Akshusian
The Akshusians are the Humans who make their home in Akshus. Once a relatively ordinary human people worshiping genies and genasis, the akshusians have suffered through one and a half centuries of mindflayer domination which changed their bodies on the genetic level and formed their culture. They are a people who value independence, integrity, honesty and skill with horse and blade. While not a warlike people, they are a people used to the inhospitable depths of the desert and know when to fight if they must.
Naming Traditions
Family names
The Akshusians are divided into great tribes, and use the names of these tribes as their family names. These tribes are:
- Tanin
- Eamil
- Tashkil
- Mustar
- Rihn
- Ihtrak
- Alzaj
- Mayit
- Kale
- Marid
- Ahwar
- Aghni
Other names
It is common for Akshusians to take nicknames as their middle names, depending on their aspirations, experiences and what they are known for. In common these names translate to "the *something*". A famous example is Ibrahim al-Iliesar Tanin, Ibrahim "the Storm" Tanin.
Culture
Shared customary codes and values
Tribal honour
All Akshusians believe in protecting their own tribe and their tribes' honour, whether in contests of skill, wit and speed or battles on the hot desert sands.
All Akshusians believe in protecting their own tribe and their tribes' honour, whether in contests of skill, wit and speed or battles on the hot desert sands.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Cremation
The akshusians cremate their dead. Most akshusians have their ashes spilled in the desert, so they might return to it, while a few (mostly city-dwellers and rich tribal leadership) have their ashes put in urns. The city-dwellers have many communal urns in small mausoleums, while the chieftains of tribes have richly bejeweled and ornate urns put in family mausoleums, so that their descendants might take comfort among their ancestors.
This habit of cremation comes from a fear of the walking dead.
The akshusians cremate their dead. Most akshusians have their ashes spilled in the desert, so they might return to it, while a few (mostly city-dwellers and rich tribal leadership) have their ashes put in urns. The city-dwellers have many communal urns in small mausoleums, while the chieftains of tribes have richly bejeweled and ornate urns put in family mausoleums, so that their descendants might take comfort among their ancestors.
This habit of cremation comes from a fear of the walking dead.
Common Taboos
Death
Speaking of the dead or death in general is a taboo in Akshusian society, due to the many restless dead that make their home in the desert. Akshusians have had too many bad meetings with recently-reanimated corpses for them to have a normal relationship with death, and as such have decided to do everything in their power to avoid speaking of the dead, whether good or ill. The akshusians avoid burial grounds like the plague, fearing spirits and undeads, and treat the bodies of enemies and friends alike with the utmost respect, lest they come back from the long slumber.
This is also the reason that they cremate their dead.
Mind flayers
Merely one hundred years ago, all living akshusians had felt the psionic tendrils of Mind Flayers prickling through their skull at least once in their lifetime. This created a dreadful fear of speaking their names, lest their psionic tendrils return to haunt the akshusians. This culture continues to this day, and akshusians mostly fear speaking too much of the Mind flayers and avoid their bases and ruins like cursed places.
Speaking of the dead or death in general is a taboo in Akshusian society, due to the many restless dead that make their home in the desert. Akshusians have had too many bad meetings with recently-reanimated corpses for them to have a normal relationship with death, and as such have decided to do everything in their power to avoid speaking of the dead, whether good or ill. The akshusians avoid burial grounds like the plague, fearing spirits and undeads, and treat the bodies of enemies and friends alike with the utmost respect, lest they come back from the long slumber.
This is also the reason that they cremate their dead.
Mind flayers
Merely one hundred years ago, all living akshusians had felt the psionic tendrils of Mind Flayers prickling through their skull at least once in their lifetime. This created a dreadful fear of speaking their names, lest their psionic tendrils return to haunt the akshusians. This culture continues to this day, and akshusians mostly fear speaking too much of the Mind flayers and avoid their bases and ruins like cursed places.
Historical figures
Genasi revolutionariess
During and after the war against the Mind Flayers, several genasi played key roles as commanders of rebel forces, leaders of tribes and formers of the akshusian culture.
