[center][IMG]http://i66.tinypic.com/2lu5q2c.jpg[/IMG][/center] [hider=Empire of Khandarai] [center][color=FF8C00][h2]Empire of Khandarai[/h2][/color] [IMG]http://i64.tinypic.com/9hmjq0.jpg[/IMG] The Port City of Basul[/center] [center][color=FF8C00][h3]Government[/h3][/color] [IMG]http://i68.tinypic.com/zwghfq.jpg[/IMG] Empress Atasari[/center] The Empire of Khandarai is a Monarchy presided over by an Empress whose decisions are final and binding upon her people. She is advised by an appointed council drawn from the various Houses that make up the upper class of the Empire. Should the Empress die, a Magical rite is cast that calls upon an ancient spirit, the Khandarai believe it is the spirit of the Prophetess herself, who then travels the Empire and selects a minimum of five young women who are then put through a gruelling set of tasks and tests of their skill. The survivor is crowned Empress of Khandarai. [center][color=FF8C00][h3]Geography[/h3][/color] [IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/os63dh.jpg[/IMG] The Kafadan River Valley [hider=Map (Orange)][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/385299898595147786/388815770995654659/wyrm_2_claim.png[/img][/hider][/center] The Empire of Khandarai is a nation that has found its way in the harsh central desert of Askor. Bordered on East and West by massive Mountain ranges that serve to deflect most moisture away, it is a hard and foreboding place. Even the desert itself is broken in many places by violent movements in the earth. There is however one large river, the Kafadan River, that actually pours forth from the desert, welling up from deep beneath the surface of the earth, winding its way north to the coast where the Empires only seaport, Basul, resides. All along that river is a green belt of lush fertile land that supports much of the Empire. There are other oasis, hidden away in the deeper portions of the desert and they are known almost exclusively to the Salakan themselves. These are reached by ancient camel roads and, in some cases, by travelling through the great ravines and canyons that cut across the sun baked surface. Most Khandarai towns and villages are located in the same canyons and ravines, built into places where some shelter can be found from the ever present sun. The Capital itself, Shasa, is located at the head of the great river where it pours from the earth, the river providing both defence and life for the city. Though not the largest city in the Empire, that title goes to Basul, it is certainly the most impressive for its [center][IMG]http://i68.tinypic.com/2m5hxth.jpg[/IMG] The City of Shasa, the Imperial Capital[/center] Life is tough in Khandarai, made even more difficult by the dangerous creatures that lurk in places even the sun never reaches. Wyverns are not unknown in Salakan and while the majority are hostile, some Khandarai have managed to tame the beasts and use them in battle, though never outside of Khandarai as leaving the desert often leads to them becoming sick and, eventually, to death. [center][color=FF8C00][h3]Culture[/h3][/color] [IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/2bocqp.jpg[/IMG][/center] The Empire of Khandarai is unique in the world for its class system in which females rule the Empire, provide the skilled fighting force, and males are used for breeding, menial labour tasks, or occupy lower castes of society. The Khandarai worship the Prophetess who they believe showed them that women can be strong and independent, capable of caring for themselves and their offspring. Large temples exist to worship the Prophetess as, over the years, her image has changed from one of inspiration to one of divine entity. The Empire is relatively young in the grand scheme of things, no older than the legends of the Prophetess who gave the first Empress the courage to rise up against the vicious enslavement of the desert tribes patriarchal society. Women were bought and sold like cattle, they had no rights and their lives forfeit for any reason deemed necessary by a male family member or relative. Fuelled by her freedom and the burning desire to never agin let men control her destiny, the first Empress led her comrades to overthrow and slaughter the patriarchy that ruled the sands. In a cruel twist of irony that the Khandarai see as but a small vengeance for the tribulations they suffered, men are now taken in raids, or purchased through a lively slave economy, and used for the purposes of breeding, or fulfilling menial jobs within the Empire. Male offspring are ritualistically killed, enslaved by neighbouring Houses, or simply sold at auction in Basul. Many Khandarai males can be found in the slave galleys of the world, or wandering from home. To return would mean death. Female offspring raised in the fighting spirit of their mothers and given every advantage possible to succeed in their harsh climate and while some leave to see the world, the majority remain within the boundaries of the Empire. [center][IMG]http://i64.tinypic.com/27x1d1h.jpg[/IMG] A Khandarai Warrior engages a pair of Yarimas[/center] The Khandarai conduct trade through Basul but also engage in lively raiding against their neighbours, and even amongst themselves if