Macheo

In the open, sun bathed savannah, sits five great cities and many smaller tribes. In this melting pot of cultures, the eternal sun shines on every tribe in the grasslands, from the blistering cold of the northern tribe in the mountains, to the dusty west near the grand mesa. And at the Waterfalls, stands the capital, a grand city which towers over the surroundings, bested only by the great beacon, which looks over the entire nation, and provided safety and comfort in their darkest hour.

Macheo is a nation in Soirea, located north of the Calidudo Canal, and its guardian deity is the God of the Sun, Safiri. It is a diverse landscape with rocky mountains to the northwest, a lush rainforest to the southwest near and around the macheo river, a large savanna which covers a majority of the east and southeast, and a dry canyon to the northeast.

Structure

Macheo is ruled by a head chief which works in a similar manner to a king along with a council of tribal chiefs and governers from across the nation. The members of the council are as follows:

• Head chief- A title passed down to each first born regardless of gender. This acts in a similar manner to a king. In the case that a dynasty ends, the next head chief would be chosen by Safiri himself, and marked by a star at birth. Until they are of age, the country would be run by the governers and prime minister.
  

• Culture chief- The head chief of each of the five cultures of Macheo. These chiefs organise and rule over the various districts and tribes within their cultures. Normally their base of operations would either be in the capital of their culture or their home tribe.
  

• District chief- Head of each district in a culture. Manages the various tribes within each district
  
• Tribesmen- Head of a single settlement/tribe. Manages the various affairs of the settlement.
  

The 10 ministers are the leaders of the various ministries which manage the affairs of Macheo as a whole.

• Ministry of Defense
  
• Miinistry of Culture and Tourism
  
• Ministry of Trade and Finance
  
• Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs
  
• Ministry of Education
  
• Ministry of Justice
  
• Ministry of Healthcare
  
• Ministry of Inter-Tribal Relations and Communications
  
• Ministry of Travel and Infastructure
  
• Ministry of Religious and Magical Affairs
  

The current dynasty of Macheo is the Abiola dynasty. The royal family resides in the Solar Palace in Dhahabu.

• Adedayo Abiola- Current Head Chief of Macheo
  
• Akua Abiola- Queen of Macheo, second wife of Adedayo, mother of Araba.
  
• Kamaria Furaha- First queen and wife of Adedayo, mother of Jabari and Penda. Died during childbirth.
  
• Jabari Abiola- Crown prince, son of Kamaria
  
• Penda Abiola- Older princess, daughter of Kamaria
  
• Araba Abiola- Youngest princess, daughter of Akua
  

The chiefs of the five major cultures of Macheo:

• Boluwatife- Iroko
  
• Manqoba- Umsasane
  
• Ese- Atekye
  
• Kenyada- Kilima
  
• Nsongo- Renirano
  

Culture

Macheo is characterised for being home to an incredibly diverse range of cultures across the empire. Despite the existence of the 5 overarching cultures within the nation, each and every settlement and tribe within the culture can have various differences and local customs. One common tradition within all 5 tribes is the existence of heroes. Most likely due to Safiri’s dominion over fortitude and heroes, Macheo has a long history of mythical heroes and warriors. This culminates in the Barikiwa Bingwa games, an annual tournament held in Dhahabu where the greatest warriors from every tribe compete for the title of Barikiwa wa Jua. The cultures of Macheo are as follows:

Kilima

A largely nomadic tribe which inhabits the northwestern mountains of Macheo. Kilima is famous for their culture revolving around mining and blacksmithing, as well as their large animal taming and herding culture. The tribe is protected by the sunset spirit Enkai, who they believe created Mnyamamzigi and is able to direct the flow of ore veins within the mountains. The largest and most important landmark within Kilima’s territory is Mt. Kilelechatheluji, one of the few mountains tall enough to have snow and a sacred mountain where Enkai is said to reside. The capital of Kilima is Moshimwamba, one of the only sedentary settlements within Kilima and is known as the city of furnaces. The main species of Kilima is sun elves.

Traditions

• Kilimans see fire as sacred, as such each settlement has an okuruwo or ancestral fire which is tended by a fire keeper similar to the beacon in Dhahabu.
  
• Due to being animal tamers and herders, Kiliman sun elves are required to be fit and strong despite their tall, thin frame.
  
• Both men and women shave their head at certain milestones such as adulthood and marriage, while warriors wear their hair in long braids. Young Kilimans often wear red clay hair in various styles.
  
• Each tribesperson is required to know how to care for and tame at least 1 animal as a rite of passage.
  
• Kiliman storytellers and wise people teach children around the tribe’s okuruwo.
  

Architecture
Due to their majorly nomadic lifestyle, most Kiliman settlements consist of numerous fabric tents situated around the ancestral fire. These tents have a similar pattern to their clothing and can be easily transported in the case of movement. In the case of a sedentary settlement, the huts are round mud or stone huts with an exterior fabric awning acting as a roof around the hut and a tall chimney in the centre. Larger ‘Elephant’ huts have a dome roof and have the chimneys in the back of the building.

Clothing
Kilima clothing is known for its iconic red fabric and large, disc-like beaded necklaces. In addition, leather and animal hide are also popular materials used within Kilima which provide contrast to the red. Kilimans often wear their red fabric as a cape or shawl and shave their heads after major life events.

Craft
Because of Kilima’s focus on mining and smithing, many inventions used throughout Macheo were created in Kilima, such as the Guardian and power tools. These are often powered by Shango lily cores. Aside from these, Kilima is also known for their beaded and gem jewellery as well as their use of calabashes for bottles and storage.

Language
Alongside the common language, the Kiliman language is used, which is a mixture of various east african languages such as Maasai, Swahili, Oromo and Tigrinya as well as Himba.

For all people within the sun-kissed grasslands

Founding Date

3000 (First habitation) - 2000 (Nation establishment)

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

Kingdom of light, United Tribes of Macheo, The solar wilds

Demonym

Machean, Irokan, Kiliman, Atekyen, Umsasan, Reni

Leader

Adedayo Abiola

Leader Title

Head Chief

Controlled Territories

• Dhahabu City

Related Species

• Erponid
• Human

Related Ethnicities

• Emere