Hello everyone, just a quick note that not all information presented on ‘The Grey League’ channel is strictly Greyhawk Canon though I did use information from published books, the Oerth Journal as well ‘Cruelsummerlord’ amazing work on the Canonfire website.
Introduction
The different human tribes of the Flanaess were scattered during the last 1000 years of human migration as well as through the many wars that raged the land. Intermarriages have become very common, and purebloods are rare these days, in the common year of 595. Most humans today are somewhat of a mixture of two or more human bloodlines and do not have prominent physical features of one singular culture. Interestingly, a human of the Flanaess rarely speaks about skin colour because of this. Still, there are regions where one culture has remained somewhat pure and there are regions where one culture has remained more dominant than another. For you, members of the League, I’ll shed some light on the customs and traditions of the human tribes of Oerth.
From Empire to Empire, our people move on. For that is the nature of the Baklunish; forever strong, forever proud, forever free.” - Ozef Khan, upon the defeat of Ghayar Khan, ~2353 BH
The Bakluni once held a great empire on the western side of the Crystalmists and Barrier Peaks. In its early stages the Bakluni tribes were constantly threatened from all borders, but the greatest threat always came from its south. First, they were regularly assaulted by Oerid horsemen of the southern plains but later the people of the Sulhauts terrorised them. These people, the Suel, were constantly looking for weaknesses in which to launch a full-scale invasion and they would become their archenemies. The rapid mobility of the Baklunish cavalry, however, allowed them to meet threats from the Sulhauts to the Dramidj on short notice, thus maintaining the integrity of their state. It is unlikely that any other people could have forged an empire such as that built by the Bakluni.
Even a 63-year war, now properly named 'The Great War', with its cataclysmic ending did not destroy its people nor its culture.
Location
“The Baklunish West? You people have never even seen the Real Baklunish West – Bakluni merchant in the Flanaess.”
Where the Bakluni live you may ask? Most will answer you “in the Baklunish West”, but this is from a Flanaess-centric point of view as this “Baklunish west”, to the Bakluni themselves, is actually the “Baklunish East”.
First, we need to know where they originated from and, that, we do not really know. The closest we get are the grassy central plains we now call the Paynim Plains. We can assume that they started as a nomadic herder people and despite their later movement into cities, they still largely maintain that "wild" roving nature with only a fraction of them actually living in permanent settlements. Somewhere in these early beginnings, they created a strong bond with horses, who were in abundance on the enormous plains. This led the Bakluni herders to expand their territory in all directions.
Now, we cannot ignore history and the cataclysmic events that took place, events that shaped the Bakluni and determined their current location on Oerth. Let’s start at the beginning, humans, as we know, reproduce quickly and the Bakluni population increased immensely, settling in fertile lands far south, near the Sulhaut mountains. Though there were numerous forests, they were not dense, nor large but the fertile grassland gave the Bakluni endless farmland. Many nomadic tribes build small settlements and trade began with the people of the high plateau across the Sulhaut mountains – The Suel. They might have traded with these people for a thousand years until Skirmishes broke out, Skirmishes that became wars, wars that evolved in The Great War and ended in the apocalyptic event – The Invoked Devastation. Their towns, forts and the few cities they had were obliterated, the population turned to ash and the land defiled for centuries. We now call this devastated area – the Dry Steppes.
But 20 years before this devastation, a wandering prophet had spent years convincing several tribal people from the central lands to flee the misfortune that was about to happen to them. Being expert horsemen, those who believed the prophet rode far and far to the north, and lived in the cooler plains which would later be overrun by the Relentless horde. Fate brought four of these six Bakluni families – the Ketti, Tusmii, Zeifa, and Ekberri - back to their homeland and live in these now well-known traditional Bakluni lands. They were later joined by the Bakluni of the central plains who managed to survive the devastation and had fled to join the northern settlements near the Dramidj Ocean. This whole area is known as ‘The Baklunish Basin’ and the settled states with their cities and busy trade routes runs from the Bakhoury Coast in the west to the Yatil Mountains in the east, and is the stronghold of Baklunish culture. It’s this region that Flanaess people call the Baklunish West and thus includes Zeif, ekbir, Tusmit and Ket.
One people survived the apocalypse of the south, horse people that lived on the western periphery of the devastation and who were still numerous. They rode into the central plains, drove out the pure Bakluni tribes and now ruled over endless leagues of grassland, bordering the territories of Zeif and Ull. From then on, we call it the Great Paynim Plains. While these plains end in the lush valleys of the western Ulsprue mountains, they also border the Dry Steppes in the South. But the Paynim are fearless, and they have managed to settle even in those plains. For over one thousand years, the Paynim tribes have been the masters over those territories.
