Environments of various cultures

Behind the cut are some pictures of the environment in various nations that exist in this setting. Of course, many of these places span huge distances and not every aspect of each nation is included, though I hope that these pictures give readers a basic idea of the appearance of each nation's landscape.

The Atav River in Nostia

A bridge across one of the Atav's tributaries

A village on the plains of eastern Nostia

The hills and plains of central Nostia

The mountains of north western Nostia

A forest in western Nostia

The Naxi Desert, southern Nostia

A river through the jungles of Pota island

The coast of one of the D'Potri islands

A waterfall on one of the D'Potri islands

The hills of southern Haruna

A grassy meadow in northern Haruna

The western coast of central Haruna

A farm in the mountains of southern Haruna

A light forest on one of the Winjo islands, north of Haruna

The plains of Jalaray, northern Etristi land

The meadows and forests of Bonatay, southern Etristi land

Etristi Borderlands

Jalaray in the winter

Savannah of the Gabebi Herdsmen

Animals of the veldt, frequent prey for Gabebi hunters

Scattered trees in the plains where the Gabebi roam

Environment of Merkabah and Orhanek Akan

The highlands of central Merkabah

Countryside of the Merkabean lowlands

A Merkabean forest

Winter in the highlands of Merkabah

The marshes of northern Merkabah

Hills and fields of Orhanek Akan

Grasslands of Orhanek Akan

Southern Orhanek Akan in winter

Forests of western Orhanek Akan

People of the World : Style and Appearance

Merkabeans

Merkabeans are very fair skinned people, with milky white flesh or light pinkish skin with freckles. Their hair is generally a shade of red, though blonde or auburn is not uncommon ether. Blue eyes are the most common eye color for Merkabeans, ranging from pale blue to blue gray. Green or gray eyes are occasionally seen as well but are not as common as blue. Dark hair or eyes are quite uncommon in Merkabah; it is usually only seen in southern Merkabah and even then is often seen as a sign of foreign ancestry. For the most part, a Merkabean's features are similar to those of people from north western Europe. The average Merkabean male is around 5'7" while 5'2" is the female average.

Merkabean women most often wear long dresses in shades of light brown, off white, or gray - though undyed is most common. The dress usually has sleeves that extend to the elbow or down to the wrist. Sometimes Merkabean women will wear just a skirt with a simple white or brown blouse. When a long dress is worn it is usually in combination with a belt or simple cord worn around the waste. Hooded leather cloaks are usually worn in the winter, sometimes with shawls beneath. Clothing is usually made of wool or linen. Sandals are common footwear for women, as are simple soft leather shoes or boots that resemble moccasins. Women usually do not cut their hair, letting it grow to great lengths. They usually allow their hair to flow naturally or wear it in a simple pony tail, though some women may braid their hair as well.

Men usually wear simple undyed wool tunics that come down to about knee level and have sleeves of varying length. Some men, particularly those in cold parts of Merkabah may wear leather pants as well. Soft leather boots are common footwear for men, though sometimes hard leather boots may be worn as well. As with Merkabean women, in the winter men will usually keep themselves warm with leather cloaks. Men also tend to grow their hair long, usually down to the shoulder and sometimes even longer, sometimes tied into a pony tail but more frequently allowed to flow. They also grow shaggy beards.

The most common exceptions to the above clothing styles are the clergy of Merkabah. Male members of the clergy usually wear long woolen robes dyed either a shade of green, dark gray, or black (depending on rank and order) and wear a chain as a belt. Anashim, the nuns of Merkabah, wear similar robes in a shade of light gray, and have a simple cord for a belt instead of the chain. Both wear leather cloaks in inclement weather, though unlike they lay people with their natural colors, cloaks worn by the clergy are always dyed black. Male members of the clergy keep their heads and faces clean shaven, though the Anashim simply keep their hair cut at about shoulder length and keep it tied in a short pony tail. Male members of the clergy wear thick leather boots, usually in a shade of dark gray or black, while Anashim wear sandals or moccasins just as laywomen do.

The lowest rank of male clergy, the Albiim, are mere boys who are younger than the age of 15. They wear naturally colored wool robes fitting the above description. When an Albi reaches the age of 15, he is promoted to the rank of Sihonite and his robe is dyed dark gray. Adonim receive dark green robes as a sign of status. The Mahstadim wear black robes as does an Arbite, though the Arbite also wears a gray tabard over his robe. The Ephodim wear green robes with black tabards while the Vah Ephod wears a green robe trimmed in black with a black tabard and wears a the golden Midnight Sun symbol of Morick as a necklace. Apharim wear civilian clothing with a dark gray tabard.

Akan-Ji

The Akan-Ji are naturally a dark skinned caucasian middle eastern looking people. They generally have black or dark brown hair, brown eyes, and swarthy or olive colored skin. Their hair is generally kinky, frizzy, curly, or extremely wavy - though some have straighter hair. The tend to have larger down turned noses with a prominent arch, high cheek bones, and thin lips. Because the Akan-Ji have conquered and assimilated many other cultures and have taken in and bred with slaves from around the world, many Akan-Ji bare foreign blood and don't always have the same features of their ancestors. Some Akan-Ji have straight hair, some have facial features that are distinctively foreign, a rare few even have blue or green eyes or lighter hair colors. There is no stigma to having unusual features or having foreign blood - in fact - exotic traits are often seen as desirable. Because of the fairly high population density in Orhanek Akan combined with reliance on grains without a balanced diet, most Akan-Ji are short and scrawny - the average man being around 5'3" tall and the average woman being about 4'10" or so. The nobility, who have access to what ever food the could desire, tend to be about four or five inches taller on average than the slaves and peasantry.

Through out the empire and among the castes, fashion varies tremendously. There are a few universals though. Colors are very popular among the Akan-Ji, and the more colorful and vibrant one's clothing is the higher rank one usually has. Slaves are forbidden by law to wear any colors other than gray, white, or brown. Free men often wear to or three vibrant colors on their clothing, while nobles wear elaborate garments of many colors including jewelry. Long flowing robes and billowing garments are popular as well, including poofy shirts and pants.

Men and women must cover their lower halves in public, to show bare legs is considered very rude and to show the feet or genitalia is particularly indecent. For women the breasts must be covered in public, but generally more concealing clothing is considered more proper. Harem girls sometimes expose more flesh indoors - as long as no man can see aside from the eunuchs. The female foot is seen as particularly sexual and is almost never exposed to anyone but the women's husband or master.

How men cut there hair is to a large degree based on caste and social status. The most lowly slaves whose job it is to do harsh manual labor are required to keep their hair shorn short, as well as their beards. Eunuch keep their faces shaved, at least in the event that they have facial hair at all. Eunuchs also shave their heads except for the top where they leave it several inches long or as a topknot. Male sex slaves shave their faces and grow their hair long, usually midway down their back, often keeping it in a ponytail or braid. Zirli, warrior slaves, keep their beards very short and neatly trimmed and keep their heads shaved. Free common men usually grow full beards but shave off their mustaches, they also grow their hair to about shoulder length and either keep it in a short ponytail or allow it to flow freely. Noblemen grow full beards and mustaches or sometimes just a prominent mustache. Nobles also tend to grow their hair to about shoulder length or longer, though they usually have the hair put into many small braids. A popular style among fighting nobles is to have a large mustache and a goatee combined with long hair kept in three braids - two on each side and one in the back. Priests usually have at least twenty braids and a full beard with mustache. Men very often wear hats, usually tall cylindrical or conic shaped hats that allow long hair to flow from underneath.

Women do not cut their hair in Orhanek Akan, it is considered to be taboo, so their hair grows very long. They keep there long hair in a single braid that usually extends past the waist, depending on the health of the woman's hair. The only time when a woman's hair is cut is as a punishment if she commits a crime and deserved to be publicly humiliated.

Etristi

The Etristi bare a slight resemblance to people from pacific islands. They have a medium to golden brown skin tone, dark brown or black hair, and slightly Asian appearing features. Both male and female Etristi have very little body hair, and Etristi males have naturally hairless faces. Etristi men and women tend to be closer in height and weight compared to other peoples, males averaging about 5'5" in height and females around 5'3". Males tend to be very lean and wiry while females are often a bit more fleshy, so the typical Etristi female outweighs the typical Etristi male.

Etristi men usually wear their hair long and flowing or in a pony tail, while Etristi women usually wear their up in elaborate style piled high upon the head with twists and buns. The complexity of the hair style increases as does the wealth of the woman, peasant women usually wear their hair in a simple bun. Men usually wear simple pragmatic clothing made from leather, wool, or linen. They usually wear pants and long tunics with slits up the middle. Despite their pragmatism in clothing, men also enjoy brightly colored clothing, usually colors that match other men in their group. Women's clothing varies by social strata - with peasants usually wearing a simple light brown or white linen or woolen long tunic, while noble ladies wear much more elaborately created clothing of silk, furs, and different colors. Black and other very dark colors are seen as bad luck and a taboo to wear, though sometimes criminals pressed into labor are forced to wear black shirts as a mark of shame.

Etristi men tend to be thin and slight of build, and this is seen as good both among Etristi men and women. For a man to be fat or even a little cubby is seen as quite unattractive and even unmasculine. Large muscles are also rare among the men, and seen as rather bizarre and unseemly. Etristi men do enjoy a variety of physical pursuits and competitions - such as horse ridding and tricks, running, jumping dancing, archery, and knife throwing. These activities are almost entirely dexterity and coordination rather than strength based. Women, on the other hand, are seen as more desirable if they are a bit rotund and perhaps even muscular. Many of the professions of Etristi women involve physical strength and exertion such as farming, black smiting, stone masonry, infantry combat, etc.


Nostians

Nostians are Caucasian looking people, having fair or medium skin tones and dark hair, straight or wavy. One unusual characteristic of Nostians is that they virtually all have green eyes, it is seen as one of the unique traits of their people and as a result is something they take great pride in.

Because of arranged marriages, inbreeding, and high importance placed upon evolutionary concerns as a race, Nostians (particularly nobles) tend to be large and powerful people. Over the years Nostian features (nose, eyes, bone structure, etc.) have become more recognizable and distinct, making Nostian a little easier to distinguish from other similar peoples. The average Nostian common man is 5'9” and the average woman is 5'4” - noticeably large. Nobles on the other hand, having been warriors for so many generations and being so closely inbred tend to have men who are 6' in height and women who are 5'7” on average. Both commoners and nobles tend to be rather muscular and broadly built. Of course, as any Nostian would tell you, Nostians (especially nobles) have superior intellect as well; though this claim is a bit harder to verify than the size difference. Because of the hedonistic lifestyle that many Nostian nobles practice, older family members who spend less time exercising and fighting tend to suffer from obesity.

All Nostian men have beards, though they keep their beards trimmed short along with their hair. Nostian women shave their heads, in fact the style for women in Nostia is to shave or wax all of the hair on their bodies, including eyebrows. All Nostians, rich and poor, wear basically the same variety of clothing, flowing robes and cloaks, black in the winter and white in the summer, usually their cloaks are reversible.

Among Nostians, tattooing is an extremely common practice. The Nostian alphabet is extremely large and complex, it also lends itself to artistic expression. Most Nostians have tattoos with the names of important ancestors, great personal accomplishments, etc. They also have a number of symbols for greater philosophical or spiritual concepts, which are another variety of tattooing that is common. Some Nostian tattoos, particularly on women, have no deeper meaning but are simply meant to be attractive.

Each noble family has its own unique features that have appeared over the course of tens of generations of inbreeding. Most Nostians with any knowledge of nobility can recognize a Nostian nobles family by his or her distinctive features. These features can include facial features, bone structure, skin coloration, eye color, hair structure and quantity, number of digits, body size and shape, and a number of other characteristics. Personality traits and other little quirks are also present within some families. Most of the physical traits are highly valued and seen as a sign of pure and noble blood. Some of the mental quirks are seen in this way as well, though certain others are not really acknowledged and mention of them can sometimes provoke a noble to great anger.


Athavi

The slave race of the Nostians, the Athavi tend to have dark caucasian skin tones with a golden or bronzed tint. Their hair is brown, but can range from light brown to dark brown depending on the individual. This hair tends to be straight or slightly wavy. The Athavi have brown eyes that range in color from a medium brown to almost black. Their eyes have a slightly exotic look about them, perhaps like an American Indian or Meztico person. Their lips tend to be full. The Athavi are also quite small, while Nostians tend to be a large and burly people, the Athavi are small and slight, at about 4'8" for both men and women.

Slaves are tattooed as well, though usually just with the names of their master.

Athavi wear their hair long and usually free flowing or in lose pony tails. Like Nostian women, Athavi women shave their body hair. Athavi men usually have sparse facial hair naturally, many shave their faces or even their body hair as well at the direction of their masters. The Athavi are not allowed to wear either white or black clothing, as those are the colors of Nostians, rather they wear red or brown, usually basic tunics. Athavi who serve Nostians directly tend to wear sexier or more esthetically pleasing clothing - the most common being a loose knee length wrap as a skirt and either no shirt or a wrap at supports the breast. Athavi sex slaves most often wear no clothing at all, though in the winter months they usually wear a cloak or other easily removed yet warm article of clothing.


The Yetsheh

The Yetsheh are dark skinned Caucasians resemling people from southern India. They have brown skin, with black eyes and hair. This hair tends to be straight or slightly wavy. Yetsheh women tend to wear their hair long and let it flow naturally, sometimes in a pony tail. Men on the other hand usually cut their hair to shoulder length or slightly shorter, though they also tend to have natural hair styles. Men also usually shave their faces, though older men will sometimes grow a mustache. Some men prefer to adopt the Nostian style of growing a short beard along with short head hair. From frequent interaction with the Nostians, it has become a common practice for Yetsheh women to shave off their body hair. Many of the Yetsheh have Nostian blood and bear a closer resemblance to them. Yetsheh tend to vary a lot in build and stand slightly shorter than Nostians at an average of about 5'7" for a man and 5'3" for a woman.

