Ischarri

The Ischarri

Overview

The Ischarri, or Ischurri are a people who originate from the northern part of Nirann. They are widely renowned as warriors but are also looked down upon as settlers to regions like the Gendur River Valley and Soranna.

Culture

Ischarri culture can be split into a few different groups depending on the region, these include Nidari, Hijdari, Ridi, and Atsuryi. These cultures share a variety of things in common however, such as their love of wolves and wood carving.

Carving

The Ischarri love wood carving, and use it to express themselves and for their religion. The Ischarri like to burn wood carvings of their desires as a way to wish for them. This is in contrast to other Tsennari groups, who simply write on their wood that they plan to burn.

Candles

The Ischarri are highly superstitious and believe that candles help prevent evil spirits from entering. For this reason they tend to sleep with a candle by their window, this is similar to the Soranni who do the same.

Diet

Ischarri cuisine is one which relies heavily off of grains, dairy, and meats. Fish is often eaten less often in comparison to their Alsivai relatives. Dairy is much more common in comparison to their Soranni and Kassei relatives in contrast.
Tea and Milk are the most common drinks among the Ischarri. The Ischarri prefer their tea with a dab of honey or squeeze of the Zanmei berry.
Some common foods include: noodles made from buckwheat; pastries and breads with cheese and fruit jam fillings; skewered and roasted chicken or other meats; soups with noodles and meats; cheeses.
Unlike their neighbors, the Ischarri typically abstain from eating pigs or goats due to the assertion that they are unfit for higher classes in comparison to beasts like the cow or yak. Due to Gentari influence, a dish of mutton called "Suigan's Feast" has become quite popular in the plains regions.
Ischarri farms are one of the best producers of wine in the world, they produce a red variety thats served chilled with ice. It is made with Agi Berries and has a very mild and sweet flavor and smells like honey.
In major cities, street food is becoming a common occurence as traditional vendors run to get fresh food from the countryside and bring it in fresh. This has caused a culture of street vendors that is threatening traditional eateries.

Gestures

Ischarri often point their swords or hands to the sun as an expression of victory. In addition to this, they often talk with their hands. The Ischarri are known to be polite to guests and friends, with the expression "Iwerra" for coughing or sneezing being almost universal here.

Clothing

Ischurri clothing is most commonly made of wool, linen, hemp, and furs due to the climate of the region. Nobles and Warriors often wear silk and fur in contrast to their lower class compatriots. The wearing of Silk is a prestigious thing, as it is produced heavily in the hills and pine forests and exported abroad. Like their relatives, they often wear long and loose clothing. Tsennari robes often have a placket and collar that goes from the shoulder to the waist at a diagonal angle, the Ischurri are one of the best examples of this. Ischurri nobles and warriors have a unique dress that the other Niranni dont have; the Ischurri overcoat is a loose vest robe worn under the traditonal robes that is typically very thin. It goes down from to the ankles. It is derived from the Soranni Urashi, which is a similar hemless robe that is long rather than short like a vest.
Ischarri robes are often much longer than their neighbors as the Kassei typically have shorter sleeves to sleeveless, the Soranni have shorter outer sleeves and a shorter skirt, and the Alsivai typically wear medium length for both. The main difference between the peoples is that the Soranni wear their longest garment underneath all others, while the Ischarri wear it on top.
The lower classes often wear a smock-like robe, with a low divider that heads down to between the breast. It is worn underneath everything in most seasons; in the summer however, the robe is often worn as the only item of attire. The nobility have their own version of this robe, a gown called the Ku'siiyo, meaning ancient smock as they predate the Soranni inspired robes. This robe is still seen commonly among the middle class, although in recent times the dividers have begun to resemble the Soranni plackets.

Mask culture is prevalent among the Ischarri, where they often make masks that are less to their Soranni neighbors but still differ from their former Gentari overlords. While other Tsennari masks would be representative of an owner or a character, Ischarri masks often depict spirits or what people feel their noble soul is like.

