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Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
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 Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 5:02 pm
Shankrya wi Sihyheyya
Ky Day Eyn Day/Asha Kowe/
Seye Kyae/Kokoe Ke/
Sy Shaine/Sha Ya Krya/
Asha Kye/Shainayya Ey/
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:11 am
History The shankrya are a mysterious people without whose help the Kryas-Kami would not have survived. Yet for all the help the five human cities have received from them over the years, they still know very little of this alien culture's inner workings; indeed, no humans have even set foot inside Sihyheyya proper. Instead, diplomatic relations have always been conducted with representatives, usually religious or military authorities, either on human territory or in the outer ring of the dragon city.
Due to the dragons' enormous power relative to the humans and, among other things, their insistence upon using their own language to conduct business, the Kryas-Kami have begun to adopt shankrya cultural habits. Although their mages originally used translation magic to communicate with their benefactors, many of the current generation speak a modified version of karyaswi themselves, and the pidgin that first appeared in the previous century is now evolving into a new vernacular for the five cities, replacing their ancestral tongue. Yet despite the two cultures' close bond and the increasing ease of communication, the dragons still keep most of their secrets.
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Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
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Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:26 am
Shankrya The little the humans do know of the shankrya people is this.
Though relatively humanoid in appearance, shankrya are huge; the men who have visited the five cities are often over seven feet tall. They describe themselves as physically and magically powerful, wise, and long-lived -- exactly how long, the humans are not sure, though the priests and commanders with whom they have dealt have changed over the two centuries in Arasias. Their skin is tough -- though the degree varies from their almost leather-like facial ridges to their delicate, human-like lips -- and dark in color, though more often a blue or purple-tinged gray than a true black. Their eyes quite resemble those of humans save for their unusual coloration; their dark, usually red-tinted sclera are sometimes darker than their irises, giving an eerie effect.
One of a shankrya man's most immediately noticeable features is his hair -- dark-colored or black and extremely thick, possibly crossing the line from "wiry" into "cord-like," it falls not only from his head but sprouts from the points of the elaborate, fin-like formations on the sides of his face and from his upper lip, like a mustache. These whiplike bundles of hair are kept long, even when their wearer dons armor and it would seem to the humans more practical to trim them.
The shankrya of Sihyheyya seem to be an intensely religious, austere people who are very serious in their dealings, concerned with morality and honor. Though they have answered few direct questions about their culture, the humans have learned that the most important thing to a shankrya man is his kryi, krya-ness, a gravitas-like concept that encompasses honor, stoicism, duty, piety, and self-sacrifice. The immigrants from Wa shared some of these values, perhaps leading to the shankrya looking upon them favorably.
There has been tension, however, over the different religious tendencies of the two groups. Unlike the humans with their abundant pantheon of tiny gods, the shankrya serve a chief deity, Ya-Krya, the krya, to whom every krya is bound, both partaking of his power and obliged to worship and serve him. Most serious events, such a diplomatic meetings, begin and end with short dedications to Ya-Krya, and oaths are made in his name.
Although the humans have heard hints that there are other gods of the dragons, the shankrya do not often miss opportunities to mock the five cities' belief in "thousands of tiny ant-gods" and their pitiful, "superstitious" rituals. Patience and a thick skin are required among human diplomats, as the honor of the shankrya is easily insulted by such a barb thrown back at them. And given the humans' dependence upon their draconic patrons and the dragons' enormous advantage in magical and military strength, they cannot afford to offend their benefactors.
Although the humans have only met males of this people, the shankrya are not a single-sex species. However, young diplomats are also encouraged not to ask about shankrya women and especially not to ask the draconic representatives if their wives have mustaches, too.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:32 am
Personages  An enormous yet graceful shankrya man stands before you, dressed in long, loosely fastened cloths of faded colors and a heavy gold bracelet on each wrist, and resting a golden staff against his shoulder. Although his dark coloration and the pale lighting make it hard to make out his expression, a thin white crescent of teeth indicate a smile.Sensareth Arakoyya is a shankrya priest who has been dealing with the Kryas-Kami for the past 20 years. Although to all appearances as honorable and faithful as other priests, Sensareth has a much more gentle and patient manner when dealing with humans. He has even been known to visit the human territories when not on official business and wander the streets of the cities, especially Sihykyan. This shankrya man is somewhat shorter than his companions, though the fine black-with-gold-filigree armor he wears is the most elaborate of the group. Every so often his facial whiskers twitch, shifting position.Kihar Aynemi has only been dealing with the Kryas-Kami for the past 4 years, but is the highest authority in the diplomatic meetings he attends. He is typical of what the humans expect of the shankrya -- serious, proud, jealously guarding his honor. He is somewhat more quick to anger than his predecessor, however, and many of the diplomats who deal with him can't help feeling distracted by his twitchy nervous tics.
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Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
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