The Yetsheh have a tradition of wearing concealing clothing, mostly things that will protect their skin from the blazing sun in the day or the freezing cold in the night. They usually wear very dark shades of gray, green, or blue. Standard dress for a man consists of a long robe with slits up the middle between the legs to allow for better leg movement along with a cloak and hood and perhaps a face scarf. Women instead wear a two pice garment the consists of a long flowing skirt, usually of fine material and a long sleeved shirt on the top, along with the same cloak and face scarf. Usually in hotter weather more sheer clothing is worn, and often summer garments will contain numerous cuts in the fabric so that it can breath more easily. In the winter thicker materials are worn, often in layers. Of course, since the Yetsheh go so many places their clothing style can vary tremendously from place to place depending on the climate as well as the cultural values of the people they are interacting with. When in Nostia, the Yetsheh are required to wear a yellow sash to show that they are Yetsheh - no other race in Nostia has such an option.

The Yetsheh love to show off their wealth. Its not uncommon for Yetsheh men and women alike to have gold or silver necklaces, rings, bracelets, and other assorted pieces of jewelry. They also like to have precious metals and jewels sewn into their clothing. To the Yetsheh, wealth is the ultimate measure of a person's worth and showing your wealth shows your value as a person. For the most part Yetsheh clothing tends to be rather concealing of flesh as well as the shape of the wearer. The one exception are breasts - Yetsheh women usually do all that they can to emphasize and draw attention to their breasts, usually just stopping short of exposing the nipple. Bigger is better to the Yetsheh, so garments that squeeze and push up are very common. This fashion trend combined with the love of jewels has lead the Yetsheh have have interesting clothing choices - such as large gems sitting between the breasts or used as pasties to cover the nipples. Of course, when traveling in foreign lands sometimes more conservative garments are worn. While in Nostia, Yetsheh tend to wear less and/or slightly more revealing clothing as is the Nostian way, though they usually try to keep the gold and jewels to a minimum.


D'Potri

Because the D'Potri are a mixture of so many different racial groups, its hard to make too many general descriptions about their appearance. In some ways the D'Potri bare a resemblance to the people of Brazil - combining features of Nostians, Gabebi, Etristi, Athavi, ancient D'Potri, and dozens of other less numerous ethnic groups from around the known world. Their hair is virtually always dark as are their eyes, though some exceptions exist. Their skin also tends to be dark, but varies from individual to individual. D'Potri hair varies in texture if not color, ranging from tight kinky curls to completely straight to everything in between. Their eyes usually have a slightly asian appearance while their noses tend to be broad and their lips are thick. Their facial hair tends to be sparse, usually only growing in a goatee pattern. Though no generalization about their appearance always holds. They vary in build and body type based more on economic status and lifestyle than genes. The men are on average about 5'6" tall and the women about 5'2" tall.

Male D'Potri tend to wear their hair extremely long in braids or dreadlocks depending on the texture of their hair. In the case when beards are grown long enough, they are often braided as well. Its fairly common for beads or ribbons to be braided into their hair, and in the case of wealthy D'Potri, this could include jewelry as well. The more well treated females tend to wear their hair in a similar manner as free men, including beads. Slave men and less favored women usually have their hair sheared short for greater practicality as well as a sign of lower status and less beauty. Because of the high heat and humidity of the region they sail in, the D'Potri wear relatively scant clothing. Slaves of both sexes usually go completely nude, though more favored women may often wear silk sashes or other clothing items that are considered beautiful or showy. D'Potri free men usually wear a linen wrap or kilt type of item that covers their genitalia and legs down to the knee and no shirt. Wealthier men wear additional clothing made out of fine materials which are often brightly colored, more to show their wealth than for any other reason. While aboard ship, free men usually wear the same type of clothing that they do on land, though some of the more elite fighting men will wear hardened leather breastplates and helmets. The wealthier men aboard a ship may wear metal armor as well, though most are reluctant to do so because of fear of drowning. Every ship has a set of colors that the pirates aboard wear to show that they are the ship's crew, Traejzas also usually have certain colors that they wear and that men under them wear to show their loyalty. Almost all D'Potri clothing is brightly colored.

The Gabebi

The Gabebi are a dark skinned people with African features, including think lips, a broad flat nose, and tightly curled hair. Their skin color ranges form medium to dark brown while their eyes and hair are black. They tend to be tall and lean, averaging about 5'10" and 5'5" for men and women respectively. Young Gabebi men tend to shave their heads and their faces, though men of thirty and above usually will allow their beards to grow as a sign of their maturity. Women on the other hand usually put their hair into braids or sometimes a single braid, usually the braids are around shoulder length. Gabebi mystics just let their hair grow naturally, resulting in large afros.

The Gabebi men generally only wear a simple leather loincloth. Women, on the other hand, wear more concealing and ornate clothing such as long linen tunics with a slit of the middle and a belt around the waist. Both sexes wear hard soled sandals that tie around the foot and ankle with a complicated network of leather straps. The Gabebi often dye their clothing red, yellow, and orange - the exception being Gabebi mystics who wear long blue cloaks as a sign of their authority. Because of the heat of the savanna, the wealthy wear jewelry instead of fancy clothing to signify their status. Most Gabebi women wear bracelets on their wrists - leather for the poor, bronze for most, and gold for the wealthiest Gabebi. Gabebi kings and queens wear a golden medallion to signify their position as rulers. Different Gabebi clans have individual clan symbols, these are symbols that are branded onto their horses as well as painted onto the face of warriors with yellow paint in times of conflict.


The Races of Haruna

The Senjen

The Senjen people are the largest ethnic group of Haruna. They are light skinned people with straight black hair and dark brown eyes. They have a generally oriental appearance, with fatty deposits under their eyelid and somewhat flat angular faces. Their skin tone varies somewhat, to a fairly pale to deep bronze coloration. Often the Senjen will have slightly varied features from mixing with other groups within the empire. Senjen men tend to be around 5'5" in height while women are about 5'1" tall, both have fine features and tend to be slightly built. The Senjen tend to have sparse body hair as well.

The traditional clothing of the Senjen men is a loose fitting belted cloth tunic that extends down to the knee, with fairly tight cloth pants. Senjen women, on the other hand, typically wear robes with an open front that overlaps when belted closed. Both genders wear sandals, usually with socks. The Senjen tradition is to crush plant material to create a green dye, so most Senjen clothing is green or partially green, though dyes of many colors exist in Haruna so green is by no means the only color worn by the Senjen. Many Senjen wear undyed clothing, as it is seen as a sign of humility.

Senjen men usually shave their faces and grow their hair to shoulder's length, then keep their hair tied into a short ponytail. Some Senjen men grow a mustache and goatee, particularly older men. Women usually grow their hair slightly longer and keep it in a tight bun, usually only letting it down when alone. In the past it was seen as scandalous for a women to let her hair down in public, though now the practice is more tolerated if thought to be slightly uncouth.

The Winjo have much the same appearance as do the Senjen, just with slightly darker skin tones, heavier builds, and rounder faces in general. It is often difficult for outsiders to tell the difference between the Senjen and the Winjo.

The Tarush

The Tarush are a dark people, with orangish brown almost copper colored skin. They have have tightly curly black hair and black eyes. They tend to have high cheek bones, thick lips, and small flat noses. Tarush men have no facial hair and both genders have little body hair. They have slightly oriental looking eyes as well. The Tarush tend to be short and lithe, around 5'3" for males and 4'11" for females. Men and women both usually keep their hair shaved or cut shorter than an inch in length. The Tarush of both gender wear long white tunics, white being a traditional color of goodness and purity among their people. They generally go barefoot, though some may were sandals or moccasins in the winter.

Many Tarush men have holy symbols carved onto the flesh of their upper arms. Usually these symbols denote membership in a yitso, one of the religiously oriented gangs that Tarush often belong to. When the wish to hide their membership in such groups, the men wear tunics with sleeves that cover their upper arms and shoulders. They wear sleeveless tunics when the wish to show their affiliation or when they are going into battle. Women's tunic's virtually always have longish sleeves that extend to the elbow.

The Qualaba

They have very dark skin, a shade of dark brown. Their hair is very kinky and tightly curled, both their hair and eyes are black. They tend to have wide flat noses and thick lips. Men tend to be around 5'7" in height while the women are about 5'2" in height. They wear similar clothing as the Senjen do, though they tend to favor brighter colors and almost always wear dyed tunics and plants. Qualaba men usually wear their hair either in shoulder length dreadlocks or shave their heads, while women usually grow large bushy afros. Men who shave their heads usually have their faces as well, while those who do not usually have short scruffy beards. They are also fond of jewelry and like to wear rings upon their fingers, usually two or three bands on each finger and thumb for both men and women. Gold is the preferred material for rings, though sometimes silver, copper, or bronze rings are substituted for poorer Qualaba.

Militaries of Major Nations

Orhanek Akan

The highest ranking and most elite soldiers of the Akan-Ji are the sipathi. These noble warriors train from a young age in the art of combat. They are taught to ride and to shoot the bow and well as to fight in hand to hand combat and on foot. They also spend years learning other aspects of warfare - strategy, tactics, history, and about foreign nations armies. A sipathi must not only be an excellent soldier, but a scholar and philosopher as well. In addition being instructed in the above subjects, an aspiring sipathi must gain proficiency in at least four of the following academic fields : poetry, history, philosophy, calligraphy, art, linguistics (must be able to speak four languages), oratory, religion, the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, music, astronomy, medicine and anatomy, logic, alchemy, animal husbandry, and law. The sipathi must also train his body physically as well - wrestling, hand to hand combat, archery, horse riding, running, lifting weights - many aspiring sipathi fail to meet the physical or mental requirements or both and well as the 5'11" height requirement. Those who fail to become sipathi must resign themselves to a boring life of being a priest, bureaucrat, or even a merchant or laborer. Many young aspire to become sipathi - for they are admired among their people above all others save the Orhan himself.

Sipathi most often fight from horseback and are armed with a crossbow as well as a lance and curved saber. A sipathi's body is covered by steel lamellar armor which extends to cover the upper arms and the tops of his thighs and his head by an open face pointy topped helm. Their steeds are of the finest quality and usually wear no barding, they are selected for mostly their great speed and nimbleness - this allows the sipathi to serve the role of either light or heavy cavalry as the situation requires. Sometimes sipathi deliberately go into battle unmounted, in which case they usually carry a sword and target shield or a pole axe.

Zirli are the elite slave soldiers of the Akan-Ji. They are hand picked by sipathi from among the strongest and most spirited slave children. From a young age they are trained to fight and to kill, indoctrinated to give their lives for their master in battle and to not fear death. They are considered some of the bravest soldiers in the world and as a result are some of the most feared. They wear a long chainmail hauberk that covers their upper arms their legs down to the knee. They also wear a chain mail coif in addition to a pointy topped metal helm. Their weapons usually include a target shield and a spear. They always fight on foot.

The tugra are the elite bodyguard of the Orhan, chosen from the best of the best zirli and conditioned to give their life for the Orhan without a moment's hesitation. The tugra bodyguards wear long blue robes made of silk. Beneath these robes they wear a chain mail hauberk with lamellar over the chest, banded armor bracers and greaves, and an open face metal helm with a pointed top. They carry two short swords, each with slightly curved blades and a single razor sharp edge. They also carry short pole-arm type weapons, basically an ornate blade atop a six foot wooden shaft, called a hudhat. The ten tugra who stand closest to the Orhan, instead of the hudhat, carry large ovoid shields with which to protect the Orhan from harm and a longer version of the curved short swords.

The most common soldier in Orhanek Akan, the backbone of their military power, are the oglani - the concripted soldiers drawn either from the fengu or azab. These soldiers are drawn from the dregs of their society - the most unskilled slaves and lowliest impoverished peasants. These men are often given minimal training and sent into battle to die in droves. In past times the hordes of unskilled soldiers were often ineffective, as their ranks could easily be broken by contact with enemy or by taking too many casualties. This changed with the advent of the crossbow. After the Akan-Ji developed the crossbow, they decided to adopt the weapon on a large scale. Akan-Ji craftsmen turned out tens of thousands of these weapons, becoming increasingly efficient at mass producing crossbows the more they made. The Orhan at the time, or his advisers perhaps, had the brilliant idea of breaking down the production of crossbows into multiple steps where a single craftsman only focused on a single step of the weapon's manufacture - giving the Akan-Ji the ability make simple crossbows with factory-like efficiency. This enabled the Akan-Ji to arm the majority of the oglani with crossbows, making them a force to be feared. Though the oglani were still relatively unskilled and easy to break, facing ten times your number of crossbowmen is a threat to any force. Now, the oglani incredibly lethal in large numbers - particularly when they are backed by zirli with orders to kill any who retreat. Oglani typically wear no armor or sometimes heavy woven vests, they are usually armed with a crossbow along with a hand axe, dagger, or club. In the past, they were more commonly equipped with hand axes and wooden target shields, some still go into battle so equipped. Often the free oglani, pressed into battle by their lords, must supply their weapons at their own expense.

