Guardians of Magic
When
The Creator first gathered his people, he charged them with the custody of the Sources that dotted the landscape. Since then the Abaisi have worked tirelessly to ensure that the gift of magic entrusted to them by the Creator is not abused. Considering their holy city vanished in the
Fall of Ageia and the reign of
Wizards that followed, Much of the Mortal Lands considers them to be, to put it shortly, 'bad at their job'.
Still, to this day the remaining tribes of the Abaisi strive to protect the remaining Sources in the world. They work closely with the Keepers of the Oath to ensure Wizard magic is eradicated from the world, and are striving to send expeditions to check on other Sources whose status became unknown after the Night of Falling Crowns.
Chosen of the Creator
The Abaisi have been, since ancient times, the Chosen People of the Creator. A fact the more traditionalist factions will remind you of at nearly every opportunity. Pulled from enslavement at the hands of a now-forgotten tyranny, the Abaisi were given their own land to form their own kingdom, under the guidance and the protection of the Creator.
Sadly, the Abaisi had a rather poor track record of faithfully following their God. Their history is spotted and speckled with betrayals and turning to man-made idols, before being beset by peril and meekly turning back to their Creator in shame and repentance. And a few generations later, the cycle would start again. it wasn't until the fall of Agiea and the people were sent into exile that they finally galvanized as a people, solidifying their faith in the Creator. Though Agiea itself was never found or rebuilt, a second city was built close by that served as their new cultural center.
Today the people of the Abaisi maintain their pride as the Creator's chosen... even if they never got the memo about the Savior. Or stamped it 'return to sender' without looking at it.
Bootwipes of the Mortal Lands
Perhaps it is inflated pride that has earned them the ire of almost every dominant faction in the Mortal Lands. Ever since the fall of Ageia, their holy city, the Abaisi have been a scattered people. While the core host of culture remained in New Ageia, many of the smaller branches spread across the Eastern seaboard, and from there the Mortal Lands. when New Agiea was sacked by an invading Wizard, even this cultural core was shattered.
Over the suceeding centuries, the Abaisi were often put-upon, consigned to slums, or just flat out discriminated against by almost every other ethnicity and country in the Mortal Lands. The Abaisi's refusal to 'play nice' with what was forming into the new common law amoungst kingdoms, prefering their traditional ways, likely contributed to this discrimination. To be fair to domains like the foundling kingdom of Mira Cali, many of their laws regarding the Abaisi were for their own protection, in a roundabout way.
In modern times, while laws regarding the segregation or discrimination of Abaisi have been abolished, the pejudices remain. Although, perhaps it is due to the Abaisi's reputation as shrewd and penny-pinching moneylenders and landlords rather than the old religous divides that now fuels this hatred.
Family Lines
Family lineage is extremely important to the Abaisi-their line dictates the role that the Creator gave their forefathers when they were first brought out of slavery. There were originally
twelve family lines, each with their own role. Sadly, only two of these lines remain in Abaisi heritage. The other ten where lost in the great Agiean Split; while Agiea and the southern lines remained faithful to the Creator, the northern lines began to follow their own gods, and were scattered when the northern kingdom was invaded multiple times in rapid sucession. Still, Abaisi find it important to track these family lineages, as it is a part of who they are and their purpose in life.
The two lines are the line of Ros, and the line of Vinsael. There are a few scattered members of the line of Ren, due to their status as priests allowing them to reside in all territories, but not enough to hold a full legitamate line.
Customary Names
An Abaisi's greatest pride, aside from his adherence to his faith and the protection of Sources, is his name. Since the dawn of the Mortal Lands these proud people have tracked their lineages and family lines, for generations upon end. In the time of
King Ignatius IV, a man's name was not just his name, but his history. Ask any man his name, and he could tell you every scion in his line all the way back to the Walkers themselves.
That was over two thousand years ago. In modern times, this relationship is a tad more complicated.
Today, asking an Abaisi their name will gain you a different response depending on their age and area of origin. The Traditionalists will still, impressively, be able to list every scion and patriarch in their line back to the dawn of time. The record has been timed at over 25 minutes. Younger generations or those in more 'influenced' areas will resort to 'of the line of X' in the name of berevity and getting on with lunch.
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