Shou

These people hail from the expansive Shou Lung empire in the distant lands of Kara-Tur, far beyond the Endless Wastes to the east. Many of the Shou currently living in Thesk were either slaves of the Tuigan Horde or refugees scurrying just ahead of its advance who slipped into Thesk mere days or tendays before their relentless pursuers. Others came with the long caravans of merchant wagons that have been crossing the Endless Wastes between Kara-Tur and the Unapproachable East by means of the Golden Way for centuries.

No matter how they got here, the Shou have become a fact of life in Thesk. These foreign people with their strange tongues and exotic ways usually congregate in districts of their own, called Shou-towns, in just about every major city along the Golden Way and beyond. They are slowly starting to have an influence upon the societies of Faerûn as they become more and more common in the region, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the cities of Thesk.

While the people of the Inner Sea region often refer to Shou as members of a single ethnicity, they do so partially out of ignorance. In fact, there are seven distinct human ethnicities native to the Dragon Empires, all of whom share certain outlooks on life and philosophy - the concept of honor, the importance of ancestry, and great respect for dragons, for example. The people of Shou Xia symbolize these shared beliefs and convictions by appending the word “Shou” itself to their ethnicity, but in many more ways, these seven groups are themselves as diverse as any grouping of various races. 

The Shou worship their own deities known as the Celestial Bureaucracy. Shou have yellowish-bronze skin, black hair, and broad, flat features. 

Classes: Most Shou choose a class as bushi (fighter), geisha (bard), gunslinger, kensai (magus), monk, ninja, samurai, shugenja (oracle), sohei (monk), yakuza (thug rogue), yokai hunter (ranger), or wu jen (elementalist wizard). The other classes of Faerûn are foreign to their culture.

Attitude towards others: The Shou term xijan means “westerner” or “western people,” but also means “foreigner” or even “barbarian” depending on inflection or context. Shou sometimes refer to Thayans as xiaoguai, “little devils,” and look upon them with even more suspicion than most. The elven lifestyle and love of beauty meshes well with Shou-Min aesthetics. The general Shou obsession with beauty typically limits half-orcs’ opportunities in Shou culture. Tianjing, the Beloved of the Heavens, is often seen by the Tians as being synonymous with the tianjans - the “heaven people,” also known as aasimars.

Shou-Dans

Shou-Dans are proud, often vocally so, of the fact that the blood of dragons runs in their veins. Whether or not this is true for the entirety of Xa Hoi’s people is unclear, but certainly, the Dragon Kings of that nation can claim this, for they are themselves dragons. Shou-Dans find nothing strange in the concept of being ruled by dragons; as far as anyone can recall, this is as it has ever been. That the Dragon Kings themselves rarely appear outside of their human guise certainly helps, and indeed, many outlanders have spread rumors that the Dragon Kings are nothing more than humans. The Dragon Kings let these rumors go, for they have little interest in what outsiders think—the people of Xa Hoi know the truth of things.

Shou-Dans tend to be slender and lithe in build, with dark tan skin that approaches various shades of brown. Straight, black hair is by far the most common, although occasional natural streaks of color (blue, green, red, white, or yellow) are known and considered marks of importance. These hair highlights are often accompanied by similarly colored eyes (though silvery in place of white and golden in place of yellow) and a talent for sorcery. Shou-Dans are found most often in Xa Hoi.

Languages: Draconic, Shou

Names: Shou-Dans list their family names first, followed by their given names

Shou-Dtangs

“Respect the largest dragons and the smallest snakes,” goes the Shou-Dtang proverb, “for the bite of either leaves you just as dead.” Indeed, the people of Dtang Ma are full of helpful advice, but one cannot help but wonder whether they are offering time-honored wisdom, humor, or both. Shou-Dtangs take in the varied fortunes of life with a measure of serenity, good humor, and acceptance. Their villages, homes, and temples are as open as their lives, often being built with folding walls left open to the outside on good days. People come and go as they wish, and linger to visit in shaded courtyards or gardens, sipping sweet tea and exchanging tales and jokes.

Like Shou-Dans, Shou-Dtangs tend to have slender builds and tan skin. Black or dark brown hair is most common, although men often shave their scalps completely, or leave just a single lock of hair drawn into a topknot or woven into a long braid. Green or golden eyes sometimes replace the more common hues of brown or black. Shou-Dtangs are found most often in Dtang Ma.

Languages: Dtang, Shou

Names: Shou-Dtangs list their family names first, followed by their given names.

Shou-Hwans

Shou-Hwans were long oppressed by the people of Lung Wa, but now that Lung Wa has collapsed, the nation of Hwanggot is on the rise. Its people have always been ferociously proud and patriotic, and in the last century these personality traits have only increased. Shou-Hwans hold to traditional notions of distinct male and female roles, which may differ from those of other societies. For example, a greater proportion of Shou-Hwan warriors, generals, and scholars are female, with male roles among the Shou-Hwan tending toward professions like farming, craftsmanship, and artistic pursuits. Colors play a key role among the Shou-Hwans, and several have specific meanings. Red, for example, is generally thought of as an unlucky color because of its association with blood, while yellow is associated with protection against evil spirits and green symbolizes prosperity and peace.