Sekbani are one of the most diverse parts of the Akan-Ji military. They are commoners, effectively mercenaries as they are paid by the battle and according to their ability in combat or method of fighting. The highest paid sekbani are horse archers or crossbowmen, those who can bring their own horse and short bow to the battle and are skilled enough to use both at once. Light cavalry lancers, those who can run down fleeing troops or quickly flank the enemy are also highly valued. For those sekbani who cannot afford a horse or prefer to fight on foot, ranged weapons are the most preferred. Most sekbani footmen are armed with hand drawn crossbows, though archers and javelin throwers are not uncommon either. Sekbani equipped with close combat weapons are generally the lowest paid and therefore tend to be the rarest. Many sekbani horsemen are wealthy enough to afford their own light armor, usually chain mail or scale shirts and steel helmets. The infantry usually don't have as much money as horsemen and therefore usually wear leather or padded armor, though heavier varieties aren't uncommon.

Pirates of the Akan-Ji, the timari, virtually always go without armor - for obvious reasons. They tend to wield short hacking swords (essentially machetes) or battle axes in battle combined with target shields, though some carry crossbows as well. Timari tend to favor small and fast ships as opposed to large and heavily armed ones. The Akan-Ji tend to shy away from major naval battles and prefer instead hit and run tactics where the enemy is surprised or vastly outnumbered. The timari galleys are propelled by fengu slaves, the conditions which these slaves experience is usually so terrible that they seldom live for five years. Timari, far more often than not, find themselves fighting against civilian or lightly defended targets - their primary goal is the acquisition of wealth and slaves, not to engage hostile military forces. A few ships in the Akan-Ji fleet are designed purely for war, these are often include a contingent of zirli marines headed by a sipathi commander.

Nobles who have large harems often need protection for their concubines. The role of protecting the harems falls to a special kind of kunni eunuch called a kunni falla. These are selected from the largest, strongest, and most intimidating eunuchs. They are given training with weapons as well as wrestling and hand to hand combat. They usually go shirtless with steel bracers and half-helm which covers the top of the head. They carry large two handed weapons - the most popular being the gorut, a heavy chopping sword which is often used for executions. Though chosen for their size and strength, their bulk is often more for show than for ability in combat and its not uncommon for the kunni falla to disappoint their masters when they find themselves called upon to fight.

Daziri

Sometimes the Daziri will be hired as mercenary soldiers in service of Akan-Ji nobility. Most Daziri train to use slings, to defend themselves and their animals as they travel the countryside, as they are both cheap and easily concealed weapons. On the battlefield the Daziri use their slings with lethal effectiveness, often running up the the enemy, hurling their sling stones, and then running away. This tactic is often used to distract the enemy to make them more vulnerable to attacks from regular troops. Aside from the slings, Daziri soldiers generally wear no armor and often don't carry additional weapons aside from a dagger or perhaps a club.

Etristi

There are four major types of forces that form the Etristi military. The Carinins' guards that help to enforce laws and protect a town, the household soldiers who serve noble families, the peasant militia, and the men who often come to the aid of the villages in times of dire need.
The town guards who serve under a Carinin are hired by funds provided by the lady or ladies who appointed the Carinin. This means that for small towns and villages, where funds are limited, these might be part time soldiers with very simple training and only basic shields and spears. For larger cities where the Carinin has large amounts of money at her disposal, the military can be amongst the most well trained and equipped soldiers of the Etristi. Common armament for city guard usually includes either a spear and medium sized round shield or a short bow, along with this they wear armor made from tightly woven fabrics and cloth padding and an iron or bronze cap to protect their heads. Usually they also carry a dagger or short sword as a backup weapon.

Noble families usually have semi-professional armies in their service. The core of a noble military consists of well trained professional peasant soldiers. These well trained professionals come from long lines of warriors, having learned the trade from their mothers who learned to fight from their mothers before them. These are are usually infantry who fight with round shields, in much the same way that city guard do, though they will occasionally be armed with swords, axes, or maces instead of spears. For armor, they usually wear padded cloth with small metal disks sewn onto the fabric to make something like byzainted armor or sometimes wear a chain mail shirt over the padded fabric, usually combined with a matching mail or byzainted aventail attached to an steel cap. The typical noble lady doesn't usually fight herself, but there are always at least a few members of a noble family who will lead their armies into battle. These fighting noble ladies almost always ride into battle carrying a round shield, a sword or axe, and well armored - usually several layers of padded cloth with medium sized metal scales laced to the fabric and an open faced metal helm.

A large, though perhaps less important, part of the military is the peasant militia. These are women who are not primarily soldiers, but who are pressed into service at the command of their ruling lady or Carinin. They usually use spears or sharpened farm implements in battle, basic shields, and if they are lucky get some kind of padded or woven armor. Usually a peasant militia is not raised unless a community is in serious danger.

Etristi men also form a major part of Etristi fighting forces. When they are able, they will usually defend Etristi towns and villages from attack. Also, it is not uncommon for groups of Etristi men to conduct raids against (usually non-Etristi) farms or villages in order to steal money, food, and assorted valuables. Sometimes, different herding groups of male Etristi even come into conflict with each other over grazing land or rights to visit a certain village over the winter. Almost all Etristi men ride horses, and thus an attack force of Etristi men is an entirely cavalry force. Etristi men are experts at using the short bow, and are usually excellent shots even from horseback. For the most part Etristi men fight as horse archers - striking extremely quickly and then withdrawing before the enemy can strike back. They usually wear leather armor, often boiled leather breastplate and helmet. For the rare incidences of melee combat they find themselves engaged in, they carry curved swords, maces, or spears.


Nostia

Among the Nostian noble families, there exist groups called Polidelphos, or brotherhoods of warriors. These are organizations are extend beyond family lines, including all kinds of nobles through out Nostia. They are part of a very old tradition that goes back to the armies of Tarnost the Great, who created special units of his army that he named after animals. These traditions virtually disappeared in the feudal period saw a rebirth with the New Empire. These groups tend to be tightly knit, training with each other, sharing secrets, fighting together in battle. Membership in a Polidelphos is a good way for a Nostian noble to make allies and gain prestige, much like joining the Tomb Guard. In order to gain membership you must have enough funds to supply the necessary weapons and armor and show enough skill and dedication to stand out. Nostian commoners may also gain partial membership in these groups if they enter in the service of a noble member as part of his or her retinue. Because of this policy, a large percentage of the Nostian military (which isn't in the Tomb Guard or Imperial Army) are members of a Polidelphos. Just as they did in ancient times, the members of a Polidelphos base their combat styles on animals, though very roughly.

The Lions are Nostia's elite heavy cavalry. They wear heavy armor and ride upon huge, heavily barded horses. All members wear a lion's skin over their armor with the lion's head fixed onto the helmet. They carry large shields, a lance, a long sword, and a mace that has a head shaped like that of a lion. They wear heavy Nostian armor.

The Leopard Polidelphos like the Lions, but more lightly armored. They wear leather armor with leopard skin covering and ride smaller faster horses. Like the lions they carry shields, though the are medium sized round shields. Their typical weapons include a slashing sword, a lance, and several throwing darts. They wear light Nostian armor.

Crocodiles of the Naxi river are the largest creatures that Nostians have any experience with, it is therefore fitting that chariot riders are known as crocodiles. Nostian chariots are large ones, drawn by four strong horses and fitted with scythes of the wheels. The horses and riders are covered with heavy armor or barding in addition to the crocodile skin that identifies the Polidelphos. Each chariot has four riders, one drives while two others have shields and spears, while the third has a bow. All four riders carry an extra weapon, such as a short sword, in the event that they need it. Relatively recently as chariots become less useful to the Nostians, the Crocodiles have started to become super heavy cavalry, covering their coat of plates with an additional full layer of scale armor and having their horses barded with heavy scale - making the horseman a slow but almost indestructible juggernaut.

The Scorpion Polidelphos is the largest and most popular of the Polidelphos. This is largely because the scorpion was part of Tarnost the Great's personal banner, but because of the success that Scorpion forces have upon the battlefield. Within a scorpion army there are two kinds of soldiers, the claws and the stingers. Claws have broad swords and large rectangular shields, the stingers have long two handed pikes. These two troop types operate together in the same unit to maximize the unit's effectiveness. Scorpion soldiers wear Scorpion Armor, partial plate armor that resembles the chitten of a scorpion, it is usually scorched black to mimic the appearance of the most poisonous of Nostia's scorpions, the Night Scorpion. It is made up of overlapping plates on a leather backing and reinforced underneath by metal strips. It has a metal helm that covers most of the face aside from a horizontal slit that crosses the eyes and a vertical slit that starts at the eye slit and goes down to the bottom of the face piece.

Cobras are expert archers armed with composite long bows and scale armor. Like other members of a Polidelphos, they adorn themselves with the skin of their animal - so the Cobra archers wear cobra skin. Occasionally when Cobra archers go to battle, they will poison their arrow tips with the venom of real Nostian cobras. Doing this makes them extremely lethal, since even the slightest prick from the arrow would be lethal to any human aside from a Nostian noble. Cobra armor consists of a shirt of overlapping steel scales that are made to resemble those of a snake. The shirt is long, forming a skirt that comes down to the knees, partially protecting the archer's legs. The scales also protect the shoulders and come a little ways down the upper arms, protecting them as well. The armor also has a helm that matches, basically a hood of scale armor over a boiled leather or steel headpiece to give it shape and support.

Falcons are light mounted archers. Like the leopards, they have fast maneuverable horses, light armor, and swords. The major difference is that they carry composite bows and adorn themselves with feathers, sometimes their horses as well. Some Falcon warriors have learned from the Cobras and use venom to poison the tips of their arrows. Those who do so often call themselves feathered serpents. They wear light Nostian armor.

The Spider Polidelphos are recruited from the most intelligent and industrious of Nostians, their specialty is the creation and operation of war machines. They create siege towers, catapults, balistas, chariots, and the like. There are all varieties of these machines that are used by Nostians, both on the battlefield and during the sieges. Members of the Spider Polidelphos also work as battlefield engineers, overseeing the construction of basic fortifications. Spider warriors/engineers often adorn their clothing or armor with web-like patterns. They wear light Nostian armor when on the field of battle.

Sharks are the part of the Nostian military that focus on sea combat. They both row the oars of Nostian war galleys and fight in naval engagements. Sharks are trained both in archery and in close combat, they often shoot flaming arrows at enemy sails. They also need to have working knowledge of the war machines that are often used to attack enemy ships. When they close in with the enemy, Sharks fight with swords and round shields. They wear light Nostian armor, sometimes substituting shark skin for leather.

The Fox Polidephos is made up entirely of women, which are banned from the others aside from the Spider, Falcon, and Crocodile Polidephos. Like the Falcons and Cobras, they are archers, sometimes mounted sometimes not. There is a bit more variability in the fighting style of Fox warriors however, and some like to use (mounted or on foot) spears and round shields. They typically wear a breastplate designed specifically for the female form. When not mounted, the archers often protect themselves with large rectangular shields that they prop up in front of them before they open fire. Just as one would expect, they wear fox furs. The most noticeable part of this armor is the breastplate, which is shaped to to appear like the nude torso of a woman. There are also plates on the upper legs, shins, and forearms of the armor; all usually held in place with leather straps or riveted onto a leather backing. It is also generally worn with a closed faced steel helm, many noble women like to have the face plate shaped to resemble their own faces. Sometimes the face and breast plates are made of bronze, silver, or gold for added beauty. When Foxes ride horses, the horses tend to wear light barding such as soft leather, linen, or silk with a few boiled leather pieces to protect the horse's head and neck.

Heavy armor is worn by Lion and Crocodile soldiers along with miscellaneous nobles who do not belong to a Polidelphos. This armor is simply a coat of plates, where interlocking plates are riveted onto a leather backing. The torso, arms, and legs are all well protected by this armor, which typically includes a metal helm. The exact style varies from individual to individual. The horses of the the Lion and Crocodile Polidelphos wear heavy barding made with soft leather with small steel plates riveted on at vital locations.

Light armor is worn by Leopards, Falcons, Sharks, and sometimes Spiders. It is also occasionally worn by commoner soldiers or very poor members of the nobility. This armor is made from leather or hide. The most common version is simply soft leather clothing with hardened leather plates riveted on, making a coat of plates much like that of the heavy Nostian armor. Sea faring nobles like to wear shark's hide, with thicker hide on the immobile sections of the body and thin soft hide at the joints. Usually Falcons do not have barding on their horses, Leopards' horses have minimal armor that is made from soft leather.

The Nostian Polidelphos are not the only regular units in Nostia that use standardized tactics. The Nostian Imperial army does so as well. The bulk of the Nostian Imperial army is made of of infantrymen with large oval body shields and short spears. A small number of the Imperial Army is made up of fast cavalry, armored similarly and armed with a lance, sword, and a medium oval shield. The third part of the official Nostian army are the archers, men on foot with bows and short swords as a back up weapon. Armor is worn by the Imperial Army consists of a sturdy steel breastplate and open faced steel helmet with steal bracers and greaves to protect the arms and legs. Imperial cavalry horses wear no barding. These soldiers often are not as well trained or equipped as the Polidelphos, but they are always there and ready to serve the Emperor in time of need. When major battles occur, the Emperor must go to the nobles to raise an army of Polidelphos, but for daily use, the Imperial Army serves well.

The Tomb Guard is not intended for fighting a true war with another country, not unless Tarnost City itself were threatened with destruction. They are the personal guard of the emperor and of the capital city. They mainly protect against potential assassins who may try to harm the emperor or other internal threats. The standard Tomb Guardian wears a bronze breastplate along with bronze bracers over a black robe and a bronze helm - they wear bronze as the traditional armor of the Tomb Guard going back for almost a thousand years. They usually wield a large glaive-like weapon along with a dagger and short short. As the political and military climate of Nostia changed over the years, the fighting style of the Tomb Guard did as well. Many members of the Tomb Guard wear civilian clothing and carry concealed weapons. Some Tomb Guardians protect from the shadows - walking amongst a crowd when the emperor makes public appearances or infiltrating groups that may be treasonous. The Tomb Guard serves many roles, that of body guards for the emperor, as guardians of the tombs, as counter-spies, and as special forces soldiers who can fulfill roles that other soldiers cannot.

