Post by Admin on Jul 28, 2015 21:50:29 GMT -5
Geography: Spanning the northern half of the Obsidian Continent, the land known now as Deshet has only existed in its present form for a little under a hundred years. 80% of the country is dominated by dunes of black sand, which were created by the Black Wave at the onset of the World War. Rivers, deltas and isolated locations of reclaimed nature provide the basis for most current civilization. Great stone obelisks are a prominent feature around these areas - inscribed with wards to prevent the black sand from destroying any more of what nature remains.
Weather: Deadly. Deshet is one of the few places that can kill someone just for existing. If it isn’t the scorching heat by day, it’s the frigid air at night. Water is absent for dozens of miles at a time, and that doesn’t even guarantee its purity. Don’t drink black sand. Life is practically nonexistent. The occasional sandstorm buries everything in its way, and when water deigns to fall in this part of the world, it threatens to drown instead.
Population: The days of hunting, forest-chopping, mineral-digging colonists from all over the world - those have long since been over. Somewhere between ten and twenty thousand remain now, though they’re still mostly human. It’s an extremely hard life for many, which keeps many away, but there’s been a steadily growing population of druids and necromancers from all countries. Regardless of their intent, they come because of the black sand.
Form of Government: Instituted by the treaty that ended the World War, the government of Deshet is formed by a two-tier system. A Council of Sages is made up of elected representatives of the country, and so are almost entirely human. Led by High Sage Serapis, they handle most legislative matters, but are themselves overseen by a sovereign judicial body of 5 beastfolk mages of supreme skill. The public reverently calls them the Godmages of Khemet, after the desert nation they came from. The Godmages have ultimate authority within the nation, but their focus is primarily to lead the restoration efforts of the nation. Even for a group of Tier 5’s, curing the nation of the black sand is a sisyphean task.
The names of the 5 are public knowledge. Horus is called the King of Light, a Falconfolk of terrifying force that slays undead as easily as he heals the living. The Jackalfolk, Anubis, is the Chief Occultist and master of all things necromantic (and somehow, popular teenage idol. He’s very confused by this). Bast is a lioness of a Catfolk, and Chief Warleader in military matters. Rumor has it any cat could be one of her spies. Hathor is the nation’s mother and Chief Ambassador, an amicable Cowfolk and Druid who has brought out the magic in many mundane individuals. Thoth doesn’t look like much - a rather scrawny Ibisfolk, easy to pass on the streets, but he’s still the Chief Wizard, a man of great skill and wisdom.
Technology: What technology? As part of the treaty with the Wild Fey, who wanted the land returned to “natural ways,” almost all modern conveniences are banned from being made, used, or imported into the nation. Wood and spellwork are the staples of life, and even those who have no ability for magic find enchanted items become as much a part of life as their farming tools. Curiously, many new immigrants have come expressly for this simpler lifestyle.
Favored Magics: Deshet’s magic has evolved from the blend of styles of its colonists, and from the Godmages themselves who helped guide the fledgeling nation. The Hieroglyphic magic of Khemet features heavily in written wards, carved right into stone or inscribed on scrolls. Chanting and words of power are common among the human wizards. All manner of Druidism, Necromancy, and Soul magic have come into the nation from around the globe, and so even those without magic find matters of the spirit to be a cultural concern.
Major Locations:
- The Iteru River is the lifeblood of the nation, cutting a massive length from mountain to ocean. 90% of the inhabitable areas rely on it for freshwater, and so most settlements follow its path.
- If the river is its blood, Apet is the nation’s heart. The single largest city Deshet has to offer, spanning several miles on either sides of the river, it is divided into West and East Apet. West Apet is the home of many of its governmental buildings, libraries and research centers. East Apet serves as the largest port in the nation, with ships from the entire Iteru River and even from across the ocean docking here.
- The Green Lands are simply named. This area, stretching from Apet and down along the Iteru River, only make up a portion of the country, but they give the people hope. Reclaimed farmland and lush shrubbery stand testament to the concentrated efforts of years of work, and produce most of Deshet’s food supply.
