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{{Info races
{{Info races
|image = Songalookac.png
|image = Songisplashi.png
|pronunciation = Song-gah-ski-an
|pronunciation = Song-gah-ski-an
|classification = [[Human]]
|classification = [[Human]]
|subraces = N/A
|subraces = N/A
|nicknames = Drake-kin, Horned Slavers, Desert Draklings
|nicknames =  
*Desert-Drakken (praising)
*Horned Raiders (derogatory)
*Drake-kin (praising)
|languages = [[Sofaal]]
|languages = [[Sofaal]]
|naming = Malian names found on earth [http://www.top-names.info/names.php?S=M&P=MLI]
|naming = Malian names found on earth [http://www.top-names.info/names.php?S=M&P=MLI]
 
|distinction = Half-Draconian descendants of the Bronze Dragons
|distinction = Half-Draconian descendants of the [[Black Desert Dragons]]
|maxage = 250
|maxage = 210
|height = 6’0 - 6’8
|eye = Amber/Orange reminiscent of fire
|eye = Amber/Orange reminiscent of fire
|hair = Jet black, snow white or a combination of these
|hair = Jet black, snow white, sandy brown/blonde, or dark-muted-brown.
|skin = [[File:Songskin.png]]
|skin = [[File:Songskin.png]]
|}}
|}}
In the far-off distant sands of [[Farah’deen]] stand the towering pearl cities of the [[Songaskian Masaya]], home to the heirs of the Elders and the Great Old Ones. The Songaskian Empire spans the massive continent of Farah'deen and stands as one of the foremost threats to [[Regalian]] supremacy, equaled only by the [[Kathar]] [[Dread Empire]]. While commonly covered in Desert, the total landmass owned by the Songaskians is twice the size of the Regalian Empire, and it is commonly said to have the most well-equipped and trained professional army in the world. The Songaskians, being relative newcomers to the world, have rapidly mobilized onto the global stage, and played pivotal roles in all the recent events. Some of the last remaining remnants of the [[Dragons]], the Songaskians have proclaimed themselves the inheritors to the guardianship of the world, a title once held only by the majestic winged creatures that roamed the skies and lorded over the mortal [[Races]]. Poised to strike from the great cities built by their [[Sariyd]] forerunners, the Songaskians spread their proverbial wings across the oceans, gathering resources and manpower to achieve their own goals of a great utopia of biodiversity and life, which they of course are the leaders of through benevolence. Others yet continue to follow in the footsteps of their draconian ancestors, living lives of study, self-exploration, and development to become the worthy descendants the Dragons wished them to be.  
[[File:Songdragonhater.png|260px|thumb|right|This Sofawaati Form Songaskian is wondering if you are a little Dragon hater.]]
[[File:Scalevariance.png|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians can manifest whole or partial Black Dragon aesthetics on their body.]]
[[File:Songdragonkeel.png|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians grow much larger and imposing in their Sofawaati Forms.]]
[[File:Songhornsy.png|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians are exceptionally stylish and well dressed no matter what they wear (or how little).]]
In the far-off sands of [[Farahdeen]] stands the towering pearl cities of the [[Songaskian Masaya]], home to the heirs of the Elders and the Great Old Ones. While commonly covered in desert, the total landmass owned by the Songaskians is twice the size of the Regalian Empire, and is commonly said to have the most well-equipped and trained professional army in the world. The Songaskians, being relative newcomers to the world, have rapidly mobilized onto the global stage, and played pivotal roles in all the recent events. Some of the last remaining remnants of the [[Dragons]], the Songaskians have proclaimed themselves the inheritors to the guardianship of the world, a title once held only by the majestic winged creatures that roamed the skies and lorded over the mortal [[Races]]. Poised to strike from the great cities built by their [[Sariyd]] forerunners, the Songaskians spread their proverbial wings across the oceans, gathering resources and manpower to achieve their own goals of a great utopia of biodiversity and life, which they of course are the leaders of through benevolence. Others yet continue to follow in the footsteps of their draconian ancestors, living lives of study, self-exploration, and development to become the worthy descendants the Dragons wished them to be.
==Core Identity==
To be a Songaskian is to be the heir of Dragons, the inheritor of a powerful legacy of majestic and magical creatures that once controlled the elements of the world, but perished with time. Even with the return of Dragons in the modern era, Songaskians stand apart from their distant kin in that they have taken a different path. They do not attempt to revive what once was, but herald a new era with themselves as the preservers of the living and those who would combat the clutches of death and infection. Many Songaskians travel the world, seeking out places where death or evil holds sway, and fighting to protect the living while making lots of friends along the way. They can frequently be seen stalking places where the dead have risen, and where [[Magic]] has made even the kindest of people into self-serving autocrats. Their approach is often self-righteous, but always with good intentions, even if it comes across with a snark and smirk.
===Magic versus Infection===
While most Dragons see Magic as an infection period, with any type of Occult or [[Aberrant]] being instantly an unwanted transgression, Songaskians have a more nuanced stance. They believe that Magic by nature is a tool, one to be used and nurtured, but that true infection is the evil will of death that infects the soul through over-indulgence. Songaskians believe that Magic by itself can never be harmful even when practiced for selfish reasons, but excessive use of Magic invites a corruption of the soul that turns someone evil. For Songaskians, the terms infection and evil mean the same thing, and are interchangeably used. They believe evil is infectious, it can spread between people, and the only way to stop it, is to extinguish evil Magic users and dead things. [[Undead]] are usually exempt from this, but Songaskians are always suspicious of the sentient Undead, believing there may be great evil hidden in them that is just waiting to get out, because all things dead by nature want to spread death.
===Desert Homeland===
The Songaskians feel that Farahdeen belongs to them. Their Dragon ancestors once roamed its skies, and as such, they see it as a holy land, their holy land as the children of Marik. This is the core of their war with the [[Qadir]]: while no one remembers why the war started, it is continued by Qadir nomads' trespassing, and the trench front line between the Songaskian Mage-priests and Qadir clockwork engineers. They export this conflict to other countries, including Regalia, where street fights between Qadir and Songaskians are still very frequent.
===Harmonic Preservers===
While Songaskians believe Farahdeen only belongs to them and those who have chosen their path in line with the Dragon Worship religion, they see the rest of the world as chaotic and in need of stewardship. The Songaskians go out and solve other people’s problems for them, even if they do not like the solutions levied by the Songaskians. The Songaskians see themselves as the heirs of the so-called “Mantle of Creation”, which is an ideological concept that proposes that one species/race/entity is always at the forefront of defending life from death. The Songaskians have claimed this mantle for themselves, and impose that pro-life stance wherever they can.  


==Physical & Mental Characteristics==
==Design==
====Appearance====
===Mental Characteristics===
[[File:Pretsong.png|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians are generally considered more beautiful on average than Ailor.]]
Songaskians have a respect for all life. While they do not shy from fights, or killing if they have to, they spare even the lowest critters and insects as long as they can. This attitude also extends to being welcoming and charitable hosts to all people (except the Qadir). They do genuinely see themselves as benevolent, and try to do good by others, though sometimes this makes them come off as know-it-all or patronizing when they don't mean to. Songaskian culture is quite open, jovial, and self-expressive, leading to a people overall very comfortable with parties, drinking games, gambling, and a strong sense of community.
Songaskians appear, in every respect, almost exactly like Ailor. Their proportions are the same, and they have no particularly stand-out traits about their appearance like Altalar ears, or purple Sihndar skin, or fur-like Varran. Songaskians would be impossible to tell apart from dark-skinned Ailor, if not for the color of their hair and their eyes. All Songaskians have a very dark skin tone, however, they uniformly only have one eye color: amber-like orange, with a slight brightness to it that makes their eyes look very piercing. Additionally, while many Songaskians have black hair, many also have snow-white hair, and some even have differing patterns or patches of white hair in black hair that can even become as varied as having a striped pattern, or only white head-hair and a black beard. Songaskians are generally described as good looking, and physically fit. While it is possible for Songaskians to become overweight, they seem generally more capable than Ailor at keeping their build in check, and their facial configuration tends to favor homogenized features over variety. They are usually a few inches taller than Ailor on average, and also have somewhat less gender dimorphism than Ailor, with men both being capable of the opposite ends of masculine and androgynous scales, while women also have that free capacity. Songaskians have a wide variety of hair types, ranging from frizzy and curly to straight and wavy. Their hair can also be matted or braided to form long rope-like strands, giving rise to a cultural hairstyle called dreads.  
===Physical Characteristics===
Songaskians have two different appearances, their human form and their Dragon form. Their human form is always African-coded, identical to African-coded [[Ailor]] with very dark skin. However, there are some differences. Songaskians have amber-colored, slightly fiery irises. While most Songaskians have black hair, some can also have snow-white hair, hair colored like the sand of the desert dunes, or a very dark and muted brown. Songaskians are average to tall when compared to Ailor, and usually have a fairly athletic build with wide shoulders, even when not maintaining their physique. Their hair can be coily, curly, straight, or wavey, but also matted or braided to form dreads. Songaskians do have a male and female biological sex distinction, however, both are capable of carrying a child to term and conceiving, and as such, the Race is functionally intersex. A curious aspect about the Songaskians, is that they can turn their hair into fire, which is cold to the touch but does still create enough light to act like a lantern in the dark for them.  
===Sofawaati Form===
All Songaskians have a Transformation called Sofawaati Form, in which they assume a body more similar to the Bronze Dragons (Bronze Dragon Marik on the [[Dragon Worship]] Page. Songaskians don't need to Transform all in one go however, they can also manifest any of the individual elements (for what the whole transformation may look like, reference the art on this page). Manifestations of the Sofawaati Form are: A dragon-like head, Dragon-horns, black or black-like or bronze scales on their whole or parts of their body, Draconic-tail, digitigrade legs with Dragon-claws, pointed ears. Sofawaati Form is not a Disguise (even if the face changes), and does not grant wings.


====Life Cycle====
==Heritage Traits==
Songaskians live on average twice as long as Ailor, up to 200 years or so, and also age proportionally half as fast, meaning they still look 50 years old when they reach 100 years of age. Songaskians however carry infants to term much faster, within a full month from conception a healthy child can be born. Songaskians barely show pregnancy because their children are born much smaller than an average Ailor baby, though grow rapidly after birth to quickly catch up and exceed the growth rate of Ailor. By age 12, Songaskians are physically mature, but their mental maturity (also entrenched in their cultural notions of when one reached adulthood) tends to complete only at 24 years old. Additionally, Songaskians also have a unique trait called gynandromorphism, meaning their race has characteristics of both genders. Both male and female Songaskians are capable of carrying children, and conceiving (note, this does not mean that they have both reproductive organs, it is purely an internal biological matter). This means that Songaskians are uniquely capable of reproducing with other races, resulting in a wide range of half-Songaskian children all over the world, something they also find culturally acceptable.  
When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.  


====Personality====
Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).
Despite their cultural drive for world conquest and their support of slavery and a powerful military, Songaskians strangely enough exhibit one of the world's most laid-back worldviews on life. The Songaskians are averse to the very concept of killing anything living, from the highest sentient Races to even the most insignificant insects and critters. This however does not make them vegetarians (though many of them do end up living like vegetarians) as there is still room for the ritualistic, sustenance-validated killing of pasture animals. While there are certainly outliers that enjoy killing, these tend to be more the exception to the norm. Songaskians also have the seemingly contradictory mental trait of both feeling racially superior but still considering all Races, even slaves, to be worth investing in. While many Ailor have the mentality that the world would be better rid of the lesser Races, the Songaskians seem to genuinely believe that biodiversity and racial multiplication and mixing is a good thing. This comes with the caveat that they must remain in control of the highest forms of authority to protect and guide the lesser beings towards a utopian world view. As such, the Songaskians are also the only Race that openly accepts Half Races without any caveats, racial mixing and cross-race relationships, and likely have given rise to the largest half-race populations in the world, despite their short presence on it. They have a perhaps uncontemporary acceptance even of their own Race’s dilution, yet maintain a very strict approach to tracing their lineage to the Dragons and excluding those who have fallen too far from the main succession line. Half-Songaskians are still considered full citizens in their Empire, even if they have none of the racial Abilities.  
===Free Packs===
* Songaskia gain the [[Cleric_Point_Buy#Exorcism|Exorcism Pack]] for free, or choose one pack from [[Prayer Point Buy]].
* Songaskia gain the [[Athletic_Point_Buy#Steady_Body_Pack|Steady Body Pack]] for free, or choose one Pack from [[Cleric Point Buy]].


Songaskians are always ready for a game of gambling or a drink with strangers and are equally jovial and comical in their response to ridicule. Most Songaskians don’t even feel insults and will tend to just send a quip back with a flair of kindness. This unique trait makes them both very much disliked by those who actively try to get under their skin and liked by those who can appreciate their snarky yet well-meaning attitude. However, when things get physical the mood of a Songaskian can very quickly turn. Their utopian lording attitude causes them to also be control freaks and vain in their appearance. Anything that ruins that, like a spilled [[Kaffee]] on a dress or a dusting of sawdust sprinkled into their well-made hair, will make them very upset. Songaskians are very passionate when their emotions flare up and are famously hard to calm down. They are angry for long, kind to many, warmhearted to even the most distant of guests, and more passionate and dedicated to their lovers, friends and family than most other Races. It is hard to ever find a Songaskian excluding anyone, even Qadir, from socialization and their homes, as long as everyone understands that if that kindness is offended, that the Songaskian will find whatever way to get their way, including but not limited to violent submission.  
===Mechanics===
* Songaskians cannot become Undead, unless they are forced to do so, or request it from, an Ordial Entity. They can also choose to become a Primal Revenant on death.
* Songaskians are immune to harm from heat or fire sources (unless they are Magical), and do not suffer decreased visibility or choking hazard in a sand-storm.  
* Songaskians do not have night vision in the dark, but can switch to infra-red sight allowing them to see people in pure darkness (but not through walls!).
* Songaskians may be able to do a perception check on Dragon Sites/Temples/Event Characters, and unlock additional interactions or learn more information.
* Songaskians can feel whether a Soul has passed into the afterlife, The Beyond, or is still alive (or Undead/Spirit) in Aloria, if they know their true name.  
[[File:Saysomethingabouttattoos.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Tawhroon (on the forehead and sides) are very popular among the Songaskians, always with actual gold leaf or dust, and with long flowing lines.]]
[[File:Tightclothes.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Songaskian Clothing has only two extremes: Either extremely loose and wide, or extremely short and tight. Elastan is particularly popular.]]
[[File:Songdragonhoren.png|260px|thumb|right|Songaskian Black Dragon scale is as tough as armor, which is why some just run into battle with only a set of pants.]]
[[File:Songshair.png|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians do gray around the 150 year mark.]]
[[File:Absonqassoum.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Songaskian bodyguards are very much in demand in Regalia, as they are considered very jovial and familial guards that add a personal touch.]]
[[File:Diplomatsong.png|260px|thumb|right|The Songaskian Masaya has some of the most skilled diplomats (or spies) in the non-Slizzar world that often puts the Regalian State to shame with how much information they acquire from just being at parties.]]
[[File:Lookatthisdrip.png|260px|thumb|right|Black, Red, and Gold are frequently recurring color themes for the Songaskians. They tend to avoid blue as much as possible as this is a Qadir color.]]
[[File:Omgsopretty.png|260px|thumb|right|Many Songaskians crop their hair very short or shave it of altogether to be bald, thus being able to have more sunlight touch their skin, which is seen as pious.]]
[[File:Prettytattoman.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Songaskian ambassadors use physical charm as much as wit to widen their understanding of their habitat.]]
[[File:Saunapg.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians in general find Regalia way too cold for their liking. They are the most common users of Regalian saunas to sit in an environment that reminds them of Farahdeen.]]


