Rehk-Ur

Example Female Names: Fukayna, Nofre-aten-nofre-titi, Xonsu, Aua, Eshe

Example Male Names: Sebichos, Sam-tati, Pe-meht-khonsu, Amenhemoft, Khen-ta

Rehk-Ur names consist of a Given name, sometimes more than one, and prefixes and suffixes that are appended to a Rehk-Ur's name throughout their life.

The only people in Rehk society who come close to the reverence their god-kings demand are their blacksmiths, who tend to have dynastic lineages almost as long as the god-kings themselves, albeit lineages passed down through apprenticeship, rather than by dint of birth. A god-king’s head blacksmith is as important to the kingdom as the god-king himself, responsible for armoring and shoeing the god-king’s own personal forces, and no god-king accomplishes anything without one. It is expected that each head blacksmith chooses an heir, and throughout almost any internal strife, this head blacksmith will remain neutral, working for whoever the new god-king is in the dynastic line. This is not always the case, however, and head blacksmiths have been known to specifically side with specific heirs, or duck out entirely, leaving the new god-king to select a new head blacksmith. These cases are the exception, rather than the rule though, as a blacksmith who does this is putting their whole family in danger from vengeful, scorned royalty. Even in cases of other god-kings invading, typically the head blacksmiths, their heirs and families will be offered a job, spared, or at the worst exiled, but a Rehk blacksmith can always find work elsewhere, so acclaimed are they for their skill and dedication. On average, Rehks have a more even temperament than their renowned ferocity would suggest, as each Rehk learns to fight growing up, and learns exactly how deadly combat can be. Almost every Rehk sees at least one other Rehk perish in combat at some point in their life, usually to one of the huge, dangerous beasts (which are only a close second on the food chain to the Rehks themselves) that roam Rehkara. This makes them wary of combat, prone to only engage in it when they feel it is absolutely necessary, or when their duty demands it. Their ferocity comes into play once they start fighting, for when they fight, they do so with reckless abandon, completely devoting themselves to the destruction of their enemy.   They behave like this primarily because in large part they have a strong belief in reincarnation, believing that one can only be reincarnated in a few specific circumstances, these circumstances changing from group to group. Even the nature of the reincarnation changes, with some believing that living a proper life will result in reincarnation as a different species, others believing that they’ll eventually be reborn in the same body at a different time, or in some otherworldly paradise. Yet others believe they’re pulled into some unity with the souls of previous Rehks, and previous god-kings. What is almost a constant, however, is that the only death in combat which will result in a good reincarnation or afterlife is one which is found in necessary, and just combat. Of course, combat as directed by a god-king is always considered just and necessary. It is interesting to note that those with golden markings tend to be significantly more aggressive than their unmarked cousins.   Rehk are known for keeping large, domesticated herds of gigantic, 40 pound jackrabbits, both for companionship and to eat. These horned rabbits are actually rather formidable pack hunters in the wilds of Rehkara, and where the dog is man’s best friend, the jackrabbit is the Rehk’s best friend. There are many breeds of these creatures, though by and large they fall into two categories: horned and hornless. The hornless ones are kept and bred for their size and meat, while the horned ones are typically a bit smaller, more lean, and are generally far smarter.   Almost all Rehk-Ur speak Rehkish and Common.

