Pendahar
POPULATION: 25 MILLION
TERRITORIES: Ek Jad, Gos, Ilwe, L'ai Alaq, Najamur, Qildab, Sassam, Sheishal, Shuri, Tifwa Akn, Yei
LANGUAGES: Jaadi - 8M / ALAWAQ - 5.74M / Qilaphma - 4.94M / Hal Tikwa - 3.8M / Shichulcan - 750K / Yashwish - 600K / Cunacayahup - 400K / Uchechensabwa - 310K / VAIRUVAND - 250K / Siq'qul / Siq'qeln - 170K / T'Jal - 50K
The desert continent, famous for its dune seas and scalding temperatures, but also, unexpected oases and flourishing civilizations, young and old. A land of contradictions and strange beauty. Residents divide Pendahar into three distinct cultural spheres: The first entails Sassam, Najamur, and Ek Jad, bound by the lingua franca, Jaadi. The first two nations are hands down the richest on the continent as measured by the strength of their currencies, but also the overall prosperity of the people: Societies here are globally more equal than elsewhere in Pendahar and profits surprisingly trickle down to commoners, perhaps on account of their shared faith in Huw Jdeb– Great Sky – also called Deliverer of the Poor. Sassam and Najamur’s proximity to the up-and-coming Uvan Empire with which most of their trade is conducted has unleashed a certain cosmopolitan vibe here, though politicians strain to keep at bay the unwanted elements of Uvan authoritarianism and that mystery cult surrounding its elusive founder, The Weaver of Webs. Ek Jad itself, though birthplace of the common tongue, is an empire in decline, its downfall connected to the rise of the Uvan. The second sphere aligns speakers of Qildabic languages in eponymous Qildab, and the island satellites of Sheishal, Ilwe, and Gos. Centuries ago QIldab ran a vast dominion stretching north along the Jujuyaicj Coast, past Shuri and extending as far as Ald Cyngric on the continent of Gnosit, where to this day living tribes such as the Onka and Kamanuk trace their bloodlines back to the ancient Spirit Feather Emperors. Be it much contracted, contemporary Qildab thrives on flamboyantly: its chief religion, the Ocean Plume Temple, preserves the pageantry of the old world while embracing the new, presenting a template for its faithful’s view on life. If there is a dark edge to this colourful culture, it is its reputation as a hive for Hex sorcerors. The far newer states of Shuri and L'ai Alaq demarcate the third sphere, united by spoken Alawaq. The latter’s Nazhbehtaq Dynasty are considered upstarts by surrounding elder governments, but their recent invasion of Sekh Anoob has proven their willingness to put their money where their mouth is and won some converts among the doubting. Shuri is less successful, and great concern regarding a potential takeover by the neighbouring Nazhbehtaqs has taken hold among the people. Tifwa Akn and Yei are dry, dusty, and dirt poor. No one considers them – especially Yei – a bona fide “sphere” so much as an unfortunate vestige of a once-grand regime, The Kingdom of Uhthu Goser.
The desert continent, famous for its dune seas and scalding temperatures, but also, unexpected oases and flourishing civilizations, young and old. A land of contradictions and strange beauty. Residents divide Pendahar into three distinct cultural spheres: The first entails Sassam, Najamur, and Ek Jad, bound by the lingua franca, Jaadi. The first two nations are hands down the richest on the continent as measured by the strength of their currencies, but also the overall prosperity of the people: Societies here are globally more equal than elsewhere in Pendahar and profits surprisingly trickle down to commoners, perhaps on account of their shared faith in Huw Jdeb– Great Sky – also called Deliverer of the Poor. Sassam and Najamur’s proximity to the up-and-coming Uvan Empire with which most of their trade is conducted has unleashed a certain cosmopolitan vibe here, though politicians strain to keep at bay the unwanted elements of Uvan authoritarianism and that mystery cult surrounding its elusive founder, The Weaver of Webs. Ek Jad itself, though birthplace of the common tongue, is an empire in decline, its downfall connected to the rise of the Uvan. The second sphere aligns speakers of Qildabic languages in eponymous Qildab, and the island satellites of Sheishal, Ilwe, and Gos. Centuries ago QIldab ran a vast dominion stretching north along the Jujuyaicj Coast, past Shuri and extending as far as Ald Cyngric on the continent of Gnosit, where to this day living tribes such as the Onka and Kamanuk trace their bloodlines back to the ancient Spirit Feather Emperors. Be it much contracted, contemporary Qildab thrives on flamboyantly: its chief religion, the Ocean Plume Temple, preserves the pageantry of the old world while embracing the new, presenting a template for its faithful’s view on life. If there is a dark edge to this colourful culture, it is its reputation as a hive for Hex sorcerors. The far newer states of Shuri and L'ai Alaq demarcate the third sphere, united by spoken Alawaq. The latter’s Nazhbehtaq Dynasty are considered upstarts by surrounding elder governments, but their recent invasion of Sekh Anoob has proven their willingness to put their money where their mouth is and won some converts among the doubting. Shuri is less successful, and great concern regarding a potential takeover by the neighbouring Nazhbehtaqs has taken hold among the people. Tifwa Akn and Yei are dry, dusty, and dirt poor. No one considers them – especially Yei – a bona fide “sphere” so much as an unfortunate vestige of a once-grand regime, The Kingdom of Uhthu Goser.
Type
Continent
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