===Elder Shift===
==Language==
[[File:Songarmor.png|260px|thumb|right|Dragon Scale can manifest anywhere on the Songaskian's body, except in the face.]]
The Songaskian language called Sofaal is based on the real life equivalent of Bambara, which is chiefly spoken in the country of Mali. It is an entirely unique language in [[Aloria]] in that it has no relation to any languages spoken anywhere else, and has a couple of words which are reminiscent of Wyrm Tongue, or Dragon language. The Songaskians have a simple first and last name naming principle, using names that are common in the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mauritania, but avoiding names that have obvious arabic or muslim references such as Mouhammed or Abdoul. Songaskian names are non-gendered, meaning they can apply to female-presenting, male-presenting or non-binary identifying individuals.  
Besides their normal Ailor-like appearance, Songaskians do have the capacity to change their appearance through a number of mechanics, usually in an indefinite manner. This means that, even though the Songaskians are born Ailor-like, many of them choose to use their Elder Shift Abilities to change their appearance to distance themselves from dark-skinned Ailor, and appear more unique. A number of these Abilities are related to the Dragons, and appearing more like them through the additions of scales, horns, and a tail. All of these additions are flexible and can be tuned up or down depending on preference, aesthetics, or purpose. The following traits are available, and can be independently used or combined in whatever way desired:
* All Songaskians are able to convert any part of their skin into black Dragon Scales, effortlessly, and instantly. This can either be done on only certain areas like the shoulders and the spine, on whole body parts like the full arms, or on the entire torso and legs and arms, save the face. The face is the only part that cannot become scaled. These scales are stronger than normal skin, meaning that before or during battle, a Songaskian can cause parts of their body to become covered in Dragon Scale to increase their durability. These scales have the toughness of chainmail armor, and as such, can resist several direct attacks before creating open wounds. These scales however do little against spears and ranged projectiles however. These scales can be upheld practically forever, and many Songaskians choose to cover certain parts of their body in scales for aesthetic purposes, though many also choose only to use their scales in combat. If the hands are fully covered in scales, the fingers turn more claw-like, however these claws are purely aesthetic and grant no combat benefits. The same applies for the feet.
* All Songaskians are capable of creating a black scaled tail that tapers into a sharp point at the end. This tail, while standing, reaches down to the floor with a small amount of drag, and is prehensile. It is capable of holding items, wrapping around things, and can even apply an equal amount of force as two hands normally could, but cannot under any circumstance wield a weapon. Tails are less frequently seen among the Songaskians, though there are those who wrap them around their waist until they wish to use them like belts, or hide them under clothing. Still, there are plenty of tailless Songaskians.
* All Songaskians are capable of manifesting some shape of Draconic horns on their head. This can either manifest as two horns bent backwards, or multiple smaller horns bent backwards, however no matter how many horns there are or in what shape, they must always bend backwards. The colors can range from dark-brown to ivory, usually depending more on the color of the Songaskian’s hair, with the horns usually colored in opposite light-dark. These horns instantly regrow when removed, but can also be upheld forever and effortlessly retract or extend. They must however always have the same shape, but can differ in length from time to time and on demand. Many Songaskians in Regalia use horns, but others might also choose to go horn-less so as to fit in better.
* All Songaskians are capable of changing their head from humanoid to draconic. This is one of the least used changes to Songaskian physiology, but some Songaskians prefer it to stay closer in tune to their heritage. When used, this changes their head shape into that of a Black Dragon, complete with slitted eyes, black scales down to the neck, and ivory horns. They are still able to speak normally while having a Dragon’s head.
* All Songaskians are capable of turning the hair on their head and any potential facial hair into animated fire. This fire will be more orange colored than real fire, and be cold to touch, while remaining roughly proportional in size to the amount of hair they had, and the styling and shape of their hair. For example, a single mohawk will still result in a single mohawk-shaped orange flame on the head. This can be effortlessly turned on and off, and can be upheld practically forever.  


===Summary of Racial Abilities===
'''Songaskian name examples:''' Djene, Moulaye, Ailou, Fode, Hama, Konate, Alou, Soumba, Deni, Traore, Bintou, Nana, Rama, Mamadou, Adama, Oumar, Sisko, Bouacar, Mane.  
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! Elder Form Ability
! Type
! Range
! Description (These Abilities can be mixed and can overlap, they are all optional aesthetics for the Race, meaning all, some, or none can be chosen.)
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;width:10%;" | Elder Tail
| style="width:8%;" | Racial Passive
| style="width:8%;" | Self
| Songaskians are able to manifest a black scaled tail that drags slightly on the floor. The tail is prehensile and can hold items and apply as much force as both hands put together. This Ability can be maintained indefinitely, if the Songaskian wants. The tail is either out, or it isn't. As such, this Racial Passive is a Toggle. The tail can also be bound or hidden under a belt around the waist and then revealed at a later point in time.
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Elder Scale
| Racial Passive
| Self
| Songaskians are able to change their skin anywhere on their body (except the face) in any quantity and near-instantly. When applied anywhere on the skin, the area becomes as tough as Chainmail. This Ability acts like a gradient, meaning the scale quantity can cover whole limbs, partial limbs, parts of the torso or only the back, it is entirely up to the Songaskian. This Ability can be maintained indefinitely, if the Songaskian wants. If either the hands or feet are covered in scales, the nails turn more claw-like, but this is purely aesthetical and has no combat advantage.
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Elder Horns
| Racial Passive
| Self
| Songaskians are able to manifest horns from their head. These can either be just two horns, or multiple horns close together. These horns can have any shape, but must never be larger than the head, and can only ever bend backwards. Their color can range from ivory to dark gray-brown. These horns grant no combat advantage. The length however can be changed, but the design and shape must always be the same for each individual Songaskian. This Ability can be maintained indefinitely, if the Songaskian wants.
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Elder Head
| Racial Passive
| Self
| Songaskians are capable of changing the appearance of their head into that of a Black Desert Dragon, complete with scales down to the shoulders, slitted orange eyes, and ivory horns. The face must always look the same, but can act as a disguise for those who have not identified the Dragon head yet. The horns however must always be the same as the horns from the Ability Elder Horns. With this head, the Songaskian can still speak like normal and gets no other advantages.
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Elder Flame
| Racial Passive
| Self
| Songaskians are able to change their head hair or facial hair or both into orange flames. These flames move somewhat slower than real flames, and respect the rough outline of the Songaskian's hair, while also being considerably more orange in color and being cold to the touch. This Ability acts like a toggle, and can be maintained indefinitely, if the Songaskian so desires. It is also instant in terms of activating or removing.
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
| Common Abilities
| Type
| Range
| Description (All Songaskians have these Abilities)
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Sand Mastery
| Racial Passive
| Emote Distance
| Songaskians can, aesthetically, move their hands around, causing grains of sand to follow along in a sliding movement. This movement is about the speed of a slithering snake, and can move vertically up surfaces if 'steered' by both hands. The sand can also be shaped to appear like the outline of buildings or a part of the city, but it cannot ever appear like anything else, and is purely aesthetic in use. As soon as the Songaskian stops steering with their hands, the sand stops moving.
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Desert Wall
| Racial Spell
| Self
| Songaskians can, while rotating both arms in front of them in large circular motions, pick up a lot of sand particles from nearby areas, and form a disk of sand rapidly rotating in front of them that obscures view of their body from the front. If any mundane projectile were to try to pass through this disk of rotating sand, it would instead deflect. Additionally, if a melee person attacks or jumps into this disk, it explodes, causing the attacker to be knocked back 3 blocks and off their feet. This ability has a 1 hour cooldown, the Songaskian cannot move while the disk is up, but it can be held up indefinitely until it is broken, and cannot be turned around.
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Shambala's Gaze
| Racial Spell
| Emote Distance
| Songaskians can rapidly clap their hands above their head, causing a sunlight flash to appear from their hands. Within Emote Distance, the Songaskian can choose 2 Characters maximum to apply Magical Blindness to. These players must use "/t add Blind" (a blindness trait) for the duration of 15 minutes. Then, the trait can be removed with "/t remove Blind". This Ability has a 2 hour cooldown. While used in an area, it cannot be re-used by another Songaskian within Emote Distance of the original usage, for at least 15 minutes. While Magically blind, the victim can only see what the Trait Blindness allows them to see. Magical Blindness immunities prevents this effect.
|-
| style="background-color:#f5d89f;" | Dragon's Core
| Racial Passive
| Self
| Songaskians have complete immunity to fire damage. They still find direct contact with fire unpleasant, but their skin does not catch fire, and fire does not cause burns or damage. They can still choke on smoke inhalation, and generally find extreme heat unpleasant or irritating, but can resist being set on fire, and even resist being hurt by Ability Created Fire.
|}


Additionally, Songaskians have a hidden name called Doumara, or their Soul-name. This name is given at birth and kept very personal and secret, shared only to the deepest of friends and lovers of a Songaskian. Songaskians believe this name has power, and that they should take exceptional effort to make sure a Demon of the Void or Exist or Ordial planes never learns of it, because if they do, they might gain control over the Songaskian’s soul. The Doumara is always a noun or adjective or combination in the Sofaal language that has some relation to the Songaskian’s birth. For example, a Songaskian might be born in the afternoon, so their name becomes Tiléden, or afternoon child in Bambara. Another example might be Siramugaman, meaning orange, referencing the child was born in orange cloth.
==Religion==
Songaskians by far and large follow [[Dragon Worship]], though they have their own name for it, called Mussaktu, or "gratefulness for living". Those Songaskians that worship Dragons generally consider themselves somewhat apart of the other Dragon faiths, because they are the inheritors of Dragons, believed to have been made out of the bodies and souls of the Black Dragons who perished in the Great Storm. As a result, Songaskians consider themselves more hallowed among equal Dragon worshipers, and generally mostly bestow their favor on Marik, who is called Masa in the Songaskian Language. It is not unheard for for a Songaskian to change their favored Dragon from Marik to any other Dragon however, it is unusual, but life events sometimes dictate a necessity to change ideology, especially in Regalia where some of the haughty stances encouraged by Marik worship become untenable. Songaskians also don't just exclusively worship Marik, other Dragons are also encouraged and shrines for them built, it is just that Marik is generally given a more preferential place, even if not chosen as favored Dragon.
==Families==
Half Songaskians are celebrated among the Songaskians. From a cultural point of view, they are just Songaskians to the Songaskian people. Half Songaskians always have the same skin-tone as full Songaskians (if you do not want to play a Half-Songaskian with Songaskian skin-tone, play a Half-something else).
===Childhood===
Songaskian childhood is fairly standard, similar to Ailor households. Songaskians are strictly anti-slavery, but also have a fairly misunderstood anti-prisoner sentiment. Within the Songaskian Masaya, Regalian prisoners who were imprisoned during the First and Second Songaskian Wars found that they would not be thrown into dungeons like Regalia normally does, but were instead given to Songaskian families to live with them and often even raise or interact with their children. While precautions were made to ensure the prisoner would not harm the children, the goal was always to teach the children internationalism, other Race perspectives, and often even language or fostering interest in all things foreign. Indeed, the same thing was applied when the Regalian Prince was captured, and imprisoned at the palace together with the Songaskian Massya, who would later inherit his father’s throne, applying his friendship with the then-future Regalian Emperor to broker peace with Regalia. As such, many Songaskian children have memories of these prisoner-tutors, who would often end up becoming life-long friends. The only exception to this are the Qadir, who are never taken prisoner.
===Adulthood===
Songaskian adulthood is fairly high quality, especially in the Songaskian Masaya. The Masaya has a very well-developed social system, and while nobility and politics are absolutely cut-throat with whole families being purged for saying the wrong thing, commoners live an absolute life of bliss, aided with Magic (but never Technology!). Each person contributes to their ability and is afforded to their needs, creating a weird culture shock when Songaskians reach Regalia and find that Regalia has severe poverty and racial discrimination, a concept that is foreign in Farahdeen (except, of course, against Qadir). Most Songaskians are assigned jobs in adulthood by the state, which is sometimes why some Songaskians seek the life of an adventurer in the wider world, being able to decide where to go by themselves.
===Romance & Gender Norms===
Songaskians apply the more common romance norm of monogamy, though since Songaskians are functionally intersex, they don’t really have a gender-dominant society or a concept of mother and father. Parents are always parents, and same-sex relations are very common, upwards to half of the Songaskian race is same-sex oriented. Gender norms also don’t really exist, the only gender norm that sort of exists is that most Mussaktu Priests are expected to be women. Why this is the case is not known, it just has always been that way. Songaskians are generally apathetic to all other matters of gender identity.
==Politics==
Songaskian society is dominated by the Songaskian Massya, which is their equivalent of Emperor or Empress, not to be mistaken with Masaya, which means Empire. The Songaskian Masaya is very similar to the Regalian Empire, in that the Songaskian state has an autocratic nobility that oversees the day-to-day running of the Empire, while the Massya himself is mostly a cultural and religious figurehead. Unlike Regalia, however, the Songaskian Masaya does not have hereditary nobility. Nobility among the Songaskians can be given and taken away in single generations, and all children must always progress with ambition and ferocity, while most Nobles in Regalia can afford to become lazy and settle in sedentary positions of just using their privilege and finances without lifting a finger for it. Laziness among the Songaskian nobility is punished immediately with having privileges revoked. Songaskians often rise to nobility through major feats, like winning important battles or passing an important reform. Some families do function with effective hereditary nobility, but only because they push their children every generation to do better and to re-earn their position in life.
==History==
==History==
[[File:EkLFucGWkAAvSi2.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians frequently wear no armor, or very little armor, on account of relying on their Dragon Scale if they get into a pinch. This also helps their vanity.]]
The Songaskians are relatively new to the world, having only been around for several centuries. When exactly these events took place is hard to record, but their first appearance was directly following the Great Storm in Farahdeen that would see the Sariyd Empire destroyed and their empty and abandoned cities being taken by the Songaskians as their new pearl cities. The Songaskians essentially replaced the forerunners of the Qadir, with only the modern Qadir being descendants of the people who lived in the poor hinterland provinces, far away from the center of the Sariyd Empire. The Songaskians see their birthplace in Kouriyasui, a series of holy mountains in their faith where the Black Dragons took their last stance against the Sariyd army of machines and automata that had been built to destroy them. After decades of warfare, the Dragons were finally pushed into a corner, and in their dying moment, they cast a spell so terrible as to summon the desert winds against the Qadir, grinding their machines to a halt, and choking them out as the sun was darkened in the sky. Immediately afterwards, the Dragons disappeared, and the Songaskians stepped out of the sandstorms, settling the land.
Songaskian history is immensely difficult to verify or prove, largely because the events leading up to their arrival on Aloria remain a mystery. The Songaskians had no writing in the early days of their arrival, and no other races (besides the Qadir who have their own version of events) witnessed their creation in this particular corner of the world. The majority of Songaskian history is guarded and told by the College of Priesthood, which is also a major religious organization, and likely has some inherent bias to what is told. That being said, the story of Songaskian arrival begins somewhere 100 BC, when the Sariyd Empire (the forerunners of the Qadir) brought conflict to the Black Desert Dragons of Farahdeen. The Sariyd and the Black Desert Dragons had always lived in an uneasy agreement of mutual indifference, with the Black Desert Dragons living in the scorching deserts of Bouginaptoii, Idalbile, Khatil-Assatola, Baouele-Mbene, Khgargoro, Banforakoro, and Ouelessaboulefassabagougou. Each of these deserts contained two pairs of Dragons, meaning a total of 14 Black Desert Dragons roamed the massive landmasses of Farahdeen, while the Sariyd stuck to their pearl cities and known trade routes as well as oases. The Black Desert Dragons were considered a nuisance to the Sariyd, because they made the majority of Farahdeen infertile and dry, while the Black Desert Dragons were wary of the Sariyd who “Developed the means to scar the very world itself with their pride”, or so it is told by the Priesthood.  


