Sekoran

"Say what you will about the Sekorans - their wacky gods, their crazy clothes - they more than pull their weight when it comes to reliability and dependability." -a noble landholder in the Galan Delta

Sekorans are a people hailing from the interior of the continent of Sembar, beyond the Sembarine Steppe. Unknown to peoples in the Calinan Sea region until recently, they have migrated in large waves over the last century, settling in the Steppe, in Kas, and on islands in the Sapphire Sea.

Migration / Causes

There appear to be multiple circumstances that caused the Sekorans to leave their homeland, with a chain of events over the last 150 years all contributing. The first appears to have been a large scale pandemic within the Sekoran homeland, triggering the first wave of migration. Some fled further into Sembar, some remained where they were, and a significant portion made the trek through the Sembarine Steppe, eventually passing through the Kared Forest and into the Free City of Kas.
The second event, taking place about eighty years ago, was triggered by a large scale crop failure taking place in the Sekoran homeland. The ensuing famine and unrest forced many Sekorans to leave, again crossing the Steppe before reaching Kas.
From Sekoran reports, the most recent - and largest - wave began thirty years ago and was triggered by a large war between the Sekoran kingdom and a confederation of nomad clans who appeared to have united under one leader and invaded Sekoran. When the tide of the war turned and the kingdom fell, many Sekorans fled across the Steppe, fearing persecution, retribution and disenfranchisement.

Sembarine/Calinan Diaspora

Today a large population of Sekorans have settled in three major geographical regions around the Calinan Sea; the Free City of Kas, the City-State of Solathi and the surrounding Galan Delta, and the southeastern Sapphire Coast, including islands off the coast in the Sapphire Sea.

Kasite Sekorans

When the Sekorans first crossed the Steppe, Kas was the first place they settled. While originally viewed with suspicion and fear due to the plague that had been ravaging the lands during the first migration 150 years ago, the still-fledgling Merchant Princes expanding the city needed a cheap workforce; particularly the ones who did not take slaves in; and ultimately, the Sekorans and many Kasites had a shared Sembarine ancestry. The desperate Sekorans were only too happy to take on the role, and are responsible for many of the newer buildings within the city and the palace complexes of many Merchant Princes.
In the present day, Kas remains the largest host of the Sekoran diaspora, with a number of quarters almost completely Sekoran in the district of Selabat Kas. While many of the most recent arrivals still work in relatively menial labour-intensive jobs, more than a few have begun to adapt to the mercantile and artisan ways of life, particularly under the tutelage and employment of early-generation Sekoran families who are beginning to become affluent; indeed, there is even speculation that the wealthiest among them could soon become the first Merchant Prince of Sekoran origin.
In addition to more traditional forms of employment for migrants, some Sekorans in Kas have chosen to leave community life and strike out on their own. Their mobility, resourcefulness and adaptability has seen them become quite well-sought-out mercenaries and bounty hunters, and some even work as janissaries for the city.

Galan / Sapphran Sekorans

The most recent waves of Sekorans, seeing an already burgeoning population in Kas, gone as far as to cross the Calinan Sea, settling around the Galan Delta region in northeastern Calina. Some have settled within the City-State of Solathi itself, whereas others have formed small villages and communities along the banks of the Galan River. In these regions, Sekorans often work as hired help on farms, providing labour for wealthy landowners in exchange for permission to settle on their land.
Other waves have crossed the Strait of Kas into the southeastern Sapphire Coast, and have adopted a similar pattern of both forming their own villages and settlements, and working for existing landholders in exchange for permission to reside there and protection. Some of the Sapphran Sekorans have taken to the seas, fishing, trading and transporting in the southern Sapphire Sea; something which unfortunately has also seen the rise of a small number of maritime raiders.

A Sekoran sailor

A small but growing community has begun to form in Solathi itself, with these individuals often taking on roles as street workers, servants, construction workers, and similarly physical jobs. This has also began to appear on a smaller scale in many of the city-states along the Sapphire Coast, with Barkos, Zelae and Skiro being among the cities with major presences.
Some tension is beginning to form between the newer Sekorans and the existing residents of the Galan Delta and the Sapphire Coast, who see the Sekorans as competing for their rightful jobs and resources. This has sadly led to discrimination against Sekorans, seeing them stereotyped as strange pagans, thieves and in some cases even raiders, amplified by the poorest Sekorans forced to resort to crime to support themselves and in the sense of 'apartness' of Sekoran villages and districts from the surrounding areas. So far this has not coalseced into major violence, although a few scuffles have happened between groups, and periodically tensions can simmer.

Naming Traditions

Unisex names

Sekoran naming conventions do not factor gender in; effectively all names are unisex.
Examples include: Rangat, Geku, Vaka, Saprat, Katen

Family names

Kan, Boki, Veja, Astun, Teg

Other names

Sekoran names are arranged by family name first, them first name (ie: Kan Rangat)

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Most Sekorans are bilingual and speak both the Sekoran tongue and a language in common use throughout the region they have settled. This is often Kasite, but can also be Sapphran.

Culture and cultural heritage

Being from interior Sembar, Sekorans have brought a number of their own cultural trappings with them into the Calinan region. Like Kasites, they practice the faith of Eranic Duality, the belief of a creator god and destroyer deity in perpetual warfare. They also hold a high value on the importance of community and togetherness, something which can sometimes put them at odds with their more individualist neighbours, who can perceive this as a refusal to integrate.

Shared customary codes and values

The concept of family is a much less strict one among Sekorans than other societies in the Calinan Sea. With many families shattered by the circumstances leading to the migrations, Sekoran refugees adopted the practice of a village, or part of a quarter depending on their location, serving as a substitute family, with traditional parenting and caregiving roles shared in the community. This has fostered a strong sense of identity and community among Sekorans.
Sekorans also prize the concept of dependability and reliability as a high virtue. From the earliest days as refugees, they often found themselves with nobody to rely and depend upon but themselves, and survival and prosperity was intrinsically tied to everyone within the community relying on each other. This carried over even to Sekorans when dealing with people outside the society, with always keeping promises and always being able to be called upon to resolve a situation seen as high values - from a worker's assurances they can complete construction on time, to a bounty hunter's guarantee she will bring a target in.

Common Dress code

While the newer generation of Sekorans adapt clothing more akin to their host culture, older generations, and ones with a particularly traditionalist bent, often wear a style they brought from their homeland. A wrap-around shirt, usually leaving the mid-bicep down bare, is commonly worn, along with loose trousers and boots. Gold is a common colour worn in Sekoran outfits, along with blue, maroon and forest green.
Many Sekorans shave their heads down to stubble, while others opt for longer hair that is traditionally tied back. Wearing the hair down and loose is something only done in familiar company.

A Sekoran in traditional clothing

Foods & Cuisine

The Sekoran diet is heavily based on vegetables, with meat only being used very sparingly if at all. Prior to the migration, rice was a common staple, but in the regions Calinan Sekorans currnetly live in, rice is difficult to come by and is generally only used in ceremonies and special occasions. They have adapted, however, using the abundant wheat in the regions to produce a precursor to pasta, which is slowly being adapted by the surrounding cultures.

Ideals

Gender Ideals

Sekorans practice no real division in terms of gender; while there are clear differences between the sexes physically, the concept of gendered names is alien to them. Clothing is based off practicality or purpose rather than the gender of the person wearing it, with most Sekorans wearing the same types of garments.

Related Locations

• Sapphire Sea
• Sembarine Steppe
• Solathi