The Sunlands Barony (legacy)

The region’s population is made up of immigrants and descendants of humans from the kingdom of Andora in Galeanna who traveled across the ocean looking to expand trade. The numerous refugees in its capital, Baj-Surat, used to be adherents to the tyrannical faith of the worship of Dejal (also called the Witnesses of Al-Masiy), but are now experiencing their own, long-forgotten culture, a culture before the reign of Dejal, that thrives in Surrexit. These peoples, who were exiles, criminals, and apostates, have a rich culture of which little is understood by the other men of Rendeh, and is very much separate from their mainland culture.

Geography

Region: The Sunlands Locked between inhospitable desert, dangerous swamps, and the claimed territory of Lord Byron, they must purchase boats to supplement their too-small fleet of mainland ships to remain relevant in the economic game. It is a largely empty place in terms of resources, but is home to numerous sunken ruins that attract adventurers who in return bring business and a share of their wealth. Their location on the west coast provides a valuable spot for trade when the weather and bandits permit. There are the legends of whole groups of the earliest Masiy explorers disappearing after investigating these ruins or traveling into shimmering oases. Some actually returned with fists full of diamonds or pack brimming with magical items but with no memory of the journey. They provide exotic wares to the other baronies in exchange for crops, food, and iron which is not naturally found in the region, and maintain many valuable networks to the rest of the world. Within the barony are the Haja Dunes, the Pit Wastes, the River Nepthys, and the township of Rat Town .

The Haja Dunes

Sandy dunes surround the town of Baj-Surat as far as the eye can see. They are blazingly hot in the day and sub-zero at night. It is an inhospitable place, but flourishes with life. Flora and fauna have to adapt to the terrain, temperature, and lack of food, and those that are successful are usually strange and alien. Tlincalli stalk these dunes, lying beneath the sand in ambush as well as to conserve energy. A hundred kinds of cactus and shrubs litter the golden sands, a handful of which have remarkable restorative properties, while others are incredibly deadly. Only through knowing these warning signs far in the future can they survive this harsh place. The Pit Wastes are a region of ancient tunnels, craggy cliffs, and dangerous traps. Gigantic dune beetles that hid under the sands waiting for prey now rot as husks beneath the desert, their species long extinct. It is the home of the ruins of those that came before the immigrant Masiy. No one knows how they died, but their necropolisese and hidden vaults lie seemingly empty save for the ancient constructs that still guard them.

The Nepthys River

When the bronze dragon, Vraodiganh, took down his brother, Guthraxis, mightiest of the blue dragons, the titanic demigod fell to the earth as a cataclysmic wave of water. But through their fighting, the ground had become blasted and full of deep valleys. The water became a river. It is said that the river drew people to it who drank of its waters, and they became mad. These were the people who populated the region before the Masiy, the Bedouin, and who had largely died out before the two could meet. Strangely, the water had no such effect on the Masiy who have used it as their sole source of water for years as the Scalding Sea’s water is entirely too caustic. But, ever since their civilization's death, the Bedouin people stay far from the river. The river is blessed by the gurus so as to stay pure and beauteous. However near the delta that forms in the southern Sunlands, degenerated and violent dragonspawn have begun to appear and attack anyone in their territory.
After the recent influx of refugees, a strange phenomenon has taken place. It happens at random, a sudden and day-long fouling of the river’s waters. It offers no benefit and smells foul as death. The native Sunlanders have declared it retribution for the refugee’s lack of respect as they greedily fill their mouths and give nothing back. Others say it is the work of Dejal’s spies, but whenever the Medjay investigate, they find nothing.
Baj-surat also neighbors the small settlement of Rat Town

