Mulan

Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Accessory: Forgotten Realms: Races of Faerun

After millennia of rulership, the Mulan have become arrogant, highly resistant to change, and wholly convinced of their cultural superiority. The Mulan are firmly wedded to the use of magic, with the only major point of disagreement being whether to pursue the arcane or divine tradition.
The somnolent rule of the god-kinds permitted the development of a powerful priest class in Mulan cultures that has long struggled with practitioners of arcane spellcasting for power. Their heavy-handed clerical rule prompted repeated rebellions by wizards and sorcerers, leading to the dominance of Thay by Red Wizards of Mulan descent.
Mulan are generally tall, slim, and sallow-skinned with eyes of hazel or brown. They lack much body hair, and many, including all nobles, shave any hair that they do have. Hair color on an unshaved Mulan ranges from black to dark brown. The lower classes of Thay, Mulhorand, and Unther often have significant Rashemi or Turami blood, leading to darker complexions. The folk of Chessenta have long mixed with the nearby Chondathans, and pure Mulan features are rare there.
The road to power in Mulhorand and, until recently, Unther lies in the various priesthoods. As a result, many Mulan in those realms are clerics of one of the Mulhorandi gods, Hoar, or Tiamat. Chessenta has its fair share of clerics as well, many of whom serve various Faerunian deities, but only the churches of Kossuth and several evil Faerunian deities are strong in wizard-dominated Thay.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Depending on their homeland, Mulan speak one of the various tongues of the Rauric language family--all derived, at least in part, from the slave argot of ancient Imaskar.

Culture and cultural heritage

Mulan are indoctrinated from a young age to revere their cultural traditions, to respect the law, and to honor the servants of the gods (or the Red Wizards, in the case of Thay).
Strict class divisions segregate Mulan society into the nobility (including all clerics and arcane spellcasters), the commoners (farmers, merchants, and skilled craftsman), and slaves (everyone else). Although upward and downward mobility is possible in Mulan society, primarily by joining the clergy or studying the Art, the Mulan discriminate against most other human ethnic groups and races and preserve strictly defined class roles.

Shared customary codes and values

The arcane arts either warmly embraced (Thay) or viewed with deep distrust (Mulhorand and Unther). Mulan believe themselves to be more civilized, more prosperous, more creative, more powerful (should they choose to be), and in all other ways superior to all other ethnic groups. Even in the face of evidence to the contrary, Mulan are dismissive of other cultures’ accomplishments and openly arrogant with respect to their own.

Common Dress code

Mulan favor simple, unadorned clothing, such as white tunics, black headdresses, belts, and sandals. In colder climes, more colorful garments may be worn, but the fashion is for clothing to remain plain, a tradition originally begun so as not to challenge the majesty of the god-kings. Tattoos are the most common form of adornment, often depicting stylized representations of various beasts and monsters, cryptic runes, and abstract designs.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Unlike most other human cultures, the Mulan believe they dwell in an earthly paradise, where stability and security shall reign for all eternity. The afterlife is merely a mirror of the mortal realm.
The Mulan view members of other human ethnic groups with disdain. The Turami minorities of Mulhorand, Unther, Threskel, and Chessenta are generally tolerated, (except in Unther, where they are almost universally despised), but they are always considered members of the lower class. North of the Wizards’ Reach, the Rashemi form the bulk of the lower class of Thay.
The Mulan get along with the gold dwarves of the Great Rift, thanks to centuries of trade, and are inclined to view all the Stout Folk in similar light, although arctic dwarves and wild dwarves might prove an exception. Rock gnomes are largely unknown, so the Mulan view them as little dwarves. Halflings are similarly rare, as the largest nearby concentration of then hin lies in far-off Luiren, and are generally treated much like dwarves as well. Elves and half-elves are almost unknown to the Mulan and the subject of great superstition, stemming in large part from the frustrations Unther’s armies experienced long ago while attempting to subjugate the Yuirwood. The Mulan despise half-orcs, a legacy of the Orcgate Wars handed down for centuries. Planetouched, particularly aasimar, are the only race looked up to by the Mulan. After millennia of intimate involvement with the god-kings, aasimar of Mulan descent are seen as descendants of the gods and thus worthy of great respect. Tieflings engender fear rather than reverence, for they are seen as the spawn of Set and Sebek. Genasai are scarce, although fire genasi of Mulan descent are treated as full-blooded Mulan in Thay and welcomed into the School of Evocation.

Coming of Age Rites

Many youths are apprenticed to a powerful wizard (Thay) or join the church of one of the god-kings (Mulhorand and Unther) at a young age and are raised apart from their families. As adults, the Mulan are expected to serve their role in society and not make waves.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Death is a lifelong obsession for most Mulan, who spend their entire lives preparing themselves for the afterlife. The Mulhorandi epitomize this obsession, planning every detail of their journey into the afterlife.

Related Locations

• Chondalwood
• Faerun, East