Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The nomads, or Al-Badia (ahl-BAH-dee-ya), are those nomads who dwell in the hostile Ardr Desert. They are tough, loyal to their blood-relatives and friends, and constantly in search of the basic necessities: water, food, and grazing land for their herds. Considered to be violent barbarians and raiders by those few people's the Al-Badia are known to, their very survival depends on each member being able to defend and provide for the larger group. Consequently, every desert nomad, from virtually birth is taught how to hunt, gather, and work with the herds that their very survival depends on. Yet despite their daily struggle for survival, the Al-Badia also maintain a highly advanced and ritualistic class based society with a rich and centuries old oral tradition. The last century has been especially hard on the Al-Badia however, as their normally tenuous struggle for survival has been made all the harder by the rising threat of Suzerain the Great, an old blue dragon that has taken up residence in the desert and extended his control over the evil Harsaffs.

Honor
Honor is a cornerstone of Al-Badia society. Every Al-Badian is driven by the pursuit of honor and the prestige that it brings. Honor is made up by a person's character: is he honest and virtuous? Is he generous and kind? Is he loyal and brave? Every action affects one's personal honor and that of the family, as well. If a person acts dishonorably, the offense may stain the family's honor such that its memory lasts for generations. For every insult or injury to a person's honor, restitution must be made. The required restitution varies by the severity of the insult or injury. For a minor insult, an apology may be sufficient. Greater offenses, such as theft, may require huge monetary payments and loss of the offender's hand. Murder and amorous impropriety are generally the only offenses that warrant a punishment of death for the offender. In such cases, the offender's family will often carry out the sentence in order to remove or reduce the stain to the family's honor. By performing the deed themselves, they can restore greater honor to the family.

Blood Feud: To kill another person is not a crime if that killing is justified. However, disagreement between two groups on what is justified may lead to a blood feud. When one group believes that a killing was justified but the other group, who has just lost one of its own, disagrees, a viscous cycle of vengeful killings may ensue. The mediation of a third party is often the only way to resolve the conflict, allowing an honorable way for both parties to end the killings with a monetary settlement.

Family
To Al-Badians, a family is precious and irreplaceable. Even in the afterlife, a family remains intact, proving its strength as well as its importance. Material wealth is transient, but the bonds of blood are eternal.

Each person exists within the circle of his or her immediate family which spans all surviving generations. That family in turn, lies within a larger circle of cousins and uncles and aunts. Beyond that lies a third circle of relatives, one step removed, and then a fourth, like the rings which form around a pebble tossed into a pool. These circles create a person's identity. Man or woman, boy or girl, an individual is nothing without the group. The rights of the family therefore, must supersede the rights of any single person within it. This same concept applies to the various tribes that together form the Al-Badian culture. When faced with a universal foe, the tribes can band together to overcome the danger, (though historically this has seldom happened as it is rare for all of the tribes to agree on a single course of action), which has been the case with Suzerain the Great and the Harsaffs as discussed below.

Al-Badian families are typically led by men. A father is in charge of his unwed daughters, his sons, and the families of his sons. Al-Badians value large families, and they welcome the birth of each child. A nomadic patriarch typically has the largest tent among members of his immediate circle. He resides with his wife (or on occasion, his wives) and his unmarried children. His married sons live in smaller tents, which are nearly always pitched nearby.

Because blood ties are so important, loyalty to one's family is tantamount to Al-Badian law. First and foremost, a man's loyalty is to his immediate family. As noted before, his actions, for better or worse, will help define the honor of that family. A woman follows the same code. Loyalty next goes to the larger circle if, for example, a man is wronged and asks for help, his cousins are honor-bound to assist him, provided their actions would in no way dishonor their immediate families. Honor and kinship are two golden threads in the fabric of Al-Badian life. Without either, the fabric unravels.

Hospitality
In the Desert of Ardr, where the desert itself is the greatest enemy of the Al-Badia people, generosity brings honor, while stinginess spawns contempt. As a result, Al-Badian hospitality is unrivalled. According to Al-Badian ethics, a man must offer food and drink to any other Al-Badian who appears at his doorstep as a friend, no matter how poor the host may be. In her husband's place, or when receiving female friends, a woman must do the same.

If a guest comes to the door at night, a host must offer lodging as well as sustenance. A wealthy host may also offer entertainment, such as the dance of a talented servant and perhaps even a gift. The obligation -and desire -to offer hospitality is as compelling as any personal need. A nomadic tribe whose food stuffs or water are nearly gone may avoid a busy oasis. The tribe would rather know thirst and hunger than be unable to offer hospitality to any other tribal members at the oasis.

A host assumes responsibility for the well-being of his guests. His honor depends on how well he treats those who place themselves in his care. For this reason, guests can expect safety as well as sustenance, even if they once were the host's enemies. Arsenic and other toxins are easy to obtain in the Desert of Ardr, and poison is a common way to eliminate foes.

Nonetheless, once foes become guests -and share the bond of salt- even they can eat heartily, expecting the host's protection as well as his friendship. In turn, the guests are expected to act as loyal friends, never overstaying their welcome, and never overstepping the bounds of good behavior.

