Saffa

North of Moru Kel at the mouth of the Washir River, Saffa is the largest city in the region that was once the Urek Empire. It is the center of government for the Washir River delta. The plains north of the Washir River, controlled by Nawabe herders and hunters in the high season, are open to Saffan hunters during Sowing and Reaping. Many Saffans travel up and down the river, as far as the Nawabe summer camp at the base of the Etaska Plateau.

The Sorrow of Saffa

Once a mid-sized agricultural city in the Urek Empire, Saffa fell to the Bowok in 289 KS.

Under Bowok occupation, many Saffans died of starvation and disease. The remaining Saffans rose up in desperation against the occupying soldiers, killing hundreds of them. Bowok retribution was swift and brutal:

The Bowok leader declared that for each of his soldiers that had died, one Saffan life must be paid in recompense and a second as retribution. My grandfather was torn from my grandmother’s arms, stripped bare, and nailed to a pole in the main square, alongside others. Their stomachs were sliced open, to ensure that only a lucky few died quickly.

When I was a young girl, my grandmother and I were checking the trap lines. I must admit I’d become accustomed to the wails of piglets and young goats, so eerily like the crying of babes, but this was something else. I heard the gutteral snarl and rushed to see a young fawn, one foot caught in our trap, with something shadowy and feline feasting upon its lower half.  I turned back to my grandmother, who had not rushed with me, but rather collapsed to her knees in tears. When I returned my gaze to the trap, the shadow panther had taken the fawn. The trap still held tufts of hair and blood pooled next to it.

When my grandmother recovered, she said that the shadow panther’s howls sounded exactly like the cries of the crucified Saffans as the crows feasted upon their eyes and innards. Even many of the Bowok warriors had whispered prayers upon hearing their wails.

Chronicles, Phaedrynne

The surviving people of Saffa were determined to be able to protect themselves and began to train in secret. At first the surviving men with fighting skills began to teach the women how to fight alongside them, keeping the women close to protect them. Soon, though, some of the women proved highly skilled and began to pair with one another, exploring new dual techniques. As the surviving children came of age, the paired fighting style evolved further, eventually developing into the seven classic pairings of Saffan fighting. 

The first tests of paired fighting happened simulataneously, in 308 KS. When the Bowok summoned reinforcements to their western front, to fight the Nawabe, they left few to guard the Saffans, who they now considered to be little threat. The Bowok also left only a small contingent in their stonghold of Typor Citadel, assuming it to be well protected by its location, deep in Bowok territory. But the Saffans had been planning and preparing for nearly two decades. They swiftly overtook the Bowok occupying force, giving those who refused to fight to the death to the relatives of those who’d been slain during the Sorrow of Saffa. 

At the same time, using three large fishing vessels operating out of Thela, 200 Saffans approached Typor Citadel by sea, silently navigating up the swampy Durba River under cover of night. The battle for Typor Citadel was less straightforward, with just dozens of Bowok effectively holding the fortress from the time of the predawn attack until two nights later. At the turning point of the battle, some witnesses describe a blinding burst of greenish light from the tower of Typor Citadel, followed by horrific screams. Whatever happened in the tower, the Bowok were defeated. The Saffans did not remain to occupy the swamplands; their revenge was complete.

Government

Saffans, having lost their noble leaders when the Bowok first invaded, decided to create a council made up of a dozen members, chosen by their community through a vote. Each and every Saffan who chose to could cast a stone into an urn representing the candidate of their choice. The first such election was a largely ceremonial procedure, with most of the populace in agreement about who should rule. Positions on the council are lifetime appointments, unless a member chooses to step down, and have become much more hotly contested. As paired fighting styles developed, women began to run for positions on the council, and win. The rules have changed to exclude children under 14 from voting, but young adults, women, and the poor have rights equal to those of men under the Saffan system.

Commerce

Saffa is a major center of trade, as goods from the Nawabe, in Washir, and from the Oppa, in Kelcarn, pass through Saffa en route to Moru Kel. Important goods from the Nawabe plateau include salt beef and barley, as well as soft hide clothing. Kelcarn also produces barley — and ale — as well as carrots, apples, rye flour, and whiskey. Saffa and Kelcarn are closely bound trading partners, because the coast between them is controlled by descendants of the Gamaal, known as the Bowok, and by orcs and bandits.

Saffa’s main exports include cotton fabric, donga beans, linen, maize, oranges, pacana nut, pipeleaf, tomato, wheat, yams

Saffa is also a crucial trade partner as the only crossroads through which Washiri and Oppa goods pass. This makes it an important source of iron, barley, rye, whiskey, Oppa ale, Nawabe sueded leather, apples, cranberries, salt beef, salt pork, salted whale fat, ivory, horseradish root, and mustard.

Culture and Entertainment

The Aertan Temple in Saffa reflects the Gamaal tendency to build large, imposing structures; however the influence of Urek architectural details, like columns and relief carvings, softens the stark angular structure. The Temple of Purnoz is similar, though smaller, and both are worth beholding. The vast interior spaces and restrained embellishment do evoke spiritual awe.

The Majora Saffa, the most famous school in the former Urek lands, is known for the study of agriculture, architecture, metallurgy, and philosophy.

Though Saffan paired fighting is often depicted in dance, the actually dance styles in Saffa are unrelated to their fighting. They enjoy spinning and twirling, swinging from arm to arm in giddy chaotic crowds. Their most accomplished style of dance, called Kardun, is also a form of drama. A group of dancers perform coordinated choreography behind the main dancers, who generally dance a story of love or adventure.

Saffan food is decidedly agreeable. As an important agricultural area and a crossroads of trade, Saffa has a diverse cuisine often featuring pasta, burroba cheese, fresh herbs, and tomato sauces. Their burroba (a goat cheese) is a particular delicacy, though must be savored fresh — perhaps the new Tarshan supply of ice will increase its reknown along the coast.

Teardrop Stew is a delicious blend of yams, donga beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and coriander leaf. It sometimes contains prawns, poultry, or ground salt beef. The star of the dish is the local teardrop pepper, which draws its name both from its shape and its tendency to evoke tears and sweat when eaten raw. When used sparingly in stew, however, the heat of the teardrop can add a pleasing element.

Breads, greens, beans, yams, fish and shellfish are abundant and generally well-prepared.

Mutton and goat skewers are available, with a variety of seasonings. Even beef and pork can be found, as well as exotic and pleasing fruits: the “peach” is particularly delicious when ripe, though the window of perfection for the fruit is narrow.

Religion and Customs

Saffans have a strong agricultural tradition and have long viewed Aerta as their benefactor and protector. Centuries of war only strengthened their allegiance to the goddess of agriculture and warriors, certainly the most important deity to Saffans. Purnoz, associated with metal weapons, is sometimes worshipped in conjunction with Aerta. Those living around the Washir River make frequent offerings to Ptomir, as do those living on the coast or spending time at sea. Sala and Dawa are sometimes worshipped together, and Dawa is also worshipped separately, in Saffa. The Twin Moons, Skura, and Pashan do not have large followings in Saffa, and offerings to them are made at shrines. A newer group, called the Allflock, have been gaining followers; they worship all deities together.