Races:Bael:Cultures:Rim Culture

From Caslah

Religion

Their religion centers around a mother, father, uncle, and sister group that represents the natural world. The importance of each member depends on which culture the worshipper is from. The Uncle is seen as a necessary but evil member of the divine family representing the open sea and the storms he conjures are his djinni companions. The Mother represents the Baelor Desert and the hidden oasis spread throughout her heart. The Sister represents the Korsel River that bisects the Baelor Desert. The Father represents the sky the distant protector who gives life only in torrents, and takes as much away as he gives.

Culture

Bael were naturally greedy, even before the infusion of draconic blood. This comes from evolving in a desert where control of water is the greatest form of social, political, and physical power. Intelligence and Charisma are highly favored in Bael society, while restraint, except as necessary for survival, is not highly valued. The trade of water, food, and other resources quickly evolved into a highly connected economic system stressing free enterprise and controlling the market by supply and demand, not artificial external controls. If a Bael craftsman creates a substandard item, he will get substandard prices and his work will be ridiculed by others, which is intolerable to any proud Bael. Bael are infallibly proud and self confidant, yet that confidence is garnered in part from the approval of the social group the Bael most associates with. Exile and abandonment are worse than death, but individuality and self reliance are highly prized traits. The tragic figure who is thrust out of the tribe is the center of many Bael tragedies, while the heroic loner who strikes out for some goal is the protagonist in a wide variety of ballads and legends.

Description

In their own language, Bael means “people”, and their name for the desert means “the people’s place.” Natural linguists, even the most common of Bael speaks four languages, the common trade tongue, their own language, and two others of choice. Because they are such a communicative race, they see it as necessary to know many languages. They are also attuned to body language and listening for vocal cues. Desert adaptations has caused their eyesight to atrophy such that they have some of the best day vision of any race, but are virtually blind at night. A race of extroverts, the Bael all learn from an early age how to deal with people, animals, and how to get the best deal. Survival in the desert is another trait all Bael are good at, even those who are not raised in the desert. Every Bael child is told the story of the little boy who fled his home, got caught in a sand storm and survived only by remembering the lessons he was running away from because he thought them useless.

The Bael’s favored class varies by culture, and those on the Korsel River have a favored class of wizard