The Razaq
Also known as the Esnaxi Sword Dance
"Are you prepared to be a sacrifice for the people of the Great Sand Sea?"
"Yes, muda, I am."
"Hmph...tis far easier to say a thing than to do it, child. So heed my words and heed them well. Nobody in Esnax understands the meaning of sacrifice better than a practitioner of the Razaq. Now, tell me, what kind of humor does Sultana Aurboda enjoy? You will need to tantalize her, delight her, and lull her into complacency before cutting her throat. Do you understand?"
"Yes, muda, I do. If I recall correctly, the sultana enjoys jokes made at the expense of her entourage."
-An excerpt from the final conversation between Abdul Qadir, a skilled Esnaxi Sword Dancer, and his student, Ruhi Shaban. Ruhi, nervous and unprepared, made an off-color joke about Sultana Aurboda's dress during his performance, and the fire giantess ripped off his arms and legs before feeding them to her hounds.
History
Not even the most knowledgeable historians are certain when the first Razaq practitioners emerged. However, many scholars agree they didn't exist prior to the blood-soaked period of Esnaxi history known as the Years of All-Consuming Flame. Fire giant sultans, as cruel and merciless as mighty sandstorms, ruled over the tieflings and tabaxi of Esnax, butchering and enslaving them as they pleased. It was during this dark time that a red-skinned tiefling with horns the color of bone known as Almat, The First Sacrifice rose to prominence as both an entertaining dancer and a skilled fighter. Some say he hailed from an isolated fishing village far to the south known as Temri-By-The-Sea while others swear he sprang, fully-formed, from the blood of a tiefling family that had been butchered by the fire giants' servants.
His origins notwithstanding, the First Sacrifice became immensely popular amongst Esnax's titanic overlords during the Years of All-Consuming Flame. Until, after a long night of performing before a fire giant sultan and his court, Almat did something unthinkable. By combining his swift, graceful movements with his mastery of swordplay, he cut the fire giant's throat and fled into the desert, leaving the sultan's entourage to howl in outrage and horror behind him. For the first time in Esnax's history, dancing and the bloody art of swordcraft had combined to form a single, lethal performance that brought about the death of a giant. Of course, word of Almat's violent act quickly spread to all throughout the Great Sand Sea. The fire giants were eager to find this crimson-skinned tiefling man with white horns so they could make an example of him. For the downtrodden tieflings and tabaxi of Esnax, however, Almat's name became a rallying cry, and, despite his efforts to remain hidden from the giants and their servants, the First Sacrifice quickly amassed a small group of loyal followers.
These individuals would become the first Esnaxi Sword Dancers.
Under Almat's watchful gaze, these individuals were trained to combine complex dance moves with serpentine, lightning quick sword strikes to form something unique. It was as deadly as the passing of Arijwani through the dunes. It was as beautiful as the sun setting beyond the horizon. And there was an unspoken understanding amongst Almat's students that all of them would likely perish as they attempted to break the fire giants' hold over Esnax. All of them were sacrifices, willing to give their lives in the name of ending the Years of All-Consuming Flame. As time passed, several Esnaxi Sword Dancers, which came to call their unique fighting style the Razaq, a word derived from the Infernal term for "dance," were slain while attempting to assassinate various fire giants and their underlings. Almat was ultimately killed by a mighty fire giant warrior named Vornir the Hammer, but the red-skinned tiefling did manage to inflict a mortal wound on the gargantuan warlord before he passed.
At some point, all historians agree several potent artifacts were either given to or found by the peoples of Esnaxi, including the Scepter of Ulan. Wielding these items of power, the sons and daughters of the Great Sand Sea were finally able to rise up and reclaim their homeland from the fire giants, slaughtering them or driving them into the sea. In the wake of this triumph, however, the Esnaxi Sword Dancers, whose sole purpose was to take their nation back from the titans that had conquered it, found themselves cast adrift. They refused to become involved in the Blood Wars, which led to many Esnaxi viewing them as cowards or traitors, and had little interest in the politicking and backstabbing of the Alziya. Realizing the Esnax they had shed blood for no longer existed in the wake of so much conflict, the Razaq practitioners withdrew from society, hiding away in isolated locales or spending the remainder of their lives perfecting their craft while doing what they could to help their kinsfolk. Temri-By-The-Sea became a haven of sorts for Esnaxi Sword Dancers with nowhere else to go, though their numbers continued to dwindle as time wore on.
Fortunately, some traditions never truly die. The practitioners of the Razaq typically chose one of their children or young relatives to teach the one hundred movements of the Esnaxi Sword Dance. It was tradition for this individual to become the family's "sacrifice," though the term was little more than an honorific once the fire giants were gone. This "sacrifice" would spend most of their time learning how to entertain and how to fight alongside their teacher, or muda in Infernal. They would then be tasked with locating the grave of Almat, The First Sacrifice to retrieve a single shard of black glass from the tomb constructed for him by his most dedicated students. Many aspiring Esnaxi Sword Dancers never returned from this quest, but those that did were officially declared sacrifices.
In modern times, the number of Esnaxi Sword Dancers has dwindled to less than fifty. Individuals such as Ishur Abboud and his father, Mammun Abboud are becoming so rare many Esnaxi children only learn about the Razaq and its devotees through song and legend. And yet, every now and again, usually when a dire threat rises to threaten the peoples of the Great Sand Sea, incredibly skilled dancers, armed with edged weapons, will perform for those that seek to do harm to the Esnaxi. Strangely enough, there are rarely any survivors of such performances.
