The Xongu People

The Kingdoms of Xongu are a loose confederation of City-States or Kingdoms. The population is concentrated on the coast, the Xongu are a sea-faring people (for the most part). There are quite a few inland kingdoms, nominally quite large, in terms of amount of land claimed, but actually in direct control of much less. The inland kingdoms usually consist of a good-sized castle, with a walled city or town, surrounded by a ring of small, walled villages that support the agriculture.

Coastal settlements are also walled, though some are built right up to the shore of the sea. They have extensive knowledge of sailing in fairly sophisticated vessels, and they have extraordinary knowledge of celestial navigation, including written star charts. Their only rivals in the technology and mathematics of open-water navigation are the Lemurians.
Xongu Ethnic description: Golden-hued skin tones; Eyes: any shade of brown; Hair: Medium, wavy to curly hair, blue-black to dark brown; long limbs and oval facial features, high cheekbones.

Xongu Culture is largely based on seafaring, and they possess a major shipping industry. They have never been able to surpass the Xythians in trade around the Sea of Storms, but they do have more successful trading with Yarun and Alfengol, due to superior seamanship.
Of necessity the Xongo Inland Kingdoms have developed much in the way of agriculture: wine, fruit, silks, salt pork, parchment and wool, very high quality horses and Vorasana fighting lizards. Tin is a profitable export from the hills on the border of the Blighted Steppes.
Silks are very prevalent in Xongu dress and decor, both often painted or embroidered with precious metal threads.
The frequent raids by- and against- the tribesmen of Grus are a source of slaves for the Xongu. By ancient law, only the Grus may be kept thus, or those native Xongu who have committed otherwise capital crimes and wish to avoid death by becoming Grus-some. Those choosing this legal remedy are Geas-bound to raise no hand against another, on peril of death.
Religion and divination magic are well-respected, but most magics are feared. Necromancy, Domination and Summoning are utterly illegal.
Xongu Geography: Xongu is a land beset by strife in these dark days. Many small towns have been deserted, the settlers having fled to the larger cities. The fields and meadows sit idle, or wildly overgrown. Herds of feral pigs and goats are common. Only the strongest travel any distance on the ancient, stone-paved roads these days. Many of the original population has been decimated in the civil wars, in raids from within the Blight, or fled to Xythia or Jamul to escape both.
Uninhabited forests at the foot of the hills on the border with Grus are said to be the haunts of ghouls, man-eating tigers, tentacled spawn of darkness, children of unholy communion with a lost and forgotten race and the demons of the Belowdark.
Somewhere deep in the blight is the legendary ruin of an accursed city from before the Cataclysm. Among its towers and tombs slink dark, tangible, anthropomorphic shadows.

The Xongu warrior culture is famous for a famous style of sword-fighting called Cingara-Úna (literally, "one with the sword"). As in most of Weirth only the ranked Swordsman is allowed to carry a sword in public. A Captain (of a recognized Company), may carry a second blade, the Dealachad, a single-edged short sword with a chisel point, used exclusively for fighting indoors or for delivering the coup-de-grace to an honored opponent. Xongu lore holds that once a Dealachad has been drawn from it's sheath it cannot be returned without drawing blood.

The Forbidden Isle

Consisting of one large, mountainous island and an archipelago of smaller, forested isles, the Forbidden Isle is home to the Magic-Users of Xongu. Unable to practice their arts on the mainland, they plumb the mysteries of the universe from mountain redoubts.
Many Magic-Users of varied talents make the perilous journey to the Forbidden Isle, to increase their own skill and knowledge in the magical arts. The water-borne portion of the journey is fraught with peril, but the demon-haunted towers and keeps of the Sorcerers are more dangerous still.
It is against Xongu law to travel to or from the Forbidden Isle. Privateer vessels are retained by the coastal crowns to enforce the embargo.