Religion

The Rehks have long controlled the huge continent just to the south of the human lands, across the Dividing Sea, but there has never been a Rehk kingdom so dominant as the Gravicus Empire, nor a sweeping religion which overtook the masses of people as the Armusian church has over the hearts of men. No, the Rehks have a long history of dynastic god-kings, stretching back (or so they say) to the very dawn of time, when the first Rehks fought free of the Primordial Mud in the center of Rehkara at the dawn of time, and then turned to free their brothers. These Rehks, the first to fight their way into the sunshine above, were blessed with shiny, golden markings on their skin from the sun, and these marks reveal godly blood, which are sometimes passed down from generation to generation. There was none more prominent then Xerxes I, the savior of Rehkara, and the epitome of the glorious warrior. The first born Rehk with these golden markings becomes the heir to that god-king’s dynasty, though rarely will they cease to produce children after that, frequently leading to bitter internecine conflict. For this reason, and the marked Rehk’s natural tendencies towards aggression, their dynasties are inherently unstable, and rarely last beyond a few generations.   To compound the issue, there are hundreds of different Rehk kingdoms covering the massive continent of Rehkara, most of which only recognize a select few other kingdoms as actually being divinely controlled, typically by claiming that only certain patterns of golden markings, inherent to their own dynasty and some others, represent true divinity, and they frequently go to war with one another for a plethora of reasons. There isn’t a square kilometer of land on Rehkara that some form of battle hasn’t occurred within. For that matter, there hasn’t been a large battle for a thousand years in the old world which some Rehk haven’t participated, as mercenary bands led by errant god-kings are extremely common the world over, and are renowned for their ability to turn battles with their bravery and pure ferocity.   These errant god-kings are usually either peasant born, as sometimes happens, or marked Rehks who are not first in line for dynastic inheritance. It should not be unexpected, therefore, that many Rehk have found their way to Anoma, seeking to escape the constant wars of their home continent or perhaps stake a claim on some of the wide open spaces in the new world, finding their own continent crowded. The Rehk religion also features reincarnation, with the belief that those Rehk who die in honorable combat reincarnate into better situations in the next life. It is even possible that they can gain enough honor in life to reincarnate as a god-king in the next life. Further, if a normal being gathers enough Rehks around him to believe him to be their god-king, and some momentous event occurs, sometimes golden lightning will strike that being, giving them the golden markings and designating them to be a true god-king. This has happened only a few times in history, but each time the struck being has gathered a massive kingdom behind them afterwards, before they die.

Family

Rehks are an exceptionally strange species, literally growing from the ground like a plant. Rehks, once pregnant, will find themselves suddenly very ill and claustrophobic, generally forcing them outside to vomit into a hole, or more frequently into a specially prepared field outside their home for just such an occasion. Eventually, after eight months, a baby Rehk will grow from Gaia like a huge cabbage. The Rehk family structure is entirely clan-focused, with the clan being the family. Multiple clans exist within each kingdom, and frequently Rehks will go off and join another nearby friendly clan both because they are somewhat individualistic and because of marriage. Rehk have many family members, though they are usually not exceptionally close with any of them. For this reason, when they join a new band or group, they are able to integrate with them and work as a group much better than one might expect.  

Food

Rehks love meat, and are glad to import exotic meats from wherever they can source them. They will try just about anything, but all of their best dishes contain meat. Usually more than one! Flatbread comes from the Rehks, who cook it on the burning hot rocks of their homeland while they cook whatever they've caught to eat that day. Their most famous dish is a special way of cooking ground bison and lamb, skewered on a spit, wrapped in this flatbread, usually with a tangy sauce and whatever veggies are at hand.

Clothing is highly dependent on the wealth of the kingdom that the Rekh-Ur comes from. Those from the more wealthy kingdoms tend to wear fine robes, trimmed with gold, and plenty of valuable jewelry, all over their armor, which most of them wear at all times. Generally speaking, a gathering of Rehks is quite loud for this reason, as they're all wearing clanking metal armor under their robes.

Accessories

Rehk love their helmets, and, apart from their weapon, their helmet tends to be one of the most valuable things in their posession. Usually these helmets are trimmed with gold and gems, and have extra horns or blades on them to improve their ability to headbutt. Aside from this, many of them wear jeweled, shiny metallic bracers, and necklaces with golden and gem-encrusted tokens hanging at the end.

Rehk art is mostly in their architecture, with powerful god-kings creating monuments to their glory, as well as vast, soaring, gold-laden palaces. Within these palaces their wealth is shown in the most ostentatious ways imaginable, with sculptures of solid gold and feasts layed out for the merest whim. Rehk art is all about who can create the largest and most opulent display of wealth, so great that they will remain for ages, as even if another conquers their home, they wouldn't tear down a pyramid which took the lives of tens of thousands of slaves to construct, nor would they melt down a golden citadel.

Creation Story

Stretching back (or so they say) to the very dawn of time, the first Rehks fought free of the Primordial Mud in the center of Rehkara, and then turned to free their brothers.

The Rehks have no major settlements on Anoma. Perhaps you can change this...
There is a fabled Rehk City of Gold, somewhere in Rehkara, lost to the Roaming Desert. It is said that the dynasty which used to live there, a millenia ago, was the greatest the Rehks had ever seen, so great they could pave their city's streets with gold. Unfortunately, today, even the name of the dynasty is lost to time, much less the city of gold itself.