There are soldiers in Nostia that are not nobles, nor are they in the Tomb Guard, Imperial Army, or in a Polidelphos. These are commoners who are required to fight for a noble family when they go to war. These commoners tend to be poorly equipped and trained compared to other soldiers in Nostia, having what ever weapons or armor they provide for themselves and having only militia training. Such troops as these used to make up the bulk of Nostian armies. Now with more organized and well trained forces, they are becoming less and less common and are now a small minority of the total Nostian armed forces.


D'Potri

When in battle, the D'Potri use a variety of different weapons. The primary military force of the D'Potri are the pirates and raiders or are usually lightly armed and armored for quickness, mobility, and the ability to swim if they need to. They usually don't wear armor thicker than a soft leather vest or perhaps a boiled leather breastplate and cap. They usually use small hacking swords that resemble a falchion, having a fairly thick blade and sharp only on one side. Though occasionally they carry gladius style swords as well, slightly lighter blades which are double edged. They carry small round shields as well, made of wood covered with hide. A ships fighting force also has a number slingers as well. These slingers use a staff sling and carry a sword and shield for when close combat ensues. When attacking an enemy ship, they usually wrap oil soaked linen rags around their lead sling bullets and attempt to light the enemy's sails on fire. D'Potri ships often have a number of war machines designed to hurl containers of flaming oil at their enemies. On board every ship are special fighting forces called the Hattis. A Hatti is the equivalent of a marine, they keep the rank and file sailors in line and also form the spearhead during a raid or sea attack. They wear heavier armor, a iron scale hauberk and iron helm the covers the top of the head, and carry a long spear or pole arm of some kind instead of a sword and shield.

The land forces of the D'Potri are a little bit different. Soldiers who fight exclusively on land - such as those who protect D'Potri ports or who are gathered together for a major land raid - can get away with heavier armor and weapons. These land armies are all equipped with boiled leather breastplates. Furthermore, they tend to use large round shields that allow them to form an effective shield wall. Also, they will often carry heavier weapons in case they have to fight better armored land forces; this usually means an axe or mace combined with several javelins in their off hand. Like aboard a ship, archers in land armies wear very little if any armor or even clothing. The D'Potri use very few horses in combat, and usually the men on horses are riding because they want a quick escape in the event the battle goes badly for them. These few D'Potri cavalrymen usually carry javelins or short bows they use to harass enemy light infantry more than to actually significantly effect the tide of battle. Hattis are also used in land battles, especially to take out heavily armored foes.

Whether on land or sea, wealthy D'Potri such as Gajzus or Traejzas will usually wear scale armor hauberks and iron helms, much like those of the Hattis. Unlike Hattis, rich men usually also carry medium or large round shields to protect themselves with and swords. On land, they usually take the field on horse back, often to act as leader and to provide moral more than to actually fight. In times of dire need, sometimes slaves are given weapons and forced to fight for their masters. They are usually sent into battle naked either with short spears and wicker shields or two handed clubs. These slave armies are placed in front of normal D'Potri soldiers so that the slaves will be killed if attempt to free or do not press forward fast enough. Sometimes the slave soldiers turn out to turn the tide of battle for the D'Potri, though its not unknown for them to turn upon their masters. This being the case, many D'Potri leaders consider it too risky to allow slaves to fight upon the battlefield.


Merkabah

In times of war, the Sihonim are the elite infantry of Merkabah. Their daily training and religious zealotry make them both skilled in warfare and brave in the face of the enemy. Mahstadim are the ultra-elite of the Merkabean military, serving both as officers and tacticians as well as offering their incredible combat prowess to their side. Warrior monks of Merkabah follow ancient martial traditions, they still make and wear their own bronze armor. While the bronze isn't quite as strong as steel used in many other nations, the bronze armor is expertly crafted and very protective. The Sihonim wear a bronze coat of plates that cover most of their bodies while the Mahstadim are clad in partial bronze plate armor, both wear closed face bronze helms. Though the axe is the weapon that symbolizes bravery and honor in combat for Merkabeans, Sihonim occasionally fight with other weapons. Sihonim usually fight with large round shields and battle axes, though sometimes they wield large pole axes or pikes while the Mahstadim use huge two handed axes. The weapon a Mahstad uses is a holy relic, often passed down from Mahstad to Mahstad for generations. Each one undergoes a special ritual blessing by the Vah Ephod when it is given to the Mahstad. As a matter of honor (Gothe-Ul) they never use missile weapons nor fight from horseback.

The Mahstadim must live under the same restrictions as the Sihonim, including vows of poverty, celibacy, and chastity, as well as self flagellation. The training for the Mahstadim is very rigorous, not only physically but also spiritually. It is said that the Mahstadim are so fanatical that they do not fear death and will fight to the man. It is also commonly known that the spirit of Morick can enter into a Mahstad in the heat of battle or during self flagellation, filling him with righteous fury and giving him superhuman strength and endurance. Because of the fanatical bravery of the Mahstadim, it is not uncommon for them to charge boldly into enemy forces - breaking through their lines; another common use for Mahstadim is to stay behind while other troops retreat to prevent the main force from being overrun. Mahstadim often wear belts made of thick chain, a portion of which hangs down and serves as an instrument of self flagellation.

Another large part of Merkabah military is comprised of highlanders, the Sopharim. The highlanders will work for the Vah Ephod as what basically amounts to mercenaries. The highlanders are dedicated hunters who have mastered the use of the long bow to hunt big game like bears and moose, they use these extremely powerful bows with draws of one hundred pounds or more on the battlefield with great skill. Highlanders wear a variety of armor - usually something made from boiled leather or hide - but sometimes they go into battle in only a simple loin cloth. They often aren't that skilled at obeying orders or getting into proper formations, but they are courageous fighters and excellent archers. The highlanders often carry battle axes or clubs as backup weapons.

The Aphars are the most diverse part of the Merkabean military. Because they are technically law enforcement agents of the church, they are not required to obey the laws of Gothe-Ul while trying to defeat or apprehend their enemy. Because of this, they are allowed to fight on horseback, use missile weapons, or any variety of other tactics. They are equipped in what ever way their Arbite master commands them to be. Most often, they are equipped with an open faced helm and chain mail hauberk along with a short bow, a mace, and a small round shield. Often times they will be mounted and act as light cavalry or horse archers, used to harass or grant a tactical advantage more than inflict direct damage on the enemy.

Merkabeans, particularly the highlanders, often use war dogs in battle These dogs, often called marsh hounds or keterim, resemble a mixture between a wolf and a mastiff. They are large and aggressive, willing to defend their masters to the death. The highland longbowmen often loose their marsh hounds when they are in danger of being charged by enemy forces - the hounds will attack the enemy and slow down the charge allowing the archers to pepper their enemy with arrows, retreat, or to countercharge. Sometimes the dogs are given very basic leather or boiled leather barding to protect their backs and the top of their heads, more common are spiked collars to protect them from the bite of other animals.


Yetsheh

The Yetsheh depend almost entirely on the Nostian army for protection, and therefore do not have much of an army of their own. In ancient days, the Yetsheh were raiders who rode upon camel or horseback and attacked with short bows or hurled javelins. Today, much of that tradition has disappeared, though some Yetsheh still practice archery and horse riding is popular among well off Yetsheh traders. When in far off lands away from the protection of the Nostian Empire of the desert, the Yetsheh generally carry short sword or daggers concealed beneath their cloaks and sometimes boiled leather armor beneath their robes. There are a few very wealthy Yetsheh merchants who have their own bodyguards for when they travel outside of Nostian lands - generally these guards wear byzainted armor that covers their body, upper arms, and down their legs to the knee. In addition, they usually wear boiled lether greaves and bracers along with a flared steel helm. They arm themselves with a short sword, a spear, and round shield.

Many Yetsheh carry a traditional weapon called a kalech, which is a metal (usually lead or bronze) weight that is a sharp spike on one end and has a two foot long cord attached to the other end. The cords are usually wrapped around one's belt and allowed to hang. The weapon is used much like a sling, but the Yetsheh using the weapon simply lets go of the cord which trails behind the metal bullet as it flies through the air. The weapon is also sometimes used in close combat, sort of like a strange version of a flail.


The Gabebi

Among the Gabebi herdsmen, virtually everyone rides and therefore virtually everyone is a warrior. From the Gabebi's earliest days they are taught to ride and they are taught to fight from horseback and on foot. When a Gabebi tribe goes to war, the entire tribe fights aside from the youngest children, the elderly, the infirm, and nursing mothers. The Gabebi ride out together on their horses, carrying minimal armor and supplies so that they can move extremely quickly across the savannah. They let their horses graze and hunt game or subsist off of mare's milk cheese or yogurt, meaning that the extremely mobile Gabebi army requires virtually no support or supply lines and can move faster than any other military force in the known world. The horses the Gabebi use are known for their ruggedness and ability travel for vast distances with little food or water as well as gallop extremely quickly when the need arises.

Most of the Gabebi army consists of light cavalry, horsemen who ride into battle with a kuba lance, several fang throwing irons, and a songye shield. The Gabebi seldom wear armor, they usually just go into battle with with a loin cloth or other minimal clothing. Some Gabebi carry short bows instead of a lance and shield. Both men and women fight in much the same way, though men are more likely to carry a lance and shields while the women are more likely to wield the bow. Usually when facing an opposing force, the Gabebi army will split into several groups and try to maneuver into tactically advantageous positions. While the lancers try to attack from the sides or the rear or attack from multiple sides at once, horse archers pepper the enemy with arrows to distract them and make them vulnerable to the charge. Because Gabebi cavalry are so lightly equipped and their horses so swift and powerful, they are usually able to avoid getting into melee when it is not to their advantage.

Sometimes to add tactical flexibility, some of the strongest and fiercest Gabebi warriors will dismount so they can enter into hand to hand combat. Often this is done so that they can tie up enemy infantry so that the lancers can charge from the flank or the rear. It is also done when they are facing enemy archers who often shoot at their unbarded horses, in which case the dismounted Gabebi form a shield wall so that they become resistant to arrow fire. Occasionally archers will dismount as well, sometimes hiding behind the shield wall to fire at the enemy.

Sometimes when particularly large and important battles must be fought, for the survival of a tribe or to defeat a dangerous foe, some of the bravest and most dedicated men will ingest the yowa. The yowa is a special concoction of herbs, chemicals, and mysterious ingredients that have been combined and enchanted by a Gabebi mystic. When he has taken a draught of the potion the warrior, called a yowali, is partially possessed by terrible spirits and goes into a mad rage. The Humbulu will direct the yowali at the enemy and they will attack ferociously until either they are dead or their enemies are. Usually the yowali are given large bronze cudgels to fight with. If the yowali survives the battle, he is considered blessed by the gods and will be respected by the tribe for the rest of his days.

The great majority of Gabebi weapons are made from bronze, such as their short swords, daggers, spear points, and arrow heads. Iron or steel weapons aren't uncommon, but they are generally obtained through trade or plunder. The Gabebi hardly ever wear armor, not only do they dislike the confining weight and uncomfortable heat of the armor, they see it as cowardly to wear it. Even when a fine suit of army is captured in a raid, it is often destroyed so that the metal can be used to forge weapons.


The Armies of Haruna

The Sakoyo

The heart of the Rana Senjo military are men and women called sakoyo. A sakoyo is a professional soldier with large amounts of experience either fighting as part of the militias, the navy, or the dragons. The sakoyos are the equivalent of officers, it is their job or organize other soldiers, command them on the battlefield, and to decide on strategy for the army to use. Generally, for every hundred soldiers in a Rana Senjo army there will be one sakoyo. The Doryo, after accessing the threat presented by an enemy, will decide on a certain number of sakoyo which will be required to command the army and then the selected sakoyo will vote among themselves over who will be the general of the army, or the sakoyodo. The general will then be responsible for recruiting the army from available soldiers, assigning other sakoyo for different roles, and deciding the army's strategy. Sakoyos themselves usually train with a variety of weapons so that they will be well versed in combat techniques, though they typically enter the battlefield on horseback steel split armor protecting their bodies and part of the arms and legs along with a chain mail hauberk and open faced steel helm and no barding for their horse. They arm themselves with slashing swords as well as crossbows which can be shot from horseback. All sakoyos must be full citizens of Rana Senjo.

The Saburo

At this stage of the empire, few Senjen have the the motivation join the armed forces of Rana Senjo. For this reason, the great majority of the military of Rana Senjo are auxiliaries, called saburo, from foreign nations or from people conquered by or who have immigrated to Haruna or surrounding islands. Actual armies still must be lead by citizens, the sakoyo officers, but around 80% of other land forces (outside of the navy) are of foreign extraction and about half of the citizen army is not ethnically Senjen. Many of these saburo are mercenaries who fight only for money, while others seek to become citizens of Rana Senjo through military service or as part of a treaty between their home nation and Rana Senjo.

The most common sort of soldier in the army of Rana Senjo are the militia. In past times, the militia was composed almost entirely of Senjen citizens of the empire, though today most are foreign born or of foreign ethnicities if not saburo. There is still a large minority of the militias are Senjen, though most are made up of various other peoples within the empire or in contact with it, including Winjo, Qualaba, Gabebi, Tarush, and various other semi-assimilated island peoples. The militia is organized by individual hiras, though there are standardized methods for training troops that exist through out the empire - the militia forces are broken down into spearmen and crossbowmen. The spearmen of a single jinji are trained to work together as a cohesive organized unit, they fight with large round shields and ten foot long spears. Crossbowmen on the other hand practice at being able to shoot quickly and accurately, while acting as skirmishers. They use repeater crossbows which can be fired at a rapid rate but lack range or stopping power and carry a dagger as a backup weapon. Militia members usually only wear stiff leather vest for armor. When the members of a militia are called to war, they are paid quite a respectable wage - several times the money they would make during the same time period as a peasant laborer.

