The Unktu khanate is the largest in terms of geographic area as well as population. It is considered the core of Warka to some, being located in the center and containing the capital of the nation, Jontu.
The ruler of Unktu is Khan Gutren.
Geography
Unktu is mainly made up of rolling hills and steppe, with occasional smatterings of trees and forested areas. Small creeks, rivers, and tributaries run through Unktu as well, keeping the land and its people hydrated.
There are occasional mountains that dot the geography of the plains as well, the most notable of these being the Ouroborous Mountain, a towering spire of rock and trees that houses the Sundial. The Sundial is located on the summit of the mountain. At the base of this mountain lies the city of
Chalco.
Jontu, the capital of Warka, lies in the middle of the plains of Unktu, sometimes considered the heart of Warka, since many different trade routes and roads pass through here like veins passing through the heart. It has been said that “all roads lead to Jontu.” Khan Gutren and Lord Khutul both reside here.
Unktu contains the most obvious of the ruins of Ancient cities that once walked the continent. These cities, just referred to as the Fallen Cities, were once carried on the backs of gargantuan constructs, but ever since the Retribution they have fallen and just been scattered across Warka as ruins. Many of these Fallen Cities are abandoned and both city and construct alike lie idle on the plains, overgrown with ivy and moss, but some cities are inhabited by drifters or gangs, and some others still are thriving towns or cities. Jontu was built partly on the ruins of one of these Fallen Cities.
Culture
The Unktu tribe was originally made up of humans, halflings, satyrs, centaurs, minotaurs, and firbolgs, but now any humanoid race can be found here. Many people in Unktu still practice the traditional culture of the tribe, but there are many immigrants who do not.
Unktu’s founding traditional culture was built by the tribe. Many of the Unktu tribesmen live in yurts or tents in the countryside, herding animals, sewing their own clothes, and holding many ceremonies. Their culture places a large emphasis on verbal storytelling - often, to keep themselves entertained, they will put on elaborate performances of epics called elohiks, which are retelling of tales of ancient heroes and battles between realms of good and evil. (Many of these epics have been written down and are stored in libraries of the Warka Academy. Elohiks are memorized by Unktu tribesmen and are not carried with them as books, because that would just be more baggage to carry while they move in their nomadic patterns. “It is better to store in the brain than on the back.”)
Unktu people tend to see issues as very black and white - there is little room for gray. This is not a cultural absolute, but it is heavily influenced by their storytelling, which tends to have great focus on forces of good versus forces of evil. They tend to be lawful.
Many Unktu people also worship Lielle, Tizoc, and Kenzo, the gods of the sun, sky, and earth respectively, since those are the domains they encounter most often.
Not everybody who passes through Unktu or lives in the khanate adheres to this culture; it is just the most common of the area.
Economy
Unktu’s economy relies on trade up from the Verges and Crater toward Dhulwin as well as lots of herding and pastoralism. Many pastoral nomads here herd yak, giant elk, oxen, sheep, or aurochs, some herding stranger animals like lizards or spiders as well. There is less traditional farming that occurs here, though farmlands do occasionally dot the countryside, most of them being small plots of land owned by small families.
Part of the economy also relies on mining of natural resources, particularly of coal and bronze. Many people are employed to mine in the depths of the hills of Unktu for these raw materials to trade.
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