EditThe land of serpents- Tone: A desert nation where the Serpent God rules
- Timeframe: -3000 years to present
- Artifice: Low
- Region: Silizia
- Capital: Khamsen (~90,000)
- Notable Settlements: Dar Sslyth (~30,000), Mut (~25,000), Dar Isah (~24,000)
- Government: Theocracy
- Ruler: Kah Amn, Grand High Priest of Sslyth
- Races: Human (~500,000)
- Languages: Bieha (Primary language), Dar (Language of the Gods, used for rituals)
- Religions: The Eldar Gods aka Ithus Pantheon; Sslyth, Lord of Serpents is venerated above all others, Isah, The Desert Flower is the secondary religion. Slaves often secretly worship Ket in the hopes that their next life will be more pleasant.
- Coinage: Kah (.75gp), Salam (3sp), Dinaru (1cp), Kadinaru (.5cp)
EditSynopsisThe nation of Khem spreads itself through a verdant belt along the mighty Sslythic river that runs almost due south from the Calamshari Sea between Stepizia to the east and the black wastes of lost Sharmut to the west, emerging in the Zalton Sea at the bottom of the world into waters that eventually lead to Tropizia to the southwest. This crucial river is a crucial part of perhaps the most important and lucrative trade route in the world, and insures Khem's vast wealth despite its general lack of native resources and decadence.
The Sslythic river, while generally clean, is not safe to swim in as it is heavily infested with highly poisonous water serpents. No effort has ever been made to cut down on the population of these deadly vipers, because snakes are believed to be the manifestation of Sslyth's will in the world of man. To be bitten by a snake is to be blessed by Sslyth and called to his side (rather quickly, in the case of the water serpents).
Khamsen is nearly a fortress, built in teirs into the side of a small mountain. The tiers go from the lowest class citizens and slave quarters on the bottom, to the palace of Kah Amn at the pinnacle of the mountain. Each tier is a warren of streets and buildings, only kept clean by the constant efforts of slaves.
While Khamsen is the capital and center of the nation, the spiritual center of Khem rests in Dar Sslyth and Dar Isah, twin holy cities set across the river from each other. Dar Sslyth and Dar Isah are filled with holy relics and shrines, and both cities are the end points of annual pilgrimages by the people of Khem.
Slaves do the majority of the work in Khem, allowing the rest of the population to lounge indolently, discuss theology and generally do nothing useful. The lifespan of slaves in Khem is generally very short, as displeasing their owner in any way is an invitation to be dumped in the river. Attempting to escape is punished by being flayed, and then dumped in the river. Once a year, during the Feast of Isah, slaves are allowed to say or do whatever they wish as long as they return to work as normal the next day and do not physically harm a citizen.
The name of the Grand High Priest is actually a title given to the reigning theocrat. The common people believe that Kah Amn is the same Grand High Priest that brought the worship of Sslyth to Khem 3000 years ago. Various stories are told to explain this: That he's immortal, that he's actually a human avatar of Sslyth, that he steals the souls of slaves sacrificed in the high temple, etc. EditMagicPowerful Ecclesiasts are very common in the priesthood. Magi unattached to the priesthood tend to be Occultists of some stripe, or Alchemists, but there are also rumors of Daemon Cults which are ruthlessly suppressed by the clergy.
Humans
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