"You are perceptive to notice the temperature. It is cooler here because the building is designed to take in cooler seaward air and channel it through the halls, forcing hot air out through the roof. It is ingenious, and a form of architecture that is sadly lost to us."

-Head Gardener of the Grand Palace of Alqair, Beletsunu Kalifa

Bahrian Culture

Land of Paradise

Since the fall of the Great Jungle Kingdom, there have been three different powers to claim the title of King of Kings. The first to hold this title was the land of Bahsparis, which sat on the banks of the Red Bay, and lay in the bordering land between the desert and the sea. It is a land of hot dry breezes and palm trees. Near the sea, the land becomes more temperate, and the salt air is said to be refreshing, healing even. When the great throne rested suddenly with the Bahrians, they used the wealth and power gained to build a fabulous capital, the likes of which the world had not seen, manufacturing an oasis in the desert, and bringing vibrant trees, flowers, and ferns from across the world to populate its hanging gardens. This opulence and luxury blossomed, and the Bahrians became known around the world for cuisine, art, aesthetics, and epicurean delights. The Bahrians ruled over the Mehtians, Tesiphonians, and Yuyakeese. Their empire was larger than it could reasonably govern well however, and the Satrapies ensured that some share of governance would be shared with the governed. In theory, this would lead to the day-to-day governance being tackled by the Satraps, while the big-picture stuff, including the raising and commanding of armies, would be tackled by Bahsparis. In times of prosperity, this system worked well, but in times of hardship, the Bahrians had trouble exercising their full authority over the Satraps, who withheld taxes, levies, and in some cases symbolic fealty. After generations of the Satraps undermining the Empire, eventually it broke apart entirely, and in the ashes of the Bahrian Empire rose the Mehtian Empire. The splendor of the old empire faded, but the culture that developed did not. The Mehtians, obsessed with their legacies after death, clashed mightily with the Bahrians, who lived the lives they had to their fullest extent. The Bahrians were treated poorly by their new masters, and a fierce rivalry was stoked between the two peoples during the Mehtian rule. The sophisticated culture of epicureanism was replaced by a debauched culture of cheap thrills, as the Bahrians lost most of their wealth in harsh tributes to the Mehtians. Eventually, the Mehtian Empire was replaced by the Tesiphonian Empire. The Tesiphonians propped up the Bahrians, giving them generous donatives and tax relief. The Bahrians therefore were able to regain much of their wealth and splendor, but much of the low-brow hedonism remained. Today, Bahrian culture consists of a metaphorical street battle between high culture and low culture. While high culture holds the influence, low culture of course holds the hearts of the masses.

          In some parts of the world, Bahrian is heard on the lips of those who wish to insult someone. Calling someone Bahrian can be taken as calling them debauched, corrupt, lacking virtue, or lacking restraint. This has set in stone the conception of Bahrians as unrelenting hedonists, who reject their commitments, fail their duties, and sit in a pool of endless pleasure while forsaking all else. There are very few (though perhaps a select few indeed) Bahrians who fit this mold. Instead, a more accurate depiction of them is one of pleasure adept people. Bahrians tend to enjoy more holidays than other cultures, and work less hours in the day. While many see end goals as more valuable than the process of achieving them, Bahrians tend to believe the path to the goal should be just as important and worthwhile. Therefore, the key distinction between the average Bahrian and the average non-Bahrian is more of a philosophical one rather than a dispositional one. Bahrians are just as capable as other cultures of hard boring work. They are more adept at fitting in pleasure in the cracks of that work however. Still, the Bahrian focus on living a happy life can lead to them placing less value on the great achievements that other cultures pride themselves on. The modern day Bahrians are all-to-happy to be living under the thumb of the Tesiphonian Empire, rarely considering the desire to rise to the top of the pyramid themselves once again. Correlated to this is the fact that Bahrians tend to be less determined and less ambitious than their neighbors. Whether this is because they are lazy is itself up for debate. If one were to craft a fair critique of this culture, it would likely be directed at the often vapid character of Bahrians. Bahrians don't just care about living a happy life, they often become hung up on living an aesthetic life, and place an enormous amount of value on beauty, fashion, and lingo. Bahrians don't just think it is good to be beautiful. They tend to believe that to be beautiful is to be good.

          The Bahrian people are most highly concentrated in Bahsparis, a nation lying on the south eastern side of the Red Bay, bordering Ekmeht to the south, Tesiphon to the north, and the Bleached Desert to the east. Many Bahrians live in Tesiphon as laborers and civil servants. The races of the Bahrian culture are most predominately humans, loxodons, kenku, kobolds, goblins, and dwarves. The only god that has ever truly been in the hearts and minds of the Bahrians is Gowlga, their eternal mistress. Bahrians tend to be epicurean, easy-going, and jovial. They also tend to be unmotivated, unambitious, and vapid. The dominant language among the Bahrians is Old Keloran, though the elites tend to speak Loxocommon among each other.

If you choose the Bahrian Culture, you gain the following:

~A +1 to your Charisma score~

~Either a -1 to your Intelligence score or a -1 to your Wisdom score~

~As a known language, either Old Keloran Common or Loxocommon~

~A Sub-Discipline in every knowledge skill on checks relating to Bahrian Culture~

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