Flora and Fauna

Above the city, dunehawks dart from rooftop to rooftop looking for food to pilfer from windowsills. These reptilian, multi-hued birds sport oversized beaks on a dainty skeletal frame. Sometimes a dunehawk will be born with two heads instead of one, and will grow up to become the alpha of the flock that birthed it. They hold a sacred place in Bedouin culture as spiritual messengers. Otherwise they are regarded as pests and scavengers, but are intelligent enough that they are often used as messenger birds or pets.
Sandworms are a mythical beast only depicted in sand sculpture and on the faded mosaic tiles of Bedouin ruins. Many sandfolk say that they do not exist, but the Bedouin people know otherwise. They do say, however, the sandworms are not to be feared, but respected, unlike the fearsome sandsharks to the east across the sea.
Gelbi are curious, deer-like creatures who travel from oasis to oasis. They are native to the sunlands, and were said to be tamed by the Bedouin until camels found their way westward. They have wide, webbed feet, small, thin snouts, and two sets of curved horns. They are excellent runners and swimmers, though are often hunted as game.
Dustrats rise from the sand-dunes in the morning from their buried resting place to hunt for scorpions and beetles. They are native Andoran creatures that have migrated from ships, and now threaten the ecosystem of the Haja Dunes by hunting spiders and scorpions that would usually be eaten by dunehawks. The dunehawks have now banded together to hunt the dustrats, whose population is contained in all places but Rat Town. The warlocks of Rat Town often take dustrats as familiars after dressing them up in all manner of jewelry and piercings.
The Nepthys Hippocampus are a nearly extinct race of aquatic fey horses that swim the River Nepthys. They are more spirit than animal, as shown in their life-cycle. They spring up near the base of the river, migrate, mate, and socialize all while traveling down its azure depths, before disappearing in a thousand particles of stardust upon entering the Scalding Sea. Each one is utterly wild and untameable. Scholars say they are benevolent remnants of the great bronze dragon, Vraodiganh, who slew the blue dragon Guthraxis, and the battle that created the river. They were hunted for their exotic and magical scales and meat by superstitious Masiy people to the woe of the Bedouin, who believe the prophetic purifying of the Scalding Sea to now be in jeopardy.
Vicewraiths are a winged calamity, a terrible force of nature given flesh. A remnant of the catastrophe that all but destroyed the prospering Bedouin civilization. These creatures appear as great winged leviathans, like moths with colossal wings fifty feet wide that tower over the dunes. Their external skull glistens in the moonlight (they only come out at night). Vicewraiths are suffused with ancient necromantic magics. A nauseating stench falls from its tattered body, and beneath its flight the recently buried rise from their graves under the vicewraith’s malign command. Only by banding together in great strength can a vicewraith be chased off to return to its hidden resting place.
The flora of the Sunlands is varied, but not terribly rich. The dunes and wastes that make up a majority foster dry, cruel bushes and brambles that offer little of value. However, the rare and remote desert oases, are home to innumerable flora of immense value both medicinally and otherwise. They’re pearls of burgeoning, primordial life that flourishes for only days before it dries up, the glimmering fish in the pools floundering to breathe in dry ponds. These oases are very dangerous to harvest from due to their remoteness and surrounding hostile creatures, but high-risk traders know the immense profit an oasis-jewel is worth. Oasis jewels are a catch-all term for the one-of-a kind fruits, bulbs, and pearls that grow and die there within a few days. They are prized for their restorative powers for beauty, fertility, and most notably: alchemy. Notable oases jewels are the emberwad, a seed linked with primordial flame and passion, a fractal coin, incredibly rare discs of shimmering metal that collect in the mouths of crustaceans, and jade fronds, leaves of an animate plant that can be ground up to make a poultice that restores health and sanity.

Immigrants

Andora is the ancient home of the Masiy people. It is situated in southern Galeanna, in a craggy, sun-baked region. It is from there they fled, traveling to a new continent entirely to free themselves of the fiendish and tyrannical rule of Al Masiy himself. It is a vast land coated in gold, jewels and pipe smoke, the centre of one of the largest trade empires in the world. Now it is a place of infernal worship and sacrifice to the many-eyed one, as dangerous as it is corrupting. It is the dream of many Masiy to see their home restored to its former glory before the time of Al Masiy, also called Dejal.
Guided by the mysterious Hashashin, the boats from the mainland Andora find their way to Baj-Surat more now than ever. But even Hashashin spies, the most feared in the world, cannot guarantee the loyalty of each “refugee.” Some more recent accidents, the people have begun to whisper, seem orchestrated and likely the work of terrorists loyal to Dejal.