Item Reverence

The Ischarri revere most items they own, as they believe that they have the potential to be taken over by spirits or used in the reincarnation process one day. The most revered items are Swords and Bows due to their ability to end lives, it is believed that this taints a weapon and that weapons should not be drawn unless necessary.

Relationships

The Ischarri are a people who practice polygamy among the middle and upper classes. They also tolerate same-sex relations.

Music

Ischarri music often features instruments that are imported from a variety of regions. Soranni musical culture led to a variety of harps and lyres making their way into the land from the south. From the East came the Alsivai banjo known as a Siaagi, while the spike fiddle remains the best known native Ischarri instrument that has found its way all over. In addition to these fun instruments, the flute and ocarina are often played at religious ceremonies. The flute is said to of originated in the Ischarra-Alsivai region, while the Ocarina is Soranni.

Values

The Ischarri value honor and loyalty as some of the most important things one can live for; Ischarri often engage in Sietracim. In addition to this, perserverence means that many Ischarri are considered stubborn by their neighbors. The Niranni also value preservation and balance in general, the Ischarri are no exception.

Nature and Outdoor Culture

The Ischarri often eat outdoors, especially in winter when bugs arent around. They also love forests and will often preserve them if possible.

Poems and Death

Unlike Soranni poems which often talk about future life and ambitions/dreams, the Ischarri often change the subject in their works. Ischarri poems often are about legacy and the afterlife, especially when one is about to die.

Dance

Most Niranni have dances that are communal to celebrate festivals, the Ischarri are no exception to this. Ischarri dancing often features a group standing in a circle, while pairs take turns to dance in the middle. Soranni and other groups often do not dance in the middle of the circle as its reserved for gods and spirits or the musicians.
Ischarri dance is considered to be exaggerated for ceremonial purposes, and the robes used by performers are often long and feature a variety of decorations such as tassels. Puppet dancing is not as popular among the Ischarri, but it does exist in their lands. For some ceremonies, the Ischarri often dance with long poles with decorations at the top to represent animals.
The Akhasaci (Flamecutter) has found itself to Ischarra from Soranna. In the Akhasaci dance, the movement of the dancers is said to represent flames, and their mock duels attempt to create a swaying motion similar to the way flames sway in the wind. This dance is said to come from old Ingharan ones.

Duels

Ischarri peoples often engage in dueling as a way to hone their skills. Blunt weapons are typically the norm and the duels are watched over by a holyman as to prevent any accidents from occuring. A unique duel type found among the Ischarri is where two men are given bows and blunt arrows, and have to shoot each other first.

Games and Sports

Ischarri sports often involve horses or archery, but are not limited to them. One of the most popular is Faa'nia'seyke or Faa'seyke, a sport where a person must shoot a series of targets while on horseback . Another popular sport is played by the water, and is called Mar'casi. In this sport, two people wrestle and the first to get dunked below water loses.
While kites are popular in Ischarra, there is a special kind of kite-like thing that is even more famous. It is a decorative windsock or kite tied to the end of a pole, and the people dance with them. The fighting variant of this sees a pair taking turns at using their windsock to entangle the other one to claim victory, with the ideal victory being the opponent entangling themselves.

Cleanliness and Hair

Ischarri bathe as often as they can like many other groups in the world. While many groups see facial hair as unclean, the Ischarri embrace it and wear it as they please. As for hair, the most common way among plainsmen is to wear it is to shave the sides but grow out the top and braid it. Among the settled folk, hair is often just put in a topknot for men while women just let it grow long and cut it shorter after marrying. Coming in contact with things like blood or phlegm requires a bathing as they are impure.

Punishment for Crimes

Tsennari culture was rather draconian and it has created a people afraid to break the law. As for the Ischarri, the most common execution method for criminals is called Zaskiri meaning "porcupine." In this method, a criminal is let free in an open field and is pursued by a hunting party of mounted archers and stuck full of arrows.

