Sakhradi

The free-spirited people of the city-state of Sakhrad, founded on freedom and hard work

Description

Perhaps the newest people to form in the long history of Zheng-Kitar, the Sakhradi People formed a scant few centuries ago after the formation of the City-State of Sakhrad, on the eastern border of the Great Gyatsoshin Desert, and have since spread to their newest colony - the city of Bukhara which oversees the legendary Sakhradi Canal. They can be found within these two cities and the surrounding area, as well as all across the lands in and around the Great Gyatsoshin Desert, their long trade caravans braving the harsh desert environs to carry coin and good to all potential targets of trade.

Appearance

Sakhradi are typically dark-skinned with very weathered appearances that hearken back to their long years spent beneath the harsh desert sun. They tend to have dark hair that is sometimes braided into thick dreadlocks, and they favor very loose fitting clothing and robes that allow wind to pass through and cool them easily - turbans and headwraps are common as well, to protect them from the harsh rays of the desert sun, and white is the most common color of clothing they tend to wear, as it deflects the heat easier and allow them to stay cool for longer.

History

Formed several centuries ago in response to the rampant imperialism of the era, many disparate tribes and disgruntled peoples from all across Zheng-Kitar formed together after being driven, exiled, or simply leaving their old homelands in favor of striking out on their own to found a nation by the people, for the people - a nation of freedom and free-thinking free of the shackles of imperialism, unbound to any higher power. And so, banding together, dozens of tribes from all across the land formed a coalition bound by a common goal to found a free nation - and after decades of hard work, the City-State of Sakhrad was formed on the eastern border of the Great Gyatsoshin Desert, on an important trade route with ready access to the ocean.
With this smart city placement, cunning tribes, and a hard-working ethic that saw them raise up the mighty trade city of Sakhrad from nothing but their own hard work and their own hands, the Sakhradi people were thusly formed as a bastion to escape wanton imperialism - to provide a free home for any who seek a life removed from the harsh dictators, kings, emperors, and queens of the rest of the world - where the sweat of one's brow is all the truth one needs to make one's way in the world.

Culture

The Sakhradi People are one that are incredibly free-spirited, and place great value on their personal freedoms and rights - as they come from so many ethnicities and and origins originally, they have come together into a central, unified people who care little to none at all about external appearances - Sakhradi care only about what others are like on the inside, as their founding maxim of "Live together, die together" encourages them to see past race and origin - if someone can be useful and get along, Sakhradi will likely accept them quickly. They are a frugal and monetarily experienced people, and are well-versed in the trading of money, goods, and services - they have a natural eye for trade born of their collective origins as a people who banded together to form a free city-state out of nothing, which gives them the wisdom of knowing how best to utilize available resources. They often love to haggle and barter, and the Sakhradi bazaars are some of the loudest and most diverse places in all the world.
To this end, the Sakhradi people are staunch believers in the free market - for better or worse, if one asked a Sakhradi, regulation of the open markets of the world is a criminal act that stifles the true hand of coinflow from operating as it should in the world, denying failure and success in equal measure to those who have earned it. As such, as much as is reasonable, they believe that if one works hard and is allows to succeed greatly, that they have earned that money for as long as they can keep it.
However, this stands in stark contrast to the core Sakhradi ideal of equality and communal strength - as a people who have founded an entire country run by nothing but the workers and citizens who break their backs to run its facilities and industries, the Sakhradi believe that, at their core, sentient creatures are built to be a communal people free from the oppressive burden of the ruling elite present in many other societies - that the core responsibility of a person is to the land in which they live rather than to themselves or some king or oppressor. True strength, the Sakhradi believe, can only be achieved communally - so while the free market is cherished, it is equally important to them to ensure that the wealth accrued by those who work hard is not used to glorify the individual above the masses; though that is not to say that the mere act of having such money makes one "evil" in the eyes of a Sakhradi - it is more in how that wealth is used that is important.
Family is one of the most important aspects of Sakhradi Society - but unlike other ethnicities save perhaps the Narixians, they place no great important on bloodlines - they organize themselves into clans, each made up of several 'tribes' - each of these tribes are typically founded by a single person and are typically made up of those close to the founder or those they consider family. Such is more important to the Sakhradi - blood means little to them, and family instead is a thing earned and proven - a bond of trust earned over time, to prove who is worth keeping around and trusting. Anyone can enter into a Sakhradi tribe - so long as they pull their weight, contribute to the cause, and get along with their new family, they are typically accepted readily. As former and sometimes current nomads, this is done both for practicality and ease of adaptation to emergencies.

Naming Conventions

Sakhradi names are immensely varied - the disparate people and cultures present in Sakhrad means that most any naming convention could be found there. For rare Sakhrad-exclusive names, they tend to use either Morocco or Berber naming conventions.

