Overview
Prior to the desert granted to them by the sky, Okunan humans lived on the fringes of An’mani. Their lives were forever-changed by the sudden appearance of the desert, and they have adapted and thrive within it today. All across Okuna are human tribes who embody aspects of their creator, the Skymother Aremba; from courage, cunning, strength, and speed to mysticism and creativity. Tribes often adopt totem animals or symbols related to these traits. A single exemplar or avatar of each trait takes the place of a tribe’s leader.
Appearance
Okunans tend to have warm, earthy skin tones that vary from umber-brown to ochre-red. Hair colors range from black to brown (curly, kinky, coiling, wavy, or straight), with rare individuals sporting lighter colors. Men have neatly-trimmed beards or go clean-shaven. Due to the rare and colorful minerals in Okuna’s desert, decorating one’s body with paint or colorful makeup is common. The Okunans take great pride in adorning their bodies with accessories, jewelry, and clothing that evokes their tribal values.
Typical clothing include loose, flowing clothing to help beat the heat, a shemagh to protect the head and neck, and tough leather armor made from rhokanta-hide. Deepsea pearls and metals are readily available to the Okuna, so elaborate and delicate jewelry is often worn.
Each tribe has its own way of distinguishing members of various castes. Clothing textures and styles are different across tribes.
Tribes
Okuna’s society is centered around tribes, not families. Children are typically raised by the entire tribe rather than individuals. No two tribes have the same customs, culture, or religion. Instead, local beliefs and cultures flourish in pockets around Okuna, and new understandings of science, technology, and invention “echo” across it due to extensive trade networks. Tribes are not insular and isolated. Communication and collaboration are key to their success in the harsh environment of Okuna.
Okuna’s coastal edges are tropical. Seasonally damp and very humid, they experience heavy rainfall and occasional monsoons — a fate shared by its neighboring country, An’mani. A handful of tribes make their home in this wet, jungle-like terrain. Rolling plains border Okuna’s jungles. They quickly give way to the semi-arid edges of the Okunan desert, which is thick with salt and strange minerals found nowhere else in Ilisara. Few tribes dare to live in the desert. Not only is it inhospitable to life, but it is haunted by undead spirits.
Tribes in Okuna number in the dozens, and new ones rise while old ones fall from time to time. Here are a few:
Bhatya
Rho
Kolo
Suli
Sinvāri
Settlements
Okunan settlements are more advanced than one would think; fortified walls of white clay keep the undead at bay, while colorful pigments from the desert's mineral-rich sands adorn buildings. Wood from the swamp's mangrove trees is lightweight and used for roofing materials. Most tribal settlements include inns, houses, stables, farmland, and a Great Lodge or meetingplace for the tribe. They are usually settled on the outskirts of the desert.
Ancestor Worship
Okunans worship their ancestors fervently and believe in reincarnation. Tribespeople who are reincarnations of past ancestors almost always hold leadership positions. Shamans and witchdoctors who practice Grey Magic can speak with long-dead souls. It is revulsive to try and force a reincarnation, but such illicit acts have been performed by morally ambiguous ritualists.
Masks
Due to the ability of Okunan shamans to use grey magic and conjure spirit faces, masks are common accessories in Okunan culture. Masks may be decorated how one imagines or wishes their spirit face looks. Often, they incorporate patterns representing desirable traits. For example, the spots of a marbled polecat for watchfulness; the stripes of a tiger for majesty; or the tusks of a rhokanta for strength. Masks may cover all or only part of the face. They are often worn into war. It’s believed that wearing a mask protects against undeath. The mask can remind a soul of its identity, should it ever leave the corpse.
Undead Spirits
The undead spirits who haunt the desert are a constant source of conflict for tribes in Okuna. Locally known as the Dev-Makiyu, these spirits pose a dangerous threat. Although they seldom venture far from the desert they call home, the Dev-Makiyu still occasionally raid tribal homes in the tropics. They have inspired many ingenious inventions. The Okunans have developed clay jars marked with Aremba’s symbol that can be used to capture ghostly Dev-Makiyu. Once contained in a jar, the ghost eventually fizzles out and turns into gelatinous ectoplasm. The ectoplasm is a powerful reagent for shamanistic rituals — both to ward off more undead, and to contact ancestors or spirit walk.
Zombies
Any individual killed in the desert rises as a zombie of their former self. These husks are mindless abominations driven to kill and create more undead. To prevent further undead from spawning it is forbidden to attack and kill other humans in the Okunan Desert.
Ghosts
The ghosts of marine life can be found in abundance. Long ago, a tidal wave crashed over the desert and left many sea creatures to rot there. After death, these creatures did not move on. Their spirits haunt the desert to this day. They seek out water with with an undying perseverance — whether it be spring water, an oasis, or even human blood. Travelers are reduced to desiccated husks after encounters with these undead.
Although the spirits seem to grow more corporeal and fleshy after consuming blood from humankind, they have no sapience and are instead guided by base instinct. Seawater is particularly desirable to them. Travelers often carry gourds of salt-treated water, which can be thrown to distract marine ghosts while one flees.
Other Undead
Some witnesses swear to have seen the ghosts of perished tribespeople in the desert as well, although these are rare. People who tend to rise as spectral undead are Okunan shamans and magically-attuned individuals. These individuals’ souls have a propensity to manifest effects in the living world already. Thus, they have no need for corporeal forms upon death, and instead haunt the desert as revenants.
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