Bekyar
Residing primarily within Vidrian, The Shackles, and the Sodden Lands along the Mwangi coastline, the Bekyar people have a complicated place in the Mwangi Expanse. Beykars tend to be tall, and their hairstyles often involve long and elaborate locs or braids, sometimes incorporating flashy and decorative silk head wraps. Spiced incense and floral candles see more widespread use over other personal and household scents. There’s a wide misconception that Bekyar people are simply malicious and evil for the sake of it, but Bekyars consider themselves brutally realistic pragmatists. Others believe that they worship demons and similarly terrible powers. Though Bekyars do make deals and contracts with demons and devils, they do so while weighing and understanding the risks and consequences. The Bekyar people do very little in the way of considering good and evil as objective concepts—they simply believe that if they can survive the consequences of their actions and desires, then they’ve earned what they’ve gained. Beykars consider fiends to have a power to respect and be wary of, and they believe that respecting and understanding the terms of a contract is more important to a stable society than any other consideration.
Bekyar beliefs revolve around a respect for the power of the archdevil Mephistopheles and his lesser infernal servants. The Bekyar people survived Earthfall when Mephistopheles himself collectively offered them a contract, a deal that would set the tone for their culture’s pragmatic attitude toward infernal dealings. The exact terms of that initial contract are unknown to modern day Bekyars, but they widely believe that the function of their culture within the Mwangi Expanse collectively fulfills the bargain in some way. Some Bekyar magic users embrace this aspect of their ancestral origins in small doses and use infernal magic to heal the sick or perform miracles, typically in exchange for some personal sacrifice or the fulfillment of a pact at the end of their life. Others adopt fiendish magic to the point of pursuing transformation into a demon or devil and the ability to offer pacts themselves.
Bekyar culture holds a brutal hatred for outsiders, particularly Sargavan colonists, Avistani explorers, and anyone else they consider as potential invaders. They know that others think their practices to be barbaric, particularly their embrace of slave trading and infernal magic, but Bekyars have no interest in allowing other people to change the way things have always worked for them or to look down on their culture from what they consider as overly idealistic pedestals. In contrast, they’ll happily trade with other Mwangi people. They might even help a hapless Mwangi or outsider into an unfortunate deal with a devil—usually in pursuit of some greater deal for themselves.
Though other Mwangi peoples might not understand the intricacies of this rather secretive culture, they respect the fact that Bekyars never break a deal, even if one must take care when making such agreements. Some believe that Bekyars fearlessly stare demons in the face or that they’re actually demons, which isn’t always untrue. Other Mwangis respect Bekyars for their apparent psychological strength as much as from fear of making a lifelong enemy out of one of them. For all the focus on discipline and pragmatism in Beykar culture, offending a Bekyar means risking a foe who might be willing to sacrifice their soul to ensure a person suffers from eternal damnation, a life of poor luck, or an infernal force aiming to create tragedy at every turn. Bekyar people are incredibly passionate, both in how they love and how they hate. This double-edged sword serves as both a strength and a weakness, and few other Mwangis desire to find out which side they’re going to fall on.
Bekyar beliefs revolve around a respect for the power of the archdevil Mephistopheles and his lesser infernal servants. The Bekyar people survived Earthfall when Mephistopheles himself collectively offered them a contract, a deal that would set the tone for their culture’s pragmatic attitude toward infernal dealings. The exact terms of that initial contract are unknown to modern day Bekyars, but they widely believe that the function of their culture within the Mwangi Expanse collectively fulfills the bargain in some way. Some Bekyar magic users embrace this aspect of their ancestral origins in small doses and use infernal magic to heal the sick or perform miracles, typically in exchange for some personal sacrifice or the fulfillment of a pact at the end of their life. Others adopt fiendish magic to the point of pursuing transformation into a demon or devil and the ability to offer pacts themselves.
Bekyar culture holds a brutal hatred for outsiders, particularly Sargavan colonists, Avistani explorers, and anyone else they consider as potential invaders. They know that others think their practices to be barbaric, particularly their embrace of slave trading and infernal magic, but Bekyars have no interest in allowing other people to change the way things have always worked for them or to look down on their culture from what they consider as overly idealistic pedestals. In contrast, they’ll happily trade with other Mwangi people. They might even help a hapless Mwangi or outsider into an unfortunate deal with a devil—usually in pursuit of some greater deal for themselves.
Though other Mwangi peoples might not understand the intricacies of this rather secretive culture, they respect the fact that Bekyars never break a deal, even if one must take care when making such agreements. Some believe that Bekyars fearlessly stare demons in the face or that they’re actually demons, which isn’t always untrue. Other Mwangis respect Bekyars for their apparent psychological strength as much as from fear of making a lifelong enemy out of one of them. For all the focus on discipline and pragmatism in Beykar culture, offending a Bekyar means risking a foe who might be willing to sacrifice their soul to ensure a person suffers from eternal damnation, a life of poor luck, or an infernal force aiming to create tragedy at every turn. Bekyar people are incredibly passionate, both in how they love and how they hate. This double-edged sword serves as both a strength and a weakness, and few other Mwangis desire to find out which side they’re going to fall on.
Naming
Beykar masculine names include Ake, Javeil, Mirrok, Otajo, and Yekskya; feminine names include Accaza, Brijou, Naoke, Soki, and Xakieya; and gender‑neutral names include Gyssek, Irekyo, Saynak, and Yassel.
Parent ethnicities
Encompassed species
Related Locations
Comments