Tsakhit
The Tsakhit (Old Temekanian: [ ts:kh't ], sometimes Psakhit) were a yuan-ti people who established a colony centered in the the Niru Delta during the Early Mithril Era. Initially a part of the ancient yuan-ti empire from Teroa, the Tsakhit were the first human culture to reach the continent of Nioa. After likely pushing out or enslaving the region's indigenous aasimar and tiefling, the Tsakhit constructed a number of settlements throughout the Lower Niru River Valley, including what would become the city of Tanis.
During the decline of the yuan-ti empire, the Proto-Temekanian warlord Ohr Aka defeated the Tsakhit at the legendary Battle of the Reeds in around 400 ME. Ohr Aka would go on to conquer the rest of the delta and become the first pharaoh of the House of Temekan, uniting the Niru River under a single banner for the first time in history. Over the next few centuries, the Tsakhit slowly integrated into Temekanian society and contributed towards their development of irrigation, monumental architecture, early metalworking, and eventually writing and social stratification. Much of ancient Temekanian's beliefs and aesthetics are believed to have been rooted in the Tsakhit culture.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Tsakhit people are believed to have spoken a form of the language Nepemaxaltic. Literally meaning "with/of [the] forked tongue," Nepemaxaltic takes advantage of the ophidian anatomy of the yuan-ti to form sounds that work well with tongue flickering and elongated glottal regions. It appears to have some resemblance to modern mortal languages spoken in Teroa, though further linguistic analysis is required to determine any concrete links. Near the end of the 3rd Century ME, a written version of the language was developed with its own unique script and even a pictoral glyph system. This glyph system was later adopted by the Temakanians and merged with their native language to become what is known today as Old Temekanian.
History
According to Temekanian legends, the Tsakhit were already accomplished agriculturalists and architects when they arrived in the Niru Delta. They record that the Tsakhit worshiped a being known as Huxenotihuatli, the Serpent Below, and that they raided settlements throughout the Niru Valley. During these raids, the Tsakhit would capture vast numbers of farmers and either send them across the sea to work as slaves or sacrifice them on stone altars. Their victims' blood was then used in depraved rituals to transform the Tsakhit into the image of their dark god. Around 400 ME, the ruler of the Proto-Temekanians made war on the Tsakhit, who are said to have lost contact with their allies across the sea some ten years prior. The ruler, Ohr Aka, defeated the leader of the Tsakhit, a yuan-ti laxeotikaztl called Shaqqar, at the Battle of the Reeds. This is regarded as the unification of the Niru River peoples and the beginning of the Great House of Temekan. Though there would be several rebellions and civil wars over the following centuries between the east and west, the Temekanians came to adopt many aspects of Tsakhit culture, including serpent iconography, irrigation, architecture, and even eventually writing and social stratification.A depiction of a Tsakhit moxaza priestess based on later Temekanian accounts
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