Rahadoum
The nation of Rahadoum was founded on a single principle: let no mortal be beholden to a god. Proposed by philosopher Kalim Onaku as a way to end the Oath Wars, this principle quickly expanded into a governing manifesto dubbed the Laws of Mortality. In the eyes of the Rahadoumi, religion is a form of indentured servitude—the sale of one’s immortal soul. Worse, faith encourages violence and division between mortals while blinding believers to reason. Though often labeled as atheists, Rahadoumi do not doubt the existence of the gods—rather, they reject the idea of worship, seeing the gods as powerful and capricious aristocrats who use mortals as toys. In the Rahadoumi mind, it’s better to live in freedom, with all the hardship it entails, than to spend eternity as a thrall.
All forms of deity worship are outlawed in Rahadoum. Possession of holy texts or symbols can result in heavy fines or exile, while preaching within its borders is punished by imprisonment or worse. With the exception of clerics and others who channel the gods’ power, however, religious visitors are still welcome to trade in the ports or study in the nation’s esteemed universities, so long as they do not proselytize or conduct religious rituals while there. Immigration to Rahadoum is also encouraged, with the dockside propagandists welcoming with song all those willing to “reject and rejoice.” Faiths that resemble religion but do not venerate divine beings are viewed with suspicion but tolerated—notably the Green Faith, since druids hired by the government present one of the best bulwarks against the nation’s rapidly accelerating desertification.
Enforcement of the laws governing religion falls to the Pure Legion, a sophisticated military organization based out of an unconquerable fortress called Shepherd’s Rock high in the Napsune Mountains.
A council of representatives from every major settlement and nomadic group rules Rahadoum, voting every 5 years to appoint one of the members as head of state, called the Keeper of the First Law. Ordinary Rahadoumi tend to be independent and educated, debating the latest political issues and philosophical treatises with the ardor of Chelaxians following penny operas. The Rahadoumi economy relies on ingenuity, with a huge merchant and artisan class exporting high-quality crafts and mechanical innovations. The absence of the gods’ influence allows arcane magic to flourish, and mercenary groups train elite warriors tough enough to forgo their peers’ reliance on divine healing.
Rahadoum’s capital of Azir seems almost like two different cities. To outsiders, it’s a bustling river port and the center for trade in the region, with brightly colored markets and huge, hypermodern buildings whose architects use the latest feats of engineering to seemingly break geometry with their fanciful shapes. Yet just behind this facade is a sprawl of slums and trash-walled tenements, where refugees from desertification across the nation struggle to survive and join the city’s middle class.
Fifty miles offshore, the island of Nuat feeds the capital’s masses with the best farmland in the nation. It also harbors much of Rahadoum’s navy. Unfortunately, while the island’s sailors excel at protecting the seas near Azir from the Shackles’ Free Captains, no amount of military presence has been able to drive out the Thin Men—ghostly spirits that haunt Nuat’s cane fields and terrify its residents.
Rahadoum’s government is concerned primarily with the future and innovation. It cares little for the relics of the past, leaving the study of such things to wizards from Manaket’s esteemed Occularium. In the deep deserts and remote reaches of the Napsune Mountains, legendary Jistkan ruins including Lost Yemal, the Tomb of Emperors, and the Hanging City of Teskra stand ripe for adventurers able to brave their ancient traps and resident monsters, as does the magically lush Eternal Oasis. Yet reaching such destinations means contending with fierce lamia bands, the sand traps of giant antlions, and legendary threats like Khanjar-Khanayr the Stone Maw, the fiendish dragon who lurks in his mountain lair of Ghataking, waiting for a sign that it’s time to rise up and lay waste to the region.
All forms of deity worship are outlawed in Rahadoum. Possession of holy texts or symbols can result in heavy fines or exile, while preaching within its borders is punished by imprisonment or worse. With the exception of clerics and others who channel the gods’ power, however, religious visitors are still welcome to trade in the ports or study in the nation’s esteemed universities, so long as they do not proselytize or conduct religious rituals while there. Immigration to Rahadoum is also encouraged, with the dockside propagandists welcoming with song all those willing to “reject and rejoice.” Faiths that resemble religion but do not venerate divine beings are viewed with suspicion but tolerated—notably the Green Faith, since druids hired by the government present one of the best bulwarks against the nation’s rapidly accelerating desertification.
Enforcement of the laws governing religion falls to the Pure Legion, a sophisticated military organization based out of an unconquerable fortress called Shepherd’s Rock high in the Napsune Mountains.
A council of representatives from every major settlement and nomadic group rules Rahadoum, voting every 5 years to appoint one of the members as head of state, called the Keeper of the First Law. Ordinary Rahadoumi tend to be independent and educated, debating the latest political issues and philosophical treatises with the ardor of Chelaxians following penny operas. The Rahadoumi economy relies on ingenuity, with a huge merchant and artisan class exporting high-quality crafts and mechanical innovations. The absence of the gods’ influence allows arcane magic to flourish, and mercenary groups train elite warriors tough enough to forgo their peers’ reliance on divine healing.
Rahadoum’s capital of Azir seems almost like two different cities. To outsiders, it’s a bustling river port and the center for trade in the region, with brightly colored markets and huge, hypermodern buildings whose architects use the latest feats of engineering to seemingly break geometry with their fanciful shapes. Yet just behind this facade is a sprawl of slums and trash-walled tenements, where refugees from desertification across the nation struggle to survive and join the city’s middle class.
Fifty miles offshore, the island of Nuat feeds the capital’s masses with the best farmland in the nation. It also harbors much of Rahadoum’s navy. Unfortunately, while the island’s sailors excel at protecting the seas near Azir from the Shackles’ Free Captains, no amount of military presence has been able to drive out the Thin Men—ghostly spirits that haunt Nuat’s cane fields and terrify its residents.
Rahadoum’s government is concerned primarily with the future and innovation. It cares little for the relics of the past, leaving the study of such things to wizards from Manaket’s esteemed Occularium. In the deep deserts and remote reaches of the Napsune Mountains, legendary Jistkan ruins including Lost Yemal, the Tomb of Emperors, and the Hanging City of Teskra stand ripe for adventurers able to brave their ancient traps and resident monsters, as does the magically lush Eternal Oasis. Yet reaching such destinations means contending with fierce lamia bands, the sand traps of giant antlions, and legendary threats like Khanjar-Khanayr the Stone Maw, the fiendish dragon who lurks in his mountain lair of Ghataking, waiting for a sign that it’s time to rise up and lay waste to the region.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Official State Religion
Location
Neighboring Nations
Comments