Eventually, this mutual disinterest between the Black Dragons and the Sariyd broke down, and while the exact year of the conflict is not recorded, it is at least very clearly recorded that it was the Black Desert Dragons that attacked first. These beings started laying waste to smaller communities and whipping up massive sandstorms that coursed through the land, swallowing whole valleys and covering whole mountains. In some areas of Farahdeen, it was thought that the sun had gone dark, with sand swallowing the land, suffocating the animals and killing the crops. The Sariyd quickly fought back with large stampeding beasts of brass and copper, built like bulls and hellish steeds, capable of shooting large projectiles that would impale a normal man. The Sariyd called this the Red Hunt, not because the Dragons were Red (as they were in fact Black), but because the cover of sand storms gave all of the pearl cities of the Sariyd Empire a red hue, and because the Sariyd population were choking on the Dragon attacks.
Since then, the Songaskians have established the Songaskian Empire, or the Masaya, which controls the majority of Farahdeen save for the Al-Alus peninsula, where an eternal battle still rages between the Qadir and Songaskians. No actual casualties have been recorded for over a hundred years, with the Qadir content on sending waves after waves of Clockwork machines into battle, which the Songaskians answer with armies of necromancer minions and magical apparitions to defend their land and try to push the Qadir back. The war frontline is a hellscape that no living thing treads, with constant hordes of zombies attacking towering machine giants. These zombies don’t count as corrupted dead, because they are mindless and controlled by Magic, the Songaskia often terming them Necroservants. The Songaskians still want to push the Qadir out of the continent, and the Qadir still want to push the Songaskians back and retake some of their lost Sariyd heritage, so the war continues on.
===Emperor or Puppet===
There is a very lively debate around what the Songaskian Massya actually is. For several years now, the Songaskian Masaya has been in a near state of Civil War. During the [[First Songaskian War]], the Regalian Empire was defending against the Massya’s father who wished to establish geopolitical dominance of the Songaskian Masaya over Regalia. When that war ended and the Massya died, his child son was put on the throne, who had positive connections to a Regalian Prince who was imprisoned at the palace after the first war for a while. This Massya suddenly took a very pro-Regalian stance, and suffered a coup at the hands of his uncle who then enforced a very anti-Regalian stance, resulting in the [[Second Songaskian War]], which Regalia won, to re-establish the young Massya on the throne, and exile the uncle to the far provinces.  


The exact nature of the conflict is badly recorded, but in rough lines, the Dragons were very obviously losing, causing them to retreat to a location called Kouriyasui, which was always considered the home of the Black Desert Dragons, and where they held their Conclave. Kouriyasui had never been approached by the Sariyd, on account of being a massive valley made of quicksand, with a single huge mountain in the middle with a flat top and what looked like buildings. The vast valley was surrounded by huge towers of black marble and gold, with sundisks resting on top of them that would cast reflected light at each other and into the valley, giving rise to no shadows and no darkness. The Sariyd assaulted the valley with massive spider-like machines, arthropod-like assault vehicles and giant walking bipedal clockwork mechs that blasted white light from their eyes at the Dragons. It is there in their final act of desperation, that the Black Desert Dragons, according to the Priesthood, gave heed to the decree from the Old Ones that the time of Dragons had passed, and that Creation would rule. It is however believed by Dragon worshipers elsewhere that the Black Desert Dragons dissented the decree, though not by rejecting it outright. Instead of dying or disappearing, they chose to become Creation itself. It is said among the Songaskians that each of the Dragons part-took in one huge Draconic ritual or spell that would “Give birth to each songaskian, one black scale at a time, so that all scales would give rise to a nation”. In essence, the Songaskians believe that the first of their kind were born from the scales of Black Dragons, who gave life to them, and in the process disappeared to live on in their new creation. The byproduct of this spell, however, was a sandstorm of cataclysmic proportions that rapidly raged across Farahdeen like a shockwave.  
Since this period, the uncle has encroached on the Massya’s political power base again, however the Massya is not completely powerless either. The Masaya is caught in a very delicate balance of ideology between pro and anti Regalian, and it is not so easy to really call either side entirely in favor or against. For example, the uncle still uses [[Unionist]] advisors and Regalian weapons, while the Massya is also known to command espionage missions to Regalia to discover state secrets. Indeed, many Regalian nobles still believe the Massya to be a child, however he has become a capable and witful young man who seems to have his own agenda, even if his lingering fondness for Regalia remains. He is often accused of being a puppet in the Masaya also, but these accusations are hardly ever rested in fact and more often than not political theater as a distraction for other motivations. Songaskian politics are complicated, and anyone portraying them as a black and white comparison only displays their own ineptitude to understand the nuance and subtext of the Massya and his uncle’s interactions.
===Qadir Nuance===
Qadir relations are nuanced. The hatred Songaskians feel for Qadir is not eternal, meaning, there are circumstances in which Qadir can become “good” Qadir in the eyes of Songaskians. They require one of two circumstances. One, the Qadir converts to Mussaktu thus implicitly rejecting Sariyd heritage and demands, thus calling for Al-Alus to convert also. Two, the Qadir acknowledges and proclaims that Farahdeen belongs to the Songaskians and the Mussaktu faithful, and that they will not try to reclaim what they lost, thus explicitly rejecting the state of Al-Alus as illegitimate. Under these circumstances, Qadir and Songaskians can become friends, though both choices are obviously problematic for the Qadir’s relations with revanchist Qadir who still want to retake what they believe is theirs by right.
===Songaskian Pearl Cities===
Farahdeen is a massive desert many times larger than the entire Regalian Empire, with only select established routes of travel going through the many deserts and with even less Pearl Cities that are actually inhabited. There is a total of 14 (2 held by Qadir) cities, though Kouriyasui is not really considered a city as it is largely inhabited by the dead of the Choir of Dreams. As such, all Songaskians who were born in Farahdeen were either born en route to, or in one of the following cities:
* '''Timbardena''' is the northernmost Pearl City with the most lush climate, being situated between a series of oases. Timbardena is the only city with a forest, and as such is a major exporter of furniture. It is a very isolated city that can conventionally only be reached by traveling by the coast, or through Kouriyasui.
* '''Kourimou''' or Kourimoptoi depending on one’s spelling, is a coastal Pearl City that harvests the majority of the pearls in Farahdeen, in the bay of Kouriya. The pearls harvested here are used to produce the special paste for the bone-white walls of the Pearl Cities that prevent sand from sticking to the stonework.
* '''Diabaleni''' is a major shipyard Pearl City responsible for building the majority of the ships of the Songaskian fleets.
* '''Moptou''' or Moptoi depending on one’s spelling, is a coastal Pearl City that is conventionally seen as the piracy capital of the Masaya, where the majority of the corsairs depart from to [[Essalonia]].
* '''Diernali''' is the main export staple market for Songaskian [[Gold]], and also the Pearl City that has the highest Gold production. As such, some remark that the city reeks of death, on account of large hordes of Necroservants controlled by Ordial Mages performing basic labor tasks around the city, and the actual living having their abodes on a raised platform high above the lower streets. This city is as a result also infested with crime, because zombies can’t witness theft and literally don’t live to tell the tale. Those born in Diernali are not lovingly called anything, in fact they are often called greedy and self-serving, Ourat being a term that is used to describe a person who is “like a zombie addicted to gold”.
* '''Shaaq-Turnaal''' is an average Pearl City, though it is distinguished in modern times as being the first city to fall to the Regalian army during the Second Songaskian War. This city is incidentally also where the then Emperor of Regalia [[Cedromar]] commanded the execution of 40,000 unarmed civilians to show the Songaskian Masaya that Regalia would not be afraid to use genocide against the Songaskians to speed up the end of the war, forcing the Massya’s uncle to the negotiating table and eventually losing the throne for the sake of preventing future civilian slaughter.  
* '''Massoilagui''' is an average Pearl City that has nothing special about it besides that it held out long enough to see the end of the Second Songaskian war without being taken, despite numerous sieges. Massoilagui as a city has a particular immigration policy against [[Dwarves]] and [[Eronidas]], remembering the savage destruction these two Races inflicted on the countryside near it during the siege under the Regalian banner.  
* '''Bou Gasagou''' is an average Pearl City. There is nothing overtly remarkable about it beyond the extensive libraries that are built in the city’s so-called Marouats, tall spire-like buildings with pointed roofs that stick out far above the Pearl walls, from where scholars perch on the highest balcony to shout debating dissertations at each other across the roofs. Those born in Bou Gasagou are lovingly called Boubou’s, which is a way of saying “someone who likes to shout at others”.
* '''Sikassaro''' is an average Pearl City, but it is distinguished in that it has a very large [[Allar]] minority living in it. Sikassaro as a Pearl City has a very diverse biosphere in the ocean near it, which is a very popular harvesting location of ingredients used in [[Alchemy]].
* '''Korbamakora''' is the capital of the Songaskian Masaya which sits defensively between the Khatil-Assatola and Khagargoro deserts. It is a massive city with 3 million inhabitants, potentially being the second most inhabited city in the world behind Regalia’s 4 million. This city also has the largest dome construction underway, with the majority of the support infrastructure already being complete, and work having been started on the final enclosing dome that should make the city its own self-contained environment. Korbamakora is also home to the Massya’s palace, the Songaskian state offices, and the headquarters of both the College of Priests and the religious institutions. Songaskians born in the capital are lovingly called Korbas, which is a way of calling them stuck-up or self-righteous, even for a Songaskian.
* '''Dogono''' is a major Pearl City oriented around the military, with massive parts of the city just being military barracks and training centers. Dogono is in theory the frontline should the Qadir ever push north, but the Songaskians who go through compulsory military training rarely if ever see combat. However, this does not mean they are ineffective and untrained. Far from it, Dogono is known as a dogged training facility that yields some of the most well-trained warriors, and even accepts foreigners so long as they stay for 3 years, and accept Songaskian lifestyle practices and rules. Songaskians from this city are lovingly called Dogours, which means something like a bucket-head (common mockery of soldiers who wear helmets) in Sofaal.
* '''Kankagner''' is the last of the Songaskian Pearl Cities in the south that is ostensibly the front line between Qadir-held Al-Alus and the Ouelessa desert (which in full is called Ouelessa boule fassa bagougou, meaning “the sand which swallows the world whole”). This city is home to the largest collection of Ordial mages in the world, who continue to fuel the never ending border conflict between the Masaya and the Qadir states to the south.
* '''Kouriyasui''' is technically a Pearl City (it has the Pearl walls), but nobody lives in it, and it is purely being maintained by an army of dead constructs to keep it clean for religious ceremonies by the Priests. The Pearl City sits at the foot of the Kouriyasui mountains, and as such is a place where the dead pass to be grafted into the mountains in their final resting place. The city's houses have mostly been converted to mortuaries, and anyone who works in the city lives in smaller settlements outside of its walls.
* '''Al-Alus''' is technically a Pearl City, though it is not held by the Songaskians. Al-Alus became the unofficial Qadir capital after the loss of the Sariyd Empire, and though it has grown in recent years, it remains much smaller than the other Pearl Cities, having barely 400,000 inhabitants.
* '''Istiniyye''' is the smallest Pearl City in existence, on the very tip of the Al-Alus peninsula housing less than 200,000 (Qadir) inhabitants. Istiniyye was in the process of being constructed when the Sariyd Empire collapsed. While the Qadir spent a long time trying to continue construction, they simply did not have the resources the Sariyd Empire did, which is why vast sections of the Pearl walls were never finished.


