#culari

So, here’s the beginning of something that I hopefully complete. The Culari (used with permission from @boxonthenile) are one of the most concrete things in Haakha and I have come up with two ethnicities of them so that I can put the Culari as nile originally designed and I can get creative. And hopefully, I remember to finish this series where I experiment with the various outfits and clothing options for these groups.

Kilsarans

Grim people from a grim land

The Kilsarans are native to the land of everice. Millennia of surviving and overcoming its hardships has made them more physically capable that their jessean or viriza cousins. They are on average shorter and rounder than most other culari. Their hair and skin are also much darker than their cousins.

Most wear armor of some kind due to their occupation as warrior nobles of their lands. This is augmented with many layers of skins and furs to help insulate them. Most prefer light armor that allows them to be highly mobile. 

Viriza

The glorious heretics

The long ago exiled mage caste of jairee have been significantly altered from the millennia of living in sanctuary, their other worldly home. They are much taller than their cousins, but usually weigh just as much, if not less. Their skin is also the palest among any culari ethnic group (with some reportedly having semi-translucent skin) and large eyes that are unnerving to most humans (and culari) due to their home of sanctuary.

They favor robes and cloaks due to long standing superstitions. Most are also very fond of masks of various kinds, with many professions being identifiable because of the specific masks they wear.

Notes

I have no idea what the actual average height is for most jessean Culari, but nile has always given me the impression that their main one, Atava, is a good example of average for them, so I just used their height.

Idk how to draw feet

Or curly hair, so that’s why the jessean one looks like they have a living mop or eldritch creature for hair. I’m sorry.

I’m planning on working with nile in the near-ish future to detail jessea and its culture, so I’m not gonna detail that one too much. I gave them an outfit that seemed appropriate to where they live (along the equator).

Because I can’t do much of any other world building, heres another bit of the Haakha variety of Culari. I @onthenilerivah is okay with this coke’d up shit show of a myth.

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Long ago, when the world was young, the god Vasia desired to fill it with many wondrous things things for the newly born mortals to enjoy, and so called upon all the gods who where willing to craft and bring her each a gift to fill the world with wonder. With this, each god proclaimed that they shall crafted the most legendary of gifts. All except Keshanik and Corin, who chose to allow the other gods to better the world.

Three days after, Kolana brought a second sun, so that the days shall be brighter than ever and chase the darkness. Vasia was pleased with this, and attempted to place the second sun in the sky, but the sky knew not of darkness, and would not move, and so she thanked Kolana, but had to hide its radiance.

Six days after, Corem brought Vasia the way of war, so that the people of the world could defend themselves and fight their enemies. Uncomfortable with the gift, but pleased with it none-the-less, Vasia attempted to teach the people and creatures of the world the ways of war, but they knew of no such strife or desires, and so they would not learn such things. Pleased with this, Vasia kept the gift, hoping the the peoples and creatures of the world would never it.

Nine days after, Navreen provided Vasia the rites of marriage, so that the peoples of the world may know of each other’s love. Pleased with this, Vasia attempted to  share this with the peoples of the world, but they knew no such hunger, and so they would not learn such things. Vasia thanked her for such a gift, but had to hold onto the rites of marriage.

Twelve days after, Horova brought the gift of souls, so that they mat feel and that there will always be a part of the worlds people no matter what. Pleased with this gift, Vasia attempted to give the peoples of the world souls, but they knew only life and needed no such thing, and they would not use such things. Both saddened and pleased with this, Vasia kept the souls until they where needed, if ever.

Twenty-one days after, Thultur brought Vasia a box, a surprise. Curious as to what the void god had brought, Vasia opened it, and unwittingly unleashed chaos and disharmony into the world. The world knew of no such thing, and thus could not fight back. The sun fell, plunging the world into darkness, the peoples and creatures of the world experienced hunger and sickness and rage and suffering and death for the first time, and learned of such things.

Vasia fell to her knees and wept. “Why have you done this?” she begged him.

“Think of the other gifts, dear Vasia. The sky would not except the gift of the second sun, for there was room for only one. The peoples and creatures would not fight, for they did not have to. The peoples did not know loneliness, and thus did not crave love. The peoples did not experience death, so they did not need souls to live on in.”

“But with disharmony, now they need these gifts more than ever! Now they need your guiding light, your compassion, your love for the first time! They may suffer, but now they know meaning and fulfillment! Now they may grow and change and evolve and become something worthy of your love and compassion!”

Vasia stared at him in shock, unable to believe what he was saying. And he continued. “Things cannot be perfect, nothing ever will be. Beyond us. The key making something perfect is to break it. They will suffer, and will now know death, yes, but they may now learn and grow. Go forth and guide them, for that is my gift to you, oh dawn flower.”

With this, Vasia gathered the other gifts, quickly applying them.

She placed the second sun in the sky, which allowed the first sun to return and shine once more, if only for a time, and thus was born day and night.

She taught the peoples and creatures the ways of war, and they fought and slew their enemies and protected themselves.

She gave them the rites of marriage, and they forged many bonds with those they where closest to.

She gave them souls, and many, though not all, now felt and cared for others,  and they would be remembered.

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Here's incredibly rough map of the geography of Jessea, a nation that my friend @boxonthenile has been kind enough to let me use. (In addition to the Culari, who are the primary inhabitants of Jessea)

This is more or less just me figuring out geography and shape more than anything else. Also, sorry for the garbage photo quality, the only method I have for getting it on here is with the shitty camera on my tablet. 

@boxonthenile

Their afterlife is a weird cross between Greek/Norse/Buddhist. It’s broken up into three different parts (heaven, purgatory, hell), with the souls of the dead being sent to the appropriate one based on their life. Every now and then, Vasia or whoever comes down to the “lower” planes and nabs a bunch of folk for reincarnation so they can try and get into “heaven/the divine realm” (can’t remember what nile called it) again. Thultur (and maybe the scarlet king?) is in “hell” being assholes and hunting and torturing the souls there for shits and grins.