His origins notwithstanding, the First Sacrifice became immensely popular amongst Esnax's titanic overlords during the Years of All-Consuming Flame. Until, after a long night of performing before a fire giant sultan and his court, Almat did something unthinkable. By combining his swift, graceful movements with his mastery of swordplay, he cut the fire giant's throat and fled into the desert, leaving the sultan's entourage to howl in outrage and horror behind him. For the first time in Esnax's history, dancing and the bloody art of swordcraft had combined to form a single, lethal performance that brought about the death of a giant. Of course, word of Almat's violent act quickly spread to all throughout the Great Sand Sea. The fire giants were eager to find this crimson-skinned tiefling man with white horns so they could make an example of him. For the downtrodden tieflings and tabaxi of Esnax, however, Almat's name became a rallying cry, and, despite his efforts to remain hidden from the giants and their servants, the First Sacrifice quickly amassed a small group of loyal followers.
These individuals would become the first Esnaxi Sword Dancers.
At some point, all historians agree several potent artifacts were either given to or found by the peoples of Esnaxi, including the Scepter of Ulan. Wielding these items of power, the sons and daughters of the Great Sand Sea were finally able to rise up and reclaim their homeland from the fire giants, slaughtering them or driving them into the sea. In the wake of this triumph, however, the Esnaxi Sword Dancers, whose sole purpose was to take their nation back from the titans that had conquered it, found themselves cast adrift. They refused to become involved in the Blood Wars, which led to many Esnaxi viewing them as cowards or traitors, and had little interest in the politicking and backstabbing of the Alziya. Realizing the Esnax they had shed blood for no longer existed in the wake of so much conflict, the Razaq practitioners withdrew from society, hiding away in isolated locales or spending the remainder of their lives perfecting their craft while doing what they could to help their kinsfolk. Temri-By-The-Sea became a haven of sorts for Esnaxi Sword Dancers with nowhere else to go, though their numbers continued to dwindle as time wore on.
Fortunately, some traditions never truly die. The practitioners of the Razaq typically chose one of their children or young relatives to teach the one hundred movements of the Esnaxi Sword Dance. It was tradition for this individual to become the family's "sacrifice," though the term was little more than an honorific once the fire giants were gone. This "sacrifice" would spend most of their time learning how to entertain and how to fight alongside their teacher, or muda in Infernal. They would then be tasked with locating the grave of Almat, The First Sacrifice to retrieve a single shard of black glass from the tomb constructed for him by his most dedicated students. Many aspiring Esnaxi Sword Dancers never returned from this quest, but those that did were officially declared sacrifices.
In modern times, the number of Esnaxi Sword Dancers has dwindled to less than fifty. Individuals such as Ishur Abboud and his father, Mammun Abboud are becoming so rare many Esnaxi children only learn about the Razaq and its devotees through song and legend. And yet, every now and again, usually when a dire threat rises to threaten the peoples of the Great Sand Sea, incredibly skilled dancers, armed with edged weapons, will perform for those that seek to do harm to the Esnaxi. Strangely enough, there are rarely any survivors of such performances.
Execution
The Esnaxi Sword Dance is simple in theory but difficult in practice. It is a merging of traditional dances from across the Great Sand Sea and swordplay based on the natural movements of the world. In total, there are one hundred movements comprising the Razaq, and each one is tied to some kind of naturally occurring phenomena or aspect of Esnaxi life. These movements can only be properly executed with edged weapons such as swords, sickles, or handaxes. Scholars of esoteric lore and history debate if Almat, The First Sacrifice created all one hundred movements of the Esnaxi Sword Dance himself or if his early followers helped. The truth is, due to the reclusive nature of modern-day Razaq practitioners and their tendency to perish while performing, nobody is certain. There are also those that wonder if magic was incorporated into the Esnaxi Sword Dance, though it seems reasonable to assume this was the case. Furthermore, many Razaq mudas reinforce the belief that knowing when to draw a sword is much more important than knowing what to do with it once it's drawn. Considering the dancers were effectively assassins during the Years of All-Consuming Flame, this mantra makes perfect sense.
Below is a list of the known movements of the Razaq:
The First Movement: Ankheg's Mandibles Pierce Flesh
The Second Movement: Sandstorm Buffets the Traveler
The Third Movement: Unyielding Mountain Towers Above
The Tenth Movement: Rays of Blinding Sunlight
Components and tools
As stated previously, edged weapons are an essential part of practicing the Razaq. The lighter the weapon, the easier it is to incorporate it into their dance routines. Furthermore, since they are entertainers as well as fighters, most Esnaxi Sword Dancers wear colorful, eye-catching attire with plenty of concealed sheathes and pockets to hide weapons in. Traditionally, one to two weapons are openly used during the Razaq while additional weapons may be incorporated as the dancer sees fit. Towards the latter portion of the Years of All-Consuming Flame, it became common for Razaq practitioners to have assistants helping them with their acts, which would also put their targets at ease. Typically, Esnaxi Sword Dancers worked and traveled alone so the sight of another supposedly friendly face made it all the more surprising when the dancer and their allies attacked.
Participants
In truth, anyone from the poorest beggar to a member of the Alziya, assuming they can find an Esnaxi Sword Dancer, can witness the Razaq. Of course, the dancers do not simply display their esoteric skillsets freely. Depending on the individual, payment may be required or they may refuse to perform for certain individuals or groups altogether. Lastly, apart from blood relatives and chosen students, it is considered taboo for an Esnaxi Sword Dancer to teach movements of the Razaq to anyone else.
Primary Related Location
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