Economy

Baj-Surat suffers from overpopulation. The grandeur of exotic sandstone towers and the golden town that surrounds the sultan’s keep is now marred from detritus and decay that none have the time to clean. Its bright-colored flags still hang high over crowded streets where beggars and urchins squat and smoke in the shade.
Refugees of war, exiles and apostates find their way here by Masiy boats weary after weeks of travel across the “Echo” (named the E.C.O., East Continental Ocean). The boats are often so battered and filthy that their best use is as lumber for homes. The Masiy are not known for their shipwrights.
By decree of Sultan Khadesh, there is heavy taxation imposed on the trade of spice, glass, and jewelry to assist with expanding housing. This helps only slightly as the money pays for explorers and cartographers to find wellsprings from which settlements can be made, as due to worsening weather and increased banditry all over Rendeh, few explorers return alive. The sultan pays well to any foreigner who would assist in these endeavors.

The Uprising

When Dejal rose in power first as a priest proclaiming a new and exciting religion, many were already fed up with their rulers. The younger population saw the elderly and wise gurus as outdated old men that were holding them back from not just enjoying life (chasteness and respect to the esteemed gurus was an important teaching in the 72 Insights) but from progressing as a culture. When Dejal came to political power, tens of thousands rallied alongside him, forcing the ruling class and those loyal to them into hiding. Their faith had now been replaced with one of hedonism, violence, and the sole worship of a single figure. The gurus knew this was the wrong path even before their sagely wisdom was replaced by the edicts imposed by Dejal’s warlocks. After numerous attempts on Dejal’s life, with the last claiming the figure’s only son, the demigod proclaimed a jihad, a holy crusade unheard of in modern times, against the followers of the old gurus and their hashashin he held to blame. The nation was thrown into anarchy and depravity, and only through the guru’s guidance and sacrifice were they able to send those loyal to the old faith and the old sultan away on ships to begin a new life away from Dejal, though they would forever be marked by his name as Masiy, after his irreparable time as ruler.

Sultan Jyari Khadesh

Some say you can never trust a spice trader. Others say they are the most trustworthy of salesmen. The latter are usually found later on at a spice-prince’s brothel happily drunk. But Jyari Khadesh, the Sultan of Suud (so named after the savory cooking spice from which he made his name selling), is no ordinary trader. He is a benefactor of the people, and a native Rendan. Still, no one better understands the plight of his people and has used his fortune and his status as a fully-fledged baron of the kingdom to provide homes and jobs for his ailing people. After the death of the young Sultan Said, the true heir to the Andoran throne, it is said that Jyari’s grief was so great, that it rivaled that of the spirit of the sultan’s own mother, despite them having never met. It was after this event that the exotic magnate began reconstructing the old Andoran kingdom in his own little chunk of Rendeh, profit be damned.

Naming Conventions

Foreigners call them “sandfolk” or “Masiy” colloquially to distinguish them, and “snake eater,” “Hashish,” or “pagan” to insult them. Men and women have exotic names in comparison to classic Rendan humans. Their names originated from Andora before the time of Dejal and can be traced back to the teachings of the 72 Insights. Children newly born in Andora have names that have ties to Tief culture and etymology.

Masiy Sayings in Andoran

“Thal Khra” which means “I behold thee.” Used as a formal greeting.
“Be Sech” which means “I stumble.” Used as an apology often in passing.
“Hassah Malakai” which means “with holy purpose.” Used as a general exclamatory exultation. Commonly added at the end of a sentence to accentuate finality.
"Bashot Al Ivantu. Bashot Azjeray.” Which means “To pass beyond death. To lie beyond serenity.” Common proverb used to honor the dead. If the phrase “Moher Vect Dukh” is added, the sentiment changes to mean “to pass the veil of nothing to see the soul of stillness” which is an important Hashashin proverb.
“Hazrappa Fol Shrat” which means “the worms will pass over you.” Used as a dire insult or threat to insinuate not even worms will touch this person's flesh should they die (potentially at the hands of the utterer).

Landmarks

Baj-Surat
Bedouin Pass Separating the Lowlands and the Sunlands on the western side of Rendeh is a remarkable and man-made mountain pass called Bedouin Pass. Carved into the tan stone of the Sheer Cliffs, an impassable natural barrier navigable only by native guides, is a pass that parts the cliffs for nearly a mile. The door, long since fallen to the sand below is nearly fifty feet tall and two feet thick flanked on both sides by fearsome figures of the ancient culture resembling skeletal kings. It is the only way for an organized army or caravan to reach the Sunlands proper, and thus it is regularly defended and watched by the Medjay of Baj-Surat, the figures melding nearly invisibly into the stone reliefs and carvings of ancient necrocratic Bedouin history all the way up until their fall.

