Tanaari (Ta.NAH.ree)
The Desert Folk of Khelegan
The southern continent of Khelegan has several ancient cultures living between its coasts and the tall, rugged mountains ringing its desolate interior, but only one people have the skill, knowledge, and tenacity to dwell within the Great Khelegaian Desert.
For nearly three-thousand years, the Tanaari, by many called simply "the Desert Folk", have navigated the shifting sands and sun-baked rocks of central Khelegan, accumulating vast wealth carrying the trade of nations across their inhospitable domain. They are welcomed by all as a source of rare goods and exotic tales, erecting great seasonal trade festivals called Hagaara (ha.JAH.rah, sing. Hagaar) at the borders of the nations with whom they do commerce.
Structure
The Tanaari are divided into fourteen Tribes, each of which may have from ten, to as many as thirty independent caravans plying the trade routes of the Tribe. Each Tribe is composed of many different families, and thus intermarriage occurs both between different Tribes, as well as within the same Tribe, though generally not within the same caravan.
Hagaara & the Mohagaara
Each Tribe is responsible for a region of trade, with its caravans setting up Hagaara along the borders and near settlements of the nation with whom they are trading. The duration and extent of each Hagaar depends upon the size of the caravan and quantity of goods they carry, with some Hagaara lasting weeks before the caravan packs up to return to the deep desert. There, depending on which region of the desert their Tribe hails from, the caravans join in one of the Mohagaar (MOH.hah.JAHR), two great inter-Tribal trade faires and gatherings. These Mohagaara are the domain of the oldest of the Tanaari Tribes, and are where marriages, cultural rites, and inter-Tribal commerce take place.
The 14 Tribes of the Tanaari
Asuru (ah-SOO.roo)- deep desert southwest Mohagaar
Di'ira (DEE.EE.rah)- deep desert northeast Mohagaar
Ka'ila (kah.EE.lah)- NE region, southern Ekkaci Hagaara
Añu (AHN.yoo)- SW region, western Col Shaphel Hagaara
Taara (TAH.rah)- SW region, Targos Hagaara
Anaare (ah.NAH.ray)- NE region, northern Ekkaci Hagaara
Saanai (SAH.nai)- SW region, eastern Col Shaphel Hagaara
Karaañe (kah.RAH.nyay)- NE region, Ramana'Orma Hagaara
Asaaña (ah.SAH.nyah)- NE region, Col Aylia Hagaara
Umaara (oo.MAH.rah)- NE region, eastern Ja'ara Hagaara
Baa'i (BAH.ee)- NE region, Khaima'Orma Hagaara
Ulaan (oo.LAHN)- SW region, western Ja'ara Hagaara
Tiñu (TEE.nyoo)- NE region, Ak'Daro'Nara Hagaara
Baaña (BAH.nyah)- NE region, northern Khelegan Hagaara
Culture
Tanaari tend to be very friendly and outgoing when dealing with foreigners within their Hagaara, making these trade faires lively and festive events. The drab exteriors of the their tents, made for durability in the dry air and beating sun of their home, hide vibrantly colorful interiors; likewise, the people themselves favor bright clothing, shedding their dull outdoor robes once indoors to reveal a rainbow of color in their garb. Each sunset, great fires are lit to the rising sound of drums throughout the tents, with dancing and drink lasting deep into the night.
Beneath this ebullient exterior, the Desert Folk are a deeply spiritual people, connected with their homeland in a way no outsider can truly ever understand. Born with extra-human senses for finding and detecting water, a gift from their god, they alone are able to survive the harsh environment of the deep desert. Over the centuries, many foreigners, drawn by the grace and beauty of the Tanaari, have desired to join the Tribes of the Desert Folk; few have actually done so. For to become one with the Tanaari is the deepest commitment, requiring not just a mere pledge or oath of words, but a binding alteration of the Spirit, permanently severing one's connection to their native Great Spirit forever. Furthermore, while they are warm and welcoming of those few willing to make the commitment, the Desert Folk are wholly unforgiving of those who might betray them; to abandon one's commitment to the Tribes is death.
Public Agenda
Economic Lifeblood of Khelegan
The Tanaari are the vital link that connects the various nations of Khelegan in commerce, including carrying trade between cultures who are otherwise sworn enemies. As a result, the Tribes have grown outrageously wealthy over the centuries, and hold tremendous influence over the economies of several of their client nations.
Assets
Though the Tanaari are best known for carrying exotic goods between the nations of Khelegan's coasts, they also manufacture two valuable luxury items that are widely desired throughout Gæðí, even reaching as far away as Akeaom and Hrafnawyld.
Tanaari Glass
Crafted from the sands of the deep desert by a ritual known only to the Tribes themselves, the multi-colored glass known as Tanaari Glass is widely coveted as a prestige building material, particularly by the religiously stratified Ekkaci.
Desert Silk
The Tanaari claim that their incredibly fine silk is derived from a deep desert cave-dwelling spider, but few outside the Tribes believe them. Even so, the texture of Desert Silk is smoother than even the famed Aisling Silk from the Stenbrott region of Sleigh Aisling, commanding a premium price and greatly enriching those caravans that deal in the material.
History
The Tanaari emerged as a distinct people from the fusion of D'itri exiles from Ekkac and the remaining Asa within a few generations of the Targotian Cataclysm.
In 252ATC, the first Hagaara were established on the borders of Ekkac, marking the first contact between the Tribes and a foreign nation.
Rainbow of the Desert Sands:
Tanaari Glass
Rainbow of the Desert Sands:
Tanaari Glass
Few building materials are more desirable than the richly colored Tanaari Glass brought by the Tribes out of the deep desert. Though the Desert Folk are not particularly forthcoming about how it is made, rumors persist of a storm ritual conducted under the auspices of their wind god, Sorya-Dama, by which the desert sand is turned to glass and given its distinctive variety of coloration. Many foreign temples and palaces boast fanciful and artistic windows crafted from a multitude of shaped pieces of Tanaari Glass, with the Priesthood of Ekkac being one of the largest buyers of the expensive material.
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