The cities that were already covered in a red haze often never saw it coming as the sand coursed through the streets, through every opening and nook and cranny to fill up the insides of homes, people, animals and suffocate all life. The assault on Kouriyasui came to an immediate halt, all the clockwork giant’s technicians and operators dying from suffocation, their mechs and machines grinding to a halt in the valley, half-sunken into the quicksand. The shockwave continued, swallowing all of the Sariyd pearl cities and killing millions of them in the process, only halting just beyond the pearl city of Dogono. When the Great Storm subsided, the only land on Farahdeen that had remained untouched was the backwards and often forgotten province of Al-Alus and Mooriye, where the pearl cities of Alus-Ahadara and Mzwenhlanhla which were previously some of the smallest Sariyd pearl cities left, suddenly became the last. The Sariyd had been dealt a massive blow, losing not only countless cities, but also hundreds of libraries, workshops, archives, palaces and other structures of learning and science, buried deep into the sands of the Farahdeen deserts, some to never be seen again. By the time the Cataclysm rolled over, the Sariyd had already become known as the Qadir among themselves, and Farahdeen was mostly spared from the destruction that ravaged the Allorn Empire and other places in the world. The extreme loss of life and identity for the Qadir had however damaged them on the global playing field, a position from which they would not recover until modern times.
===Song Awnisu===
While Songaskians are generally understood to be able to become 250 years old, this is not actually true. Songaskians don’t actually die, ever, but become functionally catatonic at around 250 years old, after which they must be brought to the Wall of Dreams in Kouriyasui, the holiest of places to the Songaskians, deep in the Farahdeen desert. The Song Awnisu or “Goodnight, people of Songaskia” in [[Sofaal]], refers to the fact that these dying Songaskians are grafted into the mountains of Kouriyasui, where they join the Choir of Dreamers. These Songaskians don’t actually die, but join a collective consciousness that dreams their past lives in vivid details, and even allows Songaskians who visit Kouriyasui to experience these past lives and memories in visions simply by being there. Songaskians do not fear the coming of death, as even Songaskians who fall in battle do not fully die, and can still be grafted into the mountains that once witnessed the dying echoes of the Black Dragons. The only death the Songaskians fear, is having their hearts and minds stolen by [[Demons]], for they will not be able to witness the choir of past lives.  


The Songaskians appeared from the Great Storm, as if children wandering from a dark forest that they had gotten lost in. They were created as both adults and children, left behind with a language and ideology, but with no Dragons to guide them. There was a common identity shared among them, and a story told of their creation, that would continue to guide them to retake the old Sariyd cities, where even though the Sand had killed mere years before, the white pearl colors of their bastion walls and the gold-domed towers remained as pristine as ever, reflecting and basking in the sunlight that was so plentiful in Farahdeen. Indeed, in many pearl cities, the Songaskians simply picked up where the Sariyd had left and died, as the Great Storm had effectively only touched animals and people, but not buildings and items. The Songaskians started building their own culture from scratch, and before long, animals started returning to the deserts and the wetlands, crops started growing again, and songs could be heard in the streets of the old Empire. After 10 years, it was as if the Great Storm had never happened, a newcomer would think that the Songaskians had existed in these pearl cities for hundreds of years, that is how at home and at ease they appeared.
==World View==
World View is optional content that helps give Songaskians flavor and depth.
* Curiously enough, Songaskians are actually okay with [[Vampire]]s. So long as they try to adapt to civil society and live by the rule of law (and can secure their own blood cattle without slavery), then the Songaskians see no reason to force cure them, kill them, or imprison them.
* The Songaskian super welfare state is almost entirely paid for in Gold. The Songaskian Masaya is in fact the largest gold producer in the world, with zombie drones, or Necroservants, used to mine the gold and refine it, and then sold in bales to other countries. Even though Regalia has no active trade treaties with the Songaskian Masaya, Songaskian Gold always ends up in Noble banks as Bales of Gold.
* Songaskian relation to the Undead and [[Bintaar]] is complicated. Ordial to them is treated in the same way as Void and Exist, in that it is a dimension to draw power from. Death is inherently evil, but using the power of death to remove the evil of death is not. This is why Ordial mages who create Necroservants to fight machines of war are good, but sentient Undead fighting the living are not. Songaskians often cleanse (kill) the Undead in Farahdeen.
* Tawhroon is a popular aspect of fashion: the Songaskian art of using semi-permanent gold paint on the body, usually in straight or curved lines. Many Songaskians practice it, as it is meant to showcase opulence and wealth.
* Songaskians culturally despise wearing headcovers, because it blocks them from the sun. They believe that if they wear hats or any kind of head cover, they are denying the sun’s ability to peer into their soul and judge them, which is a crime against their god. This was part of Songaskian repression in the past in Regalia, requiring all faithful to wear hats in order to avoid being expelled or burned for being heretics. Luckily this law was done away with long ago, but Songaskians still feel resentment over such targeted humiliation. 
* The Songaskians don’t really have a concept of separation of religion and state. The Mussaktu Priests are very powerful in daily life, and they are even enforcers of Masaya law, which lacks its own military guard force. Criminals that cannot be rehabilitated are executed with the sundial, allowing the sun to be focused and reflected off massive golden sun disks to redirect to a focal point and incinerate the criminal.
* The Songaskian Masaya is the only country/state in the world that has compulsory military service. Once Songaskian children reach adulthood, they have to go through 3 years of compulsory military education unless they are sent abroad on state business, or leave before then, or become adventurers. In this compulsory state service they are taught military formations, orders, and usually combat with a spear and shield. Mages have their own battalions where they are taught combat magic and restraint to prevent the Magic from tipping over in their soul.
* Within the Masaya, other racial minorities do exist, but many exist in bubbles. There is not so much racial discrimination as there is a general lack of knowing exactly what to do with them. While Songaskians have a clear place in Songaskian society, the Songaskians are not yet able to determine what to do with, for example, Eronidas immigrants. As such, many of them default to the entertainment industry, working in theaters, bars, and restaurants.
* A Songaskian sport frequently engaged in is Sand-ball, a sport with a circular arena filled with fine sand. On each end of the arena is a goal with a goalkeeper in front of it. Only the goalkeeper can touch the ball, all other players (5 on each team) must use sand telekinesis to move around the arena hovering on sand-devils, using sand telekinesis to spout forth sand and shoot the ball around the arena. The game is played in 3 sets of 15 minutes, with the highest amount of times of the leather ball going through the goal of the opposing team being the winner.
* The Songaskia have a group within each of their cultural divisions called the Dongilitariku. Part musician, part story-teller, it is their job to record or rely events of the past or recent years with musical flair for celebrations and to pass on their cultural traditions to the next generation. Outsiders at parties or receptions often do not understand the stories being told, as they are usually only in the Songaskia tongue, but the dancing and music that goes along with them is entertainment enough to keep their attention.
* Songaskian parents are often very “tough love” towards their children. Whether as adventurers or in military service, there is a period of 3 years during which Songaskian children are completely cut off from their families to learn how to survive on their own. After this time, a joyous reunion is held and the member is welcomed back into the family. Sometimes this does not go as planned, and Songaskians end up stranded and anxious for the judgment of their family, never returning.
* Songaskian food more often than not involves stews and earthenware pots with closed-circuit cooking environments in a large fireplace or oven. Songaskians are communal eaters and it is very common for a Songaskian to make a dinner for 10, and invite neighbors over every evening for dinner, so long as they bring the alcoholic beverages and the party attitude.
* An often overlooked topic is Songaskian piracy. The Songaskian Masaya does not produce much in the way of goods, and the gold export is controlled by the state, so many mid to low level Songaskians who need additional income resort to piracy. This is a major sticking point for Regalia, which is very anti-piracy, and this has resulted in many conflicts. Piracy is however the only way for some coastal regions to make money: Farahdeen is such a blighted desert with so many people living in it that all resources are tied up making sure everyone lives with a high living standard, but the continent only has enough to do exactly that.
* There is no difference between a Pearl City and a regular City. There were once 16 Sariyd regional capitals, 14 of which fell into Songaskian hands following the Great Storm, with the rest being in Al-Alus. These are the only cities that exist in Farahdeen, but they are absolutely massive, each of them having at least 1 million inhabitants. Songaskian society is by far and large concentrated in these Pearl Cities, with no smaller “cities” existing anywhere else, and only small settlements or college towns existing out in the wild deserts.  
* Songaskians hate Clockwork because it touches the dead, at least in their eyes. Songaskians can see the Soul Rivers, and can see that when a Qadir uses Clockwork, or cycles Soul Essence, that it touches the Soul Rivers and pulls it along, passing through the device. Songaskians understand that the Soul Rivers are a form of pristine afterlife, connected to the Song Awnisu, and that by cycling through Soul Essence, they believe Clockwork to be stealing the memories of the dead. Whether this is true or not does not matter: to them, nobody should touch the Soul Rivers.
* The Songaskians don’t necessarily hate or like the Void or Exist, but they are uniquely tolerant of it. While most other Races either flatout hate it or have a specific distaste for hostile Magic or Magic used for selfish reasons, Songaskians are very sober about it, and their focus is on overuse. Songaskians believe that all Void/Exist users have a so-called tipping point, which is reached by the user using more and more of their magical power without restraint, becoming addicted. When that point is reached, Songaskians believe the Magic user has become evil, regardless of whether they are Void, Exist, Ordial, or Primal, and must be destroyed. As such, Songaskians preach moderation with Magic usage, but don’t care if the Magic user is a horrible flesh blob.
* Songaskians are anti-body modification beyond tattoos and piercings. Anything that involves replacing lost limbs with technology or intentionally mutating oneself is considered disgusting. Songaskians encourage a view of self-perfection, and so to muddy that with ugly looking mutations is considered vile.
* Every Songaskian or Half-Songaskian born inside or outside of Farahdeen has an automatic right to Songaskian citizenship within the Masaya, even if they live in states that are formally enemies to the Masaya, and even if they do not follow the Songaskian religion. Though, for these immigrants, reaching important places like college libraries may be difficult.


Still, Songaskian history is marred in violence as much as it is covered in tranquility in those early years. The Qadir immediately declared a blood feud against the Songaskians and mobilized to try and take back their pearl cities. The Songaskians however severely outnumbered them, and each battle lost only brought more slaves to the Songaskian armies that would come bearing down on the Qadir. Through slavery missions sailing north and west, the Songaskians even captured Ailor and Allar as well as the rare Altalar, creating a more diverse community in their cities, even if it was based on slavery. The Qadir held onto Kankagner for several more decades, before the Songaskians overpowered them in 170 AC, and the final boundaries between the Masaya and the Qadir states were more or less created.
==Trivia==
 
* Songaskian army divisions across all forms of combat taught in the military often defy popular social beliefs in other countries, especially on the subject of brotherly love. Some women or men-only battalions encourage romance between the soldiers, believing it strengthens their bond.
Songaskian piracy remained a major issue for the Regalian Empire all the way up to modern times, where Regalia officially went to war during the first Songaskian War, where the Songaskians temporarily managed to occupy the capital of Regalia and send the royal family into hiding. Eventually, the Songaskians were ejected and the war ended in a stalemate. By intervention of the Imperial Dragon as Emperor during the second war, instability started affecting the hierarchy of the Masaya. The sudden presence of a Dragon in their midst caused an issue with Songaskian beliefs that all Dragons had disappeared. Many of the Masaya insisted that they should not be fighting Regalia, but instead ally it, while hardliners continued the idea that the Masaya should stay away from Regalia, and that while they might have a Dragon, that the Songaskians should stay true to the Black Dragon’s decrees, and were the heirs to the Mantle of Creation, a concept that dictates that the Songaskians should rule all lesser races.  
* Songaskians get slightly offended by [[Slizzar]] imitating Songaskians, because they see themselves as inheritors of Dragons, and to mimic them without having profound respect for the sacrifice of the Black Dragons or the suffering they went through at the hands of the Sariyd is offensive.
 
*Songaskians do consider Slizzar born by a Songaskian parent who adopt Songaskian culture and naming as a 'true' Songaskian, and accept them fully. This is only if the Slizzar chooses Songaskian society over Slizzar society, however, and they are not welcomed if they cling to aspects of Slizzar society instead.
A civil war occurred between these two sides that the pro-Regalian side eventually won, solidifying Massya Musamansa Koné on the throne in favor of his uncle, who insisted on permanent war with the Regalian Empire. While the uncle was in power, for a short while, he allied with the Sihai and the Altalar to form the Magical Covenant that was meant to destroy the Regalian Empire. Upon losing his throne to his nephew again that he had cooped just a year before however, the Magical Covenant was broken. There currently exists an uneasy truce between the 14 year old Massya and his older uncle, who rules a small portion of the Masaya’s far east and continues to court Sihai diplomats, likely to have another try at overthrowing his nephew. The Songaskians are not formally allied to Regalia, but have showed strong inclinations to positive relations with the Regalians, even exchanging the world’s first permanent embassy missions to each other, with a member of House Black serving as Ambassador for the Regalian Empire in the Songaskian capital of Korbamakora, while a general’s son is positioned permanently in Regalia to act as a liaison to the Massya.  
* Songaskians are immune from heat overexposure and can remain in the desert’s blistering sun for days on end. Dehydration and eye damage however does still affect them, so even Songaskians use care to garb themselves appropriately in the deep deserts.
 
