Sraht Tribes

Sraht, means to live as song in the Srahtha language that all the tribes now use. This is how they define their culture, not to exist, but to live. The Amhnaht(lineage-song , oldest sung by light of the Amhn !oros(song-circle at night, tells of the times before the "iar. The wars of the tribes were many and constant. The #inding yet to come. These were days when the great rivers of the living were s$illed in e%ual measures, blood, semen, birth water, and the s$it of curses. The tribes went by many songs at this time& warring to see which song would be sung loudest when night $ulled the sohmn(s'y-fire-song& sun below the living. All tribes believed it was their song that ri$$ed the sohmn bac' u$ the next day, all but one were wrong. (es$ite this the Amhnaht believes that these times were good for the tribes. They were times worthwhile, for es$ecially in lies there is living& life in lies is the only way to find truth. The Sraht tribe were the northernmost of the desert tribes and graced to hear river)s life-giving song next to their homes. !ne day they sung to the Amhnaht of a man who s$o'e with the voice of wind, fire, and water itself. *e a$$eared as the tribes do, night-s'inned, yet he was taller and somehow, more. There were faster rivers in his body, harder earth in his bones, glowing fire behind his eyes, and storm winds in his voice. *e came amongst the Sraht with monsters that bowed to his song. *e met with the +oice of the Sraht for many circles of sohmn)s $ush and $ull. This "iar learned of the tribes, he too' in the songs. ,inally he sung one of his own. The "iar met each +oice of the dis$arate tribes and sung his song of #inding. The +oices one by one became his -hoir until all tribes were brought together. Then he sung into the Amhnaht. .n it he told the #inding. *e gave of himself to ma'e the Amhnaht believe, the waters of his blood drawn from his arm, the earth of his last finger of the left, the wind of his storm-song, and finally $luc'ing the fire of his left eye. The Sraht who had taught him were named Truth by the "iar. The tribes were bound& #inding. The Sraht became the tribes and the tribes became Sraht. Theirs would be the only song of the desert tribes. Theirs would be the song that $ushed sohmn. The "iar was 'nown as the !aht, the All-song. The -hoir sung of war. The "iar was awed by the Sraht horsemanshi$. #eautiful coursers lithe to $ur$ose with /avelin bearing tribesmen were a song unsung by those outside the tribes. *e delighted in their sohmnas(sun-glass which breathed in the sohmn and would not shatter without fight. Sohmnas ti$$ing many of the dee$est and hardest warrior)s wea$ons& the "iar had never seen such before. *e would $ut it to use. Those whose rivers ran dee$est, those hardest of earth, were told to war with metal night, beast-wielders, and $ointed ear. Strange short creatures covered in metal stri'ing only after sohmn was $ulled came from the mountains. The "iar fashioned a wea$on to use against them. .ntelligence his dee$est river, he learned the ma'ing of sohmnas with the s$eed of a waterfall. *e gave the Sraht great orbs, ma'ing miniature the sohmn. #y the light of these they defended and held well. #y

sohmn)s $ush the small figures huddled in hastily made caves, it was at this time that the Sraht would root them out and brea' them. The Sraht chased these creatures bac' to the mountains they came from. The metal night were accom$anied by the beast-wielders. Similar in stature to metal night if nothing else, the furred creatures turned the song of nature)s beasts against Sraht. 0any were lost to fangs and claws, but the Sraht warriors were as water, wind, and fire to their beastly earth. These beast-wielders fought without the cant of fire in their hearts. Those without the fire for battle had no $lace in it. !nce the metal night was driven bac' to their holes the "iar told them to 'ee$ as many as were needed to ensure the metal night was confined, and send those not needed north. There were yet more waters in the $ointed ones needing release from fleshly bonds. .n a violent chorus the Sraht left rivers of blood in the cities of the $ointed. The blind, allies of the "iar, would $lay as anvil to their hammer. Together an enemy nation would be consumed. .t was at this time that the 1nderstudies of the -hoir felt a dee$ening tone thrumming through the Amhnaht. A tone that told of lies that should not be sung. Attem$ts were made to %uestion the -hoir yet they refused to hear what was growing louder with each $assing night. -oncern mounted and the 1nderstudies sung their own Amhnaht one night. .t told them of lies, it named the "iar with Truth. There was no hiding in the dece$tion now. There was no !aht. The sum of his lies outweighed his $revious truths. 2lans were made and sung with $ur$ose. The -hoir was strong and $ossessed the will of the $eo$le in song and heart. The -hoir had become a +oice of the "iar& they believed lies were truth and sought to sing them against the Amhnaht, not with it. The 1nderstudies were told of the short furred men that warred near the mountains, coming to the aid of the metal night. Already some struc' north at the Sraht lands des$ite their $revious defeat. This time, the beast-wielders fought as earth that would not crumble. Again the Amhnaht gave to the 1nderstudies. .t)s chime was clear and concise. 2eace. The 1nderstudies went before these beast-sung men and told them of the lies infecting Sraht Truth. The beast-wielders 'nown as Totem listened, they listened to their song, and loved the fire in the eyes of those whose lives were bound to their horses. The Totem aided the metal night, and now they would aid the Amhnaht against the "iar)s -hoir. The river)s war of metal night was bridged by the Totem, and the Sraht were given fullest Truth by the $ointed ones they were $re$aring to bloody. The "iar was greater than the 1nderstudies had heard from the Amhnaht. .t would ta'e the Totem, the metal night and the Sraht together to brea' the -hoir. #y sohmn)s $ush the 1nderstudies harboured the greatest of the metal night, by $ull they travelled with them until they reached the -hoir. That night "iar was fortuitously absent, together the -hoir $re$ared for further war to the north. The metal night, the 1nderclan by name, brought their living earth to bear. The -hoir was bro'en, their waters gone to the dirt. ,ires become ash. .f they would not hear Truth sung to them they would die silent to the "ies.

