Bakári

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    • Good question... The answer to which will be found in our up and coming World Guide.... I would give you a small sample of it right here and now, except that I accidentally left my copy of the original World Guide at Scott's this week when we were working... Once I reclaim it I will give you a small taste of the treats which the World Guide will contain within its pages...
    • Teenage Mutant Sarpah wrote:

      Darn it! It's supposed to be spelled Bakari can't spell worth a darn these days

      Heh! Don't worry,...I went back and fixed it for you, with the proper little symbols and all!

      Here's the currently-unedited write-up for Bakári, if you'd like to see it!

      Bakári – Isvarate, southwestern land of verdant deltas.

      Ruler: The Isvar Mabrahlan, male Clydesdale stallion.

      Ruling Class: Mainly ungulates (hoofed creatures), though due to rulership carrying through extended familial ties, this may sometimes vary.

      Cultural Paradigm: A combination of North African culture steeped in ritual, with the visual qualities of old royal Ethiopia tempered with a Turkish influence.

      Jánah Type: Mainly ungulates with very little variety of other types of jenu except for felines, very few Paksin and some Sarpah.

      The small southern Isvarate of Bakári has been blessed in many ways. For over six thousand years this tiny nation has grown without conflict, untouched even during the terrible Wars of Twilight when, on the verge of invasion, the legendary Talons of Kramah routed the demonic forces of Visedhárah at Bakári’s very borders, before pushing further north to deal with the menace in Magár. If there can be said to be any trace of barbarism or violence within its lands, it would be the Scourge, wandering bands of desperate bandits, thieves, and raiders who ply the wastes and hidden oases of Bakári’s northwestern shrub-deserts just south of the Sustrümi border. These jánah, a mixture of Paksin, some Sarpah, and a few Vajrah, are composed primarily of outlaws and even outcasts of society from Magár, southern Sustrüm, but especially from the wandering Bhatükar tribes of Amnol, who hurl their societal offenders into the deep deserts, if they are not killed outright. The disfavored jánah who survive such an ordeal sometimes swell the ranks of the Scourge raiders, who range across the vast, burning swath of sands all the way from eastern Amnol through southern Sustrüm, western Magár, and northern Bakári, robbing the caravans of merchants, and waylaying unfortunate travelers. Murder and enslavement often go hand-in-hand with theft, and there are many tales of entire caravans vanishing utterly from their route, never to be seen again. Because of this threat there are few Bakári settlements north of the capital Vitna except for a crystal-mining colony in the Uttara Mountains and several small fishing villages at the edges of the Three Brothers, the large emerald lakes in the northwest. There are no trade routes that pass beyond these lakes, since there are rumors of a great tent city used by the Scourge set near and around the Bahina River, which flows from the mountains in the wilds less than a day’s travel by skyship north of the Sustrümi border. This tent city often moves, it is said, to avoid the occasional patrolling vessels of the Whispering Fleet, and sometimes finds its way beyond the borders and into Bakári lands, where the ships will not pass.

      South of the river Katür, however, the prairies of central Bakári give way to more verdant forests of tall, slim, and very aromatic Takasála trees, which tower over more squat and spiny thick-leafed growth, and as one gets closer to the deltas of the south, a variety of large ground-ferns, the more soft-leafed ambertrees, and an abundance of rich herbal underbrush. Many of the spices used for cooking and incense aromas that are popular in the southern Bhütai nations, such as Magár, Dar-Purám, and even Ishpüria, come from Bakári. Wine is also a popular export of the nation, and has been traded as far away as Amnol, Kütta, and even Háthiyar.

      Though Bakári’s grand capital is set close to shining Lake Gyána, one of the Isvar’s traditionally favorite abodes is his summer home, the Palace of the Hundred Steps, which lies at the mouth of the Basi River, along the southern coast in Nesued on a peninsula overlooking the glittering Svandahn Ocean. A glowing alabaster shrine was long ago erected within the palace to glorify the birthplace of the Blessed Twins who brought an end to the demonic tyrant Ad´hitúmus at the close of the Twilight Wars more than a thousand years before. At the beginning of the month of Akuvára on the first day of summer before the height of Díshjulum, the Rainy Season, holy pilgrimages are undertaken from all across the southern world to celebrate their coming. And though only a select few are allowed to visit the shrine itself, nestled as it is within the heart of the palace, thousands of jánah gather outside to cast libations into the ocean from a grand open-air temple fashioned of the greenest rare marble. These festivities mark the beginning of a week-long revelry known as the Feast of the Seas, where chants and prayers are sung to the devah Hröpa, Lord of all waters, and to Sianáthe his mate, Lady of the deep, thanking them for bringing the mother of the Twins to their shores safely, and for the bounty that continues to spring from the foamy Svandahn.
    • Teenage Mutant Sarpah wrote:

      Thanks SO much! So the ruler is a Clydesdale? Interesting a Domestic Ruler.