As was described by the Isatan chronicler, Shamballa, "The [Al-Badian] is generous and hospitable. Those are his most important qualities. He is also brave, but then bravery and generosity are almost the same thing, because when you are poor you have to be very brave to give away even what little you have. If your family depends for its livelihood on twenty goats, it is very hard to kill one to feed to a guest, but that is what the [Al-Badian] would do. No one would be turned away from his camp, not even an enemy. If anyone stole from the guest or did him any injury under the host's roof, the host would avenge the insult for the sake of his [honor]."

The Bond of Salt

The salt bond epitomizes Al-Badian hospitality and the mutual responsibilities of host and guest. When a guest ingests salt from a host's table, their bond becomes formal. Presumably, the salt remains in the guest's body for three days. Until those three days elapse, the host is responsible for the guest's welfare. By offering the salt, the host vows to protect the guest from harm for the duration of the salt bond.

Al-Badian Hospitality Toward Outsiders

While the harsh conditions of the Desert of Ardr have prompted the mutual dependency of the various Al-Badian families, clans and tribes as seen in their focus on Honor and Hospitality, these same harsh conditions have made the Al-Badia distrustful and suspicious of outsiders. When the life and death of your family may depend on a few drachmas of water, it is unwise to spare such resources upon needy outsiders, unless they have something of value to trade. Further, if the outsider is not properly prepared for the desert, or by their presence, reduce the feed, water or other necessities the Al-Badians need to survive, then it is not only proper, but prudent to eliminate such competition. This cultural outlook, generally explains the reputation of Al-Badians as being seen as violent raiders of the desert.

This however, is not the full story of how the Al-Badian culture views outsiders. They respect honor and strength of character above all else. Outsiders who prove their honor, strength and desire to do trade with or otherwise potentially assist or enrich the tribe, will be treated as honored guests and friends. It is this dichotomy that explains why certain traders and outside influences are treated warmly and others are harassed, raided and often times driven off or killed. When first encountering an Al-Badian, it is important to carry one self proudly, to exude strength of body and will, and above all, honor them with an invitation to share your hospitality, (since you are within their ancestral territories). Under no circumstances should one ever refuse the hospitality of an Al-Badian, as such will be considered an insult. Other rules of note when dealing with the Al-Badia:

Do not shake someone's hand with gloves on.

Only use your right hand to handle any food in a communal bowl.

Bowls of food and drink should be offered and received with either your right hand or both hands.

Do not lean against the tent wall or furniture.

Squat or kneel on the floor and if seated on a stool, tuck your feet under-neath-do not stick them straight out in front of you.

Dealing with Al-Badian Women

In a world where strength of character is exalted, Al-Badians have a peculiar belief in every man and woman's underlying weakness where matters of the heart are concerned - It's for this reason that many women wear veils and don robes that conceal the shape of their bodies.

Every honorable Al-Badian woman would extend her hand to help a wounded man. But almost none would shake hands with a man who is newly introduced, lest he assume her improper or be violently tempted by her charms. A man who openly casts fiery glances at an unmarried woman has paid her an insult rather than a compliment. Her brother or father would be perfectly in the right to demand some sort of retribution - from a public apology to a gift of many camels, depending on the woman's stature and the amorous man's audacity.

Not surprisingly, eyes, hands, and feet have become important objects of beauty in the Al-Badian society. Women line their eyes with kohl. Some tattoo their foreheads with a simple pattern. Others may decorate their brows with dots of henna, a natural dye which may also redden their nails. Bracelets adorn their wrists and ankles.

Al-Badia Religions

Religion is a way of life among people the Al-Badia. If it seems that the codes of conduct described so far are pursued religiously, it's because they are. Honor is also a matter of piety, of behaving in the manner deemed good and right by those who rule the heavens, those who will determine whether you are worthy of finding paradise in the after life. A dishonorable man, it is said, is never worthy of this great reward.

Al-Badians practice and tolerate a number of religions. Al-Badians recognize that their daily survival is always in question. With the scarcity of resources, they consider the very water they drink and the grass their herds eat, as a direct gift of the gods. Their pragmatic approach is that the more spirits, gods, and intermediaries that exist, the more likely their survival. As such, it is not uncommon to find Al-Badians worshiping many different spirits and gods, and such worship and prayers are a central part of their daily lives. Al-Badians find it exceedingly difficult to accept anyone who does not believe in and pay homage to some higher power. While certainly some types of religions may seem strange to them, the greater sin would be to not believe in some sort of higher power.

Major gods, recognized throughout Al-Badia, include Old Kor, Learned Zann, Brave Hajama, Najm the Adventurous, Selan the Beautiful Moon, Jisan of the Floods, and Haku of the Desert Winds, and Hakiyah of the Sea Breezes. None of these gods has a precise portfolio. Instead, each shows strength in a particular ideal or element, wisdom, knowledge, bravery, courage, beauty, bounty, freedom, and honesty.

Al-Badia deities also include a plethora of lesser gods, local gods and demigods as well as animalistic spirits. Such minor deities may be venerated in one small area, while they are unknown just ten parsecs away. All gods, major and minor, answer their worshippers' needs with equal ability.