The Rimanites presented a strange question to the Urapi: what did it mean to be Varic?

Was being Varic the status of being descended from Vari? That much seemed obvious, but they Chandera had been of Vari's blood and yet utterly forsook their roots, embracing their mudborn conquerors in faith and in culture.

Was being Varic praying to the right deities, and fighting on the right side of the the cosmic war? That would have seemed to be the case, yet many of those left in the rump states of Savitra had been Okranites or Savitrans, utterly fooled by The Black Sun... and yet with encouragement, they had again seen the true path. They could still see the right way.

Was being Varic wearing the right clothes, having the right rituals, speaking the right language or otherwise a cultural facet? Whilst it might be tempting to claim yes, the Palkha were very different to their Urapi kin, and yet their Varic descent was inviolable.

What, then, did it mean to be Varic?

The Rimanites were not Varic by blood, and yet they were not utterly un-Varic by culture or by faith. Their practices were bastardised, yes, even barbarian in places and yet... and yet they chose to embrace Varicism. Adrift in the world and perhaps lacking their own sense of place, they embraced a way of being greater than what they were born into. Even now many of those under Urapi governance sought to prove themselves as Varic as possible, in hopes of earning Brands that might bring them economic and social opportunity. Many were eager to join warbands or would quell dissent from within their communities. Many were even prepared to march south under the direction of the Erda Tupar, to bring more of their Rimanite kin under Urapi control.

So what did it mean to be Varic?

It would remain an unanswered question... and yet perhaps that was desirable. Perhaps having the line be ambiguous was useful, as it drew in those who might otherwise be alienated by the state to instead strive to be a full part of it, a citizen rather than a subject. Perhaps the uncertaintly of their status would make the yoke of Urapi rule easier for the Rimanites to bear, as they could perhaps yet earn their Varic bonafides.

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