The Medjay

An order of monks that dedicate themselves to the teaching of the mysterious Hashashin. Because of their blood, and the fact they were not born on the mainland, they are not true Hashashin, but are still devoted to their tenets. They protect the gurus, the sultan, and are the hidden arm of the sultanate in times of war and peace. The Hashashin are the most feared killers and spies in the world, and the Medjay are no pushovers. As well, they dedicate themselves to mastery of the form, closely associating themselves with Sekhmet, can fight with hundreds of different weapons including darts, chakram, and katars, and are very formidable camel riders and archers.
In order to become a Medjay initiate, one must prove their knowledge in martial arts and the 72 Insights. One makes an oath to uphold the rule of the sultanate and ritually inhales a psychedelic drug called “ash gold” while surrounded by their brothers and sisters of the Medjay. Through their chanting and the swirls of smoke they open a portal, and the initiate takes it into the freezing cold desert. The spirit quest can sometimes take days, but on the 72nd hour, when the initiate has collapsed from exposure and dehydration, they see the Hashashin spiritual leader. His name is Oro, the first Hashashin who has achieved immortality through martial perfection and enlightenment. Below Sekhmet’s stellar sign, the Adzman, Oro imparts sacred and forbidden knowledge that the tongue may not speak. He christens the initiate, cuts both of their hands, and gives them their new names.

Magic and Necromancy

Magical individuals are treated not suspiciously, but are given a fair bit of distance from the populace. In Andora, those that are born with magical talent have their destiny set out for them, a destiny full of strife and manipulation. Dejal claims nearly all magical individuals to serve as acolytes and warlocks who he forces to make pacts with him. These acolytes are usually destined to live and die within the corrupted warrens beneath the palace, forced to channel their magic to power weapons, stronger magi, or to give their power to Dejal himself. It is a painful, piteous existence for those that are not part of Dejal’s fiendish cabal of influential, trusted warlocks. This thinking bleeds over to the Sunland Masiy, who do not detest magicians, but keep their distance. Magical individuals almost always serve the sultan in some way.
Necromancy is unknown to them as it is a practice that never made its way to Galeanna. However those that see the miracles that doktors create have no reason to fear them so long as they practice with care.

Structure

The Sunlands adopts a portmanteau structure between traditional Rendan hierarchy and ancient Masiy role-orders.
Above all, the sultan (or in this case, baron) would have absolute power. In the Sunlands this power is inferior only to the dictates of the lord of Rendeh. The positions beneath the baron of the Sunlands is established in a mostly unspoken order established on merit and respect from the sultan.
The system is far less strict than in Rendeh where feudal lords make demands of their peasantry and lessers as if they were property. In the Sunlands, the nobility are held to an even higher standard than the farmers and traders, who are given considerable respect due to their recognized necessity as the lifeblood of the barony. For this reason, there are few instances of harsh reinforcement of hierarchical differentiation because this may seem too similar to the oppressive system observed in Andora proper.
Classes of Citizens in Baj-Surat Upper Class

• Merchant Princes (recent immigrants looking to capitalize on new venue)
• Barony (sometimes referred to as the Sultanate)
• Liege-lords under the baron
• The Medjay, hidden police of the barony (remnants of the Hashashin, work for the baron, but are classless)

Middle Class

• Merchants, tradesmen, jewelers, artisans
• Deal in exotic goods and fine craftsmanship that sets them apart from mainlanders

Lower Class

• Peasants, gatherers, builders, shepherds
• Treated with respect and hospitality in anyone’s home

Assets

Exotic goods and spices are rarely stockpiled in the Sunlands. What they do have in abundance are goods that are in transit for here to other places of the world, but little is left for the people for long-term storage. Due to their strong familial bonds, the goods and surplus of a family is held in trust by the patriarch or matriarch either within the household, offshore, or in a bank.
Within the keep, however, great supplies of ancient and venerable tomes are held especially within the library under Guru Shazha's supervision.
The barony's assets are largely within their personnel. Their experts are those who can navigate the deserts, lead hunting parties for the rich who wish to hunt exotic creatures or researchers who wish to study the oases strange flora and fauna. The smugglers are the best in the business, and many individuals in Rat Town are infamous for being able to transport nearly anything anywhere. Their mages, especially those who have immigrated from Andora, are powerful spellcasters who have exchanged their pacts with the demons of Andora with the faith of the 72 Insights. They are proficient and detailed diviners, scryers, and soothsayers.

