Ottiarky of Bhanakhiri
Bhanakhiri is in southern Libynos west of the Hollow Spire Mountains. Its primary cities are along the coast, but various towns and villages dot the interior. The country is run by a group of factions that compete to control various aspects of life and government. Bhanakhiri’s currency, the bhan, is readily accepted in most of the surrounding areas.
Bhanakhiri’s political and mercantile influence is divided among five factions: Gold, Jewel, Silk, Iron, and Sword. These factions might have begun as guild alliances, but they are much more than that now. The five leaders of the factions form the Council of Ottiarks, which governs the country. The individual ottiarks rule their specific areas of responsibility through their bureaucracies. As corpulence is considered a sign of prosperity and power in Bhanakhiri, most of the ottiarks (and many other rulers or wealthy merchants) are extremely plump. The exception is the unfortunate Prasert Yok Khla, who despite his wealth still practically has the body of a poor farmer. Another way people show their position is through their clothing. The ottiarks (and others who have assistants or servants to do their work for them) usually dress in expensive, colorful outfits with full sleeves, elaborate headpieces, and shoes with exceptionally long toes.
The factions are not concentrated in particular regions of the country; instead towns of various factions are interspersed to give the groups a degree of control in many areas. Cities or regions are governed by factional hexargs who answer to the faction’s ottiark. Towns or villages too small to have their own hexargs are part of an area hexargate. (This is not to be confused with a regional hexargate, which is much larger and more prestigious.) Each faction has its own faction city, which holds the faction headquarters and arena and the estate of its ottiark. The city is ruled by the faction’s chief hexarg as the ottiark is away most of the time at the council.
Individuals are born into a faction but can move into a different faction in adulthood. Members of factions may participate out of loyalty, or they may be hired to do a job. Those who are loyal to a faction are generally rewarded by trust from faction leaders and responsible (and profitable) positions within the faction. Those such as mercenaries or gladiators who joined a faction for money are not considered to be traitors when they change factions for a better offer, provided they are straightforward about their plans and do their job for a faction the entire time they are being paid. People expected to be loyal may get more privileges than mere hirelings, but if they violate trust — even trust they didn’t want — they could be in great danger. One way a loyal member might show allegiance to a faction is to have a faction symbol tattooed on his or her body. Most-common locations are on the arm, chest, hand, or face, depending on how loudly a person wants to announce faction membership. Gladiators may get tattoos representing a faction or a sponsor; this can result in top gladiators having several tattoos as they change sponsors over the course of a career.
One of the popular pastimes in Bhanakhiri is attending the arena. Ancient stone arenas exist in Gamphen, Dunchamba, and Panaet, and others have been built in the past in other cities. In addition, each faction has its own arena in its faction city. The primary attraction is to watch duels between sponsored gladiators who fight for a rich purse on behalf of their sponsors. Those duels usually go only to first blood, so the best gladiators have learned to put on a good show while they protect themselves. The audience is encouraged to throw coins or other tokens after a good performance; some also throw other things after a poor performance, despite guards at the doors who are supposed to keep those things out.
Combat by single gladiators is not the only entertainment at the arenas. Faction mercenaries fight each other in various configurations, usually with blunt weapons but sometimes with live steel. In addition, there are various types of footraces and the wildly popular ostrich races. The swift birds are trained specifically to race, often by the very youths who ride them. They race faction against faction, and winning is one way young people can hope to come to the attention of a faction leader or a wealthy sponsor.
Region
Bhanakhiri, Ottiarky of
Parent Organization
Controlled Territories
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