Setting Information 1

Setting    SYNERGY -- SETTING  THE KINGDOMS OF KARIMAS  Karimas isn't actually one kingdom, though most both inside and outside of it tend to refer to it that way for simplicity's sake. Four Regencies coexist under a titular High King, who serves largely as a mediator and adjudicator between the four Regents.  The Compact, which formalizes this arrangement, was a document drawn up about four hundred years previous. Nowadays, with the Sky Abbey's printing presses and the prevalent education in Karimas, virtually any citizen can study the Compact and the laws of Karimas. In the Compact, it details the duties and powers of the High King, as well as clearly delineating what powers he does not have. In times of peace, the High King hears disputes between Regents or nobles that cross one or more Regency's borders, maintains roads, keeps dealings with the Riverman's Guild, and observes and mediates between the four religious orders, as well as the Order of the Eclipse and the Order of the Eightfold Path, also called the Warrior's Way. Each Regent is responsible for raising and maintaining an army should he desire to do so, though when Karimas is under attack, the High King may effectively overrule their authority, in order to bring the armies under one single banner. This has never happened, and is not likely to, as Karimas's geography makes it extremely difficult to assail by an outside force. The four Regencies have adopted common coinage, languages, and customs for ease, as they have discovered that free travel and free trade makes a prosperous nation. There are three units of common currency within Karimas: the pewter sil (shortened from sigil; some merchants will still use the old name), a circular coin about an inch in diamater with a crowned K etched into it; the silver crown, a circular coin about an inch and a half in diamater with the Crown of Karimas pressed in relief on both sides; and the golden royal, stamped with the royal seal of the High King, four circles linked in a square. The Kariman Exchange Authority has been dithering over introducing paper money, but has stalled on the issue largely because the durability of coinage is so highly appreciated among the highly pragmatic Kariman people.   The Rivermen  Almost a separate people to themselves, the Riverman's Guild of Karimas provides the majority of travel and trade shipping within the kingdom itself. Plying the waterways that both link and divide the Regencies, the Rivermen are quite simply, the glue that holds the nation together. Notable for their unique accent and steadfast ways, the Rivermen (sometimes also called Ferrymen) are highly respected within Karimas. Based in the town of Landsdown, on the eastern border of Drakes Regency, the Guild is responsible for making the yearly Wine Run, driving the wines down the Meltwash River, across Crossings Lake, and to the port on the southwestern shore, of the city of Wine Run. This takes about two weeks to accomplish, despite the heavy currents caused by the melting ice and spring rains. The Rivermen have their own sets of laws in addition to Kariman law, and they are largely given this freedom. The Captain of a given vessel is always in charge, and if the captain is not a Riverman, by custom, the Riverman's authority takes precedence on the rivers. Rare is the captain who is not a riverman, although many nobles have private boats. A private vessel on the river must clear it with the local Guild Authority.  Rivermen begin their training at about the age of seven, and complete it around the age of fourteen. The graduation is a curious ceremony; they are given nothing to show they have completed years of grueling training, save a black coin etched with a representation of the Four Great Rivers and Crossings Lake. They take a knife and cut their hands, spilling their blood into the river, and make a vow, to protect their passengers from the moment their foot touches the deck, to the moment their foot reaches the shore. This includes protecting passengers from themselves, and Ferrymen have been known to drug, tie up, or otherwise incapacitate unruly passengers during their trip. The Rivermen's Guild crest is a solid line, with two wavy lines stacked above it, in blue on a white background.   