Rakhmany
The Rakhmany [pronounced rakh•MAH•nih; sing. rakh•MAHN] are a very populous group that live in areas to the south and east of Nor’. The Noriki used to highly respect them for their wealth, power, and knowledge, and thought of them as a blessed people. But they turned to the Bahite faith, whose founder, Baha, is regarded as a wicked sorcerer by adherents of the True Confession. The Rakhmany now press Porphyry, the Tsar's city, hoping that its downfall will give control of the earth to them.
The Rakhmany practice polygamy, and perhaps for this reason, among others, the religion is spreading to the Kochmaki and the Narty. They also shun drink and some meats which are highly prized among the Noriki.
Despite antipathy arising from differences in creed, the Rakhmany are still greatly respected as traders and scholars. Silk, spices, gems, exotic animals and wondrous plants all originate or flow from their domains, while the greatest sages still plumb the depths of the world's mysteries in the laboratories and observatories of Rakhman cities.
Physically, the Rakhmany are too diverse to describe easily. Their skin ranges from olive to nearly black, and they wear fine silken and cotton vestments that are the envy of all flax-and-hemp-wearing northerners.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Aliya, Azar, Batul, Dima, Fairuza, Fatima, Gauhar, Golnar, Iman, Jamila, Karima, Khadijah, Latifah, Minu, Muna, Nargez, Nilofar, Nour, Raabi’a, Raushan, Salima, Shirin, Yasmin, Zeinab, Zubaida
Masculine names
Ali, Abdallah, Aziz, Barak, Behrooz, Fadl, Farouk, Firdos, Ghulam, Hakim, Hussain, Imad, Jaffar, Jamal, Khalid, Khurshid, Mahmud, Murad, Mustafa, Rahat, Rashid, Said, Shahzad, Sharif, Tariq, Umar
Family names
The Rakhmany use patronymics or toponymic surnames. Patronymics are formed by putting ibn or bin before the father’s name for men, or bint for women. Toponymics are derived by placing an i after the place of origin.
Encompassed species
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