Barae

The barae were the seven Chosen of Ubtao, undying men and women who ruled the holy city of Mezro as priest-kings.

History

The first bara was a woman named Oyai. She was selected by Ubtao from among the Tabaxi of Katashaka and empowered to defeat a creature known as the Sleeper. Afterward, in −2809 DR, Oyai led the peoples of the Tabaxi, Eshowe, Thinguth, and several others who'd accepted the faith of Ubtao to follow Ecatzin and the couatls across the ocean to Chult. There, she ruled as the first Negus Negusti (prince of princes).
Afterwards, Ubtao personally selected the rest of seven barae from among the citizens of Mezro sometime after he created that holy city in −2637 DR. He originally appointed them to assist him in dealing with the petty issues of ruling the city of Mezro , but when he continued to grow weary of the people's fickle demands, he left  Chult altogether and passed the rule and defense of the city to the barae.

Powers

All barae were granted special powers by Ubtao as his Chosen:

• They could utter magical commands.
• They regenerated health rapidly.
• They could detect evil at will.
• They had improved reflexes and physical and mental resistances.

If within the Temple of Ubtao, they could also cast the following spells:

• Cure critical wounds
• Forbiddance
• Remove blindness or deafness
• Remove disease
• Restoration
• True seeing

Each bara neither aged nor grew sick. If not killed, they would live forever.
In addition to these common powers, every bara was granted a power unique to the individual.
It was said that if the city of Mezro were ever destroyed, the barae would turn to dust.

Selection

Of the original seven barae Ubtao selected, only one remained alive as of the 1370s DR. When a bara was killed, a new one was selected by Ubtao to replace the fallen. When this occurred, a supplicant would enter the "barado" in the Temple of Ubtao, where he or she would face the bara test, which centered around the dogma of all life being a great maze. If the potential bara passed the test, he or she would be granted new powers. If the supplicant failed, he or she would be taken to the afterlife. The exact nature of the test itself was a sacred secret.

Members

In the 1370s DR, the seven barae were:

• Osaw I
• Kwalu
• Dhalmass Rayburton
• Alisanda Rayburton
• Mainu
• Fipya Ras Nsi (banished)