Post by Horsie on Jan 5, 2015 13:30:15 GMT
The Shulway look like armadillos and have ice and fire magic.
Many centuries ago the Shulway ruled a kingdom of several tribes in eastern Jaydia. Ultimately after a long series of wars this kingdom was destroyed by the rival tribes of the Cansaibe, at the time the dominant power in that part of the world. The Cansaibe were ready to slaughter their defeated enemies and drive them into oblivion, but Eldex intervened to prevent this, as genocide is intolerable to the Wizards.
However, while their lives were saved, Eldex takes no interest in kingdoms and borders and did nothing to save their nation from crumbling. Rather than face slavery or subjugation, the Shulway chose to go into exile. They gathered their belongings and relics, and travelled out across the world, becoming a scattered people without a central leadership.
The Shulway now exist in small communities throughout Jaydia, Vellastrom, and even the Eslum Home Islands, living within their own small communities within other nations. Though they are divided, what unites the Shulway as a people is their religion and the culture that is based around it. The Shulway worship a single being known as Kafaleem, though they rarely speak his name, as it is considered too sacred to speak out loud. They instead refer to him as "The Creator" or "The Great Creator."
The Shulway religion is unusually exclusive; they do not accept other gods as being true gods, instead viewing them as imposters posing as gods. Shulway avoid temples or trappings of any other faith as they believe this will make them ritually unclean. They view The Creator as being the ultimate power in the universe and they are His chosen race. They view their exile as a punishment for having strayed for their god's laws and believe that if they keep to their faith eventually He will restore them to a new homeland.
As well as their sacred writings, many Shulway communities have arks which contain either the remains of past prophets of The Creator, ancient copies of their scriptures or other historical relics from their lost kingdom. These are never opened and not directly touched if at all possible, out of reverence.
It is important to note that Shulway are not nomadic, they have settled communities but scattered across much of the world.
They generally live in their own sections of larger cities of other nations or in small villages within those nations. The Shulway keep to their own kind and their religion forbids marrying outsiders. They are skilled craftsmen and are especially well known for their fine weaving, so they can be a valuable asset for rulers willing to tolerate their presence.
The Shulway lack a military of their own, but their long, strong claws and tough, armoured backs and limbs make them dangerous fighters and they often form their own militias for local defence and security. The most fearsome Shulway are the Nazarites, who have dedicated themselves to the creator by undertaking sacred vows to live a clean life. They train intensively in combat and scripture, often severing ties with friends and relatives to focus entirely on their path. They are able to use dangerous ice and fire magic to summon a cold-burning fire that they can hurl from their hands. Their absolute focus and devotion to their path makes a Nazarite the equal of great numbers of lesser warriors.
The communities don't have a formalised government, living under the governments of others. Their religious leaders, known as rabbis, often become default authorities in their communities. The rabbis are experts in the laws of the Shulway and so can settle and adjudicate disputes within the community. Shulway generally deal with legal matters within their own community whenever possible, only calling on the governments authority when they have no other choice. Rabbis also know the ancient magical secret to construct golems of ice. These creations are ice statues of Shulway warriors that do not melt and glow inside with a strange, bright fire. They are animated by magic and controlled by the rabbis, often carrying an ark when it needs to be moved and defending the people when necessary. A rabbi can only maintain and control a small number of these creations at one time, and the golems have no will or mind of their own, acting only as an extension of the rabbi's will (and the Shulway would argue, in turn, the Creator's will).
Shulway society is patriarchal. All rabbi and Nazarites are men, and men are considered the leaders of the people. Due to the small nature of their communities, however, their organisations in practice are often more informal and within these groups and families women can often wield quite a lot of power.
The Shulway forbid marrying outsiders and homosexuality. Half-castes may be accepted, though their unclean origins leave them open to hostility.
The Shulway are very insular and even those living in a city with a community of them often know almost nothing about them. Those that do get to know them are often surprised by their strange sense of humour. The Shulway hold everything aside from The Creator himself up to mockery and ridicule, using humour to mock hubris and hypocrisy and to make light of the hardships of life. They are quick-witted and clever with words. Their humour can be cheeky but is generally not very insulting or cruel, often containing as much self-depreciation as anything else.
