Benshira

Benshira

From Mizahar Lore

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Current revision as of 01:47, 26 May 2020

Benshira

Height	4'5" - 5'12" ft
Weight	90 - 200 lbs.
Lifespan	80-90 years
Major features	Golden olive toned skin, large eyes, brown to golden yellow eyes
Abilities	Nomadic Survivalists, Animal Handlers, and Incredible Musicians
Most common in	The Deserts of Eyktol
Reputation	Nomadic tribal peoples who are pastoral and patriarchal, typically composed of extended families that are patrilineal, endogamous, and polygynous.
Racial gods	Yahal, Rhaus, Tyveth, and Syna
Racial bonus	+10 to Play Musical Instrument, Animal Husbandry, or Wilderness Survival (Desert)

The Benshira are the largest group of humans known to Eyktol. Tribal nomads, these individuals are renowned for their survival skills in the desert, their superior animal breeding and care, and for their music which is considered exotic and enchanting throughout Mizahar. And while such pastoral people are often considered easy targets by races that are more known for their skills with weapons, The Benshira make fierce warriors - both male and female - due to the harsh desert conditions and the deadly dangers they face daily in the course of their lives.

These desert nomads have mastered Eyktol and its environment. Learning early on, The Benshira carefully guard their survival secrets in order to ensure their people thrive in the desert unchallenged. They do not often openly welcome outsiders and can be dangerous when encountered by strangers. Because they are endogamous, they marry only within the limits of a local community, clan, or tribe. Marrying outsiders can garner undesirable status in Benshira society. And it is for this reason that there are quite a few homozygous diseases prevalent in the Benshira that might not be found in other races. They are however very open to trading with outsiders for different livestock, raw materials for their crafting, and metals. And while the desert seems devoid of foodstuffs for many other racial groups, the Benshira find food plentiful in the desert and do not often trade for outside sources. They do, however, produce amazing spices and will trade these rare and precious items for far more than their weight in trade goods.

History

Our women are beautiful.

The Benshira have long lived in Eyktol. No one can remember a time where there were not Benshira there. These clever people have adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle that if studied thoroughly would reveal that they treat the whole of the region like a giant wagon wheel. Each tribe has a territory, called a Pitai, that forms the space between the spokes. They tend to travel on the rim of the wheel during the blistering hot summers in Eyktol and migrate in towards where the hub of the wheel is located during the rainy season when the desert cools and blooms. Within these spaces between spokes, each individual tribe will have a set migratory path they tend to take which is based on the needs of the people and animals with them. Since there are seven major tribes, that means there are seven major territories.

The Quas

The Quas of the Tribe of Kios.

Each tribe has a Quas which is a desert fortress that is rarely inhabited except for a few times a year for holidays and celebration, or during times of great strife or wars. The Quas of each tribe is vastly different from other tribal strongholds and are designed around the unique aspects of each tribe. The location of each Quas is carefully guarded and known only to the members of each individual tribe. These places are not inhabited year round due to the worry of depleting resources around them. However, they are most commonly found at oasis' or in the most resource rich areas within each tribes territory. These Quas are always carefully maintained during the tribe's visits and if something needs repaired or expanded, the tribe might linger at the Quas to make the needed upgrades. Quas are also used as places to retreat to when disease and harsh weather happens.

Some scholars speak that the existence and maintenance of each tribe's Quas speaks to a time long back in history when either the desert could support settled lifestyles or that the Benshira themselves came from settled areas and migrated into the Desert and clung to pieces of their former lives by building and maintaining the Quas. Most Quas are incredibly old, having pre-Valterrian architecture and technology working or not.

Relationships With Eyktol Cities

Desert travel is no trouble for the Benshira.

Because of their nomadic lifestyle, Benshira are often considered prey to those races that will enslave others. Lone groups of Benshira are vulnerable to capture and because of the beauty of their women are often targeted. Children are taken first, of course, for they make the best slaves while adults are often killed outright due to their surly high spirited nature - especially the males. Thus, relationships with outsiders are not often very ingenious or endearing. The Benshira - though gentle among themselves - are fierce with outsiders and protective of their own.

Wadrass

Wadrass is the only known Benshira trade city. It is small in nature, surrounding a very prominent oasis, and has a very small resident population. The Benshira use Wadrass to gather, celebrate holidays among multiple tribes, trade livestock, crafts, and trade goods as well as for people from various tribes to meet and marry into new tribes. There is a small Tiach market there as well. Tiach are ex-members of the Benshira that have been stripped of their tribal status and made into slaves due to crimes they have committed against the Benshira peoples. Wadrass also has a set of prominent temples to the Gods Syna and Yahal. A small priesthood exists there for devoted worshipers among the Benshira. Wadrass has no walls, no boundaries and because of that its location and dimensions shifts with the sands and the changing of the oasis waters. People come and go from Wadrass at all bells of the day. And the city itself has no real governance other than family councils that comprise the Benshira that happen to be at the city when trouble breaks out.

Malrion

The Sun Cattle of The Benshira.

The mage city of Eyktol is a source of danger to the Benshira. More often than not, their excess Tiach are purchased in the markets of Wadrass and end up serving in Malrion. The captured children of the Benshira who exhibit mage gifts also tend to end up in Malrion as The Devoted. Benshira are welcome in the city and treated cordially. They are often found plying their wares in the Market and Malrion’s Devoted, female mages at the top of the city’s society, include a handful of Benshira among their ranks. As with anyone who lives in or visits Malrion, Benshira must take great care of how they display or speak of anything tied to religion else risk breaking the Magelord’s strict laws governing such things.

Other Cities

Endrykas sometimes comes into contact with Benshira who live on the northern boarders. Relations with the Drykas are fairly open and tend to work out well. The Drykas are perhaps some of the only outsiders that may be welcomed in Benshira tribes for extended visits. These relationships may speak of historical common ancestry, though there are no records yet discovered surviving the Valterrian that can verify these suspicions.

The Benshira Tribes do trade with the Svefra on the fringes of their territories during the heart of the Summer. Many tribes of these nomadic peoples can be found in coastal encampments along the shores of the Suvan Sea and Western Sea respectfully. Summer for the Benshira often involves fishing and gathering at such locations, though the coasts of Eyktol are less rich in resources than the coasts of more northern milder climates like Cyphrus and Sylira.

Other cities in Eyktol and beyond will be added to this write up as their rewrites and developments go forward.

Biology

Physical Appearance

Our eyes tend to give our heritage away.

The Benshira are one of the smaller races in Mizahar. They are not quite as diminutive as the Inarta, but straight humans definitely can easily grow taller and heavier. Their skin is a golden olive that protects them from the sun. It tends to darken with exposure and rarely burns unless extreme situations or ill health have affected the individual. Hair color can vary widely with the most common being black or dark chestnut brown. However, blondes and redheads are not unheard of either. The one unifying trait to the Benshira are their eye shape and color. Benshira have wide large eyes that are a distinctive trait among them. They enjoy deep richly colored eyes ranging from a brown so dark it looks black to a vibrant golden gaze that is almost reminiscent of the burning orb of Syna in the sky. The vast majority of Benshira have eyes that can be described as Topaz or Gold, though Hazel sometimes crops up. A pureblood Benshira with blue, green, or blue-green eyes is almost never heard of, though when it happens they tend to have a hard time among their people - considered unlucky and often get exiled or excuses are used to quickly gain them Tiach status.

Common Traits

We take great pride in our family and our lifestyles.

Because The Benshira are endogamous, inbreeding can become a problem though their gathering at Wadrass for tribal trade in goods and young people via marriage has done a lot to augment these issues. The noted lack of influx of fresh blood has left a people who are prone to certain problems. They have a noted smaller adult size, reduced birth rate, reduced fertility, higher infant and child mortality, reduced immune functions, higher rates of heart disease and far more common occurrence of genetic disorders than most races. As medicine advances on Mizahar, these issues are coming to light among the very traditionalist Benshira and there are younger generations that are trying to smooth the way to bringing in outsiders to augment their numbers, increase their knowledge of outside skills, and overall improve the bloodlines. Oddly enough the Tiach among the Benshire often don't suffer these issues since they often interbreed with outsiders and have larger healthier children with higher birth rates.

The Benshira enjoy an astonishing connection to their animals, the desert, and each other. Outsiders have often noted the way The Benshira are with animals often could be classified as Preternatural in nature or even perhaps magical. The Benshira make no claims to lost discplines of animal magics, though if they indeed possessed such knowledge, it would never leave the tribes.

Psychology

We have a renowned way with animals. We consider them family.

The Benshira have a rare mixture of kindness and ferocity in their nature. They are incredibly loyal and honorable in their endeavors, and understand that they have to rely on each other for survival in the desert. Their laws are strict but fair, and their family units are often nurturing though they are fairly hands on and the schooling of children comes early. Benshira pride themselves on the truth and in not telling it, they believe they will suffer ill luck and fortune. Their trades are often fair and their work for wages given an honest effort. Children work from an early age, almost as soon as they can hold a tool even if its just gathering up dung to burn on the fires or making sure animals are watered. A strong ethic is ingrained in the young of the tribes early and they are taught oral traditions and the stories of their people from birth.

Reproduction

We are all united in the safety, security and happiness of our families.

