Amalj'aa

The Amalj'aa are the proud masters of Paglth'an, the broad, scorched plains in the southeastern reaches of Eorzea. Fierce warriors and dedicated metalsmiths, this reptilian race have had a long and rather complicated history with their neighbors of the Wandering Races in nearby Thanalan, both in war and in peace.

Contents

- Appearance
- History
- Culture
- Names, Castes, and Titles

The Amalj'aa are a tall, broad, powerfully-built people, whose bodies have over generations become hardened by the demands of survival. A typical Amalj'aa's bare skin is a deep, onyx black that defies the light, and upon his head grows a single long, sweeping horn. (1)

However, some claim to have met with another branch of this race, one that did not dwell in the deserts and arid plains. These others, it would seem, have body hair, and they are not near so dark-complected.

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 246

APPEARANCE

It is little known to most that Amalj'aa men and women do not look at all different. Indeed, those differences are utterly irrelevant among them to the point of being nigh unspoken in their language; all are warriors, or craftsmen, or leaders, and all are expected to uphold their duty to tribe and clan. Granted, this general rule no longer applies when their mating season is upon them; then, scent and instinct bring male and female together. (2)

(2) "Beast Tribe Naming Conventions I", posted by Fernehalwes on Lodestone

An artist draws what he saw in those foreign Amalj'aa.

Amalj'aa are, in fact, hatched from eggs rather than birthed live, and soon after emerging from their shells, their skins are smeared with a concoction of ashes to ward away the sun. (3) Perhaps it is for this reason that Amalj'aa are so dark of skin compared with their faraway cousins; it is considered a form of humiliation to douse or immerse another in water. (4)

Amalj'aa are omnivorous, just as other races of Men, but primarily subsist on meat; they are, after all, nomadic herders and huntsmen. The source of the meat can be anything from the humble aldgoat to such things as drakes and antlings; and their expertise in preserving meat by drying and smoking is seldom matched. (1) That being said, they have little and less need for water, to the point where they can die of water poisoning if exposed to even a little too much. (4)

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 246
(3) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 247
(4) Quest: Douse Them While They're Down

HISTORY

Being near neighbors to so expansive a nation as Belah'diah, it was almost inevitable that they should come into conflict over the possession of Southern Thanalan. But not always were they on a hostile footing. Indeed, when the ashkin plague emerged from the buried ruins of Sil'dih, it was the Amalj'aa who joined hands with the Ul'dahns, and fought alongside their sometime enemy to destroy their common foe. (6)

(6) Sil'dih Survey Record #5

The Amalj'aa hold that they began as ferocious scalekin whose prowess so pleased Ifrit, their god, that He infused them with fiery motes of His own essence, creating seven male and seven female--the mothers and fathers of the seven great tribes. This, they believe, took place at Zanr'ak, where they continue to maintain a sacrificial altar. (3)(5) From thence, the Amalj'aa spread out to people the plains of Paglth'an.

(3) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 247
(5) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 145

The gateway into Zanr'ak from Southern Thanalan

The last sultan of the Thorne Dynasty proposed this alliance in the year 1353 of the Sixth Astral Era, as both nations were beset by what remained of the people of Sil'dih. Together, they built Zahar'ak as a base for their joint operations, which remains to this day. (7) Of note, one Shadowcaster Zeless Gah fell to the Trader's Spurn's lingering effects, and was entombed royally in the Subterrane. (8) Though many lives were lost, many more were saved, and the nations were then at peace.

(7) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 50
(8) Sil'dih Survey Record #7

It was during the end of the Sixth Astral Era that the Monetarist and Syndicate parties of Ul'dah united to force the sultanate to banish the "beast tribes" from their borders, and thus only recently that the Amalj'aa became yet again the bitter enemies of the nation. (6) And the Ascians did not then hesitate to teach the outcast folk the art of "summoning" simulacra of their god; in 1564 of the Sixth Astral Era, "Ifrit" was sighted for the first time at Mythril Pit T-3. (9)

(6) Sil'dih Survey Record # 5
(9) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 53

Though hostilities continued throughout the Seventh Umbral and Astral Eras, the Warrior of Light's inroads via the Brotherhood of Ash, the Telophoroi assault on Zolm'ak that the other nations helped to repel (10), and the collaboration in the Final Days all have led to Ul'dah reopening negotiations. It is the fervent wish of Sultana Nanamo Ul Namo that she will conclude a new peace treaty, and make anew the alliance of the past. (6)

(10) Dungeon: Paglth'an
(6) Sil'dih Survey Record #5

CULTURE

Given their doctrines and beliefs regarding the origin of their people--that they were chosen and elevated by Ifrit because of their particular ferocity--the Amalj'aa are primarily and most urgently concerned with prowess in battle. Indeed, so preoccupied with war are they, that the leaders of their nation are the "war chiefs" of their seven dominant tribes; and during times of trouble, one of those is named "war marshal"--even if the trouble is a plague upon their herds or a sinkhole in their one city. (1)

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 246

To that end, every Amalj'aa spends his life preparing for war, from birth upward. At the laying of a new child's egg, the proud father hosts a feast for the clan, killing the fattest and finest of his herd or flock. What is left over from the feast is then given to the fire, to reflect Ifrit's gift of flame and to seek His blessing, and the child is anointed with the ashes therefrom.

