Swassau

The Swassau travel the skies in a fleet of 15 massive airships, each with a full crew and nearly 2000 civilians, and dozens more of smaller vessels. They travel from island to island, trading and resupplying wherever they can go. With an influx of about 40 or 50 thousand visitors, many small cities gain an instant increase of wealth when all of the airships meet. Larger cities sometimes hold festivals when the Swassau come to visit. However, the ships only meet once every five years. Instead, they wander the skies in groups of three. Those that do not migrate instead have moved to permanent locations all over Himinil.

A Swassau Airship

Swassau Airships are massive structures which drift slowly through the skies. They can hold around 2500 men at full capacity, but generally, hold around 1500 to 2000. The extra room is used for a variety of reasons. Some act as stores and shops, while others are communal laundry mats. On the sides of the ships are several balconies which house gardens that grow food. This food is a luxury and it is not enough to feed the population, they rely on trade for that. The airships are also equipped with a myriad of cannons and weapons for defense, making a pirate attack a foolish thing to do.
The inside of a Swassau Airship is best described as a clutter of objects from all around the skies. They store tapestries and cloth in the halls, place boxes wherever they can fit them, and children run all around the ship. Each of these ships is functionally a village, with entire families living within.
Each Swassau Airship has a small fleet of 5 to 6 other ships as well. Meaning a single Swassau Airship can house anywhere from 4-5000 people. The amount of food required to keep this number alive is immense. Some of the ships are dedicated to special gardens to grow food, but even this allows the Swassau airship to stay afloat for only four months.

Government

Each of the airships of Swassau is essentially its own village. Each of these ships is run by a captain and his sheriff. The Captain is elected by the people and the sheriff is selected by the Captain. Once a year the Captains all meet in a large city in order to exchange information. This is a festival for the Swassau that lasts two weeks. During this time all of Swassau mingle, old friends on different ships meet, some move to other ships, and others choose to leave to explore the world on their own.
The Captain makes all of the major decisions and laws of the people and decides where the ship will go. The Sherif is in charge of defense and law keeping. They generally have a dozen or so deputies which act as a police force.
The Swassau used to want to search for a new land to call their own, however, over the years the people have come accustomed to their life of adventure and freedom. Now, they simply wish to continue as they are, sailing the skies and seeing the world.

Power

The Swassau trade with people all over the skies, thus their main export and import are foreign goods. This has given them much wealth over the years, and they have enough wealth to be comparable to one of the greater civilizations.

History

Swassau has no real home. Long ago, near the beginning of the war, their island was bombed by Mokson airships. This caused a massive explosion from their machinery beneath the earth. This explosion was enough to create a subtle crack through the entirety of their island. Over time, the crack deepened, and the island was sinking at an incredible rate. The people of Swassau traded all of their wealth and goods for 15 cruise-sized airships to be made for them. Luckily, the final ship was ready mere days before the island sank beneath the reflected sky. Only a handful of Swassau were on the island when it fell, the rest went on to explore the skies.

Appearance

Swassau have light, olive colored or slightly tan skin, and piercing, thin eyes. Generally, they have black or brown hair. They tend to walk with graceful sway, giving them a mysterious and captivating gait. This is a habbit they have gained over many years on a ship, one that gives them fantastic balance on a wind swain ship.

Maneurism

The Swassau have spent many years traveling through the skies and have gained an undersatnding of the perils the world. They constantly deal with pirates, desserters, and wyrd creatures that share the skies with them. As a result, they have developed a distrust of others. At the same time, they rely on others for trade and survival. So the common Swassau will greet even their enemies with a smile. They have a reputation for being cunning tricksters and ruthless merchants. The worst of the Swassau will steal, or even kill, without remorse because they know they will likely not return to the same location for many years.

Culture

Average technological level

Swassau are masters of sailing and know the ins and outs of most of the skies. With this skill, they have learned to maximize their efficiency. They have learned to lighten their ships as well as increasing their firepower and defence. These advancements have made them powerful

Common Etiquette rules

It is considered incredibly rude to enter another Swassau ship without invitation. Similarly, it is also considered taboo to ignore another ship in distress. This can be dangerous for the Swassau, but they understand what it is like to be stranded from home or lost.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Swassau love bright, bold colors and use their clothing and style to celebrate the places they have been. They will often wear a combination of styles from different places they have visited. The more exotic and interesting, the more beautiful. Some Swassau receive tattoos that map out their lifes journey. These look like a map, but they are not accurate.

Gender Ideals

Men usually are the ones who leave the ships when they are given the opportunity. They speak to strangers and trade. Women, however, rarely leave the ship unless they have to. They stay aboard and count money and merchandise. While traveling,

Courtship Ideals

Marriage in Swassau culture is not common, but when it does the entire ship attends the event. It is customary for Swassau to marry someone from a different ship. This does mean that one of the married must leave their ship and all of their friends to join another. This is rewarded by the community with great gifts. The rewards serve to reinforce the practice of combining people from different ships.