The 1nderstudies became the True -hoir. They sung the true Amhnaht, exuberant as the lies were struc' from it. There was one lie the Amhnaht would not give u$ though, it clung to it still naming it undeniable Truth. The tribes would never again sing com$eting songs, the tribes were the Sraht. The #inding stood Truth by the will of the Amhnaht. Though the "iar bound them, the Sraht would yet remain the tribes. All tribes would still remain Sraht. 3hatever the "iar)s transgressions, the tribes would remember this. The war gathering in the north of the Sraht lands turned against the "iar, with the Totem and the 1nderclan the enemies were laid to ashes. .t was a good time to live true. The $ointed ones, now sung of as elves, s$o'e of a dawning Truth later that cycle when the sohmn wobbled to instead of fro. The fires of will had burned out in the enemy. The elves s$o'e of why. Their floating nation now lay sundered in the waters. The "iar had ended many songs with his own. .n the following cycles of $ush, $ull, and wobble the Sraht were to learn many new things. The length of the Amhnaht would increase double as the rest of the world was added to it. They met the day-s'ins, counter$art to their night. 0en of the north, a coalition, would greet them as brothers of a distant tribe. Totem travelled to Sraht lands to share, 'nowledge was traded voices as some of the Sraht gained an echo of the #ond with their horses& some Totem would learn to sing their own Toh)amhnaht. The metal night would follow sohmn)s $ull bac' to their caves. Though bridged, blood still stained the river between the two $eo$le. .t was much later that the !nebearer of Totem would sing with the True -hoir about his dreams. 2ast the endless waters of inchoate fear was something to be found. 4ot /ust for their $eo$les, but bearing conse%uence for all. The endless waters were another lie, not endless after all& if they did not go there, what Truth it held would come here. Some Truth is better 'e$t distant. These are the Sraht Tribes.

The Sraht u$ until fairly recently were a dis$arate grou$ of constantly feuding desert tribesmen. 5ach tribe had a single song which exem$lified a core belief of the tribe. Amongst other reasons for existing each uni%ue tribal song was believed to be Truth, the song that hel$ed $ush the sun bac' u$ after being $ulled down at night. The internecine warfare between tribes was great, more so even than the $etty $olitic'ing of the north or the trivial wars of the elves. The coming of the (es$ot intrinsically altered the tribes in a fundamental way.

