Maiko's Note
The Empire calls them bandits. I call them unsinkable.
The Pashevalani don’t kneel, they toast. They don’t march, they board. Their loyalty is measured in shared bruises and borrowed rum, not in bloodlines or oaths.
They’re loud, stubborn, and half-drunk half the time — and I adore them. They brew beer like it’s a prank on your liver. They name storms like old friends. And their children learn to cuss before they walk.
Once, I heard a captain refuse a truce just to keep the story funnier.
They say “with the tide,” and they mean it: ride the wave or get swallowed. But if you’re lucky enough to be welcomed aboard? You’ll never drink alone again.
The People of the Tide
Shindjal: Pashevalani, Drabàshi
Faction:
Pashevalani
“The Endulani found freedom in the forest. The Pashevalani found it in the sea. But it is the same wind that moves their souls.”
1. Overview
The Pashevalani are a loose coalition of seafarers, raiders, outcasts, and free spirits who call the archipelago of Pashevadjan their home. Known to the Empire as Drabàshi (“bandits”), they reject that name and embrace their own identity: People of the Tide. Fiercely independent, they answer to no throne, serve no law, and forge their unity through loyalty, shared struggle, and the ever-moving sea.
2. Origins & Background
The Pashevalani are not descended from a single tribe. Instead, they come from many - Endulani, Kosuklani, even Hanjelani deserters - united not by blood, but by the choice to live outside the reach of the Imperi kòu Handjelani. Their ancestors first fled to the isles in search of freedom or exile, and over generations, their disparate ways merged into a chaotic yet powerful culture of seaborne survival.
The Empire’s label “Drabàshi” originated as a derogatory term carved into stone edicts and military orders. But among themselves, the islanders use a name with far more pride: Pashevalani - children of the tide.
3. Cultural & Environmental Context
Life in Pashevadjan is harsh. The isles are rocky, storm-lashed, and largely infertile. Fishing, raiding, and trade are the lifeblood of the Pashevalani economy. Small coastal villages and hidden coves dot the islands, often centered around repurposed shipwrecks or caves.
Each pirate crew functions as an independent faction, led by a captain whose authority is earned, not inherited. Duels, toasts, and ship feasts form the backbone of their law. “With the tide!” (Pu pasheval P!) is both a battle cry and a toast, symbolizing surrender to the sea’s will.
Hunting the Ulmorith (or pashunarak), the terrifying sea-lord of Madun, is a rite of passage for many Pashevalani crews. While the Endulani also hunt it from the western coast, for the Pashevalani it is an act of cultural defiance — a way to prove that even the sea's most ancient predator cannot command them. Ships crowned with real Ulmorith skulls are revered, and tales of the hunt are told across generations.
The Pashevalani also have a rich and rowdy drinking culture, celebrating raids, births, victories, and even good weather with toasts of ronava or sacred sulborol. Drinking games, insult duels, and storm-night feasts are all part of daily life. Their beer is often stronger and saltier than that of inland tribes, brewed with wild coastal herbs and sometimes aged in cracked ship barrels.
4. Role in the World
Despised by the Empire, the Pashevalani are seen as a threat to coastal trade routes and naval control. But in truth, many of their raids target Imperial supply lines, not civilian settlements. They maintain peaceful trade with the Endulani, exchanging goods, tools, salt, and lore. Some factions even smuggle knowledge or fugitives between the forest and the sea.
When united - usually in defense - the Pashevalani form a terrifying naval force, wielding ships adorned with Ulmorith skulls and bone-carved prows that ram and board with brutal precision.
5. Notable Locations & Figures
Drabàshendol - The largest harbor of Pashevadjan, a haven carved into black stone cliffs, where pirate crews meet, repair ships, and trade stolen Imperial goods.
Captain Saja the Scarred - Female war-leader known for rallying three rival fleets into a unified armada during the Stormtide Uprising.
Vargan “the Rope” - Notorious rope-slinger and mast-dancer, said to board ships without ever touching the water.
6. Lore Snippets & Anecdotes
“No captain owns a ship forever. The sea chooses. The tide gives. The tide takes.”
– Old Pashevalani proverb.“A Hanjelani soldier sees a skull on a prow and pisses himself. A Pashevalani child sees it and calls it ‘home.’”
Maiko's Note
The Empire calls them bandits. I call them unsinkable.
The Pashevalani don’t kneel, they toast. They don’t march, they board. Their loyalty is measured in shared bruises and borrowed rum, not in bloodlines or oaths.
They’re loud, stubborn, and half-drunk half the time — and I adore them. They brew beer like it’s a prank on your liver. They name storms like old friends. And their children learn to cuss before they walk.
Once, I heard a captain refuse a truce just to keep the story funnier.
They say “with the tide,” and they mean it: ride the wave or get swallowed. But if you’re lucky enough to be welcomed aboard? You’ll never drink alone again.