The Paynim migrations are common knowledge to the Bakluni, summers are brutally hot in the southern steppes and so the Paynim stay in the northern Steppes, close to Zeif. A time of Tension for the Zeifa people. The hordes return south when the winter brings rain in that area, the Paynims drive their herds to the southern pasturage, pastures only they know where to find. The Paynim still prefer to dwell in tents and carry their belongings with them as they move, and as we will discuss later on, are most definitely of Baklunish stock, though they have a strong oeridian-mixed heritage.
Finally, there are the lands on the other side of the Bakhoury Coast, crossing the Gulf of Ghayar. These lands are also still populated by a branch of the Baklunish people and are, in fact, the true “Baklunish West”. I also want to note that, today, there is a Paynim tribe living within the bright dessert but I am leaving that for another video.
Description
The purest Bakluni, have golden-hued skins, grey-green or green eyes, and straight, fine-textured hair that is universally dark, ranging from dusky brown to bluish black. They tend to be long of limb and have high cheekbones. This would be an accurate description for the pure Bakluni in the lands of Ekbir, the Tiger Nomads, Ull, and Zeif around the Dramidj ocean.
Farther east however, racial mixing results in modified appearances: The Wolf Nomads are Baklunish mixed with Flan from the Rovers of the Barrens, and have correspondingly darker features and even some curly hair. In Ket, mixing with both Oeridian and Suel gave rise to folk with less golden skin tone, one might even say they have pale-tanned skin. The Ketites are the least typical and a very rare appearance here would be a Bakluni with golden or even white hair, or perhaps even blue eyes, but it is not unheard of.
If we go south of Zeif and the Paynim plains, we have the southern Paynims who have a darker complexion and look wrinkled to other humans. They are sturdy, with a large torso and short limbs. Most have dark eyes and hair, though a few can have amber or fire-red hair.
The people in the real Baklunish west are rumoured to be shorter, with black hair and dark narrow eyes.
Though almost unheard of, golden eyes have been seen from time to time among any of the Bakluni, but when it happens, it almost always indicates a child with Djinni Bloodlines.
Culture
Dress
Fashion-wise we can see that all settled Bakluni, favour bright patterns and flamboyant
colours in clothes, typically with gowns and robes, or else long coats with short breeches. Noting that, lower classes use the same colours but most often wear long one-piece garments, supplemented with another garb. Nomadic Bakluni on the other hand, prefer clothes with several pastel colours, but still enjoy fancy garments enhanced with puffs, slashes on sleeves to show contrasting colours underneath. Both the settled and nomadic men commonly wear turbans, with hijab being the preferred choice of women.
In Zeif and Ekbir, the oldest states, fashion amongst the well-to-do has reached new levels. Many a bard in the Flanaess has told mesmerising tales of the beauty of Bakluni men and women. Many a merchant has gone to great lengths to get their hands on the material the men wear.
The nomadic Paynim have a slightly different approach, however. Though on occasion they can be seen in typical Bakluni dress, when they live in the hostile environment of the south, they must blend in their surroundings in order to survive. They prefer loose garb in a sand, copper or even darker colour. They layer up their clothes in order to get the greatest benefit against the weather. Sturdy riding boots and some leather additions is also worn on a daily basis.
The Wolf and Tiger nomads, descendants of the Relentless Horde have adapted to the cold and windy climate they now roam in. The harsh winter wind that rages across the steppes makes the actual temperature feel like a bitter coldness that chills the bones. Winter clothing is a must here and typically includes felt hats, long jackets with loose sleeves, and practical baggy trousers. Cloth is actually of great value to these nomads and thus hunt different animals for their hide and fur. Clothing needs to be warm or cool depending on the season but must be durable at all times. This is why the nomad’s clothing is layered and, as they are often on the move and on horseback, unrestrictive.
Language
Firstly, there is Ancient Baklunish which was a vital component in creating modern Common. Today, it is still spoken by the Paynim (Panim) tribes, in the remaining tribes in the central lands and among some tribes and clans in surrounding lands such as Zeif and Tusmit. It is also frequently used in formal addresses, in religion, mythology, and poetry as well as being the language of all official documents and courtly proceedings west of the Yatils.
Next, we have Low Baklunish, descended from Ancient Baklunish but it has changed much throughout time and encompasses most of the contemporary, colloquial Baklunish dialects.
Despite these ancestral languages, Common is understood by all Bakluni living in and near cities that see much trade. Many centuries ago, the Oeridians of the Kingdom of Aerdy in the east realised that they needed to be able to communicate with the important Bakluni traders of the West. Peace with the Baklunish Realms brought exotic trading caravans all the way to the eastern coast of the Flanaess and there was a need for a mutual language. A language to make trade even more thriving, Common was thus born, out of a combination of Ancient Baklunish and the dialect of Old Oeridian.
