Tukari caravaneers
| Tukari caravaneers | |
|---|---|
| Type | Soldiers |
| Era | True Desolation |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“The way these people seemed to be constantly wreathed in shadow . . . it was unnerving. ”
The Tukari caravaneers are a group of mercenaries who are active in the southern area of the Sea of Souls and are known to attack spren.[1] There are more than twenty members in the group, and the leader wears a blue-on-yellow-patterned overcoat.[2] It is possible the group are employed by Ishar and have been tasked to bring him spren bodies that he can use in his experiments.[3]
Organization
“...he felt like he could see only hints of features, and no matter which way they turned, the pits of their faces—the eye sockets, the lines along their noses—were always dark. ”
The group is composed of male and female Tukari workers who have brown skin and black hair. They dress in the fashion of southeastern Makabak with clothing that uses the same colors and patterns as the Azish, but with a thicker, coarser, and a more enveloping material. This type of clothing also has braided tassels that hang from the waist.[1] Several members carry cloth bracelets that may have Tukari clan writing on them.[4]
The group does not employ pack animals and during times of rest, will pile their belongings together in the center of their camp where people will periodically sleep. Guards are posted to watch over the possessions and sleeping members of the camp. The group carry weapons in the form of cudgels and cutlasses, although they do not openly carry the latter.[1] There are a few shields owned by members of the group, however, none of the Tukari appear to have armor or bows. It is likely that the only person in the group with military or battle training is the group’s leader.[2]
Their camp is unwelcoming and eerie. There is a sense of unease around the group and the feeling like everything is in shadow, including the Tukari themselves, with it being difficult to make out the full details of their facial features.[1] This is likely exacerbated by the group’s preference towards not illuminating their campsite, despite having access to manifested fire.[1][2]
At least one person in the group speaks rough Alethi, with others speaking Tukari.[1]
History
The group stopped in Nameless in 1175, at the same time that Notum was visiting the settlement. While camping, they were approached by Adolin and Godeke who wished to learn more about their group. The Tukari caravaneers quickly turned the other humans away, preferring to keep to themselves away from the other occupants of the town.[1]
It is likely that the Tukari were planning on attacking Notum and his guards soon after the honorspren contingent left Nameless, however, due to the presence of the Urithiru delegates in the area, were forced to hold off until the groups went their separate ways.[2]
“Hey, let’s talk! You’ve got an honorspren there. How much do you want for him?”
The Tukari followed behind Adolin’s group for several weeks, making sure to stay at least several hours behind the humans from Urithiru. Adolin, thinking that the Tukari were following his own group of travelers, set a number of his soldiers to keep an eye on the Tukari throughout their trip, in case the group attempted to attack them.[5] Several times, Adolin tried to contact the group during their trip, however, all of the messengers he sent were turned away.[6]
The Tukari turned south approximately a day’s journey from Lasting Integrity, following Notum’s patrol that had earlier gone in the same direction. When they caught up to Notum’s group, the Tukari sent a portion of their members after the honorspren and his Reacher companions, attacking them with torches, swords, and spears, before capturing and tying up each spren. After immobilizing the spren, the Tukari began to repeatedly stab and attack the bound honorspren in order to “kill” him by breaking his mind through pain.[2]
After realizing that the group had not been following his own contingent, Adolin, along with Maya, went after the Tukari in order to provide assistance to Notum, while the rest of the Urithiru delegates, excluding Pattern, followed behind. Unable to wait for backup, Adolin engaged the group of mercenaries to try and buy time until his soldiers arrived.[2]
“Don’t suppose you’d agree to fighting one at a time, a set of friendly duels? I’ll go easy on you, I promise.”
The Tukari responded poorly to losing six of their members in Adolin’s opening attack, with many of the men shying away when approached, which Adolin pressed on and used to his advantage. The captain of the group began giving orders to the other men, to organize their attack against the Alethi Highprince, to help stabilize the group against Adolin’s attacks and prevent the Tukari leader from having his men devolve into complete chaos. During the fighting, the Tukari were able to successfully stab Adolin through the stomach with a spear.[2]
The Tukari became more hesitant when Maya joined the fight to assist Adolin, scared and unwilling to attack. Although the leader attempted to have his men continue their assault, the deaths of a few more Tukari members led some of the group to run from the fight, back towards where they had left their remaining members with their caravan.[2]
The Tukari leader’s bodyguard attempted to attack Adolin directly, however, Adolin dodged the man and landed a hit on the shoulder of the group leader. Eventually, the rest of the Tukari fighters broke and abandoned the battle to retreat to their caravan.[2] After the battle ceased, the Tukari caravan withdrew from the area.[4]
Fearing a second attack, Adolin’s group pushed to reach Lasting Integrity by the end of the day to seek safety from the Tukari with the honorspren.[4]