[center][b]The Akir[/b][/center] [center][img=http://i.imgur.com/82yhACz.png][/center] --- [center][b]Mythos:[/b][/center] --- The mythos of the Akir is relatively clear and concise on the origins of their people and what they believe. Creation began when a great, unknowable entity that was both everything and nothing attempted to make perfection: its failure and subsequent self-destruction shattered its inherent pieces, both everything and nothing, into shards that created all of the known universe in an imperfect image of itself. All that is are made up of these building blocks of creation and that is as far as the Akir care to consider the time before the world. Details about what happened between the beginning of creation and the arrival of the Akir are slim as there are no written records of those times nor are stories told of much consequence about them. As far as the Akir are concerned their importance to the world did not come into effect until Di’een, the celestial patron deity of their people, directed the Akir’s ancestors from the deserts to the south to the rich river basin they now inhabit. The Akir belief system is an oddity in that they claim only a single god as their own, being Di’een, but do not deny the existence of other deities: they simply know that Di’een is their patron. Di’een himself is personified as a powerful and aggressive male deity who promotes strength within his people. His most common symbol is the moon, the astrological body the Akir most associate with him and see as his watchful gaze. Although known for their fanaticism towards Di’een there are actually very few rituals that are commenced in worship of their celestial deity. Most notably are animal sacrifices and duels commenced during the night with Di’een’s gaze locked on the events. Beyond that there are very few rituals expected of worshippers as Di’een is believed to be relatively easygoing with his demands: a god as powerful as Di’een, it is believed, has little need for the gifts and praises of mortals. As well as their worship of Di’een a certain level of ancestor idolization comes into play in the Akir mythos. Certain near-mythical figures throughout their history are widely accepted as the original founders of the many family groupings known as Kabals and are idolized for their particular traits associated with them. A commonly held belief by the Akir is that each man-made object has a spirit all its own, known as Menkir. Generally these spirits are viewed as barely sentient and mostly animalistic but no doubt receive a great deal of respect from their wielders. As said object gets older and has been passed down generations it is believed to keep the knowledge and experience it has gained throughout its existence and a great deal of respect is afforded to wielders of weapons and other such items supposedly wielded by some of the greatest ancestors. --- [center][b]Basic History: [/b][/center] --- Based simply on oral records given by the Akir, their history pre-colonization of the Akur river valley (what we know as the upper kingdom of Egypt) is sparse and lacking. It is stated in the possibly apocryphal tales of the Akir that they were born from the sands to the south and made to travel without goal or direction until Di’een guided them to paradise. It was during this early nomadic past that the concept of the Kabal developed, serving as a loose family unit that bonded the groups together behind one powerful founder. Though the reality of the situation is up to debate most Akir claim descent from these initial ancestors. It wasn’t until the colonization of the Akur river valley that history was recorded frequently through the oral tradition of the Akir and later simplistic writings and art. By this time it is said that the original settlement that would eventually develop into Mulu Alem, the largest settlement in the Akur region, had already been settled. It was at this time that Kabals really came into their own, evolving from simple family groupings into more complex kin groups that had both social and religious importance to Akir peoples. Each of these Kabals, originally “founded” by some legendary individual, carries their name. Currently there are eleven recognized great Kabals, each founded by pre-colonization figures, and numerous lesser Kabals founded both before and after the settlement of the Akur river valley. These eleven recognized great Kabals are Seydonkal, Amankal, Bazinkal, Etefukal, Gedamkal, Hassankal, Kayinkal, Melkukal, Petrokkal, Sirakkal, and Zerekal. With all kabals the suffix -kal is added to the name of it's founder, roughly meaning born of or born from. Since early settlement the Akir have had differing interactions with their neighbors and newcomers to their lands. Often times this has been seen with nomads from the south and west whom the combative Akir frequently battle with over the resources available to them, fighting to defend their promised paradise with a characteristic tenacity commonly linked to their bloodline. A relatively healthy trade relationship has developed between the Akir settlements and the merchants of the Byrn-Na whom frequently travel up river to the Akur valley to trade their wares from the delta with the Akir. Due in large part to coming from a shared language group the two peoples function relatively amicably, further fueled by a shared dislike of nomads and that way of life. --- [center][b]Material Culture:[/b][/center] --- The primary source of food production in Akir society comes from privately owned farmland interspersed along the river, each owned by individual families. Diets are further supplemented by extensive river fishing and to a lesser extent, hunting which is usually viewed as a learning experience and a tool to accrue respect for one’s skill. The staple crops of the Akir are mainly cereals and barley, with cereals serving as the basis of their diet and barley with the intent to be fermented and made into beer. The Akir farms grow other crops to a lesser extent, namely beans, root crops, and salad crops. Although not commonly grown on farms land that contains fruiting plants are generally left alone so that the fruits can be harvested and consumed as a delicacy, especially palm dates. The standard material for construction is mudbrick, using the unused material left by rising flood waters mixed with grain husks to make relatively sturdy, simple to make building blocks that can be constructed using templates that allow for uniformity in construction materials. Within larger settlements, such as Mulu Alem, it becomes more common to see quarried stone as building materials, especially in dwellings of influential members of Kabals. Although occasionally made of different materials all dwellings follow similar floor plans. The most common design is a square structure with three rooms and an accessible flat-roof used as a living space. If given the time and enough material to work with families will often deign to build walls projecting from the sides of the dwelling in order