One more language needs mentioning and that is Ordai. This dialect, shared by the Wolf and Tiger Nomads, bears some resemblance to Ancient Baklunish, but it has its roots in the dialects spoken among the distant Paynims. Its written form is based on Baklunish script.
The Arcane and divine
Arcane
These people understand astrology, theology, psychology, meteorology, navigation, mathematics, business, and warcraft not as independent sciences, but each as an integral part of the whole. Most other human cultures do not have the ability to truly understand the importance ‘astrological speculation’ plays in everyday life. For the educated Bakluni, astrology forms an essential part of the entire holistic, intellectual framework.
It is through these scholarly pursuits that the way to their kind of magic was uncovered, a magic that is nothing like the rude destructive evocations the Suel and the Oeridians use. They prefer magic that affects forces and principles, many skilled wizards are thus experts in illusion and divination. The ancient Bakluni arch-magi discovered that there is immense raw magical power in magic that is tied to the elemental planes and it can be moulded into anything you can think of. They also discovered the power of summoning, as well as how to bind elemental spirits into items. It is from this time that the Famous Binders were mentioned.
We know that the Bakluni wizards created hundreds of other magical items that are closely tied to the elements. But I’ll list a few of the more powerful artefacts they have created.
The Binders of elemental binding: These thick Binders were created to each capture a powerful elemental spirit, tales speak of powerful genies, and bind them to the item. He who controls the binder, controls the elemental spirit.
The Ashen staff is a three-part collaborative major artifact created by the Baklunish archmage Ilkben and the council of elders. It is assembled by using the rod of ash, the great Crystal of Askaf, and the fire rod of the Suloise. It has only been assembled once, on the day that Ilkben called down the Rain of Colourless Fire upon the Suel Empire from Tovag Baragu, a colossal stone circle and immensely holy place.
The ‘Tapestry of Ekbir’ is another legendary artefact. This 10’X 15’ woven tapestry displays a scene of a dark river in a bleak, rocky landscape. The tapestry was intended to be a gate from Ekbir to the lower planes for disposal of its worst criminals, but several tales spin a different story. Who knows what is truth?
A more contemporary wizard worth mentioning is Alhamazad the Wise, newest member of the circle of eight and hailing from the Sultanate of Zeif.
Now, among the Paynim however, a handful have been born with the innate gift of arcane or occult power, and they are regarded with great awe and superstition. These men or women usually live alone in tents pitched some distance from the main camps or even alone as hermits and, according to ancient tradition, only nobles may converse with them.
Amongst the nomads of the north, magic is not feared nor shunned, but studying magic is less common here. Fate and the ancestors decide who is born with the talent in illusion, divination and summoning.
Divine
“Worry not of what thou can see in thy future, for Istus' eminence hath decided 'pon it already. “ - Excerpt, Holy Psalm of Istus
Religion revolves around the acceptance of fate, that no man may escape his fate. This Fate is personified by the Baklunish goddess Istus, the lady of destiny (and fate). Non-Bakluni believe Istus is their one true god and all must obey her. But this is a misconception.
Istus became the dominant religion of the Bakluni only after the Invoked Devastation. The destruction of their empire, and the struggle to rebuild, caused the Bakluni to embrace Istus and many came to be fatalistic about life. The most common phrase among these folk is "It is the will of Istus". This fatalism often causes the Bakluni to take more risks than other cultures in the Flanaess. Even though they do not actively pursue worship of Istus, anyone born in Bakluni culture is always concerned with his fate and will work to ensure his fortune. In that regard it is this notion of fatalism that made the Bakluni resourceful and gifted with an entrepreneur’s mindset.
It is interesting to note that within the male dominated Baklunisch society, where women are generally given less rights, the priests of Istus stand in stark contrast. For, at least 80% of them are female as Istus treats all who serve her equally, and many women thus came in positions of power. Men fear Istus for her power over their fates and thus follow the dictates of her priests, even if they are women.
Istus may by the dominant faith today, she is, however, not the only power worshipped in Bakluni society. For example:
Geshtei (Gesh- tie) is one of the myriad powers that the Bakluni worshipped and who is still revered to this day by Bakluni caravan masters and the Paynim nomads. They give thanks to Geshtei (Gesh- tie) when they reach an Oasis for instance and allows the goddess to survive. She is the patron of Lakes, Rivers, and Wells, and her clerics protect oasis wells, local lakes, and rivers from those who wish to possess or pollute them.
Mouqol (Moh-cool) is the god of merchants, negotiations, trade, and reciprocity. He teaches that nothing comes without risk, but that ultimately, everyone takes one risk too many. The key to life is knowing when to stop. He has always been instrumental in the mercantile power that the Bakluni became.
