Mogulian

Appearance

Tall, muscular, and ever-patient, the Mogulians are known most of all for their stone skin that covers every part of their body, save for their hair. This second layer of skin provides protection and weighs down their body as well, improving their musculature at the expense of their movement. As this layer of skin is seen culturally as a layer of clothing, Mogulians are often seen with few clothing layers above their stone skin, and those that are are generally loose fitting or designed to help improve their body temperature in cold weather. As such, once they have established their second skin layer in adolescence, they never remove it unless it is in the most intimate of circumstances (or for physical hygene). Additionally, due to the nature of their stone skin, they carve and etch patterns into it, and create extensions off of it in accordance to their personality. Further still, as their hair is the only part of their body that remains exposed from beneath their stone skin, their hairstyle is designed to represent their connection to their clan.

Common Personality

Molgulians, being slightly slower moving than most due to their stone skin, are a patient people less focused on the timeliness of an action and rather that an action is done to a high standard. This makes them frustrating to many people in indistrialized nations who focus more on speed than accuracy or quality, but the result has been the development of an entire trade that is coveted across the universe, that being "Pattern Etching", a technique that enhances Calypstone Foci to the highest quality by etching patterns within the stone to improve the flow and release of energy. Mogulians as a people tend to believe that all good things take time and collective effort, and such focus less on individual merit but rather on service to others when able to do so.

History Summary

The remnants of a great nation, the modern Mogulians are descendants of the Mogus, a grand nation of people who first developed the power to etch stone, and were the original developers of the "Pattern Etching" technique. However, once beset by the Zenithyrian Empire, they fought but ultimately succombed to the empires advances, with the vast majority of them becoming killed or enslaved, and a remnant hiding in the caverns of Mount Lianszuli for nearly a century. It is during this time that they developed their signature stone skin and once they emerged from Lianszuli, they have since revered it as their sacred mountain, upon which they offer their dead as a memorial to times long past.

Society and Common Environment

Fiercely protective of their arts and culture that was nearly lost to imperialism, the Mogulians take pride in their stone works and their skills at etching stone and jewelry. As such, they tend to value the end-product of their work, and the artisnal nature of it, over the speed at which it is created. This results in their ability to achieve the highest level of craftsmanship as it pertains to jewel quality since ancient times, with others only being able to mimic their success using a variety of delicate and expansive tools.
Since their descent from Mount Lianszuli, the Mogulians have lived on the great planes and the stone hills surrounding said mountain, with the grand mountain itself being the center of their home. The Northern Maze, the arid canyon-lands where the ruins of Mogus remain, has been stripped of all resources and items of cultural value thanks to the Zenitherian Empire, and is now seen as an accursed land, including and especially the former Sapphire Capital, Ulan-draanil.

International/Multi-ethnic relations

While somewhat isolated due to terrain, Mogulians have established safe land trade routes through the mountains and plains of their county, establishing themselves as a bridge not only between the northern and southern sides of Nayfa, but also between the dual-region countries of Dysium and Ingata and the illustrious nation of spice, Etherett. Due to these trading paradgms, Mogulians tend to be welcoming to strangers, and willing to provide for those in need of assistance from their own resources. However, due to the nature of their patient, slow, and steady lifestyle, many find living among them for long periods of time either extremely boring or frustrating if they do not grow to appreciate it organically, and as such, they do not tend to have many multi-ethnic marriages, though they culturally have no issues with such unions.

Religious Tendencies

As they survived the onslaught of their people only through their being hidden by the grand mountain of Lianszuli, Mogulians revere the mountain as sacred, a view that was cemented in a vision granted their first High Ministrator of the Council. In his vision, he saw the wings of a great being which had wrapped around the mountain in times past, shielding those within from the notice of the Zenitherian Empire. This being, known to the Mogulians as Lianhetta, is the governer of Life and Death, and, believing that they as a people are endebted to them, it became a tradition among the populace to offer the petrified dead as statues for their dedicated worship.

Ethnic and Racial Traits

• Racial Categories: Ao'Maphran or Lacrimaphran. While rare due to cultural distinctions, Lacrimaphrans are seen not as outliers, but as part of the community.
• Languages: Differing dialects of Mogus, their original language, based off of region. Those closest to the Accursed City are seen as haveing the closest language to Ancient Mogus. Those born in Mogulia also are taught Ethrindi, Ingati and Dysian due to their necessity as major international trading partners.
• Patience of Stone: Those steeped in Mogulian culture from birth understand the value of patient and steady focus. Any skill or craft that requires focus for a set period of time (longer than one turn) has a chance of being reduced in complexity based on the character's Stamina+Grit roll.
• Unique Mogulian Weapons: Petriwood Staff, Axe and Half-Staff, Cannon Spear

Aspects

Most Mogulians possess the Aspect of Hewn Stone . However, the Aspects naturally adjusted to the envionments they found themselves in, forming the derivatives of the Aspect of Molten Stone , and the Aspect of Sedimentation, the latter of which can be found rarely among those living near a body of water.

Unique Martial Traditions

• Bokh-Tsekh: Martial Arts focused on the physicality of fighting only with one's own body and stone skin. Mandatory training in this style in Mogulian society.
• Gajat-Tsekh: Martial Arts mixing the essentials of Bokh-Tsekh to apply to the Cannon Spear, allowing for elaborate attacks in battle
• Aijit-Tsekh: Martial arts that focuses on use of the Petriwood Staff or Half-Staff as a primary weapon. Used especially by the caterers of the Sacred Mountain
• Sukh-Tsekh: Martial arts that focuses on the Petriwood Axe as a primary weapon. Used primarily by the Mogulian Military.

Associated Nation: Mogulia
Associated Languages: Mogus (with varying dialects)