The Order of the Eclipse  Based in Drakes Regency, the Order of the Eclipse was formed some hundred years ago by a Priest of Sun and a Priestess of Moon. A military order that owes nothing to the Four Gods, the Order's charter is to protect Karimas from mages who misuse their power. While mages have protections under Kariman law, when a matter that may involve magic must be investigated, the Order is generally called. The Order investigates these matters closely and if necessary, hunts and incarcerates or destroys the mage in question. Many metamages gravitate toward the Order, and they are welcome, if watched. Lately, there have been questions about some of the Order's movements. The Marshall-General Farris Starkweather has been displaying odd behavior, and a zealotry that borders on mania. He has recently dismissed several mages from the Order, for little reason, and defends his actions with his authority. The head of the order and current regent of Drakes Regency, Syan Snowlander, is far too busy to deal with him, but it has been whispered that he is displeased with Starkweather. Lord-Captain Vedic Sembry, called the Longblade, was recently appointed as Stone's Regent, and has leveraged his new position to urge an investigation into Starkweather's actions. Thus far, Starkweather has ably defended himself against all accusation, but many in the Order have their doubts, even as many others defend the Marshall-General. Due to his elevation, Vedic was forced to resign his commission, but has requested emeritus rank. This request has yet to be responded to. The Order has two sets of ranks -- enlisted, and officer. Enlisted men are contracted for a number of years, and may renew their contracts at any time. Officers are essentially contracted for life, although they can request dismissal, and certain factors can also force them into retirement. In order to strip an officer of his commission, a tribunal must be held by officers at least three ranks higher. Enlisted ranks earn a sigil per day per point of rank. There are six Enlisted ranks: Private, Lancer, Shieldsman, Sergeant, MasterSergeant, and Marshall. Enlisted men form the rank and file of the Order's soldiers. Often, unless called upon, they will live regular lives until the call goes out. They will serve a week out of every month in uniform at their local headquarters. Officers earn a crown a day per rank, and for being so well paid, they give up pretty much anything resembling a normal life. Officers train and educate themselves rigorously, staff the Order's headquarters, and are often the ones you see roaming the countryside in search of information on rogue elementals or mages gone mad. It isn's enough to wait for it to come to you -- so much the better if they can be on top of things. There are six officer ranks: Ensign, Corporal, Lieutenant, Major, Captain, and Field Marshall. Above these two sets of ranks are the Generals, between four and six men picked by the Master-General (the head of the Order) to advise him. These are almost always referred to as Lord-General, whether or not they are noble by birth. Commissions can be bought, but they require serving as Enlisted for at least two years in all cases, and earned commissions usually aren't given until after four. The Order also has a rigorous (some say brutal) training and indoctrination program; officers are expected to repeat it every three years, enlisted men every five.   The Brotherhood of the Eightfold Path/The Warrior's Way  Responding equally well to both names, the Brotherhood is an organization espousing eight virtues: discipline, strength, courage, fortitude, honor, insight, mercy, and wit. Somewhere between Zen monks and ronin samurai, they serve as mercenaries within Karimas and often, outside of it as well. The Brothers have only two rules -- they will not harm a Brother (often they have found themselves against a Brother in political maneuverings, and both tend to enjoy this a great deal), and they will not meddle in politics within Kariman borders. There are three Brotherhood monasteries within Karimas; one sits on the northeastern shore of Crossings Lake, one is set into the mountains south of Stonekeep, and the third is in Coastal on the shore of the Brightwater. There are no true rankings within the monasteries -- all men are brothers within its walls, and despite its name, the Brotherhood has no few women among its ranks. While Brothers are not required to be chaste, it is strongly encouraged, and for students, it is one of the few missteps that can get one expelled from the monastery, should they be caught with another student. Discipline is, after all, one of their primary virtues. In general, Brothers tend to be easygoing when off duty; most live at the Monastery. The rules there are fair, although the enforcements are brutal; the Brothers do not look kindly on those who flaunt the rules. There are three acknowledged ranks in the Monastery: that of students, who come and learn the academia offered there as well as some degree of martial skill, and pay for this teaching with the performance of menial tasks around the Monastery; Initiates, those students who have decided to try for the Brotherhood's mark and become full Master, a fully-recognized Brother. Generally, a students spends between one and three years at the monastery; Initiates spend the first year as students, and then another four as Initiates, and assuming they survive the tests put to them, they then are awarded the rank of Master. The Brotherhood's mark is an eight-pointed star, usually tattooed or branded on the left wrist. Brothers are considered citizens of no Regency, though most still identify with their place of birth -- assuming they know it. No small number of Brothers are orphans or unwanted children, given to the Monastery to raise. Brothers are paid for their missions, and while the lion's share of their usually high fee goes to the Monastery, the brother who completed the mission does share in some of the profits.   