Half-Orc/Half-Oristani
The Oristani are the most ethnically diverse race on Ardu due to their physical adaptability to Ardu's natuarlly strong Majic field. Over time, this has caused The Oristani to have many body shapes, a wide range of heights and weights, skin colors, and tusk size. Due to their natural adaptability to more hostile environments the Oristani have settled the vast deserts and dry grasslands of eastern Ardu, forming a compatable niche for themselvs in the ecology of the region.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Oristani language has six major dialects:
Bishdan
Myeza
Kurghaz
Zurkhetak
Udzhek
Omnod
Culture and cultural heritage
The camel figures very heavily in Oristani culture and is considered to be the most honored member of the family. The connection is so strong that an Oristani is never be seen without their camel. This leads to some cultural friction with other cultures because an Oristani will instinctively walk into an inn/tavern or restaurant with their camel and will feed the camel a portion of their meal.
Shared customary codes and values
The Oristani are a very pragmatic nomadic people that span the largest area of Ardu, from the Kughaz Mountains in the west to the Ansca plains in the east. The marked borders of their territories on maps are only vague guesses as to the extent of their borders on any given day.
Average technological level
The Oristani eschew complex technology. Not because of fear or suspicion, but because they don't see a need to use it when what they have been using works so well already.
Common Etiquette rules
The Oristani have a very strong custom of hospitality. For the first three days a visitor is treated as an honored guest, no matter who they are. They are given the best of food, sleeping arrangements, and will be entertained by the hosts. After the three days, their obligation of hospitality ends and the visitor's life is in the host's hands. It is in the visitor's best interest to show just as much hospitality back. If a visitor has shown proper hospitality in return, has been repectful of the culture, and has helped with the chores of the camp they will be fully accepted and the tribe will always be friendly and helpful to the visitor as long as the visitor does nothing detrimental to the tribe.
When the "door" to a tent is closed either because the inhabitents are sleeping or because they want privacy a guest will announce their presence and desire to speak with the inhabitants by ringing a set of bells that is strung above the entrance to every tent. This is called Khon Dugar or" the ringing of the bells".
When the "door" to a tent is closed either because the inhabitents are sleeping or because they want privacy a guest will announce their presence and desire to speak with the inhabitants by ringing a set of bells that is strung above the entrance to every tent. This is called Khon Dugar or" the ringing of the bells".
Common Dress code
Oristani traditional dress varies widely between regions but there are certain common themes. Traditional dress will always consist of many layers of light clothing to prevent sunburn, they will always have some type of head gear, be it a turban or type of hijab, and their boots will have short upturned toes to assist with getting in and out of stirrups. One detail about traditional dress is that except for certain tribes living in extreme environments, the Oristani love color and will requently wear layers that have clashing colors and patterns because they like them.
The only social group that wears black are the shaman, the color black represents their connection to the spirits. Before the shaman discovers their spirit guide they wear typical tribal clothing. Once the shaman has made their connection to the realm of the spirits they are permitted to wear the black robes. Those shaman whom the spirits have seen fit to send out into the world carry with them a special spear signifying their role as a Tokhanshin or hunter of stories, literally "story hunter".
When a shaman takes on the role of elder they are permitted to wear the Talger, a symbolic head piece using the horns of a dzeer. A silver panel in front has patterns hammered into it symbolizing their mastery of the spirits and majical forces. The patterns are unique to each individual showing their personal path to mastery. The horns of the Talger are typically painted red, however this is a stylistic choice and is not assigned any real spiritual meaning as well as the size and type of horns used in the making of the Talger.
The only social group that wears black are the shaman, the color black represents their connection to the spirits. Before the shaman discovers their spirit guide they wear typical tribal clothing. Once the shaman has made their connection to the realm of the spirits they are permitted to wear the black robes. Those shaman whom the spirits have seen fit to send out into the world carry with them a special spear signifying their role as a Tokhanshin or hunter of stories, literally "story hunter".
