Ra'Shari

[Jewel]

The most maligned and reviled people to visit Medinaat al-Salaam the Ra'Shari rarely let that burden show offering good cheer and humor... but always knowing where the exits are. Any time an object is missing or a murder is unsolved it is almost a certainty that the guard and Khadi will find a Ra'Shari to blame and even a Moto raider is more likely to be welcomed among the merchants. Still, despite all that, there is always at least one caravan outside the walls of Medinaat al-Salaam trading goods, entertaining guests and, some whisper, sharing mystical insights with the worthy. Those who look poorly upon the Ra'Shari simply hold this fact up as further proof of some grand scheme on their part involving the city. As for the Ra'Shari they are surprisingly quiet, even with those they trust, as to why they risk staying where they are so unwanted.

The Ra'Shari are divided into four Great Caravans each of which is made up of multiple sub-caravans so that the entirety of any Caravan, let alone the Ra'Shari, are never in one place at one time. This tactic is likely a major contributor to their continued survival through centuries of hardship and hate.

Theology: The Ra'Shari do not hold to any one organized religion and hold many beliefs and traditions. They tend to adopt and adapt aspects and stories from all the cultures they come into contact with - each finding a form and story that fits their own needs and the lessons they wish to pass on. The Ra'Shari value this diversity and rarely do they come into conflict over opposing beliefs among their people. In the end their one true devotion is to ensuring their Chronicle is maintained until its time of need.

The Chronicle
The Ra'Shari's greatest secret - one known only to them and the Ashalan who enacted it - was the mystical ritual that created the Chronicle. The sum of all knowledge gathered by Ashalan and men from their creation until Shilah's Wrath condensed and contained within the Ra'Shari people. This work, as much metaphor as physical object, is divided into 49 individual chronicles of 51 pages each. Knowing that trusting in written documents is risking their loss or destruction each of these chronicles is entrusted to a Ra'Shari family all members of which are dedicated to memorizing their chronicle, passing it along through their descendants, and sharing its wisdom when needed with the other Ra'Shari. The Ra'Shari know that the Chronicle is destined to play a great role within the fate of the world but exactly what the role may be is uncertain with many beliefs and interpretations. However almost all are sure Medinaat al-Salaam plays a key role in that fate and that is why at least one caravan must always watch the city.


The Great Caravan of Mysticism
The Great Caravan of Mysticism is focused on the gathering and maintaining of magic and mystic lore. The vast majority of Ra'Shari Diviners are members of this Caravan and even those who are not have likely trained among them. Since the rise of the Immortal Caliph the Caravan is the least common of those to gather outside of Medinaat al-Salaam as they understand all too well the dangers she poses to any mystical competition. In fact they have secretly worked with the Qabal to store and safekeep those tomes and secrets that were able to be evacuated from the city when the Caliph outlawed magic and burned the libraries.

The Great Caravan of Entertainment
Despite the reputation and revilement of the Ra'Shari the Great Caravan of Entertainment often finds itself welcome outside of Medinaat al-Salaam. The revelry they bring, and the distractions from the hardship of the city it provides, outweighing the bias against them... at least until something valuable disappears or a child goes missing. Then the witchhunt begins again and more members of the Caravan have found themselves at the end of a rope or blade than any other.

The Great Caravan of Commerce
The second most welcome, although that is not saying much, of the Great Caravans the Great Caravan of Commerce is made up of the shrewdest traders and merchants. Within the Ra'Shari they have a reputation of being somewhat pedestrian and dour yet their importance to the Ra'Shari's survival is not in doubt. Their funds allow the Caravans to thrive and survive and on many occasions it is their coin that allows the Ra'Shari to escape ahead of the guard or others who would do them harm.

The Great Caravan of Memory
The most maligned of the Caravans the Great Caravan of Memory is home to the misfits, outcasts, those who marry into or are adopted into the Ra'Shari, and criminals among the Ra'Shari who have not sinned so greatly as to earn true exile. Ironically given that this is how the people of Medinaat al-Salaam see all Ra'Shari they suffer no greater disdain or danger than their brethren in that regard. In addition the Caravan seems to be a beacon of misfortune and ill-omen getting into the strangest and most unexpected of dangers. Some Ra'Shari question the purpose of the Great Caravan of Memory but those with wisdom see their resourcefulness, varied experience, and lessons they can thus teach to others.

Faction: Any. Although perhaps the people most devoted to their own cause and path, their Caravan and their Chronicle, with over a millennium of wandering the sands and adoption and adaptation of beliefs and traditions from others it is not unheard of to find Ra'Shari among any faction. Recently the most common alliance is between the Great Caravan of Mysticism and the Qabal.

Schools & Paths:
Ra’Shari Knife-Fighter
Ra’Shari Trader
Ra’Shari Diviner
Path: Ra'shari Charm Maker

Advantages & Disadvantages:
Blood of the Sands (Blood of Osano-Wo)
Servant: Performer (2 less)
Blessing of Fatimah
Precise Memory
Way of the Land

Overconfident
Epilepsy