Benshira are polygamous, however their polygamy is earned not a given. Males rule the household and will marry as early as eighteen years of age. They are considered men at fifteen, but often have adult responsibilities from twelve years of age on. The wealth of a family is measured in the skill of the patriarch at a craft, animal husbandry, or his prowess with a blade. Because the Benshira have a lower birth rate and sometimes fertility issues, the value of a woman varies slightly from that of a man. If a woman is of child bearing age, she is married. Girls as young as thirteen can be married off, knowing the sooner and the earlier they have children, the more likely those offspring are going to be to survive. The more prowess a woman has at a craft or a blade, even a skill such as healing, the more desirable she will be to take as a wife. These are traits that are considered highly inheritable by the Benshira who often seek to strengthen their families and ultimately the tribe. If a woman has been married for more than a year without bringing children to a marriage, she can be released by the husband and is free to marry again. If the husband is proven to be the issue by taking multiple wives, those women can be released by the tribal elders from the marriage to marry elsewhere to someone who can give them children.

The Desertbred of The Benshira.

Males can marry once at any skillset or wealth level, though their choices will increase with the increase of wealth. Women are not forced to marry, though it is culturally expected of them and they have their choice of males. Obviously, wealthier males who are better providers are more appealing than impoverished males with little to no skill or material possessions. However, males can take a second wife if they master a second skill and thus are considered wealthy enough to support such a thing. Current wives have no say in the acquisition of additional wives. Wealth in the tribes are often measured by the number and health of a herd, the number of children and health of those children in a family, and the ability of the adults to provide for and defend their families.

Society

My Tribe is the center of my life.

The Tribes of The Benshira are divided into seven groups with each group having a specialty sort of animal they specialize in raising and breeding. Each group can have multiple animals such as sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, oryx, ostriches & taurida, or even sun cattle. However, only a specific tribe is known for their exceptional raising of these individual breeds and are considered 'the best' stock of the Benshira. All tribes keep fowl of multiple sorts for their meat. All Benshira keep dogs for the guarding and herding of flocks, even those known for their non-herding livestock.

All tribes teach a wide variety of skills, offering apprenticeships and opportunities for people to learn. Magic is not taboo among the Benshira so a wide variety of the magical arts is also taught among tribes. No one tribe is overly skilled in any single magic or craft unless it is mentioned below along with the individual tribes' animal specialty. Individual families are not listed within the tribes because multiple branches of the same family can exist across multiple tribes.

A Benshira man in wedding/festival garb.

The Kois

The Kois Tribe is noted for their breeding of Desertbred horses. They have the swiftest strongest horses in Eyktol and thus have the second largest territoy second only to the Lisuli who can travel further with their camels than any of the other Benshira Tribes. The Kois are also known for their singers. Almost everyone in the tribe singings, and when they have entered conflict with other tribes and have engaged in battles, their battle songs are legendary.

The Lisuli

The Lisuli Tribe breeds a wide variety of camels for the entirety of the Benshira. They have racing camels, long distance traveler camels, and camels that can pack their weight or more on their backs for days across the desert without water. For this reason, the Lisuli tend to travel with more things over the longest distances in Eyktol since they have dray camels that are designed for such work. The Lisuli are incredible weavers as well and its often noted that their animals, tents, and indeed people are decked out colorfully in an almost garish manner.

The Rhagha

The Rhagha are the sheepherders of Eyktol. They can produce more meat on almost no grazing than any other Tribe. They are often in conflict with other tribes in areas that the tribes share land with for the way their sheep crop the ground - pulling roots and all from the ground - rather than simply nipping off the green edible parts of a plant - cause the rest of the tribes to rather dislike them and often blame them (not without reason) for the devastation of bits of land they linger too long on. The Rhagha are masters of felting due to their inexhaustible supply of wool. They make their clothing of felt and most of their tents and furnishings are made of felt. The felt the Rhagha make are in high demand and get a premium price at markets worldwide. In addition to sheep, the Rhagha are known for their tough desert donkeys that they raise among the sheep for the protection of the sheep against jackals and wolves.

The Beldra

The Beldra are an interesting Tribe. They raise Sun Cattle, which are enormous semi-intelligent beasts with hides of burnished gold, coal, bronze, and copper. Sporting large horns that sweep back and upwards, the horns of the Sun Cattle help the animals cool and keep them relaxed in the heat of the desert. Sun cattle can pull wagons and be used as a pack animal. The Children of the Beldra often ride them as well, finding them sturdy mounts when the tribe is on the move. Because of their cattle, the Beldra are well able to travel as far, though not as fast, as other more mobile tribes. And they can indeed carry more with them. Most of the blacksmithing done among the Benshira is done via the Beldra Tribe. They make fine weapons, armor, and any sort of metal fastener or tool one might need to use.

A cherished elder of the Nitai Tribe.

The Danisa

The Danisa raise ostriches and taurida, and are famous for hosting races of such creatures. The Taurida are bigger birds than the ostriches and can be ridden much like horses. Ill tempered, both the ostriches and taurida are dangerous to those not used to handling them. They provide meat and eggs to the Dansia and are oddly one of the only tribes to farm these animals due to their ill temper. The Danisa often keep milk animals, but will not tolerate chickens in their ranks due to the aggression of the larger birds. They do not keep horses either, since the two species tend to not get along well. Renown potters, it is thought the Danisa add ostrich and taurida shell to their glazes to get astonishingly beautiful glazes on fired pottery. Throughout Eyktol, hidden deep in Danisa territory, are a series of kilns the Danisa have built and use as they migrate back and forth across Eyktol.

The large fleet antelope Oryx of the Selban Tribe.

The Selban

The Selban are a somewhat smaller more mysterious tribe of the Benshira. They tend to have paler hair, often times almost white, that is said to match the livestock they raise. Oryx, large fleet desert antelope are what the Selban specialize in. They provide meat, cheese, milk, and blood to the Selban. Because of their rideability, the Oryx can give the Selban the classification of the ghosts of the Benshira. This tribe can travel fast and light, living with very few possessions, and can materialize and vanish in the desert at will. The Oryx have a unique ability to leave no tracks as they pass which adds to the mystic of The Selban tribe which are near impossible to find unless they want to be found. Within this tribe, the women are more prone to be the warriors, often chosen by the Oryx to be riders due to their lighter weight and improved finesse in the saddle. But despite the warrior tendencies of the Selban, this tribe is also known for making amazing instruments and drums. Some of the best musicians in Benshira history are Selban.

Music is part of every Benshira's life.

The Nitai

If ever there was a stereotypical tribe of the Benshira, it would be the Nitai. These herders have very few horses and sun cattle, instead preferring to live with their beloved goats and walk afoot almost everywhere they go. They prefer the speed of their goats, and live a very simple devote lifestyle. They own what they can carry on their backs, having small tents and limited resources. However, it is thought that the Nitai Benshira know the deserts of Eyktol far better than any other race, even the other tribes of their own. Because of their simple lifestyles, however, the Nitai are more vulnerable than other tribes and often have fewer warriors. Because of this fact, it is not uncommon for Nitai to join with other tribes for short periods of time as the tribes migrate around. And it is more than true if a Benshira has a need to disappear, they can find sanctuary among the Nitai regardless of what tribe they originally are from. The Nitai are said to be the keepers of the oral histories of the Benshira and the most devote among the tribes.

Social Structure

We craft food that is astonishing.

As touched on earlier, the Benshira as a whole is an umbrella term used to describe the loose organization of seven tribes of desert nomads in the Eyktol region. These seven tribes are further divided down into families that share a common tent or grouping of tents. Families are further broken down into a Patriarch which beneath resides his wife or wives, then their children, and then their guests, servants, and tiach. Wives have a hierarchy not dependent upon order of marriage but based on how many healthy children they produce. Children are usually lumped together though age factors into the chores assigned and the importance of the child to the family. Animals are treated according to the hierarchy enjoyed by the families they belong too. The tribes themselves have no hierarchy over each other. They are simply experts in their fields. Each Tribe is lead by the eldest male (still able too) in the tribe who is drawn form the eldest male leader of each family. When the tribes get together, the tribal leaders will meet, but a larger gathering of family leaders will also meet.

We belong to the desert. The desert is our Mother.

When the tribes travel, not all families travel together. Family groups can split off and spread out the grazing of their herds. Unlike the Drykas, they do not move every three or four days. Instead, the tribes move when the grazing is depleted, and tend not to follow any particular pathways other than moving inwards as winter falls and moving outwards from the center of Eyktol when summer is upon them.

Language

The Benshira speak the Shiber language. Shiber is a very musical lyrical language that has a poetic cadence to it that lends itself to song. Some of the most beautiful songs in the world are sung in Shiber and get translated later to Common. Shiber has a written component as well which is an alphabetic rather than pictorial sort. The Benshira keep their written records on wadj, which is a paper made from desert plants that is particularly sturdy in the heat. Caches of Benshira records lie all throughout Eyktol, hidden away so the tribes do not have to carry them. There is a small library in Wadrass that houses some of the more important and popular writings of the Benshira.

The large donkeys of the Rhagha Tribe protect their sheep.

Names

Within the Benshira, each individual person has three names. The first given name is how the individual is identified. The middle name is the representation of their genetic linage within any given tribe. The last name always honors the tribe and their tribal identity. When a person is stripped of their place in the tribes and turned Tiach, they loose the right to use their middle and last names.