      One thing I wonder, are Pigs considered Herd Zoics? I know this may be a dumb question to ask but as Pigs are Omnivorous Ungulates and a bit unusual compared to other ungulates I wasn't sure if they would be considered Herd Zoics or not

      I could certainly see many of them living in Bakári... Of course, they would really never be referred to as "Herd Zoics" in the vernacular of the world itself... The jánah never see themselves as living in "packs" or "flocks" or "herds" or any such "animalistic" groupings... That kind of terminology would be reserved for the suthra of the world...

      By the way!!! Speaking of jánah, there are 90 new Animal Templates in the new Magic and Martial Arts book that JUST came in and is on sale with all the rest of our products!!!! We're doing a huge sale for everything for the next many weeks in celebration of the arrival of the book!!!
      studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/shard
    • Teenage Mutant Sarpah wrote:

      Thanks I as thinking about a part of my Pig Character Si'Ni's life involve one childhood trip from Nilam to Bakari for the Feast of the Seas

      That would be one heck of a journey! Possibly even with the idea that it might have been a pilgrimage, considering the very holy nature of that festival, and its importance to the eventual end of the Twilight Wars...
    • Herd Zoics were what the Ungulates were consistently referred to in the first book I was just going by that terminology. Even if that would only be what we outside observer humans would call them, like the term Zoic

      This is one of the most...Puzzling things for me as a latecomer to this franchise, you consistently say they still got some Animal Instincts influencing their behavior but where the the Animal begin and the Human stop? In a world as dependent on etiquette as Dardunah this particular vagueness about the degree the Animal to Human of the Janah's Psyche is not a good thing
    • Teenage Mutant Sarpah wrote:


      This is one of the most...Puzzling things for me as a latecomer to this franchise, you consistently say they still got some Animal Instincts influencing their behavior but where the the Animal begin and the Human stop? In a world as dependent on etiquette as Dardunah this particular vagueness about the degree the Animal to Human of the Janah's Psyche is not a good thing


      You can see where some of those instincts start and stop within the Drawbacks associated with each animal template. In addition, you can pick out both positive and negative influences of animal instinct within the template descriptions themselves. It is also generally recognized by those following the main faith in Dárdünah that the Great Mother and Father closes the janah in a variety of forms. With that comes the recognition of certain obvious gifts (see Animal Abilities and Talents) but also certain flaws or curses (See Drawbacks). Some of these vessels to clothe the souls of Janah even come with different lifespan. Spread across the various jenu, some types live to be 160 while others die of old age by a mere 40 years old. I think it is understood by everyone in Shard that some of these forms have natural tendencies and so some patience and understanding is expected. Some of those instincts are even quite valued within certain occupations.

      On the other hand, these differences can also be a source of tension in a particular story. A good player knows when to fall back on their own Drawbacks to help keep things in character. There likely is some small prejudice about assumed natures of each janah. Characters who transcend prejudice can be quite inspirational. Opossum are not known to be suited for war but in building an Opossum character, you can spend points to diminish various Drawbacks. Some can even be removed via the expenditure of Story Points.

      Keep in mind though that despite the massive physical difference between various forms, in Dárdünah cats fall in love with deer or dogs as often as they fall in love with some other cat. Alligators can look at ostriches and see the same kind of physical beauty as when they look at a crocodile or a cow. Maybe this is a kind of grace the people in Dárdünah have achieved. Maybe being shaped by the Great Mother and Father, clothed not just their physical form, but their minds as well. They see the Us as easily as we humans see the Them.
    • Teenage Mutant Sarpah wrote:

      I guess what got me really curious is in another forum where describing my life with Autism/Asperger's Syndrome and how as a tot I once felt a need to lick a stranger's calf around a resort pool. And Scott Jones mentioned some Janah have grooming instincts and I just wondered (They actually lick each other?)


      I don't see why some wouldn't groom each other but society that would likely depend upon the concentrations of certain Zoics with a grooming drive and the social context. Just like any other animal tendency in the world of Dárdünah, just because you want to do it, doesn't mean its always appropriate. I imagine it would follow the rules of other public display's of affection and vary from area to area. It might be common among the Sustrümi feline ruling class, but you'd be thought of as kinda weird in an area were there are fewer Zoics with the social grooming drive. Look at something as simple as hand holding in North America versus other parts of the world. Or kissing. When do you kiss someone and who are you allowed or even expected to kiss? That's all cultural variation.

      Now all of this gets passed through the lens of the GM and the players. If I'm running a game and my players find the whole grooming thing weird, I'm not going to focus on that cultural aspect of certain places. The point of the RPG is to have fun, after all.
    • The character I have planned Si'Ni a Danish Landrace Sow with Asperger's Syndrome and daughter of a Teahouse Owner tells a story from her Piglet-Hood based on my story one day a Customer comes in with a Female Mole Slave. Young Si'Ni is entranced by the Mole's Scent and Velvety Fur and so sneaks up close and licks the Slave Girl's exposed calf causing awkwardness for her parents