Architecture

Ischarri architecture is primarily made of stone and wood, with a stone foundation or first floor being common. Glass windows are common, but often are seen in newer buldings while older ones use a combination of paper and wood would be used as simple windows. Ischarri buildings often have a plaster attached to the wooden sections and title in order to increase fire resistance.
There are many customs relating to architecture among the Niranni, with one of the most important being that of house placement. The presence of a White Night Blossom makes a site pristine due to their association with lucky spirits.
In terms of door placement, doors in a community should face each other. Having 2 houses with doors not facing each other is almost sacrilegious, as it decreases the likelihood of the houses being able to help each other out in an emergency.
In addition to these superstitions, it is believed that the back of the property should always host a shrine to one's ancestors. These simple shrines may be a little shed with a table holding sacred items inside, to elaborate buildings in their own right.

History

The Ischarri people are descended from several groups, with the oldest being that of the proto Adrari who originated in the Atsuryen region. These people would go on to migrate to the Alsivai peninsula, leaving their cousins in Ischarra to diverge on their own path. These people in Ischarra would develop a tribal culture centered around powerful shamanistic mages. The people would be divided for most of the year except in times where unification was necessary such as to defend against a powerful invader or ruler.
The Ischarri people of the plains would develop their own pantheon centered around the great serpent spirit named Ishen, the people of the hills would develop their pantheon around a great owl spirit named Kunatsir, the forest people would develop their pantheon around a great wolf spirit named Varakatsir, and the swamp people developed their pantheon around a great turtle spirit named Tersun. Although most of these spirits would fade due to the rise of new organized religion, these differences would cement regional subcultures that would last.
Eventually, the Ischarri began to change from being nomads along the coast of Atsuryen, leading to a divergence between the nomadic and settled Ischarri. Those who settled began to imitate their neighbors in the Alsivai region, adopting their style of weapons and armor while those nomads stayed on horseback and using horse-archery. The two groups battled until eventually, a new invader entered the region and mixed themselves heavily into the Ischurri culture; these peoples were the Ingharans. Due to this mix of culture, the Ischurri began to diverge even more from their brothers in the Alsivai region until the old Ischarri tongue mixed with the Ingharan one to create the language old Ischarri.
Many centuries later, the outsiders returned to colonize as the Soranni began to settle the region under the Ilsairi Ketsing. This new wave reinforced their newfound Tsennari heritage and the people of the north began to interract with the south more. the Ischurri here would begin to serve as mercenaries for the Ketsing and would be notable as fine warriors, helping create many great houses such as Gensier. Ischarri ways of war began to dominate the Soranni way of life as they adopted many institutions such as an elite warrior class. Eventually, the Ilsairi clan would flee to the region of Ischarra following their ousting from power.
The last major invader to the region was Suigan's Gentari horde, which destroyed much of the settled population of the region. This caused the Ischarri to pick up their formerly nomadic ways once more and some began to flee to the Gendur valley to escape the invaders. Due to Suigan's invasion, horse archery remained a popular strategy in warfare and the Gentari way of fighting began to supplant that of the old Ischurri ways. This would continue to happen until the chieftain Atshara brought back a warrior class that mimicked the Alsivai ones, but now with Imperial Soranni and Gentari influence.
The new warriors of Atshara wore Alsivai styled armor, but they moved from Alsivai longbows to Gentari shortbows. They moved in Soranni style of marching and organization with levy recruits, but kept the old Ischurri warrior class as sergeants. They wielded weapons of their own design, influenced from Alsivai and Soranna. These new warriors won Atshara a great victory at the battle of the River Nais. Atshara's reign saw nomads heavily oppressed and the forced settling of various groups.
As of the current day, the country still struggles with it's identity as the crossroads of three major Niranni groups, but they are beginning to see themselves as a people who stand best when united despite their regional differences.