A large portion of the saburo are Qualaba soldiers. Usually only the biggest and most ferocious among the Qualaba serve as saburo and they are generally used as shock infantry. The Qualaba saburo are usually armed in one of three ways. The majority carry a medium sized round shield made of wood or leather and have a short thrusting spear, some instead carry a lighter wicker shield along with several javelins, a few even wade into battle with huge wooden clubs covered with iron spikes. Most Qualaba auxiliaries wear little to no armor, though a soft leather tunic isn't a rare sight among them. These saburo are known for their aggressive charges against the enemy but also for being undependable in pitched battles. They also tend to show extreme cruelty to captured enemies or conquered civilians, something that many Senjen officers find unsettling.

The D'Potri, though nominally considered an enemy of the Rana Senjo, are often used as saburo as they are quite mercenary and even fight against their brethren for the right price. Most D'Potri in service of teh Senjen are the Hatti, elite heavy infantry of the D'Potri. The Hatti wear scale hauberks and iron helms and wield polearms or battle axes and round shields. The D'Potri are ferocious fighters and are known for their cruelty and brutality - enough that the mention of the Hatti are enough to strike fear into the hearts of potential attackers. Many times the Hatti are deployed in purely land battles, though it is not uncommon for them to serve aboard Senjo naval vessels are marines of a sort. Sometimes entire D'Potri ships are even hired by the Senjen.

The primary light cavalry force in Rana Senjo are made up of Kalashi horsemen. The Kalashi were once a nomadic steppe people who were driven from their ancestral lands by another invading force. They use their knowledge of horsemanship and archery in service to the Rana Senjo, for a price. All Kalashi saburo fight in essentially the same way, primarily as horse archers and secondarily as shock cavalry. They ride short but sturdy horses and wear chain mail hauberks along with iron helms. All Kalashi also carry short bows along with lances and small round shields along with an axe. In battle, they primarily rely upon their arrows but do not hesitate to charge a routing or disorganized unit or to attack a rear or flank.

The Senjen

There is also a professional military, men who serve as full time soldiers who serve as the core of a Rana Senjo military force. Unlike the saburo, most of the the professional army is made up of Senjen, though it still represenst only a minority of the nations total armed forces. There are two kinds of professional soldiers in the empire, the Guroken and the Ryken. The Guroken are the navy, they wear armor made from lacquered leather plates to protect their bodies, upper arms, and legs as well as lacquered leather helmets. Most are armed with short swords, medium sized round shields, and repeater crossbows for use at a range. The guroken are very well trained soldiers and excel at close combat, they often fight on land as well as at sea as they are used for raiding coastal regions and as a fast attack force. When possible, the sakoyos will include as many Guroken soldiers as they can, since they are generally better trained and much more experienced than local militias. In either case, the rowing is done by professional rowers who are often healthier than the slaves who power many such galleys. Despite being there of their own free will, the rowers are often drawn from the most impoverished and disadvantaged people of the empire, often drawn from ethnic minority populations who in the past were forced to row. Guroken ships are also frequently equipped with a variety of war machines such as catapults or ballistas which can hurl flaming projectiles at enemy ships. Sakoyo operate a bit differently when it comes to the Guroken, usually there is one sakoyo who acts as full time captain of a Guroken ship with more senior Sakoyo being appointed to larger ships. Because the Guroken are professional soldiers and may serve aboard the same ship for many years, the Guroken have much closer ties with the sakoyo who command them than do the local militias and thus the Guroken are able to fight with much better tactical and strategic ability.

The Guroken use a variety of ships ranging from small fast biremes to huge and heavily armored hexaremes. The greatest ship ever constructed was a Guroken ship with twenty banks of oars which was 300 feet in length. Unfortunately for this huge ship, called the Diochu, it was sunk in a battle with the D'Potri who used much smaller biremes and triremes to outmaneuver the large and ponderously slow Diochu.

In addition to the navy, the Rana Senjo also has the Ryken, the dragons. The Ryken have always had a certain amount of autonomy from the Doryo. Several Ryken sanctuaries, called Rykuna, exist across the island where the Ryken are trained and equipped. These Rykuna receive a set percentage of the budget of the Doryo by an ancient decree, and while the wealthy available to the Doryo has declined over the years, the flow has never dried up and therefore the Ryken have still been able to maintain their traditions if not their numbers. Each Rykuna is a community with large number of workers who help to support the Ryken, including blacksmiths to make their armor and weapon, farmers and herdsmen to feed the community, and the wives and children of both the Ryken and their helpers. The Ryken themselves only make up a small percentage of the adult males of the Rykuna, though all of the men in a Rykuna train as part of a local militia and serve as support for the Ryken in battle in the rare cases when a Rykuna is attacked. Each Rykuna is ruled by the eldest living Ryken, called the Tukosa. The Tukosa rules the Ryken autonomously regardless of what jinji the Rykuna happens to be located in.

As time has passed, the dragon's armor has become more protective and well crafted. The Ryken of today are clad from head to toe in heavy scale armor while they wear steel helms that have monstrous looking face plates, their horses are also covered with scale armor as well, truly giving the appearance that these warriors are indeed dragons. Often this scale armor is lacquered to prevent rusting as well as to give the "dragon" a distinctive color. The Ryken usually carry a round shield, lance, and slashing sword into battle, though some prefer to use crossbows instead of the shield. The Ryken are extremely well trained and selected from the most promising young boys of the Rykuna. They receive excellent training in riding and close combat and are feared warriors on the island and elsewhere.

The Yisto

Unfortunately, perhaps the most numerous armed forces in Haruna are the yitso gangs. These gangs vary quite a bit from region to region. Tarush yitso tend to use modified scythe type weapons, where the blade has been bent so that it extends straight from the shaft of the pole, which is usually shortened somewhat so that the weapon resembles a falx. This weapon traces its origin back to the many revolts that the Tarush had using farming implements that it has become a matter of pride. Tarush yitso are often motivated by religious or racial hatred and zealotry as much as greed - they usually prepare for an attack by cutting religious symbols onto their flesh as they believe that the holy symbols protect them in combat. Qualaba yitso take a more subtle approach, preferring to carry easily hidden weapons so that they don't stand out - this includes work tools, knives, farm tools, hammers, walking sticks, etc. Winjo yitso are usually the most sophisticated in that they tend to use more advanced military tactics and weaponry to strike quickly and then fade away. Winjo yitso usually arm themselves with repeater crossbows and short swords, giving then tactical flexibility that melee armed gangs lack. Fortunately, the Winjo yitso tend to prefer to take money over lives and wont generally use more violence than is necessary, they also tend to be less numerous than other yitso. Only the Tarush yitso brandish their weapons openly, others either keep theirs concealed, at some hidden location, or use work tools.

Piracy is a constant threat in the waters around Haruna, so much so that only ships with soldiers can engage in sea trade. Many merchant ships serve as pirate ships as well, raiding or trading as in convenient. Despite there being virtually no Senjen bandits on the land, a good portion of pirates are Senjen, though the majority of pirates are Winjo with the D'Potri making up the second largest group. Senjen pirates equip themselves in the same fashion as the Guroken navy does, when they can afford to do so. The Winjo pirates usually prefer not to wear armor while at sea and instead carry both crossbows and curved slashing short swords into battle, the most popular fighting style is to use a short sword in each hand though some Winjo pirates opt for the more conventional shield and sword style. Winjo pirates often use captured prisoners as galley slaves for their biremes. Because of the prevalence of piracy, most sailors aboard merchant ships keep makeshift fighting implements handy in case they need to defend themselves, some ships have a number of mercenary marines aboard to defend against pirates.

Merkabah

Merkabean History

In ancient days there was a wild, barbaric, and untaimed land to the north of the Regatul Empire. This land was known for its nearly constant and torrential rainfall as well as its hilly terrain and numerous rivers. The people there lived in a fairly primative state, there existed a few tiny kingdoms in the more temperate lowlands but people elsewhere lived in small clans or tribal groups. There was no unified religion amongst these people either, they worshiped a number of naturalistic or animistic deities, the exact nature of their religious practices varying from village to village.

Seeing such a primative people in need of civilization, the Emporer of Regatul ordered his legions into land to take it for the glory of the Regatul Empire. For the initial weeks the Regatulians marched through the land nearly unapposed. The villiages were small and relatively primative in comparison, and though many resisted, they were not powerful enough to put up a major resistance. Many tribes also surrendered or even sided with the Regatul army in order to escape the rath of the invading army.

The armies of Regatul reached the largest of the tiny kingdoms at the capital citystate of Gilgul. The king of Gilgul’s dauhter was married to the head of a clan that lived in the northern mountains that bordered the Great Marsh. These mountain dwellers were known by their lowland neighbors to be a rough and hearty people - they were commonly called the bear killers, for it was their practice to hunt bears and wear their skins into battle. They worshiped many of the same gods as the other clans: gods, godesses, and spirits of the natural world or elemental forces; but above all others they Woshiped the sun god - Morick.

When the clan elders learned that their allie of Gilgul faced attack from foreign invaders, they rallied all of the young men together to go south and repell the invading armies. They also sent messengers to other clans and tribes to try to enlist their aid against the armies of Regatul. A few other tribes sent some warriors to assist the bear killers, but many were too busy fighting each other to be willing to lend aid to Gilgul - particularly since many clans were enemies of that nation.

The army of the bear killers marched to the south to the aid of Gilgul. When they arrived at the city, their army along with that of the forced of Gilgul, were able to turn away the evading army of Regatul. Over the next several months the a combined force of Gilgul, the bear killers, and several other allied clans pushed back the armies of Regatul and forced a full retreat. Durring this time the bear killers had become famous among the clans for their bravery and fierceness in battle. Other clans sought to allie with them and with Gilgul. Unfortunately, the army they had recently repelled was only a minor force by Regaulian standards, three years later a much large force would return lead by Regatul’s emperor himself.

By that time, the little factions had become less divided as they all new the threat posed by the southlanders. Ehretz, the son of the bear killer’s last cheif, had risen to great power and prestige among all the clans - as a political leader, a great warrior, and as a mystic as well. Like others of his clan he was a worshiper of Morick as highest of the Gods, it is said that Morick would give him strange visions of things that were to come. Many believe that these revelations are what made him eager to unit the clans - for he foresaw the return of the Regatulians.
Despite rumours of divine foresight, the clans were not completely prepaired for what was to come. An army many times that of the previous force struck swiftly and won several important victories. The Emporer promised mercy for those who swore fealty to him - that there lives would only improve under his reign - for those that resisted, there would only be death. This pollicy divided the once unified clans, causing many to side with the envaders. The emporer, true to his word, massacred entire villiages of those who would not submit. Once again, the armies of Regatul pushed their way to the city of Gilgul - now more than even before, taking this city would be symbolic of their dominance over the region. Ehretz and his most loyal followers gathered their outside the city, and together swore an oath to die before the city was to be taken.

The Regatulian army outnumbered the city’s defenders significantly, both with elite Regatulian legionairs and with mercenaries from other southern nationalities and the traitorious clansmen who sided with Regatul. When the emperor saw the small force bravely defending the city - he became so amused by their bravery that he sent a messenger out to make them an offer. He said that is their champion could defeat his in honorable one on one combat, that he would spare the city and call return home. Ehretz said yes to this offer and anounced it to his men. Each warrior under him wished to be the man to fight Regatul’s champion and each boasted of his combat prowess in an attempt to be chosen - though most assumed that Ehretz would fight himself. Ehretz thought for a while over the decision of who would fight, and finally anounced that he would not be the champion, nor would any of his bravest or most skillfull soldiers. He said that they fought for their own glory, and not for the glory of Morick. He then walked towards the city and found a young girl, a widow whose husband had been killed in the wars. He pointed her out and said “she shall fight for the glory of Morick.” The other warriors looked at Ehretz dumbfounded, in shock at the choice he had made; the young girl however didn’t seem shocked at all, she merely picked up an axe and walked towards the field of battle.

When the the Emperor of Regatul and his armies saw the young girl approaching their champion, they all began to laugh at and mock her. The warriors with Ehretz felt shame and anger at Ehretz for the choice he had made. The young girl approached the Regatulian champion, he was heavily armed and armored, she carried merely a simple battle axe. It is said, but not known for sure, that the Regatulian champion had once been a gladiator and had killed hundreds of men in single combat, that he had never lost and could never lose. The young widow approached the Regatulian champion and they began to fight, and the champion was struck dead by the girl’s axe. Both armies stood there in shock, staring at the girl and her fallen opponent. The emperor became enraged and ordered his soldiers to kill the girl, as the Regatulian soldiers swarmed around her, Ehretz charged to her defence followed closely by his warriors. As he ran into the fray he shouted the girl’s name - “Merkabah.”

It is said that as the armies clashed the rain stopped and the clouds parted, letting the bright mid-day sun shine down upon the combatants. Eventually, the Regatulian army was routed. To this day it is a matter of contention what the fate of Merkabah was. Some say that she died in the heat of battle, others say she lived and went on to lead a normal life, others say that Morick took up her body and soul during the fighting. There are no historical documents on the matter.
The forces of Ehretz chased the envading Regatulian army far to the south, many of the clans who sided with them were expelled as well. More people flocked to the aid of Ehretz when they heard about what had happened at Gilgul, many were calling it a miracle. With his newly strengthened armies, Ehretz pushed even farther south, conquering large sections of northern Regatul. Each time he lead his forces into battle, they would cry out the name of Merkabah in rememberance of her victory over the champion of Regatul. Eventually he decided to stop his attacks against Regatul, realizing they had learned their lesson. The Emperor build a large wall and series of fortifications across the northern border of the empire - to this day the ruins of these walls still denote the boarder between Merkabah and Embest.