The Religious Orders  Mother Earth, Father Sky, Lord Sun, and Lady Moon are the four gods recognized in Karimas. Each is associated loosely with one of the primary elements, and as well is considered to reign over certain traits and times of year. Each has an order devoted to following its tenets. In most of the orders, there are Priests, who tend to the sacred duties and places of the God they serve, and Devotees, who attend the lay matters and are often called by those in need for lesser services.     Mother Earth : Mother Earth is often portrayed as a tall, powerful, athletically-built woman, handsome of feature and strong of limb, with green eyes and brown hair. She is associated with healing, nature, and caring for the young, as well as the hearth and home. Her season is spring, and her element is the Earth. When associated with a place, it is usually Stone Regency. Earth's sacred places are usually large buildings with an enormous recieving hall, in which there is always a massive hearth, the fire in which is never allowed to go out. Earth's Priests and Priestesses tend to be a practical, straightforward lot, and practice herblore, animal husbandry, healing, and cultivation. They have little tolerance for dithering, and often have a reputation for being headstrong and rather forceful. Earth Priests always wear a copper band, usually around their upper arm, but sometimes as a torc around their neck, or around their wrists. The leader of the order, called Grandmother, wears a wide, engraved copper belt. Those Devoted to Earth generally are ranchers, farmers, healers, midwives, and other occupations of the kind. Generally, as the Devoted wear copper bands as well, it's difficult to tell an Earth Priest from one Devoted to Earth, and they like to keep it that way.   Father Sky  : Father Sky is usually portrayed as an elderly gentleman with short white hair and a close-cropped white beard, with blue eyes; his build is generally thin, but he is always straight-backed, and does not so much lean on his staff as simply carry it. He is usually depicted smiling. Associated with knowledge, luck, experience, and weather, most of the imagery surrounding him involves birds of some kind. His season is autumn, and his element is Wind. Most of the time, Sky is tied to Drakes Regency. Sky's sacred places are always open, generally built around aviaries; Sky's priests tend birds of many kinds, including ones used for messages. Sky's priests are scholars and academicians, experimenters and theorists, rarely leaving their halls of knowledge; Sky maintains massive libraries, many of the works generating from their own order. All of Sky's priests wear an earring from which depend several bird feathers; the leader of the order, called Grandfather, wears a full length cloak of chicken feathers, and this is a constant source of amusement for him when people ask why chicken feathers (he is known to give a different answer each time). Devotees of Sky are scouts, teachers, and sometimes spies; charged both with gathering and spreading knowledge, they are as passionate about teaching as they are learning, and often have many stories to tell. Devotees wear a pendant in the shape of a bird in flight. Another function of Sky that is less often recognized is that of judge; when disputes arise, often it is a Devotee that serves as mediator, and when that dispute is between members of the religous orders, Sky's authority is absolute.   Lord Sun  : Lord Sun is most often depicted as a young man in his prime, with an roguish cast and a wiry build, golden-haired and orange-eyed. He bears a sword and shield, and wears armor of gold. Associated with justice, light, ambition, and strength, he is usually depicted as sitting in judgement or defending the innocent. His season is summer, and his element is Fire. He is often linked with Oaks Regency. Sun's order maintains churches that are very nearly fortresses in their own right, and their priests are well-versed in combat arts, as well as knowing the law to its fullest extent. Sun's Priests wear a large pectoral amulet bearing a sun-in-glory, the number of rays denoting their rank within the church; the leader of the Order, called Justicar, wears a crown with the rising sun on his brow. Devotees of Sun are military men, guardsmen, and lawkeepers. Most are directly employed as the Church's militant wing; it's said that if Karimas ever mobilized for war, Sun would be the van. Devotees wear a small amulet of a golden sun.   