world_lore:s1:nations_and_cultures [The Axe & Sickle Wiki]

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====== Nations and Cultures ======

Deciding where your character is from is one of the most important definining traits of your character; it may influence how they look, what weapons they use, what gods they worship, and even what classes and game-races fit for them.

There is no world map; places exist only in relation to one another. And feel free to just make up a place your character is from if none of the options call out to you. Since the Ohm Basin is practically uninhabited, you //have// to be from somewhere, and there is no default option; save, perhaps, hailing from one of the thousand petty kingdoms rounding the coast of the Shining Sea.

Traditionally, the geographic boundaries of the Ohm Basin are considered to be - Clockwise - the Desert Without End to the South-east to South-West; the Rashari Highlands to the West; the Narsmounts to the North-West; the Shining Sea to the North; and Khondiiland to the East.

Any ethno-geographic grouping of nations or cultures is by definition arbitrary to some extent; that being said, for the sake of convenient reference, the following peoples and polities are divided into a series of Theatres to aid in visualization of the world.

===== Ardu Albahar, Inlet of the Shining Sea =====

Where the Shining Sea meets the Middlesea, a near-circular gulf is sheltered from ocean-waves by the Gateway Archipelago. This Gulf, and the land around it, is known as Ardu Albahar. It is the interface of two continents and countless peoples and cultures.

Going Clockwise; the North of the Gulf is dominated by the Kingdoms of Dathral and Zweistrum; to their East, the Empire of Mesa Sfaira straddles the inner inlet to the Shining Sea. South of Mesa Sfaira sits the significantly larger Empire of Al-Qashqa, which stretches all the way to the southern end of the gulf.

==== The Ancient Empire of Mesa Sfaira ====

Mesa Sfaira is an old empire on the decline. It has only recently regained its independence from Al-Qashqa, the new power of the region; only a few hundred years ago, Mesa Sfaira was just Sfaira, and included lands to the West and East along with the Stathas peninsula.

Mesa Sfairans have light-to-tan skin, and can have a variety of hair and eye colors. Many weapons see use here, though straight swords are the most common. Monks are rare here, but not unheard-of.

Cities/villages include:\\
the port town Nementhe, known for its scheming local nobility and burgeoning merchant class. Nementhe sits at the mouth of the river and therefore gates all trade into the state.\\
The small town Lapossos, known for hauntingly and mysterious magical happenings. Deeply religious and deeply insular, Lapossos is said to be the home of practitioners of certain heretical sects and wizards of great power.

==== The City-States of Stathas ====

Stathas is a peninsula, jutting into the Shining Sea from the Ohm Basin. The feature is dominated by a handful of city-states, which constantly fight with coin and cannon over trade rights and ship passages.

Stathasians look essentially the same as people from Mesa Sfaira. Likewise, Monks are rare here, and Barbarians, Druids, and Rangers are also basically unheard of.

==== Al-Qashqa (The Empire) ====

Al-Qashqa - in its language, The Empire - is a multiethnic empire unified by a common desire for efficient government. They worship their own pantheon, led by the god Atarsuruma. Airy robes and turbans are the common style, though due to its diversity, a Qashqan person can have quite literally any physical appearance; almost all are Humans, however. Sun Elves and Gold Dwarves (a type of Hill Dwarf) are present, but none are indigenous to the area. Curved swords - Scimitars and Falchions - are ubiquitous, as is the musket. Qashqans have a strong Paladin tradition, but few Druids or Monks.

The leader is Grand Sultan Malmon the Perfectionist, often referred to disparagingly as “the Busybody” or “the Micromanager”, which have a much better ring to them in the Qashqan language.

Al-Qashqa sits just West of the Rashari Highlands; within the past 50 years, the Empire has lost control over both the Rashari Highlands and Mesa Sfaira. Many are worried this could be the beginning of a period of decline. The cultural ancestors of the Qashqans are said to have migrated from far-off Shuth over a millenia ago.

==== The Kingdoms of Dathral and Zweistrum ====

Twin countries set on the inlet of the Shining Sea West of Al-Qashqa, while the nations may be rivals, the people are functionally indistinguishable. They tend to have pale skin, brown hair, and simple features. Axes are the most prevalent weapons here, though straight blades (Longswords and Greatswords) are also common.

While Dathral is a heavily feudal society, Zweistrum is partially democratic and focuses more on trade.

North of Zweistrum is naught but frozen mountains and needle-pine woods. Here, a people called the “North-Men” live. Thought to be related to humans, they are a physically massive but unintellectual people. Their god is named Droller.

