WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0040 0040
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apostles wander freely between villages, striking a
living contrast by being educated and erudite but
forever filthy and destitute.
• The Pa: Adherents of Pa are an offshoot of the Lexai
that remain in the wilderness, shunning cities and
any organizations larger than a family group. Their
teachings find widespread acceptance among the
Chindi who, as a whole, embrace individualism and
freethinking.
• Banarth, or “wish makers,” repeat a client’s wishes
at special statues or fountains for a fee to help make
them come true; during the spring rains, romantic
hopefuls (or meddlesome parents) keep the banarth busy well into the evening weaving elaborate
love wishes. They often mark themselves with the
red tear gemstones taken from regelthi stone worms
(see Chapter 7).
• Cheraah, or Chindi “doomsayers” are ironic actors
hired to shout at buildings and families to indirectly
bring them good luck.
Customs & Culture
Chindi celebrate life in all things and their culture
supports and honors life as much as possible. They also
have a wide variety of traditions and habits tied to the
sun and the moons.
In good times, Chindan villages are joyful and active
into the evenings with music and dancing.. Regardless,
they curtail their evening activities beneath “paired
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moons,” which they consider to be ill omens. Chindi
hold numerous festivals during the year, some of which
are overtly procreative fertility rituals while others celebrate midsummer, the harvest, and other notable times
of the year. A unique Chindan festival—celebrated four
nights after a settlement’s first post-Midsummer birth—
is the Mothers’ Feast to celebrate any new mothers from
the past year.
Nearly all Chindi are literate, and well versed in herbology and agriculture. Organized public education is
common in Chindi communities. Any argument should
be supported with appropriate quotations from literature, and few love arguments more than the Chindi.
Their enthusiasm for such verbal exchanges makes others think they are overly stubborn. Letting a disagreement or argument escalate from words to blows brings
scornful eyes down upon the offender.
Chindi welcome newcomer humans into the tribe
through marriage or adoption. They even allow newcomers to practice previous tribal traditions while
among them. In fact, many Chindi traditions shift and
evolve over time, a consequence of their openness to
individuality and new ideas. Chindi distrust all Nordor,
an attitude dating back to migratory days when competition for the best lands caused considerable strife and
many battles. They embrace the pachyaur as kindred
spirits, though they are careful to avoid capture and enslavement. Chindi feel that both the Kuad Ahir and Gare
Attessa harbor dangerous agendas, so both groups are
commonly persecuted among them. Chindi despise the