Lady Moon  : Lady Moon is often shown as being small of stature, beautiful of face and form, with long, flowing black hair and eyes of midnight, wearing as few clothes as possible (many have her depicted nude). Her skin is white as the moon she is named for, and flawless. She carries no weapon and has no accoutrements. Associated with deception, secrets, desire, and the night, her element is Water, and her season is Winter. She is most often associated with Coastal Regency. Moon's Priestesses are rarely seen, and even less rarely known when they are; they serve as spies, assassins, thieves, and courtesans. Moon's sacred places are gambling houses and docks, as well as houses of pleasure. Moon's priestesses (not all are female, but most by far are) wear a small blue or green stone on some form of jewelry somewhere about their person, set in silver and marked with a half-moon etched in the band. Moon's devotees can be literally anyone; they are marked either by a driving passion for secrets or a deep and abiding love for the waters. Sailors, cutthroats, footpads and whores all follow Moon's pull. Devotees of Moon, as difficult to mark as their priestesses, always wear a half-moon pendant or charm on some form of jewelry, often a piercing. ? The Regencies  Stone:  Mostly desert and scrubland, Stone Regency has a number of interesting features. It is one of the least populated Regencies, and yet has two of the three largest cities within its borders. Bounded by the Sweetwater River on the north, the Southwash on the west, the Morass on the south, and the Spine Ridge Mountains on the east, Stone's ancestral ruling seat at the city-fortress of Stonekeep was literally carved out of the side of the mountain it sits against. To the south of the city are the massive quarries and mines that riddle the mountainside further, providing the rich ores and stones that the regency is famed (and named) for. The current ruler of Stone Regency is Lord Vedic Sembry, known as the Longblade, a former Captain in the Order of the Eclipse. He is a light-handed ruler, known for his humor and charm, as well as a keen tactical mind. His banner is a black sun with four points on a grey field. The primary exports of Stone Regency are ores, and it is in Stone that the one pass through the Spine Ridge mountain range exists: the East Gate, which is the portal for most trade with the Shattered Lands to the west, a wide and easily-navigable defile. Stone's geography is primarily mountainous, as the Spine's southern end curves westward. The desert of Stone is primarily caused by the lack of topsoil. The bedrock that rests just beneath the desert floor and the sudden and powerful flashfloods every year from the Sweetwater River have stripped Stone, making it a scrubby wasteland marked by ragged grasses and little else, until the foothills of the southeastern reaches. Here the Hearths of Earth have worked with engineers from Sky and the Temples of Moon to siphon the fertile soils and lifegiving waters of the Morass to create rolling pasturage and some small farmlands. They don't have much to work with, but what they do have, they're making count. Stonekeep is both the residence of the Stone Regent, and until recently, the ceremonial palace of the High King. This is largely possible because Stonekeep is incredibly vast in size. Carved out of the mountain by an elemental centuries ago, it is quite literally a city honeycombed into the rock, and two separate areas have been set aside as palatial headquarters. The camaraderie expressed by Stone's recently installed Regent, Lord Vedic, and the High King Saeru, has a lot to do with it as well. Stone's people, referred to as Stonelanders or Stonemen, tend to be much like its land, unassuming and tough-minded. By some they are called harsh and unforgiving, and can be a rather stolid lot on the whole, not given to wild displays or raucous celebration. Their solemnity masks a deep respect for the land as a whole, and while many make their living in the mines and quarries, they are careful not to despoil the rest of the land with their offal. Before the Unification, the area of Stone Regency was called the Stone Kingdoms, a collection of small city-states united by a charismatic leader. Stone is called the Seat of the Compact, because it was the Stone Kingdoms that provided the foundation for the Four Kingdoms as a whole, both by example, and by stepping forward and being the first to bend knee to the new High King. It is often still called the Stone Kingdoms by some of its people. The native folk of Stone tend to be fair-haired, shading to brown, with tanned skin and middling builds. Work as miners and quarrymen often leave them powerfully built, particularly in the chest and shoulders.   