Each member of the tribe takes on the tribal name as their last name. This name will be whatever tribe they reside with so long as they reside with that tribe. If they change tribes for whatever reason, then they must assume that new and current tribe as their last name. Their middle names are the family linage names. So a woman named Kalstami Sumara Lisuli is of the Lisuli Tribe, but her parents were both Sumara Lisuli's. If she marries, say into the Kois tribe, her name will change to Kastami Sumara Kois or to whatever tribe her husband belongs too. Her children's middle name will be her husbands middle name, since the Benshira are patrilineal. If Kastami married another Kois - which is likely, her name would not change upon her marriage. The Sumara family could reside across multiple tribes so there could be branches in the Kois, Lisuli and other tribes simultaneously.

We make everything we need and live well.

Given names are decided by both the parents of the offspring. Children born outside of marriage are given the middle name of Ommos - meaning bastard - with a tribal name of whatever tribe they were born too. Ommos children and adults carry the stigma with them always and are often considered undesirable folks for wedding matches unless they are incredibly skilled. Ommos children also find apprenticeships with craftsman, in the trades, and even with healers or animal handlers hard to come by. They are often forced to work menial labor and are often treated somewhat worse than tiach, which are often considered valuable members of a tribe.

Everyday Family Life

Life in the Benshira Tribes is simple and consists of work, more work, and even more work. From sunrise to sunset, the Benshira family units will work to hunt, herd, gather food, and protect their assets. At night, the herds are usually driven into the center of the circle of family tents that a traveling group of a specific tribe had and then watched by older children and livestock dogs throughout the night. In the evening, a group meal is served and there is often song and dance to end the day.

We gather in Wadrass to trade and hear news.

Every day when the sun is high overhead, Benshira often take a full bell to pray to their chosen gods and to perform meditations and silent prayers between the 1130 and 1230 bells. Naps are not frowned upon during the hottest part of the day in the summer, though in the winter those same periods of rest will be used for periods of study. Benshira tend to the education of their children and take lessons very seriously. Often, one woman - usually barren - is the teacher in the tribe and will school all the children together. It is also not unheard of for a wounded warrior or herder who cannot ride or herd any more to assume similar duties.

When guarding livestock, it is not uncommon for Benshira youth to practice their weapons, race their horses, or challenge their dogs. They enjoy games involving Benshira sports, and often will compose poetry or songs to sing or speak to their loved ones. Benshira culture is rich and they keep themselves busy. Empty or listless hands are often put to use immediately, even if it is just to chop vegetables or to clean clothing. The older and more studied a Benshira gets, the more they will devote their time to their profession and less time to chore type situations.

Everything is art - our bodies, our weapons, our cloth, even our animals.

Art and Industry

Being nomads, the Benshira don't get mired down in city life too often unless they are stopping in Wadrass for trade reasons. This gives them far more time than one might suspect, being out in the desert even with limited access to raw materials, to practice inventive crafting. As a result, they have channeled many of their creative aspects into art. They leave nothing without decoratation. Simple flatware will often be elaborately etched. Dinnerware will be painted elaborately. Hems of shirts and cuffs of sleeves are rarely without embroidery. Even the development and wearing of cosmetics for women is an art among the Benshira. They do it for the love of art. They do it as a form of worship to their deities. Syna is honored on the bridles of horses in the form of elaborately tooled sunbursts. Yahal is honored in a million feathered fringes on the edges of stockings. Leather bags, vests, even gloves are adorned with images of family, symbolism of tribes, and the merits of the power the item holds. For the Benshira believe that everything has power, its just a matter of tapping it. And they've made a grand trade of this belief.

Benshira crafted music, instruments, leather workings, and even trained animals are all sought by the outside world. The best of the best, the Benshira keep to themselves. But anything they consider cull worthy can be traded. So even though the outside world covets their art and the results of their science, the outside world never sees the true beauty of the Benshira because they withhold it for themselves. They have jewelers and other unusual masters like weaponssmiths among them.

Our weapons are works of art.

Weapons

The Benshira enjoy numerous weapons, much like the rest of Mizahar. They are particularly adept at spears, axes, and curved swords or daggers. Scimitars are a favorite, as are bows that give the Benshira more distance. Herders are particularly skilled at whips, though they rarely use them on animals. A typical bull-whip wielding Benshira is often skilled enough to take out an opponents eye at the reach of the whip with a flick of their whip. Women among the Benshira have a secret weapon they love using. They love wearing decorative metal tips on their fingers which are often razor sharp and can be used as weapons in hand to hand combat. These fingertip blades are decorated to look like elaborate jewelry, though they are deadly. The Benshira call them Fias meaning 'claws' in Shiber and almost always teach their daughters to use them from an early age.

Our weapons are works of art.

Religion

Primarily worshiping Yahal, Rhaus, Tyveth, and Syna, the Benshira honor their Gods and Goddesses daily. They are well aware that their deities walk among them as their legends are full of the stories of such visits. Other Gods and Goddesses are known and worshiped among the Benshira, though they hold a special place in their heart for the quadrad as they call them. Being Syna's Consort, Leth is also acknowledged and worshiped, as most of their family gatherings take place beneath his light. Akajia is prayed to as the Night Mother to hold their herds safe through the night. Enemies of their chosen Gods and Goddesses have become The Benshira's enemies. Rhysol particularly hates the Benshira due to their passion for order and discipline and targets members of their race whenever he can. When a Benshira does something to his kind or to damage his faith - such as sack one of his temples - there will be no mercy and no forgetting the slight in the eyes of the deity.

There are many other Gods and Goddesses that are welcomed among the Benshira. Rak'keli with her healing and Makutsi with her rain. The Benshira still mourn the fall of Aquiras - for they are the people of travel. As such, Sagallius is one of their immortal enemies. They love Semele like a mother and step barefoot on her soil daily to honor her. Zulrav is honored and feared due to the rolling sandstorms he can bring. The Benshira honor life, death, and all the things in between. They are deeply reverent and it has not been unheard of for one of the Gods to live among them for years, learning and experiencing life as they experience it. For even the Gods understand that the Benshira's life is hard, but beautiful and sometimes they covet - if only for a little while - what mortals do.

Race Relations

Please be aware its not easy for Benshira to allow strangers into their communities. It is always a very special circumstance that a non-Benshira would live among the Benshira. That being said, the Benshira do have opinions on other races.

Our ingenuity and adaptability is one of our best weapons.

Akalak: These warriors are often welcomed among the Benshira for short times. The Benshira as a whole are unaware of their dual nature, but they respect the Akalak due to the religions both of them have in common.
Akvatari: While finding them somewhat melodramatic and depressing, the Benshira recognize Akvatari as fellow artists. They just wish they were a little more cheerful in their endeavors and thus avoid them if at all possible.
Chaktawe: Virtually extinct, the Benshira view the Chaktawe as drains on their own precious resource and normally conflict arises between the two groups.
Charoda: This aquatic race is virtually unknown in Eyktol and there are no relations with the Benshira due to the heat.
Dhani: Of all the non-human races, the desert dwelling vipers and rattlers are the most welcome among the Benshira.
Ethaefal: Thought of as strange and celestial, Benshira treat them with distance and respect. However, if their ‘normal side’ is a race feared or hated such as Symenestra or Zith, they will be executed as soon as this fact is discovered.
Eypharian: Thought of as arrogant, this race is unwelcome in the tents of the Benshira since they tend to like to enslave the Benshira.
Ghost: The Benshira have an inate dislike of ghosts. They feel ancestors must move on and not linger bringing dishonor and bad luck.
Humans: Humans are always treated with caution for no two are alike.
- Drykas: Respected neighbors and honored guests, especially in the north.
- Inarta: Rarely seen in Eyktol, they are treated as exotic normal humans.
- Mixed: Generally treated the same as straight humans.
- Svefra: Heavily trade with the Benshira during the summer when they are on the coast.
- Vantha: Almost unheard of in Eyktol, they are unknowns to the Benshira.
Isur: Isur are rare in Eyktol and have an almost legendary status among the tribes. The Benshira do tell stories of the Mountain Kingdoms.
Jamoura: The Benshira have had almost no contact with this rare race in Eyktol and have no opinions on them.
Kelvics: Falling into the same category of their livestock, Kelvics are perhaps the only race fully welcomed into the tents of the Benshira.
Konti: Welcomed as revered healers and seers. They are discouraged from traveling deep into the desert but often if one is lost or freed from slavery she will be escorted to the coast by the Benshira.
Mixed Blood: See each part of the combination for reaction. Part Syms and Part ziths fall under full blooded status for the purpose of the Benshira's viewpoint and these individuals are executed on sight.
Myrians: The ethics and societal values of the Myrians conflict heavily with the Benshira so the resulting entanglements rarely end without bloodshed.
Nuit: Killed on sight.
Pycon: Considered magical and unpredictable, the Benshira don't see Pycon as a true race.
Symenestra: Males are slain on sight. Females are escorted from Benshira territory immediately.
Zith: Hunted and killed on sight.

Active Benshira PCs

The Desert's Honorable Children
	Abashai	Benshira Warrior In Exile

Informative Threads

Information threads
	The Benshira Question And Answer Thread	Gossamer answers questions on the new Benshira Writeup.

