traditions use scarification to mark the important moments in their lives — the practice has been slowly falling out of favor, replaced by tattooing. A deeply religious people, the ancient Umbeah were tribal and superstitious. The old tribes fought passionately with each other, raiding villages and stealing sacred oxen. These tribal feuds were only put aside in times of war with the ancient Yahidah. These inter-tribal feuds have been left mostly to history now after the Unification War. The racial tensions between the Umbeah and Yahidah remain, which periodically erupt into minor altercations and bloody fights between the noble houses on the Ydeba/Raudhah border.

The Outcasts

Emani

The Emani are the ostracized nomads of Shai’Khal, and have few defining physical traits. Originally, they were travelers trapped in Shai’Khal by the mysterious fog that made the oceans impassable. As foreigners, they quickly became scapegoats. They have traits from all the above races, as unfortunately rape is common and not prosecuted when the victim is Emani. Generally self sustaining, their caravans keep to the less inhabited places of Shai’Khal such as the Sarafi Desert. Their caravans keep many goats and camels, hardy creatures that can survive the desert, but they have to stop at towns and wells for water. Inevitably, these stops create conflicts. There is no love lost between the Emani and the rest of Shai’Khal.

Aegalian

The pale people from across the Aldruin, Aegalians are rare in Shai’Khal. They arrive on Shai’Khal’s shores on ships disoriented by the mists, unable to find their way back to Aegalia and low on supplies. There are distinct races among the Aegalians, but the differences hardly matter in Shai’Khal. Pale hair, pale skin, and pale eyes make them stand out in a crowd — and not in a good way. These outsiders are rarely allowed to assimilate into any culture, viewed as second class citizens of Shai’Khal. Few avenues are open to Aegalians for work. As sailors, most return to fishing or whaling ships. Others become ashiks, storytellers for a noble patron. Otherwise, most become indentured to brothels or brawling companies. Slavery is illegal in Shai’Khal — on paper, at least. If an Aegalian does fall in love, it is illegal for them to marry a Shai’Khal citizen. Any child is automatically a bastard, with barely more opportunities than their Aegalian parent. Most bastards are abandoned at Akhenic Temples, drowned at birth, or aborted during pregnancy.