The Shoanti are a barbaric, often nomadic people native to the Storval Plateau and Velashu Uplands regions of Varisia. Like their Varisian cousins, these humans descended from the enslaved workers of the ancient empire of Thassilon, but have, since its fall, developed a unique and advanced culture of their own.
History
The origins of the Shoanti people can be traced back over 10,000 years to before Earthfall, specifically to the well-known Thassilonian Empire. They were enslaved by the runelords who trained them to become their warrior caste. After Thassilon's fall, the Shoanti struggled as best they could through the many hardships of the Age of Darkness. The Shoanti share ancestors with the Varisian, Ulfen, and Kellid peoples, and their language is a combination of all three, together with Thassilonian.
For thousands of years after Earthfall, the Shoanti lived in relative peace with the Varisians who shared their lands. Their primary conflicts were with the wild beasts of the region, raiding orcs from the east and barbarians from the north, and the harsh landscape itself. When the Chelish Empire expanded into southern Varisia through Bloodsworn Vale in 4406 AR, the Shoanti and Varisians found themselves facing a new enemy: colonizers from the south.
For the Varisians, integrating newcomers led to cultural clashes, marked by initial difficulties in coexistence due to prejudice and misunderstandings. However, when compared to the Shoanti experience, the Varisians' interactions seemed relatively harmonious. The Shoanti, having a smaller presence in their ancestral lands than the Varisians, traditionally lived in settled clan-based communities known as quahs. Trouble arose when Cheliax established the colony of Korvosa in the heart of Shoanti territory, which included a sacred Shoanti pyramid. This sparked violent conflicts between Chelish colonists and displaced Shoanti. Following a prolonged and bloody struggle that lasted until 4488 AR, the colonists emerged victorious, renaming the bay "Conqueror's Bay," and Korvosa became Varisia's largest city. The Shoanti were forced to abandon their homeland and relocate to the harsh wilderness of the Storval Plateau in 4507 AR. Prejudice against the Shoanti persists in Korvosa, and the displaced Shoanti have not forgiven the Chelish invaders.
Culture
Shoanti culture has been formed by near-constant conflict with their challenging environment and their various human and non-human neighbors. This has made them a largely tenacious, stalwart, and mistrustful people who are oath-sworn to retain their lost homelands, and honor-bound to defeat all who would dismiss them as primitive barbarians.
Naming
The name given to Shoanti at birth is generally only used during their childhood, or later in life by close family members or lovers. Shoanti receive their adult name after their rite of passage during adolescence (see below). If a Shoanti is ever expelled from his or her tribe, the individual generally reverts back to their birth name, a sign of great shame among Shoanti.
Coming of age & tattoos
As youth, all Shoanti must undergo a rite of passage before they are considered an adult. Upon completing this trial they are granted their first tattoo, each of which is specific to the individual's tribe. These tattoos are chosen by a tribe's shaman, and are drawn from an extensive cultural catalog of images and totems. Shoanti use these tattoos as marks of honor and accomplishment. At this time, Shoanti youth are also given their full name: a phrase that is generally an honorific that will become the individual's most commonly used name.
Religion
Shoanti as a whole embrace a wide range of religious beliefs including ancestor worship, totemism, and the veneration of traditional gods such as Desna, Gorum, Gozreh, and Pharasma. The Shoanti quahs of Varisia revere an ancient group of dieties they refer to as
Azghat.
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