Sah Basir
The Sah Basirans are nomadic, seafaring visitors. While they are similar in size and shape to the Asken, they are more birdlike [1] with a long little finger and hook on their thumb.[2] They generally do not make their home in Braided Shore with the exception of a rare few such as ObanAndra of Ovi Talif [3] but do have diplomatic relations with the Braided Shore with an embassy in Kasa[4]
Beliefs
The Sah Basir bury their dead in high places so that they may be guided to the Mighty Drifter. The Mighty Drifter may be a holy cloud.[5] And numerous rumors suggest that the Sah Basir feel that the Might Drifter guides their movements.
The birdlike boat-people are said to follow a holy cloud... I hope one day to meet and speak to one of their number...
They find Asken attachment to their biological family to be alien.
The Sah Basir practice moon bathing when they are landlocked for extended periods of time.[6]
Similarly, the Asken perception of colours such as char is opposite to that of the Sah Basir. While the colour char for Askens is positive and denotes high status and wisdom, the Sah Basir conception of char ominous and ill-fated. [7]
Mythology
The Sah Basir have a legend about Samakko, a legendary first frog, who hopped from waterway to waterway siring amphibious creatures never settling down.[8]
Many rumors reference a Star Bird, but the nature of this figure and how it fits in with Sah Basir mythology is currently unknown.
Sah Basir Clan Ships
Sah Basir clan ships are self sustaining and they have pots carved into the railing of their ships for some type of small scale farming.[9] They make good use of the limited space on their clan ships by growing seaweed on the keel which in turn attracts more fish. [10] They have large urns that store freshwater on their ship's deck.[11] The Sah Basir make a type of fabric for their clothing that never gets waterlogged.[12]
If a Sah Basir clan ship catches a particularly large fish, they dry it and keep it until they meet another clan ship. The two clan ships will exchange prize dried fish and the figureheads of both ships will eat each other's prize fish.[13]
Asken Relations with Sah Basir
Third Age contact
The Asken first encountered Sah Basir in the early Third Age. They were so different from any other person they had met, that they began worshiping them in a similar way that they still do with the Sefra. Archeologists have found some old shrines made of coral that Asken people built for the Sah Basir.[14]
Despite their differences, there are tales like that of Morisha the fisher of the Sinter Shore and her Sah Basir captain lover who fell deeply in love despite his inability to stay on land and her inability to follow him on the sea.[15]
Present Day Racism
Despite worshipping the Sah Basir in the Third Age, Fifth Age Asken views of the Sah Basir can be racist and cruel. The Asken League puts on xenophobic plays complete with costumes with hoods that make a caricature of a Sah Basir beak [16] Even Shimo Baht Billows the famous woodcarver and historian has carved a violent caricature of a Sah Basir attacking Asken people. [17] IjaijAtta also references verbal abuse that they and their clan shipmates endure from the people of Kasa while the ship is trapped there during the blockade of Kasa.
Some of your Clan are distrustful of us. They hurl insults that make me glad that only a few of us can understand them.
Conflict
The Sah Basir's relations with other peoples have not always been smooth. There was at least one Third Age skirmish between the Malku Su and the Sah Basir in which the legendary Malku General Hestu Keksu participated. [18] The Gull Lord of Bat Saha was a Sah Basir pirate who raided many ships before he was defeated by a woman whose life he had once spared.[19] In this case, the Gull Lord seemed motivated by a desire for treasure. Many of the rumors told by Sah Basir stress their desire for treasure.
Land Agriculture
The Sah Basir never stay on land for long. However, they cultivate cocoa beans on island plantations.[20] They also practice nomadic forms of agricultural propagation such as harvesting Island Acorns, cacao trees, and legumes and planting them on another island without any foodstuffs on it. [21]
Food Preferences
The Sah Basir tend to avoid fresh produce and other foodstuffs that decompose quickly, preferring dried and preserved food. [22] Licorice, as something that cannot be grown on the Sah Basir islands and Kauva beans, also very hard to grow on Sah Basir islands are greatly valued by Sah Basir[23]
Although the Sah Basir and Asken have much in common, there are certain foods like Char roots that Asken people enjoy but are poisonous to Sah Basir. [24]
Accidental Introductions
The Sah Basir Clan Ships are blamed for introducing ecolonical change to areas of Braided Shore by introducing new plants and animals via their nomadic travels in their ships, such as the invasive Saha crab [25] and Sinter weed [26]
Reference
- ↑ https://lore.bookoftravels.info/people/the-sah-basir
- ↑ Sturdy Sah Basir sailing gloves
- ↑ Oban's simple cakes
- ↑ Archivist Tisleth
- ↑ Mysterious figure
- ↑ IjaijAtta
- ↑ Char-tinted roll
- ↑ Skewered frog
- ↑ Bland ginger root
- ↑ Package of jade seaweed
- ↑ Sah Basiran urn with pearl decorations
- ↑ Sah Basir drape
- ↑ Dried Sah Basir fish
- ↑ Worn ring of coral
- ↑ Sulphur bead string
- ↑ Tasteless cinnabar hood
- ↑ Oiled oak tree disk
- ↑ Foreign metal hilt
- ↑ Gull feather garb
- ↑ Bag of Kasa rarities
- ↑ Sah Basiran acorns, Bag of foreign legumes, Bag of Kasa rarities
- ↑ Package of Oban's star raisins
- ↑ Sweet licorice root, Bunch of Kauva beans
- ↑ Char roots pouch
- ↑ Saha crab
- ↑ Package of Sinter weed