As with their neighbors, the Shou-Dans and Shou-Dtangs, the Shou-Hwans tend to have thin builds and tan skin. Of the three, they also tend to be the shortest. Black or brown eyes are common but blue, violet, and even silvery eyes (considered particularly auspicious) are known. Their hair is generally black or dark brown. They are most commonly found in their ancestral homeland of Hwanggot.

Languages: Hwan, Shou

Names: Shou-Hwans list their family names first, followed by their given names.

Shou-Las

The people of the northern steppes of Hongal and the harsh plains and hills of Shaguang, Shou-Las are nomads, moving from place to place following the cycles of hunting and herding, and the seasonal thaws and f loods from the mountains. They are known as expert riders and breeders of horses, but are also considered rough and uncivilized by the southern nations. Shou-Las are fierce and capable warriors, proud and quick to anger if offended.

Shou-Las have black and brown hair that tends to be coarse and curly. Their skin is typically relatively light. They often wear their hair in long braids; men wear these braids coiled beneath hats, while women cover theirs with veils or head-wraps, and warriors of both genders tuck their braids beneath peaked helms. Shou-Las have a higher percentage of meat in their diet, much of it horsef lesh, and likewise consume mare’s milk both in tea and fermented into a drink called aareg.

Languages: Hon-la, Shou

Names: Shou-Las generally have only a given name, although in some cases that given name can consist of two words - they do not traditionally keep family names.

Shou-Mins The people of Minkai display the widest range in eye color among the people of the Dragon Empires, from the typical black or brown to blue, green, violet, amber, orange, red-orange, and even gold. Some believe a person’s eye color determines or ref lects her personality and aptitudes, and therefore her place in life. Pale skin is considered the most attractive, so many Shou-Mins (particularly women) wear white face-powder and paint their eyelids and lips a darker shade to enhance contrast. Tattoos are popular among Shou-Mins, and among certain organizations such body art is used to denote station and power as much as for decor. Images of mystical creatures like dragons, kami, kirin, oni, and undead spirits are typical subjects, although colorful animals and plants are common as well. Straight black hair is the most common. Women grow their hair long, and often wear it coiled or pinned beneath a headdress or veil; male hairstyles are typically shorter, with longer hair indicating higher status. Warriors and nobles of both genders wear their hair in a topknot. Shou-Mins tend to be as fastidious about personal cleanliness and appearance as their wealth and station allow, bathing daily, wearing perfume, and adorning themselves in the finest clothes they can. Honor is of great import to Shou-Mins, as is respect for elders and superiors in both family and government.

Languages: Minkaian, Shou

Names: Shou-Mins list their family names first, followed by their given names.

Shou-Shus

Shou-Shus are the most populous and most commonly encountered ethnicity in Shou Xia. They have dusky skin, almond-shaped eyes (predominantly brown and black in hue), and straight black or dark brown hair. Shou-Shus tend toward slight, slender builds, in contrast to the northern Shou-Las. Lower class Shou-Shus dress in simple cotton or linen trousers and tunics, while those able to afford them prefer fine silk robes, brightly colored and elaborately embroidered with images of dragons and other mystical creatures. Shou-Shus are an orderly, class-conscious people. Society is based around a natural order mandated by the gods, and everyone has a place and role in this intricate structure. Dragons rule at the top of this system, and are in some ways viewed as equals to the gods themselves. There is room for advancement—Shou-Shus believe strongly in the recognition of individual merit and achievement—but there are also certain roles decreed by fate, which must be accepted. When everyone is in the proper place, society is harmonious and productive. When the natural order is disrupted, chaos ensues until it can be righted once again.

Languages: Shou

Names: Shou-Shus list their family names first, followed by their given names.

Shou-Sings

Found primarily in the so-called Wandering Isles of Minata, Shou-Sings have the darkest of Shou skin tones, ranging from tan to dark brown. Their dark hair has a greater degree

Races of the Dragon Empires of natural wave, although it is usually worn short (or even shaved completely) to combat the heat of Minata’s endless summers. Shou-Sings have round faces similar to those of Shou-Hwans, but with sharper noses and cheekbones. They emphasize these traits with jewelry, and are quite fond of piercings through the ears, nose, and lips—facial tattoos are common as well. Unlike the colorful body art of the Shou-Mins, Shou-Sing tattoos tend to be geometric or pictographic and single-colored. Clothing, on the other hand, is brightly colored, with similar geometric patterns and prints, but in many Shou-Sing societies clothing is considered all but optional, again, as a result of Minata’s hot climate.

Languages: Minatan, Shou

Names: The typical Shou-Sing has only a single given name and no family name.