Both nations have a strong Paladin tradition, though both - especially Dathral - lack many Wizards or Sorcerers. Rangers are vital on the fringes of civilization. Monks are all-but unheard of. Among the Northmen, Druids replace Clerics in daily life, and Barbarians are ubiquitous.

Both nations speak a language called Dathran, while the North-Men have their own tongue.

==== Petty Kingdoms of the Shining Sea ====

On the North, East, and Southern shores of the Shining Sea sit a thousand realms. Their only unifying feature is a maritime culture, swarthy skin tones, and the lingua franca of Shiner’s Common.

===== The Far East =====

The nations at the far eastern reaches of the continent of Mandhri are generally held to be the most technologically advanced on the Roll. Feudalism is a dead idea in the Far East; it is a land of States, advanced musket warfare, and budding industrialism.

==== The Kingdom of Alba ====

Sitting far east of the Shining Sea, Alba is the heartland of innovation. While the rest of the world is just pulling itself out of the medieval era, Alba is centuries ahead; somewhere in the mid-1800s, relative to our own world, in the middle of a Victorian Era.

The firearm was invented here decades ago, and likewise, wonderful inventions are both spread abroad from here or hoarded jealously, at the whims of the aristocratic organizations which rule the Kingdom.

The people of Alba are typically pale-skinned, with elaborate and innovative facial hair styles in men. Brutish weapons of war, such as axes, hammers, and heavy swords, have gone well out of style in Alba. Muskets and pistols are ubiquitous, though daggers and rapiers still see use. They speak Alban, a dialect of the same language spoken in Zakarion, Haderoth, and the Free Cities.

There are few Monks, Druids, or Barbarians in Alba, but otherwise all classes are represented normally.

==== The Land of Shuth ====

Sitting South-East of Alba, Shuth is a harsh land of deserts and jungles. It is generally divided into two realms: the Great Road, which leads from Alba to the Shadowsea and on which every major city is positioned; and Utter Shuth, the deserts and jungles off the beaten path. Utter Shuth is utterly dangerous; between cultists, lethal fauna, and the old gods said to dwell beneath the earth there.

Shuthans range from pale-skinned to a medium brown in skin tone. Most are bi-lingual, being fluent in both True Common and Shuthan. Airy robes and turbans are a necessity in the oppressive heat. While firearms are common, the scimitar is still a cultural staple-weapon.

Shuthans have strong Clerical and Paladin traditions, but few Druids. Rangers serving as desert guides are common, however.

==== The Twin Kingdoms of Lunda-Ngonda ====

The Lundans and Ngondans are one people divided into two nations. While Lunda is a coastal trading hub, Ngonda sits deep in the inland jungles, ruled over by a cult of mages obsessed with the void - the Ichyapu. Both sit on an island-continent south of Shuth.

Lundans and Ngondans are universally dark-skinned and black-haired. Both nations use the musket extensively; aside from that, Ngondans prefer the Longsword in combat while Lundans prefer the Spear-and-shield.

Lunda has a strong Paladin tradition, and Druids are nearly as common as Clerics in both kingdoms. Lunda-Ngondan Druids have their own language and set of wilderness markings, though traveling Lundan-Ngondan Druids always take the time to commune with outsider Druids to learn the customs of the land they’re traveling to.

==== The Zheng Confederacy ====

The land of seven Kings and thirteen Kingdoms. Zheng is a confederacy to outside forces; in their cultural philosophy, Zheng was granted seven holy kingly titles, and for hundreds of years, warlords have fought over them. De Jure rarely matches De Facto control, and the political scene is a complex web of recognition, with different Kings declaring others to be legal or illegal to suit their own gains.

Zheng is a verdant basin with lush grasslands and an occasional wood here and there, but is surrounded by desert on three sides and ocean on the fourth. Every year, the sands creep further. It is a few hundred miles South-by-Southeast of the Ulm Basin, across the desert.

Zhengens are oriental in appearance, with darkers tones being common in the north. They favor the straight swords - longswords and greatswords - in combat, and some armies have adopted the musket. They speak Zhengen.

Zheng lacks a Paladin culture entirely, but does have an extremely strong Monk tradition and many psions. Zhengen holy men blur the line between Druid and Cleric.

===== The South Pass =====

Roughly equidistant from Ardu Albahar to the East and Lunda-Ngonda to the West are the two continents of Ashkarith and Malteca; where the two (almost) meet is a temperate land dotted with trading cities. The land is more isolated than most, and a technological backwater, but enough trade braves the Middlesea and the Shadow to keep these lands informed on the greater goings-on in the world.

