Kingdom of Numeda
The country of Numeda may be the largest kingdom of the Greater Maighib Desert, at least by land area. Occupying over half of the Numedan Peninsula in the south part of eastern Libynos, it is bounded on the west by (a possession of Khemit), on the southwest by the Ruby Sea, on the south and east by the Karaman Mountains, and on the north by the Kingdom of Ifthaaz. Numeda is a country of many parts, from the dry coastal regions along the Sea of Baal and Ruby Sea, to the arable areas of the north, to the deep sands and rocky flats of the Eastern [Maighib Desert], to the hills and mountains forming the country’s eastern border. These different regions mean the folk of Numeda vary substantially in their lives and livelihoods, with large cities near the Sea of Baal, tribespeople in the desert, and prosperous mining settlements in the Karaman Mountains. Certain features serve to keep them united, however.
The people of Numeda tend to be fiercely independent, since the country developed as a culture of nomads based on the camel and the horse. For hundreds of years they survived by relying on their tightly-knit clans, having no long-term, permanent cities but only a few settlements around strategic oases or important religious sites. Then, more than a thousand years ago, a prophet walked out of the desert and gradually changed their civilization. Significant populations are now gathered in a few cities and many villages, and even Numedans who still live nomadic lifestyles in the desert visit the cities from time to time.
Sulymon the Prophet has influenced Numeda for hundreds of years. As the primary advocate of the deity Anumon (god of gates and keeper of laws), he encouraged the people to move toward the acknowledgement of national laws and a way of life that accepts the need for the presence and cooperation of others rather than just one’s own small clan.
Numeda has some excellent natural resources, though they are not evenly distributed throughout the country. The northern hill country has enough grass for cattle and supports other crops, and the foothills to the east get enough moisture to raise sheep and grow grain. The eastern hills also have a great deal of mineral wealth found in various places along their length. Towns or individuals who can afford to fund a mining operation have become very wealthy, and the government has received its share of the abundance. Just because Numeda is a country of riches doesn’t mean its people are rich, though. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few powerful people or clans, so others may turn to banditry or piracy to try to get their share.
However, when the government sanctions the piracy (for a share of the proceeds, of course), then criminals become upstanding privateers, naval heroes to the lowly people of the country. This is the situation with the mariners of Numeda: nobles sponsor ships and crews who “patrol” the waters around Numeda watching for ships “encroaching on Numeda’s sovereign waters.” Westerners named these ships corsairs (from the Hyperborean term “coursaros,” which meant pirate), but the crews proudly adopted the pejorative term as their own.
In their small, fast ships, the corsairs of Numeda can’t stand up to most armed ships in a fight, but they can easily overtake a laden (and lightly armed) merchantman or run away from the heavier naval vessels. Several fortresses along the coast of the Sea of Baal provide bases for these vessels. A smaller fleet of corsairs is also active in the Ruby Sea to the west of Numeda. The greatest enemy of the corsairs of Numeda is the Royal Navy of Khemit; their greatest competition is the navy of Baalthaaz.
Although the involvement of the nobility (and thus the government) with the Numedan privateers is widely known, most countries in Akados are not ready at this time to get into a naval war with a power so far away, so they confine their protective efforts to vigorously guarding their own merchants against the corsairs. Some private merchant houses or trade organizations, however, have taken matters into their own hands and hired forces to stage attacks on individual privateer fortresses in Numeda. Occasionally, those making such an assault even land and move inland in an effort to interrupt supply lines for the privateers. Such actions risk falling afoul of Numeda’s Royal Army, however, and thus are kept strictly limited in time and scope so the attackers may swiftly return to their ships before encountering opposition.
The Royal Army of Numeda is primarily occupied patrolling the coastal road that runs from Khemit north to Ifthaaz and beyond. It is not much of a road, physically speaking, but is a common route for caravans and travelers. It is to the kingdom’s benefit to minimize the number of bandit attacks along that track so Kirtius (and the country as a whole) can profit from the fees and taxes levied on the caravans. There was a time when merchants and traders refused to traverse Numeda due to the extensive banditry, and the treasury (and the populace as well) suffered as a result.
The army does run patrols into the interior of Numeda but unless they are actually chasing a group of bandits, the chance of a military unit casually encountering a band of roving marauders is negligible. They do try to contend with the hobgoblin warbands that roam the desert, as those present an ongoing threat to any human villages or encampments. (Certain desert tribes have reached their own accommodations with hobgoblins in their area, in places where resources are scarce enough that all the tribes either need to share or fight to the death.)
As a result, caravans to and from the east and south rely on strong contingents of their own guards, sometimes even including magical support. For some parts of the country, transporting goods by sea is an alternative, but then travelers have to contend with the privateers. The corsairs might avoid Numedan ships flying the flags of certain powerful people but others tend to be considered fair game. Many merchants prefer to stay with a situation they can perhaps control and choose overland travel except for cargos with more bulk and less value.
Region
Numeda, Kingdom of
Controlled Territories
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