Ma Alhaya, the Liberator
Ma Alhaya, a water genasi, led one of the longest and most successful insurrections against the mind flayers. Operating from the depths of Marid Bay, where even the most advanced submarines of the illithids would be destroyed by the pressure or colossal marine monsters, she led merfolk in many attacks against illithid prison barges. In the beginning she took the survivors she saved with her to the elemental plane of water, but as she grew in power she managed to claim the island at the heart of Marid Bay and hold illithid attacks back.
She was already an old woman, nearing the end of her life, when the Citadel and the Githzherai landed in the heart of Akshus, but she threw herself into the fight with incredible energy. Using her great power, the teams of akshusians she had trained and her most powerful ally, her kraken, she took and secured the rivers of Akshus from the illithids and set free many peoples. She became a scourge to the illithids and one of their greatest enemy, a title which she had won for herself through a lifetime of struggle.
Many of the tribes of Middle Akshus, along with the yeorites, aghniites, ahwarites and maridites, can thank Ma Alhaya for their liberation.
Following the insurrection she made her mark on Akshus as a peacemaker. Working with the tribal leaders of Akshus and anarch Azarad she set to work creating a system of checks and balances to ensure peace between the tribes. Her most important work was teaching the akshusians elemental magic to aid them in cultivating the oases of Middle Akshus and teaching them how to grow spices and textiles she knew were valuable on the international market.
While some conflict has sprung up between the akshusian tribes, it is credit to Ma Alhaya's work that these conflicts have been so few and far in between. It is not without reason she is known as "the Liberator" and that there are great statues of her both in Nomadens Heim and Stillvann.
Tanin & Eamil
Tanin and Eamil were brother fire genasi who were awakened from Mind Flayer cryostasis by a desperate band of rebels. They had both been gifted warriors in the age of god-kings and quickly came to lead the rebels under them, teaching them how to fight from horseback and punishing the Mind Flayers for their ambition in letting them live. The rebels they led came to worship them as god-kings who protected them, and after the rebellion was over Tanin and Eamil split the rebels in half, forming the twin tribes of Northern Akshus know as the eamilites and the taninites.
The Burning Prophet
The Burning Prophet was also a revolutionary against the illithids, who used secret firemagic and dedication to the old gods of Akshus to fight back against the mind flayers.
King Ibrahim al-Iliesar Tanin
Anarch Azarad
During and after the war against the Mind Flayers, several genasi played key roles as commanders of rebel forces, leaders of tribes and formers of the akshusian culture.
Ma Alhaya, the Liberator
Ma Alhaya, a water genasi, led one of the longest and most successful insurrections against the mind flayers. Operating from the depths of Marid Bay, where even the most advanced submarines of the illithids would be destroyed by the pressure or colossal marine monsters, she led merfolk in many attacks against illithid prison barges. In the beginning she took the survivors she saved with her to the elemental plane of water, but as she grew in power she managed to claim the island at the heart of Marid Bay and hold illithid attacks back.
She was already an old woman, nearing the end of her life, when the Citadel and the Githzherai landed in the heart of Akshus, but she threw herself into the fight with incredible energy. Using her great power, the teams of akshusians she had trained and her most powerful ally, her kraken, she took and secured the rivers of Akshus from the illithids and set free many peoples. She became a scourge to the illithids and one of their greatest enemy, a title which she had won for herself through a lifetime of struggle.
Many of the tribes of Middle Akshus, along with the yeorites, aghniites, ahwarites and maridites, can thank Ma Alhaya for their liberation.
Following the insurrection she made her mark on Akshus as a peacemaker. Working with the tribal leaders of Akshus and anarch Azarad she set to work creating a system of checks and balances to ensure peace between the tribes. Her most important work was teaching the akshusians elemental magic to aid them in cultivating the oases of Middle Akshus and teaching them how to grow spices and textiles she knew were valuable on the international market.
While some conflict has sprung up between the akshusian tribes, it is credit to Ma Alhaya's work that these conflicts have been so few and far in between. It is not without reason she is known as "the Liberator" and that there are great statues of her both in Nomadens Heim and Stillvann.
