DOMAINS:
Beauty, Oceans

SPECIALITIES:
Nomad, Trader, Artists

CITIES: Warakan, Puerto Verde


Religion: "Yes, yes! We have many gods, all good prices, all good deals. You want monkey god? We got sale on monkey gods, buy two hands, get four-handed elephant god for free. You want death god? You buy Flayed Man, we give you Nameless Reef for half your afterlife. You want something more ....risque? I just carved this idol, based on ravings what come out of halfling hermit over in Coral Bay, you want see? Brand new god, hungry for worship, exquisite detail on the teeth, you see? I give you good price!"

Impressions by Others: Most people when first trading with a Warakan (which is how most people first meet any), have a tendency to check if their pockets have been picked, and then become suspicious of the quality of the goods, like someone is trying to sell them some snake oil. Those more familiar with the nomadic traders start to realize that the Warakan see bartering as a performance, and improvise their personality based on the attitude of the customer. Choose a different customer archetype, and you'll see a different trader.

Society: The Warakan are an androgynous society, of mostly humans, with an impeccable, yet individualistic fashion sense. They borrow indiscriminately from other cultures, creating a multi-layered panoply of beauty, often taking seemingly disparate elements and blending them together to create provocative new wholes.

The native tongue of the Warakan does not indicate gender, and their social customs & clothing give few indications as well. Their expansive sailor population tend to shave while in port so that they can grow thicker beards while at sea. Special recreational districts in their ports cater to those who wish to proudly display their gender while at cultural events, possibly in order to seek procreative partners.

The basic social unit in Warakan society is a Krew (not to be confused with a Ship's Crew, which is almost entirely the same thing). A Krew is led by a Kaptain and First Mate, is usually dedicated to a specific craft, business, etc, and a large enough krew will hold specialized positions for cook, parson, surgeon, master at arms, krewswain (in charge of maintaining momentum), carpenter and quartermaster (much as a Crew would). These specialized roles free the others in the Krew to focus on honing their skills. The biggest difference between a Crew and a Krew seems to be the existence of a ship.

A Krew is a family unit, a business venture, and a voting block, with Kaptains traditionally abstaining except to break ties, and First Mates focusing on diplomacy and sales. Krewes who cannot afford to maintain a full roster of positions, or who wish to offset the cost of positions they only need rarely (like Surgeons and Lawyers) will gather with similar Krewes to form a Fleek (which, again, is just like a Fleet, without any ships). Technically, all of Warakan is one big Fleek, and the head of the society is their First Edmiral. Among the artisan classes, however, the First Edmiral is often referred to as The Customer, which is apparently some kind of insult.

As a Krew can be a member of multiple Fleeks, depending on circumstance and location, it is nearly impossible for outsiders to track Fleeks, let alone measure their prestige. Krewes gain prestige by the size of their Krew, and so many jobs that would be considered "lowly" in other societies are instead valued as "potential fans" among the Warakan. A Dack Hand's primary task may be to clean the outhouse, but her role in society is to consume art, and appreciate the artist, making her quite a commodity.