==== The Free Cities ====

The four Free Cities straddle the South Pass. Renazzo and Vernassa sit on Southern coast of Ashkarith; Terni controls an island in the center of the Pass, while Vasto is a slave-state on the Northern coast of Malteca. They are wealthy city-states that have controlled the flow of trade through the pass for centuries.

The Free Cities are heavily cosmopolitan and have a long history of trade and travel, so people of all appearances can be found here; the archetypal Citizen is swarthy-skinned and dark-haired. Weapons of personal combat are the norm: one-handed swords, pistols, and the like.

Uncivilized classes such as the Barbarian, Druid, and Ranger are rare in the cosmopolitan Free Cities, except among the Maltecan slaves of Vasto. Paladinry is banned in Vasto, due to their tendency to cause trouble; the irony is lost on them.

==== The Gibilrazen Confederacy ====

The Gibilrazen Confederacy was founded over eight hundred years ago when the Founders arrived by boat and helped the indigenous Braels fight off a Takhelan invasion. Crowned as Kings in the Gibilrazen Compact, the Founders eventually ascended to godhood upon death and the Gibilrish people began a slow physical and cultural transformation until they had almost entirely adopted the gross physical characteristics and language of the Founders.

It is usually considered to consist of twelve states: Aberfoyle, Altenoise, Bonnstadt, Camarasa, Chesterfield, Cwmbelan, Elterland, Llwyn-Madoc, Malderry, Narthshire, Schootschot, Vilstal, and Westerlem. However, Llwyn-Madoc is not a part of the Confederacy - it is an independent Braelic nation - and Bonnstadt, Chesterfield, Cwmbelan, Elterland, and Schootschot are not official members of the Compact, having arisen through rebellion since the Foundation (though they're almost always considered part of "Gibilrazen", if not the Confederacy). They are divided among five languages - Elster, Westerlich, Aberflannish, Altenese, and Camarasan - and the area also hosts several minority groups, including the Morini, Larathans, and a not-insignificant number of old Lundan settlers. The largest city is Narthwich.

Gibilrish people are generally light-skinned and can have a variety of hair and eye colors, depending on their exact homeland. The various minority groups guarantee that you can look like anyone and be from here, however. While soldiers favor polearms, you can find most weapons in common use here. Likewise, all classes are represented.

==== The Emirate of Takhela ====

Thirteen hundred years ago, Toktamiş the Horse Lord broke the siege of Vernassa and used the fabulous wealth looted from the city to build a great nomadic empire encompassing all of the steppes north of the Scarlet Range, even convincing the gods themselves to follow him. Shortly after his death, the people of this empire - thereafter known as the Takhelans - chose to settle in the relatively fertile land in the cradle of the Scarlet Range, and the rest is history. Takhela is today a strong, militaristic state that takes equal advantage of its settled state and nomadic heritage.

Takhelans range from light brown to dark brown skin colors, and tend to have brown or black hair and brown eyes. They speak Takhelan, which while part of the same language-family as the other steppe-languages, is written in the Shuthan script. Firearms are rare; the scimitar is still the most common weapon in use.

All classes can be found in Takhela in roughly expected numbers.

Just East of Takhela sits another steppe-bound nation, Ralmeres. Similar to Takhela culturally, they speak a different language and have a less explicitly martial culture. Currently, Ralmeres is a tributary state of the Takhelans.

==== Maltecan Jungle ====

The Maltecan jungles have no single, organized government; in fact, they are mostly uninhabited, with mostly only sparse, disorganized tribes calling it home. The largest known city is Sacramachaca, near (but not on) the South-Eastern coast, where the people worship a giant snake of the same name as a god.

Maltecan people have light to dark brown skin and dark hair. They do not have firearms, nor chain or plate armor, and primarily fight with spears.

Malteca has no Paladin tradition to speak of. Barbarians, Druids, and Rangers are all much more common than average. They speak Maltecan, or one of its sister-languages.

===== Northern Ashkarith =====

The Northern third of the continent of Ashkarith has an almost unbroken line of civilization from the Kingdom of Moriduunum in the far-Western swamps, to the dwindling Haderoth Empire in the more metropolitan East, with a dozen more kingdoms in-between (some named here, some not).

==== The Haderoth Empire ====

Haderoth is an empire in decline; once spanning far to the West, Haderoth has dropped to a third of its former size in less than half a century and is set to lose more to both separatist movements at home and foreign threats. It sits West of Zakarion, across the Middlesea. It is a militant, zealous nation. The state church is dedicated to Immotian, the God of Fire and Light, who demands perfection from his subjects.

