Thymari

Thymari, known to common people as Tymantherans, were the dragonborn ethnicity that made up the vast majority of the population of Tymanther. While they shared most of the cultural traits of other dragonborn from Abeir and Laerakond, their culture was unique as well, shaped by their experiences in both worlds, Abeir and Toril.

Description
Thymari dragonborn used piercings to shown their clan allegiances. Those piercings were different for each one of the clans.

Only Thymari of the highest rank could carry greatswords, as a badge of their important status in Thymari society. Dragonborn of squire status or higher could carry broadswords, while those without a rank could only carry either blunt weapons or weapons with a shorter cutting edge.

Outlook
The vast majority of Thymari shared a common culture that was based on a sense of responsibility to their clans, encompassed in three key concepts:


 * Omin' iejirsjighen (Blood commands unity, clan earns it), meaning the things individuals owed to their clans because they were taught their importance, such as defending your country or being a good host.
 * Omin' iejirkkessh (What the clan writes on the blood), the things individuals owed to their clans that didn't needed to be taught, such as respecting your clan elders and knowing the importance of traditions.
 * Throtominarr, the honor individuals showed to their ancestors by improving on what they had created, such as increasing their clan's status, without undoing what their ancestors had made.

Likewise, Thymari weren't directly rude if they had something to say. When they wanted to criticize something, they arranged their compliments in such a way that the insult somehow was omitted (such as congratulating someone who was a poor swordmaster about their "good penmanship", because talking about their swordsmanship was a waste of time). Thymari called that sjashukri.

If an individual didn't respect those key concepts, they would disappoint their clans, and in some cases that would earn them exile. Exiled Thymari were striped of their piercings as a sign of disapproval, and they were also stripped of their right to use their clan names.

Language
Thymari spoke a dialect of draconic known as tymantheran.

Clans
Thymari clans had existed since the foundation of Tymanchebar, and had a prominent position in Tymantheran society. Thymari clans were equivalent to the noble houses of other nations, though the clans themselves often resembled an army more than anything else. Each clan was led by a matriarch or patriarch, who was usually appointed to the position by the former clan leader.

Among the known Thymari clans were Clans Belnak, Churirajachi, Clethtinthtiallor, Daardendrien, Fenkenkabradon, Gethmara, Ibeig, Jalt, Kanjentellequor, Kepeshkmolik, Linxakasendalor, Ophinshtalajiir, Prexijandilin, Shestandeliath, Tlassian, Travek, Treg, Verthisathurgiesh, Vkriss, and Yrjixtilex.

Thymari dragonborn always put their clan names first as a mark of honor.

A common practice among friendly clans was to foster their young with one another in order to broaden their horizons and strengthen clan ties.

In the wake of the first Tymanther-Unther War, Vanquisher Kallan allowed a group of mulani refugees to assemble their own clan, making it the first Thymari clan of non-dragonborn.

Sexuality and marriage
Thymari dragonborn seemed to have a lenient opinion about sexual preferences. There wasn't a strong stigma against same-sex relationships or extra-marital relationships, and the elders usually saw those relationships as "hatchling stuff". Relationships with members of other races were considered "exotic", but weren't particularly frowned upon.

However, once a dragonborn was considered an adult by Thymari standards, he or she had to fulfill his or her qallim agreement, a marriage contract between his or her clan with another, which was usually agreed upon before an individual dragonborn was born. For Thymari, the main purpose of marriage was to get more eggs —and so, get new clan members —and every individual needed to fulfill their qallim agreement as a duty, regardless of their personal preferences. The potential grooms or brides (qal in draconic) were chosen by the clan's elders, and were called shuk-qalli.

The eggs born from such union were considered to be part of just one of the two clans, usually the clan that initiated the agreement or the one that had better status in Thymari society. However, a few eggs were considered the "koshqal" (can be translated as dowry), and were set aside to the other clan.

Sometimes, one of the parents re-negotiated a qallim agreement to ask for a child to be "transferred" from one clan to another, but those instances were rare.

In the homesteads marriage was taken more lightly than in Djerad Thymar, and usually the qallim agreements of farming clans were just to determine in which farm the children had to work on a given season.

Military
Thymari dragonborn were a highly militaristic people, and their lords and ladies were those dragonborn who had proven themselves capable of leading their fellows. Most Thymari served in the Lance Defenders for two years, but only a small percentage remained after that period and became permanent soldiers. A few dragonborn also were selected to be part of the Adjudicators, Djerad Thymar's police force.

However, all clans had their own "war bands", private small armies that protected their clans, under the command of their clan's matriarch or patriarch. In times of war, the Vanquisher had the right to assemble and command all of Tymanther military forces, including the war bands of all clans.

