Saftash Culture

 

The twelve tribes of the Saftash people first migrated over the Red Mountains from farther inland during the Age of Legends, fleeing the thralldom of the Ssanu. The tribes were originally made up of disparate families and ethnicities, although they spoke a common tongue (possibly one forced upon them by their old masters). It is said that until the rise of Achem-ing, the tribes of the Alsudhvi were ruled sometimes by a council of their elders, and at other times by whichever chieftain among them was the most powerful and could command the greatest loyalty. Beginning with Achem-ing, and until the War of the Winter Queen, the Saftash Tribes were ruled over by the Wave Emperors.

The Saftash are a proud people. Although they have been ruled over by Ramosians as part of the Vikarian empire for the last two hundred years, they (or at least, their nobles) have not forgotten their ancient rights and privileges. The average Saftash peasant is much farther removed from their lineage of proud and warlike tribesman, hoping mainly for peace, and that he will not run afoul of either higher-caste Saftash nobles or their more recent Vikarian overlords—to say nothing of the Beastmen and other monsters lurking in the hills nearby.

The Saftash have complexions typically ranging from pale (which usually indicates descent from one of the mountain tribes of old), to olive brown (indicating descent from one of the sea-faring/coastal tribes). Real-world inspiration for Saftash culture can be found in the Iranian-Greek culture of ancient Cappadocia.

Saftash Religion

The Saftash tribes originally worshipped the ancient mannish pantheon known as the Eight:

• Mazhim the Skyfather
• Psua the Lady of Justice
• Swunawl the Lady of Love and Wisdom
• Tvawlt the Lord of War who was also called Myimtsa
• Also known as Anyshĩk-Tǎngkĩ in his aspect as the God of Swords
• Sudhvi the Lord of the Sea and patron of the Wave-emperors
• Elbadhas the Dragon-hearted, Lord of Magic, who was born when the heart of the thirteenth dragon was shattered
• Khizd, Lord of the Underworld and of the Dead
• Hepte, Mistress of Souls

However, in the centuries following their subjugation by the Vikarian Empire, the Saftash were evangelized by the monotheistic religion brought to Alsudhvi by the invaders. It was the Prophetess Dolvia who is chiefly credited for the widescale conversion of the Satfash tribes in the years following the fall of Ina-Zhunawl. She taught that the Eight were not truly gods having their own existence, for how could true divinity be so fragmented and divided? Instead, she taught that the eight were but aspects of the divine nature which was now more perfectly revealed in the form of the one true divinity: Tsuva, the Good. Over the course of the last four centuries, almost all of the Saftash tribes have converted to this new Tsuvan religion, with holdouts existing primarily on the fringes in the countryside, away from large centers of civilization. Unfortunately, such places have also become ripe for the worship of demons, dragons, the Ssanu gods, and other chaotic objects of adoration. There are also a small minority of Saftash and Ramosians who serve demihuman gods.

In popular Saftash religion, the worship of the Eight has been replaced by the worship of Tsuva and the veneration of a number of saints, among whom Dolvia the Prophetess is the foremost. Although many of these saints are revered only on a local basis, there are a few who have proven popular enough for their veneration to spread across the region:

• Saint Dolvia the Prophetess, who brought the revelation of Tsuva to the Saftash tribes
• Saint Suvatsh the Mariner, who sailed west in search of the lost continent of Gimaqin
• Saint Faruin the Heavy-Handed, an early convert to the Tsuvan religion, and one of the chief generals in the War of the Winter Queen
• Saint Ekkol the Silent, a Ramosian hunter and persecutor of the Saftash after the Vikarian invasion. After a visionary experience, he laid aside his arms and lived as a hermit in the woods thereafter.
• Saint Suna the Martyr, a Saftash woman who converted to the new religion but was martyred by dragon cultists

Consecrated celibacy existed as a tradition in both the Old Saftash religion as well as in Tsuvanism. In the Exarchate of Alsudhvi today, this takes primarily two forms: Dolvian Monasticism, which is a form of women’s communal monastic life, and Ekkolian Monasticism, which is a form of semi-communal male monastic life. Hermitage is also a common practice, especially for nobles and clergy who grow tired of the cares of public life and of the world.

There are still a few temples dedicated to the old gods which remain in the Exarchate. Most notably, the Blade-daughters of Myimsta, an order of celibate Amazons, have managed to maintain their numbers despite sporadic persecution over the last four centuries. Their status as highly paid mercenaries in the service of powerful Ramosian families probably accounts for their continued existence and prosperity.

Saftash Names

Male

Mazim, Timo, Banerin, Achemin, Faruin, Tavalt, Kambo, Floril, Oti, Awebenir, Kaman, Vlamun, Thlagra, Zhunawl, Ajanish, Amim, Azavleim, Randar, Suvatsh, Shegar, Kinipsi, Sudhvi, Asudhvi, Hetalvar, Kuzang, Mjixebram

Female

Akdatha, Tavala, Amfava, Jorala, Jorsua, Alsuna, Gunora, Oksuna, Si, Thlaje, Miza, Suva, Fliedh, Dzana, Ruzda, Zmiya, Atema, Hujama, Suna, Tsuva, Besi, Alsudhvi, Akdhebu, Ashpisha

Player Classes

Fighter (ACKS 18), Mage (ACKS 19), Cleric (ACKS 21; choose a patron saint from the list above or work with the Judge to create a new one), Thief (ACKS 23), Assassin (ACKS 25), Bard (ACKS 26), Blade-daughter of Myimsta (a warrior-priestess sect of the Eight which is still tolerated; use Bladedancer, ACKS 28), Explorer (PC 29), Mystic (PC 30), Ekkolian Monastic (Men only, use Wonderworker, PC 32), Dolvian Monastic (Women only, use Priestess, PC 36), Venturer (PC 44).