Al’asran (Al-Az-ran) is the Shining Father, who rides the sun across the skies by day in the golden chariot, hearing the oaths of those who swear by his name, and ensuring that these oaths are upheld and truthfully said. He is stern but loving, just and merciful. He is, however, the same deity the Flan know as Pelor, and the oeridians call Solar.
Al’Zarad (Al- za-rad) is the god of magic and learning which as we know go hand in hand in their culture. Sciences are very much respected. The deity is however also known to other human cultures as Boccob.
There are many more deities that once were worshipped by the Bakluni and you will find families or even whole tribes still worshipping one of these lesser deities. Proof can easily be found amongst The Tiger and Wolf Nomads, as they revere these deities as spirits. Istus, the vile Incabulos and Geshtai personify the superstitions the nomads all share; they believe strongly in fate and do not wish to thwart her designs. Nor do the nomads wish to see water sources, the essence of life, polluted. To do either of these things would lead diseases, nightmares, and curses to be visited on the offenders. As a result, most Nomads instead venerate the spirits of their ancestors, Shamans plead with them to intercede on their behalf to calm down the deities any time these might be angered.
On a final note, we easily forget that the Baklunish lands border other territories besides the Flanaess, and the baklunish culture and religion naturally reflects influences from lands and peoples the Flanaess would consider highly exotic. A person could spend a lifetime writing about these various faiths however, time we currently do not have.
“Ask a foreigner, and he'll tell you it’s all grass and scrub for as far as the eye can see. Ask a Zeifan, and he'll tell you it's home.” – Zeifan saying
Lifestyle
The Bakluni, unlike the Suel, retained much of their culture after the fall of their ancient empire. Spread across the expanse known as the Baklunish Basin, the culture seems similar enough but each is quite unique and if you include the Northern Nomads and the southern Paynim, their cultures are very diverse, and their varying personalities have been shaped by the environments in which they dwell. Despite these differences, the Baklunish people do have common threads which link them together, one of these is known as - The Four Feet of the Dragon.
Honour, family, generosity and piety. These are The Four Feet of the Dragon. While the other human cultures of the Flanaess have an understanding of these concepts, the Bakluni people, in general a contemplative people, give them a much deeper meaning.
Honour determines how a man carries out the activities of his day. It entails keeping one’s word, not acting cowardly, conducting oneself as due his station in life. These are the acts of an honourable man and even a bandit can still act honourable and remain … well, a bandit. A man without honour is a cur to be beaten and killed, as one would kill any vermin. A man honours his parents and grandparents by marrying a woman of mutual standing who has a family that is also honourable. An honourable man magnifies his grace and standing by taking care of his wife and children and seeing to their needs. He also takes care of his entire family when they are unable to do so themselves, due to the hand of Istus or age. But honour is also bestowed by taking care of your employees in the same way as he does his children.
Bakluni are some of the most generous people in the Flanaess. They are expected to give generously with money, food, supplies, or whatever. They are also expected to be discreet; charity is not something that they do to curry favour or respect. Anonymous donations are common across the Baklunish nations. The quantity of charity often grows as an individual's wealth grows, and these charities are usually directed at people or institutions less fortunate. Hospitality is another aspect of this generosity. Hospitality to guests is considered sacred and they have been raised to believe that any one can request shelter from a Bakluni at any time, and that a man of honour must respect that request to the best of his ability. This can be an advantage for a Bakluni; he is virtually guaranteed shelter anywhere in the Flanaess he can find another of his ancestry. On the other hand, he may also be called on in this fashion.
The third of the Feet is Family, which generally defines any unit of community that an individual belongs to. For example, a Baklunish human may have many families, including his blood relatives, his church community, his military unit or his village. The sense of community is strong and they are fiercely loyal to each of their families and its members. An insult to any in a Baklunish family is an insult to her.
The last of the Feet is Piety, for they are very faithful people, and they are expected to be pious in their actions. Bakluni are heavily involved in their church organizations and take religious matters very seriously. Temples are frequent among all of their cities, and the various faiths play important roles in government and economy.
Another common trait is their love of horses. Their dependence on horses adds many beliefs and traditions regarding their honoured steeds, particularly among the nomads. All nomadic tribes regard the breeding and training of horses for farming, transportation and warfare a necessary and well-respected occupation. The animals are treated well, receiving high-quality food and daily exercise. Their saddles, tack and harnesses receive careful attention. In foul weather, some nomads actually raise tents or yurts solely for the protection of their horses. Baklunish lore is filled with legends and tales revolving around horses. In some communities, before beginning the evening meal, a toast is raised to the family’s horses, naming each of them before the meal is begun.
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