Semite Seyt'Awi

/* English */

Like their sister-species of Yah'Awi, Seyt'Awi are associated with Semitic peoples and some Mesopotamian tribes of Indo-Europeans. They have made a significantly bigger impact on Ancient History than their brethren in Israel and Levant, but their rule is associated with darkness and chaos, death and destruction - to some extent. This gave them reputation of demonic creatures, and the very word "demon" in Arabic was later derived from that.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Unlike the Yah'Awi, the Seyt'Awi wary in heights, similar to humans. They possess a pair of horns on their head, and their skin colors range from bright yellow to dark red. There are rumors about blue and purple skin colors, but even if they were, they did not survive to modern age. Seyt'Awi skin doesn't suffer from direct exposure from sunlight, so they're far from being the targets audience for sunscreen commercials. When they're old, it doesn't wrinkle as much.

Ecology and Habitats

Arid and desert climates are preferred by Seyt'Awi, though they can live in other, more tropical conditions. They do not need that much water as humans do, and they don't sweat as much.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Seyt'Awi opted not for leading Humanity, but for ruling them. The main thing they wanted from their subjects wasn't obedience or blind loyalty, though. They desired recognition, praise and worship before all else. That had set up a dynamic when, after times of turmoil, in the times of peace there were many settlements that had their own Seyt'Awi masters doing absolutely nothing of value. These "half-demons" might've started as your best friend, but over time they would become parasites that feed on your children's efforts.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Seyt'Awi lived around Mesopotamia, in the more arid places of Asia Minor, in Levantine and Arabian peninsular deserts. They used to live on the Eastern Mediterranean shore, but were driven out by the Persians after the fall of the Assyrian Empire. Later, with their numbers dwindling, they have found themselves at the center of Muslim Conquests and, with them, dispersed throughout the world and melded into Humanity.

Average Intelligence

Being generally active and extraverted during the day, with a lot of energy built up in their bodies, crying for release, Seyt'Awi are more characterized by their emotional intelligince. Unfortunately, in many cases they have used their emphatic predisposition to find out what Humans feel, and exploit it.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Seyt'Awi also possess an extra sense which allows them to feel movement of magical currents somewhat. It's a two-way street, though: during the night when magic flows upwards, they start feeling powerless and sleepy, more so than humans usually do. They're bursting with energy during the day, though, especially under direct sunlight.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Ancient Seyt'Awi used Sumerian and Assyrian names. Later they've switched to Arabic ones.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Seyt'Awi used to speak various ancient Semitic languages. During the Middle Ages, only one of the languages in the group remained - Arabic, but they were also fluent in Farsi (Persian) and, later, Turkish as well. Remote Seyt'Awi spoke Castilian Spanish, Indian or South-East Asian languages depending on where they lived.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Since Seyt'Awi were more about taking than giving, they didn't leave much legacy. Magical Decay | Магическая Утечка has also helped erasing their achievements from history. The only heritage we know of is the texts about magic and what one could do with it in the olden days. This knowledge is being preserved within the Fringe Society, but unavailable to the rest of the world due to their closed-mindedness.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The first written accounts of Borrowed Resurrection were made by Seyt'Awi magi. There's also a case for them discovering a possibility to use decayed magic for some time after the event of its decay via sacrifices and Blood Magic. They must've learned about it way before Assyria, since as soon as decay hit, these practices began in the Dark Empire.

History

Jericho

Jericho might've been the place the Awi, the ancestors of Yah'Awi or Seyt'Awi, had originated. The city was destroyed by a huge tribe of hostile humans, making some of its inhabitants slaves (which later would turn the tables and start leading them) while others have fled. Fringe Historians theorize that this was the moment Seyt'Awi and Yah'Awi were divided and started developing differently. Though it would've been impossible for the species to transform this drastically over just a few millenia. It was possible that magic was involved.

Sumerians and Akkadians

Seyt'Awi sensitivity to magic put them into positions of court Magi and astrologists of Mesopotamian rulers. City-states of the land between rivers even started fighting for them, which worked for the Inhumans who fed on praise and worship. But let's give them credit when it is due, they definitely were the best at magic at the time, even better than Serpentites of Egypt. Knowledge of the most powerful spells came to us from Mesopotamia, written down by these Magi. But with time, Humans caught up with Seyt'Awi vanity and suddenly, they've started losing their positions, in some cases were even chased out of their cities.