to create an enclosed area in front of the house for holding supplies and to serve as a living area. The Akir are known most for three crafts: ceramics, masonry, metallurgy. A focus on pottery has become central to Akir culture with many families taking great pride in their ceramics, often decorated with paints to show stories of family ancestors. In many ways due to their lack of other easily attained building materials masonry has become a very important trade and to be skilled in such works is considered to be quite a boon: one can make many friends and be fed very well by them if their houses were built by you. As such, many private domiciles are surrounded by rows and rows of mudbrick templates drying in the sun. Viewed with almost reverent awe are metallurgists, working with copper to construct tools and weapons and rarely great works of art in the form of jewelry from gold and silver. Jewelry itself is viewed as something to be worn during rituals or when invited to other’s homes for meals, never to be worn when being the host as such ostentation can be seen as disrespectful. Clothing is often simple, made of linen spun from flax and left the off color beige or occasionally dyed rust red using oxidized iron pigments. Males frequently wear a garment known as a senay, consisting of a meter long length of linen worn as a skirt and shawl, as well as having many ways of folding and wrapping to use it for many purposes. Females wear their own gender specific clothing known as a Seife, a long wrap of linen that can be worn either above or below the breasts and goes down to the knees, accompanied by another length of linen to cover the shoulders and head on particularly hot and sunny days to protect from overexposure. --- [center][b]Society:[/b][/center] --- Akir society centers around the concept of familial bonds in the form of Kabals. Similar to clans and tribes of other peoples, the Kabal is an evolution of earlier family groups that claim bloodline connection to some great and near-mythical ancestor. What is unique about Kabals is that true blood relations are not necessary to belong, simply an acceptance of the Kabal as your own and professing allegiance to the ancestors of that Kabal, thus making them your own ancestors. These Kabals require little from their members and are extant to give unity rather than a hierarchy to abide by. As such there are no leaders within a Kabal, instead everyone looking to shamans and regional leaders for hierarchical status. The most important part of a Kabal is the understanding that all members are part of your family and, as such, it is expected of all members of a Kabal to aid their family in times of strife, be it from conflict, famine, or any other issue. Acts of vengeance in the name of a kinsmen’s killing are known as Wagaye, meaning “the price”, and are perfectly legal if not expected in Akir society, with right to enact Wagaye being given by community elders after sufficient evidence can be given. Outside of village elders and shamans there are very few true leaders within Akir communities. Individuals with a great deal of personal prowess and experience are often looked to by their compatriots, especially when it comes to warfare. Tarik, roughly translating to Warlord, is the title given to those individuals who best represent the uncompromising nature of Di’een during conflict and these men (and occasionally women) are looked to as leaders during such hard times. They are universally skilled at arms and knowledgeable at command and are afforded a great deal of respect for their service. A proven Tarik will be gifted with food and other gifts for their protection in an act of ritual appeasement to have them remain as the protector of a community. Outside of the Tariks all members of Kabals are expected to be armed and able to defend themselves and their kinsmen in times of trouble. If a boy of thirteen does not receive the traditional kassa (forward curving, single edged blade) it is viewed as a great offence and men who do not carry their kassa on their person are viewed as weak or dishonorable for hiding their weapon from view. The kassa is always held in a specifically crafted leather sheathe known as a yerga which is marked with designs that visually designate the owner's Kabal. These armed citizenry form the core of Akir warfare whom fight to defend their homes, often organized and trained by local Tariks of their Kabal. Unlike many peoples the Akir lack an established priesthood, instead relying on shamans who either travel between villages or select particular areas to claim as their homes, living as hermits outside of villages. These Shamans are all known as Abdikarim and are seen as the closest to Di’een and are both feared and respected for their knowledge of Menkir. They often receive requests from individual families and even entire communities to lead in ceremonies when it appears Di’een has been displeased and are able to enjoy relatively comfortable lives from the food and gifts they receive for their blessings. They are also frequently asked to advise individuals on particular Menkir, such as when a warrior’s weapon has been damaged or an artisans favorite tool has failed it’s task in some way. --- [center][b]Geography:[/b][/center] --- The Akur river valley, where the majority of the Akir are settled, is known for its distinctive flood plain extending out for several miles on either side of the river at its widest points. It is in these green areas that Akir settlements are found, following the river just outside the flood plain so when the annual floods come they can be avoided whilst still being close enough for easy access to the river. Much of the land on the river itself is taken up by farmland owned by individual family groups. Due in large part to the nature of the land they occupy the Akir generally cannot be found too far from the river itself although it is common for settlements to appear on hillsides close to the river in order to give a defensible position to the inhabitants. --- [center][b]Local influences[/b][/center] --- Akir culture is affected most by its northern neighbors of Byrn-Na and share many nuances of culture together. Most notably this comes in the form of their languages, both stemming from the same language family giving the Akir and the Byrn the ability to interact and communicate on a far more profound level than cultures with entirely different language. From the Byrn-Na the Akir have learned much, receiving a great deal of knowledge in weaving from their northern neighbors through contact alone. A similar trade of knowledge commenced between the two with Akir metallurgy. Contact with nomads has been far less cordial as the desert peoples are seen as threats to the paradise shown to the Akir people by their god. Conflict is frequent between the settled Akir and nomadic peoples from the east and south, usually erupting into violence as the death of a single member of a Kabal can lead to the entire kingroup mobilizing itself for violence.