Sauúti is taken from the word “Sauti” which means “voice” in Swahili. This world is a five-planet system orbiting a binary star. This world is rooted deeply in a variety of African mythology, language, and culture. Sauúti weaves in an intricate magic system based on sound, oral traditions and music. It includes science-fiction elements of artificial intelligence and space flight, including both humanoid and non-humanoid creatures. Sauúti is filled with wonder, mystery and magic.
The Sauúti shared world or Sauúti shared universe (you can call it the Sauútiverse), is a fictional setting and civilization, a secondary world unconnected to our real world. As you will see, it is based on a blend of African cultural worldviews and inspirations. The central location of the Sauútiverse is a five-planet system orbiting a binary star. Let’s get to know them a bit.
The two suns are called Zuúv’ah and Juah-āju. And the 5-planets are Wiimb-ó, Zezépfeni, Ekwukwe, Órino-Rin and Mahwé (which has the only inhabited moon in the system, called Pinaa).
Wiimb-ó and Mahwé orbit Zuúv’ah.
Órino-Rin and Ekwukwe, orbit Juah-āju.
Zezépfeni, is circumbinary and orbits the center of mass of both stars.
Here’s a helpful schematic to get you oriented:
A key aspect of the Sauútiverse to keep in mind is that magic and technology co-exist side-by-side here and so it’s a science-fantasy world. Both the magic and technology of this world are based on sound. Words, language, oral traditions, vibrations, music, every kind of sound, in every interpretation – they all hold tangible power here. All stories emphasize how important sound and the spoken word is, mirroring many traditional African cultural practices. I’ll highlight these in the introduction to each story as we go along. But just remember – a key theme in the Sauútiverse is an exploration of the nature of sound as power.
All humanoids in the Sauútiverse have a shared history, having evolved from an older race (also called the Sauúti, or the first ones) that first evolved and developed on one of the planets (I won’t tell you which just yet) before spreading out and settling the five worlds.
Because every planet has different rotational speed and orbit, references to time in Sauúti have been “standardized” to facilitate trade and inter- planetary communication. For example, a “year” is time it takes Juah-āju and Zuúv’ah to complete one orbit around their common center of mass and is called a juzu. A standard ‘day’ is called a bés. Contemporary time in the Sauútiverse is also usually referenced to an event known as the “1st Boāmmariri”. As we go through the chronology, you will see why. For now, simply use it to guide you as to where you are in the imagined history. (B1B means “before 1st Boāmmariri”) and A1B means “after 1st Boāmmariri”).
The Sauúti Creation Myth
LISTEN HERE:
Our Mother Creator – Audio
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