Azra

Sailing through the oceans around Telumar, the Azra are known for their love of freedom and unhurried life. While many people see the Azra as a seafaring nation without land (similar to the Lendari), the Azra reject the idea of being nation, as the notion of being bound by loyalty to anyone but your crew is seen as foolish. Those who've met the Azra describe them as candid and exuberant, full of laugh and enthusiasm for life itself, but also an inner strength built by a lifetime of storms and merciless weather.

The brotherhood of the sea

Loyalty is owed, first and foremost, to one's crew, which they refer to as family. Still, while they don't have any formal government and they'll insist that they aren't a nation, they still see themselves as part of the same people: the people of the sea. To them, family always comes first, but the other Azrans always take precedence to the land dwellers. Some families live on single ship, larger and capable of going deep into the ocean; others live in groups of smaller vessels and generally stay closer to land.

Children are raised among the ropes and sails of their family and learn the songs of the wind long before they speak their first word. The importance of cooperation is also instilled to the youth, as a single careless hand in the middle of a storm could doom and entire family.

Azran families often gather together in loose fleets for weeks or months, be it for safety, for a trading expedition, or simply for the joy of sailing with friends. The Azran also control a handful of small islands all around Telumar, where they gather for repairs and to exchange the latest gossip from land. In these gatherings, their Lendari roots are still visible through their music, storytelling, and other arts.

Friends of the land

The sea is their home, but they are in frequent contact with most nations in Telumar. Visitors to any major coastal city can usually see at least one Azran ship docked for trading. From sea specialties like rare fish and pearls to goods imported from other nations, many Azran families are known as merchants. They often work as messengers too, although this can prove an unreliable method of communication. While the Azra will never purposefully leave a message undelivered, their love for freedom might make them take a detour so long that, by the time the message is delivered, it has become completely irrelevant.

Freedom in organization

Despite their reputation as reckless and chaotic, the azran are able to maintain discipline and order when necessary. They believe that freedom is not an inherent quality of life, and must be earned through respect and cooperation: every sailor must look after their peers and do what they can to take care of their ship. Azran families have a typical hierarchy too, led by a captain. However, the captain isn't a ruler, but an adjudicator when there is disagreement. Captains are chosen by the family, and can be replaced at a moment's notice if the majority of the family so desires—although tradition dictates this should only be done in a harbour to avoid instability in open waters.

The Flowing Faith

The Azra have their own version of the Wandering Gods. To them, they aren't guides, and they might not even be divine. Instead, they were powerful people who traveled along with the peoples of Telumar and, eventually, they left for the stars to continue their journey. As great star voyages, the Azra view the Wandering Gods with great respect and, while they don't necessarily wait for their return, they certainly wish for it.

Faint Divinities, on the other hand, are treated with fearful caution. Most Azrans have seen at least one in their lifetime; voices in the mist, lights beneath the waves, currents that seem to take over the ship's course with purpose. The Azra don't worship these spirits, but they have small rituals meants to acknowledge their presence and, hopefully, convince them to help them a little bit. Throwing a coin into the sea before a long journey, singing while sailing through difficult weather, or never going to sleep without admiring the starry sky for a bit are just some examples of these traditions.

Dishonor among pirates

Land dwellers often associate the Azra to piracy; they acknowledge many Azran families are good, but the belief that anyone living on the sea is part of the Azra people is widespread. Among this seafaring people, though, piracy is seen as disgraceful. Any Azran family who attacks another family is immediately banned from all Azra-controlled islands and is no longer considered one of them.

In truth, while some pirates come from the Azra, most don't. Most land-dwelling nations have fleets, ships, and criminals—or people looking for a different kind of glory. And at the end of the day, these are the required ingredients for a pirate crew.

The sea belongs to no one.

Contents

Communities

The Azra people are inspired by the Seaborne community; but just like with the Lendari, their nomadic lifestyle means they could be from a variety of different communities too.

The easiest way to handle that is by making your character come from a different nation originally. The Azra are open and will welcome anyone who's willing to follow their way of life.