Tanin & Eamil
Tanin and Eamil were brother fire genasi who were awakened from Mind Flayer cryostasis by a desperate band of rebels. They had both been gifted warriors in the age of god-kings and quickly came to lead the rebels under them, teaching them how to fight from horseback and punishing the Mind Flayers for their ambition in letting them live. The rebels they led came to worship them as god-kings who protected them, and after the rebellion was over Tanin and Eamil split the rebels in half, forming the twin tribes of Northern Akshus know as the eamilites and the taninites.
The Burning Prophet
The Burning Prophet was also a revolutionary against the illithids, who used secret firemagic and dedication to the old gods of Akshus to fight back against the mind flayers.
King Ibrahim al-Iliesar Tanin
Anarch Azarad
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Akshusians are, due to the genetic modification they endured at the hands of the Mind Flayers, very similar people. Virtually all of them have black eyes, black hair and grey skin. This means that no particular haircolor or eye color is regarded as more desirable than any other. Instead, akshusians value jewelry and strength.
Jewelry
Jewelry in Akshus generally either hails from Toirecíud or the small Azzat tribe, which makes it expensive, rare and beautiful. Jewelry is often passed down several generations and is lovingly maintained by its owners. Jewelry is this a sign of wealth, often generational wealth, and tribal stability, which is desirable in the pragmatic eyes of the Akshusians.
This fascination for jewelry likely came from Akshusian contact with the expensive jewelers of Toirecíud, who crafted earrings, bracelets and other types of jewelry with a degree of artistry that no human could ever achieve and few of the akshusians could afford.
Strength
Nearly all Akshusians know the exhaustion only the desert can inspire, and many akshusians have a relationship with horse-riding, swords and archery. For such a people, for whom survival, the ability to make a living in the desert and skill with horse and blade is essential to survival, strength is a very desirable quality. Whether this is strength in form of a lean body, visible muscles or being an excellent rider or bladesmen, it is an essential part of the Akshusian ideal of beauty. Many young people are initially interested in training with scimitars because they wish to impress their peers.
However, in the years since the modernization of Akshus, fewer and fewer young akshusians know these traits. Those who do are regarded as rare, mysterious and dangerous, which is more than a little appealing.
Jewelry
Jewelry in Akshus generally either hails from Toirecíud or the small Azzat tribe, which makes it expensive, rare and beautiful. Jewelry is often passed down several generations and is lovingly maintained by its owners. Jewelry is this a sign of wealth, often generational wealth, and tribal stability, which is desirable in the pragmatic eyes of the Akshusians.
This fascination for jewelry likely came from Akshusian contact with the expensive jewelers of Toirecíud, who crafted earrings, bracelets and other types of jewelry with a degree of artistry that no human could ever achieve and few of the akshusians could afford.
Strength
Nearly all Akshusians know the exhaustion only the desert can inspire, and many akshusians have a relationship with horse-riding, swords and archery. For such a people, for whom survival, the ability to make a living in the desert and skill with horse and blade is essential to survival, strength is a very desirable quality. Whether this is strength in form of a lean body, visible muscles or being an excellent rider or bladesmen, it is an essential part of the Akshusian ideal of beauty. Many young people are initially interested in training with scimitars because they wish to impress their peers.
However, in the years since the modernization of Akshus, fewer and fewer young akshusians know these traits. Those who do are regarded as rare, mysterious and dangerous, which is more than a little appealing.
Gender Ideals
The akshusians are a very egalitarian people, with few recognizable gender roles and rather expecting similar things from all its peoples. There is virtually no discrimination on the base of gender, and people are in general left to their own devices in constructing their own gender. During the Mindflayer Domination, the akshusians lost any context or continuity regarding gender and have as a culture chosen to not reinstate whatever roles may have been part of their people before the Domination. Most people use pronouns that match their sex, but people who feel uncomfortable with this are freely allowed to use whichever pronoun they please and akshusians respect others' choice of gender expression.
This also applies to other races and many non-binary or trans elves, dwarves, gnomes and other humans find that the akshusians are an understanding and supportive people.
This also applies to other races and many non-binary or trans elves, dwarves, gnomes and other humans find that the akshusians are an understanding and supportive people.
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