The Marukan Alliance

While there has been no official census, there are between 600 and 900 such settlements in the region south of Deren’s Ford and north of Thorns. These communities contain extensive pasturage for horses, cattle and sheep, as well as fruit and vegetable gardens and fields for the cultivation of grain. One solitary city, Celeren, serves as the administrative center of the nation. Together, these communities form the Marukan Alliance.
Rivers, forests, savannas, fields of tall grasses and wild grains, even twin fjords, can all be found in Marukan. The rivers are usually fordable and cannot accommodate waterborne vehicles other than rafts or canoes. Hundreds of range towns dot the landscapes. Some feature vast fields of cotton or wheat, while others focus on raising cattle. All maintain large stabling facilities and raise, train and trade horses.
Celeren is the only Marukan city. It is located on the edge of the Confederation of Rivers’ southern border and is the closest city of reasonable size to Thorns. Celeren was once used by the Realm as a launching point for its various invasions into the Scavenger Lands. Once the city was liberated by the Seventh Legion, the Marukani took the city apart, stripping it of all Realm embellishments.

Structure

The Marukani are governed by a Council of Elders that convenes at the Celeren Manse. The Council is led by the Mayhiros clan elder, who has generously “donated” the facilities so that he can have easy access to all proceedings and whatever elders he would attempt to sway. While the Council concerns itself with many internal legal concerns, its main focus is on foreign diplomacy.
Members of the Council are elected by each range town or rancher collective and serve a maximum of 10 years, though most resign after one to return to the range. Elections occur when one community’s elder dies, retires or resigns, resulting in a constant (though at times slow) turnover.

Culture

The highlight of the year is Spring Market, a celebration of Marukan culture from horse-breeding exhibitions and races to local arts and crafts exhibits and enough singing, dancing and drinking to fi ll several weeks of revelry. There is a carnival, an annual yearling auction, contests to determine who has grown the largest melon or raised the fattest pig. For a finale, the Marukani put out all of the fi res and honor their dead under the light of the stars in a riotous nationwide wake.

Public Agenda

The Marukani have always had problems with foreign states that wish to conquer them, barbarians who want to slaughter them and steal their horses and spirits who simply do not understand them.
Lookshy is Marukan’s greatest ally (and customer). The nation’s alliance with Lookshy has led to the greatest windfall in its history. The Marukani rely on Lookshy for arms, training and protection from the Mask of Winters. Lookshy’s largest redoubt is in Marukan lands.
Celeren is the city closest to Thorns, and this worries the Marukani, who fear the Mask of Winters will set his sights on them. Of particular worry is the fact that the Deathlord has discussed military alliances with many smaller nearby states but has not approached the Marukani.
Nexus: Several Marukan range towns supply horses to the Guild but have little interest in pursuing close relations with a people so diametrically different from themselves. On one recent occasion, the Council of Elders issued a letter of refusal to the Council of Entities, which wished to divert several slave shipments through Murakan lands. Since then, there has been little official contact with Nexus.

Worship

The Marukani are not overly concerned with the worship of spirits or gods. While they participate in a version of the traditional cult of the dead, few of them consider it a vital part of their daily lives, which are more concerned with the state of the land, the speed of their horses and whether invaders will appear over the horizon. Some spirits extract offerings in exchange for decent weather conditions, but beyond this kind of relationship, the Marukani have little interest in worship.
Most Marukani who do worship a god worship Hiparkes, patron of horses and their riders. This spirit, who often takes the form of a noble gray stallion, watches over horses throughout the region. He favors the Marukani and their friends for the superior treatment and successful breeding of equines. His servants frequent the Spring Market to judge the year’s brood.

Population

450,000

Militia

22,500 (5%)

Soldiers

9,000 (2%)

Type

Political, Confederation

Capital

Celeren

Power Structure

Confederation

Parent Organization

The Confederation of Rivers

Location

The Scavenger Lands Geography