Water Genasi By Xyronian Watch

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...And to the children of Leviathan, the tribe of water, I grant dominion over the seas, and rule over the numberless islands in the east.



- Book of the Sovereign, Chapter 4, Verse 56



Of the four genasi Tribes, the tribe of water is perhaps the most far ranging. Unlike the other tribes who dwell inland, the water genasi have always been found on the periphery of Al-Ganam's coasts. In the past century, as population pressures throughout the four tribes led to conflict and invasion, and the fall of the Jeddosian empire opened up the lands in the east to conquest and settlement, the clans of Leviathan began a warpath in the western Akaic sea. Under the unifying influence of the al-Hafzir clan, the water genasi established a pirate empire throughout the islands that once guarded against them, driving out both the imperial remnants and the native halfling tribes. Though their rule is far from unquestioned, they are still a force to be reckoned with in the Akaic sea, and one of the Jeddosian Republic's greatest enemies.



Culture The water genasi, also known as the Tribe of Leviathan or Levikasim are a society grounded in one thing- family. Familial ties are all you have when you voyage on the sea for most of your life, and raising the next generation is seen as the highest priority. The sea is a major part of the water genasi culture, the home of their patron sovereign Aadur the Leviathan. For many, ships are seen as far more important and permanent parts of ones property than a house would be for another race. In fact, many water genasi homes are in fact built partially from repurposed ships. Ships also play a role in the rite of adulthood, where young genasi are tasked to find or build their own ship. For some clans this process has become a game, with the children forging connections with their community and borrowing a ship. In other clans the rite is far bloodier, with deaths being commonplace. Oftentimes the crews formed during these rituals will last well into adulthood.



With the settlements in the Akaic sea, the new generations of genasi have become more sedentary, but many still have their ancestor's wanderlust wanting nothing more than to ply the waves with their domesticated water weirds, companions of the clans since time immemorial.



Like all other genasi the water genasi worship Alrasant the Promised Sovereign. However, the water genasi also have their tribe's patron deity Leviathan. Ceremonies to Leviathan often take place partially underwater, and dead water genasi are given sea burials, seeing any other form of burial to be a sacrilege. Powerful rulers and warriors are often sent to the depths alongside the greatest treasures they held in life. Water Genasi architecture often incorporates water to some extent, with the most impressive works being citadels such as Zeraj, where water is cycled from the ocean by water weirds. Such structures are built for maximum maneuverability for the genasi and minimum mobility for any land based creatures, as a way to slow down attackers or as power plays to intimidate foreigners.



Real life counterparts: Each of the four genasi tribes are based on the ethnic groups and proto-states of Arabia and North Africa during the early medieval period. I fudged the timeline a little bit for the water genasi so that I could include their inspiration though- they're mainly inspired by the Emirate of Crete, a pirate kingdom based on the island of Crete that was a serious thorn in the side of the Byzantines for decades. Their origin, being driven from their homeland by other tribes and eventually conquering and settling an island once ruled by a powerful empire, is basically the same as the origin of the Maghrebi Emirate of Crete. There is also some inspiration from the Aghlabids, the muslim conquerors of Sicily, and from Umayyad Al-Andalus, but those are less obvious. The later Barbary pirates are also an inspiration, and the hat worn by this particular water genasi is the style worn by them. The ring of beads around the genasi are meant to call back to Muslim prayer beads, and the weapons they wield are a Janbiya, a curved dagger style from Arabia, and a Takoba, a greatsword style from West Africa (Civ V players may recognize it as Askia's sword).



Other Notes: In my DnD campaign, the Genasi are a naturally occurring and reproducing race, rather than hybrids of humans and djinn. Additionally, the Genasi are essentially sentient elementals rather than humans with weird skin colors, hence the watery appearance of this guy.

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Published : Mar 15, 2018