Drakes  : Formerly Dragonsguard, Drakes Regency has perhaps the longest recorded history within the Four Kingdoms. It's said the the people of Drakes are the native bloodlines of the area, contested only by the Rivermen, who are themselves Drakesmen (but claim to be the true natives). Ruled in an unbroken dynasty for at least twice as long as the Four Kingdoms have been unified, they are doubly unusual in that the rulers have always been mages. Legend has it that the Shadowloves, the rulers of Drakes, made an ancient pact with dragons that secured their position, the land's safety, and that the magic that runs in their blood is a mark of this pact. Because of this, the loyalty most Drakesmen bear for their regent is often fanatical, verging on religious zeal. The Shadowloves, for the most part, rule well and with a light hand. Or at least, they did, until about fifteen years ago. Their manor home was attacked by forces unknown, burned to the ground, the three heirs presumed lost. Saeru hastily installed the master of the Order of the Eclipse, Syan Snowlander, as Warden, to act as regent until their heirs could be found. This has not set well with the people of Drakes, but so far, they have concentrated on keeping tales of the Shadowloves alive. The land of Drakes is lush and fertile, from the banks of the Meltwash and the Deep Downs to the foothills of the northern end of the Spine Range. The Spine and the Northwall cup Drakes protectively, and it is in the foothills of these ranges that the famed wines of Drakes are pressed from the grapes that grow in abundance here. The craft of vintage is a highly honored one here, and vintners are revered and held in very high esteem. Drakes houses the Order of the Eclipse, on the northern border, a fortress built into and over natural fissures in the Northwall. While several other chapterhouses exist, this is the main fortress of the Order. Drakes is moderately settled, with the primary concentration on the northern end near the Meltwash. Drakes is the home of Landsdown, the home of the Riverman's Guild, the town built around the banks of the Blackwell Lake. Drakes trades often with the northern tribes, whom they often refer to as the Snowlanders -- this is where Syan earned his epithet. They accomplish this by utilizing a lift system built around the Frozen Falls at Landsdown. Southern Drakes is mostly grassland, home to some few ranchers and herders, but primarily unsettled. The native people of Drakes are often small, wiry, and dark of hair and eye. The people of Drakes (Drakesmen) tend to be a humorous lot, prizing quick wits over nearly all other virtues. While sometimes frivolous, Drakesmen are able to turn face very quickly, and tend to try and settle any serious matters quickly and permanently so that they don't have to worry about it anymore, and can get back to the business of enjoying life, which they take very seriously indeed.   Oaks  : Named for the forests that cover the Regency virtually from the coastline all the way to the Meltwash, Oaks Regency is known in particular for lumber and woodworking, and in darker corners for unstable leaderships and bloody coups. About fifteen years ago, just as Drakes' regents were attacked, the Regent of Oaks was one Owain Cartwright, a man known for enjoying his pleasures perhaps a little too heartily. His nobles ran the country, while he ran roughshod over most of them. What happened to him stands as an example to why so many of those in authority in Karimas are very, very careful to be responsible with it. Owain had an illegitimate son by the name of Kevan, called the Whitelock due to a white stripe of hair that grew in his youth agains otherwise sable locks. The Whitelock was given into the care of the Brotherhood of the Warrior's Way, and raised as a Brother on his sixteenth birthday. It is tradition that when a Brother is named, he gets a year to do whatever he may desire before bending knee to the Brotherhood once more. Kevan went home and led a rebellion. The Cartwright line was purged from Oaks, though there are stories that Kevan keeps his father alive in black cells beneath the keep. When word got out what Kevan had done, High King Saeru sent his Executor, Kethyr Vaurus, to investigate the matter. Kevan proved that Cartwright had been in league with enemies of Karimas, namely the Ravensguild slavers. The result of the investigation was that as the matter had been wholly internal to Oaks, and as Cartwright had not fulfilled his responsibilities as Regent, Kevan had performed a service to the Crown, and thus, was installed as the new Regent. Not one soul raised voice against this decision. Oaks is widely populated, but most of this is in small hamlets or villages. The Oaks Seat is at the northwest tip of the Regency, and is little more than a sprawling manor house tending to vast orchards. Oaks is also home to the Living Grove. Deep in the forests