Ancient Beduin Tribes

Roughly in the same time, in the Arabian desert, many seytawi thrived, praised by nomadic beduins. These tribes used to fight each other quite often, and having a powerful mage on their side proved useful. Beduin Seytawi never reached the sheer level of fame in the desert as their Mesopotamian cousins. And then, when these cousins were made to flee for the desert, beduins welcomed them, too.

The Dark Empire

Seytawi bitterness about the exile from Mesopotamia turned dark, fast. Some time after Bronze Age Collapse, they have gradually returned to Mesopotamia, gradually charmed its Human inhabitants again... But this time it wasn't enough for them to be in the shadow of powerful kings. They have decided to become kings and priests themselves.
And just like that, Assyria was born. To impose their rule on Humans and on neighboring tribes they've started to use any means possible. Seytawi mages were capable to raise an army of the dead, and they used a very simple equation to do that: the more people die from either side during an engagement, the bigger their Undead army would become. With that, they have conquered many realms and started ruling over them with an iron fist.
And simultaneously... The sixth stage of magical power has decayed. Seytawi knew that big magical releases could allow for casting spells of that stage, and they also started to perform human sacrifices atop the ancient Ziggurat buildings. Sometimes even mass sacrifices. For a century and a half The Dark Empire ruled over Middle East with Necromancy and Blood Magic at its' side until they became too comfortable with themselves, as always. The inner strifes and conflicts were easy to exploit from outside, they were infliltrated and betrayed from within, and one more time Seytawi started to run for the desert. Not many reached it. The Dark Empire collapsed, giving way to the new one, the Radiant Empire.

Arabic Seyt'Awi

A question might arise: how did it happen that a species with a reputation so tainted, Arabs actually named demons after them... How did this species manage to achieve high praise and worship in the Caliphate? Well, quite simple, actually. This term was used as a pejorative, but by Christians who spoke Arabic, not Muslims. Christians were qute safe living under the Caliphate, paying only a special tax, but they were not persecuted or made to convert... Usually. And they still voiced their discontent about Seytawi wizards. And these mages happily served their Muslim overlords, praised by them... But this time around, the Seyt'Awi have learned some humility. Seyt'Awi rarely launched political plots in their positions of Mages and Viziers, and served loyally to the Caliph and his family. Their knowledge saw the Arabic world through the Islamic Golden Age, and they fought valiantly against the Crusades.
History still remembers them as villains, though. Seyt'Awi got back in power by the XIV century, ruling together with Mameluke elites. They were the ones to offer most resistance to Ottoman invaders 150 years later. They were those who have suffered most for it. Ottomans demonized them, however ironic that might sound, they've turned people against them, and forced the remaining Seyt'Awi into hiding. Many others died during other turmoils that happened in the Arabic world - Reconquista in Spain, Colonializm in Africa and India, the Grand Game in Afghanistan...
Seyt'Ari weren't a species that suffered much because of the Romans back during the Purge. They were safe in their desert. Instead, they came to prosper for a long time, but some would say that they've suffered for their crimes way longer, than any Inhumans that experienced Roman genocide.

Common Myths and Legends

There are theories that Gilgamesh might've been a real person and was, in fact, a Seyt'Awi or had a Seyt'Awi friend. He should've lived for hundreds of years, but with the available magic of that era, it was quite possible.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Some claim that Seyt'Awi themselves had no issues with other species. They didn't think about their Yah'Awi brethen too much when the Dark Empire steamrolled through Judea. They were rivals of Serpentites but never explicitly hated them. They had issues with Humans, but those were like children to them. Or cattle.
This leaves us with a conclusion that the main enemy of the Seyt'Awi species were Seyt'Awi themselves. And, of course, thanks to stories about their atrocities, they were eventually hated by every single Inhuman species of Eurasia.

Species or Ethnicity?

The Seyt'Awi are descendants of the Awi, a single species that later divided into "wise half-angels of Israel" and "vain half-demons of Mesopotamia". For all intents and purposes the Awi is the species, while Yah'Awi and Seyt'Awi are ethnicites. But their experiences ended up to be so distinct they've even evolved differently - the former through faith, the latter through magic. Thus, I think of them as separate, though related, species.

Genetic Descendants

• Demons | Демоны

Origin/Ancestry

Semitic

Lifespan

up to 90 years | До 90 лет

Disclaimer

There are some religious and cultural subjects mentioned in this article. While reading it, please remember that Fringe Earth is a project for entertainment, and it doesn't aim to offend anyone.

D&D Info

Seyt'Awi were inspired by the Tieflings © Wizards of the Coast. I do not claim any ownership of WotC intellectual property.

Entry for WorldEmber 2020

Competition Homepage