The clan then raises the child, along with his generation, as a single cohort, until he is deemed an adult. (3)

(3) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 247

Flamecrest Afajj Koh, a member of the advisors' caste. Note the elaborate mask and medallion.

This is not to say that the "lesser" castes are held in any less esteem. Indeed, blacksmithing is core to their culture, supplying them with tools and weapons; and they work as deftly with mythril and steel as with iron and bronze. So crucial to their daily lives is the shaping of metal, that they wheel mobile forges between their camps. (3)

Though the fortifications of their Thanalan camps are, of necessity, hastily constructed, the city of Zolm'ak boasts far finer workmanship.

(3) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 247

Every Amalj'aa is a warrior, and raised to be so. However, though expected to take arms whenever the need arises, young Amalj'aa are sorted by their qualities and talents into a caste upon arriving at adulthood. Unlike among kobolds and Wandering Races, there is no upward mobility; what role one is set, one fulfills for the rest of his life.

The one exception to this rule is the war chief of the tribe; though the post is typically hereditary, heirs do not share in the chief caste, and must necessarily be promoted from a "lesser" caste. (3)

(3) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 247

A pavis adorned with the symbol of Ifrit, a stylized flame

At the end of his life, an Amalj'aa warrior is expected to make pilgrimage to Zanr'ak, to yield back the flame that he believes Ifrit granted to him. In recent years, however, this practice had fallen by the wayside, in favor of feeding aether crystals to a cheap imitation of Ifrit; it is unknown if it will resume, now that peace with Ul'dah is in the making. (11)

It should be noted that Amalj'aa pride in their warrior heritage has led to certain schisms within their society. The Brotherhood of Ash is one of the most notable. According to their warleader, Hamujj Gah, an Amalj'aa warrior should neither use his strength to subjugate the weak, nor seek to have another do battle on his behalf (as summoning primals); nor should he scorn to respect the prowess of warriors simply because they belong to another race or creed. (11) The increasing failure of the seven tribes to adhere to these standards, says he, is what drove the Brotherhood forth to strive against them--for the love of their history and faith.

(11) Quest: Brotherhood of Ash

Amalj'aa do not have surnames or, typically, identify themselves by clan (at least, not to outsiders). Rather, what we think to be a "surname" is a title to indicate his role within his clan. Interestingly, some of those titles give additional insight to the Amalj'aa way of life.

Names, Castes, AND TITLES

The uppermost caste, Zoh, is the war chiefs. There are seven, and each is the executive head of his respective tribe, managing the business of all of the clans within.

The next two tiers are Koh and Teh, connected to sky and earth, respectively. The "sky" caste, Koh, are the chief's advisors, and who appear to have significant power to decide the day-to-day business of their individual tribes. The "earth" caste, Teh, then bring down the designs of Zoh and Koh to ground level, as it were, and manifest them upon the land; the term "bureaucrat" is similar.

The remaining four castes are those who go about their business; we would typically say "commoner" or "smallfolk", save that all of them are warriors trained and hunters blooded. These castes align with the seasons, and suggest the regular pattern of activity the Amalj'aa have come to expect in the turning of the year.

The Chah are priests, whose task it is to conduct public rituals; their season is "spring". "Summer" is the Gah caste, the dedicated warriors. Roh are the enforcers, those who see that law and tradition are upheld; they are connected with "autumn". And finally, winter for the Boh, builders and engineers, not unlike the Wandering Races' Disciples of the Hand.

(3) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 247

It should be noted that the Amalj'aa do not, however, have a dedicated caste for herdsmen, gatherers, or farmers; it is expected that everyone should raise and maintain the herds of sheep or scalekin that their tribes follow about on the plain of Paglth'an.

Amalj'aa nomenclature is, in fact, very specific in its construction. Individual persons' names are constructed of two syllables, the second of which ends with two consonants; the second "name" is actually the designation of his caste. On occasion, an epithet is added to the fore.

The apostrophe that appears in Amalj'aa proper nouns is not random, nor to be moved about; it indicates a part of speech. For example, -'ak means "land of", as in Zanr'ak: "land of indomitability"; to spell it as "Zan'rak" is quite wrong. (5) While it can be difficult to pronounce syllables that end in four or five consonants, care with their spelling on paper is generally much appreciated.

(5) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 145