Arak
Description
Under Construction
History
Under Construction
Government
The greenlands of Arak are composed of several city-states, each ruled by mostly proto-democratic governments. It is not a traditional democracy where the citizens choose the leader, but rather one where the leader is selected by the previous leader according to merit. The citizens do, however, vote on new laws and there is a fair court system for criminals. Each city has their own government, and there are political parties in the form of guilds who pool their money to accomplish tasks important to them. Some guilds exist in multiple cities, but most cities have unique guilds.
The Yzerid desert in southern Arak is a Sultanate, and all cities and towns fall under the rule of the Sultan of Yzerid. The Sultan is mostly benevolent, but is brutal to his enemies, and has a tradition of tying his enemies to posts along the walls of the city to blister and burn in the unforgiving sun. He offers these enemies as a sacrifice to Astix. Unlike Arak, women are strictly prohibited from holding positions of power in any cities in the Yzerid, and cannot serve in the military. There is a movement among the women of the Yzerid to change this, but the Sultan has ignored their demands. Criminal justice is limited, as most criminals are hunted down via mob justice by the citizens, but for less severe crimes, a criminal may defend himself through combat with his accuser.
The northern area of Arak, a snow-covered wasteland, has few cities and no system of government in place. Criminal justice is dealt by the community, and is typically harsh. There is no real military presence in this region, though the community defends itself from attackers. The people of this region are similar to those in the greenlands in terms of their ideals, but their way of life is much different. The people of northern Arak live in harsh conditions, and are tough as a result.
Places of Interest
The northern and greenland areas of Arak have a serious goblin infestation, and goblin attacks on the road are common. These goblins have even been known to raid small settlements and towns. These goblins are clever, violent, and brutal. They rarely take prisoners, and are well known for setting traps along the road and in their dwellings. They have a habit of ganging up on a single target at a time, and will focus on magic-users and clerics first.
There are many named regions of Arak, bodies of water and mountain ranges.
- Gulf of Liborius - a body of water in central Arak separating most of the northern and southern landmass.
Major Events
Under Construction
Customs
Citizens of Arak have marriage customs where parents will introduce children as friends to see how they get along, and if both families approve and they grow to love each other, the woman may propose to the man. It is frowned upon for a man to propose to a woman in Arak. Not all people of Arak favor this custom, but it is not law, nor is it socially unacceptable to not partake in this tradition.
Arak is somewhat matriarchal in that women speak for their husbands, but government positions are only held by men. In the military, men are foot soldiers, while women are traditionally archers, because women are seen as having better vision and aim.
Some regions of Arak have a social problem in which desperate men and women will use love potions to charm the person they are obsessed with. They will approach the person and throw the love potion in their face, causing them to fall in love with them. This is highly illegal and the city watch in these regions have to remain vigilant. An afflicted person can be identified by bright pink irises in their eyes, something which never occurs naturally. This practice is punishable by life imprisonment. This practice is also why Enchantment wizards are highly vilified in Arak.
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