Deluja

Deluja is the Southernmost region of Izekra, where the winds and currents between Izekra, Makal, and Sonev meet. It is a devoutly Ishkibite land, and as such is fairly militaristic - but it is not a land of open hostilities. More often than inter-kingdom war are conflicts between the kingdoms and pirates or between either group and the "unsettled" peoples of the land who refuse to follow any monarch. Within the bustling ports of Deluja, outsiders seeking to trade are always welcome. Corporations from Ekraht, Orthodox Desmians willing to trade rather than raid, and even a small community from distant Runeva. This culture of commercial plurality can be found virtually anywhere in the "settled kingdoms", and virtually anyone who arrives in Deluja seeking a home can find one if they ask. The free peoples of Deluja, the residents of the "blanks" in the maps, are perhaps less friendly. They do not attack outsiders, per say, but they are far less welcoming than the wealthy trading kingdoms. Some tribes and communities do welcome foreign merchants, but these groups tend to stick to the coast and usually keep their weapons nearby in case of pirates. Many others choose to prefer to keep to themselves, much to the irritation of the trading kingdoms. While many of the free folk organize primarily along loose family lines in an informal manner, large Ishkibite temples serve as bustling trading outposts and centers of military and political organization. These temples are meeting grounds during times of crisis, schools for tribal priests, and places for mutual aid and refuge. These temples and the trading kingdoms are firmly at odds, as the kingdoms seek to constantly expand their control over Deluja and the temple-towns are a constant thorn in their side. In the Northeast interior, lush tropics give way to mountains - and in the mountains, prisms rule. These prisms are the middle of conflict: two great kingdoms, Alkan and Halmahd, have risen over the others and plunged the prisms holds into a cold war of sorts. That the Southern kingdom, Alkan, has recently converted their kingdom and alliance to Ishkibism has only dialed up the tension and added an extra-dangerous religious edge to it. While Alkan is fairly remote, the trading kingdoms have lent their full wealth and support in the hope that these Ishkibite prisms might help them develop a route up the Eastern coast of Izekra. Given the rise of the bloody Kingdom of Taneth in the Northwest and lucrative trading opportunities in Ukaram in the Northeast, some of the more ambitious merchant princes see the Eastern coast of Izekra as the future, and are determined to force their way in on the ground floor.

Geography

The peninsula of Kuana is the most densely populated and iconic part of Deluja. It spans 110 miles across and is 70 miles wide, with its largest state being the Southwestern Kingdom of Venezra. The isthmus connecting Kuana to the rest of Izekra is 30 miles across at its thinnest. 160 miles to the East of Kuana is the island of Kalu - a rich, wind-buffeted isle with many coastal ports but a largely unorganized interior. Kalu is 121 miles long and 67 miles wide, and is 23 miles from the mainland. 9 miles South of Kalu is Vralhu - an island kingdom protected by great reefs and known for its skilled navigators. Vralhu is the greatest commercial power of Deluja, and hosts the only Khilaian compound in the region. Vralhu is 35 by 14 miles across. The region of Kinjema, to the Northeast, is the least integrated part of Deluja. It essentially refers to a series of large prism-holds and prismatic states, particularly the two great prism kingdoms of the region: Alkhan and the Northern realm of Halmahd. Both are roughly 75 miles inland. Deluja is 695 miles from Makal and 705 miles from East Sonev. Both passages may be fairly long voyages, but the winds are stable and fair for half the year - making travel both quick and reliable. During winter, unreliable winds and sudden storms can turn the voyage foul at the drop of a hat.