#aerni

So first things first! Dry Waters has a large underground slave market. And by large, I mean it’s large. Unless someone’s been tricked by a fae into slavery for the fae only (cough cough Las Nevadas cough cough), chances are a slave probably been in Dry Waters at one point or another in their lives. It’s a fairly open secret in Dry Waters and the surrounding communities, but anyone from the Capital, Snowchester, or any surrounding communities is completely oblivious about the slave market (or that slaves exist in the first place). 

Now this means there’s a big culture surrounding the slave trade in Dry Waters. But if Dry Water slaves also have a culture.

Dry Water slaves worship two entities mainly: Ar-Amu and Ekkreth.  Ar-Amu, the All Mother, is considered a big part of the culture as the mother of the entire slave (and slave-adjacent) population. According to the mythos, she used to live with her children (the slave and slave-adjacent population), but after what is considered the last time anyone successfully enslaved the population of Dry Waters at that point in time and created what would later become the slave market, she left and took the flower vales of Dry Waters with her. The only way to return back to her is through death.  (Also, yes, Ar-Amu is an actual goddess. Yes, she’s on the master list of gods in the Esempee.)

Ekkreth, the Sky-Walker, is another big part of the culture. He has received wings after a bird (or Ar-Amu depending on the version) gave him during either what was a failed slave uprising or the death of a slave master via another slave. He is a shapeshifter trickster who, in the mythos, frequently tricks the slave masters to the benefit of the Dry Waters slave population. Though granted, he usually only takes on three forms in the myths: bird, human, and fish.

Now beyond Ar-Amu and Ekkreth, Dry Water slaves worship two other minor spirits: Lukka the Wind-Tamer and Leya the Earth-Shaker. 

It’s also believed that Leya promised that one day there will be “Etra ab Tyun” to the Children of Ar-Amu, promised Justice and Vengeance. After all, when everything is taken away from you, the line between justice and vengeance blurs and becomes nearly the same.

There is a big dichotomy of being free in mind and free in body. Being free in mind means that no one can control your thoughts, that your mind is your own while being free in body means that no one can control your actions. There’s a lot of emphasis on staying free in mind because even when your body isn’t your own, your mind can always stay your own. 

Knowing this, practicing any sort of mind magic is highly frowned down upon as it is viewed as violating the only place where one can be themself. So is practicing any type of magic that restricts someone’s physical movements. However, passive sensing of emotions is acceptable. 

Also, there’s an understanding that while death always equals to freedom as long as you die with your mind free, but there’s also an understanding that it is better to be alive than dead as alive, you can still affect change, you touch people’s lives in a thousand different ways. And if you’re skilled and smart enough, you can trick the slave masters into freeing more people. 

Their society tends to defer to their elders, with the leader of every “community” being called a Grandparent who everyone looks up to for guidance which usually comes in the form of a story. The position of Grandparent is usually associated with their ability to teach rather than their age, though Grandparents are usually elders as their ability to teach usually comes through experience.