Skaa
| Skaa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Related to | Final Empire |
| World of Origin | Scadrial |
| Universe | Cosmere |
The skaa are a race of humans on Scadrial.
The skaa were effectively created by the Lord Ruler when he forcibly divided the people of the world. Skaa are descendants of the people who did not support the Lord Ruler during his rise to power, unlike the nobles.[1] During his Ascension, the Lord Ruler altered the physiology of people. The majority of the people he changed became skaa; built to be shorter, hardier, and more fertile.[2] These physical differences were small, and have mostly been erased by noble and skaa interbreeding over the thousand years of the Final Empire's history. All skaa Allomancers are the result of noble and skaa blood mixing during some point in the person's heritage.[3]
Culture
While not technically slaves, because by law they are not the property of their masters, in practice they are treated like cattle and given about as much respect. The skaa are the beaten down, oppressed working class, and because of this many are timid in regards to the nobles. Skaa generally keep to themselves, and in the cities, a large number turn to a life of crime to sustain themselves.
Those who are not criminals are worked to near death in some situations by their masters. Plantation skaa were especially brutalized and often did not live as long as their city counterparts as they were killed if they were unable to work. Only very skilled skaa were able to have a trade and work as a craftsman, like Clubs, although they were still underpaid and looked down upon by the nobility[4].
Skaa maintain a fear of the evening mists due to folklore and misinformation spread by the nobles.
Skaa living in the outer dominances, far from the Central Dominance, are allowed to own lands and become rich, but the Lord Ruler does not allow this to become publicly known.[5]