there is no one else to fight. Broken up in Houses, Khandarai boasts seven Great Houses, and a dozen lesser houses, all of whom control various portions of the region. The power and wealth of each House has risen and fallen over the years, none truly holding any real power, all beholden to the Empress in the end. The Khandarai are a Humanoid race, though they have an increased ability to see in the dark and are hardier than their neighbours. Their skin is darker than their neighbours as well, ranging from a soft brown to black as night. [center][color=FF8C00][h3]Military[/h3][/color] [IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/eqv5lz.jpg[/IMG] Khandarai Warriors[/center] The Empire of Khandarai is best described as an army with an Empire. So dangerous is the desert that all Khandarai are taught to fight and survive from a very young age. One of the great tests of their full rise to womanhood is a week spent in the desert with nothing but a small blade, a bow, and a single canteen of water. The Khandarai excel in small unit operations. They are far to isolated and spread apart to be able to form large armies and in Khandarai, big armies starve and small armies are defeated. Like many other nations they have their share of archers, sword masters, cavalry, and the like. Their cavalry tends to be far from traditional horses and camels, and beasts found in the desert are tamed wherever possible. Magic is a powerful tool of the Khandarai, spells that allow assist them in vanishing in to, and surviving, the great desert. The Khandarai themselves are far from the most dangerous thing to be found in the desert and any Khandarai worth their salt has learned how to hide from the predators that inhabit their home. Enchantments are common amongst the fighting forces as well in the form of fire, lightening, or even poisoned weapons. Priestesses of the Prophetess are the only true magic users of the Empire, either as Healers, Spell Casters, or Spellswords. The Spellswords are a unique melee class of warrior that use magic to augment their fighting ability. [center][color=FF8C00][h3]Heroes[/h3][/color] [IMG]http://i66.tinypic.com/kb58nc.jpg[/IMG] Khawla al-Mir[/center] Khawla al-Mir, a legend in her time. She is the greatest Khandarai Spellsword of the latest hundred years. Fighting with little to no armour, she wields two scimitars with deadly skill and precision. Her warlike nature often brings her to the fore of raids against enemy settlements and ferociously hunts the strange and wonderful beasts of the desert. She is a master of small unit operation and often works with a picked band of fighters that she considers worthy of her company. [center][IMG]http://i64.tinypic.com/195kpl.jpg[/IMG] Naaila al-Arshad[/center] Naaila al-Arshad is the most skilled Beast Master in the Empire. She excels in the taming of various monsters found in the desert and using them to great effect against each other, or against her enemies. She is the only known living Khandarai to have ridden on a Wyvern though it is not something she tries on a regular basis as her hold on a creature is not permanent. [center][color=FF8C00][h3]History[/h3][/color][/center] WIP. Waiting to see details on Western neighbours. [center][color=FF8C00][h3]Relations[/h3][/color][/center] Khandarai enjoys a wild roller coaster of relations with pretty much everyone. They are not against raiding their neighbours one day, and trading with them the next. The desert holds many precious and incredibly rare stones, spices, and the skins from any number of desert beasts can fetch a small fortune. Khandarai does not have great fortresses built at her borders, in fact, it is easy enough for anyone to enter the desert, leaving it is another adventure altogether. A single major road, known as the Spice Road, transits from East to West, leapfrogging from oasis to oasis. Trade caravans regularly pass along this route and it is the only place a foreigner can be assured they are safe from Khandarai raiders, if they come in peace. [center][color=FF8C00][h3]Characters[/h3][/color][/center] WIP [center][color=FC8C00][h3]Creature Glossary[/h3][/color][/center] [Hider=Hakam] [IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/33c4pjo.jpg[/IMG] The Hakam is a nightmarish combination of a common scorpion and a feline, if they were both large and terrifying. Living in packs of five to eight individuals, the Hakam sleep by day and hunt by night, aided by excellent night sight and deadly speed. They do not discriminate on what they eat and anything that moves in their home ranges is fair game.[/hider] [hider=Yarima] [IMG]http://i64.tinypic.com/27x1d1h.jpg[/IMG] The Yarima are large creatures, ten times the size of the camel, and just as badly tempered. They move about in small family groups of three to four individuals, their large clawed feet are webbed, allowing them to travel quickly over the loose sand despite their size and weight. Their heads are heavily armoured and taper into sharp horns at points, all the better to battle their main predator, the Wyvern.[/hider] [center][color=FC8C00][h3]Post Catalogue[/h3][/color][/center] 1. [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4540607]Act 1: The Hakam[/url] [/hider]