The Khadan Humans
| Nicknames | The Orphans Of Anjyarr |
|---|---|
| Spoken Languages | Common Tongue
Azari Linguae |
| Average Height | 1.70m - 1.90m |
| Average Weight | 65kg - 80kg |
| Capital | Al-Khadir |
| Religion | The Path |
| Current Leader | N/A |
| Location | The Emirate of Al-Khadir |
Culture and Society
Not a single race in Eden could define “the perfect mixture of fire and water” more accurately like the humans of Al-Khadir. The Khadans are peaceful but vigilant; to friends they are the most loyal ally one could ever hope for, but to foes they’re also the most ruthless enemy one would ever imagine.
Initially a group of war refugees from a distant continent, the Khadans have tamed the wasteland of Anjyarr and made their second home in the heart of the desert. The nomadic history of the Khadans have made them skilled riders and masters of bow and arrows, and the trading history has made them great merchants and courageous explorers.
Despite making home in the barren desert, the humans of Al-Khadir are far from barren spiritually. Establishing their own creeds of life, the Khadans believe in a philosophy named “The Path” – that is, to live one’s life solely on the goal of finding inner-peace, despite how one might define peace – and follow it almost piously. The Khadans hold this philosophy to such high regard that the rules they live by are based on their sacred philosophy. The Khadans also do not worship any kind of deity, and nor do they wish to do so.
It is worth noting that the harsh climate of their living environment has made the Khadans extremely loyal to their friends, partners and families. Betrayal of any kind has been deemed a felony by the Khadans throughout their history. This quality of the Khadans, combined with their open-mindedness, has made their alliance with the Azari’lunn one that surpasses all others in strength and duration. Because of that, one might find the culture and society in the Emirate of Al-Khadir so special that it is unfound in any other places in Eden: one that truly treasures diversity and incorporates the best of all races while leaving out the worst.
Holidays and Celebrations
- Sangh:
- A three-day festival that takes place annually. Starting on the believed date of the reunion between the two Clans, the Khadans spend their time hosting duels (in a friendly and sportive manner), feasting and dancing. Traditionally the two strongest warriors would also put on a performance duel that would continue throughout the festival, but due to such performance being too exhausting, it has been replaced by shorter duels between anyone who would like to be challenged.
- Kura:
- A festival that emphasizes the significance of love of life in the Khadan’s life philosophy. A significant trait of this festival is that different events would take place during the day and the evening. During the day, the younger people would celebrate by hosting a series of competitive sport events such as horse racing or archery, while the elders would spend time visiting their friends or relatives. On the contrary, the evening is a time when the lovers would spend time with each other and when the singles would seek for a potential partner.
- Wahid:
- This festival celebrates the date when the dark elves and humans first formed their alliance. Originally a Khadan festival, the Wahid has gained enough significance in Al-Khadir that it has been made a national holiday celebrated by humans and elves alike.
Romance, Marriage and Reproduction
As previously mentioned, the humans of Al-Khadir greatly value loyalty. Such ideology manifests especially in romantic and family relationships. As such, the Khadans are often extremely loyal to their partners and seldomly would one separate with their partner. However, the Khadans are also extremely selective when it comes to choosing their partners, for that they treat marriage as almost sacred and are generally very reluctant to start a relationship unless both parties are certain about their choices.
It could take years for a Khadan to determine if they wish to start a relationship with the one they deem special, and many would rather live a single life than to commit to someone carelessly. Usually, once a relationship begins, the family of both parties would gather together for a feast. Such feasts would seldomly end unpleasantly, and in the few cases that it does, the families would still respect the couple’s decision as the final one.
Death and Funeral
Within Khadan’ society death isn’t looked upon as something to fear, for as long as one has lived by the rules of their sacred philosophy, one believes that they will be granted the blessing of reincarnation.
From a young age, a Khadan is taught to live, to enjoy and to serve oneself. For the Khadans, family has the utmost importance. Thus upon the death of a beloved one, a private ceremony will be held at night for all of their relatives to attend accompanied by the stars which illuminate the night sky. The body of the deceased one will be carefully wrapped in robes, decorated with flowers and golden trinkets for all to be seen.
It is worth mentioning that these decorations are meant as a symbol of wishing one luck in their next life, hopefully ensuring they will be living a prosperous one. At the end of the ceremony the cremation will be held, the body will be burned alongside the gifts until just the ashes remain. After this the ashes will be returned to the sea from which their ancestors once came. This is because within the philosophy of the Khadan, the dead aren’t to be mourned as they believe that the generations of the future will be built upon the ashes of their ancestors.