Retrieved from "http://707007.nyc3kqvj.asia/lore/Benshira"

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-| height = 5-6.5 ft
+| height = 4'5" - 5'12" ft
-| weight = 90- 200 lbs.
+| weight = 90 - 200 lbs.
 | lifespan = 80-90 years
-| features = shades of brown hair, tan skin, piercing light eyes
+| features = Golden olive toned skin, large eyes, brown to golden yellow eyes
-| abilities = Survivalists and captivating artists
+| abilities = Nomadic Survivalists, Animal Handlers, and Incredible Musicians
-| common = Yahebah and deserts of Eyktol
+| common = The Deserts of Eyktol
-| reputation = Vibrant and determined
+| reputation = Nomadic tribal peoples who are pastoral and patriarchal, typically composed of extended families that are patrilineal, endogamous, and polygynous.
-| gods = Yahal
+| gods = Yahal, Rhaus, Tyveth, and Syna
-| bonus = +15 in a skill of choice
+| bonus = +10 to Play Musical Instrument, Animal Husbandry, or Wilderness Survival (Desert)
 }}
+The Benshira are the largest group of humans known to Eyktol.  Tribal nomads, these individuals are renowned for their survival skills in the desert, their superior animal breeding and care, and for their music which is considered exotic and enchanting throughout Mizahar.   And while such pastoral people are often considered easy targets by races that are more known for their skills with weapons, The Benshira make fierce warriors - both male and female - due to the harsh desert conditions and the deadly dangers they face daily in the course of their lives.
-Lively nomads with a tumultuous history and deep faith, the Benshiras are the precious stone of the desert races. More vibrant than the solemn Chaktawe and earthier than the proud Eypharians, a desert traveller is lucky to find the tents of a Benshira.
+These desert nomads have mastered  Eyktol and its environment.  Learning early on, The Benshira carefully guard their survival secrets in order to ensure their people thrive in the desert unchallenged.   They do not often openly welcome outsiders and can be dangerous when encountered by strangers.   Because they are endogamous, they marry only within the limits of a local community, clan, or tribe.  Marrying outsiders can garner undesirable status in Benshira society.   And it is for this reason that there are quite a few homozygous diseases prevalent in the Benshira that might not be found in other races.  They are however very open to trading with outsiders for different livestock, raw materials for their crafting, and metals.  And while the desert seems devoid of foodstuffs for many other racial groups, the Benshira find food plentiful in the desert and do not often trade for outside sources.   They do, however, produce amazing spices and will trade these rare and precious items for far more than their weight in trade goods.
 ==History==
+[[File:Benshirafemale.jpg|left|frame| Our women are beautiful.]]
-When the desert was not as unkind and the people were many, there was a great landowner named Ura who held vast territory and flocks. Ura was a fair man, but worshipped whatever god served his purposes at the time. He had many sons but the least of them was named Biyram. Biyram was married to a beautiful woman named Zariah and they had two sons. When Biyram was thirty, he was spoken to by the god Yahal in a dream. [[Yahal]] told Biyram to leave Ura's land and make a new tribe of people dedicated to goodness. If he did so, Yahal would bless him abundantly.
+The Benshira have long lived in Eyktol.  No one can remember a time where there were not Benshira there.   These clever people have adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle that if studied thoroughly would reveal that they treat the whole of the region like a giant wagon wheel.  Each tribe has a territory, called a [[Pitai]], that forms the space between the spokes.  They tend to travel on the rim of the wheel during the blistering hot summers in Eyktol and migrate in towards where the hub of the wheel is located during the rainy season when the desert cools and blooms.   Within these spaces between spokes, each individual tribe will have a set migratory path they tend to take which is based on the needs of the people and animals with them.  Since there are seven major tribes, that means there are seven major territories.
-Having faith, Biyram took his wife and sons to what is now [[Eyktol]], passing through the land of the Eypharians. Zariah was so beautiful that she captured the attention of the Eypharian's highest noble. The noble invited Zariah and her family to his palace, intending to kill Biyram and his sons, so he could keep Zariah. Yahal appeared to the noble in a dream and commanded that Biyram and his family be released or he would plague the noble's children. At first, the noble resisted the dream, and continued to hold Biyram's family in his palace. Yahal then struck the noble's children with blindness. The frightened noble released Biyram and his family, gifting them with cattle. Only then did Yahal return the children's sight.
+===The Quas===
+[[File:Desertfortress.jpg|right|frame| The Quas of the Tribe of Kios.]]
-Biyram came to good pasture in a place that is now the location of [[Yahebah]]. There he worshiped Yahal by building him an altar and sacrificing one of the bulls the Eypharian noble had given him. Pleased by Biyram's faithfulness, Yahal blessed him. Biyram had ten sons total, who married women from Ura's lands. From them came all the Benshiras.
+Each tribe has a [[Quas]] which is a desert fortress that is rarely inhabited except for a few times a year for holidays and celebration, or during times of great strife or wars. The Quas of each tribe is vastly different from other tribal strongholds and are designed around the unique aspects of each tribe. The location of each Quas is carefully guarded and known only to the members of each individual tribe.  These places are not inhabited year round due to the worry of depleting resources around them.  However, they are most commonly found at oasis' or in the most resource rich areas within each tribes territory.  These Quas are always carefully maintained during the tribe's visits and if something needs repaired or expanded, the tribe might linger at the Quas to make the needed upgrades.  Quas are also used as places to retreat to when disease and harsh weather happens.
-The Benshiras lived under a theocracy for many generations, moved by the words from the sons of Rapa, and what revelations Yahal gave their patriarchs. While distant kings held sway over the land, the roaming Benshiras felt little influence from them.
+Some scholars speak that the existence and maintenance of each tribe's Quas speaks to a time long back in history when either the desert could support settled lifestyles or that the Benshira themselves came from settled areas and migrated into the Desert and clung to pieces of their former lives by building and maintaining the Quas.  Most Quas are incredibly old, having pre-Valterrian architecture and technology working or not.
-After looking at the spoils of other races and their vast cities, the Benshiras longed for an earthly ruler. Yahal warned them that kings would be both fair and wicked, sometimes enslaving them, but the Benshiras still begged for a ruler. Yahal appointed their first ambassador, Haalim, by a divine sign: a pillar of water before the door of his tent. Haalim went to the distant ruler to assert the Benshiras wish to be a more integral part of the kingdom. This began a time of obeisance to rulers who would bring wealth and wars, prosperity and pain.
-One of the distant King's first appointed governors of the Benshiras, Eliajon, instigated the construction of the first stone city, Yahebah. A temple to honor their god was in its center. Eliajon's governance was marked by prosperity and learning, and Yahal looked on him favorably. Generations passed and a new governor was appointed, one who did not care about Yahal and his ways: Menuseh. Menuseh let Yahal's temple fall into disrepair and began to hew out of the earth a new city: Hazahdar. This city was truly glorious when completed by Menuseh's son. It was both above and beneath the earth, lit by glowing stones and painstakingly engineered tunnels that used mirrors to reflect surface light into the ground. River water and springs were diverted into canals and aqueducts leading below ground and fruit trees were said to grow on the canal shores. Hazahdar's buildings were carved from the red stone of Eyktol and rivaled the wonders of Ahnatep. Many Benshiras were drawn to it away from the holy city.
+===Relationships With Eyktol Cities===
+[[File:Camels.jpg|right|frame| Desert travel is no trouble for the Benshira.]]
-For a time the Benshiras grew in numbers and their cities grew wealthy. The powerful Eypharians saw the rise of the Benshiras as a threat, but instead of conquering them in battle, the Eypharian noble chose a subtler tactic. The Eypharian nobles sent some of the most beautiful Eypharian youths into the Benshiras' lands. These exotic Eypharian drew the young Benshira men and women into the luxurious Eypharian cities and taught them how to worship their own lusts instead of Yahal.
+Because of their nomadic lifestyle, Benshira are often considered prey to those races that will enslave others.  Lone groups of Benshira are vulnerable to capture and because of the beauty of their women are often targeted.  Children are taken first, of course, for they make the best slaves while adults are often killed outright due to their surly high spirited nature - especially the males.  Thus, relationships with outsiders are not often very ingenious or endearing.  The Benshira - though gentle among themselves - are fierce with outsiders and protective of their own.
-Once the Benshiras were under the spell of their captors and far from their families, the Eypharian promptly enslaved them, forcing them to marry and breed with one another. Great monuments of Eypharians were built on the backs of Benshiras. After years of slavery the Benshiras turned back to Yahal. The answer was not what they expected.
-This was when the Valterrian struck, destroying the Eypharian cities and giving the Benshiras a chance to flee. At that time a priest of Rapa named Emiah told the Benshiras that Yahal wanted them to hide in his temple in the city Yahebah. Some of the freed Benshiras refused, choosing the wealthier and seemingly safer city of Hazahdar. In the midst of the Valterrian, the earth shook and Hazahdar collapsed, killing most who sought shelter there and all of the governor's line. What remains of Hazahdar is now [[Hai]]. Much of Yahebah fell to ruin, but the temple and the wall remained standing.
+=====Wadrass=====
-Those who were always shepherds and the families Yahebah's ruins could not hold returned to the life of nomads. The face of the land had changed, but Yahal had been faithful and he would continue to uphold them.