History

Year 2761 The trade ship Travago lands on the coast of the Scalding Sea in a nearly empty city left by the Bedouins nearly half a year after leaving their homeland of Andora in Galeanna in search of trading opportunities. Captain Khadesh and his crew/family that he brought along quickly make a home in what they have proclaimed as the settlement of Baj-Surat. From there they find the Bedouin, who they exchange exotic goods with in order to learn of safe routes through the desert. A bustling hub begins to build its way up from the ruined city.
Water is not an issue as the Nepthys River, once considered deadly by the Bedouin people, provides fresh water from the northeast. Food stores run low, and so the Masiy explorers have to learn to farm what they can near the water. Probing ventures are made into the desert to reach other settlements. The descendants of Khadesh, due to their lineage as excellent diplomats and tradesmen, develop beneficial trade routes to the rest of Western Rendeh. The King, Daniks Menethin, acknowledges them as allies, though they are few in number.
2762-2767 More ships land on the coast, some of them cutthroat privateers that attempt to steal what they can and make their own empire. The patriarch of the Khadesh family is not so concerned, as with him is one of Andora’s spiritual leaders, a guru, who vouches for Khadesh and his dynasty as one who have claim over these lands. Guru Shazha and the current patriarch of the trade family, Byamba Khadesh, begin reconstruction of the palace of Baj-Surat, and lay plans for building a temple to the Insights within. Unfortunately going is difficult as the maze-like undercroft of the palace seems to be a constant source of monstrous, dungeon-dwelling creatures that harry construction.
2768 Through a secret ritual, Guru Shazha summons a protector, a Hashashin, who he tasks with defending the fledgling city and her people. Perplexed, the Hashashin known only as Flenser agrees. Many question the guru’s presence here in Baj-Surat, question why he left the mainland to venture here. Acolytes of the 72 Insights are not particularly enterprising or ever really act as missionaries, but the guru reinforces his position here as necessity, that it was demanded by the 8 stars of the prime pantheon. The guru never elaborated further, but in a few years it would become evident.
2771 During a food shortage in the winter months, a terrible chill shot up the spines of every man, woman, and child in Baj-Surat. A group of prospectors awoken something horrible beneath an ancient Bedouin vault, a vicewraith. A dark, cold shadow grew over the palace in its entirety as the vicewraith attacked, raising the dead beneath the shallow sands and in deserted, broken homes to claw and swipe at the living. The Masiy here were not fighters. The Khadesh lineage were known to be cheats and spice merchants, but not warriors. Understanding that if they did not intervene, hundreds would die, Guru Shahza and Flenser threw themselves against the tattered, winged behemoth. The battle lasted for hours. As the sun rose on a new day, the beast lay dead in a crumpled heap inside of the palace. It would have to be rebuilt, and though the hashashin had much work to be done, his task here was finished. The venerable warrior, however, knew that he would one day be fated to return to Baj-surat.

Demography and Population

Population: 59,000~

Territories

Western Rendeh

Military

The Medjay keep the piece from their headquarters within Baj-surat, but otherwise the barony lacks a powerful standing military like those of the Lowlands and Highlands.
Jyari is not ignorant to this fact. He understands that if their territory is threatened, very important tactical and economic centers and ports would be jeopardized. Matlunn and Rendeh at large rely on these ports and centers, and so the neighboring militaries aforementioned will defend the borders and settlements of Baj-surat as they have before against any considerable force that the expertly trained Medjay are incapable of facing.

We Will Never be Slaves

Founding Date

2761

Type

Geopolitical, Barony

Capital

Baj-Surat

Demonym

Sunlander, Masiy

Leader

Jyari Khadesh

Head of State

Jyari Khadesh

Government System

Meritocracy

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Market economy

Currency

Pieces of gold, silver, and copper

Official State Religion

72 insights

Parent Organization

The Kingdom of Rendeh

Location

Surrexit

Official Languages

• Andoran
• Common

Related Ethnicities

• Masiy