Nehemeni
Desert People of the Northern Sands
Nehemen is a land of deserts along the north coast of Rhyduania. The region of Nehemen doesn't extend very far inland, and features an extensive amount of coastline, and as a result the culture is mainly centered around sprawling port cities separated by vast gulfs of empty, featureless sand.
Mercantile pursuits are the driving force of Nehemeni culture, with spices, textiles and exotic animals being the strongest industries to trade in. Nehemen is not with out its share of artisans, however, with Nehemeni silk, pottery and incense being famed throughout Rhyduania as the best available.
While other regions allow certain forms of indentured servitude, Nehemen is the only region to allow full blown slave trade. Other cultures generally find slavery to be morally despicable, but the Nehemeni have a more pragmatic view, and pride themselves on the morality of their slave trade, with laws in place against the mistreatment and abuse of slaves. The reality of how well these laws are followed is less than ideal, however.
The fashion of Nehemen is greatly inspired by the climate, being mostly composed of flowing cotton and thin linen, designed for ventilation for heat, and coverage from the sun. Women's fashion tends to be composed of dresses and robes, with skin showing wherever possible to provide breathing room in areas usually less prone to sunburn: hips, stomach, underarm, and the sides of the torso. For similar reasons, open display of cleavage is much less emphasized than in other cultures, which is seen as silly way to get a very uncomfortable sunburn. Men commonly wear a loose fully body garment called a Khefish, which features loose, billowing arms and legs, and an open front, belted at the waist in a manner similar to a bathrobe. The chests are commonly left slightly open, not only for ventilation, but because a full coat of thick chest hair is a matter of pride for many Nehemeni men.
Arcane spellcasters such as wizards and sorcerers are common in Nehemeni culture, often part of the rich and social elite. Traffic with Outsiders, especially djinn and elementals, is common, and as a result the religions of the gods don't have a strong following in Nehemen, as the more immediate results of dealing with Outsiders is seen as more practical. As an extension of this, most of the warlocks of Rhyduania originate in Nehemen, and most plane-touched humans (such as tieflings and genasi) are of Nehemeni stock. This isn't to say religion isn't welcome in Nehemen, and due to the trading hub nature of their cities, a temple to every god can be found if one looks hard enough.
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