- Affectionately called Hathor’s Home, this city stretches along half of Lake Eshe. It serves as a secondary outpost for the reclamation of the nation, and its namesake, Hathor, can often be found coming and going. As such, it’s also become something of a research station for many others in the long fight to cure the sand.
- Hapy’s Reprieve is a light in the dark: an oasis town, with a few miles of reclaimed inhabitable area around it. It also serves as forward military post against the undead threat out in the sands. There tend to be a lot of cats. That probably has nothing to do with Bast.
- The Nubt Canyons are half artificial. They were carved out by so many mining efforts, both before and after the World War. Most of the gold and stone in the nation came from the many miles of this mountainous stretch.
- Menouthis used to be a thriving Arcadian colony along the east coast. “Used to be” are the primary words here. It was destroyed in the initial explosion that created the black sand, over a hundred years ago, and even today, remains one of the areas most infested with undead. Infrequent efforts are made to thin its numbers. It is not the only ruined colony in this state...
- The Enclave of the Wastes is supposed to be a rumor, according to the government. It’s not. This great traveling tent caravan is comprised entirely of necromancers and their (usually dead) henchmen. They are not here to help. At best, this hive of villainy fights itself. At worst, they attack the obelisks and the druids attempting to heal the land. Wards mitigate the chance of anyone finding them, but the desert’s vastness is their greatest advantage. Horus wants them dead.
- The Western Dunes are avoided by near everyone, for one of the only surviving “life” forms calls this area its home: the lichworms. These titans, as long as a skyscraper is tall, usually stay underground. When they rise to the surface… you’ll know.
- The sacred grounds of Ipet-Isut were built by/for the great Fey, before the World War. The black sand has destroyed much of what once was, but the great pyramids still stand. Those entombed within have likely been infected by the black sand themselves, though that hasn’t stopped some grave-robbers from trying. Most don’t make it back.
- The Sunwall is a massive landmass to the southeast: a mountainous area that separates the coast from the bulk of the country. The southern half of the country only sees the dawn after it crosses these peaks. Still, the land is largely barren, but efforts have been made to reclaim and revitalize it. Many druids have housed at the base while seeding the mountain range.
Major Concerns:
-The black sand is on everyone’s mind. It is an inescapable concern for the whole nation. Mages have to worry about the way it’s necromantic charge interferes with elements of magic like earth, water, wood, and healing magic in general. For the weaker of tiers of magic, the sand can inhibit them completely. Even mundane beings have to worry about the way the sand slowly leeches away life. Without protective wards, most individuals die within a day or two. The sand also decays most materials at an accelerated rate, adding more and more of itself in the process like a slow fire. Mundane stone resists it the best, but sand wears even that away eventually…
- Protective obelisks line the country and every place where things still grow. They have had all manner of wards carved into them by the Godmage, Thoth, and the magic imbued in them keeps the black sand from spreading beyond its borders. It is still common practice - and considered fashionable even! - to wear golden armbands with personal protection spells, so should the worst happen, and someone destroys a few obelisks, the people have a metaphorical hazmat suit.
- Not every corpse dissolves away in this land. Indeed, the necromantic charge to the sand lends itself to animating many an undead creature, and the World War lost many bodies beneath the wastes. The sand can even empower them them, given enough time. Wandering undead are frequently sought out by war parties for destruction, and great pains are taken to prevent any more undead from being infected. In time past, the dead were given special burial rites from Khemet, shrouded in cloth wrappings and wards. That … only delayed the inevitable.
- Necromancers have been arriving in Deshet for as long as the sand has existed. While a good number have had only the best of intentions, it’s public knowledge that the wastes are full with necromancers of the darkest ilk. At best, they murder each other in a contest to see who is the greatest master of undeath. At worst, they attack the protective obelisks, with purposeful intent to stop or set back the restoration efforts.