The Merkabean Church

A large percentage of the male population of Merkabah are members of the Ecclesiarchy - the organized church of Morick. Every man who enters the church must do so at the rank of Sihonite: a monk, manual laborer, and soldier. Every family in Merkabah is required to give their third born son to the church at ten years of age. These young boys are brought to a Nacterath, a monastery for the Sihonim that also serves a fortress in times of war. These monasteries also adopt orphaned boys and raise them as Sihonim as well.

As soon as the boy arrives at the monastery his training begins. They are taught to read and write as well as instructed in the proper worship of Morick. They also must undergo strenuous physical exercise, combat training, and daily self flagellation. In addition to this, each is trained in a profession that can contribute to the self sufficiency of each monastery.

The life of a Sihonite is a difficult one. They are allowed no personal wealth, nor are they permitted to have sex, partake of alcohol, or enjoy other worldly pleasures. Each day at dawn, the Sihonite awakes and preforms his morning prayers facing the rising sun. Immediately after, they must run five miles with arms and armor, after this run they begin their day of conventional labor. This labor often consists of stone masonry - in order to build onto and improve the defense capabilities of the Nacterath, though other common forms of labor include farmers, weapon or armor smiths, sheep herders, fisherman, scribes, and teachers (or lessons for those younger than 15). After finishing their day’s labor, they must practice their combat skills - this generally consists of several hours of practice combat between the monastery’s Sihonim or training to fight and march in formation. After or during fighting practice, when the sun sets, the Sihonite says his nightly prayers facing the setting sun. After this, the Sihonim sometimes have a little bit of personal time before going to sleep. Five days a week are spent this way, but the sixth day is spent in one of two ways, either a thirty mile march with weapons, armor, and provisions; or an entire day of fighting practice and combat drills; these events alternate, each happening every other week. The seventh day of each week is a time for the Sihonim to rest or spend as they see fit.

The students are considered adults at the age of fifteen, as all Merkabean boys are, and at that age are considered full fledged Sihonim. Before this point they are called Albiim. At fifteen, those young men who show incredibly physical prowess, determination, bravery, and strength of character are chosen to become Mahstadim - the holy warriors of Morick. At that point onward, all of their time is spent practicing their fighting skills or improving their physical strength and endurance. Each year after their Mahstadim training has begun, the chosen Sihonim have their combat skills tested by Mahstadim instructors. If a Sihonite passes this test, he becomes a Mahstad, one of the most respected and feared men in Merkabah. On average, most become a Mahstad at the age of twenty.

In times of war, the Sihonim are the elite infantry of Merkabah. Their daily training and religious zealotry make them both skilled in warfare and brave in the face of the enemy. Mahstadim are the ultra-elite of the Merkabean military, serving both as officers and tacticians as well as offering their incredible combat prowess to their side. Warrior monks of Merkabah follow ancient martial traditions, they still make and wear their own bronze armor. While the bronze isn't quite as strong as steel used in many other nations, the bronze armor is expertly crafted and very protective. The Sihonim wear a bronze coat of plates that cover most of their bodies while the Mahstadim are clad in partial bronze plate armor, both wear closed face bronze helms. Though the axe is the weapon that symbolizes bravery and honor in combat for Merkabeans, Sihonim occasionally fight with other weapons. Sihonim usually fight with large round shields and battle axes, though sometimes they wield large pole axes or pikes while the Mahstadim use huge two handed axes. The weapon a Mahstad uses is a holy relic, often passed down from Mahstad to Mahstad for generations. Each one undergoes a special ritual blessing by the Vah Ephod when it is given to the Mahstad. As a matter of honor (Gothe-Ul) they never use missile weapons nor fight from horseback.

The Mahstadim must live under the same restrictions as the Sihonim, including vows of poverty, celibacy, and chastity, as well as self flagellation. The training for the Mahstadim is very rigorous, not only physically but also spiritually. It is said that the Mahstadim are so fanatical that they do not fear death and will fight to the man. It is also commonly known that the spirit of Morick can enter into a Mahstad in the heat of battle or during self flagellation, filling him with righteous fury and giving him superhuman strength and endurance. Because of the fanatical bravery of the Mahstadim, it is not uncommon for them to charge boldly into enemy forces - breaking through their lines; another common use for Mahstadim is to stay behind while other troops retreat to prevent the main force from being overrun. Mahstadim often wear belts made of thick chain, a portion of which hangs down and serves as an instrument of self flagellation.

Another large part of Merkabah military is comprised of highlanders, the Sopharim. The highlanders will work for the Vah Ephod as what basically amounts to mercenaries. The highlanders are dedicated hunters who have mastered the use of the long bow to hunt big game like bears and moose, they use these extremely powerful bows with draws of one hundred pounds or more on the battlefield with great skill. Highlanders wear a variety of armor - usually something made from boiled leather or hide - but sometimes they go into battle in only a simple loin cloth. They often aren't that skilled at obeying orders or getting into proper formations, but they are courageous fighters and excellent archers. The highlanders often carry battle axes or clubs as backup weapons.

The Aphars are the most diverse part of the Merkabean military. Because they are technically law enforcement agents of the church, they are not required to obey the laws of Gothe-Ul while trying to defeat or apprehend their enemy. Because of this, they are allowed to fight on horseback, use missile weapons, or any variety of other tactics. They are equipped in what ever way their Arbite master commands them to be. Most often, they are equipped with an open faced helm and chain mail hauberk along with a short bow, a mace, and a small round shield. Often times they will be mounted and act as light cavalry or horse archers, used to harass or grant a tactical advantage more than inflict direct damage on the enemy.

Merkabeans, particularly the highlanders, often use war dogs in battle These dogs, often called marsh hounds or keterim, resemble a mixture between a wolf and a mastiff. They are large and aggressive, willing to defend their masters to the death. The highland longbowmen often loose their marsh hounds when they are in danger of being charged by enemy forces - the hounds will attack the enemy and slow down the charge allowing the archers to pepper their enemy with arrows, retreat, or to countercharge. Sometimes the dogs are given very basic leather or boiled leather barding to protect their backs and the top of their heads, more common are spiked collars to protect them from the bite of other animals.

Only a small number of Sihonim ever become Mahstadim, less than five percent. If a Sihonite is not chosen to become a Mahstad, there are a number of possibilities for him. At the age of thirty, Sihonim have the option of leaving the monastery and becoming civilians. If a Sihonite chooses to do this, he often finds a life for himself in the same career he learned in the monastery. Some Sihonim chose to continue living the monastic lifestyle in lieu of having a life and family of their own, many of these men remain Sihonim for their entire lives.

The third possibility for a Sihonite is promotion to the office of Adonite. An Adonite is a priest of Morick who serves at a temple known as a Hoshek. A Hoshek is not only a place for worship, but is a political center as well. Merkabah is divided up into regions known as Hoshekayim, kind of the equivalent of states. Each Hoshekaya is ruled by an Ephod, the high priest of a Hoshek. When an Ephod learns of a Sihonite who is particularly skilled, intelligent, faithful, or charismatic; he will often raise that Sihonite to an Adonite for that temple. The Adonim serve a variety of roles within the temple, including preforming religious rituals, handling church business, ministering to the populace in times of hardship, or acting as political figures. Worshipers of Morick do not go to a church or temple regularly, rather they go on a pilgrimage to their region’s Hoshek once a year in order to pray, offer tribute, and preform sacrifices (burnt offering of food or items). One of the Adonim’s main functions is to lead to these pilgrims in worship.

Elevation to the position of Adonite marks a significant change in lifestyle. Unlike a Sihonite, an Adonite is allowed to marry and have children. Not only are they allowed to do this, but they may also imbibe alcohol (within reason) and engage in other pleasurable activities as long as they do not hinder their role as priests. They are paid a regular salary that allows them to afford moderate to high quality food and clothing for themselves and their family, allowing them to lead middle to upper class lifestyles depending on the temple and role of the Adonite within that temple. The required duties of an Adonite are also much less strenuous than those of a Sihonite.

In order to enforce laws with his Hoshekaya, an Ephod has men working under him to enforce civil law. These law enforcement agents are called Arbites, an Arbite oversees a certain area or group of people, and within his domain he acts as a judge, jury, and - if necessary - executioner. To be appointed as Arbite, a man must first be an Adonite within the Hoshekaya. The Ephod usually appoints an Adonite who has experience either with violence or public relations to become an Arbite. Sometimes the area an Arbite polices is an expanse of wilderness with scattered rural villages, usually such an Arbite works alone or with only a small number of helpers, because his job consists primarily of traveling around and adjudicating over small-town petty crimes. Other Arbites supervise large cities, where they must deal with organized crime as well as tens of thousands of people. For Arbites in this situation, there is a special non-ecclesiastical position that an Arbite can appoint a civilian to, basically a kind of deputy - called an Aphar. In big cities or populous areas where an Arbite can’t handle every case individually, it will be Aphars who will fulfill the typical role of Arbite, while the Arbite himself basically acts as a police commissioner and district attorney. An Arbite has almost absolute power within his domain, because guilt and innocence is decided purely upon his discretion. The one exception to this is fellow church officials, who the Arbite has no power over.

The man who controls a Hoshekaya and every Nacterath and Arbite within it is an Ephod. An Ephod is the high priest of a temple. His power within his Hoshekaya is almost like that of a king. An Ephod is appointed to his rank by the Vah Ephod, the absolute ruler of the Ecclesiarchy and therefore Merkabah itself. Any church member can be appointed to the rank of Ephod, though it is very rare for Sihonim to be raised to this level. Often Adonim who served as close seconds to the Hoshek’s Ephod before his death are appointed as the new Ephod. Occasionally, particularly successful Arbites or Mahstadim are appointed to the position of Ephod.

When the old Vah Ephod dies, a new one is chosen from among all of the Ephodim. After the Vah Ephod dies, the Ephodim all gather together at the Vah Hoshek, the great temple in Gilgulim. They pray and perform special rituals for a ten days, after which time a secret ritual is preformed. The specifics of the ritual are unknown, but it is believed that during this ritual a miracle occurs and Morick himself chooses the new Vah Ephod. Many have theorized that the ritual involves some kind of random drawing, others say that the Ephodim merely vote, still others say that a Kodesh appears before them and chooses a Vah Ephod. The real truth is unknown.

It is thought that the greatest earthly servants of Morick, those with unyielding faith and piety, will continue to serve Morick after their death. These great individuals are called the Kodeshim. A Kodesh is like both an angel and a saint, a messenger of Morick and a protector of the faithful. It is thought that a Kodesh will come to a faithful servant of Morick in times of need. Different varieties of miraculous acts are attributed to different Kodeshim, but many are thought to fight against and destroy the enemies of Morick. In religious drawing and sculptures, Kodeshim are often portrayed as dragon-like beings - creatures with great wings and terrible claws and teeth who breath fire and smoke. Some of the more peaceful Kodeshim are depicted as humans with sunbeams emanating from behind them or wreathed in flames. Credible eyewitness accounts are rare and the church has no official position on the appearance or specific abilities of each Kodesh. One of the great canonical books of the Ecclesiarchy is called the Kodeshima - a book of stories about great heroes of the church of Morick, those who the Ecclesiarchy has deemed worthy of becoming a Kodesh after death. Once every few decades a new chapter is added to the Kodeshima as a new hero is recognized by the church.

Women are not permitted to be members of the church, they are not considered spiritually or emotionally mature enough to understand the mysteries of Morick. There is one minor role for women within the church, that of Anashim. Just as young orphan boys are raised within a Nacterath, girls who are orphaned are brought to the closest Hoshek to be raised there. These girls are raised by older Anashim and taught how to sing. In each temple there is a hall of worship where pilgrims come to praise Morick. These halls are filled with the soft hymns of the Anashim, each temple has a choir of Anashim, the women of the choir sing in shifts so that the hall of worship is always filled with their songs. After the age of twenty, an Anasha is allowed to marry and many do so and leave the church. It is not uncommon for an Anasha to marry one of the temple’s Adonim and continue her singing at the temple with her husband. Those Anashim who do not leave the temple at twenty are often instructed in the techniques of healing the sick; many people often come to a temple to receive the free treatment offered by the older Anashim. Sometimes women who do not have males to take care of them go to a temple to be taken care of, these women often learn to sing or heal and become full Anashim. The temple’s choir is often considered the last resort of an old maid. The lifestyle of Anashim is usually quite modest, though the do not live under the strict restrictions that Sihonim must. Art and artistic expression is generally viewed as a childish endeavor, therefore there are relatively few works of religious artwork in Merkabah. The few pieces of religious paintings and sculpture that exist (such as depiction of Kodeshim discussed above) are often crafted by Anashim to decorate the dwelling of church officials or the grounds around the temple.


Miscellaneous

In Merkabah priests handle law enforcement. In each town or city, there will be at least one priest called and Arbite. The Arbite acts as judge, jury, and often executioner. The death penalty is employed for most crimes - including murder, blasphemy, rape, dishonorable (not a fair fight) assaults, lying, and grand theft. For more minor crimes, such as petty theft or destruction of property; branding or mutilation is employed. For women punishments are generally much less severe, such as flogging or the pillory.

Because of the heavy rainfall and often cold weather, hospitality is very important in Merkabah. People in Merkabah are usually expected to invite a traveler to at least dry his clothing and warm himself by their fire - especially in the cold and rainy winter months.