+Wadrass is the only known Benshira trade city.  It is small in nature, surrounding a very prominent oasis, and has a very small resident population.  The Benshira use Wadrass to gather, celebrate holidays among multiple tribes, trade livestock, crafts, and trade goods as well as for people from various tribes to meet and marry into new tribes.  There is a small [[Tiach]] market there as well.  Tiach are ex-members of the Benshira that have been stripped of their tribal status and made into slaves due to crimes they have committed against the Benshira peoples.   Wadrass also has a set of prominent temples to the Gods Syna and Yahal.   A small priesthood exists there for devoted worshipers among the Benshira.   Wadrass has no walls, no boundaries and because of that its location and dimensions shifts with the sands and the changing of the oasis waters.   People come and go from Wadrass at all bells of the day.  And the city itself has no real governance other than family councils that comprise the Benshira that happen to be at the city when trouble breaks out.
+=====Malrion=====
+[[File:Suncattle.jpg|left|frame| The Sun Cattle of The Benshira.]]
+The mage city of Eyktol is a source of danger to the Benshira.  More often than not, their excess Tiach are purchased in the markets of Wadrass and end up serving in Malrion.  The captured children of the Benshira who exhibit mage gifts also tend to end up in Malrion as The Devoted.   Benshira are welcome in the city and treated cordially.  They are often found plying their wares in the Market and Malrion’s Devoted, female mages at the top of the city’s society, include a handful of Benshira among their ranks.  As with anyone who lives in or visits Malrion, Benshira must take great care of how they display or speak of anything tied to religion else risk breaking the Magelord’s strict laws governing such things.
+=====Other Cities=====
+Endrykas sometimes comes into contact with Benshira who live on the northern boarders.  Relations with the Drykas are fairly open and tend to work out well.   The Drykas are perhaps some of the only outsiders that may be welcomed in Benshira tribes for extended visits.  These relationships may speak of historical common ancestry, though there are no records yet discovered surviving the Valterrian that can verify these suspicions.
+The Benshira Tribes do trade with the Svefra on the fringes of their territories during the heart of the Summer.  Many tribes of these nomadic peoples can be found in coastal encampments along the shores of the Suvan Sea and Western Sea respectfully.  Summer for the Benshira often involves fishing and gathering at such locations, though the coasts of Eyktol are less rich in resources than the coasts of more northern milder climates like Cyphrus and Sylira.
+Other cities in Eyktol and beyond will be added to this write up as their rewrites and developments go forward.
 ==Biology==
 ===Physical Appearance===
-[[File:Benshira2.jpg|right|frame| Eyes like water in a desert.]]
+[[File:Eyes.jpg|right|frame| Our eyes tend to give our heritage away.]]
+The Benshira are one of the smaller races in Mizahar.  They are not quite as diminutive as the Inarta, but straight humans definitely can easily grow taller and heavier.  Their skin is a golden olive that protects them from the sun.  It tends to darken with exposure and rarely burns unless extreme situations or ill health have affected the individual.   Hair color can vary widely with the most common being black or dark chestnut brown.  However, blondes and redheads are not unheard of either.   The one unifying trait to the Benshira are their eye shape and color. Benshira have wide large eyes that are a distinctive trait among them.  They enjoy deep richly colored eyes ranging from a brown so dark it looks black to a vibrant golden gaze that is almost reminiscent of the burning orb of Syna in the sky.  The vast majority of Benshira have eyes that can be described as Topaz or Gold, though Hazel sometimes crops up.   A pureblood Benshira with blue, green, or blue-green eyes is almost never heard of, though when it happens they tend to have a hard time among their people - considered unlucky and often get exiled or excuses are used to quickly gain them Tiach status.
+===Common Traits===
+[[File:Benshirafemale5.jpg|left|frame| We take great pride in our family and our lifestyles.]]
+Because The Benshira are endogamous, inbreeding can become a problem though their gathering at Wadrass for tribal trade in goods and young people via marriage has done a lot to augment these issues.  The noted lack of influx of fresh blood has left a people who are prone to certain problems.  They have a noted smaller adult size, reduced birth rate, reduced fertility, higher infant and child mortality, reduced immune functions, higher rates of heart disease and far more common occurrence of genetic disorders than most races.  As medicine advances on Mizahar, these issues are coming to light among the very traditionalist Benshira and there are younger generations that are trying to smooth the way to bringing in outsiders to augment their numbers, increase their knowledge of outside skills, and overall improve the bloodlines.  Oddly enough the Tiach among the Benshire often don't suffer these issues since they often interbreed with outsiders and have larger healthier children with higher birth rates.
-Benshiras are a subset of humans. They have skin tanned from the desert sun and hair in all shades of brown, from reddish to dark. What makes them striking is the lightness of their eyes: crystal shades of frosty blue and green.
+The Benshira enjoy an astonishing connection to their animals, the desert, and each other.  Outsiders have often noted the way The Benshira are with animals often could be classified as Preternatural in nature or even perhaps magical.  The Benshira make no claims to lost discplines of animal magics, though if they indeed possessed such knowledge, it would never leave the tribes.
-Women wear their hair long and sometimes braided. Older men wear beards while younger men keep facial hair very trim.
-When it comes to adornment, women pierce their ears and often their noses, and sometimes wear decorative veils hung with flattened discs of precious metal.
-For attire, men and women alike wear an ankle length tunic with short sleeves tied at the waist with a cord. Over this, men wear long light coats in brilliant colors and striping, and women arrange colorful shawls over their shoulders and head. Men also wear a simple head covering to protect them from the sun, usually in a solid color and held in place by a circlet. Leather sandals are the only footwear Benshiras don.
 ===Psychology===
+[[File:Benshiraman6.jpg|right|frame| We have a renowned way with animals.  We consider them family.]]
-The Benshira race has been marked by suffering and redemption. Their own stubbornness has often been the cause of their misfortunes, but like chastised children they run to merciful Yahal to save them. Because of their experiences, most are devoted to family, their god, and embracing life. It is a miracle they still exist as a people and they are fully aware of it.
+The Benshira have a rare mixture of kindness and ferocity in their nature.  They are incredibly loyal and honorable in their endeavors, and understand that they have to rely on each other for survival in the desert.  Their laws are strict but fair, and their family units are often nurturing though they are fairly hands on and the schooling of children comes early.  Benshira pride themselves on the truth and in not telling it, they believe they will suffer ill luck and fortune.   Their trades are often fair and their work for wages given an honest effort.  Children work from an early age, almost as soon as they can hold a tool even if its just gathering up dung to burn on the fires or making sure animals are watered.  A strong ethic is ingrained in the young of the tribes early and they are taught oral traditions and the stories of their people from birth.
-Despite their generous nature, Benshiras tend to be wary of more animalistic races and magi. They will often make wards with their hands or cross to the other side of the street if met with one. Their caution, however, is well-founded. One of their own, Sagallius, was one of the most destructive magi in Mizaharian history, and the animalistic races are undoubtedly dangerous.
+===Reproduction===
+[[File:Benshiraman2.jpg|left|frame| We are all united in the safety, security and happiness of our families.]]
+Benshira are polygamous, however their polygamy is earned not a given.  Males rule the household and will marry as early as eighteen years of age.  They are considered men at fifteen, but often have adult responsibilities from twelve years of age on.  The wealth of a family is measured in the skill of the patriarch at a craft, animal husbandry, or his prowess with a blade.  Because the Benshira have a lower birth rate and sometimes fertility issues, the value of a woman varies slightly from that of a man.  If a woman is of child bearing age, she is married.  Girls as young as thirteen can be married off, knowing the sooner and the earlier they have children, the more likely those offspring are going to be to survive.  The more prowess a woman has at a craft or a blade, even a skill such as healing, the more desirable she will be to take as a wife.   These are traits that are considered highly inheritable by the Benshira who often seek to strengthen their families and ultimately the tribe.  If a woman has been married for more than a year without bringing children to a marriage, she can be released by the husband and is free to marry again.  If the husband is proven to be the issue by taking multiple wives, those women can be released by the tribal elders from the marriage to marry elsewhere to someone who can give them children.
+[[File:Desertbred.jpg|right|frame| The Desertbred of The Benshira.]]
+Males can marry once at any skillset or wealth level, though their choices will increase with the increase of wealth.  Women are not forced to marry, though it is culturally expected of them and they have their choice of males.  Obviously, wealthier males who are better providers are more appealing than impoverished males with little to no skill or material possessions.  However, males can take a second wife if they master a second skill and thus are considered wealthy enough to support such a thing.  Current wives have no say in the acquisition of additional wives.  Wealth in the tribes are often measured by the number and health of a herd, the number of children and health of those children in a family, and the ability of the adults to provide for and defend their families.
 ==Society==
+[[File:Benshirafemale4.jpg|right|frame| My Tribe is the center of my life.]]
-===Social Structure===
+The Tribes of The Benshira are divided into seven groups with each group having a specialty sort of animal they specialize in raising and breeding.   Each group can have multiple animals such as sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, oryx, ostriches & [[taurida]], or even [[sun cattle]].  However, only a specific tribe is known for their exceptional raising of these individual breeds and are considered 'the best' stock of the Benshira.  All tribes keep fowl of multiple sorts for their meat.  All Benshira keep dogs for the guarding and herding of flocks, even those known for their non-herding livestock.