Magic
Thymari weren't so adept to use magic, as magic was more difficult to use in Abeir than in Toril. As such, spellcasters only existed in dragonborn society as a novelty since their arrival to Toril. The few Thymari who took the way of spellcasting, had arcane practices that were considered exotic and unorthodox compared with those of other races. By 1479 DR, the practice of magic in Thymari society was slowly becoming more common, and the Lance Defenders maintained dragonborn spellcasters among their ranks. Likewise, the Vanquisher and individual clans also had a few dragonborn arcanists in their service.

As Thymari didn't depended on magic for healing until their arrival to Toril, they had developed non-magical advanced medicine and sanitation.

Religion
Most Thymari didn't worship the gods, although they acknowledged their existence and power. This was because Thymari were raised hearing the stories of their ancestors since hatchlings. Those stories were crude and hard, as abeiran dragonborn had to endure a lot of hardships under the yoke of dragon tyrants. As such, those "nursery tales" shaped the identity of a Thymari on a fundamental way, making them wary of the gods, as in their point of view, gods weren't different to the dragon tyrants of Abeir, asking for worship in exchange for stuff that dragonborn were capable of doing on their own.

A few Thymari, however, chose to believe in gods because that gave them a sense of purpose many of them felt they lacked. Those who chose to believe in gods usually worshiped Bahamut or Tiamat, gods usually associated with dragonkind, or human gods such as Tempus, Torm, Tyr, the Red Knight, or Enlil, who showed interest in the dragonborn race. Although worshiping gods usually was a cause of exile, a few clans allowed followers of the gods on their ranks, because of the usefulness of their mystical abilities.

Sseth, on the other hand, was a deity specially reviled by Thymari dragonborn.

Ancestor worship and funerary customs
The closest thing the dragonborn had to a traditional religion was their "worship" for their ancestors. They held their histories as sacred truths they had to look up when they faced a dilemma, before deciding how to resolve it, and they showed the remains of their death great reverence, inscribing their names in the the "Roll of the Lost" on the Catacombs of Djerad Thymar.

Thymari showed great reverence for their dead ones. Their funerals were somber ceremonies. They were held in the Catacombs or in the clan's enclave of the dead ones, and representatives of the other clans were invited to say their goodbyes and to give the gratitude of their clans to the dragonborn who died. Even when a dragonborn died, their impact on the clans lasted forever. When a Thymari was mourning, they dressed in white clothes and tied white ribbons to their weapons, and they covered their faces with white ashes. If the dead was a member of a high-ranking station, their offices were draped in white cloths until their replacements were elected. During the funeral, the dead ones were also dressed in white robes, missing limbs (if any) hidden. Representatives of the mourning clan (usually younglings) carried a caster of oil, pouring a bit of it in the other mourners' hands, so that they could trace the eyes and mouth of the dead ones with the oil when saying their compliments. Finally, they sung deep songs of gratitude for the departed. In the days of Tymanchebar, the rituals were the same but they used blood instead of oil.

Thymari mummified the remains of their death and interred them in crypts belonging to each clan in the Catacombs of Djerad Thymar. If there were no remains to be interred, the dragonborn inscribed the names of the dead ones in the "Roll of the Lost".

Dragons and slavery
Most Thymari dragonborn were only one or two generations removed from the dragonborn of old Tymanchebar. Because of that and for the same reasons they were wary about gods, most Thymari held a deeply distrust for dragons, or even hated them, as many of them still remembered the old stories about the dragon tyrants of Abeir. Many Thymari dragonborn became renowned heroes by slaying dragons. This behavior was slowly changing as of 1479 DR, with Thymari becoming more open to the concept of "good dragons", thanks to the efforts of a few individuals and organizations such as the Platinum Cadre, although the older or old-fashioned Thymari dragonborn were loathe to change their point of view, and few metallic dragons were wary about dragonborn as well.

Likewise, Thymari dragonborn also deeply mistrusted slavers and slavery in general, as they associated them with the dragon tyrants of Abeir.

Horses and bats
Thymari bred horses bigger and stronger than those of humans, known as Ishen-Charac, as they needed mounts capable to bear people of their weight. Horses were a kind of novelty for Thymari, as such beasts weren't common in Abeir. They were specifically trained to suit dragonborn needs and battle tactics, and Thymari spellcasters were able to use certain magical talismans to enhance their performance. Those horses, specially warhorses, were highly valued by Thymari, who cared for them as precious friends.

Lance Defenders, on the other hand, used primarily giant bats as their transport method. Those giant bats were highly prized by the Thymari, and only members of the Lance Defenders or important guests were permitted to use them, though they were exclusively for use of the Lance Defenders in wartime. Even though the giant bats were nocturnal creatures, they were also able to operate in daytime.

History
Although dragonborn culture was shaped by the stories of their ancestors, the Thymari culture as it was known started after the Spellplague (beginning 1385 DR), when the dragonborn survivors of Tymanchebar founded the nation of Tymanther.