Sakkal

To many foreigners, Sakkal is a land of harsh desert-- little more than dust, stone and dead brush. Still, life thrives by a pair of rivers called the Tears of Ea, including cities such as Enkidd and the once-great Gilgesh. Like its neighbor Kemet, this is a land of ancient magic and mystery where anything can wait in the sands far from civilization.
This is the land of the Anunaki, an especially old clan of gods. Their people on Covenant are defined by the rule of their gods' new queen, Ishtar. She is a goddess of love and war, passion and justice. Like their goddess, they are a people of great contradiction, unseen and unappreciated by most in other lands.

Structure

The Sakkalans once had a monarchy and nobility much as many other lands. When Ishtar took over the pantheon, however, all that changed. Her priesthood began to rule, and her high priestess serves as absolute ruler of the land, for both religious and secular law. She is selected by her predecessor, but is traditionally the one most blessed with divine power.
Not only is the nation's capital of Enkidd ruled by a priest, but so too is every other Sakkalan community. Larger and more influential towns are ruled by more powerful priests. These priests don't generally reject more prestigious postings, no matter how great their attachments to their previous homes.
Traditionally, the position these priests hold is based on the level of divine power granted them. However, their is a limit to the level of influence granted male priests. This is, however, not an insurmountable problem. There is a ritual designed to render its male recipient female, allowing her to fill a position that would be otherwise denied her.

Culture

As Sakkal is ruled by the very much female-dominated church of Ishtar, it would be easy to assume Sakkalan culture is matriarchal. However, it is far more egalitarian than it might initially appear to outsiders. In mercantile, military, and civil matters men are just as well-respected as their female counterparts.
Ishar's divinity has made its mark on Sakkal's culture. As she is a goddess of love, sex, and passion it's not uncommon for her temples to double as brothels and the priests and priestesses frequently serve to provide for their supplicants' bodies as well as their spirits. The average Sakkalan doesn't see sex as casually as it might seem, such as in Polisia. It is a more spiritual matter for them.
They also value the rule of law quite strongly. Their courts are overseen by priests, to whom impartiality is actually a holy duty. In many cases these trails are conducted via trial by combat, owing to her role as a goddess of battle. Many of these fights draw spectators from the entire community, and some warriors make their lives as champions of the falsely accused.
Even though Ishtar is the chief goddess of the Sakkalan pantheon, this is not to say the other gods are neglected. For example, the many in the military worship Nergal, god of death and war while many farmers owe their loyalty to Dagon, who represents the land's fertility. Ea, god of water is one of the next most important besides Ishtar, both as a symbol of the rivers that give life to the land and as a bringer of civilization.
Two other gods worshipped by Sakkalans are a pair of primordial siblings known as Tiamat and Bahamut. Their cults are engaged in an endless shadowy war unseen by the people at large. These cults are supported by their allies, dragons living in thr deep desert. As vilified as Tiamat is, there are always those who can't resist the power she offers or the wealth held by her servants.

That Platinum Sneak
Anyone familiar with D&D will easily recognize Tiamat and Bahamut. Tiamat belongs here, as a primordial ocean goddess in Mesopotamian mythology responsible for spawning all monsters. Bahamut, however is part of later Arabic cosmology, as the fish/whale at the bottom of the wildest Jenga tower ever conceived.
Crucially, Bahamut was never a god, so he shouldn't have power in Covenant. However, the setting is connected with the D&D multiverse, making Tiamat really powerful. In universe, Enlil feared her power and simply told the other gods Bahamut was one of the Anunaki. So... praise the Platinum Dragon!