-When Biyram left his family's land and ventured to Eyktol, he was led by Yahal, and when his family began to grow, they continued to be led by Yahal. Out of Biyram's children, Rapa was the most devout, and kind. Yahal chose Rapa and his sons to be his priests and carry out his religious rituals. To this day, only the sons of Rapa may be priests and it is the duty of the other Benshiras to help sustain them as they travel from encampment to encampment conducting rites and ministering to the people. The life of a son of Rapa is not one of excess, but one of travel and study. They are usually the most learned of the Benshira and tend to be jacks-of-all trades. Sons of Rapa do not rely wholly on charity, but work amongst those they teach. A good Rapa is both beloved and respected by the Benshira.
+All tribes teach a wide variety of skills, offering apprenticeships and opportunities for people to learn.  Magic is not taboo among the Benshira so a wide variety of the magical arts is also taught among tribes.  No one tribe is overly skilled in any single magic or craft unless it is mentioned below along with the individual tribes' animal specialty. Individual families are not listed within the tribes because multiple branches of the same family can exist across multiple tribes.
-After the collapse of Hazhadar and the death of Menuseh's line, the Benshiras looked to Yahal for guidance. He appointed a Prophet that served until death. If the Prophet was true to Yahal, he would appoint his successor by giving him a handwritten section of the Penita Scroll he found comforting during his time as a Prophet. If the Prophet turned away from Yahal, Yahal would strike the Prophet dead, then appoint another Prophet through divine signs. A Prophet can come from any line and be of either gender. These Prophets are the informal leaders of the Benshira, and serve as the voice of Yahal. Stubborn as the Benshiras are, they do not always listen to their Prophets, and heads of families will defy them. Rebellion can prove disastrous if the Prophet was truly speaking the word of Yahal. The divine consequences are sometimes immediate or visited on the offender's children.
+[[File:Weddinggarb.jpg|left|frame| A Benshira man in wedding/festival garb.]]
+=====The Kois=====
-Most Benshiras wander the desert as shepherds, establishing vast tent cities for months at a time. They move in communities of families called "Tents". A wife is brought to her husband's "Tent", and will live with him in their own tent amidst those of his family's. If disagreements arise or lack of space becomes an issue, sons may break off from the Tents of their family's and begin their own.
+The Kois Tribe is noted for their breeding of Desertbred horses.  They have the swiftest strongest horses in Eyktol and thus have the second largest territoy second only to the Lisuli who can travel further with their camels than any of the other Benshira Tribes.   The Kois are also known for their singers.  Almost everyone in the tribe singings, and when they have entered conflict with other tribes and have engaged in battles, their battle songs are legendary.
-In Yahebah, Benshira live in their own homes made of straw and mud bricks, in close proximity to their family.
-===Language===
+=====The Lisuli=====
-The Benshira speak Shiber a somewhat slurred sounding language with an innate rhythm. Outsiders note the common use of the "Sh", "Ah", "El" and "Y" sound. Consonants are often paired for unique almost glottal sounds. While the language seems rushed when spoken, it has an startling beauty and liveliness when sung.
+The Lisuli Tribe breeds a wide variety of camels for the entirety of the Benshira.  They have racing camels, long distance traveler camels, and camels that can pack their weight or more on their backs for days across the desert without water.  For this reason, the Lisuli tend to travel with more things over the longest distances in Eyktol since they have dray camels that are designed for such work.   The Lisuli are incredible weavers as well and its often noted that their animals, tents, and indeed people are decked out colorfully in an almost garish manner.
-Their written language is fully developed with an alphabet system.
-===Names===
+=====The Rhagha=====
-In Benshira culture, surnames are small biographies. They are derived from the name of the oldest living patriarch and the genealogy from the father's connection to a son of Biyram. For Example, a daughter named Bekah whose father was a direct descendant of a male heir of Rapa, but she married into a family whose oldest patriarch is Alachi (who is a direct descendant of Havid), would say:
+The Rhagha are the sheepherders of Eyktol.  They can produce more meat on almost no grazing than any other Tribe.  They are often in conflict with other tribes in areas that the tribes share land with for the way their sheep crop the ground - pulling roots and all from the ground - rather than simply nipping off the green edible parts of a plant - cause the rest of the tribes to rather dislike them and often blame them  (not without reason) for the devastation of bits of land they linger too long on.   The Rhagha are masters of felting due to their inexhaustible supply of wool.  They make their clothing of felt and most of their tents and furnishings are made of felt.  The felt the Rhagha make are in high demand and get a premium price at markets worldwide.  In addition to sheep, the Rhagha are known for their tough desert donkeys that they raise among the sheep for the protection of the sheep against jackals and wolves.
-"Bekah, from the tents of Alachi, of the sons of Rapa."
+=====The Beldra=====
-Bekah's unmarried daughter, Amar, would say:
+The Beldra are an interesting Tribe.  They raise Sun Cattle, which are enormous semi-intelligent beasts with hides of burnished gold, coal, bronze, and copper.   Sporting large horns that sweep back and upwards, the horns of the Sun Cattle help the animals cool and keep them relaxed in the heat of the desert.  Sun cattle can pull wagons and be used as a pack animal.  The Children of the Beldra often ride them as well, finding them sturdy mounts when the tribe is on the move.  Because of their cattle, the Beldra are well able to travel as far, though not as fast, as other more mobile tribes.  And they can indeed carry more with them.  Most of the blacksmithing done among the Benshira is done via the Beldra Tribe.  They make fine weapons, armor, and any sort of metal fastener or tool one might need to use.
-"Amar, from the tents of Alachi, of the sons of Havid."
+[[File:Benshiraman4.jpg|right|frame| A cherished elder of the Nitai Tribe.]]
+=====The Danisa=====
-Further examples of female first names:
+The Danisa raise ostriches and taurida, and are famous for hosting races of such creatures.  The Taurida are bigger birds than the ostriches and can be ridden much like horses.  Ill tempered, both the ostriches and taurida are dangerous to those not used to handling them.   They provide meat and eggs to the Dansia and are oddly one of the only tribes to farm these animals due to their ill temper.  The Danisa often keep milk animals, but will not tolerate chickens in their ranks due to the aggression of the larger birds.   They do not keep horses either, since the two species tend to not get along well.  Renown potters, it is thought the Danisa add ostrich and taurida shell to their glazes to get astonishingly beautiful glazes on fired pottery.   Throughout Eyktol, hidden deep in Danisa territory, are a series of kilns the Danisa have built and use as they migrate back and forth across Eyktol.
-Mirian, Rakell, Zeruah, Estra, Sarahi, Bethsa, Nayomi, Ja'el
+[[File:Oryx.jpg|left|frame| The large fleet antelope Oryx of the Selban Tribe.]]
+=====The Selban=====
-The Sons of Abiyram and their attributes:
+The Selban are a somewhat smaller more mysterious tribe of the Benshira.  They tend to have paler hair, often times almost white, that is said to match the livestock they raise.  Oryx, large fleet desert antelope are what the Selban specialize in.  They provide meat, cheese, milk, and blood to the Selban.  Because of their rideability, the Oryx can give the Selban the classification of the ghosts of the Benshira.  This tribe can travel fast and light, living with very few possessions, and can materialize and vanish in the desert at will.   The Oryx have a unique ability to leave no tracks as they pass which adds to the mystic of The Selban tribe which are near impossible to find unless they want to be found.  Within this tribe, the women are more prone to be the warriors, often chosen by the Oryx to be riders due to their lighter weight and improved finesse in the saddle. But despite the warrior tendencies of the Selban, this tribe is also known for making amazing instruments and drums.  Some of the best musicians in Benshira history are Selban.
+[[File:Musicalinstruments.jpg|right|frame|Music is part of every Benshira's life.]]
-*Rapa, the kind
+=====The Nitai=====
-*Benha, the honest
-*Havid, the courageous
-*Jeroab, the just
-*Aysaw, the determined
-*Hirem, the strong
-*Eliada, the peaceful
-*Basalom, the beautiful
-*Jaben, the patient
-*Malech, the clever
-===Family Life===
+If ever there was a stereotypical tribe of the Benshira, it would be the Nitai.  These herders have very few horses and sun cattle, instead preferring to live with their beloved goats and walk afoot almost everywhere they go.  They prefer the speed of their goats, and live a very simple devote lifestyle.  They own what they can carry on their backs, having small tents and limited resources.  However, it is thought that the Nitai Benshira know the deserts of Eyktol far better than any other race, even the other tribes of their own.  Because of their simple lifestyles, however, the Nitai are more vulnerable than other tribes and often have fewer warriors.  Because of this fact, it is not uncommon for Nitai to join with other tribes for short periods of time as the tribes migrate around.   And it is more than true if a Benshira has a need to disappear, they can find sanctuary among the Nitai regardless of what tribe they originally are from.   The Nitai are said to be the keepers of the oral histories of the Benshira and the most devote among the tribes.
-Benshira men are the providers and fighters, and make decisions as to where their family will move or remain. The oldest patriarch with the clearest mind will mind the daily affairs of a Tent.
+===Social Structure===
+[[File:Oldwoman.jpg|left|frame| We craft food that is astonishing.]]
-The first Prophet, or rather Prophetess, was Ziborah. She was a wise woman who gave council from beneath a palm tree, now thought sacred. Under her guidance, the Benshira defeated the wicked leaders of their then oppressors, the Scyreaons, a nation that has since died out. Because of her, the patriarchal system of the Benshiras began to loosen and allow women greater autonomy. Older women are looked to for wisdom, and it is the woman who governs the matters of a household. Sons are taught to honor their mother, and daughters to learn from them. Benshiras often say that a good wife or daughter is like a stream in the desert.