The Sraht are governed by the True -hoir. 5ach member now has multi$le 1nderstudies, ranging anywhere from two to twenty. These 1nderstudies are the de-facto rulers of the tribesmen. .f you $lay the Sraht you)ll be an 1nderstudy. 3hile each tribe was different, after the #inding they all govern themselves in the Sraht way now. Words are the leaders of s$ecific grou$s or guilds of individuals. The leader of the Sraht will li'ely have his 3ords re$orting to him. Shedding their nomadic $ractises the tribes have begun to congregate after the binding. !ases that were once defended are now o$en to all comers. 0ost of the tribes were nomadic, after the binding they are now settling. 0assive tent cities are cro$$ing u$ and architecture is starting to flourish, though in sim$le methods. Adobe, clay daub and wattle, etc. 3here the tribes territories extend to the ste$$e large fur tents are used. The songs of the Sraht tribes are generally /ust that, songs. #ut... some of them are more. The Ahmnaht is a song that has undoubtedly magical $ro$erties. 5ven when the tribes were uni%ue grou$ings what one tribe added to the Ahmnaht, all the other tribes would hear when they sung theirs. The Ahmnaht tells the histories of all the tribes, even the ho$es, ex$ectations, and fears of the leaders. Stronger elements are heard more clearly. (efining a stronger element is difficult to ascertain however. The Ahmnaht a$$ears to have something a'in to a will of it)s own, deciding what is transmitted and what isn)t, and at what strength. The death of an entire tribe from the $ast may go unremembered after a few years. 6et the song of a mother of that tribe grieving over her dead child who was the last to die of a flux no longer $revalent is still $otent in the Ahmnaht. 4o one 'nows $recisely what will resonate within this song but $ersonal sacrifice is often considered a loud note in the Ahmnaht. That being said, sacrifice itself is not a guarantor. The Ahmnaht wills as the Ahmnaht wills. Sraht do not $ossess magi nonetheless those who can wor' magic are still born in the $o$ulation. They go undetected but many gravitate towards the Ahmnaht. A sect within the Sraht o$erate as Aohl)d'ahm, Truth-dancers. These $eo$le lead the Amhn !oros in $articularly large grou$s of $eo$le. The Ahmnaht is often heard clearest when lead by the Aohl)d'ahm. The Ahmnaht itself is sung amongst any gathering of $eo$le often nightly. .t is the highlight of an evening, with numerous songs being sung beforehand. The Sraht have a melodic language, song is $rolific. 0elodies and rhythms 'e$t in aid of labour. The Sraht have a strange relationshi$ with elemental forces. 3hile they cannot command elemental forces in the way the 0yriad can (!r rather could it is an intrinsic $art of their culture. They often associate the elements around them with the body. They can incor$orate these magical forces into certain songs that intensely focus u$on s$ecific as$ects of themselves. A sim$le song of courage before battle to lift morale may hel$, but doesn)t necessarily $ossess magical $ower. A song that s$ea's of the strength and endurance of earth sung during a brutal melee can in fact harden s'in, tissue, and bone. .t is not a $owerful form of magic, o$erating subtly. The tribes are well aware of the benefits and sing these elemental songs when needed. ,or game $ur$oses these will be 'nown as the Cants, though the tribes have various and sundry names for them even after the #inding.

Sohmnas. The desert tribes ma'e glass, and they)ve learned to imbue it. This will re%uire some bac' story before . go forward. 2retty much every race 'nows about the tides of magic, and how it wor's li'e something between semi-sentient wind and dee$ ocean currents. Some $laces are strong, and some aren)t. Sometimes these $laces change. Sometimes it ta'es hours, sometimes it ta'es centuries. 0agic is a fic'le-fic'le un$redictable almost irritatingly irrational $romiscuous slut of a force of su$ernatural fate. 3hat no other race 'nows exce$t some among the Sraht,(So if you)re $laying another race you)ll conveniently forget this u$on game-start is that the sun sends down a bit more than /ust light, heat, and mild levels of radiation. .t too has some magical energy to it. The Sraht are the only ones that 'now how to ma'e use of this energy and only in one way. They can direct it into a certain ty$e of glass made from sand located at a s$ecific region in the desert. This glass has a translucent golden flame-li'e colouring to it, and absorbs sunlight during a s$ecific $art of the $rocess that creates it. !nce it)s %uenched in a manner similar to tem$ering it holds that energy in, dimly lights, and strengthens to the same level as steel. .t is hot to the touch, and remains this way for decades until it loses it)s light. .t will retain it)s hardness though not it)s heat or illumination. The $rocess involves bron7ed mirrors and ta'es an entire dry season to absorb the light, then it)s wor'ed during the cloudy wet season. There is a s'illful element to the $rocess, not all Sohmnas is created e%ual. The (es$ot learned to mani$ulate sohmnas to act as light-globes. These globes are about the si7e of a medicine ball and $roduce massive amounts of light and no heat. They have an on8off switch, though it)s not immediate, ta'ing a few minutes to brighten and dar'en. These globes are also much more fragile. Sohmnas armour exists, often as beads tethered together by stri$s of horse leather. The cost is $rohibitive and only wealthy 3ords leading raiding $arties are li'ely to $ossess a suit, even then there are few made. Sohmnas, while strong, is brittle& it won)t bend it will fracture or shatter. The weight is also a detrimental factor. 5%uine mastery. Sraht have been breeding horses for centuries. They)ve aimed for a lithe courser with a flowing gallo$. These are not destriers and the Sraht mounted warriors are often unarmoured, or armoured in light leather. Their horses are also bred for intelligence. Sraht can manoeuvre their horses with only their 'nees. .n a fli$ side to the northern coalition the Sraht did not develo$ bow-ma'ing, mostly due to lac' of materiel. They almost exclusively use /avelins when mounted. The /avelins are large and sohmnas ti$$ed, thrown in a $articular fashion that utili7es the horse)s s$eed as it ta'es a tight arc. .n battle they often wheel and dance li'e a floc' of birds. .n addition they carry a sohmnas macuahuitl for heavy melee engagement. Sraht $lace great value on their horses& re$eatedly in historical conflicts Sraht horsemen on both sides have dismounted to engage in bloody melee rather than ris' their horses, The Ahmnaht sings of it clearly. Some Sraht tribes, notably the ones that had access to the sohmnas sand dunes, have the ability to ma'e co$$er alloys, bron7e and brass. (ue to the $revalence of sohmnas in military a$$lication most of their metal consum$tion is used for civilian efforts.