History

Soon after the creation of Covenant, itself the gods of the various pantheons claimed parts of the world. The Anunaki, as led by the storm god Enlil claimed the eastern part of the desert continent of Nahrica. The land was harsh, but they were comfortable there, and knew their people would thrive under their guidance.
Ea, god of water created the rivers that would bear his name. The mere presence of these rivers was changing the land into something more livable. At this time, Hermes, the Olympian god of travelers and thieves stole most fertile part of the land for his kin and brought it into the sea, creating the Polisian islands.
This theft was seen as a failure on Enlil's part and this led to his usurpation at the hands of the rain god Marduk. He was the one who brought his people to Covenant, and they created two cities on the banks of the Tears of Ea. They named these cities Gilgesh and Enkidd after two legendary heroes of their former world.
After their civilization had been established, the Sakkalans fought a series of wars against the Polisians to avenge the islands' theft. They lost these wars, offending Ishtar, goddess of war among many other things. She overthrew Marduk and announced her rulership by casting plagues upon Gilgesh, destroying it for the rejection she faced at the hands of its namesake hero.
This was a sign the noble rulers of Sakkal couldn't avoid. The former capital of the land had been clensed by divine wrath. Most nobles swore themselves to Istar or fled. From that day forth, the high priestess of Ishtar ruled from Enkidd, and Sakkal became a theocracy.
The greatest threat faced by the Sakkalans since that time was an invasion by demonic creatures from the sea. Their leader was a demon lord from the depths of the Abyss who named himself Dagon. He'd invaded Sakkal looking to eliminate the worshippers of Dagon, the god of grain and prosperity and thus kill the god whose name he stole.
One of these followers that was killed was offered a second chance by Erishkigal, goddess of the underworld, who wanted a champion unbound by fate. This man, who would be known as Ur-Sharadin was offered power and the opportunity to return to life if he would fight for Erishkigal. He agreed to serve so that he could save his people.
Upon returning to life, he immediately took the fight to the demons. He managed to rally the Sakkalan forces to fight for these more rural places that were being attacked. Eventually, he managed to slay the False Dagon, sending that foul creature back to the Abyss from whence he came.

Demography and Population

Just like the rest of Covenant, Sakkal is dominated by humans. This tendency is stronger here than it is in other lands, such as Acitern or Fasach. There is also a population of minotaurs here almost as large as that of Polisia. Near the Kemetan border, there is also a noticeable population of the cat-like tabaxi.
Fewer foriegners find their way here than in other lands. As such, members of other races are rarely see here. Most of these are merchants from the neighboring lands of Polisia and Kemet. Because of this, non-humans among them are usually tabaxi, minotaurs, or even the exceptionally rare half-nymph.

Sakkalan Minotaurs?
You might have noticed that Sakkal has a population of minotaurs, despite the minotaur being a distinctly Greek creature. If you're wondering why that is, the answer-- as with anything else in Covenant-- goes back to the aesthetics.
Simply put, I wanted to create a little racial diversity and minotaurs can easily match the Mesopotamian aesthetic. It's not the first or last time I did this. It's why there are tabaxi in Kemet and goblinoids in the continent of Duanjia.

Territories

Much like Kemet in the west, Sakkal is dominated mostly by desert. However, unlike Kemet, its desert is one of scrub brush as well as dust and gravel as opposed to the fine dunes found in western Nahrica. In western Sakkal, the scrub desert does give way to finer sand.
Easily the most important geographic features in the land are two rivers known as the Likkus and Eunaric Rivers, referred to collectively as the Tears of Ea. In the north, these rivers cut through the land in dramatic canyons. Further south, the land is more gently flowing, and here is where most Sakkalan civilization is built. Wherever the Tears of Ea touch the land, the harsh desert gives way to the green of plantlife.
In the south, where the Tears of Ea meet the sea, there's a vast cedar forest. Although there are a few logging communities on the northernmost edges, few actually go inside and are very careful to only take a few trees. The forest is guarded by giant creatures-- the children of the legendary monster Humbaba.
There is a deceptive amount of life in the desert, especially in the oases where clear water cuts into the surface. The mundane creatures of this land include foxes, lions, camels, and hyenas. Magical creatures include dragons, behir, werecrocodiles, and rocs. Creatures of elemental fire are more comfortable here than many other lands.
The most distinctive creatures in Sakkal are the mystical guardians of the land's magical and divine sites. These are the lammasu and man-scorpions that reside in crumbling ruins in the deep desert protecting the treasures that might be found within. Particularly, the lammasu are servants of the forces of good while the man-scorpions are protectors that work for the gods of evil.

