Marquet

Following the winds and waves to the southwest of Tal’Dorei across the Ozmit Sea will eventually lead one over the chain of islands called the Hespet Archipelago and to the shores of the continent of Marquet. The pebble beaches of the Bay of Gifts greet the traveler, where the port city of Shammel invites gambling and extravagance for the traders who travel from afar. Beyond the port lies the rocky edge of the Aggrad Mountains, which spread for hundreds of miles of deep chasms and endless caves housing predatory creatures lying in wait, before giving way to the immense Marquessian Desert that seems nearly endless to the naked eye.
Overbearing heat, deadly sandstorms, and ever-hungry denizens of the dunes encroach on the safe travels any caravan may attempt across these lands in search for a number of the oasis-like bastions of civilization. Near the center of this intense desert, surrounded by a sprawling network of small villages, is the grand city of Ank’Harel, the center of culture, history, and power for all of Marquet. Ruled by the mysteriously undying J’mon Sa Ord, the streets of Ank’Harel are safe and rich with music and culture compared to the desolate lands that surround it. The Hands of Ord, the internal guard of the city, act as guardian to nearby villages and townships, but they can only reach so far. Further south the sands give way to scrubland and marshes tangled with the volatile mountains surrounding the smoking Suuthan Volcano and the dangerous clans that worship it.
The deserts of Marquet stand as the echo of a once lush landscape that housed a prominent civilization of Loxodons during the Age of Arcanum, one that ended in terrible internal conflict during the Calamity. The war that raged reduced the lands to sand and ash, burying a multitude of long-sealed secrets that many factions now compete to uncover and claim. After the Divergence, loxodons continued to rebuild their somewhat nomadic society and quickly developed a natural affinity for working with stone - a now prominent material of the once-flourishing landscape. As their craftsmanship gained popularity within Ank'harel, the demand for their work exponentially increased across the continent. The culture still practices its ancient tradition of singing songs as a form of story telling, religious worship and personal expression, but they remain unaware of the ancient secrets that were lost during the Calamity. Though loxodons are long lived and have excellent memories, a mysterious secret about the loxodons history lies entombed somewhere beneath the Marquessian desert...

Inspirations
From a lifestyle and architecture standpoint, the larger Marquessian cities have a 12th century Turkish flair, with smaller villages being comprised of large tents and mud brick buildings via early Palestine.

Type

Continent

Related Ethnicities

• Loxodon

Loxodon

Ability Score Increase +2 Con, +1 Wis

Size Medium

Speed 30ft

---

Age. Loxodons physically mature at the same rate as humans, but they live about 450 years. They highly value the weight of wisdom and experience and are considered young until they reach the age of 60.
Alignment. Most loxodons are lawful, believing in the value of a peaceful, ordered life. They also tend toward good.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Loxodon Serenity. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Natural Armor. You have thick, leathery skin. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 12 +your Constitution modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor. *RULE TIP: AC CALCULATIONS DON'T STACK!!! When the game gives you more than one way to calculate your Armor Class, you can use only one of them. You choose the one to use. For example, if you have the loxodon's Natural Armor trait and the monk's Unarmored Defense feature, you don't mix them together. Instead, you choose which one determines your AC.
Trunk. You can grasp things with your trunk, and you can use it as a snorkel. lt has a reach of 5 feet, and it can lift a number of pounds equal to five times your Strength score. You can use it to do the following simple tasks: lift, drop, hold, push, or pull an object or a creature; open or close a door or a container; grapple someone; or make an unarmed strike. Your DM might allow other simple tasks to be added to that list of options. Your trunk can't wield weapons or shields or do anything that requires manual precision, such as using tools or magic items or performing the somatic components of a spell.
Keen Smell. Thanks to your sensitive trunk, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival), and Intelligence (Investigation) checks that involve smell.

Languages. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Loxodon.