Many centuries ago the Shulway ruled a kingdom of several tribes in eastern Jaydia. Ultimately after a long series of wars this kingdom was destroyed by the rival tribes of the Cansaibe, at the time the dominant power in that part of the world. The Cansaibe were ready to slaughter their defeated enemies and drive them into oblivion, but Eldex intervened to prevent this, as genocide is intolerable to the Wizards.
However, while their lives were saved, Eldex takes no interest in kingdoms and borders and did nothing to save their nation from crumbling. Rather than face slavery or subjugation, the Shulway chose to go into exile. They gathered their belongings and relics, and travelled out across the world, becoming a scattered people without a central leadership.
The Shulway now exist in small communities throughout Jaydia, Vellastrom, and even the Eslum Home Islands, living within their own small communities within other nations. Though they are divided, what unites the Shulway as a people is their religion and the culture that is based around it. The Shulway worship a single being known as Kafaleem, though they rarely speak his name, as it is considered too sacred to speak out loud. They instead refer to him as "The Creator" or "The Great Creator."
The Shulway religion is unusually exclusive; they do not accept other gods as being true gods, instead viewing them as imposters posing as gods. Shulway avoid temples or trappings of any other faith as they believe this will make them ritually unclean. They view The Creator as being the ultimate power in the universe and they are His chosen race. They view their exile as a punishment for having strayed for their god's laws and believe that if they keep to their faith eventually He will restore them to a new homeland.
As well as their sacred writings, many Shulway communities have arks which contain either the remains of past prophets of The Creator, ancient copies of their scriptures or other historical relics from their lost kingdom. These are never opened and not directly touched if at all possible, out of reverence.
It is important to note that Shulway are not nomadic, they have settled communities but scattered across much of the world.
They generally live in their own sections of larger cities of other nations or in small villages within those nations. The Shulway keep to their own kind and their religion forbids marrying outsiders. They are skilled craftsmen and are especially well known for their fine weaving, so they can be a valuable asset for rulers willing to tolerate their presence.
The Shulway lack a military of their own, but their long, strong claws and tough, armoured backs and limbs make them dangerous fighters and they often form their own militias for local defence and security. The most fearsome Shulway are the Nazarites, who have dedicated themselves to the creator by undertaking sacred vows to live a clean life. They train intensively in combat and scripture, often severing ties with friends and relatives to focus entirely on their path. They are able to use dangerous ice and fire magic to summon a cold-burning fire that they can hurl from their hands. Their absolute focus and devotion to their path makes a Nazarite the equal of great numbers of lesser warriors.
The communities don't have a formalised government, living under the governments of others. Their religious leaders, known as rabbis, often become default authorities in their communities. The rabbis are experts in the laws of the Shulway and so can settle and adjudicate disputes within the community. Shulway generally deal with legal matters within their own community whenever possible, only calling on the governments authority when they have no other choice. Rabbis also know the ancient magical secret to construct golems of ice. These creations are ice statues of Shulway warriors that do not melt and glow inside with a strange, bright fire. They are animated by magic and controlled by the rabbis, often carrying an ark when it needs to be moved and defending the people when necessary. A rabbi can only maintain and control a small number of these creations at one time, and the golems have no will or mind of their own, acting only as an extension of the rabbi's will (and the Shulway would argue, in turn, the Creator's will).
Shulway society is patriarchal. All rabbi and Nazarites are men, and men are considered the leaders of the people. Due to the small nature of their communities, however, their organisations in practice are often more informal and within these groups and families women can often wield quite a lot of power.
The Shulway forbid marrying outsiders and homosexuality. Half-castes may be accepted, though their unclean origins leave them open to hostility.
The Shulway are very insular and even those living in a city with a community of them often know almost nothing about them. Those that do get to know them are often surprised by their strange sense of humour. The Shulway hold everything aside from The Creator himself up to mockery and ridicule, using humour to mock hubris and hypocrisy and to make light of the hardships of life. They are quick-witted and clever with words. Their humour can be cheeky but is generally not very insulting or cruel, often containing as much self-depreciation as anything else.