* Because Songaskians are not observed to die in Aloria, Ordial entities and visitors report that very few Songaskians reside in Bintaar, something that annoys a great deal of Ordial entities (beyond the annoyance at the Songaskians destroying many Bintaar plots in Aloria by killing their agents in the world of the living).  
The Songaskians now roam more freely in the world, their slavery and piracy having reduced strongly in favor of trade and diplomacy. Over the centuries, the Songaskians had to learn both the hard and good way that violence and oppression did not always work, and sometimes got them into more trouble than it was worth. While their whole economy and bureaucratic and military structures continue to be supported by rampant slavery, it is often said by other races that to be a Songaskian slave is not such a bad thing. Songaskians have gained a far more enlightened attitude to the idea of ruling, and unlike the other Empires in the world, seem more convinced to try and charm others into their fold instead of ruthlessly crushing anyone who opposes them. Still, Songaskians are often underestimated. They continue to have the largest and most well-trained army in the world that is endlessly able to replenish its losses, while individually, Songaskians are counted as some of the most skilled and versatile fighters, and their priesthood contains some of the most powerful Life and Death Mages.
* We know the page has too much art on it, and it flows over beyond the end of the text on the page. We will not be apologetic for how hot Songaskians are, and how everyone should have more of them.  
 
==Culture==
===Families and Romance===
[[File:Egr79R5WoAAM4H-.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Songaskians adore tight fitting clothing, the colors gold and red, and black and white fabrics, but other colors are perfectly usable too.]]
Songaskians have both some of the happiest and some of the cruelest family situations, depending on one’s perspective. Songaskians believe mostly in monogamy, though polyamory is not entirely unheard of. Same-sex relations are not as common as in other races, but unlike other races, they are seen as entirely normal, largely because two men can still procreate, as can two women. Interracial couples are also common, and entirely accepted, while their children are also raised as worthy members of Songaskian society. Songaskian commoners have a very pleasant life. The home’s economic burdens are taken care of by slaves usually, leaving the parents all the time in the world to take care of and raise their children. Indeed, while other races often delegate the task of children raising to communal clubs or grandparents, Songaskian parents spend the most amount of time with their children to form strong bonds. However, when adulthood arrives, Songaskians have a habit of abruptly and harshly cutting off contact with their children as a means of establishing their own independence in the world. A parent might from one day be loving, turn to stone-cold ignoring their child the next if it is time for them to reach out into the world and make their own name. This is because Songaskians absolutely despise the idea of inherited wealth or status. Indeed, this whole process of ejecting a child from one’s household is more severe among Nobility, because the Songaskians don’t have a concept of hereditary nobility in the Masaya. A General might rise to fame in one lifetime, only for his children to be failures and his family name to die out. In the hopes that children realize the need for building their own wealth and fame, they are given the most basic of pocket money to get started and then cut off. If a child still has not achieved anything by age 70, the parents tend to take them back in, however this child is then considered a failure to the family, and only allowed to do menial household tasks like manage the slaves and prepare feasts for the family instead of hosting them. As soon as a child has achieved some level of success or fame or at least equal financial stability of the family however, these two units are re-combined into a greater whole, and the family continues with the children onboard. Orphans however, are the most downtrodden of people in the Masaya. Despite the strong child-welfare (even at the cost of complete separation as soon as the children become adults), children born without parents or who lose their parents somewhere along the way end up in a funnel of hellish child-homes and orphanages from which they can rarely ever escape without some mental anguish. Orphans cannot trace their lineage to the 14 Black Dragons, and as such, are considered tainted goods, and no parent would adopt a child and take care of it. Commonly, the only way out of orphanages for these children is slavery among their own people, which usually ends up in the military. These children and later adults are called the Farborn, those without a Lineage.  
 
===Government===
The Songaskians have largely united into a single large Empire called the Masaya, though smaller Songaskian states exist to the north of the Masaya called Saruhanna and Malifant. For the purpose of this section however, those nations are so small that they do not really factor into the common Songaskian identity, and as such, the focus will be on the Masaya. At the head of the Masaya sits the Massya, or Emperor. The Massya is in theory an absolute ruler, but in practice, their authority is usually curbed by the nobility of the Masaya. The Nobility is non-hereditary, meaning the court of nobles is always only ever made up of the most skilled and most talented or most lucky members of the upper class, who continue to uphold their status with further achievements. This can make Songaskian upper class living fairly cutthroat, with noble houses collapsing in a single generation due to lack of proper upkeep. Noble assassination is quite common among especially the military nobles, the warlords and generals who each have their own slave army to complement the state’s army. Much of the state’s governance is run through appointments such as having a noble appointed to General of the North, while another is appointed to the position of Grand Calculator of the Treasury. This means that while on the surface the Masaya might appear like the Regalian Empire, in practice it is far more meritocratic and has far less bureaucratic weight. The people of the Masaya are also not taxed, while the economy and leisure of the people is supported by a vast network of slavery. It is often said that while the Songaskians in pure population numbers don’t even reach half the Ailor numbers in the Regalian Empire, their military is four times the size of all Regalian soldiers put together, and far better trained and equipped. The change of the old guard when a noble is flushed out and a new one installed however, can sometimes be chaotic. Most nobles appoint their own servants and clerks such as lower ranked government officials, and one noble being removed can mean an entirely new administration takes office, often losing some paperwork and efficiency of the past in the process. Generally speaking however, the Songaskians are very content with their government and rarely if ever does a Songaskian flee to Regalia from prosecution.  
 
===Heritage Lines===
Songaskians are very proud of their lineage and many Songaskians trace their lineage back to the original 14 Black Desert Dragons, which all had names. The lineage distinction doesn’t have much bearing on the actual position of Songaskians in life or their prospects, it is merely a cultural notion that the Songaskians proudly proclaim, as their heritage is something to be cherished in their eyes. Songaskians might proclaim their lineage when introducing themselves, but others also prefer to keep this a secret, so that only others who are Songaskian get to know this intimate detail about their life. Lineage membership doesn’t imply direct family relations, as most families have diluted so far that it does not matter. Half-Songaskians are also culturally permitted to claim lineage. Some Dragons do have some traits that they were known for, and frequently, Songaskians might try to emulate these traits or consider them good virtues passed down from their lineages. Indeed, sometimes, Dragons pass down physical traits. For example, Kah-Tooral was the largest of the Black Dragons, and so Songaskians of their lineage tend to be on the larger side, both for females and males.
 
* Kash-Tooral (commonly called Kash) was the largest of the Black Dragons and commonly seen as a strong warrior. Those of his lineage try to live up to his example with strength training, and frequently prefer a carnivorous diet.
* Birk-Marvahjr (commonly called Birr) was the orator of the Black Dragons, with a sharp tongue and even snarkier responses. Songaskians try to emulate them by honing their insult-skill, and those of other lineages seek to be insulted by them as a form of comedy.
* Kettrakh (commonly called Kett) was one of the smallest Black Dragons, was the schemer and plotter of the Black Dragons. Those of their lineage try to play mind games with others as a way of paying homage, but only “good natured” plots, like surprise parties or gift ceremonies.
* Vult (commonly called Vult) was the most studious and intellectual of the Black Dragons, those of their lineage attempting always to learn more and discover new things, collecting a vast library of their own, and digging for Sariyd treasures.
* Uttrakhar (commonly called Utt) is also sometimes called the sleeper, giving rise to a lineage of those believing that the best way to pay homage to them, is to take life as easy and laid-back as possible while avoiding as much responsibility as possible.
* Rakhaksaris (commonly called Rakka) was the peacekeeper and the kind one, an unusual disposition in a Dragon Throne of warriors. Those of their lineage try to always seek for the kindness in others, and express their desire to have others be more kind to one another.
* Askaisyam (commonly called Askia) was the energetic challenger and the boisterous proudful one of the Black Dragons, Those of their lineage often end up as pit-fighters or gladiators, attempting to rival a reputation of combat skill and prowess.
* Songalay (commonly called Song) was the consorting warrior. Those of their lineage end up usually being more androgynous and seeking true love in the world, whether that be just a single person, or being adored by many.


* Innil-Tarra (commonly called Inni) was the most playful and cheery of the Black Dragons, giving rise to a lineage of those seeking to become stage masters, actors and theatre performers. Those of Inni’s lineage tend to be shorter.
{{Peoples}}
* Baoul (commonly called Balou) was the most angry and ill-tempered of the Black Dragons, and likely the one to attack the Sariyd the most. Their lineage is dominated by those who have equally ill tempers, and frequently live their whole lives with Dragon heads instead of Ailor heads from their racial abilities.
* Karkihs (commonly called Kark) was the compassionate and the doubter, rumored to only begrudgingly consent to the Great Storm. Those of their lineage try to go about helping others in their lives, and attempting to get those helped to pay that charity forward.
* Dirér (commonly called Dirri) was the so-called mother or father Dragon, being the first to give up their body to give birth to the Songaskians. Those of this lineage often only find happiness in having a large family of offspring.
* Kaye-Mahina (commonly called Kaye) was the so-called all-shaper Dragon of the sands, the one most gifted with Draconic Magic. Those of this lineage often find comfort living underground, or building their homes in the faces of mountains.
* Damin-Ouilia (commonly called Damin) was the so-called Life and Death mancer, or guardian of the Sand Ghosts. Those of this lineage often sign up for the College of Priesthood, and there is also a higher tendency for Life or Death mages being born in this lineage.
 
===Religion===
[[File:EkPOTKkWsAsBzbO.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Tawhroon, the Songaskian long-lasting gold skin-paint is popular as an accessory that adds a flair of grace to any Songaskian.]]
The Songaskian religion is called Shambala, though there also exist some more generic Dragon Worshipers among their people. Shambala however, is a fairly unique religion that while maintaining a concept of priesthood, worship and divinity, is not considered an all-truth like all other religions. What this means is that those who worship Shambala do not necessarily see their religion as an absolute worldly truth through which everything can be explained. While in Altalar Faith of Estel all of creation is ascribed to Estel and her pantheon, in Shambala, the exact creation of all other races and the world is left really vague, while only the subject of the creation of the Songaskians is touched upon as a divine moment. The Songaskians also do not believe that their religion should at one point in time “rule” the world like the Ailor do with Unionism, rather, they consider their religion a very personal matter that does not affect politics, and one could say that the Songaskians are the only race that have truly harnessed the separation of church and state. At the same time, the Songaskians are very possessive of their faith. Shambala is not a religion that other races besides themselves and half-Songaskians are allowed to follow, even though they do sometimes proselytize others into their beliefs.
 
At its core, Shambala is a religion declaring the Black Desert Dragons (and other Dragons by extension) as divine beings, but more notably the Black Desert Dragons. It is believed that while the celestial body of the sun was at one point very mundane, that during the Great Storm, the Dragons gave up their bodies and magic to give birth to the Songaskians, and then had their souls transcend to the sun, where they would form one all-god called Shambala, who continues to bless the Songaskian people, and watch out over them, and pass judgment where necessary. Shambala is primarily worshiped through recitations of holy texts called Haana’s, usually while facing the sun and placing one’s hands with the palm in the direction of the sun, one on each side of the sun, while praying with one’s eyes closed, letting the sunlight cover the face. To cover one’s head is heresy to the Songaskians, and so Songaskians must never wear any clothing article on top of their head. Anyone wearing hats or armor while in the Masaya or in a Songaskian’s home who is not a Songaskian themselves will be quickly if not roughly urged to remove their blasphemous item, as the Songaskians believe that to cover one’s head, disallows Shambala from peering into the soul of the individual and judge them.
 
Communal worship is done in so-called Sun Temples which are often in fact large open-air theatres with a number of large pillars, each adorned with a massive golden disk suspended in air with Primal energies that catch the sun’s rays and redirect them to a focal point at the center of the Sun Temple, which is also a floor covered in polished gold, creating the so-called sunwell. At the heart of any Songaskian community, such a Sun-Temple often provides a bright well of light even visible from far away. Worship is led by the College of Priesthood, an organization not too dissimilar from the Regalian Unionist priesthood, except it is mostly filled with women, with the occasional male priest. Additionally, the College of Priesthood is an organization that has a large Mage population, primarily Primal and Ordial Mages, but some Void and Exist Mages are also present.
===Attitudes to Void/Exist===
Songaskian attitudes to Void/Exist and by extension Mages/Silven and other such dimensional beings, is a bit complicated. Normally, one would expect these Primal/Dragon related people to absolutely hate Exist and Void things, as all Dragon Worshipers and Isldar tend to do. At its core however, their acceptance of these individuals (and sometimes even celebration of them) is related to their cultural notion that the world being biodiversified is a good thing, and that non-Songaskians are fine people meant to be ruled by the benevolence of the Songaskians and let to thrive and prosper, or serve as slaves if they get in the way of that utopia. Biodiversity being a good thing, to Songaskians, means that dimensional diversity must also be a good thing, while they also reject the entire notion of the world coming to an end supposedly because of the proliferation of Magic. By extension of Magic Diversity, Void and Exist Mages and Silven are allowed to exist in the Songaskian Masaya, and Mages are even incorporated into the College of Priesthood. In fact, the College of Priesthood is not necessarily even a religious organization, a Void Mage or Sorcerer half-Songaskian might for example be officially named Priest, but not offer any religious services or even know half the Haana’s by heart, instead using their magical powers in one of the many other tasks undertaken by the College of Priests. As such, the best way to put it, is that the Primal and Ordial Mages, high ranking officials in the College of Priesthood, are pro-integration to their Void and Exist touched kin and non-kin, but on a number of conditions.
 
There is a very clear preference for Primal and Ordial Mages in the higher ranks. While Void and Exist mages have held the positions of High Priest and Priestess, the number of them ever-ascending this rank are far less than the ones among Primal and Ordial Magic. Furthermore, the Songaskians make an assessment of the “hostility of a Magic”. In order to categorize and streamline their Magic usage, the Songaskians have schools specifically made for catching children with Magic early on in their life and encouraging them to have a beneficial form of Magic. If a Magic caster enters the College of Priesthood at a later point in life where their Magic was already allowed to develop to something corrosive or hostile to morality and ideology, then the Songaskians might violently reject them from their society, or enslave them to work in the Masaya’s army instead. It must be said that the Songaskians are very tolerant of Void and Exist, more so than Ailor, but less than Altalar who accept any and all forms of Magic no matter what the nature is. Songaskians remain picky and believe that the Magic caster must have some sort of beneficial use. A Mage that can only destroy or corrupt and make things ugly or disorganized is quickly ejected, albeit never killed outright and given a better purpose elsewhere away from the faithful and society.
 