Women are not permitted to hold any position in the church or have any other leadership role. They are expected to stay at home and take care of domestic work. They are generally not permitted to leave the house alone unless escorted or under special circumstances. They also are not allowed to hunt or till soil, though they can pick fruits or berries.

Because this is the Age of Destruction, the creation of new items is discouraged. When something new is made - whether it is an item of clothing, a weapon, or a new temple - something must be destroyed to balance this new creation. For minor creations, burning herbs and plants is usually sufficient. For creator creations, greater burnings are required. When a weapon of suit of armor is finished, usually cow or lamb or slaughtered and burned. For a building, typical animals or useful items are burned. When the church constructs a new temple or a lord builds a castle, large numbers or animals and precious items are destroyed - when a temple is about to be completed, Arbites often delay executions for the temple’s completion ceremony.

Artwork is seen as a childish pursuit for adult men, who are expected to take care of serious business. This being the case, in Merkabah women make up the great majority of the artistic community. All of the great painters, poets, musicians, writers, sculptors, etc. in Merkabah are women. Despite women’s lack of actual political influence; they make up for it in large degree by their contributions to art and culture.

It is thought that warfare is most honorable when it is individuals in hand to hand combat with each other. The use of missile weapons and cavalry is often seen as unchivalrous. Warrior monks and priests neither use missile weapons or fight on horseback. Noble knights still ride on horses and peasant conscripts usually use missile weapons; but they are not held to as high of standards as the clergy.

To pray to Morick, people in Merkabah pray twice a day facing the sun - usually at dusk and dawn. In every town in Merkabah, at the town center, there is a structure called a Sun-guide. The Sun-guide tells north, south, east, and west. In bigger cities, the Sun-guide shows more, such as depicting the sun’s ecliptic through the sky in relation to the date and season.

It is thought that warfare is most honorable when it is individuals in hand to hand combat with each other. The use of missile weapons and cavalry is often seen as unchivalrous. Warrior monks and priests neither use missile weapons or fight on horseback. Noble knights still ride on horses and peasant conscripts usually use missile weapons; but they are not held to as high of standards as the clergy.

The Morickites in Merkabah believe that a sinner’s soul remains in his body after he dies. The soul suffers there in the body until the body as decayed completely into dust. In order to ease the suffering of such damned souls, the Morickitess burn bodies of the sinful and virtuous (just in case) alike. After a sinners body turns to dust, the soul goes into oblivion. For the faithful and pure of heart, they go into slumber until there are resurrected in the 4th Age. Sometimes the most horrible of evil doers will have their bodies preserved to suffer in their corpses for centuries.

Though women are considering emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually inferior to men; Merkabeans are protective of women. Rape is considered one of the most horrible crimes as is striking a woman without a very good cause - both actions will result in a gruesome death for the offender.

To pray to Morick, people in Merkabah pray twice a day facing the sun - usually at dusk and dawn. In every town in Merkabah, at the town center, there is a structure called a Sun-guide. The Sun-guide tells north, south, east, and west. In bigger cities, the Sun-guide shows more, such as depicting the sun’s ecliptic through the sky in relation to the date and season.

Northern Merkabah (particularly the highlands) is known for its rough wilderness explorers, men who are brave and skillful enough to venture out into the marshes for extended periods. A method used by such rangers for generations has been to take tracking dogs into the marshes with them, dogs with a good enough tracking ability that they can find their way back through the marsh to civilized lands. Over the generations, Merkabeans have bred a type of dog now known as the Marsh Hound - large mean dogs that resemble a cross between a mastiff and a wolf. These dogs are trained to both track and to kill. In times of war, these dogs are often set loose upon the enemy. Ecclesiastical military believes this is unchivalrous but other soldiers use them fairly often. Nobles often keep a large number of marsh hounds around, both to aid them on the battle field and to protect them in their keeps.

In the winter it precipitates almost constantly in Merkabah, usually hours every day and the sky is almost always filled with clouds. In the Merkabean lowlands, where winter temperatures are usually in the 40's & 50's, this is merely miserably cold rain. In the highlands snow build up over ten feet in height and causes activity to almost completely stop. Despite this rainfall, the only major river is in the southern side of Merkabah, the rest of the country is, however, covered with hundreds if not thousands of small to medium sized streams and creeks. Merkabean highlands are known for numerous waterfalls, especially active in the spring. Embest and the south-western coast of Merkabah doesn’t experience the terrible precipitation found in Merkabah.

Because of the heavy rainfall and often cold weather, hospitality is very important in Merkabah. People in Merkabah are usually expected to invite a traveler to at least dry his clothing and warm himself by their fire - especially in the cold and rainy winter months.

Because this is the Age of Destruction, the creation of new items is discouraged. When something new is made - whether it is an item of clothing, a weapon, or a new temple - something must be destroyed to balance this new creation. For minor creations, burning herbs and plants is usually sufficient. For creator creations, greater burnings are required. When a weapon of suit of armor is finished, usually cow or lamb or slaughtered and burned. For a building, typical animals or useful items are burned. When the church constructs a new temple or a lord builds a castle, large numbers or animals and precious items are destroyed - when a temple is about to be completed, Arbites often delay executions for the temple’s completion ceremony, where the offenders will be burned in a massive sacrifice to Morick.

In Merkabah priests handle law enforcement. In each town or city, there will be at least one priest called and Arbite. The Arbite acts as judge, jury, and often executioner. The death penalty is employed for most crimes - including murder, blasphemy, rape, dishonorable (not a fair fight) assaults, lying, and grand theft. For more minor crimes, such as petty theft or destruction of property; branding or mutilation is employed. For women punishments are generally much less severe, such as flogging or the pillory. There are no real prisons in Merkabah, only places small holding areas to keep prisoners for a few weeks at most - imprisonment is not a form of punishment used in Merkabah.

Merkabah is divided up into principalities and realms. Each realm has a corresponding temple form which the high priest (Ephod) rules the realm. Princes control principalities, but only have minor power in comparison to ecclesiastical authorities. The primary power of princes is in terms of pure wealth. Principalities and realms overlap in strange ways that often leads to confusion and arguments between secular and religious authorities. Princes also own most of the ships in the Merkabean Navy.

Women are not permitted to hold any position in the church or have any other leadership role. They are expected to stay at home and take care of domestic work. They are generally not permitted to leave the house alone unless escorted or under special circumstances. They also are not allowed to hunt or till soil, though they can pick fruits or berries.

Artwork is seen as a childish pursuit for adult men, who are expected to take care of serious business. This being the case, in Merkabah women make up the great majority of the artistic community. All of the great painters, poets, musicians, writers, sculptors, etc. in Merkabah are women. Despite women’s lack of actual political influence; they make up for it in large degree by their contributions to art and culture.

Because of precipitation and cultural traditions, firearms haven’t caught on in Merkabah - typically only the rare noble owns one which has been imported from some other nation. Merkabeans are, however, known to have excellent quality armor and melee weapons - in part because of the country’s militant traditions and the mineral deposits in the Merkabean highlands. The majority of the Merkabean military is made up of Mahstads - holy warriors. Though being well trained and well equipped professional soldiers, they are not permitted to ride horses or to use missile weapons. In times of war, peasant longbowmen or crossbowmen make up for lack of missile fire. Princes in Merkabah also have their own armies, usually Merkabean nobles fight in medium to heavy armor on horseback - knights. The princes’ armies vary tremendously with the prince, and could include whatever the individual prince wishes to pay for. Despite the church’s large number of land soldiers, the huge majority of the country’s naval power in under the control of princes. Each ship usually flies both the Merkabean Night Sun and the Owner/Prince’s heraldry. Many Merkabean princes gain extra revenue from piracy; the church overlooks attacks against the ships of other nations.

The great majority of Merkabeans have their marriages arranged by a combination of the parents and the local priests. Infidelity is harshly punished by public beating. Promiscuity is frowned upon but incurs no penalty. Pregnancy out of wedlock, however, is considered terribly irresponsible and incurs punishments for both the parents. Because of this attitude, at marriage, many Merkabeans are “technically” virgins. In Merkabah, men are expected to keep their genitals covered; women do not have this prohibition and need not wear clothing (needs a male escort in public) at all - though it is considered impolite and sinful to for men to stare.

In Merkabah, personal space is sacred. To touch someone in an unwanted to disrespectful way is a grave offense. To unlawful touch another man’s wife or other female relation without consent is even worse. Dueling existed and if done with the permission of the local Arbite, legal and acceptable. For an official Merkabean dual, the combatants get a stout wooden club for each hand and they proceed to beat each other until one man is dead, unconscious, or surrenders. For the most part, duals in Merkabah are rare - people are generally respectful of other’s personal space - particularly women’s.

Merkabeans are very fair skinned people, with milky white flesh or light pinkish skin with freckles. Their hair is generally a shade of red, though blonde or auburn is not uncommon ether. Blue eyes are the most common eye color for Merkabeans, ranging from pale blue to blue gray. Green or gray eyes are occasionally seen as well but are not as common as blue. Dark hair or eyes are quite uncommon in Merkabah; it is usually only seen in southern Merkabah and even then is often seen as a sign of foreign ancestry. For the most part, a Merkabean's features are similar to those of people from north western Europe.

Merkabean women most often wear long dresses in shades of light brown, off white, or gray - though undyed is most common. The dress usually has sleeves that extend to the elbow or down to the wrist. Sometimes Merkabean women will wear just a skirt with a simple white or brown blouse. When a long dress is worn it is usually in combination with a belt or simple cord worn around the waste. Hooded leather cloaks are usually worn in the winter, sometimes with shawls beneath. Clothing is usually made of wool or linen. Sandals are common footwear for women, as are simple soft leather shoes or boots that resemble moccasins. Women usually do not cut their hair, letting it grow to great lengths. They usually allow their hair to flow naturally or wear it in a simple pony tail, though some women may braid their hair as well.

Men usually wear simple undyed wool tunics that come down to about knee level and have sleeves of varying length. Some men, particularly those in cold parts of Merkabah may wear leather pants as well. Soft leather boots are common footwear for men, though sometimes hard leather boots may be worn as well. As with Merkabean women, in the winter men will usually keep themselves warm with leather cloaks. Men also tend to grow their hair long, usually down to the shoulder and sometimes even longer, sometimes tied into a pony tail but more frequently allowed to flow. They also grow shaggy beards.

The most common exceptions to the above clothing styles are the clergy of Merkabah. Male members of the clergy usually wear long woolen robes dyed either a shade of green, dark gray, or black (depending on rank and order) and wear a chain as a belt. Anashim, the nuns of Merkabah, wear similar robes in a shade of light gray, and have a simple cord for a belt instead of the chain. Both wear leather cloaks in inclement weather, though unlike they lay people with their natural colors, cloaks worn by the clergy are always dyed black. Male members of the clergy keep their heads and faces clean shaven, though the Anashim simply keep their hair cut at about shoulder length and keep it tied in a short pony tail. Male members of the clergy wear thick leather boots, usually in a shade of dark gray or black, while Anashim wear sandals or moccasins just as laywomen do.

The lowest rank of male clergy, the Albiim, are mere boys who are younger than the age of 15. They wear naturally colored wool robes fitting the above description. When an Albi reaches the age of 15, he is promoted to the rank of Sihonite and his robe is dyed dark gray. Adonim receive dark green robes as a sign of status. The Mahstadim wear black robes as does an Arbite, though the Arbite also wears a gray tabard over his robe. The Ephodim wear green robes with black tabards while the Vah Ephod wears a green robe trimmed in black with a black tabard and wears a the golden Midnight Sun symbol of Morick as a necklace. Apharim wear civilian clothing with a dark gray tabard.


Gothe-Ul

It is hard to explain the Merkabean concept of Gothe-Ul, there is no English equivalent for the word. In some ways it represents a kind chivalry, for it outlines which forms of combat are honorable and which are dishonorable. In another sense it resembles a work ethic, because without the code of Gothe-Ul hard work is highly treasured. It is a moral system that Merkabeans strive to uphold, mostly men but also women as well. The easiest way to describe Gothe-Ul is simply to list the major moral beliefs of the system.

Gothe-Ul and Combat

It is considered dishonorable to fight an opponent with ranged weapons, it is believed that it removes the skill and fairness of combat. It is also against Gothe-Ul to fight with the assistance of animals in combat, this includes riding on horses during combat or using marsh hounds. One must also avoid attacking an enemy by surprise or when he is unarmed. Clearly inferior opponents should always be given the option of surrender or escape. Women should never be harmed by a man unless it is absolutely necessary in self defense, even then a man should try to subdue an attacking woman if it is at all possible.

Surrender and retreat are both looked down upon according to Gothe-Ul, they are acts of cowardice and doubt in the will of Morick. Military units who surrender or retreat are often viewed with disdain, because of this Merkabean military units often fight to the death. Under certain circumstances a Mahstad will order a “tactical withdraw” which is not viewed in the same way as retreat. Surrender is always considered cowardly however, and when withdraw is not an option, Merkabean soldiers are expected to die.

Gothe-Ul and Women

The codes of Gothe-Ul are very protective towards women. It is the responsibility of the eldest male relative of a women to protect her. When traveling in a group of mixed sex, the men are honor bound to protect and care for the women in their company. One should never strike, injure, or otherwise harm a woman - doing so in Merkabah means death for the offender. Rape is considered one of the most despicable of crimes, and rapists in Merkabah have every bone in their body broken one by one as punishment. One should never touch a woman unless your are her family or have permission, doing so is an insult to her honor as well as that of her husband and father. Women should also be treated with respect and helpfulness - heavy loads should be carried for them, assistance must be offered when they are in need, harsh words against them should be avoided, the discussion of violence or graphic sexuality should also be avoided in the presence of women. It is a woman’s father who is the main protector of her honor, if her father dies her protector becomes her eldest male relative or if none is available then it goes to the local Arbite. Women have few rights in Merkabah but a husband has no power over his wife and cannot control her or restrict her activities - that power rests in the hands of her own kin. It is believed that a husband can take advantage or abuse his own wife, that is why only a male relative can be trusted to protect her. A husband is still expected to defend his wife’s honor, but has no particular legal authority over her as a father has.