When a shaman takes on the role of elder they are permitted to wear the Talger, a symbolic head piece using the horns of a dzeer. A silver panel in front has patterns hammered into it symbolizing their mastery of the spirits and majical forces. The patterns are unique to each individual showing their personal path to mastery. The horns of the Talger are typically painted red, however this is a stylistic choice and is not assigned any real spiritual meaning as well as the size and type of horns used in the making of the Talger.
Art & Architecture
The Oristani culture has produced some of the most moving poetry in Ardu history, they also have a tradition of hand made crafts of the highest quality. Oristani tents are considered to the highest quality on Ardu.
Foods & Cuisine
Oristani cuisine is usually a very simple affair made with minimal preparation. While being very flavorful, for outsiders it will take getting used to.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
The Oristani, being a very pragmatic people, do not worship the gods. The logic being, why should they worship something that isn't useful in their daily lives, i.e. worshiping a god will not put food on your plate. Instead the Oristani have a strong shamanic spiritual tradition, worshiping the spirirts of the area around them in a more symbiotic manner than organized religion. Every village, caravan, town, or tribe has at least one shaman whose job is to maintain the peoples spiritual link to the natural world and help with ethical dilemas. The shaman will always live apart from the group to help them maintain their link to the spirits. Due to their almost constant link with the spirits, they are treated with a great deal of respect and are considered to be very eccentric because they are considered to live in two realms at once.
Historical figures
The Oristani are take their collective name from the great Naran Dargra (First of Many) Orista, who unified all of the tribes in the great global war. Orista is also responsible for the tradition of unification of the tribes against an outside threat, known as the Uukhai. To recruit a neighboring tribe to fight off a threat a messenger will go to the neighboring tribe and yell "Uukhai!" and all available hands will drop what they doing, grab their spears and armor, then follow the messenger to the battle. If more tribes are needed this process will repeat until the Oristani have overwhelming numbers that attack in constant waves. This system has been very effective over history, as evidence the surrounding territories will not assemble an army to attack them and only the most violent Oristani raids will be countered.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
While the Oristani have appreciation for the physical form, they are more concerned by how helpful an individual is to the tribe. A less attractive Oristani who has very useful skills is considered to be more attractrive that one who has high physical beauty and less skills.
Gender Ideals
The only real ideal the Oristani have regarding gender is that the person be useful to the survival of the tribe. All else is considered an unnesseccary complication and is purely a person's own business.
Half-Oristani Traits:
Physiology:
The Oristani have several traits that have evolved over time to help them thrive in their environments.
For one, the Oristani are capable of closing off their nostrils to keep blowing sand out of them. It is also important to note that the Oristani have larger noses to accomidate this.
Oristani have a nictating membrane to protect their eyes. The membrane is semi-transparent and when closed they will be able to make out large simple shapes and colors. The membrane is part of their eyelid and has a blink reflex just like conventional eyelids, because of this Oristani are seldom observed blinking their eyes conventionally. This has been known to cause unease in other races because they seemingly don't blink their eyes.
Another adaptation is larger semi-pointed ears which they can fold down against their head in a sandstorm. This has the added benefit of being able to rotate their ears to better identify where a sound is coming from. Oristani hearing is also more sensitive than other races.
The Oristani have several traits that have evolved over time to help them thrive in their environments.
For one, the Oristani are capable of closing off their nostrils to keep blowing sand out of them. It is also important to note that the Oristani have larger noses to accomidate this.
Oristani have a nictating membrane to protect their eyes. The membrane is semi-transparent and when closed they will be able to make out large simple shapes and colors. The membrane is part of their eyelid and has a blink reflex just like conventional eyelids, because of this Oristani are seldom observed blinking their eyes conventionally. This has been known to cause unease in other races because they seemingly don't blink their eyes.
Another adaptation is larger semi-pointed ears which they can fold down against their head in a sandstorm. This has the added benefit of being able to rotate their ears to better identify where a sound is coming from. Oristani hearing is also more sensitive than other races.
Encompassed species
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