I imagine that a number of isolationist groups in the government use some mental gymnastics to explain why they shouldn’t ever leave Jessea. “Our role as protectors only applies to Jessea and those Culari who aren’t able to fight yet.” Is the main one I’ve thought of so far. I both love and hate it so much. I was trying to capture the self-serving reasoning that far right groups use.

Jessea uses a different method of measuring time than most other cultures do to their long lifespan.

I imagine that due to Jessea’s size, it has many very distinct dialects of Kellit in the same way that Gaelic is made of multiple, very distinct sub-languages. Or maybe more like the romance languages maybe? (It’s up to Nile, I’m just sharing my thoughts)

While the dagger is a sacred weapon, most Jessean warriors are trained in multiple weapons to better serve their roles as warriors and protectors, including shields, swords, spears, bows, and axes.

That Jessean society is, as a whole, incredibly superstitious and mistrustful of magic and the supernatural cause of Thultur, who in addition to being a cross between Loki and Satan, is their primary god of magic.

Due to their long lifespan, Jessea is technologically/scientifically a little behind everyone else. It’s just kinda how I feel about longer lived races like elves and shit. At least, if their super isolationist (Oh-waaaaaiiit).

That Culari are....physically....Idk. I’ve seen drawings of very monogender people that I thought is what they would look like, but muscly as F U C K.

That Culari with birth defects that prevents them from being able to go “full cowling” (in lieu of an actual name that is what I shall call it) are treating like dirt cause “their a failure”, not being able to fulfill their duties as protectors.

While Jessea is a mostly trade/barter economy (according to nile), I imagine that the merchant class/caste uses some kind of currency for the sake of making trade for themselves easier, and for when they deal with the outside world. Kinda like a cross between old japan and the inca.

That Salt is hella feckin important. This is due to Jessea being a very wet and humid land, it makes natural salt deposits rare and difficult to have, meaning it most likely has to trade with the outside world to keep themselves supplied. idk what they’d try to trade for it, but it’s a thought at least.

I originally planned to make a drawing of @onthenilerivah OC Atava Viranen, but I’m fucking shit at it, so instead I figure I’ll do the thing I can do and am relatively good at. Besides, it’s fun writing for the Culari and seeing the crap I come up with.

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Thousands of years ago, during the time of darkness, the old kingdoms fought to survive, the world itself seeming to desire their demise. During this time, the nation of Jairee suffered from infighting as they attempted to survive. Their rulers chose to purge the darkness they saw. They prepared their armies to march forth to slay the horrors stalking the land and protect the meek, and to purge the mage caste from their population. 

As they began their purge, the mages prayed to their god for aid. He revealed a path to a sanctuary where they could do as they saw fit, where they could worship him freely. They and their allies gathered together, taking all of their arcane texts and holy artifacts, wandering into a waygate, guided by their god’s instructions.

The mage’s departure sent shock-waves through Jairee’s society, inspiring  rebellious Anisha, loyal to Keshanik, to stand against the great crusade. They believed that it would weaken the nation and even destroy it. They believed that the altruistic nature of the rulers would lead to the inevitable destruction of the Culari race. And when their pleas fell on deaf ears, they gathered as many followers and sympathizers to their side, and fled. 

Anisha and their followers founded the nation of Kathiim in a barren northern land. There, they perfected the art of combat, becoming among the mightiest warriors. 

The Followers of Thultur where led to an ancient city, hidden from all others. There, they gave themselves to their gods wishes, becoming crazed creatures of hedonism and sorcery, not venturing from their new home for centuries, out of fear of being discovered by their traitorous kin.

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This is going to be a “series” I’ll update kinda whenever. These are going to be (at least currently) culari question for @boxonthenile to at least think about. I was originally gonna write these down and give then give them the list next time they visit, but that’s kinda rude, blind sighting them like that, so instead, I’l post the questions here and they can look at them and think on them till they get here, if not just talk with me about them.

I say at least currently ‘cause who knows, I might just turn this into a list of questions for me to answer at some point, or if another friend does this with me in the future, I can direct some of these questions their way.

How do the Culari view Humans and Abhumans? Do they accept that they are related, or deny it?

What are the Culari’s views and beliefs on magic and psychic powers? Thulur IS a god of magic after all, and is a (mostly) antagonistic force in their mythology

Sitting on the side of the street, ‘Tav looked up at the sky, the largest moon filling the world in silvery, blue-purple light. Crap. A sudden realization occured to ‘Tav. What’re mom or dad going to say if I get him out? Are they even going to listen? Groaning, ‘Tav buried their face into their hands. And then I got the rest of the council to worry about, and….. Fuck my life.

I’m doing it, I’m actually doing! 

I’m writing the story after said that I was going too ages ago.

These are the pathfinder rules I made for a race a friend of mine created. I don’t claim them as my own, I just wrote this up when we considered doing a pathfinder campaign in Haakha (and we still might at some point). Go check them out at @onthenilerivah, they’re super cool.

+2 Str, +2 Dex: Culari are physically strong and fast.

Size and Type: Medium Humanoid (Culari, Human)

Senses: Lowlight Vision

Abhuman: Culari are descended from human stock, and as such have the human subtype in addition to the Culari subtype.

Keen Senses: Culari receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.

Voracious Appetite: Culari are almost constantly hungry and require twice as much food as a normal humanoid. If an Cualri does not eat at least once every four hours, it gains the fatigued condition.

Quick Reactions: Culari receive Improved Initiative as a bonus feat at first level.