Vampires and Werebeasts exist in an even grayer area. Werebeast are commonly believed to serve well as slaves, and so Werebeasts are legal among Songaskians, as long as they are enslaved to Songaskians and in chains. Vampires are only legal in certain situations, judged by the same specifications as Mages. The Songaskians believe that if a Vampire can control their bloodthirst to just the Slaves they have been assigned or own, then their Vampirism is permissible. This has caused a certain Vampire upper-class to exist in the Songaskian Masaya that is out in the open and entirely legal and socially accepted among them, as long as they keep their feeding to their personal property. Some of the most notable generals in the Masaya are Vampires, and are also not afraid to hide it because of their societal acceptance. It has notably been observed that these societally accepted Vampires tend to be far kinder than their hunted and forcibly cured kin in Regalia. They are in all ways of measurement model citizens of the Masaya, and use their Vampiric powers for good. Just because Vampirism is legal in this form, also does not mean that Vampirism rampantly grows. The Vampiric aristocracy are quite vain in their Vampiric gifts and very rarely if ever recruit new Vampires into their folds, while Covens practically do not exist among the Songaskians.
 
The only thing the Songaskians absolutely despise are Undead, which they call the Great Rot of the world. The whole College of Priesthood is in fact geared towards the eradication of the Undead and the cleansing of ghosts from their habitats. The Primal Mages are often geared towards the School of Life Magic, healing and blessing skills to the benefit of the Priesthood or the army. Death Mages on the other hand, or Ordial origin, are usually geared towards giving the Sadeir ghosts, remnants of the killed Sariyd that continue to haunt the desert ruins, a final resting place, and cleansing their locations. It is as such common to see Life Mages in white robes in houses of healing and temples, and Death Mages in black robes seated on desert camels or Sandmaws, scouring the deserts for lost souls or ghosts that haunt the hills, sending them to the afterlife. The duality between life and death is very important in the Shambala faith also, which is why Primal and Ordial mages are highly respected among the Songaskians.
 
===Cuisine===
Songaskian cuisine is as vibrant and inviting as the people themselves, with a wide range of dishes all uniquely made in the Songaskian ways. Songaskians frequently do not use open fires for food or skillets, rather preferring closed-environment cooking like the famous Tagine earthwork pot with a lid that usually makes slow-cooked stews, or through steaming or smoking the food. One of the most famous Songaskian dishes is the couscous, a tender steamed grain usually mixed with steamed vegetables and smoked lamb or fish. Other dishes also include filled meat pies, as pastry baking and dough making are very frequently used to prepare dishes. Preserved olives and lemons are common, while prunes and almonds are also frequently used to add nutty and sweet notes to food. Soups are uncommon, as soup is considered a poor traveler’s food, and because every traveling donkey has at least one tagine hanging from its saddle. Desserts are very important to the Songaskians, an entire feast can be ruined by a bad set of desserts. The Songaskians adore puff pastry and simple cookie-like dishes. M’hanncha for example is a pastry dough rolled up in the form of a snake, filled with almond paste and sugar and almonds, while Sellou is a pile of roasted browned flour, fried almonds and toasted seeds, usually complemented with cinnamon spice. It is commonly believed that the Songaskians invented the doughnut, as they have a dish called Sfenj that is essentially a chewier doughnut, dating back to the early days of the Masaya’s creation. 
 
===Fashion===
Songaskian fashion, simply put, is very revealing, either in the literal sense that it covers little, or in the figurative sense that the clothing is tight-fitting and leaves little to the imagination. As a vain people that have a habit of being more physically fit, it is not uncommon for men to wear so-called Mounda, which are vests that only cover parts of the chest and the arms, but not the midriff or the stomach. Waist sashes are common, as are Alounas, which are similar to panty-hoses worn by women in Regalia, however they are instead not see-through, and have a rubber sole at the bottom of the feet pads, causing them to be worn without shoes. This creates the impression that the Songaskians do not wear shoes, but their shoes are often incorporated into their legwear. Women frequently wear tight fit and poised and classy dresses, necklaces with red beads and rubies are common, as are large earrings. Women tend to cover themselves up a bit more, but leave nothing to the imagination with their shapes. Songaskian fashion is often considered base or offensive to other cultures. In Regalia in particular, the showcasing of so much skin has often led to misunderstandings. To remedy this, Songaskians frequently cover up more while in Regalia if only to satisfy their society that they happen to live in at that very time, but besides that, Songaskians are frequently proud of their body, and willing to show it. Hair wise, there are no real trends. One popular trend among Songaskian women is baldness, which is considered a powerful status icon among them, often seen among the priestesses of Shambala. Tattoo art is not that common among Songaskians, and usually, Songaskians believe that when one has tattoos, this betrays a loyalty to some sort of cult or underground organization. Indeed, there are cults in the Songaskian Masaya, outliers that do not worship Shambala and instead worship various Arken, such as the Cult of Envy and the Cult of Judgement. The Songaskians instead invented a body paint called Tawhroon, which is a long-lasting skin paint that has gold leaf mixed in and some other faux-gold materials. When this paint dries, it mimics the clean and polished reflectiveness of gold, thus appearing as if gold has directly been applied to the skin. Depictions of geometric lines, faux-crowns, and shapes that depict important symbols to the individual are common. This paint tends to last for several weeks before it detaches and must be re-applied.
 
===Architecture and Buildings===
Songaskian architecture is identical to Sariyd pre-Qadir architecture, something the Qadir continue to perceive as insulting, even if their architecture has radically moved away from their old principles. Songaskian cities are often plastered as white as possible, allowing them to reflect light and appear immensely bright and alive, while the roofs of their houses are usually topped with domes, covered in either bronze or gold-leaf to reflect the sunlight also. Their pearl cities, formerly inhabited by Sariyd, have huge bastion walls that no normal army could reasonably mount an assault on, while towering buildings peer above it like shards of ice. Scattered around the city are sun disks, usually less magic-inclined imitations of the ones near and in sun-temples, for decorative purposes, but sometimes also to tell the time of day. Near to the ground, the Songaskians use a mixture of tapestry and linen coverings to stay out of the sun, alleyways covered with red and orange bright colors, soaked in eucalyptus incense and the fragrances of spices and pastries being baked. Further in the provinces, the bright white building plaster is often replaced with simple sandstone to save time and money, but each smaller community always has a tall sun disk in the middle to act both as a lighthouse in the desert, and also as a central focus point of worship for Shambala. The Songaskians have essentially picked up the Sariyd architecture and continued building just as they had 400 years ago. As such, anyone researching Sariyd culture or architecture, can often simply look to Songaskian architecture.
 
===Slavery===
Slavery is a massive cornerstone of the Songaskian Masaya’s economy, internal runnings, and military, but also of everyday life. Generally speaking, every family has at least one slave, while richer families have several dozens, and greater nobles have several thousands. Slavery in the Songaskian Masaya is fully legal on all races including their own, but only under what they consider the enlightened principle of purpose. This enlightened principle of purpose dictates that Slaves can only be gotten from those people or individuals who get in the way of the Songaskians attempting to extend their benevolence and kindness to all corners of the world. Criminals, war prisoners, orphans and those born in slavery are all fair game, as long as there was a cause for their affront to the Songaskian ideology. Slavery tends to condemn one’s children and grandchildren to slavery also, and the policy of releasing slaves simply does not exist among the Songaskians, as any inch of freedom given is considered dangerous to their high standard of living as slaves continue to perform all basic industrial and maintenance tasks, and the Songaskians simply live in luxury, much like the Altalar. It is presumed that this standard of slavery cannot be maintained forever, as the Songaskian population will at one point simply become so large that there aren’t enough people left in the world to enslave to take care of the state’s functions, however the Songaskians simply refuse to look that far ahead, and continue the current status quo.
 
It is commonly said that to be a slave among the Songaskians is the least terrible fate for a slave in the world of Aloria. Altalar slavers can be downright cruel, while slavery in the Dread Empire is a very deadly game, with frequent slave sacrifices. Among the Songaskians however, slaves have moderate rights. While it is certainly never ideal to be in bondage against one’s will, Songaskian slaves have reasonable lodgings and privacy, are permitted personal property, in many cases even have small wages with which they are allowed to buy things, are frequently gifted items by their masters, are never bound in chains (though can be if they misbehave) and are generally well-fed, well-groomed and treated with fair and just overlordship. Slaves can even bring court trials against their masters for alleged mistreatment, and can win freedom from that master (only to be enslaved by another), with an additional heavy pouch of gold to cover the troubles. While slave uprisings are not unheard of, Songaskian slaves tend to be far more docile and present in the lives of the families. It is in fact not unheard of for a slave to be in a lover’s relation with their master, and for their master to even bear a child from the slave. In such situations, the child is born free, Songaskian in status, and no part of any of this is considered a taboo in their society, something that would be absolutely shocking and unheard of everywhere else.
 
==Trivia==
*Songaskian army divisions often defy popular social beliefs in other countries, especially on the subject of brotherly love. Some women or men only battalions encourage romance between the soldiers, believing it strengthens their bond.
*Songaskians are immune from heat overexposure and can remain in the desert’s blistering sun for days on end. Dehydration and eye damage however does still affect them, so even Songaskians use care to garb themselves appropriately in the deep deserts.
*The Songaskians were the ones who developed the art of dune-sailing, with their dragonwing-like sails and boats called [[Sandmaws]].
* Songaskians are dubious in their opinions of Slizzar. Some get very offended when a Slizzar imitates a Songaskian, because they are Farborn and cannot have a Lineage, while others are pleased, because yet another creature acknowledges their physical superiority. It is often a gamble.
* Even if Slizzar are born 100% Slizzar from a Slizzar and Songaskian parent, that Slizzar, as long as they can prove one of their parents was Songaskian, is considered a Songaskian in the eyes of the Songaskian state, even if they are racially Slizzar.
{{Races}}
{{Accreditation
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|Artists = MonMarty
|Artists = MonMarty
|Writers = MonMarty
|Writers = MonMarty
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[[category:Races]] [[category:Human Races]]
[[category:Races]] [[category:Human Races]]

Latest revision as of 21:42, 10 March 2024

Songaskia
Songisplashi.png
Race
Pronunciation Song-gah-ski-an
Classification Human
Subraces N/A
Common Nicknames
  • Desert-Drakken (praising)
  • Horned Raiders (derogatory)
  • Drake-kin (praising)
Languages Sofaal
Naming Customs Malian names found on earth [1]
Racial Traits
Distinctions Half-Draconian descendants of the Bronze Dragons
Maximum Age 250
Eye Colors Amber/Orange reminiscent of fire
Hair Colors Jet black, snow white, sandy brown/blonde, or dark-muted-brown.
Skin Tones Songskin.png
This Sofawaati Form Songaskian is wondering if you are a little Dragon hater.
Songaskians can manifest whole or partial Black Dragon aesthetics on their body.
Songaskians grow much larger and imposing in their Sofawaati Forms.
Songaskians are exceptionally stylish and well dressed no matter what they wear (or how little).

In the far-off sands of Farahdeen stands the towering pearl cities of the Songaskian Masaya, home to the heirs of the Elders and the Great Old Ones. While commonly covered in desert, the total landmass owned by the Songaskians is twice the size of the Regalian Empire, and is commonly said to have the most well-equipped and trained professional army in the world. The Songaskians, being relative newcomers to the world, have rapidly mobilized onto the global stage, and played pivotal roles in all the recent events. Some of the last remaining remnants of the Dragons, the Songaskians have proclaimed themselves the inheritors to the guardianship of the world, a title once held only by the majestic winged creatures that roamed the skies and lorded over the mortal Races. Poised to strike from the great cities built by their Sariyd forerunners, the Songaskians spread their proverbial wings across the oceans, gathering resources and manpower to achieve their own goals of a great utopia of biodiversity and life, which they of course are the leaders of through benevolence. Others yet continue to follow in the footsteps of their draconian ancestors, living lives of study, self-exploration, and development to become the worthy descendants the Dragons wished them to be.

Core Identity

To be a Songaskian is to be the heir of Dragons, the inheritor of a powerful legacy of majestic and magical creatures that once controlled the elements of the world, but perished with time. Even with the return of Dragons in the modern era, Songaskians stand apart from their distant kin in that they have taken a different path. They do not attempt to revive what once was, but herald a new era with themselves as the preservers of the living and those who would combat the clutches of death and infection. Many Songaskians travel the world, seeking out places where death or evil holds sway, and fighting to protect the living while making lots of friends along the way. They can frequently be seen stalking places where the dead have risen, and where Magic has made even the kindest of people into self-serving autocrats. Their approach is often self-righteous, but always with good intentions, even if it comes across with a snark and smirk.

Magic versus Infection

While most Dragons see Magic as an infection period, with any type of Occult or Aberrant being instantly an unwanted transgression, Songaskians have a more nuanced stance. They believe that Magic by nature is a tool, one to be used and nurtured, but that true infection is the evil will of death that infects the soul through over-indulgence. Songaskians believe that Magic by itself can never be harmful even when practiced for selfish reasons, but excessive use of Magic invites a corruption of the soul that turns someone evil. For Songaskians, the terms infection and evil mean the same thing, and are interchangeably used. They believe evil is infectious, it can spread between people, and the only way to stop it, is to extinguish evil Magic users and dead things. Undead are usually exempt from this, but Songaskians are always suspicious of the sentient Undead, believing there may be great evil hidden in them that is just waiting to get out, because all things dead by nature want to spread death.

Desert Homeland

The Songaskians feel that Farahdeen belongs to them. Their Dragon ancestors once roamed its skies, and as such, they see it as a holy land, their holy land as the children of Marik. This is the core of their war with the Qadir: while no one remembers why the war started, it is continued by Qadir nomads' trespassing, and the trench front line between the Songaskian Mage-priests and Qadir clockwork engineers. They export this conflict to other countries, including Regalia, where street fights between Qadir and Songaskians are still very frequent.

Harmonic Preservers

While Songaskians believe Farahdeen only belongs to them and those who have chosen their path in line with the Dragon Worship religion, they see the rest of the world as chaotic and in need of stewardship. The Songaskians go out and solve other people’s problems for them, even if they do not like the solutions levied by the Songaskians. The Songaskians see themselves as the heirs of the so-called “Mantle of Creation”, which is an ideological concept that proposes that one species/race/entity is always at the forefront of defending life from death. The Songaskians have claimed this mantle for themselves, and impose that pro-life stance wherever they can.