that name the regency, the Grove is a place of healing and restoration; an elemental has made its home there, and its power feeds all the life in the area. Its tender is Devon, an Earthmage and healer of no small power. Within the Living Grove also are its guardians, tall, powerful trees that move and speak. If they can be said to have a leader, it is the one they call Ironroot, a massive Guardian standing no less than thirty feet tall. Anyone who seeks healing may come to the Grove, so long as they do so in peace. Those who act violently in the Grove are never heard from again. It's said that there are no native folk of Oaks, but that their blood is a mix of Drakesman's and the Norther Tribes. This leaves them tending toward darker coloration, but taller and more powerfully built. The people of Oaks (Oaksmen, or by some, Foresters) tend to be rather closemouthed, preferring to let actions speak for themselves. They take hospitality very seriously and tend to their responsibilities, real or percieved, with great zeal. There is a saying in Oaks that duty is never discharged, only met.     Coastal : Coastal Regency is home to the primary port in Karimas (there is a second in Oaks, but it is rarely used) at Whiteharbor, also the capital city of the Regency and home to its ruler, Helmas Janns, a tall, dour man with a firm hand on the reins. Mostly grasslands with some woods (the southern edge of the Oaks forest crosses the Sweetwater river), Coastal's beaches are popular among its people, as it usually enjoys fair weather and warm days. Whiteharbor is the largest city in Karimas, and a major port for goods being shipped all over the world. It isn't unusual to see Sundowner ships, Old Empire vessels, or even those bearing the marks of the Singing Sands. Some foreign nobles come to Coastal for a vacation, due to the fine weather and beautiful beaches. It's said that if you are from Coastal, then your life revolves around ships, and this is largely true -- fishing, shipbuilding, and the Kariman Navy are the three primary sources of employment in the Regency. Indeed, a two-year stint in the Coastal Navy is mandatory for all citizens upon reaching the age of 14 (the age of majority in Karimas). The sailors of Coastal are among the most well-travelled folks in the world, and are always eager to tell the tales of their adventures. Coastal Regency has a rather tense relationship with the Sundowners. A plutocratic confederation of pirates, merchants, smugglers, and outright thieves, the Sundown Archipelago is several days' sail west of Coastal, and much of the navy's work is fending off their "aggressive acquisition strategems". Even so, Sundowner blood is common in Coastal, and trade between the Regency and the Archipelago is lively ...in more ways than one. The Sundowner blood has made its mark in Coastal, and among Karimen, the folk of Coastal are the most physically diverse. The people of Coastal, oftens simply referred to as Coastals, are very much sailors -- rough and ready, often raucous and sometimes outright coarse, but very nationalistic, prizing loyalty and devotion to duty almost as highly as Oaksmen. They are an intrepid, adventurous lot; Drakesmen and Coastals are known for getting along well and getting into all kinds of mischief. ? Other Lands  The Sundown Archipelago  : Named for the fact that the islands are to the west of Karimas, and because their banner is a setting sun, the Archipelago is home to a loose confederation of smugglers, pirates, thieves, and a small percentage of (more or less) honest merchants. The people of the Archipelago have olive skin and dark hair and eyes, tending toward a tall and willowy build. Sundowner government is a plutocracy -- literally, whoever has the gold makes the rules, and their meyasthan (literally, "seven stars") are some of the richest men in the world. The meyasthan make up the ruling host, and they in turn heed the man often referred to as "THE Sundowner", Martje, a Seamage of incredible power who is, in all likelihood, the richest man in the world. Despite their reputation, many cultures around the greater world rely on the Sundowners for freelance shipping and guard on the waters, but oddly, no Sundowner will go more than a few miles inland; it is a superstition of theirs that the ocean holds the souls of all men, and to stray too far from it would be to lose theirs forever. Sundowners are largely amoral, ruled by the coin, although there is a sort of honor among them -- a man paid to do a job can generally be trusted to get it done, and if he is bought off, is held to have a duty to inform his former employer of this fact. Business is business, and Sundowners don't hold grudges -- unless they are cheated, and heaven help the man who fails to pay his debts...because no one else will. ? The Shattered Lands and the Old Empire  : Once one and the same, the Shattered Lands