Shiv
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Post by Shiv on Nov 12, 2010 19:50:21 GMT -5
The Qua’hib, Followers of The Sun God:
In the far east, beyond Skarvidda and even Kathil-Binas, the homeland of the Sylvan elves, lies the large yellow deserts of Quar, Land of the Sun god Amon and his human followers. Quar is vast, consisting of areas both with large, shifting yellow dunes and flat plains of salt. Here the nomadic followers of Amon –The Qua’hib- make their home, following trails and maps only known to them, traveling between the oasis’s and mountains, directed by the flow of the camel-like creatures known as Harnar.
The Qua’hib are tanned and somewhat stocky. Skin tones often a light chestnut color, akin to north Africans or middle easterners of the real world. Dressing in heavy cloaks and shrouds to keep the desert heat and sun away, it is often quite difficult to tell the men from the women in a band of Qua’hib, though it quickly becomes obvious once contact is established. Jewelry and piercings (traded from other races or mined from some of the few ore-sites known to the Qua’hib) are worn by both genders with little difference. Silver is often higher praised then gold, as it symbolizes water and the concept of “chilled” to the sun-children. This has led to some difficulties in trading with the other civilized races, but so far things have worked out even though no general consensus on procedure has been found, the Qua ‘hib are often content to carry as much silver as they can, and trade in for gold only when absolutely needed. Culturally the men are breadwinners and toilers, while women are spiritual leaders and caregivers, meaning most Qua’hib men are strong and physically apt, while the women are more often schooled and protected to a great extent from the harshness of desert life. A common tribe of Qua’hib consists of 100-200 individuals, following a herd at least roughly half of that in Harnar. A phenomenon known as Amon’s blessing sees the birthrate of males to be roughly 70%, meaning that women are a somewhat rare commodity. Polygamy is widely practiced with men squabbling to prove their worth to the women of the tribes. Nevertheless Qua’hib culture is not a matriarchy. Males often impose themselves as leaders due to martial superiority, but it is not unheard of for powerful female-shamen to be the de-facto powers behind some tribes, much due to being able to play their different male suitors against each other. In combat the children of the sun god use slings, short bows, javelins and long hooked sabers, heavy bladed enough to force many to swing them with two hands. They wear little heavy armor, metal being rare enough for a suit to be worth a small fortune, but more often a combination of leathers and plantlife (bark of woven saplings) if the latter is available. Swordsmanship is a praised skill and is the ability to fight with Tessen, the metal fan, arts practiced by both men and women.
In the vastness of Quar there is only one constant settlement, Muhrmark or “the seat of the sun” if translated from Quarib. Muhrmak is an ancient, dilapidated city, built from red stone and lying in the shadow of the south western mountain ranges of Quar. It is the spiritual centre of the Qua’hib and it is always occupied by at least one tribe, though the city is easily large enough to accommodate dozens of tribes at the same time. There are convergences, “the conclave”, once each 8th year when the tribes meet, but beyond this, there is little contact besides skirmishes over food and water. The Qua’hib are nomadic, and Quar is vast enough to allow most tribes to sometimes travel for years without meeting another human group. This makes the conclave important from a biological perspective, as women and men are sold and bargained for during this time to keep inbreeding at a minimum.
Qua’hib belief shares much with the Sylvan worship of Ghanis, their own sun god, in that Amon is seen both as a giver and taker of life, a baleful fire that kills everything under its gaze, but also as the progenitor of warmth and energy. This dualistic imprinting means the Qua’hib seldom see the world in blacks and whites, more often deciding that things cannot be taken at face value and must be seen from more than one angle, for it would be folly to think that a single question or aspect only has a single answer or face. Beyond this religious system there is very little history that can be gleaned from the oral traditions of the Qua’hib. It is commonly believed (both among outsiders and the Sun-children themselves) that the desert was once a much more fertile place, and that a great civilization once stretched across the –then- plains of Quar. What remains of this empire are only ruins uncovered by the occasional sandstorm, and the holy city of Muhrmak, where the Qua’hib claim that the sun God Amon himself once held court. The nomadic lifestyle is part of the religious dogma of the desert living humans. It is believed that the cataclysm that caused the fall of the Quar empire was caused by the wrath of Amon, that the Qua’hib had grown too lax in their life and taken ease for granted. As such every step on every path is the road to redemption for a Qua’hib. And every trial brings their culture as a whole towards redemption.
Values held high in Qua’hib culture are honesty, solidarity and (somewhat paradoxically) opulence/wealth. The children of the sun seldom mince words nor withhold information, being straight and honest with ones feelings and thoughts are seen as highly virtuous. With rumors and hearsay being what they are, the most common stereotype held by other races is that the nomads are somewhat abrasive in manners, and untamed and insatiable with their lusts. This is far from reality, but the grain of truth is that a Qua’hib will see it as a service to tell you your garments are ugly (so you can change them if you care about your appearance) and will be very frank if someone takes their fancy.
Life in the deserts of Quar is harsh and even though resources are scarce it is seen as extremely virtuous to help other friendly beings, even complete strangers, who are in need. The rules are not specific on the “help” that is to be given though, meaning one could equally well be given a large tent and a concubine as being made a slave and having a cup of water served to keep one from thirsting to death, depending on what tribe finds you. As long as life is not wasted the Qua’hib moral code is fulfilled, and as such they feel beholden only to make sure that others survive (in a show of altruism/solidarity) but not to help others beyond this point. Society is not as such built around equality, but rather in a sense of the common good and sanctity of life, no matter what kind of life.
The final part of the Qua’hib culture worth pointing out is opulence. The combination of resources being scarce and both honesty and solidarity being valued has led to a culture where showing of wealth and status is seen as befitting of ones person. The Qua’hib are –when able- prone to grandiose displays of wealth, prowess or knowledge with no sense of modesty nor respect to the inferiority of others. To a child of the sun god it’s natural to live life to its fullest and show off ones assets when able, if anyone find it inappropriate of offensive it is their own job to improve and outshine the object of their jealousy.
The Qua’hib do have a reputation though, not only garnered from their customs, but also a bad one due to the fact that they, just like the dark elves, openly practice slavery. Status can be measured in many ways, from a beautiful wife, to trinkets, to herds, to slaves, and the Qua’hib expect captives to understand their new lot in life. Slavery in a tribe falls squarely between the sadistically harsh and brutal life of a Dark elven slave, and the impoverished and unchanging life of the Valecian serf. With a culture that venerates life, it is unsightly to kill ones slaves (though they often are forced to take the front in wars) but it is fully within what is right and appropriate to maltreat them and make their life miserable for your own enjoyment should it take your fancy. Not all Qua’hib slave owners are cruel, but it is an understood fact that it is within their right to use their slaves as they see fit, and for the slaves to obey unquestioningly. To deviate from this norm would lead to ostracizing from the tribe for a Qua’hib, and severe, possibly deadly, punishment for a slave.
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