Ohanzee

South of the Bitter Winds and north of the Searing Clouds is a vast amount of skies which receives very little rain. This sky is called the Cloudless Desert and it is indeed a desert. The larger islands near the center of this sky are covered in a fine sand, which is perfect for making glass. Very few vegetation grows here, but when it does it is mostly cacti and short shrubs. Spread out through these skies are oasis islands where the Ohanzee live.
The Ohanzee are referred to as the Scarred people, mostly for their practices of self-harm. They believe that punishment leads to paradise. The Ohanzee are a Minor Power located in the Cloudless Desert. They control over 50 islands, but their numbers are small on each island. Life in the Cloudless Desert is harsh, and finding water is a primary challenge for them. Trading glass and spices are their main contribution to the world, thus they must sail the skies to survive.

Military

The Ohanzee military is famously persistent. Stories of soldiers continuing to battle after being shot, sometimes several times, has created a rumor that their soldiers are walking dead. This is not true, mostly. An Ohanzee warship will track an enemy as far as they physically can. The tenacity makes up for their relative weakness. Lack of resources makes it difficult to create many airships.
The salary of being a soldier is the primary drive for joining the military. Most young soldiers join the military in order to support their families. The structure of their military is simple. There is the general, captains, and the officers in that descending order. Promotion is based on experience and merit. Firearms are given to captains. Due to Ohanzee's relative poverty, they cannot afford for every soldier to be given a firearm. However, sometimes particularly promising soldiers will be rewarded with a rifle.

Life of Pain

The Ohanzee believe the more pain accepted in this life means a greater paradise in the next. This belief is literal, as in the more physical pain accepted the better. While Veritism is the primary religion of Ohanzee, most follow the beliefs of a sub sect of Veritism which combined Ohanzees belief of self harm with Veritism's beleifs.
Ohanzee will cause harm to themselves in a ritualistic manner. Walking on coals, cutting their arms, wearing uncomfortable clothing, allowing others to beat them, and any number of other methods are used. This is rarely harmful in the long-term, but sometimes an Ohanzee will get carried away or an accident will cause disease and death. Ohanzee medicine is not very advanced, but they do understand that wounds must be cleaned, usually with alcohol to increase the pain.
This practice has given the people of Ohanzee not a tolerance of pain, but an acceptance of it. They have learned to fight through the pain. This is the reason there is the rumor that the Ohanzee are immortal. Because they can take a bullet and keep fighting as if nothing has happened. No Ohanzee has a fear of blood, and physical torture is not an effective way to get information from them.

Incense

Another important aspect to Ohanzee culture is their use of incense. There is an incense for every occasion. Funerals and births burn a fowl smelling, black smoked incense to cleanse the area of evil. Churches constantly burn incense. Homes burn a different incense every day. These are just a few examples. Not everyone can afford incense, so most homes grow it if they can or only burn it in special occasions. Ohanzee towns and cities each have their different scents and public buildings can be quite pungent.

Appearance

The typical Ohanzee has tan or golden skin with thick black hair. They have almond shaped eyes and wider mouths. Ohanzee wear a lot of cloth, so it is difficult to get a sense of their form. Though, Most ohanzee are thin and covered in scars. Burns, cuts, and other scars cover every inch of their body.

Personality and Mannerisms

The Ohanzee are wary of outsiders and will generally distrust them. But once you gain an Ohanzee's trust, they will be loyal. The Ohanzee believe in honor and respect as well. They will treat you with respect as long as you do the same. Warriors will fight to their last breath than besmirch their honor. However, there are those without honor and cannot be trusted. These are the thieves and scoundrels which wander Ohanzee deserts.

Government

The current ruler of Ohanzee is the queen Isetaari. Isetaari is only 19, but she became the ruler of the Ohanzee after she assassinated her father and 13 brothers. Everyone knows that Isetaari committed this tragedy, but no-one will stand against her. Isetaari is a self proclaimed prophet of the truth. This has caused some strain with the Church of Veritism. The church of Veritism does not stop this behavior, but they watch it closely. The Prophet, as she prefers to be called, rules over all of the Ohanzee. She can be described as a cruel leader with little care for her people.
The Prophet prefers to delegate several of her advisers. Matters of land, trade, relations, and many other aspects of ruling a nation are left to advisers. The Prophet prefers to see over war. She is a talented strategist and is currently trying to expand her nation into an empire.

History

The Ohanzee people were separate until several thousand years ago when the first King of Ohanzee united several people. Their main island, Dhiaspi, is a large island 100 miles long with a central desert. This island contained many different peoples separated by the long desert pocketed by small oasis. These people fought with each other constantly until a strong ruler was able to conquer them all.
When sailing was brought to the Ohanzee people, they saw this as an opportunity to spread out. Shortly after exploring their skies, the king at the time decreed they would move the capitol to a new, greener island. The Ohanzee killed the natives of this island and built their capitol city. Their old capitol city lived on as the largest Ohanzee city, but the ruler no longer lives there.
The Ohanzee and the Embraw had a short war which the Ohanzee lost. This created some tension between the two peoples. Especially now that the Prophet seeks to expand again.