Haderothis tend to have tanned skin and dark hair in the east end of the empire with lighter tones of skin and hair to the West. Most varieties of Medieval European weapons see use here, though firearms are a toy of the rich.

Haderoth has strong traditions in all major classes; the church trains many Monks, in addition to Paladins and Clerics. Druids and Rangers are more common in the forests of the West.

==== The Valnesse ====

The Valnesse is the largest Elven nation in the world, thought by many to be the Elven homeland. All non-evil varieties of Elves can be found here in some number. Valnesse is surrounded by ocean, swamp, mountain and impenetrable forests, shielded from the outside world. It is south of Haderoth; the Forest of Illusion separates them. The Valnesse is old, a holdover from the Mythic Era.

As Elves, warriors of the Valnesse prefer the traditional Elven weapons: Bows, Longswords, and Rapiers. Glaives are also popular. They lack a Monk tradition; otherwise, most classes are heavily associated with one or more varieties of Elves; Barbarians are uncommon outside of Wild and Wood Elves, for example.

===== Other Regions =====

==== Yakami ====

Yakami is an island in the Middlesea south-west of Al-Qashqa. It is a peaceful land of feudal realms; oftentimes, adventurers and heroes leave this land in pursuit of gold to loot and evil to thwart in more barbaric lands.

Yakami are oriental in appearance with pale skin and black hair. While the common soldier likely uses a spear, curved swords - especially the //katana//, a sort of bastard sword - are ubiquitous among more prestigious soldiers, with different sizes of swords having their own names in the Yakami language.

The Yakami lack a Paladin or Druidic tradition. Monks are very common, on the other hand; it’s common for powerful Yakami warriors to supplement their other skills with a few Monk levels.

==== Empire of Zakarion ====

Zakarion is a mysterious land, but what is known isn’t good. Led by a council of eleven Wizard-Governors, the Empire of Zakarion (Zakarion being the name of the capital city, purported to have been named after its enigmatic founder) is renowned for being a dark and depressing land. The Mage-Governors consolidate all power under themselves, banning the owning of weapons or practice of magic by any but their loyal servants. It sits north of Al-Qashqa, beyond mountains and forests, north even of the lands of the North-Men.

The Mage-Governors are thought to be among the most powerful spellcasters in the planet; their first among equals, Nazira, an immortal mage-slayer, is by all available evidence //the// most powerful spellcaster in the world, and by a wide margin.

Zaks are pale-skinned, with dark hair and features. They speak Zak, thought to be the progenitor language of Alban and Haderothi. Zakarion rarely produces adventurers; those that do exist are typically refugees, who managed to escape their homeland.

==== The Wretched Plane ====

The cancerous creation of an elder nemesis of the good folk of the Ohm Bastion.  The Wretched Plane is home to The Wretched Crawler, powerful necromancier and infernalist with a penchant for numismatism.  The demiplane abutts the Material Plane, the Infernal Plane, and the Elysian Fields, sustained into perpetuity by The Crawler's arcane talents and infernal pacts.  A sprawling continent, host to beings both mortal and infernal, its very nature is poisonous to mortal life.  Water from the plane denudes the drinker of mortality, transforming them into a quasi-undead creation.  The air is thickly charged with negative energy, resisting positive energy and denying residents easy access to healing magicks.  And the soil is cursed to forbid transition through adjacent planes, making teleportation a perilous feat.

The territory within the Plane is divided into city-states, each ruled by its own minion of the Crawler.  Such minions are most commonly Liches themselves, pledged serve the Crawler as his apprentices and vassals.  However, the denizens of the Plane are not solely undead.  Some scant civilization persists even beyond the veil of death, whole towns and citadels populated with mortals condemned to the curse of the Tomb-Tainted Soul.  What's more, great armies of Hell patrol the blasted soil of the Plane, seemingly content to make war as a bit of sport while they patrol the realm for intruders and dissidents.

At one point, the plane was penetrated by an ambitious adventuring party native to the Bastion.  [[:events:wretch_paragon_1|The Wretched Crusade]] shattered the fortress which served as the Crawler's primary passage between his homeland and the Bastion before penetrating into the unholy realm.  While survivors managed to return to the Bastion and report on the mad and tortured lands of the realm, the subsequent venture into the Wretched Plane has no known survivors.  All that is known of the Plane comes from the original intrusion, followed by a few sporadic Sendings.