Indigenous Groups

The Usmati (“Elves”): The Usmati are nomadic dairy-based pastoralist skilled in horsemanship that inhabit the steppe lands of Bazen Pur. Their skin tones range from golden tan to dark brown, and both males and females tend to have dark-colored eyes. The tribes of the southern steppe have black hair that is normally long and braided with semi-precious stones, beads, and animal bones. The tribes inhabiting the frigid northern boreal forests have many similarities with their southern counterparts living along the steppe, although their skin and hair are much fairer. Some of the Usmati wear elaborate headdresses symbolizing various ranks and social stations. Clothing typically consists of leather and dyed wool. Warriors (consisting of both males and females) are renowned for their use of bows, spears, javelins, and lances. Magic-users are highly esteemed among the Usmati tribes because of their mysterious association with the Deniz Anasi (giant jellyfish-like creatures that float and graze in herds across the grasslands). According to legend, all Usmati are magically endowed due to their bond with the Great Mother.

The Komari Xul (“Dwarves”): The fierce mountain clans collectively known as the Komari Xul live in enormous wooden longhouses built high amid the Peaks of Dawn. From their mountain homes, they wage a never-ending war against their former giant-kin masters. The Komari Xul are former slaves magically created and bred by giant-kin shamans to feed their insatiable greed. For centuries, they were forced to toil deep within the earth for its trapped wealth. As a result, they are master miners, and many are skilled in metallurgy, gem-shaping, and jewelry-making. Being bred for specific aims in a specific environment, they are a short and stout folk with pale skin and fair hair. However, centuries of slavery, relentless warfare, and harsh environments have decimated their populations. Highly respected and protected, all Komari Xul females wear ornate masks made from various types of metals depending on social status and function (like the renowned Komari Xul battle masks). A mask is never removed in public, and after the rite of passage in which a female dons the mask, only a sworn mate may look upon her face. To remove a Komari Xul’s mask is an offensive act punishable by death. The Komari Xul worship no gods or goddesses; instead, most believe that one’s life is predetermined by a kind of fate, and all one can do is meet that fate with strength of will, courage, and great deeds.

The Hardari Kul Sardak (“Halflings”): The Hardari Kul Sardak, or simply Hardari, are skilled nomadic pastoralists inhabiting the range of foothills along the Peaks of Dawn. Due to their smaller stature, they tend to manage their vast herds of sheep on foot by means of small teams employing complex forms of distance communication. Like the Usmati, they have darker skin and long braided dark hair. They typically wear woolen products knitted with complex patterns and knots that are dyed with vibrant colors. These colorful and complex woven textiles are without compare and fetch high prices in settlement markets and among traveling caravans. They are renowned for their use of stone and sling, and there are many stories about Hardari herders dropping a wolf or giant plains tiger with single well-placed shot. The herds of the Hardari are the primary source of meat, dairy products, and wool for many walled settlements, forts, and outposts.

Other Groups

In addition to the Usmati, Komari Zul, and Hardari, there are other diverse groups that have settled the lands of Brazen Pur. Some come from indigenous tribal groups like the Usmati and Hardari, while others are foreigners from distant lands. Of note are the men of Maruk from the west, the men of Zugal from the east, the desert tribesmen of Qar inhabiting the south.

Marukians: The Marukian Empire came to the land of Bazen Pur centuries ago from their distant lands in the west, and they created many outposts and walled settlements as they harvested the land for valuable resources. Their initial arrival met little resistance since the disjointed and ununited tribes of the Usmati posed no threat to the unified, highly trained, and technologically advanced armies of Maruk. However, the Marukians were never able to exert any real control over the Usmati who have always been spread out over such a vast swath of land. Two rebellions have occurred since the Marukians arrived. The first was easily stamped out (the so-called First Usmati War), while the second appears to have ended in mutual agreement with the mysterious withdrawal of large contingents of the Marukian army. However, the Marukians still maintain a strong presence in the land of Bazen Pur, and many fortified settlements continue to be governed by a Marurkian family or appointed Marurkian official backed by a garrison of Marukian soldiers. The Marukians are a light-skinned people with dark-colored hair. Men tend to keep their hair cropped short, while woman wear their hair longer. Clothing usually consists of simple and practical robes, with highborn individuals possessing robes fringed with elaborate geometric patterns. Jeweled bracelets, armbands, necklaces, and diadems are common among the highborn. Fighting-men (women do not serve in the armies of Maruk) are heavily armored with a type of plate armor, helm, and large, oval-shaped shield. Weapons vary depending on function and whether fighting individually or in formation, but a variety of polearms and plate-bashing weapons are common. All soldiers are equipped with a standard short sword that is worn at the hip even when not armored. The Marukians are said to worship many different gods and goddesses; however, most in Bazen Pur revere the eponymous bull-slaying god, Maruk, who is thought to be above all other deities. The rapidly spreading and popular cult of The One Who is Many is thought by some to be a blasphemous offshoot of Marukian worship.

Zugalians: The land of Zugal is to the east of the Peaks of Dawn. This formidable natural barrier has limited contact with the Zugalians and the empire known as the Empire of the Eye and Hand. Like the Usmati, they are said to be skilled horseman. However, they are stockier than the Usmati, and their deeply tanned skin has reddish hues. Women keep their heads shaven, while men who have come of age wear a single, long-braided, topknot. This topknot is said to only be cut if a warrior is defeated in single combat or taken prisoner. They have a reputation as fierce warriors constantly seeking battle, and they are known to be easily offended and constantly seeking duels. They distain shields, love the bow, and in hand-to-hand combat prefer to fight with two curved single-edged blades. The name of their empire derives from lore concerning their dismembered god. Zugalian priests proclaim that they have recovered the powerful and holy eye and hand relics of their god whose name is not to be spoken. The Zugalians often justify territorial expansion as part of a sacred endeavor to locate the other missing body parts of the Dismembered One.

Qarians: The men and women of Qar are even less known than the Zugalians for few have any interest in traveling through the harsh desert sands of the south. What is known of Qar and the Qarians primarily comes from contact with their merchant caravans that travel throughout the lands of Bazen Pur and beyond. They are a tribal people governed by female matriarchs. They have darker skin browned by the sun and raven-colored hair. Qarians dress primarily in robed clothes and cloaks made from the wool of their camels, sheep, and goats. Both men and women wear distinctive headcloths that protect them from the rays of the harsh sun. Quarian men and women are trained in knife-fighting from a young age, and Qarians who have come of age always wear a fighting-knife that hangs in a sheath on their lower backside (a symbolic placement representing peace, hospitality, and the setting aside of hostilities). Besides speaking their native tongue, the Qarians are the people primarily responsible for perpetuating a pidgin dialect comprised of words, sounds, and body language from many of the languages of the people of Bazen Pur. This so-called Common tongue is widely known and used throughout the land. The Qarians respect and fear many tutelary deities, spirits, and demons believed to inhabit various regions.

Languages of Bazen Pur

The following languages are ones commonly available to characters. Terms within quotation marks indicate the word for the language according to some outsiders who conflate the name of the people with the name for their language.

  • Satina (“Marukian”)
  • Malaka (“Qarian”)
  • Te Tal (“Zugala”)
  • Eme or Eme-gir (“Usmati,” [Elvish])
  • Rugh (“Komari,” [Dwarfish])
  • Mesleki (“Hadari”)
  • Pidgin/Common (sometimes incorrectly used synonymously for Malaka or “Qarian”)

Created: 9/10/2023; Updated: 6/28/2024