Design

Mental Characteristics

Songaskians have a respect for all life. While they do not shy from fights, or killing if they have to, they spare even the lowest critters and insects as long as they can. This attitude also extends to being welcoming and charitable hosts to all people (except the Qadir). They do genuinely see themselves as benevolent, and try to do good by others, though sometimes this makes them come off as know-it-all or patronizing when they don't mean to. Songaskian culture is quite open, jovial, and self-expressive, leading to a people overall very comfortable with parties, drinking games, gambling, and a strong sense of community.

Physical Characteristics

Songaskians have two different appearances, their human form and their Dragon form. Their human form is always African-coded, identical to African-coded Ailor with very dark skin. However, there are some differences. Songaskians have amber-colored, slightly fiery irises. While most Songaskians have black hair, some can also have snow-white hair, hair colored like the sand of the desert dunes, or a very dark and muted brown. Songaskians are average to tall when compared to Ailor, and usually have a fairly athletic build with wide shoulders, even when not maintaining their physique. Their hair can be coily, curly, straight, or wavey, but also matted or braided to form dreads. Songaskians do have a male and female biological sex distinction, however, both are capable of carrying a child to term and conceiving, and as such, the Race is functionally intersex. A curious aspect about the Songaskians, is that they can turn their hair into fire, which is cold to the touch but does still create enough light to act like a lantern in the dark for them.

Sofawaati Form

All Songaskians have a Transformation called Sofawaati Form, in which they assume a body more similar to the Bronze Dragons (Bronze Dragon Marik on the Dragon Worship Page. Songaskians don't need to Transform all in one go however, they can also manifest any of the individual elements (for what the whole transformation may look like, reference the art on this page). Manifestations of the Sofawaati Form are: A dragon-like head, Dragon-horns, black or black-like or bronze scales on their whole or parts of their body, Draconic-tail, digitigrade legs with Dragon-claws, pointed ears. Sofawaati Form is not a Disguise (even if the face changes), and does not grant wings.

Heritage Traits

When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.

Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).

Free Packs

Mechanics

  • Songaskians cannot become Undead, unless they are forced to do so, or request it from, an Ordial Entity. They can also choose to become a Primal Revenant on death.
  • Songaskians are immune to harm from heat or fire sources (unless they are Magical), and do not suffer decreased visibility or choking hazard in a sand-storm.
  • Songaskians do not have night vision in the dark, but can switch to infra-red sight allowing them to see people in pure darkness (but not through walls!).
  • Songaskians may be able to do a perception check on Dragon Sites/Temples/Event Characters, and unlock additional interactions or learn more information.
  • Songaskians can feel whether a Soul has passed into the afterlife, The Beyond, or is still alive (or Undead/Spirit) in Aloria, if they know their true name.
Tawhroon (on the forehead and sides) are very popular among the Songaskians, always with actual gold leaf or dust, and with long flowing lines.
Songaskian Clothing has only two extremes: Either extremely loose and wide, or extremely short and tight. Elastan is particularly popular.
Songaskian Black Dragon scale is as tough as armor, which is why some just run into battle with only a set of pants.
Songaskians do gray around the 150 year mark.
Songaskian bodyguards are very much in demand in Regalia, as they are considered very jovial and familial guards that add a personal touch.
The Songaskian Masaya has some of the most skilled diplomats (or spies) in the non-Slizzar world that often puts the Regalian State to shame with how much information they acquire from just being at parties.
Black, Red, and Gold are frequently recurring color themes for the Songaskians. They tend to avoid blue as much as possible as this is a Qadir color.
Many Songaskians crop their hair very short or shave it of altogether to be bald, thus being able to have more sunlight touch their skin, which is seen as pious.
Songaskian ambassadors use physical charm as much as wit to widen their understanding of their habitat.
Songaskians in general find Regalia way too cold for their liking. They are the most common users of Regalian saunas to sit in an environment that reminds them of Farahdeen.

Language

The Songaskian language called Sofaal is based on the real life equivalent of Bambara, which is chiefly spoken in the country of Mali. It is an entirely unique language in Aloria in that it has no relation to any languages spoken anywhere else, and has a couple of words which are reminiscent of Wyrm Tongue, or Dragon language. The Songaskians have a simple first and last name naming principle, using names that are common in the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mauritania, but avoiding names that have obvious arabic or muslim references such as Mouhammed or Abdoul. Songaskian names are non-gendered, meaning they can apply to female-presenting, male-presenting or non-binary identifying individuals.

Songaskian name examples: Djene, Moulaye, Ailou, Fode, Hama, Konate, Alou, Soumba, Deni, Traore, Bintou, Nana, Rama, Mamadou, Adama, Oumar, Sisko, Bouacar, Mane.

Additionally, Songaskians have a hidden name called Doumara, or their Soul-name. This name is given at birth and kept very personal and secret, shared only to the deepest of friends and lovers of a Songaskian. Songaskians believe this name has power, and that they should take exceptional effort to make sure a Demon of the Void or Exist or Ordial planes never learns of it, because if they do, they might gain control over the Songaskian’s soul. The Doumara is always a noun or adjective or combination in the Sofaal language that has some relation to the Songaskian’s birth. For example, a Songaskian might be born in the afternoon, so their name becomes Tiléden, or afternoon child in Bambara. Another example might be Siramugaman, meaning orange, referencing the child was born in orange cloth.

Religion

Songaskians by far and large follow Dragon Worship, though they have their own name for it, called Mussaktu, or "gratefulness for living". Those Songaskians that worship Dragons generally consider themselves somewhat apart of the other Dragon faiths, because they are the inheritors of Dragons, believed to have been made out of the bodies and souls of the Black Dragons who perished in the Great Storm. As a result, Songaskians consider themselves more hallowed among equal Dragon worshipers, and generally mostly bestow their favor on Marik, who is called Masa in the Songaskian Language. It is not unheard for for a Songaskian to change their favored Dragon from Marik to any other Dragon however, it is unusual, but life events sometimes dictate a necessity to change ideology, especially in Regalia where some of the haughty stances encouraged by Marik worship become untenable. Songaskians also don't just exclusively worship Marik, other Dragons are also encouraged and shrines for them built, it is just that Marik is generally given a more preferential place, even if not chosen as favored Dragon.

Families

Half Songaskians are celebrated among the Songaskians. From a cultural point of view, they are just Songaskians to the Songaskian people. Half Songaskians always have the same skin-tone as full Songaskians (if you do not want to play a Half-Songaskian with Songaskian skin-tone, play a Half-something else).

Childhood

Songaskian childhood is fairly standard, similar to Ailor households. Songaskians are strictly anti-slavery, but also have a fairly misunderstood anti-prisoner sentiment. Within the Songaskian Masaya, Regalian prisoners who were imprisoned during the First and Second Songaskian Wars found that they would not be thrown into dungeons like Regalia normally does, but were instead given to Songaskian families to live with them and often even raise or interact with their children. While precautions were made to ensure the prisoner would not harm the children, the goal was always to teach the children internationalism, other Race perspectives, and often even language or fostering interest in all things foreign. Indeed, the same thing was applied when the Regalian Prince was captured, and imprisoned at the palace together with the Songaskian Massya, who would later inherit his father’s throne, applying his friendship with the then-future Regalian Emperor to broker peace with Regalia. As such, many Songaskian children have memories of these prisoner-tutors, who would often end up becoming life-long friends. The only exception to this are the Qadir, who are never taken prisoner.

Adulthood

Songaskian adulthood is fairly high quality, especially in the Songaskian Masaya. The Masaya has a very well-developed social system, and while nobility and politics are absolutely cut-throat with whole families being purged for saying the wrong thing, commoners live an absolute life of bliss, aided with Magic (but never Technology!). Each person contributes to their ability and is afforded to their needs, creating a weird culture shock when Songaskians reach Regalia and find that Regalia has severe poverty and racial discrimination, a concept that is foreign in Farahdeen (except, of course, against Qadir). Most Songaskians are assigned jobs in adulthood by the state, which is sometimes why some Songaskians seek the life of an adventurer in the wider world, being able to decide where to go by themselves.

Romance & Gender Norms

Songaskians apply the more common romance norm of monogamy, though since Songaskians are functionally intersex, they don’t really have a gender-dominant society or a concept of mother and father. Parents are always parents, and same-sex relations are very common, upwards to half of the Songaskian race is same-sex oriented. Gender norms also don’t really exist, the only gender norm that sort of exists is that most Mussaktu Priests are expected to be women. Why this is the case is not known, it just has always been that way. Songaskians are generally apathetic to all other matters of gender identity.

Politics

Songaskian society is dominated by the Songaskian Massya, which is their equivalent of Emperor or Empress, not to be mistaken with Masaya, which means Empire. The Songaskian Masaya is very similar to the Regalian Empire, in that the Songaskian state has an autocratic nobility that oversees the day-to-day running of the Empire, while the Massya himself is mostly a cultural and religious figurehead. Unlike Regalia, however, the Songaskian Masaya does not have hereditary nobility. Nobility among the Songaskians can be given and taken away in single generations, and all children must always progress with ambition and ferocity, while most Nobles in Regalia can afford to become lazy and settle in sedentary positions of just using their privilege and finances without lifting a finger for it. Laziness among the Songaskian nobility is punished immediately with having privileges revoked. Songaskians often rise to nobility through major feats, like winning important battles or passing an important reform. Some families do function with effective hereditary nobility, but only because they push their children every generation to do better and to re-earn their position in life.

History

The Songaskians are relatively new to the world, having only been around for several centuries. When exactly these events took place is hard to record, but their first appearance was directly following the Great Storm in Farahdeen that would see the Sariyd Empire destroyed and their empty and abandoned cities being taken by the Songaskians as their new pearl cities. The Songaskians essentially replaced the forerunners of the Qadir, with only the modern Qadir being descendants of the people who lived in the poor hinterland provinces, far away from the center of the Sariyd Empire. The Songaskians see their birthplace in Kouriyasui, a series of holy mountains in their faith where the Black Dragons took their last stance against the Sariyd army of machines and automata that had been built to destroy them. After decades of warfare, the Dragons were finally pushed into a corner, and in their dying moment, they cast a spell so terrible as to summon the desert winds against the Qadir, grinding their machines to a halt, and choking them out as the sun was darkened in the sky. Immediately afterwards, the Dragons disappeared, and the Songaskians stepped out of the sandstorms, settling the land.

Since then, the Songaskians have established the Songaskian Empire, or the Masaya, which controls the majority of Farahdeen save for the Al-Alus peninsula, where an eternal battle still rages between the Qadir and Songaskians. No actual casualties have been recorded for over a hundred years, with the Qadir content on sending waves after waves of Clockwork machines into battle, which the Songaskians answer with armies of necromancer minions and magical apparitions to defend their land and try to push the Qadir back. The war frontline is a hellscape that no living thing treads, with constant hordes of zombies attacking towering machine giants. These zombies don’t count as corrupted dead, because they are mindless and controlled by Magic, the Songaskia often terming them Necroservants. The Songaskians still want to push the Qadir out of the continent, and the Qadir still want to push the Songaskians back and retake some of their lost Sariyd heritage, so the war continues on.

Emperor or Puppet

There is a very lively debate around what the Songaskian Massya actually is. For several years now, the Songaskian Masaya has been in a near state of Civil War. During the First Songaskian War, the Regalian Empire was defending against the Massya’s father who wished to establish geopolitical dominance of the Songaskian Masaya over Regalia. When that war ended and the Massya died, his child son was put on the throne, who had positive connections to a Regalian Prince who was imprisoned at the palace after the first war for a while. This Massya suddenly took a very pro-Regalian stance, and suffered a coup at the hands of his uncle who then enforced a very anti-Regalian stance, resulting in the Second Songaskian War, which Regalia won, to re-establish the young Massya on the throne, and exile the uncle to the far provinces.

Since this period, the uncle has encroached on the Massya’s political power base again, however the Massya is not completely powerless either. The Masaya is caught in a very delicate balance of ideology between pro and anti Regalian, and it is not so easy to really call either side entirely in favor or against. For example, the uncle still uses Unionist advisors and Regalian weapons, while the Massya is also known to command espionage missions to Regalia to discover state secrets. Indeed, many Regalian nobles still believe the Massya to be a child, however he has become a capable and witful young man who seems to have his own agenda, even if his lingering fondness for Regalia remains. He is often accused of being a puppet in the Masaya also, but these accusations are hardly ever rested in fact and more often than not political theater as a distraction for other motivations. Songaskian politics are complicated, and anyone portraying them as a black and white comparison only displays their own ineptitude to understand the nuance and subtext of the Massya and his uncle’s interactions.

Qadir Nuance

Qadir relations are nuanced. The hatred Songaskians feel for Qadir is not eternal, meaning, there are circumstances in which Qadir can become “good” Qadir in the eyes of Songaskians. They require one of two circumstances. One, the Qadir converts to Mussaktu thus implicitly rejecting Sariyd heritage and demands, thus calling for Al-Alus to convert also. Two, the Qadir acknowledges and proclaims that Farahdeen belongs to the Songaskians and the Mussaktu faithful, and that they will not try to reclaim what they lost, thus explicitly rejecting the state of Al-Alus as illegitimate. Under these circumstances, Qadir and Songaskians can become friends, though both choices are obviously problematic for the Qadir’s relations with revanchist Qadir who still want to retake what they believe is theirs by right.