- Typical of any government, the politicians haven’t been the most helpful either. Some of the Sages on the council are old enough to remember when the human colonists didn’t have constant oversight from a group of Beastfolk foreigners. Most of them are young enough that they never experienced the war, but the result is the same: a growing number of Sages think the Godmages have overstayed their welcome...
Weather: Deadly. Deshet is one of the few places that can kill someone just for existing. If it isn’t the scorching heat by day, it’s the frigid air at night. Water is absent for dozens of miles at a time, and that doesn’t even guarantee its purity. Don’t drink black sand. Life is practically nonexistent. The occasional sandstorm buries everything in its way, and when water deigns to fall in this part of the world, it threatens to drown instead.
Population: The days of hunting, forest-chopping, mineral-digging colonists from all over the world - those have long since been over. Somewhere between ten and twenty thousand remain now, though they’re still mostly human. It’s an extremely hard life for many, which keeps many away, but there’s been a steadily growing population of druids and necromancers from all countries. Regardless of their intent, they come because of the black sand.
Form of Government: Instituted by the treaty that ended the World War, the government of Deshet is formed by a two-tier system. A Council of Sages is made up of elected representatives of the country, and so are almost entirely human. Led by High Sage Serapis, they handle most legislative matters, but are themselves overseen by a sovereign judicial body of 5 beastfolk mages of supreme skill. The public reverently calls them the Godmages of Khemet, after the desert nation they came from. The Godmages have ultimate authority within the nation, but their focus is primarily to lead the restoration efforts of the nation. Even for a group of Tier 5’s, curing the nation of the black sand is a sisyphean task.
The names of the 5 are public knowledge. Horus is called the King of Light, a Falconfolk of terrifying force that slays undead as easily as he heals the living. The Jackalfolk, Anubis, is the Chief Occultist and master of all things necromantic (and somehow, popular teenage idol. He’s very confused by this). Bast is a lioness of a Catfolk, and Chief Warleader in military matters. Rumor has it any cat could be one of her spies. Hathor is the nation’s mother and Chief Ambassador, an amicable Cowfolk and Druid who has brought out the magic in many mundane individuals. Thoth doesn’t look like much - a rather scrawny Ibisfolk, easy to pass on the streets, but he’s still the Chief Wizard, a man of great skill and wisdom.
Technology: What technology? As part of the treaty with the Wild Fey, who wanted the land returned to “natural ways,” almost all modern conveniences are banned from being made, used, or imported into the nation. Wood and spellwork are the staples of life, and even those who have no ability for magic find enchanted items become as much a part of life as their farming tools. Curiously, many new immigrants have come expressly for this simpler lifestyle.
Favored Magics: Deshet’s magic has evolved from the blend of styles of its colonists, and from the Godmages themselves who helped guide the fledgeling nation. The Hieroglyphic magic of Khemet features heavily in written wards, carved right into stone or inscribed on scrolls. Chanting and words of power are common among the human wizards. All manner of Druidism, Necromancy, and Soul magic have come into the nation from around the globe, and so even those without magic find matters of the spirit to be a cultural concern.
Major Locations:
- The Iteru River is the lifeblood of the nation, cutting a massive length from mountain to ocean. 90% of the inhabitable areas rely on it for freshwater, and so most settlements follow its path.
- If the river is its blood, Apet is the nation’s heart. The single largest city Deshet has to offer, spanning several miles on either sides of the river, it is divided into West and East Apet. West Apet is the home of many of its governmental buildings, libraries and research centers. East Apet serves as the largest port in the nation, with ships from the entire Iteru River and even from across the ocean docking here.
- The Green Lands are simply named. This area, stretching from Apet and down along the Iteru River, only make up a portion of the country, but they give the people hope. Reclaimed farmland and lush shrubbery stand testament to the concentrated efforts of years of work, and produce most of Deshet’s food supply.
- Affectionately called Hathor’s Home, this city stretches along half of Lake Eshe. It serves as a secondary outpost for the reclamation of the nation, and its namesake, Hathor, can often be found coming and going. As such, it’s also become something of a research station for many others in the long fight to cure the sand.
