Txabao

The **Txabao** [tʃɐˈbao̯] (which means "travelers" in their native language) are a nomadic people of the Sesotsu Desert. They ride domesticated camels, and, upon encountering the wheel, use this brilliant invention for their camel caravans and become spread far and wide. The Txabao travel to oases, but do not stay for too long lest they deplete the water and vegetation.

Txabao have small families. They wear white robes to absorb the desert heat.

Important plants to the Txabao include the date, the coconut, and the prickly pear, eaten for their fruit; the agave, which gives them tequila; the aloe, from which they may have drinks and folk medicines; cacao, which gives them xocoatl; and bdellium (guggul). There is also a pear-shaped citrus with a yellow peel called the acidpear in the desert, and the Txabao (who know the acidpear as **mekra**) eat its fruit.

The camel and goat are raised for milk and meat; the local breed of goats provides 'oshar, the type of wool used for their robes. Camels may be ridden, and, once the wheel becomes a part of the Txabao's life, they and their descendants use camels for leading their caravans. As the descendants of the Txabao venture into the mediterranean area, other large animals they encounter will take the place of camels. The camelguide, an upupid bird, circles around oases the way seagulls circle around ocean. Camels know to follow the camelguide as it leads them to the nearest oasis.

Animals to be feared include cobras, venomous spiders, and scorpions. In the rivers, crocodiles are to be feared, and hippopotami can harm humans if said humans are not careful. There are four species of scorpions in the desert where the Txabao live that have a relationship with humans. One, the deathstalker, is deadly. Two more scorpions, a red species and a black species, can poison humans but are not deadly. Then there's a white fourth species of scorpion, which in English is known as the warpion. Its venom can kill most nonhuman animals; however, with humans its venom does not injure them, but instead acts as an entheogenic hallucinogen. Among Txabao speakers, the warpion is called the **zaidqxet** [zai̯dˈxʃet].

The Txabao practice a religion that features many gods and goddesses identified with the animal species they know from the desert or its oases and rivers, along with two human deities, the King of Gods, Dza'spar, and the Queen of Gods, Premreu. Legend holds that Premreu was born with four breasts. From one of her breasts sprang Dza'spar, and from then on Premreu had only three breasts. Premreu and Dza'spar then created all the other deities, who in turn created the animals, plants, minerals, and meteorological features and water. The King of Gods and Queen of Gods are credited with placing the stars, sun, and moon in the sky. The camel goddess Neidu was created by Premreu with four breasts, because that was what Premreu originally looked like, and as a result Neidu made all the camels in her image, and that is why camels have four teats.

As the initiation ceremony for young Txabao, Txabao boys and girls who are about 14 ingest venom from a warpion and await a vision. They then see what their spirit animal is going to be. Typically, they see a god or goddess who can be identified by a vision-guide (zaidpshakan) as one of the rostered deities. Every now and then, however, an initiate will see a totally unexplained therianthropic creature, and the zaidpshakan will have it retconned into the Txabao's mythology.

Rather than burying the deceased, the Txabao practice cremation. They cannot afford to drag along the bodies of every Txabao who has ever died with them, and a buried body would be left behind, so the cremation process, the Txabao believe, will allow the spirit of someone who has passed on to travel with the rest of his/her party.

The Txabao speak the Txabao language, an SVO language that has a singular, a dual, and a plural, as well as a hierarchy of seven noun classes. It is the proto-language of the Txabaoic language family.