Songaskian Pearl Cities

Farahdeen is a massive desert many times larger than the entire Regalian Empire, with only select established routes of travel going through the many deserts and with even less Pearl Cities that are actually inhabited. There is a total of 14 (2 held by Qadir) cities, though Kouriyasui is not really considered a city as it is largely inhabited by the dead of the Choir of Dreams. As such, all Songaskians who were born in Farahdeen were either born en route to, or in one of the following cities:

  • Timbardena is the northernmost Pearl City with the most lush climate, being situated between a series of oases. Timbardena is the only city with a forest, and as such is a major exporter of furniture. It is a very isolated city that can conventionally only be reached by traveling by the coast, or through Kouriyasui.
  • Kourimou or Kourimoptoi depending on one’s spelling, is a coastal Pearl City that harvests the majority of the pearls in Farahdeen, in the bay of Kouriya. The pearls harvested here are used to produce the special paste for the bone-white walls of the Pearl Cities that prevent sand from sticking to the stonework.
  • Diabaleni is a major shipyard Pearl City responsible for building the majority of the ships of the Songaskian fleets.
  • Moptou or Moptoi depending on one’s spelling, is a coastal Pearl City that is conventionally seen as the piracy capital of the Masaya, where the majority of the corsairs depart from to Essalonia.
  • Diernali is the main export staple market for Songaskian Gold, and also the Pearl City that has the highest Gold production. As such, some remark that the city reeks of death, on account of large hordes of Necroservants controlled by Ordial Mages performing basic labor tasks around the city, and the actual living having their abodes on a raised platform high above the lower streets. This city is as a result also infested with crime, because zombies can’t witness theft and literally don’t live to tell the tale. Those born in Diernali are not lovingly called anything, in fact they are often called greedy and self-serving, Ourat being a term that is used to describe a person who is “like a zombie addicted to gold”.
  • Shaaq-Turnaal is an average Pearl City, though it is distinguished in modern times as being the first city to fall to the Regalian army during the Second Songaskian War. This city is incidentally also where the then Emperor of Regalia Cedromar commanded the execution of 40,000 unarmed civilians to show the Songaskian Masaya that Regalia would not be afraid to use genocide against the Songaskians to speed up the end of the war, forcing the Massya’s uncle to the negotiating table and eventually losing the throne for the sake of preventing future civilian slaughter.
  • Massoilagui is an average Pearl City that has nothing special about it besides that it held out long enough to see the end of the Second Songaskian war without being taken, despite numerous sieges. Massoilagui as a city has a particular immigration policy against Dwarves and Eronidas, remembering the savage destruction these two Races inflicted on the countryside near it during the siege under the Regalian banner.
  • Bou Gasagou is an average Pearl City. There is nothing overtly remarkable about it beyond the extensive libraries that are built in the city’s so-called Marouats, tall spire-like buildings with pointed roofs that stick out far above the Pearl walls, from where scholars perch on the highest balcony to shout debating dissertations at each other across the roofs. Those born in Bou Gasagou are lovingly called Boubou’s, which is a way of saying “someone who likes to shout at others”.
  • Sikassaro is an average Pearl City, but it is distinguished in that it has a very large Allar minority living in it. Sikassaro as a Pearl City has a very diverse biosphere in the ocean near it, which is a very popular harvesting location of ingredients used in Alchemy.
  • Korbamakora is the capital of the Songaskian Masaya which sits defensively between the Khatil-Assatola and Khagargoro deserts. It is a massive city with 3 million inhabitants, potentially being the second most inhabited city in the world behind Regalia’s 4 million. This city also has the largest dome construction underway, with the majority of the support infrastructure already being complete, and work having been started on the final enclosing dome that should make the city its own self-contained environment. Korbamakora is also home to the Massya’s palace, the Songaskian state offices, and the headquarters of both the College of Priests and the religious institutions. Songaskians born in the capital are lovingly called Korbas, which is a way of calling them stuck-up or self-righteous, even for a Songaskian.
  • Dogono is a major Pearl City oriented around the military, with massive parts of the city just being military barracks and training centers. Dogono is in theory the frontline should the Qadir ever push north, but the Songaskians who go through compulsory military training rarely if ever see combat. However, this does not mean they are ineffective and untrained. Far from it, Dogono is known as a dogged training facility that yields some of the most well-trained warriors, and even accepts foreigners so long as they stay for 3 years, and accept Songaskian lifestyle practices and rules. Songaskians from this city are lovingly called Dogours, which means something like a bucket-head (common mockery of soldiers who wear helmets) in Sofaal.
  • Kankagner is the last of the Songaskian Pearl Cities in the south that is ostensibly the front line between Qadir-held Al-Alus and the Ouelessa desert (which in full is called Ouelessa boule fassa bagougou, meaning “the sand which swallows the world whole”). This city is home to the largest collection of Ordial mages in the world, who continue to fuel the never ending border conflict between the Masaya and the Qadir states to the south.
  • Kouriyasui is technically a Pearl City (it has the Pearl walls), but nobody lives in it, and it is purely being maintained by an army of dead constructs to keep it clean for religious ceremonies by the Priests. The Pearl City sits at the foot of the Kouriyasui mountains, and as such is a place where the dead pass to be grafted into the mountains in their final resting place. The city's houses have mostly been converted to mortuaries, and anyone who works in the city lives in smaller settlements outside of its walls.
  • Al-Alus is technically a Pearl City, though it is not held by the Songaskians. Al-Alus became the unofficial Qadir capital after the loss of the Sariyd Empire, and though it has grown in recent years, it remains much smaller than the other Pearl Cities, having barely 400,000 inhabitants.
  • Istiniyye is the smallest Pearl City in existence, on the very tip of the Al-Alus peninsula housing less than 200,000 (Qadir) inhabitants. Istiniyye was in the process of being constructed when the Sariyd Empire collapsed. While the Qadir spent a long time trying to continue construction, they simply did not have the resources the Sariyd Empire did, which is why vast sections of the Pearl walls were never finished.

Song Awnisu

While Songaskians are generally understood to be able to become 250 years old, this is not actually true. Songaskians don’t actually die, ever, but become functionally catatonic at around 250 years old, after which they must be brought to the Wall of Dreams in Kouriyasui, the holiest of places to the Songaskians, deep in the Farahdeen desert. The Song Awnisu or “Goodnight, people of Songaskia” in Sofaal, refers to the fact that these dying Songaskians are grafted into the mountains of Kouriyasui, where they join the Choir of Dreamers. These Songaskians don’t actually die, but join a collective consciousness that dreams their past lives in vivid details, and even allows Songaskians who visit Kouriyasui to experience these past lives and memories in visions simply by being there. Songaskians do not fear the coming of death, as even Songaskians who fall in battle do not fully die, and can still be grafted into the mountains that once witnessed the dying echoes of the Black Dragons. The only death the Songaskians fear, is having their hearts and minds stolen by Demons, for they will not be able to witness the choir of past lives.

World View

World View is optional content that helps give Songaskians flavor and depth.

  • Curiously enough, Songaskians are actually okay with Vampires. So long as they try to adapt to civil society and live by the rule of law (and can secure their own blood cattle without slavery), then the Songaskians see no reason to force cure them, kill them, or imprison them.
  • The Songaskian super welfare state is almost entirely paid for in Gold. The Songaskian Masaya is in fact the largest gold producer in the world, with zombie drones, or Necroservants, used to mine the gold and refine it, and then sold in bales to other countries. Even though Regalia has no active trade treaties with the Songaskian Masaya, Songaskian Gold always ends up in Noble banks as Bales of Gold.
  • Songaskian relation to the Undead and Bintaar is complicated. Ordial to them is treated in the same way as Void and Exist, in that it is a dimension to draw power from. Death is inherently evil, but using the power of death to remove the evil of death is not. This is why Ordial mages who create Necroservants to fight machines of war are good, but sentient Undead fighting the living are not. Songaskians often cleanse (kill) the Undead in Farahdeen.
  • Tawhroon is a popular aspect of fashion: the Songaskian art of using semi-permanent gold paint on the body, usually in straight or curved lines. Many Songaskians practice it, as it is meant to showcase opulence and wealth.
  • Songaskians culturally despise wearing headcovers, because it blocks them from the sun. They believe that if they wear hats or any kind of head cover, they are denying the sun’s ability to peer into their soul and judge them, which is a crime against their god. This was part of Songaskian repression in the past in Regalia, requiring all faithful to wear hats in order to avoid being expelled or burned for being heretics. Luckily this law was done away with long ago, but Songaskians still feel resentment over such targeted humiliation.
  • The Songaskians don’t really have a concept of separation of religion and state. The Mussaktu Priests are very powerful in daily life, and they are even enforcers of Masaya law, which lacks its own military guard force. Criminals that cannot be rehabilitated are executed with the sundial, allowing the sun to be focused and reflected off massive golden sun disks to redirect to a focal point and incinerate the criminal.
  • The Songaskian Masaya is the only country/state in the world that has compulsory military service. Once Songaskian children reach adulthood, they have to go through 3 years of compulsory military education unless they are sent abroad on state business, or leave before then, or become adventurers. In this compulsory state service they are taught military formations, orders, and usually combat with a spear and shield. Mages have their own battalions where they are taught combat magic and restraint to prevent the Magic from tipping over in their soul.
  • Within the Masaya, other racial minorities do exist, but many exist in bubbles. There is not so much racial discrimination as there is a general lack of knowing exactly what to do with them. While Songaskians have a clear place in Songaskian society, the Songaskians are not yet able to determine what to do with, for example, Eronidas immigrants. As such, many of them default to the entertainment industry, working in theaters, bars, and restaurants.
  • A Songaskian sport frequently engaged in is Sand-ball, a sport with a circular arena filled with fine sand. On each end of the arena is a goal with a goalkeeper in front of it. Only the goalkeeper can touch the ball, all other players (5 on each team) must use sand telekinesis to move around the arena hovering on sand-devils, using sand telekinesis to spout forth sand and shoot the ball around the arena. The game is played in 3 sets of 15 minutes, with the highest amount of times of the leather ball going through the goal of the opposing team being the winner.
  • The Songaskia have a group within each of their cultural divisions called the Dongilitariku. Part musician, part story-teller, it is their job to record or rely events of the past or recent years with musical flair for celebrations and to pass on their cultural traditions to the next generation. Outsiders at parties or receptions often do not understand the stories being told, as they are usually only in the Songaskia tongue, but the dancing and music that goes along with them is entertainment enough to keep their attention.
  • Songaskian parents are often very “tough love” towards their children. Whether as adventurers or in military service, there is a period of 3 years during which Songaskian children are completely cut off from their families to learn how to survive on their own. After this time, a joyous reunion is held and the member is welcomed back into the family. Sometimes this does not go as planned, and Songaskians end up stranded and anxious for the judgment of their family, never returning.
  • Songaskian food more often than not involves stews and earthenware pots with closed-circuit cooking environments in a large fireplace or oven. Songaskians are communal eaters and it is very common for a Songaskian to make a dinner for 10, and invite neighbors over every evening for dinner, so long as they bring the alcoholic beverages and the party attitude.
  • An often overlooked topic is Songaskian piracy. The Songaskian Masaya does not produce much in the way of goods, and the gold export is controlled by the state, so many mid to low level Songaskians who need additional income resort to piracy. This is a major sticking point for Regalia, which is very anti-piracy, and this has resulted in many conflicts. Piracy is however the only way for some coastal regions to make money: Farahdeen is such a blighted desert with so many people living in it that all resources are tied up making sure everyone lives with a high living standard, but the continent only has enough to do exactly that.
  • There is no difference between a Pearl City and a regular City. There were once 16 Sariyd regional capitals, 14 of which fell into Songaskian hands following the Great Storm, with the rest being in Al-Alus. These are the only cities that exist in Farahdeen, but they are absolutely massive, each of them having at least 1 million inhabitants. Songaskian society is by far and large concentrated in these Pearl Cities, with no smaller “cities” existing anywhere else, and only small settlements or college towns existing out in the wild deserts.
  • Songaskians hate Clockwork because it touches the dead, at least in their eyes. Songaskians can see the Soul Rivers, and can see that when a Qadir uses Clockwork, or cycles Soul Essence, that it touches the Soul Rivers and pulls it along, passing through the device. Songaskians understand that the Soul Rivers are a form of pristine afterlife, connected to the Song Awnisu, and that by cycling through Soul Essence, they believe Clockwork to be stealing the memories of the dead. Whether this is true or not does not matter: to them, nobody should touch the Soul Rivers.
  • The Songaskians don’t necessarily hate or like the Void or Exist, but they are uniquely tolerant of it. While most other Races either flatout hate it or have a specific distaste for hostile Magic or Magic used for selfish reasons, Songaskians are very sober about it, and their focus is on overuse. Songaskians believe that all Void/Exist users have a so-called tipping point, which is reached by the user using more and more of their magical power without restraint, becoming addicted. When that point is reached, Songaskians believe the Magic user has become evil, regardless of whether they are Void, Exist, Ordial, or Primal, and must be destroyed. As such, Songaskians preach moderation with Magic usage, but don’t care if the Magic user is a horrible flesh blob.
  • Songaskians are anti-body modification beyond tattoos and piercings. Anything that involves replacing lost limbs with technology or intentionally mutating oneself is considered disgusting. Songaskians encourage a view of self-perfection, and so to muddy that with ugly looking mutations is considered vile.
  • Every Songaskian or Half-Songaskian born inside or outside of Farahdeen has an automatic right to Songaskian citizenship within the Masaya, even if they live in states that are formally enemies to the Masaya, and even if they do not follow the Songaskian religion. Though, for these immigrants, reaching important places like college libraries may be difficult.

Trivia

  • Songaskian army divisions across all forms of combat taught in the military often defy popular social beliefs in other countries, especially on the subject of brotherly love. Some women or men-only battalions encourage romance between the soldiers, believing it strengthens their bond.
  • Songaskians get slightly offended by Slizzar imitating Songaskians, because they see themselves as inheritors of Dragons, and to mimic them without having profound respect for the sacrifice of the Black Dragons or the suffering they went through at the hands of the Sariyd is offensive.
  • Songaskians do consider Slizzar born by a Songaskian parent who adopt Songaskian culture and naming as a 'true' Songaskian, and accept them fully. This is only if the Slizzar chooses Songaskian society over Slizzar society, however, and they are not welcomed if they cling to aspects of Slizzar society instead.
  • Songaskians are immune from heat overexposure and can remain in the desert’s blistering sun for days on end. Dehydration and eye damage however does still affect them, so even Songaskians use care to garb themselves appropriately in the deep deserts.
  • Because Songaskians are not observed to die in Aloria, Ordial entities and visitors report that very few Songaskians reside in Bintaar, something that annoys a great deal of Ordial entities (beyond the annoyance at the Songaskians destroying many Bintaar plots in Aloria by killing their agents in the world of the living).
  • We know the page has too much art on it, and it flows over beyond the end of the text on the page. We will not be apologetic for how hot Songaskians are, and how everyone should have more of them.

Accreditation
Writers MonMarty
Artists MonMarty
Processors Birdsfoot_Violet, FireFan96, Okadoka, Acosmism, WaterDruppel
Last Editor Firefan96 on 03/10/2024.

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