Gothe-Ul and the Work Ethic

Men are expected to work hard and be productive. It is considered shameful waste time on leisure activities when you can be contributing to the welfare of your family, nation, or church. According to Gothe-Ul, a man must strive to be his best in any career he pursues and should feel ashamed of himself for resting when his body and mind are capable of further work. For this reason Merkabean men generally spend a great deal of their time laboring. Even in professions that are regulated by the season (the crops aren’t ready yet), a man is expected to find work for himself. Because of this, Merkabah is quite a productive country.

Along these same lines, activities which are seen as idle pursuits are looked down upon. Such activities include the playing of music, writing poems or fictional stories, artwork, any form of entertainment. Women are not held to as high a standard as are men in this regard. Though lazy women are indeed looked down upon, they are given far greater leeway with artistic endeavors. This is the reason why almost all artwork in Merkabah is created by women. This includes music, poems, paintings, sculpture, even theater. Merkabean plays are done entirely by women, they write the plays and act out all the roles; most of these plays are adaptations of religious stories. Men who do pursue art are seen not only as lazy and nonproductive, but also as effeminant because of the association that the arts have with women. Some even look down on men for viewing or enjoying the arts, going to plays, reading works of fiction, listening to music - but its a relatively minor objection that usually only the more extreme Merkabeans make, though it is mostly wealthy women who enjoy the arts.

Gothe-Ul and Hospitality

This aspect of Gothe-Ul may have arisen because of the often harsh climates in Merkabah, particularly the highlands. It rains almost constantly through out Merkabah and during the winter in the highlands this rain becomes snow. Travelers must endure this terrible weather for long periods of time. They often must cross many rivers, face poor quality roads or even wilderness, and sometimes travel up and down mountains as they make their way across Merkabah. This is why hospitality is so important.

When a traveler passes through, it is considered the duty of a Merkabean to offer that traveler food and shelter for the night. Even if one’s family is low on food, the travelers are to be given equal portions to those of the household. This hospitality also extends to protection of the traveler unless the traveler is threatened by legal authorities. During extremely bad weather, it often becomes necessary to stay more than a night, during a blizzard for instance. Under these circumstances, the travelers can stay longer but must help to support their stay in any way they can and are obligated (by Gothe-Ul) to leave before a week has passed. It is not unusual for Merkabeans who can’t take the hard work that is typical for Merkabean males to become professional vagabonds - traveling place to place and living on the hospitality of others.

Gothe-Ul and Honor

In Merkabah lies and deceitfulness are despised crimes. Anyone who is caught lying, breaking an oath, failing to fulfill a contract or promise, or even pay back a loan is punished by branding. The Merkabean warlock symbol is branded upon their foreheads so that all who see them will know they are liars and oath breakers. Those who lie in official courts of law are burned to death as punishment.

Merkabeans also take insults or slights very personally because of a sense of personal and family honor. Merkabeans very much value personal space; touching someone else without permission is seen as extremely rude and disrespectful - even worse is to touch another man’s female relative. Threats are also considered highly disrespectful and are seldom made in Merkabah if one does not intend on following through. When someone’s honor is is damaged, the way Merkabeans are expected to settle it is through a Merkabean duel.

When one man is dishonored he may challenge the offender to a duel, the offender must either apologize or except the duel. Declining the duel usually results in a loss of face. Women cannot issue or accept challenges, though sometimes husbands or male relatives get into duels on the behalf of a woman. In a Merkabean duel, the two duelists fight each other with a stout stick in each hand. They fight until one man surrenders, is knocked unconscious, or dies. A duelist can surrender at any time and his opponent must except the surrender, but because surrender is a sign of weakness, duels often result in death. Because of the brutality of the duels and the ease at which they can be started, Merkabeans tend to very polite and respectful of each other.

Gothe-Ul and Stoicism

When Merkabean men (and to a lesser degree women) are in pain, are sad, afraid, suffering in any kind of way - they are expected to keep it too themselves. To cry out or grimace in pain is considered a sign of weakness and lack of willpower or mental resolve. Those who are sick or injured are expected to fulfill their responsibilities and work to the fullest extent of their ability. The same goes for emotional pain - it is expected that people will be sad after the loss of a loved one or traumatic experience, but they should not let that get in the way of one’s duties. Because of this, when Merkabeans get sad or sick or are having problems, they generally keep silent about it.


Merkabean Lexicon

Abi : Literally “the son of” in Merkabean. All Merkabeans are known by the name of their father. So a typical Merkabean name, Malkuth abi Havilah, means Malkuth the son of Havilah.

Adonite : A priest of Morick, allowed to get married and retain wealth, the Adonite primarily ministers to the populace and lead them in religious ceremony. Adonim are referred to directly as Adon, or Adon followed by the name (Adon Malkuth). The plural form is Adonim.

Aheya : This word denotes a lord’s ownership of land. As part of a lord's official title, aheya will follow the lord's name and precede the land they own - for example, Malkuth aheya Gilgulim means Malkuth lord of Gilgulim.

Albi : A boy under the age of fifteen who is training at a Nacterath to someday become a Sihonite. Plural form is Albiim.

Anasha : A Merkabean nun. They sing hymns in the Hoshekim and help care for the sick and infirmed. Anashim are referred to directly as Ana, or Ana followed by the name (Ana Merkabah). The plural form is Anashim.

Aphar : A layman who serves the Ecclesiarchy. These men work as law enforcers in the service of an arbite. In small towns or rural village an arbite will often work alone. In larger towns or cities there is a need for the Apharim, basically the police.

Arbite : Each Arbite oversees an area and enforces the laws there as judge, jury, and sometimes executioner. In populous areas they have Apharim to enforce their will. The plural for is Arbim.

Bariah : This is a Merkabean ritual of exorcism. Men who are found guilty of Hachmah are burned as punishment, but when women practice witchcraft it is believed they do so because they are possessed by Rhashim. In order rid the women of the Rhashim, they undergo Bariah, which is ten days of exorcism and sleep deprivation, after this period of time the women are deemed cured and is then released.

Bear Killer : see Sophar

Ecclesiarchy : see Shanah Loheth.

Ephod : A religious leader in the Ecclesiarchy, each controls a single Hoshekaya much like a feudal lord would. Ephodim are referred to directly as Ephod, or Ephod followed by the name (Ephod Malkuth). The plural form is Ephodim.

Gevurah : The Merkabean practice and ritual of cremation. It is thought that if a body is not cremated and if the dead person was not virtuous that his or her soul will remain trapped and conscious within the body until it completely deteriorates. Gevurah is also used to refer to the burning method of execution used on those who have committed crimes against Morick. Such crimes include blasphemy, Hachmah, sacrilege, violent acts against clergy, etc.

Gilgulim : The holiest city in Merkabah, the home of the Vah Hoshek and the Vah Ephod. This is the capital not only for Merkabah but for the worship of Morick.

Gothe-Ul : The code of honor which most Merkabean men strive to adhere to.

Hachmah : The worship of Rhasha-Har and/or the practice of magic.

Hachmarite : A practitioner of magic, sorcery, witchcraft, etc. The plural form is Hachmarim.

Hod : The great marsh to the north of Merkabah.

Hoshek : A temple to Morick, not only a temple but also a castle from which an Ephod rules his Hoshekaya. The plural form is Hoshekim.

Hoshekaya : A large section of land that surrounds a Hoshek. This land is under the absolute rule of an Ephod. The plural form is Hoshekayim.

Kadam : The punishment which is given to dishonorable criminals such as rapists, child molesters, assassins, pirates, charlatans, career criminals, etc. It involves systematically breaking each bone in the offender’s body starting with the smallest and finishing with the skull.

Keterim : A breed of large dogs, resembling a cross between a wolf and a mastiff; used for hunting, protection, and war. Because of their origins in northern Merkabah and usefulness in the Hod to the north, they are often called marsh hounds. The singular form is Keter.

Kodesh : A dead follower of Morick who had such virtue and faith that they continue on as a spiritual/supernatural servant of Morick, much like an angel or saint. They are often thought to appear as fearsome creatures to smite evil doers. The Plural form is Kodeshim.

Kodeshima : This is one of the holy books that Morick worshipers hold sacred. It contains the tales of every mortal who has been elevated to the state of Kodesh.

Mahstad : A holy warrior of Morick, they serve as officers and elite soldiers among the Sihonim. Plural form is Mahstadim.

Malak : A Merkabean prince, the plural form is Malakim. The feminine form is Mala and the plural form is Malim. In direct address, both genders are called Mal followed by their name, such as Mal Malkuth.

Marsh, Great : see Hod

Merkabah : One of the greatest of the Kodeshim, a virtuous woman who defeated a Regatulian champion in battle - a victory would would lead to the unification of all of the tribes that later became the nation of Merkabah and to the permanent expulsion of Regatulian forces from that area of the world.

Morick : The supreme being, the one and only true deity, creator of all things, infinite and beyond human imagining.

Morickite : A worshiper of Morick, plural form is Morickim.

Nacterath : A self sufficient monastery and military base. Sihonim and Mahstadim live and train in these places. Plural form is Nacterim.

Nepherite : A heretical Morick worshiper, the plural form is Nepherim. Most of the Nepherim date back to the Merkabean Civil War, when rebels fought against excesses of the Ecclesiarchy. 

Parashah : A religion which is not the one true religion of Morick Worship.

Parashite : A heathen, a person who practices a religion which does involve the worship of Morick. Plural form is Parashim.

Rhash : This word means can be either and adjective meaning “evil” or a noun meaning an evil spirit or demon. “Rhashim” is often used to refer to evil as a concept or force but is also the plural form of Rhash.

Rhasha-Har : The great source of evil and suffering for mankind, the creator of the Rhashim and the corruptor of Morick's creation, including humanity. Referred to as Bal in Regatulian.

Ruah : A holy war or crusade, often called in defense of Merkabah or Morickim. The most significant Ruah was the one which Malkuth started against the Akinji.

Shanah Loheth : Literally “The Year of Burning” in Merkabean. This refers to the time after the priesthood seized control of the Merkabah. Now the term is used for the theocratic organization (called the Ecclesiarchy by foreigners) that rules all of Merkabah, with the Vah Ephod as the absolute leader. The current year in Merkabah is measured by the age of the Shanah Loheth. The priests gained control 436 years after the fall of Regatul, year that the Merkabean Civil War ended in Shanah Loheth 211, 647 years after the fall of Regatul.

Shekai : Within each Merkabean city there is a Shekai, or sun-guide. It tells north, south, east, and west; some more elaborate ones depict the sun’s ecliptic through the sky in relation to the date. This helps travelers to pray facing the sun even if it is too cloudy to see.

Sihonite : A worker, monk, and warrior. They live together in self sufficient monasteries where each practices an individual trade and trains to fight and kill. They take vows of poverty, celibacy, and chastity. Sihonim are referred to directly as Sihon, or Sihon followed by the name (Sihon Malkuth). The plural form is Sihonim.

Sophar : One of the primitive people who live in the highlands of northern Merkabah. Commonly called “bear killers” for their practice of wearing bear skins. They are known for their breeding of the marsh hounds and for the use of long bows (in violation of Gothe-Ul). The plural form is Sopharim.

Sun-guide : see shekai

Tiferet : A Merkabean duel, using a stout wooden stick in each hand, usually fought to the death.

Tikkun : This is a place and time of eternal peace and paradise for the virtuous dead. It is believed that after the Vahim have destroyed all life that the virtuous shall be resurrected and shall live blissful lives in Tikkun for the rest of time.

Tovah : A Merkabean nobleman who also fights, generally mounted. They are the equivalent of knights, but do not obey Gothe-Ul. Tovahim are referred to directly as Tovah, or Tov followed by the name (Tov Malkuth). The plural form is Tovahim.

Vah : This simply means “great” in Merkabean.

Vah Ephod : The “Great Ephod” the absolute leader of the Ecclesiarchy and of Merkabah. 

Vah Gevurah : The final end of the world, when the Vahim destroy all things.

Vah Hoshek : The “Great Temple” and absolute center of the worship of Morick. This great temple is located in Gilgulim and is where the Vah Ephod rules from.

Vah Zad : One of the large (comparable to a brown bear) grayish colored bears that live in the highlands of Merkabah. They are also called great bears, gray bears, or misty bears. The plural form is Vah Zadim.

Vahim : “The Great Ones” - the most powerful of the Kodeshim, sent to destroy mankind and prepare the earth for the Tikkun. Also known as dragons to the unfaithful.

Yeshod : Literally an “oathbreaker” in Merkabean. Liars have the Yeshod symbol branded upon their forehead to allow others to know that they are not to be trusted. The plural form is yeshodim.

Yazirah : The most sacred holy book to the worshipers of Morick. It contains what are thought to be the most fundamental religious truths about the the nature of Morick, beginning and end of the universe, morality (early foundations of Gothe-Ul), and the role of humanity.

Zadirash : Among the Sopharim, the Zadirash is tradition of great social and spiritual significance. A man must go into the forest by himself, with only his hunting bow, a spear, and an axe. Then he must kill one of the Vah Zadim. If the hunter can successfully kills the bear, he will eat the bear’s heart, which is believed to give the hunter part of the bear’s soul. From that point on the hunter is called Bear Killer and wears the bear’s fur as a symbol of accomplishment.