+As touched on earlier, the Benshira as a whole is an umbrella term used to describe the loose organization of seven tribes of desert nomads in the Eyktol region.  These seven tribes are further divided down into families that share a common tent or grouping of tents.  Families are further broken down into a Patriarch which beneath resides his wife or wives, then their children, and then their guests, servants, and tiach.  Wives have a hierarchy not dependent upon order of marriage but based on how many healthy children they produce.  Children are usually lumped together though age factors into the chores assigned and the importance of the child to the family.  Animals are treated according to the hierarchy enjoyed by the families they belong too.  The tribes themselves have no hierarchy over each other.  They are simply experts in their fields.  Each Tribe is lead by the eldest male (still able too) in the tribe who is drawn form the eldest male leader of each family.  When the tribes get together, the tribal leaders will meet, but a larger gathering of family leaders will also meet.
+[[File:Benshirafemale6.jpg|right|frame| We belong to the desert.  The desert is our Mother.]]
-====Marriage====
+When the tribes travel, not all families travel together.  Family groups can split off and spread out the grazing of their herds.  Unlike the Drykas, they do not move every three or four days.  Instead, the tribes move when the grazing is depleted, and tend not to follow any particular pathways other than moving inwards as winter falls and moving outwards from the center of Eyktol when summer is upon them.
-[[File:BenWed.jpg|left|frame| The covering of the bride.]]
-Marriages are commonly arranged through the joint effort of both the mother and father of the bride. The father is obligated to evaluate the groom's ability to provide and the reputation of the groom's family. The mother is present in marriage negotiations to represent the tastes of the daughter, judging whether the groom's looks and personality are pleasing. When entering a marriage, the bride is given a single piece of jewelry or an object of great worth from her betrothed. That object will be her property alone, never to be shared. The bride's family, however, must produce a dowry of cattle, fine fabric and a weapon of some sort to give to the groom and his family.
-Marrying a non-Beshira, a ''Rakva'', is strongly discouraged, marrying outside the race is grounds to disown. This attitude prevails to protect the dwindling numbers of Benshiras and to keep from repeating the disaster that occurred when the young Benshiras were seduced by the Eypharians.
+===Language===
-The marriage ceremony is an elaborate affair requiring several days and is of great significance to the family. A bride to be will reside in the groom's parent's Tent, or that of his nearest kin, while the groom enters the desert to pray to Yahal or his patron deity. This will last between two to seven days, during which the bride is pampered by the groom's family and learns more about them. Everyday the bride is dressed in wedding clothes, and the wedding party assembles in hope of the groom's return.
+The Benshira speak the [[Shiber]] language.  Shiber is a very musical lyrical language that has a poetic cadence to it that lends itself to song.   Some of the most beautiful songs in the world are sung in Shiber and get translated later to Common.  Shiber has a written component as well which is an alphabetic rather than pictorial sort.  The Benshira keep their written records on wadj, which is a paper made from desert plants that is particularly sturdy in the heat.  Caches of Benshira records lie all throughout Eyktol, hidden away so the tribes do not have to carry them.   There is a small library in Wadrass that houses some of the more important and popular writings of the Benshira.
-The timing of the groom's return is a mystery. He may arrive at sunrise, the middle of the night or the afternoon. All the while, the wedding party is in close proximity to one another. A friend of the bride will keep watch for the groom during the day and alert the household upon his arrival, during the night a friend of the groom will keep watch and awaken the slumbering guests should the groom appear. No matter the hour, when the groom arrives, the wedding begins.
+[[File:Ass.jpg|left|frame| The large donkeys of the Rhagha Tribe protect their sheep.]]
-Prior to the ceremony, the bride is covered in an elaborate veil, made by the groom's female kin, and the groom is dressed in the finest the bride's family or friends have to offer.
+===Names===
-A Benshira wedding ceremony begins with a brief exchange of promises overseen by a Rapa in which tokens of affection are exchanged. Typically, brides are given earrings and men are given rings. The Rapa will then bless the couple.
+Within the Benshira, each individual person has three names.  The first given name is how the individual is identified.  The middle name is the representation of their genetic linage within any given tribe.  The last name always honors the tribe and their tribal identity.  When a person is stripped of their place in the tribes and turned Tiach, they loose the right to use their middle and last names.
-After the ceremony, the real celebration begins as the families feast and drink for the rest of the day. During this time, toasts are made, songs are sung and dancing is rampant. Commonly a talented pair of artists, be it dancers or singers, will each perform a piece dedicated to the bride or groom. Some performances extol the subject's virtue and beauty, while others share a significant story of the couple's love.
+Each member of the tribe takes on the tribal name as their last name.  This name will be whatever tribe they reside with so long as they reside with that tribe.  If they change tribes for whatever reason, then they must assume that new and current tribe as their last name.  Their middle names are the family linage names.  So a woman named Kalstami Sumara Lisuli is of the Lisuli Tribe, but her parents were both Sumara Lisuli's.  If she marries, say into the Kois tribe, her name will change to Kastami Sumara Kois or to whatever tribe her husband belongs too.  Her children's middle name will be her husbands middle name, since the Benshira are patrilineal.  If Kastami married another Kois - which is likely, her name would not change upon her marriage.  The Sumara family could reside across multiple tribes so there could be branches in the Kois, Lisuli and other tribes simultaneously.
+[[File:Tentinside.jpg|right|frame| We make everything we need and live well.]]
-When all the food is gone and the jugs of wine are empty, the celebrations end and the bride and groom retreat to the groom's tent.
+Given names are decided by both the parents of the offspring.   Children born outside of marriage are given the middle name of Ommos - meaning bastard - with a tribal name of whatever tribe they were born too.   Ommos children and adults carry the stigma with them always and are often considered undesirable folks for wedding matches unless they are incredibly skilled.  Ommos children also find apprenticeships with craftsman, in the trades, and even with healers or animal handlers hard to come by.  They are often forced to work menial labor and are often treated somewhat worse than tiach, which are often considered valuable members of a tribe.
-===Everyday Life===
+===Everyday Family Life===
-Merely surviving in the desert requires ample time and work. Daily life is given over to the joyous struggle of acquiring and cultivating what fulfills a Benshira's basic needs. However, Benshiras have a sharp divide to their labor and leisure. Unless it is dire they continue, Benshiras turn away from traditional labor no later than two bells after sunset. In the evening, Benshiras eat with their immediate families and gather with their neighbors, who are usually their extended family. Depending on the day, there are either religious ceremonies, a word from the patriarch or prophet, celebrations, song and dance or a mixture of all four. This gathering time is called the "Masha", or weaving.
+Life in the Benshira Tribes is simple and consists of work, more work, and even more work.  From sunrise to sunset, the Benshira family units will work to hunt, herd, gather food, and protect their assets.  At night, the herds are usually driven into the center of the circle of family tents that a traveling group of a specific tribe had and then watched by older children and livestock dogs throughout the night.   In the evening, a group meal is served and there is often song and dance to end the day.
+[[File:Wadrassmarket.jpg|left|frame| We gather in Wadrass to trade and hear news.]]
-When in Yahebah, Benshiras ply whatever trade is useful to sustaining the city and one another, be it leather work or carpentry. The most common trade is farming the stubborn land. It can be coaxed to bear grapes, and olive trees, much else requires especial attention.
+Every day when the sun is high overhead, Benshira often take a full bell to pray to their chosen gods and to perform meditations and silent prayers between the 1130 and 1230 bells.   Naps are not frowned upon during the hottest part of the day in the summer, though in the winter those same periods of rest will be used for periods of study.  Benshira tend to the education of their children and take lessons very seriously.   Often, one woman - usually barren - is the teacher in the tribe and will school all the children together.  It is also not unheard of for a wounded warrior or herder who cannot ride or herd any more to assume similar duties.
-Benshiras who wander the desert are consumed with their daily quest for water and edible desert grass for their cattle. Defending flocks and finding food is enough work to satisfy a days time, but there are also the matters of mending tents, making fabrics, charting paths and whatever other chores arise.
+When guarding livestock, it is not uncommon for Benshira youth to practice their weapons, race their horses, or challenge their dogs.  They enjoy games involving Benshira sports, and often will compose poetry or songs to sing or speak to their loved ones.   Benshira culture is rich and they keep themselves busy.  Empty or listless hands are often put to use immediately, even if it is just to chop vegetables or to clean clothing.  The older and more studied a Benshira gets, the more they will devote their time to their profession and less time to chore type situations.
+[[File:Nailknives.jpg|right|frame| Everything is art - our bodies, our weapons, our cloth, even our animals.]]
 ===Art and Industry===
-Benshiras are predominantly shepherds. Either gender will guard the flock, and both are taught to wield slingshots for this duty. When predators come to snatch away goats and desert cows, a speeding rock to the skull does wonders to deter them.
+Being nomads, the Benshira don't get mired down in city life too often unless they are stopping in Wadrass for trade reasons.  This gives them far more time than one might suspect, being out in the desert even with limited access to raw materials, to practice inventive crafting.  As a result, they have channeled many of their creative aspects into art.  They leave nothing without decoratation.  Simple flatware will often be elaborately etched.  Dinnerware will be painted elaborately.  Hems of shirts and cuffs of sleeves are rarely without embroidery.  Even the development and wearing of cosmetics for women is an art among the Benshira.   They do it for the love of art.  They do it as a form of worship to their deities.  Syna is honored on the bridles of horses in the form of elaborately tooled sunbursts.  Yahal is honored in a million feathered fringes on the edges of stockings.  Leather bags, vests, even gloves are adorned with images of family, symbolism of tribes, and the merits of the power the item holds.  For the Benshira believe that everything has power, its just a matter of tapping it.  And they've made a grand trade of this belief.