suffered a physical upheaval some four hundred years ago, and a political one some thirty years ago. The physical upheaval wracked the land with earthquakes, freakish storms, and volcanoes, in a catastrophe that has never fully been explained. The Shattered Lands lie east of the Spine Ridge, on the other side of the mountains that make up Karimas's eastern border. The Stormlands are the region immediately east of Stone Regency, across the mountains, accessible through the East Gate Pass. Ruled by Saeru's wife, the High Queen Ailenne, her title here is Stormwarden, a title she took from her father in a coup she engineered when she discovered Kazman's treachery. The area is constantly overcast, and suffers powerful storms with alarming frequency. Recently, Kariman ambassadors have begun setting up places for the religious orders to practice in the Stormlands. Stormlanders are tall and fair, known for self-sufficiency and pride. Women are generally treated rather poorly here, although Ailenne's succession has somewhat mitigated this fact, and she continues to work toward equalization. The Wastes stretch along the northern half of the Shattered Lands, a broken, seamed stretch of land that still steams and occasionally bursts forth with streams of lava, or geysers of superheated steam. It's a dangerous and treacherous area, and only fools and madmen live there. The Wastes lie immediately eastward of the Ash Deserts, east of Drakes Regency, and stretch all the way to the eastern coast. The Empire Reborn consists of what was formerly known as the Old Empire and several other lands surrounding. Ruled jointly by the young Yaz Kai and his two warmarns, Basari and Kensei, the Empire was once under the thumb of the Ravensguild, but thanks to Yaz Kai, they have thrown off the yoke of the Guild and have reuinifed much of the Old Empire. The people of the Empire tend toward a yellowish complexion and have angular features, including epicanthal folds around the eyes. Life in the Empire is very ritualized, and the folk there believe in doing one thing, and doing it as well as you possibly can. The Amber Seas are the colloquial name for the farmlands in the southern reaches of the Stormlands and the Empire Reborn. As allies, they share this resource, miles upon miles of nothing but wheat and grain, grown and worked by the natives who live there.     The Singing Sands  : This truly unusual country is located far to the west of the Sundown Archipelago; most Karimen have never even heard of it at all. The place is mostly desert, with an odd, pinkish cast to the sand; this is because the sand is ground from crystals that grow in the earth. The name comes from the sound the sand makes as it is blown by the wind and rubs against other crystals, a kind of glassine keening. The fine grains can abrade or lacerate flesh with ease, and is inhabited by giant insects who seem to display a kind of intelligence. The Singing Sands are home to the Ravensguild, who wear heavy cloaks to ward off the vicious sand and wreath themselves in the smoke from an incense derived from a native plant that wards off the insects. All Ravensguilders who aren't hiding what they are will cover themselves fully and carry a small silver censer. The smell is not unpleasant, and has a mild intoxicating effect that they themselves have grown immune to. "Ravensguild" is the colloquial name for the people most often encountered, as their sign is a raven, and they are slavers, the business of which extends to nearly all aspects of their society.  The Guild has had for decades a kind of control over trade in the greater world, as its slave labor and technology had allowed for more effective procurement and transport of resources, but their influence has begun to fail. Never friends with the Sundowners, the Guild depended on the ports of the Old Empire to allow them to continue trade with all the lands, and had some way of navigating the Morass northward into Karimas. Until Saeru's rule, it was legal for them to pass through Karimas so long as they did not do business within its borders. However, recent events have seen the Guild driven from both Karimas and the Old Empire, and their influence in other areas are beginning to slip. This may herald the end of an age...and the fall of the oldest civilization in the world.The people of the Sands are dark-skinned, serious and sober of mind, though some have fallen to desperation and evil ways in an attempt to hold on to the glory of their failing way of life.    <p style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: center; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; CLEAR: both; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none"> <p style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none"> <p style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none">

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