Ash'Karians

The people of Ash’Ka is mostly known for their poverty, for how the bloodskinned hords regularly raids, slaughters and enslave the ask’karians. But what is not so well known is their mastery of magic, their ancient traditions and their unique way of fighting.
They are very cut off of the rest of the world, but unlike the amarians, this is not due to their way of life. But rather due to their poverty, their lack of food, and their constant threat from raiders.

Naming Traditions

Family names

In ask’karian culture, the family is everything. The family name is therefore the most important for an ash’karian. And most ask’karians life to serve and honor that name, with whatever they can do. Many ash’karians are also mentioned by family names, instead of their first name.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Ash’Karians speak ashkan, which is a language very unlike any of the other major human languages. Ashkan is not from the amar stem, but instead it is from the orag stem. This is most likely due to the many generations of raids and attacks they have suffered from the red skinned orcs. This may very well have led to them adopting the blood skinned orcs way of speaking.
This is also why many ash’karians can understand, and sometimes even speak, eastern orag.

Shared customary codes and values

For the ash’karians family is all. And you will spend your entire life trying to honor you family, your name and your parents. If you get the chance to travel and do this, you are expected to do so. You are expected to give your life for your family.
“Had your father nor mother ever been, neither had you. So you may give your being in any need for them to never regret.”
This quote is taught to any ash’karians from birth, until they themself become the father or mother.

Average technological level

The level of technology in the ash’karian culture is very limited, due to their extreme poverty and isolation from the trading world. Nearly all they have access to will be made by themself, or by someone local.

Art & Architecture

Due to the poverty of the ash’karians, they are known for building very fragile houses and buildings. They mostly build houses from the thin trees or bamboo around they local town. But you will be able to find very old giant temples, made from pure gold, and other very expensive and rare materials. Often built to resemble either a big majestic creature, or a god.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

There are many traditions in the ash’karian culture. When an ash’karian is born, he will get a family symbol marked as a tattoo onto the breast. If it is a girl, they will get their fathers symbols marked on the right breast, and their mothers symbols marked on the left breast. If it is a boy, he will get is mothers symbols marked on the right breast, and the fathers symbols marked on the left.
As all have two symbols marked, the way to find out which is the dominant symbol, is by looking at which hand they will use to work and fight. If the person becomes left-handed, the left symbol, no matter if it's the fathers or mothers, will be the dominant symbol of that person. If he/she becomes right-handed it is the right symbol that is the dominant symbol.

When an ash’karian son becomes of age, his father will go look for a bride for him. He will look for a family, and try to “sell” his son as the best possible man for their daughter. When the father has found a bride for his son, they will gather at the beach, where the fathers of both the man and the woman will have built a boat. In this boat the man will be the first to step forward with a sacrifice from his family to put into the boat. Then the woman will come forward, with a sacrifice from her family to add to the boat. After this the boat will be sent out into the ocean, to seal the marriage forever. The couple will then be expected to move the two families forward united.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

To signify you have much, or that you are someone in ash’karian culture, you will wear cloth in red, purple or gold. These colors of clothing are hard to come by for the ash’karians, as these colors cant be found within the borders of Ash’Ka. This means only those who can afford to trade with people from elsewhere will be able to wear these colors, and therefore it is a sign of wealth within the ash’karian culture.

Gender Ideals

In ash’karian culture, the males are the working people. In a average ash’karian family, the father/male of the house will be the provider. He will work all day. So will any son that has the age to help. Any man who if fit for it, will also be in the local garde, and will be called upon to fight in the case of an attack or raide of any kind.
The mother/woman of the house will instead stay home, cook, clean and make sure it is running back home. Many houses have small gardens for growing vegetables and fruits that the women will look after as well. So will the daughters of the family, as long as they are old enough to be of help.

Courtship Ideals

The ash’karians have a high emperor of Ash’Ka. This man rules all of Ash’Ka. He lives inside a giant golden temple, called the “Temple of the Dragon”, where he rules and makes plans for his land and his people.

Relationship Ideals

It is custom in the ash’karian culture that the parents will find a man/woman for their son/daughter. They are then expected to carry the family on, with new kids to do just the same.

Parent ethnicities

• Amarian