-If a Benshira woman is not a shepherd then she is occupied with the task of milking the goats or making wool and hair into fabric. This fabric is sturdy and shows color exceptionally well. Fabric made from Goat hair is the primary material for tents. It has the valued properties of insulation from cold and relief from heat.
-Pottery occupies either sex, and Benshiras and Chaktawe often learn various methods from one another, so their art is similar.
+Benshira crafted music, instruments, leather workings, and even trained animals are all sought by the outside world.  The best of the best, the Benshira keep to themselves.   But anything they consider cull worthy can be traded.  So even though the outside world covets their art and the results of their science, the outside world never sees the true beauty of the Benshira because they withhold it for themselves.  They have jewelers and other unusual masters like weaponssmiths among them.
-Both genders also practice Benshira forms of healing, but only the women make medicinal teas and teas for pleasure. Desert herbs and spices are rare treats, and Benshira tea is coveted across the empire.
+[[File:Axe.jpg|left|frame| Our weapons are works of art.]]
-Near Yahebah, there remains some farmable land. It is not as lush as an oasis, but the soil of the nearby southern coast improves the quality of the land around the city. Benshiras here farm olive trees and vineyards, making wine and oil for all wiling to trade. The Eypharians, however, prefer beer and palm oil and look down on Benshira agriculture.
+===Weapons===
-The Benshiras are also lively singers, dancers and musicians. These arts are incorporated into their worship of Yahal and all their celebrations: weddings, engagements, births, coming of age, etc. Benshira instruments are mostly stringed, lyres, harps, guitars, or percussion, drums and tambourines, with the rare wooden flute.
+The Benshira enjoy numerous weapons, much like the rest of Mizahar.  They are particularly adept at spears, axes, and curved swords or daggers.  Scimitars are a favorite, as are bows that give the Benshira more distance. Herders are particularly skilled at whips, though they rarely use them on animals.  A typical bull-whip wielding Benshira is often skilled enough to take out an opponents eye at the reach of the whip with a flick of their whip.   Women among the Benshira have a secret weapon they love using.  They love wearing decorative metal tips on their fingers which are often razor sharp and can be used as weapons in hand to hand combat.   These fingertip blades are decorated to look like elaborate jewelry, though they are deadly.  The Benshira call them Fias meaning 'claws' in Shiber and almost always teach their daughters to use them from an early age.
-Dancing is vibrant and often conducted in circles with frequent use of props such as scarves or small bells. Benshira songs range between stories of victory and poems of praise. One rare form of song is a call and answer sung by the lover and the beloved, sometimes these archetypal parts are only adopted for a performance. More often, the songs are sung by true lovers on their wedding day.
+[[File:Curved dagger.jpg|right|frame| Our weapons are works of art.]]
 ===Religion===
-[[Yahal]], the god of faith and purity, is the patron deity of the Benshiras. Yahal has taken special care to preserve and bless their race based on the faith Biyram had in him, and made the path straight for the rise of their culture.
+Primarily worshiping Yahal, Rhaus, Tyveth, and Syna, the Benshira honor their Gods and Goddesses daily.  They are well aware that their deities walk among them as their legends are full of the stories of such visits.  Other Gods and Goddesses are known and worshiped among the Benshira, though they hold a special place in their heart for the quadrad as they call them.  Being Syna's Consort, Leth is also acknowledged and worshiped, as most of their family gatherings take place beneath his light.   Akajia is prayed to as the Night Mother to hold their herds safe through the night.  Enemies of their chosen Gods and Goddesses have become The Benshira's enemies.  Rhysol particularly hates the Benshira due to their passion for order and discipline and targets members of their race whenever he can.  When a Benshira does something to his kind or to damage his faith - such as sack one of his temples - there will be no mercy and no forgetting the slight in the eyes of the deity.
-Faithfulness to Yahal is demonstrated through three different ways: sacrifice, trust and prayer.
+There are many other Gods and Goddesses that are welcomed among the Benshira.  Rak'keli with her healing and Makutsi with her rain.  The Benshira still mourn the fall of Aquiras - for they are the people of travel.  As such, Sagallius is one of their immortal enemies.  They love Semele like a mother and step barefoot on her soil daily to honor her.  Zulrav is honored and feared due to the rolling sandstorms he can bring.  The Benshira honor life, death, and all the things in between.  They are deeply reverent and it has not been unheard of for one of the Gods to live among them for years, learning and experiencing life as they experience it.  For even the Gods understand that the Benshira's life is hard, but beautiful and sometimes they covet - if only for a little while - what mortals do.
-Sacrifice can be literal or figurative. Literal sacrifices are burnt on a marble altar in his temple in Yahebah and can be of incense, purely white doves and cattle. The cooked food that remains is to be given to the needy. Figurative sacrifices can be the temporary relinquishing of some activity and replacing it with prayer or reading [[Penita Scrolls]].
-Trusting Yahal is a high form of praise. It is exhibited through the follower's peace of mind as he goes where Yahal leads. Sometimes Yahal's commands do not make earthly sense, so a follower must exercise trust in Yahal's goodness. Biyram leaving his wealthy father's land for an empty desert is a common example of trust in Yahal.
+===Race Relations===
-Prayer is not always petitioning Yahal with needs. Often it is singing praise or thanks for what Yahal has done in the follower's life. Prayer can be with or without words. It is the act of communing with Yahal and his principles. Many female Benshira claim dance is the form of prayer that speaks to their spirit most.
+Please be aware its not easy for  Benshira to allow strangers into their communities.  It is always a very special circumstance that a non-Benshira would live among the Benshira.  That being said, the Benshira do have opinions on other races.
+[[File:Benshiraman1.jpg|right|frame| Our ingenuity and adaptability is one of our best weapons.]]
+* '''Akalak''':  These warriors are often welcomed among the Benshira for short times.  The Benshira as a whole are unaware of their dual nature, but they respect the Akalak due to the religions both of them have in common.
+* '''Akvatari''': While finding them somewhat melodramatic and depressing, the Benshira recognize Akvatari as fellow artists.  They just wish they were a little more cheerful in their endeavors and thus avoid them if at all possible.
+* '''Chaktawe''': Virtually extinct, the Benshira view the Chaktawe as drains on their own precious resource and normally conflict arises between the two groups.
+* '''Charoda''': This aquatic race is virtually unknown in Eyktol and there are no relations with the Benshira due to the heat.
+* '''Dhani''': Of all the non-human races, the desert dwelling vipers and rattlers are the most welcome among the Benshira.
+* '''Ethaefal''': Thought of as strange and celestial, Benshira treat them with distance and respect. However, if their ‘normal side’ is a race feared or hated such as Symenestra or Zith, they will be executed as soon as this fact is discovered.
+* '''Eypharian''': Thought of as arrogant, this race is unwelcome in the tents of the Benshira since they tend to like to enslave the Benshira.
+* '''Ghost''': The Benshira have an inate dislike of ghosts. They feel ancestors must move on and not linger bringing dishonor and bad luck.
+* '''Humans''': Humans are always treated with caution for no two are alike.
+**        '''Drykas''': Respected neighbors and honored guests, especially in the north.
+**        '''Inarta''': Rarely seen in Eyktol, they are treated as exotic normal humans.
+**        '''Mixed''': Generally treated the same as straight humans.
+**        '''Svefra''': Heavily trade with the Benshira during the summer when they are on the coast.
+**        '''Vantha''': Almost unheard of in Eyktol, they are unknowns to the Benshira.
+* '''Isur''': Isur are rare in Eyktol and have an almost legendary status among the tribes.  The Benshira do tell stories of the Mountain Kingdoms.
+* '''Jamoura''': The Benshira have had almost no contact with this rare race in Eyktol and have no opinions on them.
+* '''Kelvics''': Falling into the same category of their livestock, Kelvics are perhaps the only race fully welcomed into the tents of the Benshira.
+* '''Konti''': Welcomed as revered healers and seers. They are discouraged from traveling deep into the desert but often if one is lost or freed from slavery she will be escorted to the coast by the Benshira.
+* '''Mixed Blood''': See each part of the combination for reaction. Part Syms and Part ziths fall under full blooded status for the purpose of the Benshira's viewpoint and these individuals are executed on sight.
+* '''Myrians''': The ethics and societal values of the Myrians conflict heavily with the Benshira so the resulting entanglements rarely end without bloodshed.
+* '''Nuit''': Killed on sight.
+* '''Pycon''': Considered magical and unpredictable, the Benshira don't see Pycon as a true race.
+* '''Symenestra''': Males are slain on sight. Females are escorted from Benshira territory immediately.
+* '''Zith''': Hunted and killed on sight.
+==Active Benshira PCs==
+{{Threads
+|title = The Desert's Honorable Children
+|url1 = http://www.mizahar.com/forums/topic404.html
+|thread1 = Abashai
+|desc1 = Benshira Warrior In Exile
+|pic1 = Abashai.jpg
+}}
+==Informative Threads==
+{{Threads
+|title = Information threads
+|url1 = http://http://www.mizahar.com/forums/topic77285.html
+|thread1 = The Benshira Question And Answer Thread
+|desc1 = Gossamer answers questions on the new Benshira Writeup.
+|pic1 = Sykagoss.png
+}}

Benshira

From Mizahar Lore

Current revision as of 01:47, 26 May 2020

Contents

History

The Quas

Relationships With Eyktol Cities

Wadrass

Malrion

Other Cities

Biology

Physical Appearance

Common Traits

Psychology

Reproduction

Society

The Kois

The Lisuli

The Rhagha

The Beldra

The Danisa

The Selban

The Nitai

Social Structure

Language

Names

Everyday Family Life

Art and Industry

Weapons

Religion

Race Relations

Active Benshira PCs

Informative Threads