Male Names

Afalawas, Dasamu, Yaghut, El Houari, Fayyad, Zitane

Female Names

Zohra, Lamyaa, Yasmin, Ilma, Thanaya, Nora

Surnames

Ibn Al-Hasan, Al-Ansari, Idrissi, Moustafa, Madani, Khatib

Encompassed species

• Cloud Elf
• Goblin
• Tortle

Related Organizations

• City-State of Sakhrad

Related Myths

• Drowning Damara
• The Bagbeasts

Curses/Expletives

"Black Thrones/By the Black Throne!" - An expletive similar to 'Shit' or 'Fuck'. A general statement of surprise, anger, or a myriad of other things. Made in reference to the "Black thrones" of The Witch Kings of Bhorsis-Razghûl.
"Kabbalah's curse on you!" - A curse thrown around when another infuriates or angers you. A curse essentially wishing total financial ruin onto another party - not used lightly, as it is believed to carry real power, though only by the superstitious.

Compliments

"A full rug" - A compliment indicating something is great, satisfying, or otherwise pleasurable to the degree that one would do/experience it again. If used to compliment a person, generally refers to someone who is wealthy, business-savvy, or otherwise a smart and promising businessperson or entrepreneur.
"Splintershins" - A compliment meaning someone is eager and excitable - one who is early to rise and quick to get things done. A real go-getter, and someone who you can trust to do something eagerly and with some degree of effort. Came from an old tradition among Sakhradi children to wait at the edge of the docks for new trade ships to arrive to work as unloaders for cargo - which would often give them splinters as they hung their legs off the wooden docks and swung them back and forth.
"Beater" - A compliment used to refer to someone who is outgoing, sociable, vibrant, and who is likely to be at the heart of every social situation, to know every streetcorner and shop, and/or one who greatly enjoys going out and doing all kinds of things, and thrives on stimulation. A real people person - also used as a compliment to mean an all around excellent person who is fun to hang around.
"Sadaarmal" - A Sakhradi word that has no direct translation, but loosely means "Coin of the heart". Used to refer to someone who is loyal and looks after their close friends and family - one who someone could trust to watch their backs and guard their front. Also means one who cannot be bought with coin, or more literally 'something too valuable to be purchased'. A very high compliment to the Sakhradi people, that originated from a custom of placing a gold coin in a chest pocket to safeguard one from blades to the heart.
"A golden star" - An enormous compliment used that means someone is beautiful inside and out - that no part of them is not desirable, perfect, beautiful, etc. Very romantic when used in the right context, otherwise is just a way to say someone looks incredible or is beautiful mind and body.

Insults

"Latchboot" - An insult that means something or someone who is excessively authoritarian, totalitarian, aggressive, or otherwise oppressive. Originated from the Shaoshuan Empire, and described the style of thick metallic plate-covered boot worn by the Shaoshuan Military.
"Al-Amir" - An insult that is used to refer to someone who is insular, generic in personality, doesnt stand out, and/or one who prefers indoors/introversion and solitude to going out and being social. A nobody and/or an introvert. As 'Al-Amir' is by far the most common Sakhradi Surname, it has come to be regarded as an insult(Similar to Mary Sue or John Smith).
"Blackfinger(ed)" - A fairly huge insult that is used to refer to someone who sees others as nothing but statistics, profit, and tools to be exploited and used. A soulless monster who would do anything for money, power, etc, and one who likely cares little for the well-being of others. Likely to start fights when used lightly.
Pricklebeard - An insult used to describe an excessively hostile person, or one who spends too much time being negative or insulting others. Also an insult used to more generally describe other ethnicities and cultures who are more hostile or aggressive towards others.

Turns of Phrase

"All Turban" - A Sakhradi phrase used to call someone a blowhard, but can also mean arrogant prick, or moron.
"Khratiin(Krah-teen)" - A word that, strictly speaking, refers to a primitive culture active in the area where Sakhrad once stood. Has come to refer to one whose loyalty cannot be assured - one who will always take the side that best suits them and their needs, or one who can only be trusted as long as they are paid or protected - based on the legendary mercenary ways of the Khratiin people which continues to the modern day. Can be used as an insult or compliment depending on context.
"An ol' cape sailor" - A phrase used to refer to or call someone incredibly stubborn and possibly frustrating. Someone who would do something more inconvenient out of spite or because 'thats the way it HAS to be done'. Refers to the old merchant navies who refuse to use the Sakhradi Canal and instead opt to sail around the Cape of Khadagar purely to deny trade to Sakhrad.
"The Roots" - A Sakhradi turn of phrase used to refer to one's birth relatives and family. Has a similar connotation to 'dead weight' or 'unwanted gifts', but can also just be used as a mundane descriptor.
"Swimmin' up the canal" - A Sakhradi turn of phrase that means something is useless, not worth trying, or just plain impossible.