Military

The Sakkalan military is a professional force in the service of the high priestess of Ishtar. Their ranks are primarily earned through merit, with officers being seasoned veterans. This makes their units far more cohesive than others whose officers simply bought their commissions through their own wealth.
Due to the harsh heat of the desert, the Sakkalan troops tend to be lightly armored. This means they tend to be more mobile than many other footsoldiers, but sometimes have a hard time standing toe-to-toe with more heavily armored forces, such as Polisian hoplites. They tend to depend on greater numbers and faster mobility in battle.
Magic-users, both arcane and divine have their place in the Sakkalan military. Mages are given a great deal of respect among their ranks, and often earn their education as battlemages in the service of Sakkal. Some priests of Ishtar specialize as war priests, but other military priests instead serve Nergal or Erishkigal, goddess of the underworld.

Foreign Relations

Sakkal's only real diplomatic relations are with their neighbors. Ever since the beginning of their history, they have been rivals of the Polisians. The Sakkalans are almost always the aggressors in these conflicts, as the Polisian city-states usually fight among themselves. No matter their rivalries, the Polisian city-states will unite to face the Sakkalans.
Their relationship with the Kemetans has traditionally been far more positive, although they have rarely fought side-by-side due to the Kemetans' also positive relationship with the Polisians. They have had a long tradition of trade and cooperation. Much of this cooperation includes scholarly pursuits. Mages from both sides often work together in their study of the arcane.

Agriculture & Industry

More than anything, the Sakkalans are masters of irrigation. This allows them to grow all manner of crops with water taken from the Tears of Ea. Their primary crop is grain, but they also grow beans and potatoes, as well as herding animals such as goats and sheep. These things make up most of the Sakkalan diet.
The canyons in the north of Sakkal have a surprising amount of iron, gold, and silver. They use these resources to smith all sorts of things, both practical and artistic. There are also many quarries there that use the canyon stone to create building blocks for Sakkalan architecture. In addition, there is also a small logging industry in the southern forest, but this is relatively small due to the forests protectors.

Trade & Transport

Sakkal's primary trading partners are Kemet and Polisia, paradoxically considering their poor diplomatic relations with Polisia. Although they don't have long-term trade relations with Bjornland, Jiayuan, or the kingdoms of Acitern, traders from these places do occasionally visit from time to time.
Their greatest exports are luxury goods such as goldsmithing works like jewelry and sculpture, as well as spices. They often import more practical things, often wooden crafts that don't depend on the sacred cedar woods. Sakkalans also have a taste for foreign flavors such as Polisian wine.

Infrastructure

For the most part, the Sakkalan desert isn't fit for travel. Roads built over such terrain don't tend to last very long, and people rarely travel overland. As such, most Sakkalan communities grow around the Tears of Ea, and their people use the rivers for travel. Other communities tend to grow around oases and sources of groundwater, however they rarely grow large or prosperous.
Most Sakkalan architecture is made of sandstone. Others, especially in smaller communities are made from a plaster that resembles sandstone. City walls are usually decorated with images of gods, heroes, and monsters. City gates are often flanked by statues of lammasu, symbolically protected by these celestial guardians.

Type

Geopolitical, Theocracy

Capital

Enkidd

Demonym

Sakkalan

Government System

Theocracy

Power Structure

Autonomous area

Economic System

Traditional

Location

Nahrica

Controlled Territories

• Enkidd
• Gilgesh

Neighboring Nations

• Kemet

Notable Members

• Ur-Sharadin