Kingdom of Guurzan
Guurzan lies on the southern coast of the Sea of Baal. It is bordered on the east by the Qarrasat Hills, beyond which lies the kingdom of Khemit. To the west is Khartous, with whom Guurzan is able to maintain a moderately cordial trading relationship as they are separated by hundreds of miles of desert. To the south is the great Maighib Desert. Guurzan claims a large portion of the deep desert, at least in name, but doesn’t pretend to control it all. The southern part of the Maighib is primarily given over to nomadic tribes that roam freely from southwestern Khemit to the Gulf of Caddesh and back, occasionally traveling so far north as the markets at Olappo to trade with the cityfolk. Oases exist but are less frequent than in the north, and harder to find. That makes controlling an oasis — or even knowing of one — an important instrument of power. A number of years ago, a tribe of sand dwarves undermined a group of oases claimed by the Sahoduin tribe. That led not just to warfare between that tribe and the dwarves, but to a conflict that eventually lasted 20 years and involved tribes throughout the desert.
The country as a whole officially follows the religion of Mah-Barek and has made common cause in the past with its religious fellows in Khartous and Caddesh. However, many people, especially outside the cities, still worship older deities or local spirits instead of (or in addition to) Mah-Barek. A large portion of the population, even among the upper classes, can trace their ancestry back to the Omaruri people who once lived in the northern Maighib Desert, which perhaps explains the general attachment to older forms of religion.
Region
Guurzan, Kingdom of
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