Post by Admin on Feb 24, 2015 20:47:36 GMT -5
No one truly remembers when the Sand Men first came to the desert. Indeed, religious chronicles state that Falak, God of the Heavens, crafted them from the shifting sands themselves. Not only does this explain their origin, but it also explains some of their ways; they started as nomads, shifting from place to place just as the dunes of the desert. So much like the desert are they that it is suitable to call the desert and the people as one; they are both the Rohari.
At their core, the Rohari culture is one steeped in nomadic and tribal ways. All within the Rohari are said to be of three tribes: the whole Rohari people, the tribe of origin and their family. Each play a distinctive role in a person’s life. Ideally, the a person should put the whole of the people first, the tribe second, and the family last. Yet, as many have learned through the trials and tribulations put before them by Falak, holding this ideal is very difficult. Thus, realistically, the tribe and family tend to come before the whole of the people.
In the recent centuries, one family in particular has risen to great power through military prowess and cultural advancement. The al-Khalid tribe with their military, agricultural and economic success have risen to such prominence that all the other tribes within the Rohari have accepted them as their Caliphs. It is through this family that the ways of the Rohari are slowly beginning to change. Since they rose to power, the Rohari can be considered as having two distinct parts: the nomadic and the settled.
The nomadic peoples move with the shifting sands. Dotting the desert are several oases, having greater value to the tribes than even gold. Once an oasis has been consumed a sufficient amount, it is left behind and allowed to replenish itself while the tribe ventures to another. As such, both of the major nomadic tribes have a route carved out in the desert as they move from oasis to oasis. Skirmishes and even wars over these valuable places are not uncommon. Additionally, they do not follow any set or predetermined boundaries and will thus venture into several other duchies such as Desmira, Estersea and Seravino in search of oases and other places of value. This had led to skirmishes and clashes in the past. However, this allows the nomads to encounter other cultures and encourage trade. As such, they tend to be more worldly and aware of life beyond the desert though they do not necessarily seek to leave it.
The settled tribes came about after the formation of the al-Khalid caliphate. The military and agricultural prowess has served them well. Several centuries ago, a method of solar desalination was discovered entirely by luck. In the following decades, the amount of freshwater available made it possible to establish farmlands. Hunting and raiding was no longer the chief method for procuring food. This allowed the al-Khalid tribe to grow greatly and assert their dominance over several other tribes, converting them to their way of life. Several tribes, however, remain nomadic but tentatively accept the existing caliphate.
The settled tribes are slowly transforming into cities but still strive to maintain their roots by venturing out into the desert regularly as part of rituals and traditions. While they keep many of the core values and religion of the nomadic tribes, understandable tensions and differences of opinion do occur. Fights over the oases of the deserts and the establishment of roads are still very much a contentious issue among all of the tribes, regardless of their way of life.