Naming Traditions

Ohanzee names can be quite long. The name includes their name given at birth, a nickname gained after their first voyage if they are a sailor, their father's birth name, and their family name. A birth name usually has many vowels, and generally uses A’s, B’s, L’s, and I’s in abundance. Ali, ababad, Uriaba, Ilab, and Udabi are some common birth names. The birth name is usually used by loved ones and family.
The nickname is chosen by the captain of whichever ship the Ohanzee makes the first voyage on and is an indicator if the person is a sailor. Windsinger, Skysick, Cloudgazer and Righthook are some sample names, but particularly cruel captains can give names such as Drunkard, Coward, and Dog. In some cases, a captain's nickname can be overruled by the crew of the ship. Close friends are referred to by their nicknames, rather than birth names. Sometimes, other people are given a nickname after a voyage if they were particularly useful or friendly while on board.
The third name, the father's name, is used in casual conversation along with the family name. But if two or more siblings are in the conversation, then the birth name is used as well. If a Ohanzee does not know their father, they gain the name of whatever father figure the Ohanzee will have, or an older brother. If neither of these are possible, then they do not have a fathers name.
The family name usualy follows the same rules of a birth name, but is generaly longer, or ends with an I, Y, or E. Mohammadi, Zakariyya, Ali, and Dhaky are examples of family names. Here are a few examples of Ohanzee full names; Samir Mansur Ahmadi, Abbad Birdy uridaba Ali, or Ataby Swiftknife Dabei Inadebat.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Ohanzee speak Ohanzee and Krithian. Ohanzee is a language which is very different from island to island, but a native speaker can easily understand other dialects with only minimal confusion.

Common Etiquette rules

Ohanzee etiquette is to respect and honor your friends and guests. Guests of the home are offered food, lodging, and anything that can be helpful. It is a powerful insult to not accommodate a guest in your home. Outside the home, people keep to themselves and rarely touch or greet others. Though, in market places you will notice that argument is customary for the Ohanzee people. It is acceptable to insult someone you are arguing with, as these times it is not seen as personal. Ohanzee business often uses the others emotions to get a better deal.

Common Taboos

Beating your family, children, or friends is not as taboo in Ohanzee as it is in other nations. Their belief of physical pain leading to salvation allows for the beatings to be seen as an unfortunate event with a silver lining. However, stopping someone from self harming themselves is incredibly disrespectful. It is the equivalent to saying they do not deserve paradise.

Common Myths and Legends

Ohanzee believe that the more pain they endure in life, the better the paradise in the after life. If one is to live a life of comfort, they are doomed to an afterlife of punishment. Ohanzee also believe that the spirit realms and the physical realms share the same air. This means they used to communicate with the spirits by burning incense.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Ohanzee tribute beauty to wealth. Fine multicolored cloth, gold jewelry, and expensive incense carried on the person are a few examples of Ohanzee Beauty. Males and Females dress similarly in Ohanzee. Both wear the same type of clothing and jewelry. What separates men and woman at a quick glance is usually how their scarves are worn. Men tend to wrap their heads while women prefere to drap the cloth over themselves.

Clothing

Ohanzee where much cloth on themselves. Most of their body is covered in the cloth in order to combat the sun. They use long scarves to wrap or drape over their head to protect their skin. They keep their clothing as loose as possible as well in order to combat the heat. Baggy pants and a simple, dress like shirt is common.
Their clothing is often made of as fine a material as can be afforded. This is because the quality of the cloth is often the first thing a potential lover pays attention to.

Gender Ideals

153 years ago men treated women as inferior people. However, when the first queen of the Ohanzee was crowned, a militant and brutal process was enacted to end this. This was a bloody time for Ohanzee men, as many were graded out into the street and beaten for simply making a crude comment. Since this time, women have been treated with more respect and are thought of as superior in some cases.

Courtship Ideals

Ohanzee is one of the few nations which only support marriage for love and devotion. There are no limits on who can marry. Polygamy, man and man, women and woman, even siblings or parent and child is allowed. However, the love must be proven to the priest who will marry them. This can be awkward or embarrassing in some cases or romantic for others. The exact method for this varies from priest to priest, and there are many who would take a bribe.
Those who bribe for marriage are often slave owners that wish to claim their slave is their spouse or someone who wishes to join two families together for purely political or economical reasons.

Relationship Ideals

Typical Ohanzee marriage means the two become one. All land, assets, and titles owned by one person is transferred to another. For a king, or queen, this can have a humorous effect. A kings wife would also be king, while a queens husband becomes a queen. Marriage in royalty is rare, as it is not necessary for an heir.