- Hapy’s Reprieve is a light in the dark: an oasis town, with a few miles of reclaimed inhabitable area around it. It also serves as forward military post against the undead threat out in the sands. There tend to be a lot of cats. That probably has nothing to do with Bast.
- The Nubt Canyons are half artificial. They were carved out by so many mining efforts, both before and after the World War. Most of the gold and stone in the nation came from the many miles of this mountainous stretch.
- Menouthis used to be a thriving Arcadian colony along the east coast. “Used to be” are the primary words here. It was destroyed in the initial explosion that created the black sand, over a hundred years ago, and even today, remains one of the areas most infested with undead. Infrequent efforts are made to thin its numbers. It is not the only ruined colony in this state...
- The Enclave of the Wastes is supposed to be a rumor, according to the government. It’s not. This great traveling tent caravan is comprised entirely of necromancers and their (usually dead) henchmen. They are not here to help. At best, this hive of villainy fights itself. At worst, they attack the obelisks and the druids attempting to heal the land. Wards mitigate the chance of anyone finding them, but the desert’s vastness is their greatest advantage. Horus wants them dead.
- The Western Dunes are avoided by near everyone, for one of the only surviving “life” forms calls this area its home: the lichworms. These titans, as long as a skyscraper is tall, usually stay underground. When they rise to the surface… you’ll know.
- The sacred grounds of Ipet-Isut were built by/for the great Fey, before the World War. The black sand has destroyed much of what once was, but the great pyramids still stand. Those entombed within have likely been infected by the black sand themselves, though that hasn’t stopped some grave-robbers from trying. Most don’t make it back.
- The Sunwall is a massive landmass to the southeast: a mountainous area that separates the coast from the bulk of the country. The southern half of the country only sees the dawn after it crosses these peaks. Still, the land is largely barren, but efforts have been made to reclaim and revitalize it. Many druids have housed at the base while seeding the mountain range.
Major Concerns:
-The black sand is on everyone’s mind. It is an inescapable concern for the whole nation. Mages have to worry about the way it’s necromantic charge interferes with elements of magic like earth, water, wood, and healing magic in general. For the weaker of tiers of magic, the sand can inhibit them completely. Even mundane beings have to worry about the way the sand slowly leeches away life. Without protective wards, most individuals die within a day or two. The sand also decays most materials at an accelerated rate, adding more and more of itself in the process like a slow fire. Mundane stone resists it the best, but sand wears even that away eventually…
- Protective obelisks line the country and every place where things still grow. They have had all manner of wards carved into them by the Godmage, Thoth, and the magic imbued in them keeps the black sand from spreading beyond its borders. It is still common practice - and considered fashionable even! - to wear golden armbands with personal protection spells, so should the worst happen, and someone destroys a few obelisks, the people have a metaphorical hazmat suit.
- Not every corpse dissolves away in this land. Indeed, the necromantic charge to the sand lends itself to animating many an undead creature, and the World War lost many bodies beneath the wastes. The sand can even empower them them, given enough time. Wandering undead are frequently sought out by war parties for destruction, and great pains are taken to prevent any more undead from being infected. In time past, the dead were given special burial rites from Khemet, shrouded in cloth wrappings and wards. That … only delayed the inevitable.
- Necromancers have been arriving in Deshet for as long as the sand has existed. While a good number have had only the best of intentions, it’s public knowledge that the wastes are full with necromancers of the darkest ilk. At best, they murder each other in a contest to see who is the greatest master of undeath. At worst, they attack the protective obelisks, with purposeful intent to stop or set back the restoration efforts.
- Typical of any government, the politicians haven’t been the most helpful either. Some of the Sages on the council are old enough to remember when the human colonists didn’t have constant oversight from a group of Beastfolk foreigners. Most of them are young enough that they never experienced the war, but the result is the same: a growing number of Sages think the Godmages have overstayed their welcome...